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Wireless alarm systems add to your protection(The Jakarta Post)from THE JAKARTA POST -- MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2005 -- PAGE 18 Ten years ago, my family had a traumatic experience. A group of burglars came into our house and took away quite a few things,including some of my wife's jewelry, some cash and almost all the electronics that we had. About the only thing they did not touch was my PC. Some higher being I guess had whispered into their ears at that time: "Hey dudes, don't take this man's plow!" In hindsight, what we lost then was nothing compared to what God has given us afterwards. However, we still hear time and time again how a small group of people ransacked a house while nobody was at home. That was exactly what happened to us. These people came into our home when none of us was there We learned a good lesson from the painful incident. Immediately after it happened, we installed an alarm system. Each time it is unavoidable that the three of us have to leave our house empty, the alarm system has given us some sense of security. Surprisingly, I have not seen any of my neighbors installing alarm systems in their houses They rely more on fortified doors. However, these thugs have a lot of brute force. All they need is a strong crowbar or the "Jaws of Life" and even a sturdy Italian-made door lock will not be able to withstand its strength Today, we have a lot more options for more tamper-proof house alarm systems. When I visited Datascrip's main office in Jakarta, for example, I had the chance to check out a new system from Denmark -- a country well-known for its technology and design prowess. Two big names in Danish design are Grundfos and Bang & Olufson. Go wireless Wireless house alarm systems are generally simple to install. Most of them are easy to DIY (Do It Yourself). As there are no cables to connect the components, you will not have to replaster your wall A good alarm system has a central control unit. You just program the code that is used for all the components. Sometimes the head unit is inside an outdoor siren that you hang high on your external wall, sometimes it is a separate indoor unit. You should choose an upgradeable system, which means that you can add more sensors and detectors as necessary later on The VAGT alarm system, which Datascrip has just launched as part of its office automation offerings, is one such system. We can add more door and window sensors as the need grows Each time the door is opened when the alarm is on, the sensor will send a signal to the head unit, which in turn will cause the siren to blast. The VAGT system, I was told, will continue to create the noise for 2 minutes and 40 seconds before it stops We also need a loud outdoor siren. With VAGT, as well as many other alarms, we can add as many sirens as we wish. If we program them with the same code, they will produce a high-decibel noise that will hopefully send the thugs away. Without the alarm, the control unit will only ring, and this may not be very helpful in preventing intrusion There are other detectors that you can add, including infra-red motion detectors. However, the most important component is certainly the backup battery Thieves may switch off the main electrical switch outside your house, thinking that it will disable the entire alarm system. With the backup battery -- and you have to check the battery's health once in a while -- the system will continue working even when the electrical power is cut off The VAGT system, as well as the one I have at home, also uses a solar panel that will keep the battery recharged. You need to install the battery in a place where it will get the most sunlight During the rainy season, the solar panel may not be able to supply enough electricity to recharge the battery and you will need to use a power adapter to do the job Now suppose your house has been broken into and the alarm has gone off for almost three minutes. The burglars have left, but your front door is left ajar, too The best thing is that the alarm system also has a dialer that can send you an alert. You can then call your neighbor and ask them to watch your house until any one of you gets home. VAGT also has a GSM-based dialer, so that you will get a call even when there are burglars smart enough to cut off your phone cable before trying to enter your house If you do not pick up the call for some reason -- you may have turned your phone off because you are in a meeting -- it can dial a different number. You will need, of course, to preprogram the dialer and enter the numbers into its memory. Actually, I have seen a locally designed and manufactured system with this feature as well Homes with elderly people left alone during the day can be protected with panic buttons. VAGT has a pendant that they can wear. If they have a problem, they just pull the pendant and a wireless signal will be sent to the control unit. You can also buy fire detectors that can be connected to the control unit as well Some more complex systems can control more than just one zone in the house, so if you have a large house you can move around in one section without triggering the alarm while the other sections are still covered The VAGT accessories, I was told, were mostly designed by Jacob Jensen. One can look at his other design creations at www.jacob- jensen.com. Some tips Buy the keypad accessory and put it next to your main entry door. Make sure that it can be seen from outside your fence. Even though you do not actually use it, it is the same as sticking a label there that says "This property is protected by alarm." Each time you have to leave your home empty make sure you turn on the alarm before you get into your car. It will put out a couple of beeps and it will tell the burglars who may be in the neighborhood looking for a target that you are leaving but your house is protected by alarm Tell the hansip (neighborhood security guard) that you have an alarm system and let him hear the siren so that he will know what it means in case it goes off Strangely, studies have shown that those who are the most serious about protecting their homes -- including installing expensive alarm systems -- are the professional burglars themselves It means that their knowledge of alarm systems may be much better than we think. The conclusion? The house alarm system, no matter how sophisticated, will never be 100 percent foolproof. It can only add some protection to your property -- home or office -- but it will not guarantee it is intrusion-proof Zatni Arbi, Contributor, [email protected] Copyright 2005 The Jakarta Post |