Burglar Alarms Reviewed

Why I’m Interested In Burglar Alarms

People will often ask me why I’m passionate about burglar alarms.  Have you ever had one of those moments where you finally get it and understand the importance?  That happened to me.

I was out with a friend of mine on a Friday night relaxing after a hard work week enjoying a little rest and relaxation, it was late probably around 1:00 AM.  Out of the blue I get a call from my wife who is frantic because someone was in the house!  She could hear them in the kitchen and she was worried for the safety of our children and herself.  I told my wife to stay in the bedroom and that my friend and I would be at the house in just a few minutes.  We got there prepare for some action, but to our surprise my wife had disregarded my request and had gone out there.  To her amazement our basset hound had climbed up on the kitchen counter and was scrounging for food.  Her movements were knocking things around and onto the floor.  After we got our whits about us we all had a good laugh and wondered how a low level and heavy dog managed to work her way up there.  But once the nerves cleared we were back to living the way were had always done.

Just a few short weeks later I was woken by a loud crash in my backyard.  It startled my wife and me and I headed out to see what was going on.  It turned out that just a few feet from my young childrens bedroom window two thieves were trying to steal my car.  Fortunately, the neighbor was woken and called the police.  The sound I heard in the backyard was one of them running through my yard and over my fence.  All of this was occurring around my relatively unsecured home.

I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night and spent several waking hours looking out the window as if they were going to come back and I might catch them.  The next morning we have an alarm system company representative come out and install a new system for us. In hindsight we didn’t make the best choice when picking a system, we jumped into it too quickly and were emotional about it and the company representative took advantage of that.

My goal with this blog is to help people make an educationed choice when it comes to their personal safety.

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Insurance and Burglar Alarms

Many people ask if installing a monitored alarm system will reduce their insurance rate.  You need to check with your own insurance company, however normally it can reduce your rate by as much as 20% annually.  This reduction in cost can offset the price of the monitoring service as well as provide peace of mind and comfort.

Prior to doing an installation contact your insurance company and find out if they have any pre-approved alarm systems they prefer you choose from.  Many may request that it be UL tested.  The key though may be the need to have a monitored system in order to get the discount, make sure you clearly understand this prior to installation.

Some alarm systems bill themselves as insurance approved, but don’t take their word for it because there is not one standard accepted by all insurance providers.  Discuss with your insurance agent the best ways to protect your family and gain discounts on insurance, most companies have this information readily available for the asking.

Up to know we have been discussing choosing an alarm system, but what if you already have one installed and your insurance doesn’t offer a discount for your specific brand? You have a few options:

1.    Keep the alarm system and receive no discount on insurance
2.    Change out the alarm system if it makes financial sense based on the insurance savings
3.    Switch insurance providers, assuming they accept the alarm system you have and the discount you receive is great enough

Often people look to do it yourself alarm installations, but many insurance companies are hesitant to provide a discount under this.  The likelihood of a false alarm increased dramatically for a homeowner installed alarm system over one that is professionally installed.  If you are considering this option do make sure you double check with your insurance company.
Whatever option you choose, be it an existing, new or do it yourself alarm system make sure you communicate clearly with your insurance company.  The discounts are real, but they do have standards they need to adhere to and a little understanding ahead of time on your part can reduce the headache.

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False Alarm-Burglar Alarms

False alarms cost taxpayers millions and millions of dollars a year and many cities either have fines associated with false alarms, are considering raising or implementing fines.  As an example, New Haven Connecticut responds to roughly 11,000 false alarms a year. New Haven is considering an increase to $250 a call. It is estimated that up to 25% of all calls turn out to be false alarms.

Many in the burglar alarm industry are concerned that fining people may prevent them from purchasing and installing an alarm system at all.  Some companies are looking to train customers on how to maintain alarms and limit the about of false calls.

Research shows that false burglar alarms come from three key areas:

•    Simple and avoidable errors such as doors or windows left open, not inputting the correct key code, pets or people walking around while sensors are set or other various avoidable situations
•    Poorly chosen or maintained equipment
•    Failing to properly install the system or sensors

Obviously these are not the only reasons a system may cause a false alarm, but these are the ones that are more easily managed by the user.

If you have an alarm system what can you do to reduce the chance of having a false alarm?

Not only are false alarms annoying to neighbors enough of them will cause them to stop taking the threat seriously.  Not to mention false alarms can cause you embarrassment and the evil eye from your neighbors.   In order to limit the potential for false alarms make sure you and everyone that lives or access the home knows the correct key code.  At night or when you leave do a check on all windows and doors to make sure they are securely closed, a door even slightly open can cause an alarm to go off.  Have your system checked annually, or anytime it appears to be malfunctioning, by an alarm maintenance company to make sure it is working properly.  You can also contact your local security company and they will provide you information on how to best reduce the number of false alarms.

It was estimated in 2002 that false alarms cost taxpayers a combined 36 million dollars, do your part to understand what you can do to limit your chance of having one.

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