Burglar alarms are becoming a way of life. Why should you let someone walk in your house and take what you have worked so hard for. There are so many alarm companies to choose from, it's almost impossible not to get a alarm installed in your house at a very reasonable rate. I will not tell you which one to buy, but I can tell you the pros and cons of some of them.
HARD WIRE
This is the best....in my opinion....alarm you can install. This is hooked up directly to your phone and is monitored by the alarm company that installs it, and is electrically powered. There is all kinds of sensors you can have installed throughout the house. Some of these are Glass sensors, which are activated when there is a sudden change of pressure in the room. Motion sensor's are activated by movement. Door sensors are activated when the sensor's plane is broken. All these sensors are additional to the actual alarm. Some companies will include certain sensors in the price.
The only drawback is price. These tend to be the most expensive because of the hard wiring and monitoring of the system. You also have to pay an installation charge. These are very efficient because they are monitored 24 hours a day. The alarm is equipped with a generator backup, and if the telephone line is cut it is automatically activated. If someone should break into your home, the alarm company is automatically notified and they dial 911 immediately. The whole process takes a few seconds to complete the call to the police.
WIRELESS
These are nice if you don't want a hard wire. These are not normally monitored by a alarm company, but there is a couple of companies that make a similar style. You can hook this alarm up to your phone and program it to automatically dial someone you know. It is not preferred to set it to the police because they will not know who is calling or what the nature of the call is. When your friend receives the call, they will know exactly who the call is from by some kind of tone, in return calling the police to report the burglary for you. It allows up to four different numbers to be dialed, and redials until someone picks up. This is a nice feature, but you better hope someone is home out of those four numbers. These are also noted for false alarms.
Being it is cordless, there is a number of things that can set them off. Wireless means it is controlled by radio waves. If someone is in your area with a two way radio and keys up the mic, it can activate the alarm. They also can be activated by a coardless phone or cellular phone. It's power source is electric, but the sensors are battery operated. In my opinion, batteries can not be trusted.
CHEAPIES
What I mean by this is your basic battery operated alarms that are installed on the doors and windows. These are not monitored and only sends out a screeching sound like a body alarm. You can pick them up at any Radio Shack for $10 to $50. These are good for apartments where the population in the immediate area is dense. The neighbors will call the police just to have them turn the nuisance off.
This is about all the knowledge I have on alarms. I have a hardwire myself, and I'm very pleased with it. I pay $19.95 a month to have it monitored, and I feel that is peanuts if it will protect my assets. I had one attempted burglary in the three years I have the alarm, and it saved my possessions. The police arrived in a matter of minutes, and they reported nobody was around. They secured the house and the alarm company shut the interior alarm off. So they do work, and I suggest everyone get one.
BODY ALARMS
These little gadgets save lives. They are small and compact....about the size of a pager....and send out a screeching noise when activated. The range of the noise is 85db to 130db depending what price you pay. Price range of these alarms run from about $10 to $90. The more expensive one has a strobe light and also can be used as a mini flashlight. You can attach them to your purse or belt and can even carry them in your pocket. When activated, it will scare the living tar out of anyone around. It can be heard for blocks, giving you that split second to make your getaway. You can pick these up just about anywhere. It is strongly urged for every female to carry one.
MACE AND PEPPER SPRAY
These canisters will freeze anyone in their tracks, providing you spray them in the eyes or facial area. These are not recommended for just any amateur to use. First off, you have to let your attacker get too close to you for it to have any affect, and you must have a good aim. If your against any kind of wind, you could end up spraying yourself. If your attacker approaches you from behind, you will not have any time to unlock the canister, turn, aim and fire.
STUN GUN
Again, this device is only good if the attacker is very close or actually on you. These are not cheap by any means, and could end up having the attacker using it on you.
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