Summary

– 1.Wireless alarm installation

– 2.Wired alarm installation

– 3.Installation of your alarm: the central and the detectors

– 4.Your alarm control panel

– 5.The sensors of your alarm

You can install your wireless alarm yourself if you are a good handyman, otherwise have it installed by a pro to make your alarm effective!

1.Wireless alarm installation

– Wireless alarm installation is easier than a wired alarm installation since there are no wires to run along the walls and to camouflage: therefore, no rough work or decoration.

– Nevertheless, some essential choices are still made on the installation (positioning of the control unit and detectors) and parameterization.

– If you are talented, you can go by yourself.

– Otherwise, it is better to call a pro, a poorly installed alarm is useless, and the installation is not so expensive compared to the stakes.

2.Wired alarm installation

The installation of a wired alarm is more complicated than a wireless alarm since wires can run along the walls and camouflage. 

You will also have essential choices on the installation and configuration, just like the wireless alarm.

– It’s best to call a professional.

3.Installation of your alarm: the central station and the detectors

An alarm system is composed of a control panel and detectors. Whether it is a home alarm installation or a business alarm, the alarm system’s various components must be easily accessible to you without being within reach of burglars.

4.The central alarm unit

– The central alarm unit is the main box from which you start the alarm and processes all the information coming from the detectors.

– There is, therefore, a double constraint: the central unit must be easy for you to access but difficult for the intruder who would otherwise be able to neutralize the system.

4.1 Where to place the center of your alarm?

– In the case of a wireless alarm:

◦ Place the control panel in the centre of the house, at an equal distance from the different detectors to reduce distances and improve transmissions.

◦ Avoid as much as possible obstacles (mostly metallic) between the detectors and the central unit.

◦ Do not place the control panel at ground level to avoid damaging radio wave transmissions.

– If the siren is incorporated into the control unit, avoid hiding the control unit in a closet: the sound would be muffled, whereas the siren is intended to make a fuss.

– Remember to use a simple activation/deactivation system if you have children: a key rather than a keypad, for example.

– The ideal is to “protect” it by placing detectors nearby to warn the control panel before the burglar tries to neutralize it.

– Close to the telephone connections if you have a telephone alert system.

5.Your alarm’s sensors

Alarm detectors are sensors that will detect any abnormal presence, any strange movement, any intrusion. There are several types of detectors; each one uses a particular technology:

– The so-called “volumetric” alarm detectors locate either the movements of a person in space (by a disturbance of frequencies) or the heat emitted by the person (by infrared radiation).

– The so-called “perimeter” alarm detectors detect the opening of a door or a window thanks to a magnetic field that breaks during the break-in.

– Audio sonic alarm detectors: they are sensitive to the waves released when the glass is broken.

Their purpose being to trap the burglar, the alarm detectors must be placed like this:

– Protect the accesses: front door as a priority; it is by this way that the extreme majority of burglars enter your home, windows, garage doors, bay windows on the garden.

– Avoid blind spots.

– For motion detectors: place them away from heat sources such as radiators and halogen lamps.