From Burglar Alarms to Fire Alarms

How They Work and How to Use Them

Break apart any home security system and what you have is one or more interconnected types of alarm systems. A comprehensive security system includes a burglar alarm, one or more hazard alarms, heating and cooling alarms and possibly even a medical monitoring alarm. However each of these might also be used independently of each other.

Burglar Alarms

Home burglar alarms are typically what immediately jump to mind when you start looking at home security systems. And in most cases this is the system included in a basic alarm package.

Burglar alarms typically include:

Window and door sensors
Motion detectors
Main control panel
Centrally located keypad
Exterior security signs
Hard-wired or wireless construction

These systems are often centrally monitored by a security provider that alerts authorities to break-ins.

Safety Alarm Systems

Some of the more common safety alarm systems are included in every home with or without a more sophisticated security system:

Smoke alarm systems include multiple battery-operated or hard-wired smoke detectors, possibly strobe lights and hearing impaired features for seniors and hearing impaired homeowners.
Fire alarms include a series of smoke detectors, heat detectors and possibly an in-home sprinkler.

The old adage, “Where there is smoke there is fire,” has instrumentally driven the push to include and require some form of smoke or fire alarm in nearly every building in America. Every home should have working smoke detectors on every level and outside all bedrooms. These are cheap devices that save hundreds of lives every year.

Critical Systems Alarms

One very overlooked aspect of your home security AND safety is your home’s built in systems, such as heating and cooling and plumbing. What happens if a pipe bursts and no one is home? What happens if your heating system goes on the blink in the middle of winter while you’re on vacation?

Heating and cooling alarms include detection and monitoring devices that transmit information about your heating and/or cooling system often directly to an alarm monitoring company.
Flood and water alarm systems monitor your appliances and plumbing system where even small leaks can go undetected and eventually result in thousands of dollars in repairs.

Medical Alarms

As Baby Boomers age they are staying at home and living longer. Enter the age of medical alarms & medical monitoring. Two types of systems you can buy:

Standalone medical alarm systems come packaged with a main transmitting station and one or more wearable wireless alert devices that are usually button-activated. You or a loved one suffers an immediate medical emergency or falls down the wearable pendant or belt-clip or wristwatch can be quickly activated to transmit the emergency.
Home security systems with built-in medical alarm systems may include remote monitoring or simply offer you a button on your system keypad that may be used to call for help in a medical emergency.