| Do you think there is nothing to steal in your apartment? You are wrong – such ordinary things as a TV, a computer or a fur coat cost money. Therefore, you should not rely so much on a lucky chance protecting you from uninvited guests – equip your home with modern technical security equipment.
Before you start turning your apartment into a fortress, it is worth calculating how much all your valuable property costs. This is necessary in order to determine the amount of expenses for strengthening the home and the alarm. Remember — expenses should not exceed 20% of the cost of valuables, otherwise they are unjustified. When the hard-earned money is calculated, it is time to choose an alarm. This is an expensive thing, and therefore before buying it, you should understand what you are buying.
How do apartment security systems work
A security alarm, no matter how complex it is, consists of only three elements: sensors, a control panel, and a remote control. Sensors are needed to detect movement, temperature changes, smoke, gas, water intrusion, vibrations, noise (when glass breaks), or power outages. Control panels are used to collect and process signals from transmitters and, if necessary, call the police or a private security agency. And the remote control is needed to turn all of this on, off, and program it.
A standard set of sensors for a city apartment security system looks like this: a simple sensor is installed on the door that reacts to the opening and breaking down of the door frame. In fairness, it should be noted that breaking down occurs much less often than a standard break-in, but it is much better to be safe than sorry in this case. Glass breakage sensors are installed on windows. And there are also infrared motion sensors. You need to approach their selection with special care. Keep in mind that they can see a thief no further than a certain distance and only at a certain angle. Therefore, several such guards may be needed for large halls, but one will be enough for standard rooms. The main thing is to arrange the «guards» during installation so that the suspected criminal cannot get around them.
By the way, pet owners can rest assured: modern technology can distinguish people from animals weighing less than 40 kg. There is no need to worry even if your pet is larger. However, you will have to pay 20-30% more for sensors that can recognize such giants.
Another important point is the power supply of the system: if you turn it off, your apartment is defenseless again. To prevent this from happening, the alarm power source is equipped with a battery capable of maintaining the system's operability for 24 hours.
If thieves arrive
Remember that a security alarm is only needed to detect a thief and call the one you choose. If you live in a new residential complex and it has its own security service, then, of course, it is worth calling them. The main reason is efficiency. If your apartment is in an ordinary unguarded house, then you will have to choose who to call for help. There are two options: a state security service or a private agency.
When choosing, consider the following. The police may refuse to take your apartment under guard if the security alarm system you have installed does not suit them. Or they will offer to buy equipment that they agree to work with. Usually, it is 20% more expensive than market analogues. Private agencies are not so picky, and their services cost the same — on average from 50 hryvnia per month. The amount may be more — it all depends on the value of your property. But the main thing is not the price of private services, but the speed of their arrival upon alarm, which should be no more than 10 minutes. Moreover, the time of arrival of the capture group must be clearly fixed in the contract for the protection of the premises. Since the inviolability of your property actually depends on this.
The price of the issue
A security alarm system consisting of a door sensor, three window sensors and four motion sensors for an average two-room apartment will cost about $3,000. Of this, about $1,200 will have to be paid for the installation and connection of the system.
Types of alarms
Depending on the type of connection between the sensor and the control panel, security alarms are divided into wired, wireless and mixed. In the first, which is almost three times cheaper than wireless, signals are transmitted via wires. But they can be installed in an apartment only at the very beginning of the renovation. Otherwise, the alarm will pretty much disfigure it. If you don’t really like the look of wires hanging everywhere, and you don’t have any plans for renovation in the near future, buy a wireless system. In it, the sensors communicate with the control panel via radio signals. This type of security alarm can be installed in an apartment at any time. And, what’s nice is that the installation process itself will only take a few hours. However, you will have to pay more. |
