When you are considering home security systems, chances are that you will examine the type of sensors that are provided, the monitoring system offered and the means of communication with the monitoring center. How many consumers consider the type of keypad that the system utilizes, though? Believe it or not, your choice of keypad can have a dramatic effect on your enjoyment and continued use of your security system. Let’s take a look at the two types generally available.

Standard Numeric Keypad

Most people are familiar with these. These keypads are compact, convenient and have soft alphanumeric buttons. There are quick access buttons many times, to directly alert the police, fire department or emergency services. Sometimes, there is a digital display that will provide additional information such as the location of a triggered alarm sensor or other important information. These are ubiquitous to the home security industry; a standard that many people never see past. While these provide vital access to the system via the keypad, they can also be a drawback. Why is this, you ask?

What would you consider the number one cause of false alarms in the home security industry? Perhaps you think that pets or small children are the most common cause. Perhaps you feel that consumers opening a door without disarming their system is the cause. The actual most common cause of false alarms is actually inputting the wrong security code. Whether it is because the code has been forgotten or the wrong button pushed erroneously, this can decrease your use of the system. If you cannot accurately input your security code, why continue to use the system? No one likes false alarms, neither the consumer, nor the monitoring company or the authorities responding to these alarms.

Options Available

There are options available, though, to go beyond these drawbacks. One of the best options, offered through ADT is a new range of touch screen security keypads. Far from being like the old style, these offer easier inputting of codes to reduce the number of false alarms present. This is accomplished with larger “buttons,” which are easier to read. For homeowners that have trouble using standard security keypads, this is a great option.

Another option exists, as well. Arming and disarming your home security alarm system no longer hinges on the use of keypads at all. One popular option offered by ADT is a keychain alarm remote. This operates in the same manner as your car alarm system. Push one button to arm the system, push another button to disarm the system. You can do this from your porch, your driveway or sitting in your vehicle. All you must do is make sure that you locked your doors. This offers a dramatic decrease in false alarms, since you no longer have to put in a code at all.

Regardless of your home security needs, you can find a system that will fit your needs, both in terms of complexity and in terms of ease of use.

There are many concerns about home security today. With the number of home invasions in the US steadily on the rise, a home security system offers protection and peace of mind. However, what happens when an enterprising criminal decides to cut the phone lines to the home? Most alarm systems use the phone line exclusively for communication with the monitoring station. A loss of the phone communications is a detrimental thing for homeowners. In fact, most monitoring companies will not note a loss in phone line communications because homeowners use a shared phone line.

There is, however, a way around this obstacle. ADT Safewatch CellGuard offers homeowners the security that they need, and does not rely on a phone line to do so. How does this system work? It utilizes cellular signal to communicate with the monitoring center, rather than routing those communications through a landline telephone. Why is this better? Simply put, it ensures that you are protected by your security system, whether your phone line is active or not. By using cellular signal, ADT Safewatch CellGuard provides instant communications with monitoring stations even in the face of the most enterprising criminal.

These benefits operate best if they are combined with a backup battery and other quality offers. Together, they make an almost unbeatable security system, offering the utmost in protection for your home and your family. There are a number of ways in which ADT Safewatch CellGuard can be configured. The most common is to use this system as a backup communications method for your security system. In this configuration, all communications are routed through a landline, unless that phone line is not functioning. When that is the case, the communications routing is switched to use the cellular signal.

Another configuration option fits those that have no landline telephone. In the day of cell phones and satellite Internet, many consumers have chosen not to pay the additional expense of a standard telephone line, choosing to rely, instead, on their cell phones for communications. In the past, this has meant that these consumers were limited in their choice of home security systems. Today, though, ADT Safewatch CellGuard offers these consumers the protection they want and need, even without a landline phone. Because this system uses cellular signal, it can be configured to eradicate the need for a standard telephone line, while still providing the coverage required.

Home security has never been so easy to attain or so comprehensive. With this service, anyone can have the feeling of peace and security that a monitored home security system provides, whether they have a landline phone or not. As mentioned, combining this feature with others from ADT offers the means to have a fully functional, custom security system that exactly fits your needs. In addition, this system has the capability of growing and changing as your security needs change.

Home security companies typically provide installation services to professionally integrate their security solutions into your home environment. This is a great way to make sure that your home is protected and minimize false alarms. Consumers are often confused about window and door security and intrusion detection.

Home intrusion is detected on windows and door through the use of contacts. These contacts are typically installed by the professionals sent to your home. To help you understand the contacts available for your home security solution or to use as a do-it-yourself guide we will discuss the contact options available.

These contacts often use magnets to detect unauthorized entry and send a signal back to the security system which then triggers an alarm. Press fit contacts are the most common contacts used in home security solutions. These contacts are reliable and good for casement windows, sliding doors, and thin frame windows. Press fit contacts often come in pairs and using magnetic casing to detect entry.

Button ball contacts are another form used in security solutions. This solution contains a plunger style contact. It is typically used on doors. As a door is opened the ball is pushed back into the contact casing triggering an alarm. The signal is sent by wire to the security system.

Mini-disc tight fit contacts are very thin. These contacts are the size of a coin and are used for tight fitting places. The contact uses magnetic casings to detect entry.

Surface mount contacts are easily to install. These contacts have been around for many years and are very reliable. Contacts are mounted to the surface of doors or windows. When the contacts are moved apart an alert is triggered. The contacts are mounted using screws or adhesive. Sometimes contacts are installed using both adhesive and screws for a secure connection. Ease of installation is the biggest benefit to surface mount contacts.

Recessed alarm contacts are used for doors and windows. Their primary use is in window frames that cannot accommodate a hole drilled for contact placement. Magnetic casings are used for recessed contacts to detect entry. These contacts can contain mounting caps that require a key before separating.

Rollerball contacts are recessed contacts that use a ball for detecting entry opposed to magnets. When the ball is pushed into the casing entry is detected. These contacts are more versatile than the wheel and plunger style contacts. There is a 360 degree activation point and tapered housing allows for easy installation.

If you choose to install a do-it-yourself home security system you have a variety of options available to use for contacts to detect entry. To take the burden of selecting the proper contacts and installing the component properly consider using a home security provider that is well respected by consumers.

Home security providers can offer you more than just a professional installation. They can offer you incredible components and monitoring services to give you the peace of mind that someone is watching out for you and your family even when you are unavailable to do so. They are the best form of security you can find for all your home security needs.

At some point in time we will all hear a neighbors alarm go off either to signal intrusion or as a false alarm. People all over the world are adding home security systems to protect their home and families. It is inevitable that there may be a time when they accidentally open a door or window without thinking about the security system. Usually this is accompanied by a high pitched siren and the annoyance of neighbors.

This wonderful addition to your home security system is meant to be an irritant to intruders and is one of the best features of the system. If intruders hear an audible alert or visible alert that a home has been compromised they are aware that some of these homes are being monitored by some of the top companies across the country. This means that they no longer have 10 – 20 minutes to roam around in your home. Your home will no longer be a viable target and the intruders will quickly turn away to look for another neighborhood.

If you are considering purchasing a home security system from a security provider you will not have to consider these features. A high-decibel siren is typically built-in to the system that they will provide to you. This feature can easily be added to your existing security system and there are multiple options available to you.

Sirens are available for indoor or outdoor use. Outdoor units can be housed in a steel box or resemble a megaphone. These sirens are typically powder-coated to make them durable and weatherproof. Indoor sirens are developed in attractive styles to be integrated into your existing home décor without drawing attention to the siren.

The benefit of these sirens is their high pitched sound. The instant loud siren can started intruders causing a “flight” response. In an effort not to be caught by law enforcement officials this alert sends them scurrying to leave the premises. Sirens can come in varying degrees of audio up to 110 db of sound pressure. Tones can be steady or a yelp tone.

Although not necessary, strobe lights can be an additional deterrent. Strobe lights work in tandem with sirens to scare intruders. These lights are available in various colors. The most popular colors are red, blue, amber, green and clear. Strobe lights can be set to a bright flashing light or a constant light. Flashing lights typically flash between 60 and 80 times per minute. Often they are built with filters to protect them from radio interference or voltage spikes. Typically strobe lights are a good addition for businesses but not a necessity for residential use.

Some of the newer systems available from the nation’s top security providers are built to be wireless. Wireless sirens or strobe lights allow for an easy installation without a need to make major modifications to your home or business.

If you are looking for a home security solution for your home, do not neglect to investigate this audible alert. Check the decibel rating of the siren to ensure that you will have a security system that provides a high-pitched alert. This simple deterrent can protect your home and family.