Keeping intruders out of any building is a key component of effective security. Intrusion alarms play a vital role in any security system, whether it’s a large property with many buildings or a small business. They detect when somebody is attempting to break into your building or property, and they trigger an alarm that many times scares off the intruder.
The three main components of intrusion alarms are the arming station, detection devices, and signaling devices. Here, we’ll discuss more about what intrusion alarms are, how they work, and how they can protect your buildings, people, and assets.
What Is an Intrusion Alarm?
An intrusion alarm is a part of a security system that is designed to catch intruders to your building; its main purpose is to stop unauthorized people from entering. The system sends an alert if it is triggered via various detection devices that an intruder has entered a building or restricted area.
Depending on the type of intrusion alarm you have installed, it can detect someone in the process of attempting to break in, or it can detect somebody who has already broken in.
Intrusion alarms can be installed on exterior doors and windows, but they can do more than simply prevent somebody from entering your building. Intrusion alarms can also prevent people from entering restricted areas within your property when they’re installed on interior doors or windows.
When intrusion alarms detect an intruder, they are designed to automatically send out alerts. These alerts can be both auditory and visual and serve four main purposes.
Intrusion alarms can:
- Scare away the intruder
- Warn people in the building that there is an intruder
- Alert the appropriate authorities of the intruder
- Alert the property owner of the intruder
Of course, you can customize an intrusion alarm to suit your needs. You’ll need to consider various components of the alarm system when installing an intrusion alarm for your business.
How Do Intrusion Alarms Work?
To function properly, intrusion alarms need to have many working parts. Of course, you don’t want your alarm to go off every time you or an authorized person enters an area equipped with an alarm. So, one of the first components of the alarm system is an arming station that allows you to turn the alarm on and off.
Arming Station
The arming station allows you to turn your alarm on or off. This prevents it from alerting during business hours or any time people should be present in the area.
Arming stations are usually in the form of either a key switch or a keypad. To turn the alarm on and arm the system, you’ll need to either have a special key or know the code for the keypad. Then, when you want to arm the intrusion alarm, you can turn it on.
Manual arming allows you to turn the system on at specific times. You might want to arm your system while you’re gone, at night, or when your business is closed. You also have the option of arming specific areas in your building, perhaps a room that holds sensitive information or valuables. In this case, you might choose to keep the alarm armed nearly 24/7.
Once you’ve armed your alarm, your detection devices are active.
Detection Devices
Detection devices are installed on your property, and they are what detects that there is an intruder trying to enter. There are many different types of detection devices, but some of the most common are contact switches, motion detectors, glass breakage detectors, and seismic and shock detectors.
Contact switches detect if a door or window has been opened. You can install them on any door or window that can be opened, whether interior or exterior. If anybody opens one of the windows or doors while the system is armed, an alarm will go off.
Motion detectors detect motion inside your building. This, of course, sets off an alarm if somebody is inside. Motion detectors can be installed virtually anywhere inside your property. Some common areas include directly inside main entrances, in hallways, and in long corridors. You can also choose to install motion detectors in rooms that have valuables or contain sensitive information.
There are many different types of motion detectors, and you may first think of laser motion detectors you often see in movies. These detect any motion that crosses their field and can result in false alarms.
A much more popular type of motion detection that results in fewer false alarms is infrared detection. This technology senses the temperature of something that comes into its detection area, so it can more easily tell the difference between a person and a piece of paper that got blown off a desk, for example.
Once either a contact switch or a motion device detects that there is an intruder, the alarm is triggered.
Signaling Devices
Signaling Devices ring the alarm that there is an intruder in your building. Typically, there is both an auditory and visual alarm. This might be a bell, siren, or voice alarm, and there also might include flashing lights. There are also devices that can send a text notification to your phone.
The signaling device alerts the intruder that both you and the authorities are aware that they are trying to break in. It also alerts anybody in or around the building of the intruder. Typically, this causes the intruder to leave. Alerting others nearby helps them make an informed decision regarding their own safety. They might choose to stay in a secure location until the situation has been resolved, or they might go looking for the intruder.
Intrusion Alarm Systems
When all three of these main components of an intrusion alarm work together, you can better protect your building and property from break-ins and intruders. Intrusion alarms are an important part of a strong security system.
