Most Johannesburg homes already have walls, gates and burglar bars, and many have dogs. These make a house harder to get into, but none of them tells you or anyone else that someone is trying. Walls are climbed, bars are cut and dogs are distracted. An alarm system adds the piece that is missing: it detects an intruder, warns you and calls for a response. These are the benefits that matter, and the points that decide whether an alarm delivers them.
The main benefits of an alarm system
Early warning
The most valuable thing an alarm gives you is time. Outdoor beams along walls, the driveway and the garden detect someone on the property before they reach a door or window, so you are woken or alerted while they are still outside. Inside, motion detectors and door and window contacts cover the routes an intruder would have to take. Armed for the night, the system can protect the rest of the house while you move freely in the bedrooms.
Armed response
An alarm linked to an armed response company sends someone to the property when it is triggered. This is what turns a siren into help, especially at night, when you are away or when children or older family members are home alone. The response company is a separate monthly service; the alarm's job is to reach it reliably and quickly.
Panic buttons
Fixed panic buttons in the bedroom and on remotes let you call for help without reaching a phone, during a break-in, at the gate when you arrive home, or in a medical emergency. For many families this is the feature they use and value most.
Protection while you are away
Empty houses are a target, particularly over holidays. With the alarm armed and monitored, a break-in brings a response straight away rather than being discovered when you come home. Most modern alarms also send alerts to your phone, so you know what is happening wherever you are.
A real deterrent
Visible detectors, an outdoor siren and an armed response board tell an intruder the house is protected and that a response will come. Many will move on to an easier target. A loud siren inside also makes staying in the house very uncomfortable for anyone who does get in.
Insurance and resale
Many household insurers ask for a working alarm, and some take it into account in your premium, so check what your policy requires and keep the alarm in working order. A well-installed system is also an asset when you sell: buyers see a house that is already protected.
More than intruders
The same system can carry smoke and heat detectors, so fire is detected early as well. See our guide to fire alarm systems for how that works.
An alarm works best with the rest of your security
An alarm is one layer. An electric fence on the boundary can be linked to it, so an attack on the fence raises the alarm. CCTV cameras let you see what triggered the alarm, and help armed response and the police afterwards. Gates and garage doors that close properly keep the perimeter intact. Planned together, each layer covers the gaps in the others.
What makes an alarm worth relying on
The benefits above only come from an alarm that works when it is needed. Four things decide that:
- Coverage planned around how the house would be entered, so there are no doors, windows or passages left unprotected. Our guide to what a good alarm installation involves explains how this is done.
- Few false alarms. An alarm that keeps going off for pets, trees or wind gets ignored or switched off. The right detectors, placed and set correctly, prevent this.
- Simple to use. If arming the system is a struggle, people stop arming it. A clear keypad, remotes and an app make it easy for the whole household.
- Power and maintenance. A healthy backup battery keeps the alarm working through load shedding, and regular servicing keeps detectors, beams and panic buttons tested. See our guide to alarm maintenance.
Brand matters less than these points. Our guides to the types of alarm systems and the parts of an alarm system explain the options, and for complexes and estates a maintenance contract keeps every system tested on schedule.
If you are considering an alarm, or the one you have does not give you confidence, we can walk the property, show you where each detector and beam should go and quote in writing. Call Tyson on 071 846 7554 or request a free written quote.