Burglars and Alarm Systems
Statistics show that sixty percent of burglars will not attempt to steal from a home that has a home security alarm in place. Here are some tips from ACS Security for the best ways to utilize your home security alarm system and to keep burglars away from your property.
Home Security Decals And Home Security Yard Signs Detract Burglars
The best way to keep an intruder away from your home is to make it obvious that you have a home security alarm system in place. It is recommended to have your home security decals and home security yard signs displayed prominently on your property. If you do not have your home security decals and home security yard signs posted already, then ACS Security suggests you do so immediately.
Arm Your Home Security System
It may seem obvious, but many people forget this very simple and very important step. Your home security system should always be armed, even if you are already at home. Even if you will only be gone for a couple of minutes, you should make sure to arm your home security system and protect your house.
Choose A Good Alarm Code
Avoid using numbers for your home security system alarm code that someone could easily guess, such as 1-2-3-4 or your street address. It is vital that you do not share your home security system alarm code with anyone outside of trusted friends and family members. If you have young children, you must reinforce to them that your home security system alarm code should always remain private.
Test Your Home Security System
While having a home security system is a great way to protect your home, making sure it is working properly is just as important. Test your system weekly or monthly by taking these steps:
Test signal communication to the ACS Monitoring Station:
- Call 310-475-9016 and ask to have your alarm put into “Test Mode”. This is necessary to avoid the deployment of emergency services.
- Set your alarm as you normally would. Wait until the delay time has expired and your alarm is fully set.
- Open a door or window that is set with your alarm system. Once the siren begins to ring, wait at least 45 seconds to disarm the system.
- Call 310-475-9016 back to ensure that the signal was received and to have your system taken out of “Test Mode”.
Test the operation of all door, window sensors, and motion detectors:
- Verify that your system is in “Ready” mode and not armed. The system must be disarmed to avoid the deployment of emergency services.
- Open each door and window, doing so one at a time.
- Check that the keypad displays the door or window you’re testing.
- Close the door or window. The keypad should change back to the “Ready” mode.
- Repeat this process for each of your motion detectors.
Test Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors:
- When testing either detector, it should make noise after pressing the test button.
- If noise isn’t made when the test button is pressed, start by changing the batteries in the device.
- If this doesn’t work, make sure to contact your home security system provider.
Having a home security system installed will likely deter burglars from attempting a break-in. Since the chance of getting caught dramatically increases when a home security system is present, burglars will often seek an unprotected home instead. Make it known to your neighborhood that your home security system is in place and armed.