Alarm Systems.

Most home alarm systems are fairly basic affairs, consisting of motion sensors situated in the main thoroughfares. While these do detect unauthorised movement within the premises the point I would make is the fact that these sensors will work only "after" the thief has broken into your house. If a professional thief (emphasis on professional) is after something precious in your home you are going to have to go to a great deal of trouble to prevent that person from getting what they want.

Today's lifestyles often require something more than just a "Basic Alarm". The alarms at the low cost end of the market are what I would refer to as "Dead End"; They monitor the sensors and that is it!

For slightly more cost you can look at installing a system that has the ability to grow with your home and family. These system can be expanded to include "Access Control", Driveways, Gates, Garage Doors, Intercom functions, Video Monitoring and monitoring of other systems around your home

Alarm Monitoring.

A monitoring company needs to be selected with care. You will need to find out if they have a minimum response time for their security patrols and what services the security guards will perform when on site.

Monitoring for Burglary.

If the alarm is monitored only for burglary then in most cases I see very little value in their service. If your house is burgled and the alarm is triggered then the security guard could be up to 20 minutes after the initial activation, depending on how busy they are and where the security guard was when he was dispatched to your premises. If they find that your house has been broken into they will inform the monitoring company who will in turn call you to tell you your house has been burgled. The security guard will not stay at your premises and they will not initiate repairs and worse you will be charged for the call out. The alarm system can be configured to call a monitoring company and/or your cell phone. Calling you direct achieves the same end but saves you the cost of the monitoring and the call outs.

Monitoring for Fire.

Having the premises monitored for fire can help reduce the amount of damage to your premises in the event of a fire and can even save lives. The smoke and heat detectors will need to be wired back to the security panel and are not the type that you can normally purchase from your hardware store. False alarms can start to become expensive if the local fire brigade decides your system is becoming a nuisance, these can be up to $1,500-00 per call. (In the Manukau District they have at least 1 house fire every day and 98% of all monitored fire alarms calls are false alarms.) Again the alarm system can be configured to call other as well as the monitoring station, I am sure your neighbors will want to know if their property may face fire damage as a result of the fire on your property.

Monitoring for Medical.

For anyone who needs to have his or her medical condition monitored this can literally be a lifesaver. Medical bracelets can be worn that when activated will trigger the security system to call for emergency medical assistance. Again this does not have to be a monitoring company; it can be a family member or neighbor who is called on for assistance. If you have an integrated system then turning on house and outside lighting and unlocking external doors to allow your rescuers easy access could be a good idea.

Monitoring for Home Invasion.

This is probably the worst kind of crime that can befall someone. Typically, there will be a family member home and the alarm system will be "OFF". Once the home invasion is detected someone will need to reach an alarm activation point to trigger the alarm. These would need to have been specified when the system was originally designed. The monitoring company will send someone to your premises and may also pass the information to the Police. "How long will it take for someone to get there?" At least someone will turn up. This does raise the possibility of a hostage situation once help arrives. This is one of the reasons of the growth of "Panic Rooms" in the USA by those who perceive themselves to be at risk. A panic room is a room that is totally self-contained where the home owner can survive for days at a time. It is fitted with all the necessities of life including light, water and communications that are separate from the rest of the house and cannot be tampered with from the outside the room. Once the room is sealed it can only be opened from inside.

1 Touch does not provide Alarm Monitoring Services, nor do we have a prefered supplier. We do provide instalation services and on going support. The staff at 1 Touch are specifically trained by the suppliers of the equipment we install to ensure you obtain the best possible solution possible