Burglars are opportunists. They look for unlocked doors and open or unlocked windows. Get in the habit and making sure your doors and windows are locked before leaving your house. Entry to the homes of some of the highly publicized home kidnapping cases was through unlocked doors and open windows. Make sure you have good quality door and window locks installed and use them.

Window security hardware can be installed that prevents windows from being lifted out or being opened more than a few inches. This will allow you to keep the windows open for fresh air at night time while reducing the risk of entry. If you have an alarm system installed, your windows can be vented , which will allow the window to be open a few inches while still protected when the system is armed. An even more effective method of protecting an open window is with a security screen . Security screens have a thin circuit wire laced through the mesh as well as a contact sensor in the frame. When the frame is removed or the mesh and circuit wire are cut, the armed alarm will be activated. The screens are custom made to blend with your other screens.

There are many effective deterrents. Dogs, thorned-bushes planted under windows and around fences, good quality door and window locks, lights, and security systems. While none of these can guarantee you won't be a burglary victim, they all help to make your home safer.

A home with a professionally installed security system is 2 -3 times less likely to be burglarized than a home without one.

Basic Security System

A basic Security System is better than no security system. After all, alarms systems are effective deterrents because of the window stickers and yard sign. These alone may make your home 2- 3 times less likely to be broken into than a house in your neighborhood without a security system. However, a Basic Security System often does not provide the Peace of Mind families are looking for.

A Basic Security System usually includes the following:

• Alarm Control Panel
• Interior Siren
• Digital Keypad
• Door Sensors on first floor doors
• Motion Detector
• Central Station connection

The Alarm Control Panel is the "brains" of your security system. The system electronics and battery backup are housed inside this metal housing. Wires from the electrical transformer, the phone connection, and any alarm devices terminate in the Alarm Control Panel. This is typically installed inside of a closet.

The interior siren sounds when the alarm is activated.
Loud 106dB dual tone siren output.

6150 Fixed-English Display Keypad

The 6150 also features a large backlit fixed-English display that uses three-digit zone numbers. The oversized function keys are easily accessed even when the keypad door is closed and can be programmed for fire, burglary, personal emergencies or other operations. Colored self-adhesive labels are included.

6150V Talking Fixed-English Display Keypad

The 6150V Talking Fixed English Display Keypad is simple to use. It takes the guesswork out of security system operation by speaking system status and zone information in plain English. You can also use the 6150V to record and playback voice messages.

6160 Deluxe Alpha Display Keypad

The 6160 features a new larger and brighter 32-character display. Zones and system events are displayed in easy-to-read plain-English. The oversized function keys are easily accessed even when the keypad door is closed and can be programmed for fire, burglary, personal emergencies or other operations. Colored self-adhesive labels are included.

6160V Talking Deluxe Alpha Display Keypad

6270 TouchCenter

The 6270 TouchCenter keypad makes it easier then ever to take advantage of your security system features. Even the most advanced functions area snap with graphics and menu driven prompts guiding the user every step of the way. It also keeps the users in touch, with a built-in message center that let's them record and playback messages for one another.

Symphony TouchCenter

A blend of head-turning style and sophisticated technology, there's never been a keypad quite like Symphony. The vibrant, full color touchscreen interface makes it easier than ever to take advantage of your security system features. By simply following the graphics on the sleek, vivid touchscreen, you can conduct a variety of everyday tasks with unprecedented ease.

Contacts are used to protect doors and windows providing perimeter protection. A contact is made up of a switch and a magnet. A hardwired switch is installed in a door jam or in a window frame and wired back to the Alarm Control Panel. The magnet is installed on the moving door or window. When the door or window is closed, the spring-loaded circuit inside the switch casing is held closed by the magnet. When opened, the magnet moves away from the switch, the circuit opens, and the alarm system is activated.

Aurora PIR Motion Detector
Dual-element passive infrared (PIR) Motion Detector with pet immunity up to 40 lbs. 35' x 45' coverage area. PIR Motion Detectors "see" the infrared energy emitted by a person's body heat. When one walks into the field of view of the detector, the sensor detects a sharp increase in infrared energy. Because there will always be gradual fluctuation of heat energy in a protected area, PIR detectors are designed to activate the alarm only when infrared energy levels change very rapidly.

Dual Tec ® Motion Detector
The DT-7235T Dual Tec ® Motion Detector provides reliable quality detection and the ability to ignore pets or other animals up to 100 lbs. Coverage area is 35' x 40'.

Round Flush Mount FG-1625RFM Glassbreak Detector

Wireless Door/Window Transmitters
There are several styles of Wireless Door/Window Transmitters available for different applications.

Wireless Motion Detectors
Wireless PIR Motion Detector with pet immunity up to 40 lbs or up to 80 lbs.. Coverage pattern of 35' x 45'.

Wireless Glass Break Detector
Honeywell's Wireless Glassbreak Detector offers uncompromised performance and unmatched false alarm immunity. Can be mounted on any wall or ceiling within a 25' range of the glass being protected.

Wireless Remotes
5804 Remote
Similar in size to a remote car alarm key, the 5804 Wireless Remote offers many of the features of a traditional keypad with convenient fingertip control. Buttons for Arm Away, Arm Stay, Off, and Panic.

5804BD Remote
The 5804 BD two-way remote gives audible-tone and visual status feedback. Buttons for Arm Away, Arm Stay, Off, and Panic.

5804BDV Talking Remote
The 5804 BDV 4-button remote speaks system status in plain-English. Buttons for Arm Away, Arm Stay, Off, and Panic.

Other useful ideas to promote security:

You can protect your possessions more effectively by following these suggestions:

•  Keep valuables in a safety deposit box. Your bank is the safest place for the most valuable items you own. If you keep valuables in a safe deposit box, you won't have to worry about them being stolen.

•  Keep valuables in a safe. If you do decide to keep very expensive items in your home, a safe will protect them from all but the most determined and skilled criminals.

•  Keep a record of your valuables. Make an inventory of the valuable items in the home. Many of them will have serial numbers and you might engrave some of the others will identifiable markings. Keep this record in a safe place away from your home.

•  Make photographs or a video of your possessions. Photographs are a great way to identify your property. As with other records, they are best kept away from the home.

•  Security Closets. For some people, secured closets are a useful practice. With strong doors and locks, they can be used for the safe storage of firearms and other valuable or dangerous items.

•  Participate in neighborhood safety programs. In some communities, Neighborhood Watch programs bring people together, looking out for thieves and lending a helping hand for safety and security.

•  Clear shrubs and trees around your home. Don't give burglars a place to hide. Keep shrubs and bushes cut below the window level.

•  Secure tool sheds and ladders. Some thieves will steal tools from around your property and use them to break windows and doors in their attempts to gain entry. Ladders stored on the side of house can be used to gain entry to a 2 nd story window of your home or a neighbor. Keep your tool shed and ladders secured.

•  Exterior lights will discourage thieves. These can be especially helpful when operated by automatic timers or motion detectors.

An investment in a monitored security system could make a big difference

Don't take chances with the security of your home - and your family. Be proactive and install a monitored security system and take measures to make security a part of your home improvement plan. The International Association of Chiefs of Police states that professionally installed and monitored alarms systems are "useful instruments to deter crime and provide peace of mind" for residential and business owners.

Statistics

One in five homes is electronically protected
Source: STAT Resources, Inc., Boston , Mass.

Security Systems Reduce Burglaries...
Homes without security systems are about 3 times more likely to be broken into than homes with security systems. (Actual statistic ranges from 2.2 times to 3.1 times, depending on the value of the home.) Businesses without alarm systems are 4.5 times more likely to be burglarized than commercial locations with electronic security in place. Losses due to burglary average $400 less in residences with security systems than for a residence without security systems.
Source: Simon Hakim, Temple University

Where Burglars Enter a House...
One survey showed that 81 percent of residential intrusions occur through the first floor. 34% of burglars entered through the front door, 23 % through a first-floor window, 22% through the back door, and 9% through the garage. A study in Connecticut showed that 12% of burglaries occurred through an UNLOCKED door and that in 41% of alarmed homes that were burglarized, the security system was not turned on.
Source: Simon Hakim, Temple University