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Investing in a home security system.

repairfinder — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:39:11 +0100

A few years ago, the most a person could
do in terms of home security was to employ security personnel. Even so,
security personnel was a comfort and not a requirement, and many
thought that security personnel just catered to the vanity of the
ultra-rich and the famous.

Back in those times, there was not such an incessant need of home
security for the common man, as most of the family members would work
only a small walk away from their homes. However, today, with the
advent of globalization, most family members are working and away from
home, leaving the elderly and children at home. Therefore, a good home
security and alarm system is the need of the day. Here are just some of
the home security alarms which will ensure a peaceful night to you and
your family members.

One of the most popular ways of safeguarding homes is the alarm
system. There are various alarm systems available for all types of
homes. The smoke alarm is considered to be one of the simplest home
alarm systems. Though the smoke alarm is not as strong a system as the
others, it works well if the burglars are stupid enough to smoke in the
house. Some burglars are even known to cook food in the house, once
they check whether the house has been locked up for a long time, for
example a foreign travel binge.

Some of the most complete home security systems consist of features
which enables the user to contact the police, the nearest hospital and
any emergency services required. Most systems work on a combination of
contact points and motion sensors placed at doors and windows A typical
home alarm system includes:

* Control Panel: The control panel is the center of the entire home
security system. It is where the system terminates are located, as well
as where the phone line connects if the security system is a monitored
one. The control panel also has the backup batteries.

* Inside Motion detector: These detectors will sense any motion in
the room, or any other changes in the room caused by human presence.

* Contacts: These specific door and window contacts allow the alarm
to go off when the doors of windows are opened while the alarm is set
on.

* Keypads: The keypad is a normal set of buttons which allows the home security system to be armed of disarmed.

While these are the general elements of a home security systems, some home security systems also have:

* Glass Break Detectors: These help in detecting any glass break.
Most burglars do not have open the entire windows to get into the
house, they can get inside by merely breaking a pane of the window or
the door.

* Pressure Mats: There have been occasions where only the elderly or
the children have been at home. In such cases, the very presence of
burglar is a cause of concern, because a botched burglary is more
dangerous than a successful one. Therefore, some home security systems
have pressure pads, which can be placed under the rugs. This will alert
the home owner of any unwanted presence in the home and its
surroundings.

* Panic Buttons: These so-called ‘panic buttons’ connect the home
security system to any numbers that need to be contacted immediately in
the case of a burglary, for example the police, the hospitals and even
the fire brigade.

Home security systems are of two types, monitored and non-monitored
systems. Monitored systems have a central monitoring station which is
contacted whenever the home security system is triggered off. The
station then informed the relevant authorities about the break-in.

Non-monitored home security systems rely on the neighbors with their
on-site alarms and in some cases strobing lights. If you are looking to
have someone install a reliable home security system in your home look
no further, on Repairfinders.com there are dozens of hardworking
professionals listed that are more than willing to make sure you are
safe in your own home.

Burglars beware!

repairfinder — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:44:37 +0200

Security systems have become standard equipment in stores and other businesses, and they’re becoming increasingly common in private homes as well. If you’ve ever shopped for a home security system, then you know there are a wide variety of options available. These systems range from do-it-yourself kits you can pick up for $10 to sophisticated whole-house security networks that must be installed by professionals. But, as it turns out, most alarm systems are actually built around the same basic design concepts.

Breaking the Circuit

Other than the family dog, the most basic burglar alarm is a simple electric circuit built into an entry way. In any circuit, whether it’s powering a flashlight or a computer, electricity only flows when you give it a path between two points of opposite charge. To turn the electricity on or off, you open or close part of the circuit.

To open or close a flashlight circuit, you simply throw a switch. In a burglar alarm, the switch detects the act of intrusion — opening a door or window, for example. These sorts of alarms are divided into two categories:

In a closed-circuit system, the electric circuit is closed when the door is shut. This means that as long as the door is closed, electricity can flow from one end of the circuit to the other. But if somebody opens the door, the circuit is opened, and electricity can’t flow. This triggers an alarm.

In an open-circuit system, opening the door closes the circuit, so electricity begins to flow. In this system, the alarm is triggered when the circuit is completed.

There are a number of ways to build this sort of circuit into an entry way. Closed circuits are normally a better choice than open circuits because an intruder can deactivate the open circuit by simply cutting the connected wires.

A magnetic sensor in a closed circuit consists of a few simple components. For the most basic design, you need:

a battery powering a circuit
a spring-driven metal switch built into a door frame
a magnet embedded in the door, lined up with the switch
a separately-powered buzzer with a relay-driven switch.

When the door is closed, the magnet pulls the metal switch closed so the circuit is complete. The current powers the relay’s electromagnet, so the buzzer circuit stays open. When you move the magnet by opening the door, the spring snaps the switch back into the open position. This cuts off the current and closes the relay, sounding the alarm.

You can also build this sort of system into a window. If an intruder pushes a window open, the magnet slides out of line with the switch, and the buzzer is activated.

Another simple burglar alarm uses a small button as the switch. The button is embedded in the door frame, so closing the door pushes it in. When somebody opens the door, the button is released, changing the circuit and sounding the alarm.

With just a battery and buzzer, these designs make for fairly flawed security systems. After all, the burglar only needs to close the door again to turn the buzzer off. That’s why most modern burglar alarms incorporate another piece into the circuit — the control box.

The control box is hooked up to one or more alarm circuits, but it also has its own power supply. It monitors the circuits and sounds the alarm when they are closed or opened (depending on the design). But once the alarm is triggered, the control box won’t cut it off until somebody enters a security code at a connected keypad. For added security, the control box is usually positioned in an out-of-the-way spot, so the intruder can’t find it and attempt to destroy it.

Using this basic concept, you can create all sorts of alarm systems. Just imagine what a burglar might do to break into a house, and then turn that action into the circuit switch. For example, an intruder might break through a window, so you could make the glass itself a circuit. The easiest way to do this is run a current through a thin line of foil wire affixed to the surface of the glass. If a burglar breaks the glass, the circuit is broken, and the alarm is triggered.

Floor mats are another simple option. A basic floor mat uses an open circuit design with two metal strips spaced apart. When somebody steps on the mat, the pressure pushes the two metal strips together, completing a circuit.

All of these circuit systems are best for guarding the perimeter of a house or business — the points an intruder would enter the building. In the next section, we’ll look at systems that detect an intruder once he or she has already made it inside.

Detecting Motion

Circuit alarms are very effective for guarding the perimeter of a house, but they don’t work so well inside a building. This is because the intruder’s actions are highly unpredictable — you don’t know where they’ll go or what they’ll touch. A specific “trigger” isn’t very effective. To detect an intruder who’s already in the house, you need a motion detector.

Basic motion detectors are fairly common these days. You see them all the time in automatic doors, for example. There are several different sorts of detectors.

An automatic door opener is an example of a radar-based motion detector. The box above the door sends out bursts of microwave radio energy (or ultrasonic sound waves), and then waits for the reflected energy to bounce back. If there is nobody in front of the door, the radio energy will bounce back in the same pattern. But if somebody enters the area, the reflection pattern is disturbed. When this happens, the sensor sends a signal and the door opens. In a security system, the sensor sends an alarm signal when the reflection pattern in a room is disturbed.

Another simple design is a photo-sensor motion detector. These are the devices you might see in a store at a shopping mall. When somebody enters the store, the motion detector sounds a chime or bell. Photo-sensors have two components:

a source of focused light (often a laser beam)
a light sensor

In a home security system, you aim the beam at the light sensor, across a passageway in your house. When somebody walks between the light source and the sensor, the path of the beam is blocked briefly. The sensor registers a drop in light levels and sends a signal to the control box.

More advanced security systems include passive infrared (PIR) motion detectors. These sensors “see” the infrared energy emitted by an intruder’s body heat. When an intruder walks into the field of view of the detector, the sensor detects a sharp increase in infrared energy. Of course, there will always be gradual fluctuation of heat energy in an area, so PIR detectors are designed to trigger the alarm only when infrared energy levels change very rapidly. See this page for details.

All these motion detector designs can be combined in a house to offer complete coverage. In a typical security system, the control box will not sound the alarm immediately when the motion detectors are triggered. There is a short delay to give the homeowner time to enter a security code that turns the system off.

If the security code is not entered, however, the control box will activate various alarms. In the next section, we’ll look at some of the alarm types you might find in a typical security system.

Sounding the Alarm

There are several things a security system might do when it detects an intruder. In an advanced system, the control box will be wired to several different components. Typically, it will activate:

a siren or other loud alarm noise
flashing outdoor lights
a telephone auto-dialer
The siren and lights serve three functions:
They alert occupants and neighbors that someone has broken into the house.
They drive the intruder away.
They signal to police which house has been broken into.

The telephone auto-dialer can: Dial the police directly, and play a pre-recorded message giving the address of the house and any other relevant information. This message will usually play over and over so that the police will still hear it even if the call is put on hold for some time.

Dial the security company that installed the equipment. In this case, the control box can feed specific information about the intrusion — which circuits or motion detectors were activated, etc. The security company then relays this information to the police.

Home security is a rapidly growing field, and there are new and improved burglar alarms popping up all the time. For the most part, these systems are all built around the same basic structure. A central control box monitors several motion detectors and perimeter guards and sounds an alarm when any of them are triggered. On repairfinders.com, you will have no trouble finding a qualified professional who can install a wonderful home security system of you today!

The wonderful world of Locksmiths!

repairfinder — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:26:00 +0200

Ya’ll never believe what happened to me today. I was in such a rush to get over to a job I was doing today, I left my keys sitting on my table at home. I was so upset with myself for being so careless with my keys, but then I said ya know what Jackie boy? You are human, so I called myself a locksmith to handle this little problem of mine. Now that I am happily back at home, I was thinking I think today would be a great day to talk about Locksmiths and all that. Make yourself cozy, I got a bit to say today.

Locksmithing began as the science and art of making and defeating locks. A lock is a mechanism that secures buildings, rooms, cabinets, objects, or other storage facilities. A key is often used to open a lock. Means of opening a lock often include what you know (a combination), what you have (a key or keycard) or what you are (biometrics). A “smith” of any type is one who shapes metal pieces, often using a forge or mould, into useful objects or to be part of a more complex structure. Locksmithing, as its name implies, is the assembly and designing of locks and their respective keys.

Fitting of keys to replace lost keys to automobiles and homes and the changing of keys for homes and businesses to maintain security are still an important part of locksmithing, locksmiths today are primarily involved in the installation of higher quality locksets and the design, implementation and management of keying and key control systems. Most locksmiths also do electronic lock servicing, such as making keys for transponder-equipped vehicles and the implementation and application of access control systems protecting individuals and assets for many large institutions. In terms of physical security, a locksmith’s work frequently involves making a determination of the level of risk to an individual or institution and then recommending and implementing appropriate combinations of equipment and policies to create “security layers” which exceed the reasonable gain to an intruder or attacker. The more complex security layers are implemented, the more requirements for additional skill, knowledge and tools to defeat them all. However, because each layer comes at an expense to the customer, the application of appropriate levels without exceeding reasonable costs to the customer is often very important and requires a skilled and knowledgeable locksmith to determine.

Locksmiths may be commercial (working out of a storefront), mobile (working out of a vehicle), institutional (employed by an institution) or investigational (forensic locksmiths) or may specialize in one aspect of the skill, such as an automotive lock specialist, a master key system specialist or a safe technician. Many (not all) are also security consultants, but not every security consultant has the skills and knowledge of a locksmith. Locksmiths are frequently certified in specific skill areas or to a level of skill within the trade. This is separate from certificates of completion of training courses. In determining skill levels, certifications from manufacturers or locksmith associations are usually more valid criteria than certificates of completion. Some locksmiths decide to call themselves “Master Locksmiths” whether they are fully trained or not, and some training certificates appear quite authoritative. It may be noted, however, that in some countries a particular level of qualification or membership of an organization is required before one can adopt the term Master Locksmith.

In the general case, a lock will not keep out a determined intruder with unlimited resources, skills, knowledge and time. However, even a minimal lock can delay a typical intruder for a time, and the disturbance generated in circumventing a high-quality lock, for example by breaking windows or doors, can deter many attackers, causing them to direct their attacks against weaker targets. When combined with secure containers, or document destruction systems, or electronic access or alarm systems, locks can provide much higher levels of security. Some locksmiths possess these skills, and others form business relationships with companies or individuals with these specialties. If you ever find yourself in a situation similar to mine, do not hesitate to go to repairfinders.com where you can quickly find dozens of locksmiths in your area. Not only are they hardworking individuals, but they are honest and reliable. What more could you ask for? In addition, never forget that repairfinders.com has all of your repair needs.