The New Wave of Kick-in Burglaries: How to Protect Yourself

1) Consider eliminating your alarm delay time (normally used to give you time to get to the keypad and disarm the alarm system) by using a key chain remote to disarm the system before you enter the home. By taking this precaution, your alarm siren will sound immediately and your alarm signal will be sent 30-45 seconds earlier, which is a substantial amount of time during an intrusion.

2) Switch to IP and/or SNAP Radio Monitoring. By utilizing Urban Alarm's IP or SNAP mesh radio network you will regain control of your land line during an alarm and your alarm signal will be received by the monitoring center in 1-2 seconds, instead of after the customary 15-45 seconds.

3) Install panic buttons in your upstairs bedroom and/or bathrooms. Aside from being able to send an alarm signal quickly the monitoring center will treat these signals as a higher priority dispatching the police immediately and bypassing the alarm verification call to the house.

4) Consider installing a video intercom system. This will take a picture of anyone who rings your doorbell and let you see and communicate with visitors without opening your door. Had the first vandalized house been outfitted with a video intercom system and the owners given the captured image to the police, the next two intrusions may have been prevented.

Though you cannot control an intruder's behavior, you can control how you react to it. For more information, give us a call.

Radio Monitoring with SNAP Technology

These days, many people have chosen to forego telephone land lines in their homes in favor of the simpler, cheaper cellular option. With this trend comes a shift in how we monitor security systems on those properties from the traditional land line to cell phones and radio networks. Although Urban Alarm can monitor your alarm system using cell phone technology, it often requires that you replace your alarm panel.

Another option unique to Urban Alarm is SNAP(TM) radio monitoring. Urban Alarm offers the only FCC licensed radio monitoring network covering the NW DC area that will work with your existing alarm system to provide you with even better security than telephone-monitored systems.

With telephone-monitored systems, it can often take 30-50 seconds to send an alarm signal, but with Urban Alarm's SNAP radio monitoring system the signal is sent instantaneously. Also, with traditional telephone-monitored systems, when your alarm goes off the alarm panel seizes the line, which can interrupt your ability to make an outgoing call (e.g., 911). With SNAP radio monitoring you have complete use of your phone line at all times.

So how does it work? You do not need to replace your existing alarm system to take advantage of Urban Alarm's SNAP technology. Our technicians will simply install a SNAP transmitter at your home or business and you will be instantly connected to our mesh radio network. With SNAP radio monitoring, your alarm system will always be 'online' and ready to send a signal to our Central Monitoring Station. Whereas phone lines can be cut, seized or interrupted, your SNAP transmitter sends a repeater signal through its mesh network so that each alarm signal takes multiple pathways to the Central Monitoring Station, ensuring that your signal is transmitted effectively and as quickly as possible.

5 Ways to Get the Most from Your Alarm System

Your alarm system is a critical line of defense in keeping intruders out of your home. However, how your alarm system is setup and how you use it will have a big impact on its effectiveness. Here are the top five factors to make the most of your alarm system:

1. Keep the "delay" as low as possible. Your system is most likely setup to beep for 30 to 90 seconds when you enter the house in order to give you a chance to disarm it. Keep this as low as possible. The longer the delay the more damage an intruder can do. Keep in mind it may be a minute or two after the alarm goes off before the police are dispatched. A few minutes may be all the time an intruder needs to get what they want.

Most systems can be setup with no delay. So how do you get into the house to disarm your system? You can use a keychain remote to disarm the system before you even get into the house.

2. Make sure your system is setup to use a "panic" code. With the increase in home invasions this becomes more important. If an intruder tries to force you to disarm your system you can enter your panic code. The system will appear to be shut off but it will actually send a silent panic alarm to the monitoring center who will dispatch the police immediately. The police may take their time to check out an alarm signal but panic alarms generally result in a more rapid response.

3. You should also have a panic code setup with your central station. When they call to verify the alarm you can provide the panic code. They will hand up the phone and dispatch the police immediately.

4. When you arm the system when you are in the house select the "no delay" option. With "no delay" set the alarm will go off immediately when an intrusion is detected. Like the above delay point you don't want to give an intruder more time to do damage then necessary. Especially when you are in the house.

5. Use your system! Even if you are in the house or out for a few minutes the system is worthless if not used. While having an alarm sign in the yard may be a deterant it is not going to secure your property.

How Not to Install an Alarm System

Walking through a local retail corridor last week I noticed how pervasive badly installed alarm systems are. installers needlessly disregard the thought that went into the design and asthetic of the space. I am not talking about spending more money. An effective but less intrusive alarm system typically does not cost more than a rushed installation that haphazardly slaps sensors onto a door.

There are a number of options for monitoring a door or window will maintaining the asthetic integrity of a space. The least invasive sensor is a resessed senor which is actually recessing into a door or window. This approach leaves virtually no visueal trace of the sensor however it may not be practical depending on the type of door.

The next best approach is a color matched "micro" or "slimline" sensor. These sensors or a fraction the size of a stanard sensor and generally perform just as well. However, the battery life is not as long so batteries may need to be replaced in a year or two rather than a few years.

Don't take it for granted than an alarm system is going to change the look of your doors and demand that it be as least invasive as possible.

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