New alarm system owners are often surprised to discover just how sensitive their systems can be. It’s not uncommon in the weeks after installation to experience false alarms.
When the system can be tripped by everything from blowing wind to employees showing up for work, it can be more of a hassle than a benefit.
If you’ve run into similar situations, or you’re think of getting a new security system for a business, the key to eliminating false alarms is to know how a burglar alarm system works.
Common Business Security Systems
Perimeter Alarms
Door and window alarms, i.e. perimeter alarms, are set when an electric circuit is closed between a magnetic sensor on the jam, and a sensor on the door/window. When opened, the electric circuit is broken and the alarm is triggered. These are called “contacts” because they rely on magnetic contact to trigger the alarm.
Almost everyone uses some form of perimeter protection to secure the most obvious points of entry: doors. Depending on the rest of the security, companies might install these on windows, roof hatches, even the grates on ducts.
All of this still leaves the interior vulnerable, though, if an intruder cuts through a wall or hides inside the building before it closes and arms for the night.
Interior Alarms
Motion Detectors
Radar based motion detectors send out bursts of microwave radio energy or ultrasonic sound waves. This energy is reflected back to the sensor in a pattern the system recognizes. Movement disturbs this pattern, thus tripping the system. Another common motion detector are passive infrared systems, which scan for increases in infrared energy within the room.
Audio Systems
Audio alarms, such as Sonitrol’s verified detection system, search for changes to sound patterns within your business. Once anomalies are detected, the system notifies a certified monitoring hub that something doesn’t sound right, at which point security personnel monitor the sound to determine whether it’s innocuous or a genuine threat.
As you can see, of the various security systems, audio systems have the lowest false alarm rate. Motion detectors are responsible for a 98% false alarm rate. That means there’s only a small chance that the alarm from a motion detector is a legitimate concern. As a result, police are slow to respond to motion detector alarms.
Verified audio detection, on the other hand, allows the Central Station to listen into the situation to verify if the alarms are legitimate. If they are, they dispatch the police, and the police respond quickly because the alarm has been verified. If it’s not a legitimate alarm, they simply reset the alarm without bothering the police or the customer.
Sonitrol Prevents False Alarms
Preventing false alarms in your business requires creating a layered security approach. At Sonitrol, we recommend a combination of our verified audio detection system coupled with either analog or IP cameras. When either of these systems detects an intrusion, personnel within our monitoring center can listen and take a look around your business in real-time.
This means that a trained professional can investigate to determine whether the sound that was heard was a broken window or a falling display. If it’s a genuine emergency, personnel can be dispatched. If there’s nothing to worry about, then absolutely nothing needs to be done.
Still have questions about how a burglar alarm system works? If so, contact Sonitrol at 888-510-2001 and we’ll be glad to answer your questions.
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