Commercial Burglar Alarms

Commercial Burglar Alarms

A commercial burglar alarm works to serve two basic purposes; scaring away potential intruders and alerting the occupants of a business and the people nearby of an intrusion.

They work using a series of sensors that go off as soon as they detect any suspicious activity, notifying the owners to take the necessary action.

There are various types of commercial burglar alarms available and choosing the best commercial burglar alarms for your small business depends on the level of protection you’re looking for.

Lets consider the various types of commercial burglar alarm that are available

Bells-only burglar alarms

Suitability for small businesses where the owners live nearby to always monitor the alarms themselves and not rely on luck or anyone else to do so.

Functionality  the most basic type of burglar alarms that makes use of auditory and visual alerts to inform the small business owners and occupants about a break-in or potential burglary.

Limitations: They rely on someone noticing the alerts and taking action as soon as the alarm is triggered. If someone fails to take notice and the subsequent action, such as when the property is empty during the night, they can be an ineffective tool not serving the purpose they are made for.

Dialler burglar alarms

Suitability: Dialler systems are also a good choice for small businesses, considering that the emergency contacts are reliable and responsible, and live nearby to reach the premises within a few minutes of being called.

Functionality: Working on the same mechanism as a bells-only burglar alarm, dialler burglar alarms come with an additional feature of contacting the owners or the nominated keyholders in the event of an alarm trigger.

Limitations: These systems allow saving up to ten emergency numbers to be contacted in such situations, who are contacted according to the priority in which they are saved. As soon as someone responds, the system stops contacting anyone further.

They are either linked to the phone line, in which case it’ll use your landline to call the emergency contacts, or to a GSM mobile network, in which case you would require a sim card topped with credit all the time.

Monitored burglar alarms

In addition to the usual alerts that commercial burglar alarms make, monitored systems alert a professional monitoring centre manned by experts who notify the owners, nominated keyholders, or the police as soon as the sensors pick up any unusual activity.

One of the most fool-proof and reliable burglar alarms out there, burglar alarm monitoring offers great peace of mind, a guaranteed response, and 24/7 protection even when the business is empty and uninhabited.

Smart burglar alarms

Smart burglar alarms are managed via an app with notifications sent to your phone. Similar to monitored systems, they alert someone in case of a break-in but are usually integrated with your phone and other smart devices such as CCTV cameras and lights.

For instance, when the alarm is triggered, the smart lights on your property would turn on to scare away any intruder. The alarm can also be turned on and off from your phone. It’s extra beneficial when you’re away and need to keep an eye on what’s happening.

How To Select The Best Commercial Alarm System

There are a number of factors that you, as a business owner, must consider when choosing the best commercial alarm system for your business.

Every business is unique with different needs. These factors will help you make a good decision for your business’s safety, along with the valuable lives and possessions in it.

• Type of system – do you require professional monitoring services or would an auditory/visual alert suffice?
• Installation method – do you want a wired or wireless system? Are you retro fitting to an existing business, or do you have the opportunity to install on a new build
• Connectivity – are the alarm signals transmitted via landline, GPRS, or the internet (IP)?
• Smart options – Would you and your team benefit from the system to be connected with your smart devices?
• Speed (Trigger time) – how fast do you want the process from alarm activation ( the point at which at incident happens) to alarm trigger (the point at which an alarm is raised)?
• Certifications – are the security companies installing the system NSI and SSAIB certified?
• Budget – as a small business owner, how much can you allot for securing your property from all kinds of threats?

Commercial Alarm System Pricing Components:

• Hardware cost – the actual equipment – is it high quality IP approved or budget
• Professional installation – will the install be completed by commercial security specialists or generalists
• Professional monitoring – do you want a third party to monitor and respond to any alarms, if so what level of service will they provide
• Maintenance service – once installed will the alarm system be checked to ensure its optimum performance
• Repair service – in the event of a fault or something getting broken, how quickly will this be repaired and the integrity of the alarm system re established. Repairs must be done ASAP to prevent false alarms or, in a worst-case scenario, prevent it from triggering in the event of a break-in.

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