Selecting the best commercial alarm system for your business
When choosing the best commercial alarm system for your business, there are a couple of factors that you, as a business owner, must consider.
Each 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?
- Connectivity – are the signals transmitted via landline, GPRS, or the internet (IP)?
- Smart options – do you want the system to be connected with your smart devices?
- Trigger time – how fast is the process from alarm activation to alarm trigger?
- 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?
For businesses the best way to combat issues of fire or theft is to install a commercial alarm system that sends alerts across the premises to deter potential intruders and inform the occupants of the underlying danger.
While the type of alarm system may vary across different businesses, having them installed on the property must be the number one priority.
The two main types of commercial alarm systems include burglar alarms and fire alarms, both of which are equally important in keeping the business and its contents safe.
Let’s look at what type of alarm system is best for small businesses, the factors that help choose the best one, and the typical prices involved:
Commercial Burglar Alarm Systems
A commercial burglar alarm works to serve two basic purposes; alerting the occupants of a business and the people nearby of an intrusion, and scaring away potential intruders.
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 one for your small business depends on the level of protection you’re looking for.
Bells-only burglar alarms
These are 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.
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.
These are a good choice 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.
To speak to one of our team members about your specific Commercial Fire & Burglar Alarms requirements give us a call today on 01733 595888 or 0844 692 9999
Dialler burglar alarms
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.
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.
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.
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.
Commercial Fire Alarm Systems
Fire alarms are a vital part of workplace security with laws stating that every business, small or large, must have an effective fire alarm system in place.
The UK fire alarm regulations state that you’re responsible for fire safety if you’re the owner, employer, or anyone in a controlling position in a business.
Commercial fire alarm systems operate on the same principle of a specialised sensor detecting smoke, heat or an increase in carbon monoxide levels, which then triggers the alarm and warns others in and around the premises of the potential danger.
There are different types of fire alarms to choose from and picking the most ideal one for your small business depends on the scale of protection and level of security you require.
Conventional fire alarms
Conventional fire alarms divide the property into zones where all the devices are connected to the control panel on their own wire.
When the alarm is triggered, the system gives information about the particular zone that it was triggered in.
To get a better idea about zones and their divisions, let’s take an example of a building consisting of four floors where each floor is a different zone. If a fire erupts on the second floor, the second-floor zone would be triggered. This gives a rough idea as to where the fire has started (the second floor), but not exactly where on the second floor the fire is.
They are a cost-effective fire safety solution for small businesses, but because of their vagueness, they can be unreliable for businesses spread over a large area where identifying the specific location of the fire can become a challenge.
Addressable fire alarms
Addressable fire alarms have a specific address or location for sensors and devices that all connect to the control panel.
Each device has an address that can pinpoint the exact location of the threat. When one of the system’s components is initiated, it shows the component’s address on the fire alarm panel.
They are more expensive than the conventional systems and due to the high level of precision, are more suited for businesses that operate in a larger area or are at a higher risk of fires.
