Decide

The security system’s decide functions are carried out by the alarm control panel. The alarm control panel is your security system’s brain, processing the information it receives from the various sensors and deciding how to respond. For example, if a window contact opens while the system is disarmed, the control panel knows to ignore the event. However, if a window is opened while the system is armed, it will immediately respond by sending a signal to your central station and setting off sirens or some other notification device.

Your entry door – usually the door closest to your keypad, is programmed with an entry delay. This gives you extra time to get to the keypad and enter your code before the system sends an alarm. Any other doors, along with your windows and motion detectors, will immediately initiate an alarm if they are triggered. Motion detectors that cover the area around your keypad are programmed as followers: they will grant you an entry delay if they see the entry door open just before they are tripped.

Act

A security system performs two primary actions in response to an intrusion: communicating with a central station and triggering alarms within your facility. The act functions of a security system are performed by communicators, sirens, and lights.

Communicators

Modern alarm panels have a built in communicator that transmits and receives information via the phone line. Alarm signals are sent to a central monitoring station, manned by trained dispatchers. When a dispatcher sees a signal from your alarm system, the dispatcher will normally call you first to verify that this is an actual alarm and then, if necessary, contact the police on your behalf. Any central station should allow you to customize your response procedures. For example, you may want them to call different individuals to verify alarms during and after business hours.

Sirens and Lights

Besides sending sending signals to your central station, an alarm panel can also respond to an alarm by activating sirens and strobe lights. The purpose of these devices is to scare an intruder away from your premise. The only time that sirens are not advisable is in situations such as bank lobbies where physical confrontation is likely. In such cases a siren may only anger an intruder or startle him into firing shots or attacking a bystander.

After the Installation

System testing is critical to ensure that your central station responds properly in an emergency. After the initial installation, your installer should transmit every single signal that your panel can transmit and verify that the central station has received it and understands how to respond. After the installation, you should test your system monthly. The normal test procedure is to call your central station and request that they put your system “in test.” Next, you arm the system and send actual alarm signals. You then contact the central station to verify that the alarm signals have been received and understood. Finally, you request that your security system be taken “out of test” and put back on line.

Since your security system is communicating via the phone line (some alarm systems now communicate over computer networks, but the phone line is still the most common means) it is in your best interest to use at least one dedicated line. The communication path with central station is your lifeline, so resist the temptation to share it with a fax machine or handset.

Cellular backup is a technology that can keep your communication path secure. If your alarm panel senses that the phone line has gone dead, it can communicate with central station via the cellular network if a back up unit has been installed.

Conclusion

A security system is designed to sense, decide, and act on security related events. A professional security system designer can help you choose from the wide array of equipment on the market and create a system around your business needs. After the installation, regular testing will ensure that your system continues to provide reliable protection.

Article Source:   William Deutsch – www.about.com

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