By Allan B. Colombo
Copyright©1998
There are as many types of do-it-yourself alarm systems on the market as there are companies who make them. Most of these systems, however, have certain things in common with one another, so by illustrating how one such system is installed, you may derive a fairly good idea of how such an installation is accomplished. The purpose for viewing such an installation, step by step, is to determine whether you possess a skill level high enough to achieve the desired goal.
The pretty little lady to the right is none other than my daughter Alicia. Having lived around alarm systems all of her life, she has seen it all. Cellular backup to access control, she not only helped her dad install these types of systems, but she used them on a daily basis in her own home. How appropriate that she illustrate the ease of installation associated with some types of do-it-yourself alarm systems.
The first thing that must be done when you first obtain a do-it-yourself alarm system is to remove all the components from the box and take a general inventory. Not only will this familiarize yourself with each component, but it will also enable you to ascertain whether all the parts are intact. If they are not, immedicately notify the place of purchase or manufacturer of the error. If the item that is missing is substantial enough, you may wish to put off the installation of your system until which time all parts are accounted for.
Assuming that all the parts are there, proceed by reading through the installation instructions once or twice to familiarize yourself with each step. Not all systems are the same, so what worked for Alicia in the installation of this particular system may not work with the system you end up buying.
Most alarm systems of any worth come with a motion detector. The motion detector in this system (see picture) is designed to sit on a table or in the middle of the floor. This particular motion detector operates using the infrared light emitted by people, animals, and objects in the environment. Through a series of optical lenses and mirrors, this unit can actually see someone enter the room. Small animals and stationary sources of infrared light are not usually a problem for designed into these modern units is the ability to discern between a moving human and an animal or object.
The unit Alicia is holding in the picture is wireless, which means that there are no wires to install and connect between the main alarm control processing device and the motion detector itself. The advantage of this is less installation time and a lower level of technical skill than would otherwise be required. After installing a battery in the bottom of this unit, Alicia then sat the unit aside until other portions of the system were installed and operational.
The main alarm control processing unit in the do-it-yourelf alarm system that Alicia installed looks like a black ball on a platform, which helps to effectively disguise it when criminals attempt to first case a home before breaking in. In addition to a plug-in, low-voltage transformer, this particular system is powered by a 9-Volt battery, which Alicia is seen installing in this particular picture.
The plug-in, low-voltage transformer connects to the main alarm control processing unit by a small cord that is pre-attached to it. A small plug-in jack simply inserts into the base of the unit, providing electricity to the unit. If for any reason the electric power fails in the home, Alicia and her family will continue to enjoy protection because of the 9-Volt battery. Unlike older units, most of the modern day systems on the market require very little power. Therefore a small 9-Volt battery will operate the system for a period of time.
Alicia next installed an alarm sounder to assure that both everyone inside the house and the burglar himself knows when a break-in is in progress. The alarm sounder in this particular system operates without any wires between it and the main alarm processing unit. Instead of wires, this unit uses the electric power lines inside the home to send and receive alarm command signals.
Once an alarm occurs, the main alarm processing unit sends an alarm command through the electric lines, triggering the plug-in alarm sounder (see photograph). To assure that the alarm sounder does not fall out when someone bumps it, or to prevent the burglar from removing it, Alicia fastened it into the receptacle by inserting a long #6 screw through a tab on the alarm sounder unit into the center screw hole in the receptical itself.
After installing the sounder, Alicia then turned her attention to each individual door in her home. Although some people rely entirely on internal motion detectors, Alicia installed switch/transmitter units on each of the doors. Installation was easy in this case because she used self-sticking, double-sided tape to fasten the transmitter to the wall and the switch and magnet to the door. If you have a small drill and a screwdriver, you might want to positively fasten these units to the wall and door/frame to assure that they never fall off.
For those with higher technical skills, you might also consider installing press-fit switches in the door and door frame. This is easily done by drilling the typical 1/4- or 3/8-inch holes in both the door and frame and then drill a small 1/8-inch hold between the switch hole in the door frame and the location where the transmitter will sit. This will eliminate the need for unsightly wires hanging across the wood, as in this case (see photograph).
No alarm system, not even a do-it-yourself model, is complete without 24- hour monitoring. Alarm systems of any worth usually come equipped with a digital dialer, either built into the main alarm processing unit or as an optional add-on module. A digital dialer will communicate with a corresponding receiver located at a central monitoring station where alarm company operators are on duty 24 hours a day.
In order for a digital dialer to communicate with a central monitoring station, some means must be available by which signals (data) can be sent. In most cases, this requires the use of the ordinary telephone line that you commonly use to communicate with the outside world. Alicia is shown in the picture above, to the left, installing the modular plug from the alarm control processing unit in the back of her answering machine. In most cases, like this one, the manufacturer of the alarm system will provide a Y adapter that will enable you to plug in this additional modular plug.
Once the telephone connection is in place, Alicia extended the small radio antenna on back of the alarm processing unit so it can hear the alarm and supervisory signals transmitted by the motion detector and various door switch/transmitter units throughout the house. Because a radio-based alarm system uses radio waves to transmit data, there are some very basic rules of the road that you must follow to assure that the motion detectors and switch/transmitters you install work reliably well when you install them and for years to come.
After the main alarm control processing unit is installed and operational, it is time to tune the radio-based field devices with the receiver. To do this, it is necessary to place the reciever inside the alarm processing unit into program mode. Units will vary, but in this case, Alicia used a series of buttons on the back of the control unit and the field devices. In most cases, all you have to do from there is trigger each of the field devices to enter them into the memory of the alarm control processing unit. Alicia is pictured here manually tripping the motion detector to enter it into programming.
