What to look out for:

Are you considering installing an alarm system in your home? Knowing critical points on how to choose the right product and the right installation company will protect you from unpleasant surprises and give you peace of mind.

In this article, we present specific points that we advise you to check before deciding on both the product and the installation company. Knowing these points can literally protect you from unpleasant surprises. Surely, you care about the best possible protection of your loved ones and your property. So check the key points we present below to avoid unpleasant surprises, get value for the money you spend and most importantly, have peace of mind that you have made the right choice.

Have you received a comprehensive study of your site?

The proper design of your space is a prerequisite for a successful security system. It is literally the secret of success. Even if you have purchased the most expensive system, your protection is not guaranteed if it has not been properly studied.

Imagine, for example, that the motion sensors have not been placed correctly due to incomplete study of the area and the burglar finds a “blank” spot where the sensor will not be detected and enters from there. Or imagine if your installer has incorrectly estimated that the CYTA cables are not accessible and therefore, not including the GPRS device in your system and the burglar manages to cut the CYTA cables, so that no one is ever informed.

There are many more instances where an incomplete study can leave gaps that a burglar can exploit. For this reason, you should require your installer to do a proper study of your premises. By asking the right questions, you will be able to get a better idea as to whether he or she has the required training, experience and professionalism to conduct a proper study of your space and save you from unpleasant surprises.

Is your installer certified?

The vast majority of the security systems supply and installation companies currently operating in the Cypriot market do not have the necessary operating license. In fact, it is estimated that the percentage of unlicensed companies is particularly high in our country.

The license is important because it certifies a number of qualitative elements linked to his or her personality (for example, a clean criminal record). Surely, you don’t want to put a technical installer of dubious credibility in your home.

Above all, you should choose a certified installation company. Be careful though, it is not enough for the installation company to be certified with the operating license. The technical installers that it employs on its staff should also be certified with the work permit of the KYSEA. So before you choose your alarm installation company, ask to see the company’s operating license and the work license of the particular technical installer who will enter your home and do the installation.

Are the components of your system branded?

An alarm system, in addition to the central unit, consists of a number of necessary components, such as magnetic contacts, indoor and outdoor radars (motion sensors) and the siren. Great care should be taken to ensure that these components come from the same manufacturer of the alarm system you have chosen or from a branded manufacturer.

Several suppliers and installers of alarm systems supply branded central units but non-branded components. This is unfortunately done deliberately, either to reduce the final price and achieve a sale, or to increase their profit. Thus, it is observed that the buyer has chosen and has the impression that he has installed a branded system (e.g. Satel) but in reality, only the central unit of his system is branded. In these cases, the components come from non-branded manufacturers (usually from low labour cost countries such as China, Turkey, etc.). These components are of dubious quality and reliability and usually, sooner or later, cause problems, such as, but not limited to, false alarms or failure to detect motion. So imagine if you have paid for an excellent quality alarm and due to a malfunction of a small component, your alarm never goes off.

Do you know what outdoor motion detectors are?

Outdoor motion sensors (or radar) are an integral part of a modern alarm system, as they are responsible for detecting suspicious movement and sending a signal to sound the alarm in time, before the burglary occurs. This saves valuable time, while preventing the burglar from continuing with the intended burglary. However, outdoor motion sensors should be properly installed. Choosing where to place them is an important factor in the success of an alarm system.

Depending on your premises, the motion sensors should be placed in such a way that, on the one hand, they cover all possible entry areas of a burglar, covering the largest possible area, and on the other hand, to avoid false alarms. The necessity for proper placement of motion sensors is even greater if your house, apart from balconies, has an outdoor area, for example if you have a detached house with a garden. For this reason, special attention should be paid to the choice of the right installer. A certified installer with experience in the field has the necessary training to optimally install motion sensors in your home.

Does your system have a GPRS device?

A burglar is trying to determine whether the CYTA wires are accessible and cut them so that the alarm signal never reaches them. The time gained in these cases is valuable and allows the burglar to do his job comfortably, since once he has entered the interior he will also disable the alarm itself. Your installer should, with a proper study of your premises, assess whether the CYTA cables are accessible to the would-be burglar. If there is accessibility, then your system should definitely include a GPRS device. The GPRS device will send the signal via mobile phone. This way the message will be received and the police will be informed, even when the burglar has cut the CYTA cables.

Are the alarm cables of high quality and branded?

If your home is in the design phase, then the installer you choose should give the right directions to the electrician and supervise the quality of his work. The alarm cables are of special specifications and should be of quality from branded cable manufacturers. Otherwise, various problems arise that compromise the reliability of your alarm’s operation. For example, the cables can become oxidized and cut causing false alarms. If this happens, you will either have to either change the wires with all the costs this entails or replace your alarm with a wireless alarm.

It is therefore important that the installer you choose checks the quality of the cables used by the electrician and confirms that the cables used are of high quality and branded.

Are the alarm cables correctly installed?

In addition to the quality of the alarm cables, it is essential that the cables are installed in your home installation in the right way. There are several points that need to be checked to ensure this. One example is that weak currents should not be placed near strong currents because in this case, false alarms are caused due to the frequency of the current.

Problems that arise after a few years due to the alarm cables not being installed correctly by your electrician, lead to additional costs for their repair, while they can be avoided from the beginning if your alarm installer effectively supervises the work of the electrician. So if your home is still in the plans, you should ensure that your alarm installer has the necessary training and is willing to give your electrician the necessary directions, supervise their work and report back to you on whether or not the necessary work has been completed.

The role of the company that will install the security system.

Given that there is no standard installation procedure, the role of the professional installer who will undertake the design and implementation is of great importance.

At Freewaves we are constantly at the customer’s side with knowledge and expertise offering integrated high quality security solutions from recognized global suppliers with over 20 years of experience.