Selecting the right security system for your home or business can be a tricky business. There are so many different types of security system to chose from - is one as good as any other?

Well, not exactly. Different security systems are suited to different jobs, so when you're trying to pick the ideal system for your premises, you should first ask yourself what exactly you're trying to achieve.

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According to Statista, the number of burglary offences recorded in England and Wales dropped off massively between 2002/03 and 2019/20.

• In 2002/03, the total number of burglaries in England and Wales stood at approximately 890,100.
• By 2019/20, the total number stood at around 365,000 - a whopping 525,000 difference!

With such a huge change in the number of burglaries occurring, it's fair for homeowners to ask whether or not they even need a home security system. Well, we at IDS Security Systems believe - despite the significant drop in burglaries over the last 15 years or so - that an efficient and effective home security system is still worth investing in.

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Thinking of investing in a home security system? Wondering whether it's worth the cost?

It's easy to convince yourself that you can get by without a security system. Depending on where you live, you're probably not all that likely to be the victim of a break-in. But house alarms and security cameras are like insurance policies: by the time you actually want one, it's usually too late.

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Burglar alarms are designed to alert homeowners and deter thieves. Depending on the type of burglar alarm you install, the way they work will differ slightly. Ultimately, though, burglar alarms work by detecting movement, often at entry/exit points within the home. Once a motion sensor has been triggered, a loud alarm/siren will sound in order to draw attention to the potential intruders.

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For those of you with pets, you may have experienced that awful sinking feeling when you arrive home from the shops and the burglar alarm is going wild! Immediately your mind jumps to conclusions, but upon closer inspection, you realise it was just Dolly jumping up on the sofa to get comfortable that's triggered your alarm.

Of course, if the alarm goes on and on without being silenced, you're upsetting your pet, disturbing your neighbours and potentially wasting police time. All of this can be avoided with a pet-friendly alarm system, so let's take a look at what they are and how they work. 

What is a pet-friendly alarm?

A pet-friendly alarm is not that different from your typical intruder alarm. The main difference is the way the passive infra-red motion sensors are designed and calibrated. This makes your intruder alarm tolerant to small changes in passive infrared heat at floor level. 

How does a pet-friendly alarm work?

A passive infrared motion detector is capable of detecting thermal changes in the environment. When a burglar enters your home they create a disturbance in the empty room's passive infra-red energy, triggering the alarm and letting you know there's been a break-in. This method works fine, in theory, until you throw a permanent resident like a pet into the mix!

When you opt for a pet-friendly alarm, your passive infra-red energy detector is set to ignore movements within a certain height or weight range. For example, if your pet remains on the ground level and weighs less than 35kg then they won't trigger the alarm. 

Of course, if a burglar enters the house, they're usually much taller and larger than your average pup, triggering the alarm and letting you know that you've got an unexpected visitor in your home.

What are the flaws of pet-friendly alarms?

If you have pets that spend most of their time basking in the sunshine or laying in front of the fire while you're out then these types of alarms should work well for you. However, if you have a big dog (weighing 40kg or more) that loves to jump up at the window every time someone walks past the house, then this type of alarm might be quite unreliable. 

What are my options?

If you think that a standard pet-friendly alarm isn't a good fit for your home, then there are plenty of other options for you to consider.  In-house security cameras, for example, can help you keep an eye on the activity in a room to make sure that the alarm hasn't falsely detected your pet.

Smart devices connected to your mobile phone or smartwatch will allow you to quickly review the intrusion and determine whether to disarm and rearm the alarm or not. This can be particularly handy if you have a lively little pet in your home.

Another alternative would be a specialist sensor such as a glass-break detector. This type of detector is able to monitor the sound frequency of the room and will activate an alarm when the sound of glass breaking is detected!

Get in touch with us to discuss your pet-friendly requirements and we will be able to design a bespoke alarm system to suit you and your pet's needs. 

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