This is a common problem when the main electrical power goes off; the backup battery in the alarm system control panel needs replacing. 

Usually, when a backup battery is healthy, if the power goes off, the backup battery will take over for up to 24 hours. Once the power has been restored, the battery will recharge. A backup battery has a life expectancy of 5 years and should be changed.

When looking to get an alarm system installed many factors can affect the price of an alarm system, like, how many rooms you have. Do you have any pets? Do you want a wired or wireless alarm system? Do you want an App to control the system? How many sounders do you want? Ect.

All these factors must be considered when looking for an alarm system, as you want one that will suit your needs and, most of all, be reliable. You don’t want to have a system installed you don’t trust.

Yes, most alarm systems can be serviced and brought back to life; we could give the alarm system a general service and battery health check; we would then produce a report with our findings and discuss with you what needs to be done to have a reliable working alarm system again.

Yes, most systems can be adapted to suit new scenarios; for example, if you have recently bought two kittens, could you put the kittens in one room only? This would allow you to set all other areas. There are also devices like pet-friendly movement detectors that will make allowances for animals under 25kg.

If your cats are really active and you want them to go all over the house, it may be worth considering shock detectors and door/window on all perimeter doors and windows; this allows the cats to move freely without the risk of false alarms.

Install a self-monitored alarm, where you’re directly alerted via your phone, but this relies on you being continually able to monitor your messages in real time.

A monitored alarm offers the security of having constant surveillance 24 hours a day 365 days a year plus access to experts who know how to respond to any emergencies that arise.

Setting up alarm and security systems so they can be monitored can be done very cost effectively. It doesn’t automatically require complex installations or replacement of existing systems.

Businesses can even choose to take advantage of dual communications monitoring and have their alarm systems and CCTV systems connected to the central monitoring. If there was an incident, the monitoring centre can visually check your premises to quickly establish what’s happening and initiate action immediately.

Having your alarm and security systems monitored will have an impact on your insurance too. In fact, most insurance companies expect commercial premises to have alarm systems that are monitored by an approved alarm receiving centre. 

Your system(s) will need to meet the standards set out by both your insurer as well as the police so get all installation work and ongoing maintenance done by a professional third party approved company. 

A reputable installation and maintenance company will use, or be able to recommend, a monitoring company that’s registered with the local police force. Monitoring your alarms is an excellent way to help protect your people, possessions, property.

There are 3 main types of alarm system which you should consider when thinking about getting a alarm system,  first one to consider Bells only, this type of system alert people close to the property via a high volume bell which are generally located outside of the property at high level. Second type of system, self-monitored, this system allow for control via an app which alerts you directly when the alarm system goes off, it also benefits from being able to set and upset the alarm system remotely which is a great benefit.

Monitored systems are the 3rd type available, this involves a alarm system connected to a central station for instant response, they will then either connect keyholders or the police directly in the event of an confirmed alarm signal.

There are two types of monitored alarms: keyholder monitored and police monitored. Both are connected to an external security company that monitors your alarm for a monthly or annual fee. Unlike some of the other systems, a monitored alarm usually needs to be professionally installed and abide by certain standards.

If you have a keyholder alarm, the security company will typically call you and request a password if your alarm goes off. If you don’t answer the phone, or the password isn’t given, your nominated key-holder is informed. Nominated key-holders must live within 20 minutes of your home, and it’s your responsibility to give another contact if they’re on holiday or away from home. If you choose a police monitored alarm system, your security company will inform the police if two of your alarms are triggered. However, these alarms are governed by the NPCC alarm policy and if you have three false alarms within 12 months, they won’t respond to anymore unless a member of the public alerts them. 

Insurance companies may insist that an alarm system is installed to a certain grade, this will depend on several factors which can be determined from a professional site survey. Things that can affect what grade of alarm system you may need are for example: are you in a high crime area, type of property, type of business, value of goods. Most common grades are grade 2 and grade 3 for most scenarios, you can also get grade 4 which is mainly used in banks. 

A SSAIB certification is a mark of excellence as companies who are awarded it must be independently audited and meet specific and lengthy criteria before approval. Instead of simply paying a fee to join, companies must meet the rigorous assessment standards set by the body.

As such, the SSAIB will only certificate companies that can demonstrate technical and managerial competence through an inspection of the processes and procedures they operate. Also all members of staff are enhanced CRB checked to give you piece of mind who you are dealing with.

If your alarm system goes off there are 2 different type of alarm condition unconfirmed and confirmed, unconfirmed mean that only one detector on the alarm system has triggered, this can normally be reset by you the customer depending on how the system has been set up. Confirmed on the other hand means 2 detectors have triggered in one set period. This normally requires a engineers reset or a remote reset via the central station.

No, as this will invalid your warranty with your insurance company. This will need to be done by your alarm maintenance company, they will test all batteries connected to the alarm system when they carry out a system service and replace as necessary to avoid unwanted false alarms. 

A URN (unique reference number) identifies a Premises to the police when your alarm system is activated, the monitoring station may call the police if they suspect its not a false alarm, but you will need to have a valid URN in place for them to be able to attend the site. Your Installation company will request a URN on your behalf as long as they are registered with a certification body- such as SSAIB.

You can perform a walk test this will make sure all device are responding on the system and also test the siren outside of the property. Alternatively, you can contact a intruder alarm company to book a service visit.

On the visit we will test all device and batteries currently connected, check programming to ensure the system will work to your needs and advise of any defects so we can get the system back into full working order. We can test and service any type of professional alarm system. 

A wireless alarm system uses a dedicated secure frequency to communicate with each other once programmed onto the system. Most systems can be connected to the internet so you can receive alerts on your smart device if the alarm system goes off.

The alarm system does not need the internet for it to work, if the internet goes down for a period the alarm system will still work in the normal way, what it does mean though, if the alarm system goes off when the internet in unavailable you may not receive the alerts to your smart device. 

It would be advisable to speak with your alarm company beforehand just to see if the current protection is in the correct place to suit the new build work/layout. Also they may need to disconnect some devices in order for the building work to start. we would advise a quick call!