Home Burglar Alarms and Pets
Published: 10/01/2009 by Home Alarm Directory
If you are shopping for home burglar alarms, there are a few things you must consider if you have pets. With some alarm systems, such as motion detectors, you might have to worry about your pets setting off a false alarm. To be effective, the burglar alarm system must be properly designed to fit both your home and your lifestyle. Your consultant should understand your unique needs, including the presence of pets in your home, to prevent false alarms from becoming a problem.
One alternative is a pet-immune motion detector for your home burglar alarms. These are designed so they will not be set up by motion down at your pet's height. However, you should not place the motion detector near any furniture that your pet will climb on. Stairs will also cause a problem, since the animal is taller when walking up the stairs. Your alarm service company can help you find the ideal location to mount the motion detector. Your system may need to be custom designed to avoid false alarms, while still providing the security you want. If your pet weighs more than 40 pounds, you might need a system upgrade to avoid false alarms.
Another concern is regarding sound detectors on home burglar alarms. As with motion detectors, the sensitivity can be adjusted so that it is not set off accidentally by your pets' normal walking or playing noises.
However, if your pet creates extra noise, such as if your dog is barking, then this may set off the sound detector. For this reason, consider carefully how much noise your pets make, especially when they are home alone, to decide whether a sound detector is a good option for your home. If you have a cat or a dog that doesn't bark, you might be able to make this work, but if you have a dog who likes to bark, you'll probably want to skip this feature. Your security consultant should be able to help you decide.
Another alternative for pet owners who are shopping for home burglar alarms is to consider a perimeter-only motion detector. This would entirely prevent your pet from setting off a false alarm, such as by jumping on furniture. You may think your cat doesn't climb on your counters, but you never really know what they do when you're not home. After you've purchased and installed your alarm system isn't the best time to learn what your pets do when they're alone.
You can also choose from home burglar alarms that allow you to partially arm the system. For example, you could fully arm the system if the house is empty, like if you are on vacation and are boarding the pets. However, on other days, your pets could be confined to a certain room, and the detectors would completely ignore any activity in that area.
So as you can see, with just a few adjustments, pet owners are still able to install effective home burglar alarms to increase their home's security.
