Things You Probably Don’t Know about Fire/Security Systems!

Whether you are looking to get a new fire/security system or have had one for years, check out this list of things you may not realize about intrusion, fire and cameras.

Fire Alarm Little Known Facts

1. Even hard-wired smoke detectors have batteries. Many people complain of a phantom beeping that they cannot figure out where it is coming from.  Often that is the backup battery for the smoke detector. The battery is there in case there is a power failure to extend the functionality of the smoke detectors.  It needs to be changed periodically as well and will start beeping when it does.
2. A fire alarm cannot be cancelled. In most jurisdictions, you cannot cancel a fire alarm.  If your fire alarm goes off, the fire department will be automatically dispatched even if there is no fire. To prevent false alarms, always put your system on test with the monitoring company before testing the devices.
3. Smoke detectors don’t go in the kitchen.  In areas where smoke, heavy dust or fumes are likely like the kitchen, laundry room, attic and garage, heat detectors should be used instead of smoke detectors to prevent false alarms.
4. No, you can’t turn off the blinking lights.  Smoke detectors blink to indicate they have power so you know they are working.

Intrusion Alarm Tips

1. Wireless devices have long-life batteries.  When wireless devices for security systems first came on the market years ago, people were skeptical because of the short battery life. These days they have extended life batteries that can last five years or longer.
2. Bugs are the enemy. Even the tiniest spider in front of a motion detector can set it off as can bugs that get inside the device and cause it to go into trouble.  Dust the motion detector and the walls and ceiling around it regularly to fight keep the insects away.
3. Your keypad has a panic button on it.  All modern keypads have a panic button that allows you to push it and bypass the contact list. Instead, the monitoring station will immediately dispatch the police. You do have to hold the button down for several seconds to send the signal – this is in place to prevent accidentally pressing it.
4. Double the communication. Systems today communicate over the Internet or cellular signals. For full protection, have both options installed on your system so you have redundancy. If Internet is out, it backs up to the cellular and vice versa.

Camera Systems – What do I Need to Know?

1. Storage only lasts so long. Whether you have an NVR or are using SD cards for your cameras, the space will at some point fill up and start to overwrite. There is no real way to predict how many days of storage you might have without studying the average activity.  Cameras in the front yard that catch street traffic will have lots of activity and fill up fast. Cameras behind the garage may provide many weeks of storage if there isn’t much going on back there. Cloud storage allows you to designate how long you want to keep footage and you pay a monthly storage fee per camera.
2. Cameras are considered part of a security system and require a licensed security professional to install them (unless you are DIY).  Be sure you search on the Texas Online Private Security page for provider’s license before hiring them!

We Can Help!

Need help adding to your fire/security system or starting from scratch?  Cultris Security can help!  Call us at 281-506-8466 or contact us online for more information or to schedule a site visit.

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