This is the first post, of what I hope to be many posts, that I'm putting up here over the course of the next year. Most of it will be taken from the manual and some will be just coment or observation.

So what better place to start than Magnetic Reed Contacts, probably the most extensively used detection devices in alarm systems due to their simplicity reliability and resistance to tampering. 

These are probably the most widely used contacts in alarm systems but a bit tricky to fit. So here's a quick guide to help you on your way.

A question that is always popping up, ‘which is better? Wired or Wireless’. Some people say wireless, the pros always say wired.  So which is it. Well, in my humble opinion, this is the wrong question to ask as both have their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Broadly it goes like this:

Wireless:  Dead easy to install, expensive compared to wired devices

Wired:  Pain in the ass to install, much cheaper than wireless devices.

There are also people who would say wired are more secure, less false alarms, etc but all these are debatable and miss the real point.

‘The bells, the bells!’ Spare a though for the fictional Quasimodo living up in the tower of Notre Dame, the noise of the bells driving him slowly mad and deaf.  Would it be the same if he had to listen to sirens?

Almost all alarms pre 1980 used bells, a 6” standard dome bell, both inside and outside. Now though it seems sirens have replaced the humble bell as the weapon of choice for most installations.

Most people commonly think of motion detector lights as excellent additional security for your house. However there are many instances where the can also be used indoors. These light sources can be very cost effective and can be energy efficient. There is also the 'cool' factor of walking into a room, garage, basement, etc and the lights simply come on and then switch off once you leave. How cool is that!