By Sean Woods

Industrial-strength burglar bars, rolls of vicious barbed wire, remote-controlled security gates, electric fences, and snarling guard dogs wherever you look. Have we strayed into a top-security military installation? Nope — we're talking suburbia here.

Okay, we all understand the need to install some kind of security system to protect hearth and home. After all, we read the newspapers and hear the stories (in fact, it's fair to say that most of us have first-hand experience of crime). But is this level of security really necessary?

Much depends on where you live, of course, and the level of crime in your area. Fortunately, the development of sophisticated wireless technology now provides you with a choice of less intrusive yet highly effective domestic security systems.

In other words, you won't feel as if you're confined to C-Max while the bad guys are free to roam outside.

Incalculable positive influence

According to one house-holder who's made the switch, the positive impact on family life is incalculable.

Hartebeespoort resident Richard Fearon was once a very frustrated man. Like many of us, he had a traditional analogue alarm system fitted to his home. Although his insurance company was happy, the system was forever on the blink.

Recalls Fearon: "Over a period of about 10 months, seven different technicians attempted to fix it, but it never worked properly."

His experience isn't an isolated one, either. Alarm systems can be overly sensitive and infuriatingly pernickety if they're not properly installed or programmed — something that happens way too often, according to Fearon. Then they either refuse to work or do so intermittently. "And that's worse, because then you're living in a perpetual state of insecurity."

Driven to distraction by "ghosts in the machine", Fearon splashed out on palisade fencing and enough expandable security gates to secure a medium-sized factory. These were definitely grudge purchases, he says, but he felt he had no choice.

After yet more system glitches, and feeling as if he and his family were living in a perpetual stage of siege, he threw in the towel and ripped out the cause of his grief — all manner of sensors, tangles of wire, touch panels and other hardware — and called in the wireless experts.

Six hours later, they were out of there.

Says Fearon: "The installation was a painless affair, but more importantly, it worked properly right from the word go."

Communicate your needs

Communication plays a significant role in any successful security installation, according to Retief Bezuidenhout of Shop 4 Security. "When we first see clients, they invariably ask for perimeter beams because they don't know about the range of products available," says Bezuidenhout, emphasising that the one-size-fits-all approach makes no sense.

His first job is to assess his clients' needs and work out a solution that suits their lifestyle — and pocket. Once installed, the system must be reliable and easy to operate. "The last thing we want is to discover that a client is reluctant to use his system because he has no faith in it."

Most people are concerned about protecting their property's perimeter, according to Bezuidenhout, and this makes sense because you need to be aware of intruders before they get into the house.

"Even a few seconds' worth of advance warning increases your response time, allowing you an opportunity to call for assistance and get to a safe area."

But effective perimeter monitoring is by no means the final solution.

"We still require sensors and some form of security around the home. A good system should enable you to activate or deactivate certain zones so you can get on with your life. For example, the perimeter security looks after you while you're at home, but when you're on holiday, you need to protect property rather than people."

"In fact, you're tempting fate if you simply arm the perimeter before you go away," says Bezuidenhout. "Think about it: a neighbour's kid climbs over the wall to fetch a ball, and suddenly there's armed response all over the place."

Versatile

He reckons wireless alarm systems make sense mostly because of their versatility. The fixed parts of the system — the keypad, receiver and siren — all require mains power, but the peripherals rely on batteries.

This means that any number of door sensors, indoor passive infrared sensors (PIRs) and outdoor dual-optic PIRs can be positioned wherever you need them. There's no wiring, no clambering into attics, no sticking your fingers together with a glue gun.

Consequently, the entire installation is less complicated, looks neater, and there's a lot less to go wrong. The scarred walls throughout Fearon's home are a stark reminder of the differences between the old and new technologies.

Not all brands of PIRs use the same type of batteries, so it's always a good idea to do some research before committing your cash. Fearon chose sensors that run on penlight and AAA batteries so he would be able to change them himself. The batteries have a lifespan of about three years, and the control panel lets him know well in advance when they are running low on juice.

All sensors report back to the control panel every 120 seconds to confirm that they are functional and still in position. Any attempt to remove one of them from its mount immediately triggers the alarm, and being wireless, the system naturally has no wires to cut.

The door sensors, with a range of about 36m, can be connected to fixed panic buttons, and come fitted with an anti-tamper switch. If you need to monitor two garage doors, you can install a sensor on each door and wire them together so they report to the control box as a single zone.