When acquiring a motion detector alarm there are many things to be aware of and consider. Size, range, sensitivity, type, cost, access, mobility, appearance, and probability to give false alarms are all common factors to consider when picking out a motion detector burglar alarm. Cost and appearance are often the first to be considered and should be the least important. Why save money on an alarm that will sound for every dropped leaf or gust of wind? Why get a motion sensor alarm that doesn’t detect a hint of motion as your property is burgled? Consider first and foremost how your property and what surrounds it will affect the efficiency of your motion detector alarms, then consider which alarms will work best for you.
A common choice is to get wireless detectors because they require less work to install; however, there are many flaws with going wireless. Aside from generally costing more up-front, they are also more susceptible to wireless jamming. When burglars are considering a target, these things come into play, and if all they need is an easily assembled or purchased device to render your alarms useless, you can only assume they will take the chance. Most burglaries aren’t that well planned, but it is something to consider. Solar winds and lightning storms also affect the wireless detectors more than the wired, however; in a power outage, wireless alarms get the upper hand due to their reliance on battery or solar power.
Considering the type of motion sensor is also important. Microwave sensors can easily detect motion through metal and other solid objects, so they can be great for keeping an eye on an area with trees or fences, however; they are the most prone to false positives as they are not sensitive to size, shape, or heat signature. Even light bulbs being turned on can set them off. Passive infrared radiation (PIR) is a good choice to pair with microwave sensors, because PIR sensors detect lateral motion while microwave sensors best detect longitudinal motion. However, PIR sensors are not as sensitive, and if you have an alarm set to be triggered by both, you chance missing the right kind of motion and still get the possibility of false positives. There are a great deal of other kinds of sensors, all of which fall true to being either too sensitive, or not sensitive enough and the only way to get the right one is to consider their flaws and how to best avoid them given your property. Consider looking into all of the following types of motion detectors; RF field, video, tilt, active infrared, visible light, laser, contact, stress, ultrasonic, proximity, and vibration. As an added note local sensors, such as stress, contact, proximity, vibration, and so on, are very good at avoiding false positives, however; they lack a large coverage area, and can’t cover every move a burglar could make.
Appearance is a common factor for most people, but aesthetics are counterproductive in the field of security. If the device is concealed, or fits in well enough with its surroundings, you lose the edge of simply scaring off potential threats. Almost every motion alarm detector comes in one color, white, and for very good reasons, they are very recognizable at night and during the day, and they scream to potential invaders, “look at me, I can see you”. Ideally, the only appearance one should care about when selecting their security, is how threatening and infallible it looks.
When cost is an issue, consider building your own. The internet is abound with information on do it yourself security, most of which is actually usable, the ultimate way to save money is to build the alarm and install it yourself, but for most people, just skipping the install costs and doing that themselves is enough. When you really need to pinch your pennies, consider online auctions and parts from some of your old junk, you might be surprised at how easily one can turn an older camera and a dozen L.E.D.s into a high-tech infrared motion detector. When it comes down to it though, your security can only be as serious as you. If you don’t put much thought into the process, chances are your security won’t be very thorough.
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