Home Protection

Home protection serves multiple purposes at once. On the one hand, it guards you and your family from bodily harm. Second, it guards the things you own. Third, it guards your sanity, giving you peace of mind while you're home, on vacation, out running errands, or sleeping for the night. Consequently, investing in even the most rudimentary of alarm systems is somewhat of a no-brainer of a decision.

What does a basic alarm consist of? At the heart of the system is nothing fancier than a simple circuit through which energy flows from one charge to another. When that circuit is broken by, say, an intruder opening a door or window, the alarm sounds. This may be a shrill signal, a silent alarm that summons help, a visual response such as flashing lights, or some combination of all three. There are countless signaling mechanisms available, but your home protection system must first register the intrusion before setting any of them in motion.

Detecting the Intruder

The easiest way to signal a break-in is by guarding your perimeter. Doors and windows are the two easiest ways for thieves to gain entry to your home, so wiring them with simple alarms is a good place to start. For those on a budget, it's easy to find fully self-contained 10- or 20-dollar buzzers that are relatively simple to install on your own. While these systems may be easily defeated (or silenced), they're better than nothing at all.

Your home protection kit will come with a spring-driven switch, a magnet, and some sort of relay; you'll be required to supply the battery on your own, usually a 9-volt or a set of double-A cells. Mount the magnet to the door so that it forms a closed circuit with the frame. The switch will be affixed to this frame so that once the door is opened, the circuit is broken and the alarm sounds via the relay. Just remember that your system is only functional so long as it's powered by a charged battery, so regular monitoring and testing is a must.