New Jersey Security Questions

Many homeowners have similar concerns and questions about home security systems for their New Jersey home.  Here are some of the more common questions.

1.  Scenario: I have one key pad on the first floor and no remote.
How does a homeowner make it to the second floor without getting tagged by the motion sensor and setting off the alarm?  Is there a time delay that allows family to set the alarm and get upstairs?

Answer: In that situation if you arm the system, you do have usually 20-30 seconds to get upstairs.  The problem is that when you come back downstairs in the morning, you will set off the alarm.  You would need a remote or many homeowners will put a security system keypad upstairs.

2.  How much drilling is done for the hardwire system?  Will I need to have repainting done after installation?

Answer: If you have a good technician, you should have no need to repair walls or repaint.  The wires are run through the walls, starting either in the basement or from the attic.  Any holes necessary in the walls to mount equipment will be covered up by the equipment.

3.  Are there different zones for each area (each sensor, each motion
detector) that will allow me to disarm different areas at any given time?

Answer: Depending upon the configuration of the control panel, and the keypad, you can disarm different areas depending upon the zones that are established.

4. What happens if there is a power failure?

Answer: Most control panels have a battery backup which will last for 8-12 hours.  However, if your control panel is connected to the monitoring station via anything other than “POTS”, i.e., plain old telephone service, you will not be in contact with monitoring if the power goes out, unless you have backup for your electrical system.

5.  Do the window sensors also trip the alarm if the window is broken or just if it is opened when the system is activated?

Answer: That depends upon the type of sensor and how it is set up.

6.  If I want to open a window that has a sensor can I disarm it by entering a code on the key pad?

Answer: Yes, if that window is on  a zone, you can turn the zone off via the keypad.

7.  Will the technician assist with the best places to put the sensors, detectors and key pad or will I have to already know where I want them to go?

Answer: Yes, a  good technician will determine the best locations.