How to Install a Home Alarm System Yourself
A technician from an alarm systems company may charge you as much as $100 for installation of an alarm system alone. If you can spare some time and spend some energy, you can install an alarm system yourself, thus saving invaluable money.
You will only need to buy the necessary devices and a coil of alarm system wire and the necessary devices such as a control panel, keypads, contacts for the doors and windows, motion sensors etc. Running wires will be the hectic part. The rest will be very simple.
Instructions
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1
Install the main controlling unit which sends signals from the alarm system to a monitoring company and controls all the other devices at the same time. Usually, a control panel is installed in the basement and is enclosed in a box. All other devices are connected to the control panel using alarm system wire.
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2
Cover all entry doors with door sensors, also known as door contacts. Make sure that the sensor would trip whenever the door is opened. Run wires from all the contacts back to the control panel.
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3
Do the same for all entry windows ensuring that the window contacts will trip whenever a window opens. Run signal wires from each window back to the control panel in the basement.
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4
Window contacts will only trigger the alarm system when someone opens a window. But what if a burglar were to break the window glass and then enter the house. Glass break sensors are used to prevent this from happening. For windows that have lots of glass, install glass break sensors and run signal wire from the glass break sensors to the control panel.
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5
Install a motion sensor. Normally, a motion sensor is installed in a hallway or a large spacious area inside the house. Run signal wires.
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6
Finally, install a keypad at the front door. A keypad is simply a secondary control panel for the alarm system and is used to arm or disarm it whenever you enter or leave the house. Keypads also have panic buttons for fire, police and ambulance. Similar to all other devices that you installed earlier, run a wire from the keypad to the main control panel in the basement.
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7
Go to the main control panel in the basement and make all the connections. You have successfully installed a wired home security alarm.
