Security Grilles Vs Alarm System

Hi pleong,

Having worked in the fire services for many years, I can tell you that security grilles on windows are dreaded not only by burglars but in particular firefighters. In the event of a fire, security bars/grilles can be extremely dangerous as they hinder access by emergency service personnel, not to mention become death traps in confining people within the burning building.

I would never recommend them, however as the ones you have chosen to fit are only half covering the windows, this may lessen the risk, and as such should be okay.

Nevertheless, I would opt for the alarm system, which is, as you stated cheaper anyway!! And maybe the few dollars extra could be put towards hard-wiring a smoke alarm system to boot!!

Either way….

Best wishes for your upcoming wedding!!

Cheers,

Jo

I prefer a security system to grilles. As I write this the main story on the radio news was a house fire and fortunately no one was injured.

But I too hate grilles for this reason.

Pleong,

Personally I have both on my PPoR in Sydney. As the others have mentioned, bars can be a personal safety hazard in the event of a fire, as can deadlocks if they’re locked while at home (there was a news item about this recently where some deaths during a fire were blamed on deadlocks being locked).

When we had the bars installed, we had small “doors” made in them outside each opening bedroom window. These doors are locked with dead bolts, with each person having a key on their keyring (they’re all keyed-alike). This was to allow an escape path if fire prevented anyone reaching a normal door at night. As a further safety precaution, we have a smoke detector in the hallway just outside the bedroom doors and another in the lounge room.

We also have deadbolts on all the windows, a requirement for contents insurance.

The alarm system I installed myself, as I work for a company that manufactures them (although they’re not normally for residential premises). If you don’t have back-to-base monitoring, you need to consider not only the placement of sensors, but also what it’s going to do if it detects an intruder. The standard things are turn on an outside siren and flashing strobe and internal piezo-screamers.

In my opinion, sirens are of minimal use, as most people ignore them anyway (but it depends on your neighbours) and you can only operate them for about 10 minutes. The internal screamers are much better, as they prevent an intruder being able to hear anything – specifically if anyone is coming.

In my house, I do have a siren and strobe (if nothing else it shows that the house does have an alarm system – although you can also buy fake ones – so it should be clearly visible from the road), and a couple of internal screamers and PIRs (sensors). You don’t really need sensors in every room. Many cheap home alarm systems only come with one or two, and in fact I only have two in my house (although a third in the back porch covering the back door). You just want to place them in positions that give the best coverage – like the loungeroom where your TV, etc. is and a hallway covering the bedroom doors. While every room might be better, it’s only going to cost you more in sensors.

One thing to look at is the quality of the sensors. Cheap ones will tend to give a lot of false alarms, making your siren even more useless (boy who cried wolf thing). The better (but more expensive) ones have multiple sensors in them. I have what are known as dual-tech ones, with an infra-red and a microwave sensor, but there are also some that have multiple infra-red sensors.

If I had to choose just one or the other, I’d probably go the alarm system too, especially since it’s cheaper. As well as bars being unsightly and potentially dangerous, they won’t stop determined burglers. Some time ago a house in Sydney got burgled and they broke in after bending the window bars to make enough space.

The main things with the alarm system though are:

– Get reasonable sensors to avoid too many false alarms. There is nothing worse with an alarm system. I think fewer good sensors is far better than cheap ones in every room.

– Position the sensors to give the best coverage of the most important areas. Their height and angle are also important, as they don’t work well in certain situations (eg. facing towards large windows or where motion is directly towards or away from the sensor). The installer should know that though. If you allow pets, you can get sensors that have pet guards which prevent cats and dogs triggering them.

– Get an internal screamer or two (depending on the size of the house).

– Make sure the external siren, if you get one, is clearly visible from the road. It’s as much a visual deterrent as anything.

But if you want the best deterrent of the lot, get a tenant with a big dog! []

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
GP

Hi all,

I have worked in electronic security for last 14 years. If I can help, feel free to contact me.

Generally I agree with all views expressed, as those suggestions are all added security deterrents. You will most likely find an alarm the cheapest option when you consider them all. It’s tax deductible too.

Ken

And mine.

To rub salt into the wound, after the last time my place got broken into (before I had an alarm system and window bars), the police came and dusted everywhere for fingerprints – which means I had an awful mess of black powder to clean up all around the place! It’s not always easy cleaning that stuff off.

GP

I had an alarm system in one IP and the tenants continually broke the system. It ended up costing me a fortune in technician repair bills and eventually I removed it. The same thing is currently happening with a dishwasher I have in another IP. Has broken down 6 times in last 12 months. This all has taught me that an IP should have a little electronic equipment installed as possible. You just don’t need the headaches!