Some Alarm Systems Do More Than Detect Burglars
After a hectic day in the office, there’s nothing to look forward to but a maddening drive home. However, you might just call ahead and have the Jacuzzi heated up for a relaxing soak when you arrive.
No one at home? No problem if you have the right kind of security system. Telephone access is among the latest technological advances included in home security systems on the market.
Selling such sophisticated hardware is central to the business of some of the area’s home security firms that provide armed response teams and residential patrols.
The systems aren’t simply burglary alarms. Westec Security touts its custom-designed systems that are monitored 24 hours a day from a central station for any “undesired” event in the home--from fire to an overheated wine cellar.
“We’re in the business of life safety,” Cary Akiyoshi, a Westec security consultant, said while demonstrating a computerized system with a synthesized voice providing operational instructions.
The company’s systems also include an emergency medical alert feature and a “silent duress” mode that allows the homeowner to send a silent emergency signal if forced to disarm the system.
Systems can also be programmed to allow the central monitoring station to hear what’s going on inside the house.
False alarms can be a big problem with security systems, risking the wrath of local police. Westec said its basic systems include a continuous circuit analyzer to prevent false alarms caused by faulty equipment.
The company has also designed systems with an abort feature to prevent false alarms caused by human error. The systems also come with back-up battery power to provide service in case of a power outage.
Remote telephone access allows homeowners to control the system from anywhere in the world with a touch-tone telephone. Telephone access allows the system to be armed or disarmed and doors to be locked and unlocked.
Basically, Akiyoshi said, the system can be made to operate anything that has a switch by telephone, including turning on the air conditioner or heating up the Jacuzzi.
Of course, Westec unabashedly defines itself “as dedicated to be at the quality end of the market.” In other words, its prices are steep. Its simplest systems start at about $2,000 for a small house.
Typically, homeowners spend $6,000 to $7,000, although the company has installed an $80,000 system in a residential estate, Westec President Michael Kaye said. The price of the equipment doesn’t include the armed response fee and the patrol service fee.
