Your Intruder alarm system is an extremly important tool for protecting your Home or Business, however its not something that should be taken for granted. As with all things electronic, from time to time things can go wrong and products can fail.  An Intruder alarm system can also fail if it is not correctly maintained and regularly serviced properly. It has been proven that regular maintenance of an alarm system does actually prolong the life of the system and preventing unwanted system faults or errors.

So, if you have a burglar alarm system in your home or business and have not had it fully serviced or maintained for a while, We strongly recomend that you contact a company to carry out a full service as soon as possible and maybe give some thought to entering into a regular service agreement with the installation company.One thing we always recomend is that the customer carries out basic regular checks at least once a month. Details of these routine tests are usually listed within your user manual or other documents provided.

These basic tests include things like fully setting the system and then activating an alarm by walking into different zones, rooms or areas. By doing these tests it ensures the detectors are working and youe external sirens are working just fine. As pointed out above, these are very basic checks to be carried out as a customer. It is strongly recomended that a full system service is carried out by a qualified engineer and a recognised alarm installation company.

The demand for Gate Automation also referred to as Electric Gates is becoming more and more popular for both residential and commercial use. For most commercial and business customers, electric gates systems have risen by 40% and are considered to be a must have security feature. Over the last few years, we have seen more and more manufacturers with good quality equipment come onto the market which has made it a very competitive and reasonably priced security product.

As you can imagine, there are a lot of different types of electric gate systems available. Each end every installation is different from any other, for this reason alone it is extremely important that you choose the correct product that is suited for the job. The main differences in the systems are the installation type; this is generally referred to as an Above Ground or Below Ground type option. In addition to the installation type, we can now look at the motor type that is required, it’s very important again to choose the right motor type. Motors types include Hydraulic or Electro Mechanical.

It does not stop there; Consideration and calculations should also be made for the weight of the gate. Not all gate motors are able to operate and move all gate types. One of the most important but overlooked detail is the weight of the gate or gates. There are lots of aspects during designing your gates that will also determine the automation system you will need. The weight of the gate clearly depends on the material it is manufactured from, soft wood, hard wood, and steel or mixed are all possible options available. Are the gates made from solid or decorative ironwork, are they made from wood, and if they are wooden are they close boarded or open. Solid or close boarded gates will be affected during high winds and can affect the operation of the motors and system running.

Above ground gate kits are used to slide or open gates by being installed onto pillars or on a track. Underground gate operators are installed beneath the driveway gates and open the gates usually at a 90 degree angle. Within each of these categories are normal gate motors that can be used with smaller, lighter gates and hydraulic gate operators that are more ideal for maintenance-free use with bigger, heavier gates.

With manufacturers lowering prices and more new equipment being frequently released, it is not hard to see why people are deciding to have Electric Gate System professionally installed. All new installations look great in front of a house and very professional outside commercial premises. Additional levels of security can also be added to Electric Gate systems, these include the following; Access Control, Intercom Systems, Digital Codelocks & GSM remote control.

We have found that the main two reasons why people choose to have Electric Gates installed are Convenience and Security. The convenience of not having to open the gates themselves, imagine arriving back home in the middle of a thunder storm or heavy rain showers, do you really want to be getting out of the vehicle. Security, this goes without saying doesn’t it, the gates remain locked at all times until you need open them and is all done from the press of a button.

We always recommend to home owners that they take a few simple steps to prevent burglary. It’s surprising just how changing a few small things can make a difference, things like making sure that your garden areas are always looking clean and tidy, this makes the burglar think that the home owner is regularly on top of things. We strongly recommend that you never leave things lying around the garden, such as garden tool etc. Most people would not believe that something as simple as a garden spade will provide a burglar with a great tool to break into your property, generally by a side or rear window or even by using a spade to force a side or back door or  possible French or sliding doors.

When you leave your property, make sure all doors and windows are locked securely. Adding things like plug in timers can be an n excellent prevention. These small and yet extremely cheap devices will turn your lights on and off randomly, giving an excellent deterrent to burglars by making them believe that someone is at home. Even if you are leaving your home for a short time, maybe a quick visit to the shop at the end of the road or the local supermarket, make sure that you leave a burglar with as little opportunity as possible.The one thing that people still do quite often is leave small notes on their doors or front windows.

The one thing that people still do quite often is leave small notes on their doors or front windows.
Generally, you are waiting in for a delivery or a repair man to call but you really have to pop out for five or ten minutes so you leave a note stating the obvious. All a burglar needs is a five minute window of opportunity.
Lots of people still leave a spare key under door mats or plant pots or similar places around the front door.
We recommend that if a key must be left available for whatever reason, you install a small wall mounted security key box that has a combination lock on it. These can be purchased for under £20.00 from a local hardware store. This is such a small price to pay to secure a key that will allow burglars a very easy access.