How to Install an Alarm

The main components of an alarm system are:-

The Control Panel

The control panel is the heart of the system. Everything is connected to this unit using six core cabling. Inside the control panel there are a number of terminals to which to connect the cabling, these terminals govern the following:-
  • The distribution of power
  • Sensing when a unit has been tampered with
  • Sensing when a unit has been activated
  • Activating the siren

PIRs

PIRs detect intruders by sensing changes in infra red levels

Magnetic Contacts

Magnetic contacts are made up of two halves which are connected to door and window frames. When the door or window is opened the two halves are separated and the alarn is activated.

The Siren Box

The siren box should be mounted as high as possible on an external wall. It has an integral battery and an anti tamper device, so it is very difficult to defeat.

Wiring it all Together

You should divide the house into zones. One wire should run to each zone, and all of the sensors in the zone are wired in series.

Zone 1 is the exit zone, normally your front door and hallway will be wired to this zone. The diagram below shows the wiring scheme for a small two zone installation.

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