Burglar Alarm System

A year ago, my two of my neighbors had been burglarized. After the incident, they both installed security systems. More recently, a security system company door to door salesman came to my door. I started to ask questions about how well their system works. I was interested in a new system to replace my old system installed more than a decade ago if it was really effective. However, the salesman failed to convince me of such.

About 12 years ago, my parents did decide to install a security system for my home. After about a year, we had a false alarm. My cousin was living at my house for a few days and I tried to convince my parents that I should be allowed to configure a guest PIN in the system for my cousin to use. My parents said that I was worrying too much and making things too complicated. One day my cousin came home early than I did. Since my parents only gave my cousin house keys, my cousin triggered the burglar and could not disarm it. After the incident, my parents were warned by a letter. Even more, my cousin pointed out that the police arrived 15 minutes after the alarm siren activated. Since then, my parents never renewed the monitoring contract and used the security system as a standalone for a few years until the system activated the siren at random times of the day even with the system disarmed.

With today’s law enforcement agencies facing budget cuts and rising crime, it seems more important for people to protect their homes. However, I still have mixed feelings about security system. They are becoming seemingly more necessary and yet I observed that these systems have not really advanced much. In fact, I held a discussion with my friend pertaining to the vulnerabilities of monitored systems. First, POTS connection to monitoring centers can easily be compromised. A professional burglar only needs to sever the underground copper lines with a shovel or disconnect my line in a poorly secured telephone box. A cellular radio system may solve the problem, however, they can be prohibitively expensive. Second, if I am on vacation, a burglar dressed as a electric company technician can switch off my mains power and wait for backup batteries to deplete.

Have security systems ever worked against an intruder?
Are there any monitored security system companies that really provide fast response?
Are there any good security systems that are really resistant to tampering and defeat?

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