DIY Security Systems
Do you know how to make a door alarm without a buzzer? It sounds like a strange question, right? Why would you need to know how to make a door alarm without a buzzer? If there is no loud sound to alert you when an intruder enters your home, doesn’t it defeat the purpose of having a home security alarm in the first place?
A Brief Overview on How Door Alarms Work
Burglar and intruder alarms are standard protective tools in both private homes and workspaces. These systems range from cheap and simple DIY kits that you can install on your own, all the way to expensive and complex systems that need to be professionally installed. However, most alarm systems work on the same basic principles, whether they cost a thousand dollars or ten dollars.
In general, alarm systems work with an electric circuit. Electricity passes continuously between two points with the opposite charge.
As long as the electricity flows continuously, the alarm is primed. When the flow of electricity is broken between the two points, the alarm is triggered. Most alarm systems place one point of contact on the door or window, with the other contact on the frame, directly next to the first. The flow of electricity is broken when the door or window is opened, and the alarm will be triggered to alert you to the intruder’s presence. Many systems also have a security backup feature that sends a distress signal to your smartphone or emergency services such as the police.
How Can a Burglar Outsmart an Alarm?
The problem with door and window alarms is that the technology behind it is well-known. Burglars and other criminals not only study the technology, but they also keep devising ways on how to beat it. The first clue that criminals have that their presence has been detected is the sound of your buzzer! They know that if the buzzer is sounding, your security system is sending out frequency signals alerting law enforcement that they are intruding in your home or office. In this case, an alarm is a drawback rather than a benefit.
Once criminals know how your alarm system works, they can find ways to prevent it from alerting you to their presence. The simplest way criminals can disable your door or window alarm is by cutting the cables to the alarm so that it is no longer powered and primed. Therefore most people have switched to using wireless alarm systems.
Sadly, criminals have also figured out how to outsmart wireless alarm systems. One of the most common ways is by jamming the radio signal to prevent a security system from alerting you or law enforcement when entering your home. Criminals can buy raw materials and create a DIY jammer for less than $10! Yes, a simple and homemade jammer can beat more expensive and sophisticated alarm systems. The jammer will send out an electromagnetic pulse that will block your alarm system’s radio frequency, rending it useless.
The Door Alarm That Is Not an Alarm
Now that you know how criminals outsmart security systems, do you want to know how to make a door alarm without a buzzer? Instead of relying on security systems that use electric circuits or radio frequencies, more people are now using motion detectors.
There are three types of motion detector alarm systems that you can install on your doors or windows:
Radar-Based Motion Sensor
This is the most basic type of motion detector where the system will send out bursts of microwave radio energy. If the radio energy comes back to the sensor in the same pattern, it will not be triggered. However, if an intruder is inside the space, the pattern will be disrupted, and the alarm will be triggered.
Photo-Sensor Motion Detector
Photo-sensor motion detectors use focused light to detect intruders. When the intruder enters your home, and the beam of light is broken, the sensors inside the alarm will register the drop in the level of light and trigger it.
Passive Infrared (PIR) Motion Detector
PIR motion detectors notice the infrared energy that is released in a person’s body heat. When an intruder enters your home, there will be a sharp increase in space’s infrared energy. It is this sudden fluctuation in infrared energy that triggers the alarm.
What to Pair with Your Door Alarm
Okay, now that you know how to make a door alarm without a buzzer, how do you make it more effective in protecting your home or office? You should pair your buzzer-less door alarm with other security components!
One of the best things to pair with a door alarm is a video surveillance system. You can program your security system so that when your door alarm is triggered, the video surveillance system will automatically start recording and uploading the footage to a cloud. In some cases, you might even be able to catch the criminal red-handed because they do not know that they have tripped an alarm system.
You should also consider investing in a backup power supply. Remember, most criminals have a basic idea of how an alarm system works, so the first thing that they usually go after is your alarm’s power supply. A backup power supply will ensure that your alarm system will still work even if the intruder has disabled the primary power source.
Conclusion
Now you know how to make a door alarm without a buzzer and why it can be more effective in protecting your loved ones and your property than alarms with buzzers. Of course, the best way to protect your family and your valuables is by choosing the best alarm system that fits your needs and budget. When you are considering what type of alarm system to install, try to think like an intruder so that you can beat them at their own game! Find out more about Door Alarms.