Home Alarm Systems

[Leche]

I have a question about home alarm systems. The previous home owner had a full alarm system, fire, medical, and intrusion. There is no motion sensors but all the windows and doors have the sensors wired in. The key panel is operational and everything seems to be in good condition. So my question is, can this be operated/set up to audible alarm for any type of intrusion without getting setup with an alarm company. I know that a company wouldn't be notified and the fire/medical would be worthless but I am more interested in the audible intrusion part. Thanks for any help.

[betat]

If you have the pass code from the previous owner, or the instructions on resetting it, arm the system and open a door to see what happens. If the alarm goes off and the phone does not ring, then you would be good to go. You may be better off though paying for a service for the peace of mind that it gives, especially if you leave loved ones home alone a lot. Just my two cents. Also, insurance company may require proof of the system with a paid bill to the alarm company in order for you to get a discount on your homeowners insurance.

[toucanlamp]

I think that if you had some electrical knowhow you could probably rig it up to work that way, but my guess is a lot of the systems are designed to be complicated to tinker with so people have to sign up because they make no money from you just setting it up like that.

The police hate home alarm systems since it wastes their time beyond belief, since I remember reading statistics showing that just slightly over 1.5% of home alarms requiring response reveal an actual break in or attempted break in. I know many cities here require alarm systems to be registered with the city and the owner will be fined after a false alarm resulting in police response.

But just plain audible alarms - people simply ignore them. When you hear a car alarm going off, what do you think - somebody's car is being stolen? No, you think, somebody set their car alarm off.

Just get one of those signs that say "Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again" lol.

[thermographer]

The previous home owner should have had the "monitoring" feature disconnected to ensure he would not be paying for you. Most likely you now have a "Local" system if your not getting a bill from a monitoring company.

As betat suggested, if you have a pass code to disarm, arm the system, then open a door/window to test it, and set it off. The phone should not ring and you can use your passcode to turn off the sirens.

Mine also has a "Chime" feature that beeps once whenever a door or window is opened and won't actually blow the sirens. I use that to test the doors and windows every 2-3 months.

Also, the security alarm company that installed it might have left a sticker or phone numbers on the alarm panel, or the windows of the house. Consider calling them if you want the system professionally checked and yourself educated on the keypad functions. If for some reason the system is still programmed for remote dialing, they can reprogram it for a local system.

[Shave A Buck]

You can probably do this I believe, kust make sure it resets itself. It sounds like an old system since no one uses window alarms anymore, mostly motion detectors. Make sure it has a reset feature on it so it shuts off after a certain amount of time when your out or away for the weekend. Otherwise it will ring and ring until you get home.