An intruder alarm system is only as good as its installation — the most expensive control panel on the market won't help if a sensor is positioned wrong or the cables aren't secured. Here's what we include in every installation, and what's worth checking if you're expecting a quote from another company.
Before the installation
- Site survey — floor area, number of rooms, entrances/exits, ground-floor windows, existing electrical and network infrastructure.
- Risk profile assessment — a site with no one present around the clock needs a different configuration than a home where someone is always around.
- Choosing the components — control panel, number and type of sensors (motion, magnetic door/window contacts, glass break), siren (indoor/outdoor), keypad or mobile app for control.
- Monitoring decision — mobile notifications to the owner only, or a link to a security company's monitoring center for a physical response.
During the installation
- Positioning the motion sensors — away from curtains, heaters, direct sunlight and the path of pets, to keep false alarms to a minimum.
- Installing magnetic contacts on every entry point — doors, accessible windows, terraces.
- Cabling or configuring the wireless link — with a wired installation the cables are hidden and secured; with a wireless one, the signal at every point is checked relative to the panel's location.
- Installing the siren in a visible but hard-to-reach spot — its mere presence acts as a deterrent.
- Backup power — a battery in the control panel to keep it running during a power outage.
After the installation
- Testing each zone individually — not a general "does the light come on" check, but actually triggering every sensor.
- Setting up the mobile app and/or the link to the monitoring center, with a test of an actual signal being sent.
- A short walkthrough for the user — how to arm/disarm the system, what to do in case of a false alarm, when to replace the batteries in the wireless sensors.
Red flag — if an installer finishes the job without testing each zone individually and without showing you how the notifications actually work, it's worth asking for that to be done before you sign off on the handover. The test takes 10–15 minutes and is what guarantees the system will actually work when you need it to.
