People who are looking for home security solutions often prefer an alarm system as their first choice. However, ending up with a non-compatible system could lead to frustration. As per the PDSA report, about 50% of UK adults own pets. And if you are someone who owns a pet, it is best to get a pet-friendly alarm. Because pets often trigger a false alarm when inside the house with the alarm system armed. False alarms not only lead to frustration but sometimes lead to penalties by the local authorities. People sometimes disarm the alarm to avoid this kind of problem or even get rid of the alarm. But is it worth compromising on your home security? With a wide range of pet-friendly alarms available on the market, you can solve this problem. These alarms ignore the movement of the pet, thus providing your home with complete protection from burglaries.
What is a Pet Friendly Alarm?
Pet friendly alarm systems, as the name suggests, are not susceptible to pets. It avoids pet movement within the house and provides you with complete protection against intruders. It does come with special PIR motion sensors that are pet tolerant and ignore the movement of pets inside your home. In short, it’s an alarm system that does not trigger false alarms caused by pets’ movement.
How does it work?
The PIR (Passive Infrared Motion) sensors are capable of detecting body heat (passive infrared energy). They also sense if there is an unusual movement when someone enters the room, alerting the house in case someone breaks in.
They can, however, be set up on the following basis.
1. Size and shape
The PIR detectors analyse the size and shape of the object within the room and therefore react on that basis. For instance, you can get sensors that support pets to the weight limit of 35kgs that automatically ignores the object below that limit. In this case, you can easily keep your small pets or even large pets below the set limit inside your house. You can leave them without any worry about getting a false alarm alert.
2. Height
Some detectors happen to ignore the pet movements at the floor level and only catch movements at a certain level. For instance, 2 feet above the floor level. This allows pets to pass unidentified below that threshold. These devices, however, are not going to work with pets who can climb or fly. You’d probably need to keep these pets away from the room where the alarm is activated or find an alarm system with other sensors that could warn you in the event of an intrusion.
A pet sensor that works great in one room might not work in another room. For example, it might not work if you put new furniture in your hall that your cat likes to jump on. And it would probably trigger a false alarm.
How to install it?
Pet-friendly alarm systems are a bit different from DIY alarm systems that are easier to install. They are a bit complex and they require professional help to set up. It is, therefore, best to hire a professional to install it for you. Because if not, it can lead either to a system malfunction or to a false alarm. It is best to consult a specialist to avoid landing in such a situation.
How to choose an ideal pet friendly alarm system for your home
These systems can, however, be customised to your house requirements. You can refer to the following key criteria when selecting an ideal pet-friendly alarm system for your home.
1. One key factor is the size of the house. You must pick the right alarm system that fits both the size of your property and the number of rooms it has. There is a wide range of alarm systems available on the market suitable for different types of property.
2. The number of rooms in your house.
3. The number of sensors to be used based on the interior of your home.
4. Another consideration is the type of pet in your home. You can choose an alarm sensor for your home that does not activate a false alarm due to your pet’s actions. Though it depends on the kind of pet you own and how it acts when inside the house. For example, if you have a cat at home that sometimes jumps and climbs on your sofa, then it’s best to use a sensor other than a PIR. Similarly, if you have a large dog at home, you may be able to set a threshold based on its weight.
5. Perimeter protection if pet-friendly sensors aren’t working. We have come across cases quite often where customers have one or two rooms in the house where no pet-friendly sensor will operate. You could have a huge kitchen island or stairs or a dining table that your cat loves sitting on, or a wide sofa that your dog likes to sleep in while you’re out. Bearing in mind the false alarm effect, we emphasize on the perimeter protection alarm system. Rather than using the room’s motion sensors, we’ll use those sensors to secure the entry points. Like door sensors, shock detectors or window curtain detectors, etc.
6. PET-friendly camera sensors. Our advanced smart alarm now comes with pet-friendly motion sensors with built-in cameras capable of taking pictures and uploading them to your phone app, so you can check if your pet is running wild in the building.
Some of the popular pet-friendly alarm systems
1. Yale 6400 Pet-friendly alarm system
Pet-Friendly Yale Premium Telecommunicating Alarm is a basic keypad operated system ideal for a flat, terraced, or semi-detached and detached homes.
This alarm will alert up to 3 phone numbers of your choice about any intruders and can be managed from your phone.
An access code on the keypad can be used to enable and disable the alarm.
Not suitable for cats – as the pet sensors only ignore movements in the lower part of the floor.
2. Visonic Powermaster 10
This system can be bundled with Pet-friendly Visonic PIR Motion sensors if required.
Visonic PET detectors can work for pets weighing up to 35 kg.
It can also be bundled with Pet-friendly Visonic PIR Motion sensors if required.
Visonic PET detectors can work for pets weighing up to 35 kg.
It can also be bundled with Pet-friendly RISCO PIR Motion sensors if needed
RISCO PET detectors can work with pets up to 35 kilograms in weight.
It comes at the same price, but you need to mention it before ordering specifically.
Contact Us
Looking for a home alarm system? FHA is a home security expert offering a wide range of customised burglar alarms and CCTV systems for residential and commercial properties.
If you need to learn more about our solutions, visit us FHA Security or call us at 020 3137 8727, 0800 193 8727.
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