AboutDave Neuweiler Expertise The design and application of burglary and fire systems for homes and businesses. Helping alarm owners understand how their system works. Helping to troubleshoot false alarm problems. Questions about monitoring issues.
Experience Over a quarter century in the industry. Experience in installation, service, and monitoring centers. Training manager for a national protective services company; director of education and training for a national trade organization for for alarm dealers.
Expert: Dave Neuweiler Date: 7/12/2006 Subject: Alarm system backup for wireless system
Question Hi Dave,
It is manufactured by WINLAND Electronics.
Thanks
David
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Followup To
Question -
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the quick response. I know you don't propose brands but since I posted my first question to you I serached for a power fail alertunit. Only can find PS-110 from the USA but not in Australia (we use 230 v AC). Any suggestion how I can serach for such a unit on the net? -------------------------
Followup To
Question -
I have purchased a Securepro LS-90 wireless alarm system with a 5 hour battery backup on the base unit. If someone swith off my mains which is outside the house and leave it for five hours then break into the house. Does it mean the house is as good as having no alarm at all?
By the way I am from Australia. There is a phone cut off and tamper proof alarm but I can't find anything about power cut off alarm feature.
Answer -
Hello David, thanks for writing.
I can't speak specifically for your LS-90, but here's what happens with burglary alarm controls when power is off for several hours:
Some controls can monitor the mains power via the plug-in transformer. If the power is off for a pre-determined time (typically 30-60 minutes), then a trouble signal is sent. Sounds like the LS-90 does not have this feature, but double check anyway.
Now, every control panel I've ever worked on works this way: if the alarm is set, power is off, and the battery gets low, then the alarm goes off -- including the siren and sending an alarm signal.
This gets an alarm response when the systen, in effect, becomes "useless."
Keep another thought in mind. The scenario you describe is posible, but not typical of what a residential burglar would do. And if the burglar were that saavy, he'd not know how many hours of backup battery you had (some sytems, especially those that combine fire protection, have 24 hour backup).
I hope this helps, and write again if you have more questions.
Best Regards,
Dave
Answer -
Hello again... can you tell me the make of the power failure unit you found in the USA? I'll try to find whether a 230 volt version exits elsewhere.
Thanks,
Dave
Answer Hello again David.
I've been unable to find a 230 volt equivalent. I suppose you could contact a local who works in security to suggest a vendor who works in that 230 volt environment.
But there's a different, and perhaps better way.
The device you looked at plugged into a wall outlet, just like the transformer that powers your system. SO what would happen if the transformer failed, or fell out of the outlet, or the wire between the transformer and the control was compromised?
The answer: the alarm would "die" in about 5 hours, but the power monitor you looked at would be fine.
The best place to supervise AC power to the control is AT the control.
Now as I said before, I think you're okay as you are. But if you really want to supervise the control's power, and if you have a little bit of electrical know-how, I'll be happy to tell you how to do that... except that there's a separate problem. If you do build a way to detect power failure to the alarm, how will the alarm send you that information?
Your system is a dialer with voice message, and you have a few different alarm types -- buglary, medical emergency, etc. You'd have to buy a wireless module that's capable of sending an "always on" type of signal, like medical emergency or holdup (else the alarm would have to be "armed" for it to work).
