I'm going to be the odd man out here. But no matter what kind of alarm security system you have. Force protection is paramount and key. All the noise in the world isn't going to help you or slow an intruder down. Only physical force protection will.
There are countless devices and hardware to address this. Key things are your building design and structure. It always amazes me and makes me laugh when I come down to do a security audit and not one person has addressed force protection.
What good is a lock if both sides of the door has a gaping side windows flanking it? Or an entire door made of glass? Electronic locks? They are a great convience for interior doors but not worth their salt on exterior doors as they are for the lazy.
There are four rings of security you're only addressing one which really is superficial and does not provide true security. Many people also self monitor, don't! Only the cheap, ignorant ones do. You can not beat a good CS.
Their only purpose in life is to monitor, alert, and support you. Those who believe they can be reached 24/7/365 while they sleep, on holidays, in a under ground parkade, etc. Are simply too stupid and lazy to know the true value and importance of such. Plus you get a discount on your home insurance! Communications, don't fall into the group who also rely solely on cellular.
Again those who do are just cheap and ignorant because the saying is: two is one, one is none!
Meaning you want a land line, IP, cellular as a combination. You will want at the minimum two sirens one inside and one high up in the garage. You can have extra noise makers if that makes you feel better.
Having at least one outdoor strobe in a highly visible area will assist you when fire, police, ems, security needs to find your home. Don't have a big dog? Get one and have him trained. He will not only be your best friend but also your true protector while you sleep. You can't use a gun when you're on the shitter, in bed, in the pool! Ensure you perform a walk test and test all motion sensors during hot and cold.
Always test the glass sensors for proper adjustment and follow the mounting guide for the sensor of choice. This will need to be checked again if you add window covering etc. Creep test: do not simply rely on the sensor to work.
Test them by performing a creep test and see how far you can get into the protected area. Adjust the sensors for the best balance of attack time and sensitivity. Set up a duress code first and verbal code.
Nobody ever does so don't be on that list.
