A home security alarm brings much peace of mind. You can leave your house safe in the knowledge that not only is the system a deterrent, but if the worst should happen it would detect the movement of an intruder and sound an alarm and/or summon assistance. But what about the furry members of the family who wander freely whilst you’re out?

Thankfully, technology is more than advanced enough to have some solutions in place. And, fear not! It won’t be necessary to spend loads of extra cash in order to have a specific pet-friendly alarm system. Because, contrary to what many people believe, the main control panel of such an alarm system is exactly the same as a regular one.

The only difference is the sensors…

And, very handily, even an older system can have such sensors retrofitted if necessary. The only stepping stone to overcome is if your animal (most likely a dog) weighs more than 35kg, or if you have animals (cats?) that like to jump up onto surfaces, climb curtains, or generally get up to mischief when you’re out or asleep. Yes, we too share our lives with such shenanigans. But don’t worry, we’ll cover some workarounds for such scenarios in a moment.

So what are pet-friendly sensors?

Quite simply, these are PIR (passive infra-red) sensors that detect body heat. You know, you’ve seen the movies when a robot or futuristic person can ‘see’ their prey via the heat map they emit… And like a scene lifted directly from a sci-fi movie, these PIR detectors constantly scan the room for a difference in body heat.

When a person enters a room the sensor ‘sees’ this and sounds the alarm. However, a person is quite a bit larger than the average pet, and also stands taller. So the zoning for these pet-friendly PIR detectors ignores the fact that they’re there because a) they don’t emit as much infra-red energy as a human and b) they’re much lower to the ground.

So what about big dogs or pets that love to explore?

If you don’t want to confine your animals to a single location whilst you’re asleep upstairs or out of the house, then you can consider the following alternatives:

• Door and window contacts: Rather than PIR detectors you could fit these instead. These will be triggered should a door or window be opened while the alarm is active.
• Glass break detectors: As the name suggests, this will detect if any glass is broken (it ‘hears’ such an action thanks to the frequency of the sound when glass breaks) and triggers the alarm.
• Smart alarms: AKA, camera PIRs. These give great peace of mind, for pet owners and non-pet owners alike. Although slightly more expensive than regular PIR sensors, what these clever cameras do is to take a snapshot or series of snapshots at the exact time the sensor is activated. You’ll get a real-time ping on your smartphone (via an installed app) and you can take a look so see if it really is a break in, or if Fido has simply jumped up at the window to bark at a passer-by or perhaps Tiddles has leapt up to her favourite perch on the top of the wardrobe.

If it’s not a real break in then you can remotely disarm and re-arm the system. Clever huh? Plus it prevents your alarm from blaring out for 10 or 20 minutes – a real boost for neighbourly relationships.

For further information on the installation of a pet-friendly alarm system or advice on how to improve a current one, Perth-based Crown Security will be delighted to discuss your needs. Their friendly team has been looking after home and business security requirements in WA for over 25 years and can create bespoke solutions for all surveillance needs. From multi-sensor systems to remote mobile monitoring to visually confirm a genuine alarm trigger, their experts will be pleased to guide you every step of the way.

Contact us or give us a call on 08 9400 6000 for a no-obligation discussion.