Let me start by telling you that there are literally hundreds of different alarm master controls on the market. So, how do you know which one to select? As you talk to various alarm companies, you will hear some names of equipment over and over again. This is generally a good indication that that master control is a popular model and will last for some time.
The alarm master control consists of a box with a circuit board as well as a back-up battery in case the power should fail or an intruder deliberately turns it off. The battery should be rechargeable so that it will be ready and fully charged when you need it. When selecting an alarm, ask if it comes with this power protection.
The master control is the brain of the alarm system. All of the wiring needs to lead in or out of this box, so it’s placement is critical. The goal here is to place the control in the most secure place within the protected area. A central closet is the most popular location. Why? If it is centrally located, it is less of a problem when running wire, and the shorter wire runs are useful in saving installation time. Try to keep the actual control box out of sight, too. You’ll see why when we look at the circumvention technique.
The main function of the control is to send and receive power to and from the protection loop. Remember how in the first chapter we looked at how the detection devices act as valves turning the flow of electricity on and off in the protection loop? Well, when the alarm control senses that the power is going out and not returning, a series of actions occur. A relay is activated within the unit, which triggers another relay, which turns on an audible device such as a bell or siren. In addition, if the control is equipped with a digital communicator or similar device, the alarm monitoring station will be notified and the police will be dispatched.
One of the best features of the new alarm controls is the zoning capability. A zone is a separate channel of the alarm control that alarm signals can be sent in on. An example would be putting all of the openings of the front of a building on zone 1, the rear on zone 2, and the sides on zones 3 and 4. Perhaps the fire signals will be on another zone and the holdup or medical alarm on another. As you can see, zoning the alarm properly is a giant benefit in quickly determining where the alarm is coming from or what signal is coming in. There are alarm master control units that are expandable to up to 100 zones or more. If you wanted to pinpoint each and every detection device in your home or business, it would be doable with this technology.
The type of keypad is another consideration when selecting which alarm equipment to go with. Unfortunately, many people are taken in by the bells and whistles rather than how well the unit will service their needs. A keypad is used to do much more than just turn the alarm system on and off. It can incorporate many features, such as activating a duress alarm in the event “the bad guy” follows you to the door and orders you to turn the system off. With most models, you simply put in a duress code and the system will appear to shut down; however, an emergency duress signal is silently transmitted to the alarm company monitoring facility. Definitely a recommended feature.
Keypads are generally placed inside the building and look basically like a telephone touch pad with an audible device and an LCD (liquid-crystal display) or LED (light-emitting diode). The display tells you the condition of the system and, in the event of an alarm, what zone has been activated. The audible device will usually make a low-level sound when pushing the keys to let you know it’s alive. In the event of an actual alarm, the sound level may increase from the keypad as well as any sirens or bells that are attached to the alarm master control. I recommend that you select a touch pad that is backlit. You’ll find this feature beneficial when trying to arm or disarm the system in the dark.

The location of the keypad is important for convenience and, most important, good security. Number one rule: keep all the keypads inside the building. In a commercial application, placement on the interior wall near the door that the first employee enters through in the morning and the last employee leaves by at night is probably best. If they are different then use two keypads or place one in a central location between the two entrances. I know. You’re probably thinking, “If the alarm equipment is inside the building, including the keypads, how do I enter and exit the building without activating the system?” Well, you have to tolerate the shrieking sound of the sirens. Just kidding! The alarm manufacturers have included a feature in the alarm master control that enables you to enter and exit without activating the system and creating a false alarm. It is called entry/exit delay.
The entry/exit delay is zonable. This means that the openings where you wish to have it can be delayed while all other openings can activate instantly when someone enters through them. As a recommendation, the only openings that should be connected to delay zones are the most frequently used doors to enter and exit the property.
The time period is adjustable for both the entry and exit of the protected premises. The exit time is generally set at about 60 seconds. That means you can go to the keypad, set the system, and have 60 seconds to proceed out the door. THIS DOES NOT MEAN 61 SECONDS! Any longer and the alarm will go into the entry delay period time, and you will create a false alarm. That’s something you don’t want to do.

The entry delay period works in a similar fashion. For example, it’s time to leave your home and go to work in the morning. You set the alarm and walk out the door. The alarm is now set. You come home in the evening and put the key in the front door. The door opens and the alarm doesn’t activate. Is it broken? No. You are experiencing the entry delay period. The alarm will not activate immediately so that you will have enough time to get to the keypad to turn the system off.
Sometimes alarm installation companies program all entry and exit times the same. They do this simply because it is easier. I recommend that the entry time be set for as little time as possible, probably 15 to 30 seconds. Just make it convenient; you don’t want to have to rush to turn off the alarm.
There’s another reason why the entry delay period is critical. A burglar will have the amount of time you have set in the delay to roam around the protected premises to steal things or possibly circumvent the alarm system.
I think that proper placement of the keypads in a home is a little more important because it really becomes a life-style issue, where family members may be entering and exiting at all hours of the day and night. If the system becomes awkward to use, it probably won’t be used as much as it should and maybe not at all. Consider having keypads installed near the door or doors that are most commonly used.
In addition, it is recommended that a keypad be placed in the bedroom that you sleep in. I know this sounds a little odd, but here is why you should consider it. In the event of a burglary when you are sleeping in your bedroom, you will hear the alarm activate but wonder where the intrusion has taken place. If you can access the keypad easily, you could see which zone has been activated and make a location determination. If you have a duress or holdup feature, you will be able to summon the alarm monitoring station from the keypad. By doing this, they will not only receive the burglar alarm signal but also a duress signal, letting them know that you are in the building and need assistance. In some cases, the police may respond faster to the emergency.
One more feature that is offered on some of the mid-to high-end security systems is a direct listen-in feature. This allows the alarm monitoring station to listen into your home in the event the system is activated. In some systems, the microphone is located in the keypad; in others, it is installed separate from the keypad in central locations in the building.
The microphones in use today are very good at picking up sounds throughout a home or business. I have seen them manufactured both one-way and two-way. The one-way model allows the monitoring station to listen in only; they cannot talk back to you. The two-way models allows for conversation both ways, which is a real benefit if you have a medical problem and need to explain your condition to the monitoring station operator.
I know, I know. I can hear you thinking, “I can’t remember a code, and I want to use a key instead.” Shame on you! Many of the older systems that have been around for 10 years or longer have the key-access type of on/off switch, but in all seriousness, they really aren’t very secure.

First of all, you find most of the key on/off devices located on the outside of buildings near the entrance doors. Also, many of the early installations don’t have any type of tamper protection on the key lock. That means that an intruder that knows what to do can turn off the entire alarm system by removing the lock and shorting the wires. Remember, even the sophisticated keypads on the market today should not be mounted outside of the protected area. Why create an invitation to have access to your security system from the outside of the building?
Okay, this is the highlight of the chapter. The alarm master control equipment can be circumvented just like all of the detection devices that we have reviewed. With the detection devices, however, the circumvention technique assumed that the alarm system was in the off position while completing the task. This time, I will describe a quick down-and-dirty technique to disable the system while it is set and you are outside the building.
One of the only ways to enter a building without being detected is to get to the alarm master control immediately and disable it before the signal can be generated and sent to the monitoring station. Let’s assume that the alarm system is monitored by a conventional digital communicator. And there are no audible devices such as bells or sirens connected to the system. Most systems take approximately 20 to 30 seconds to generate an alarm message to the monitoring station. Okay, you’re probably ahead of me at this point. Simply go directly to the alarm master control and cut all of the wires that lead in or out of the box. If you can perform this task in a timely manner, the conventional alarm system will become totally inoperative, including all audible devices and signal transmitting equipment. In my experience, I have seen these attempts to circumvent alarms work quite well. By the way, the tool of choice is not a pair of wire cutters-an axe seems to do the job much better.
Another common question is, “What happens if I cut the wires to the keypad?” Generally, not much. The wires run back to the alarm master control, but it still would be connected to both the protection loop and monitoring station. The alarm master control needs to be taken out to be effective. As you can see, the point that we covered earlier really hits home now-that is, to have the alarm master control located in a secure position in the building that you want to protect. An ideal situation would be to have the control in a locked closet with a contact switch on the door or a motion detector in the closet connected to an instant alarm zone.
Within the last few years, the alarm industry has improved the quality of these control devices, and they have become quite reliable. The decision of which one to buy will purely be a personal one depending on the features that you ultimately decide that you really need, not what the sales person wants you to have.

If you want to learn more (really learn, not just read about), get these 2 books!

Techniques of Burglar Alarm Bypassing

Defeating Burglar Alarms: How They Work, and How Burglars Bypass Them

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