Indoor Security, genuine Security devices, who’s at the door? part 3

What the law says

When you buy from a trader who has called at your home without an appointment, you, have seven days in which to cancel the contract and reclaim the money you might have paid. This applies to goods you buy and to work you have arranged to have done, provided the sum involved is over £35. This law covers home improvements such as replacement kitchens or double glazing, but not new building work such as home extensions. If in doubt, contact the local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Audio and video entry systems

There are other more sophisticated ways of identifying who is at the door. With an audio or video entry system, you can hear and, with the latter, see your visitors from the safety of your lounge, and even let them in and switch on the hall light — particularly useful if you live in an upstairs apartment or large block of flats, or even a large house.

Audio and video entry systems have become more competitive in price, easier to install and are growing in popularity. They offer convenience, safety and security with the benefit of being able to control who comes in at the touch of a button. There is also the advantage of being able to have a chat with the milkman and the postman without having to run down the stairs in your bathrobe!

Entry systems can be installed in single homes or, using modular components, can be designed to serve as few as two or as many as several hundred residents in blocks of flats or apartments.

While early systems were quite complex and bulky, simpler, more compact systems are now available. The most basic systems use existing bell wire to send both sound and picture from an entry panel incorporating a microphone and a miniature camera, installed at the main door, to a monitor and telephone handset indoors.

What it costs

Cheaper systems may be limited in range, i.e. by the length of the cable over which the system is able to provide good visual and audio communication, but they may be quite adequate for the single home, costing around £500 complete for a video entry system.

It is quite possible to use your own TV monitor, running coaxial cable from the outside camera unit via the household aerial and linking in to a spare channel on your set. Many large apartment blocks have a facility built in to do just that, but if you are a resident in a block, please don’t go off on your own to tackle the job. You are likely to be encountering higher voltages and a multitude of other control equipment, and only the building maintenance manager or a qualified electrician should carry out the work.

Audio entry kits

With modern technology, the quality and reliability of two-way speech systems has improved immensely. A typical audio-only system consists of an entrance panel with a push-button door bell, for a single home or several apartments, and speaker unit, linked to a telephone handset in the apartment. Normally, a 12v electric release will be part of the kit to convert the door lock to remote control.

Video entry kits

Video entry systems have also improved dramatically, with better and smaller cameras. The video entry door panel incorporates a miniature camera with a lens which is able to adjust automatically to low light levels, so you should be able to see your caller clearly at night as well as during the day.

The monitor/handset indoors will have a number of buttons which allow audio and visual communication. There is usually a time limit on its use — from a few seconds to a few minutes. Just press the button again to restore communication. (Some systems will allow you to view the caller automatically when the door panel button is pushed, using a sensor at the point of entry.)

The depth of the door entry panels, even those incorporating cameras, has been markedly reduced, often less than one brick deep, which reduces the possibility of knocking a hole in your lounge wall. Alternatively, they can be surface mounted.

If recessed, the panel will be supplied with an embedding box. Panels are available in varying materials — anodised metal, aluminium, brass and stainless steel or, if they are likely to be vandalised, you can choose polycarbonate or impact-resistant ABS plastic housings. They can also be fitted with weather-resistant hoods.

Monitors

Monitors can be wall — or table-top mounted (just as a telephone). Wall-mounted screens vary in size — from as large as 18cm (7″) to 90mm (3¹A”) flat screen models — and usually provide a black and white picture. They can also be flush or surface - mounted.

The unit is likely to have volume control, remote door release, brightness control, possibly an anti-tamper alarm (alerting the occupier if, for example, someone tries to prise off or damage the outside panel) and a light switch (to provide lighting in a hall or staircase).

There is also a system allowing the camera to ‘pan and tilt’, which extends the vertical view from 50cm (20″) to 91.5cm (36″), and the horizontal view from 66cm (26″) to 1.83m (72″). So no-one can lurk undetected.

Power and wiring

Power supplies are usually provided with each kit and can vary considerably, depending on the equipment and its operating range. Obviously, the greater the range, the greater the power needed.

Power will also be needed to operate the electric release which provides remote control of the door. This is usually converted from the supply provided.

Wiring varies considerably, too, from bell wire or six- wire telephone cable to coaxial cable for video connection. Most equipment is, however, sold in kits and should be supplied with appropriate connections and, of course, instructions.

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Indoor Security, genuine Security devices, who’s at the door? part 3

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