June 15, 2025

Burglar Alarms: What They Can Do and Won’t Do

By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News

June 15, 2025

GULF SHORES Ala. Many people buy burglar alarms and surveillance cameras from alarm dealers or big box stores thinking that a few pieces of equipment installed here or there will provide them 100% protection. Wrong.
Knowing how these devices work and having the right equipment for the right job is where users must start.
Understanding and learning about how a system works, what each component of the system does and what its functions are as well as placement of the system’s components is vital in order to have the optimal security system working for you.

In the U.S., many people utilize burglar alarms as a primary method of home or business security. A large percentage of households have some form of security system, including alarms and cameras, with a growing trend towards smart home technology integration.
Businesses, big and small, many times also use electronic security devices and surveillance cameras to protect their people and assets.

As of 2023, 51 million households have a video surveillance system and 39 million have an alarm system. Some higher estimates have at least 72% of U.S. homeowners using some form of home security, including alarm systems and cameras.

In 2024, studies showed that approximately 70% of businesses are using burglar alarms, cameras or both.

However, there are many issues with security systems that cause them to be much less effective than they were made to be and often causes them to appear faulty, when in fact, it’s the user and their lack of education on how to use the devices or the configuration of the equipment itself that causes false alarms, or the lack of their effectiveness.

Security alarm systems themselves are really a very simple, electronic device that, if configured and installed properly, is very effect for the protection of people, property and other assets.

In Week One, we’ll first discuss the very basics of how a burglar alarm system works and we’ll follow up in Part Two with Configuration, Costs, and Equipment and then in Part Three we will cover False Alarms, Permits, Police Response and Maintenance of Your Equipment.

Security Alarm Systems are electronic devices that provide certain protection for certain areas if the right equipment is in place.

A security alarm system is a system designed to detect intrusions, such as unauthorized entry, into a building or other areas. Security alarms protect against intrusion, burglaries, thefts, arsons, or property damage. But burglar alarms do not protect against burglars. No more than a smoke alarm detects a fire. Smoke alarms detect components of a fire such as heat and smoke and security systems are designed to activate when a component of the system is activated.

Without getting too technical, the most common type of burglar alarms are closed-circuit alarms, which work by having continuous electricity run through them. All components of the alarm system from the window and door contacts to the motion sensor that is in a hallway, are all connected to one another in one “closed-circuit loop”.
If the alarm system is “activated”, in the on position, there is electrical current being sent throughout the closed circuit and when that loop is broken, it will cause the security alarm system to trigger the alarm and send an alert to the control panel and then it is forwarded either to a central monitoring station or sometimes to the user’s phone or other device.
We’ll explain this further in Part Two.

Recently in our area, people entered two houses during the overnight hours while a husband and wife and in one incident, children, were sleeping just feet away from where the intruders were walking around without the knowledge of the residents. In both situations, the homes had burglar alarms and security cameras, however, neither location had the proper components that would have protected them completely and alerted them to the intrusion.
The burglars could have attacked or even killed the occupants but thankfully, they left after stealing a few items.
A nice shiny car that has a power engine will not work if it doesn’t also have the right transmission for that vehicle. You need all of the right parts and pieces for the vehicle or the alarm system to work properly and in Part Two, we will go over many components of an alarm system, how they work and where they should be installed.

Think of a burglar alarm as a deterrent. Having a warning sign in the yard or a sticker on your door may ward off a burglar or thief but not as frequently as they once did. In recent years, burglars have entered homes of people at work, on vacation or away on a business trip, backed up a U-Haul truck or a moving van to the home, and emptied it without ever raising suspicion in the neighborhood because of their smooth, confident and methodical process.
In a few of these burglaries, neighbors did ask the men if the homeowners were moving and they just replied yes and kept working.

Part Two with Configuration, Costs, and Equipment