UTC?s Interlogix division to close down by end of 2019

d Security System' plastered across the bottom, and neither did I like the logic hierarchy/arrangement of the programming, though I only remember taki ng over only a small amount of those systems in the early to mid 2000s.

ather quirky overall to me.

long while. From the beginnings of Simple Simon says, 'FRONT DOOR O PEN', and on & on, with the high pitch beeps at the end, I always thought i t was junk- a self-contained system that a small 2 lb. hammer could disable in one second. Yes, I know about the new option that those type of systems came up with, to prevent that from happening; send the alarm out right awa y & then send an acknowledgement stand-down later.

encies for communication, rather than wired systems, makes them more highly vulnerable in my estimation. I consider an old-fashioned wired mainboard s eparated from keypad(s) much better security. I can hide a mainboard, and y ou can smash all the keypads you want, it won't matter. But, any frequency can be jammed, and the system is totally rendered useless.

the future of internet and alarm communications, is unnerving. Wifi is the easiest communication system to crack. Wifi communications in businesses an d homes, is like having hundreds of ethernet cables dangling all over the n eighborhood, easily accessed by persons familiar on how that is accomplishe d. Perhaps it is purposeful ...in the long run. Whereas, you do need very close proximity for wiring to be picked up electronically, even if you acce ss the surrounding

ings. I do not need to worry about anyone accessing sensitive information a t all.

ular backup, and some systems are actually triple redundant.

ncy-only dependent, then let it die completely. What?s the point, t heir programming was only a copy of DSC anyway.

company, is not all going to rely only on the way of vulnerable comms, as that would be a travesty.

??

All/some of what you say is true, but we don't governs the way technology p rogresses. The opposite is true. You may not like it but if you don't adapt to the way it goes ---- you get left behind.

I still think that window foil is the best way to protect glass. Basswood d owel alarm screens with mercury tilt switches. Lacing a door etc.

Tell me ----- what is the source of the majority of false alarms in todays alarm systems? Probably the most misused and mis-applied sensor ---- the Pa ssive Infrared motion detector wins the medal. Yet ==== no one "doe sn't" use them ----- right? What's the most popular way to detect glass bre akage today? ---- would it be the shock sensor or the audio glass break det ector? Everyone uses them --- Right? How often do they get tested? When you do a service call do you go around and tap on every window with a shock se nsor? Do you get out the audio glass break tester and check each unit on th e installation? And who's to say if the little "squeak" that the tester put s out is really a true representation of a piece of glass breaking. Well, === we really don't know do we? We all hang our reputations on the fa ct that we are installing these audio glass break detectors and testing the m "in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations". Did anyone here ever break a piece of glass in a window to see if the detector would really trip? Will a shock sensor attached to a 7 foot piece of glass really be ab le to detect someone popping a hole in a door way down at the bottom?

It's all kind of a leap of faith that anything that we protect is going to stop an intrusion. How about a humongous magnet held up against a door or w indow switch. Did you ever walk in front of a PIR when the temperature was up around 90 degrees?

So you may have misgivings about the "new" technologies that are being pres ented now but------

Well, enough said.

Hi Jim,

Well, perhaps this counts on my experience history. I did use mercury tilt switches on my 67' Camaro when I was 16, to keep thieves from stealing my 1

0" Micky Thompson slick tires. I used the mercury bulbs from converted part s from home thermostats, and if anyone tried to jack up any parts of the ca r to get to the tires or into the hood, it set off a seriously loud alarm w ith keyed external access. I just could not get the cellular backup to work in the early 70s though.

The majority of false alarms indeed are from bugs nesting around motion det ectors or rodents finding their way to them, but I do not think that they w ill go away anytime soon even with the new systems down the pike. The secon d is from homeowners that cannot remember how to turn on the alarm when the y are home. The least used reason for motion false alarms, are from the loc ations of motions creating false alarms when the sun angle changes as the s easons come and go, and the installer did not, or could not foretell how th e sun angle might suddenly flood a room with so much sunlight/heat that the detector is set off. And the last reason is from obscenely strong heat or A/C fans/ductwork that floods the room suddenly with air that is tens or mo re of degrees off from ambient temperature.

As to glassbreak detectors, yes, they are all individually tested with a gl ass break tester upon installation. And, whenever I get asked by the buyer if that will really work for testing purposes, I simply go out to my van an d get my 22 ounce framing hammer and come back in and say, "Okay, will this do?" All of them have backed off so far. I am not making this up. Most of them, I just have to say that I will go get my framing hammer, and then th ey laugh & say that the glass break tester will do fine.

For the defeating of door and window sensors there are high security double

-balanced types, and using double end-of-line resistors can make things rat her arduous for novice thieves. We use those for high security areas such a s gun ranges & ammo stores, etc.

I understand what you are saying, but for real security, 'The new future eq uipment will make it much easier for the criminals to overcome all the newf angled wireless doors, windows, sensors, but most importantly, the brains/m ainboard and the communicators.

Any system that only relies on Wifi to get communications out thru the prem ise router, is doomed to fail once people figure out how to get around that . Cellular is better but still vulnerable. Telco lines are direct, but are also readily accessed and cut unless they are underground as some commercia l places are.

But the overall weakness to me, is the concentration of the 'brains' of a s ystem into one tiny geographical square foot of space or smaller. That is w here the weakness lies mostly. And I will not go into it online for everyon e to know either.

Superseding all this, is the main reason for all these changes happening in the industry, and it is money only. It is the ability to get a system in f aster and cheaper for the companies that make them, and a quicker installat ion cost for the installing companies. The wholesale thrust of online sales is the quickest way for 'the new security' companies to make more money fa ster.

It is not anymore about make security systems better and more foolproof. It is more about duping foolish people that have no idea what a real security system should be, and making sure that the sales are accomplished.

I do not consider that I have misgivings about the new technologies, but it is rather that I know perhaps a bit more about the weaknesses inherent in the new technologies that I would like to know or admit, and would not want to divulge either.

I guess if I could sum it up, it would be this: Diversification is best, an d Concentration is worst... And the industry is not going in the right dire ction.

Hogan

So, did you play the YouTube video? I just love that one.

False alarms? I love the one where the homeowner forgets their code and starts using the ambush code to arm/disarm their system. over 40 years we've had a fairly large number of that problem.. ;-) Good thing is the local police quickly learn where they live.. LOL RTS

I'm just saying that there is some new technology that we not like but like motion detectors, glass break detectors and such, that were "new technolog y" in their day and have not been all that much improved since their introd uction, yet still being used, ---- the new technology will find it's place in the trade and be properly used by some and mis-used by others.

I don't have any (that I am aware of) false alarms from mis-applied motion detectors. I understand how they work, what their capabilities and limitati ons are ------ "Now". I can anticipate potential problems after a lifetime of experience. I can't credit the manufacturers with much of the knowledge I have gained though. And, from what I see of installations I come across, I can't say that many of my local peers have gained that experience. As fa r as shock sensors on glass and glass break detectors, the end user is neve r going to test these sensors and neither do installers. I often wonder how many thousands of these sensors are sitting out there that have failed for various reasons and no one will ever be the wiser.

I agree with you about the wifi thingy - toy, however semi related to that technology, I am anxious to see what 5G is going to provide us with (if any thing). (spread spectrum ? BFSK?)

And, yeah - sure there are high security this and that contact and method b ut hardly anyone uses these things unless it's a bank or liquor or jewelry store, etc. Residential systems have degraded to little more than a sign on the front lawn.

I think you're right about diversification of components but I don't think you are going to see much tendency away from the "concentrated" approach. I have to say that in spite of the fact that the Napco Isecure is basically a wireless system, they have stayed away from that approach. And I do think that they have a module for making the system hardwired. I'll have to see how it pans out. Just so you know, even though most people site the Napco p rogramming as a detriment I've used Napco equipment for over 45 years so I have evolved with it and the programming is second nature to me now. Second ary to that, --- knowing how to program Napco makes all others a piece of c ake.

Yes, I had already seen the Dorito's commercial with "Jimmy" but in fact I liked the one with the dog collar best of all.

Hi Jim,

I just saw the dog collar one, and that is also a very good one... that was a very smart dog.

By the end of next year, there should be some serious new units out there t hat will need assessing. I will look into the ISecure unit and consider its pros and cons when it comes out. I'm just not holding my breath on anythin g.

If the new systems that are coming out, having a wireless keypad that commu nicates with a remote mainboard 'brain', that can be easily hidden in a rem ote part of a home or business, and it's encryption algorithms are above pa r, then perhaps that type of future system may survive the test of burglary time. I do not think that wired systems are going away anytime soon.

I did have a customer with a V20p Honeywell system with an IpDatatel/Alula IP card for total remote control and full text/email/robocall notifications as well as central station signals relaying, that purchased a Ring doorbel l. He liked the Ring doorbell so much, that he sent away for their wireless security system and added Ring door contacts to his doors next to the Hone ywell door contacts, and maybe a motion. Then, he did not need the Honeywel l system and canceled his monitoring account. Of course, the new 'system' w as self-installed and it looked like the terrible job that you would expect from a homeowner. Such is the way of the future, from self-appointed compa nies that proclaim true security and deliver mediocrity.

I would not want to take on monitoring of any online 'Bought on a Whim' sys tem that a homeowner installed. Though, a true professional system that is carefully inspected and thoroughly tested by a real technician, would get m y seal of approval.

My next best Doritos commercial is the 3 dogs that dress up in a trench coa t to get into a supermarket.