Security installers in Exeter

Exeter is one of the largest and most thriving cities in the south west of England. Unfortunately with a large bustling city comes higher levels of people and more often than not, more crime.

Exeter – the pride of the south west of england

 At Zodiac Security we supply and install a variety of security systems for all properties including home security and business security.

This may be one single security system or a whole range of security systems including:

• Burglar alarms

• Cctv

• Access control

• Monitored alarms

• Wireless alarms

• Door entry systems

• Maintenance contracts

• Repair and servicing

• IP cctv systems

If you have any security issues in Exeter or are simply looking for a security installer in exeter then speak to Zodiac Security – an NSI (NACOSS) approved security company providing cost effective, affordable security systems in Exeter

Its nice when we have warm sunny weather isn’t it, nice warm breezes and plenty of sunshine makes us all feel better and happier.

but did you know that burglars love the hot weather too?

why is that i hear you ask?

The simple answer is that when the weather is warmer we give them more opportunity, we will often leave windows open, maybe even doors unlocked or open and this gives the burglar the opportunity to get into your house or business.

So however depressing it is to lock and shut your windows and doors when its nice outside, and whether its for 5 minutes or a whole day this simple act will help greatly in preventing your property from becoming another notch on the burglars belt.

Why use a professional security response company for your alarm activations?

It is a proven fact that burglars do not want to be caught, an obvious statement to make perhaps, however in my experience, many business owners and householders do not seem to realise the implications of this fact.

There are generally two types of burglar: opportunist and targeted. The opportunist burglar will look for easy access with readily available tools lying around which can be modified to gain entry and most importantly, no burglar alarm system. The targeted burglar will have planned entry, in many instances knowing exactly what they are looking for, and will ignore or disable a burglar alarm.

Experience has revealed that opportunist burglars will generally strike businesses and homeowners, whereas targeted burglars generally strike businesses.

So, the question is raised “How do I protect my home or my business?” The first step is to conduct a security survey of your premises and perimeter, an example of what to do can be found on our website www.vanguardsas.co.uk look for “Seven Step Security Survey”; the second step is to have a professional burglar alarm system installed.

Once you have your burglar alarm system, this will deter the opportunist burglar, however, this does not mean that you will not get burgled; how many times have you heard an alarm sounding and just complained about it keeping you awake at night? You may have asked your neighbours to listen out for you, and they will surely enter the property to see what has triggered the alarm – what do they do if the burglar is still in there? What if they get hurt? What if you have no neighbours to ask? The burglar will soon notice there is no response to the alarm activation!

An alarm system that is not monitored is still an effective tool, as the sounder alone is designed to frighten and confuse, particularly the inexperienced burglar, or one that is high on drugs or drunk, and they may well decide against it and go on to an easier target.

The most effective burglar alarm system is one that is monitored by an monitoring station (also known as an ARC). A monitored burglar alarm, once the alarm is activated, will contact a designated person, and once acknowledged, that person will attend the premises. Professional keyholder and response companies will respond to these alarm activations for you

Now we ask the question “Why use a Security Company to respond to alarm activation?”

I have lost count of the times I have answered this question to homeowners and businesses alike, and the answer is the same to both:-

The longer answer is: The Security Company is available 24 hours a day with a dedicated team trained and qualified to attend the premises upon alarm activation, without delay. The normal response time for a Security officer to be on site, at the premises, is within 30 minutes of the call, very often much sooner.

There are no factors which can affect the response, such as with say a neighbour “I was out for the night” or “I’d had too much to drink and didn’t hear it” or even, I wasn’t very well, so couldn’t attend”. With a business, the factors are even greater which can affect the response such as designated keyholder on holiday, can’t find the keys and if they did get the call and attend, the same applies as mentioned earlier, what if the burglar is still inside the building – do they know what to do? Has the keyholder been trained? Are the Health and Safety Policies in place regarding Lone Working? – specifically about check calls, it would be awful for staff to arrive in the morning and find the designated keyholder injured or worse when they arrive!

The fast response from a Security Company is effective against opportunist and targeted burglary and is the difference between having your home or business ransacked, versus an entry, potential grab (in most cases they will leave everything), and very fast exit with a strong possibility of being caught. An opportunist will soon see the error of their ways; the burglars who target a business will have done their homework (by activating the alarm previously, normally by breaking a window and waiting to see who turns up) and so will either not bother to break in at all, or will have to be prepared to face the Security Officer, who will rapidly become two, three and four Security Officers once the personal alarm is activated on the Officer, followed closely by the Police.

The short answer to the question is; without a monitored burglar alarm system that isn’t backed up by a reliable, qualified and trained Emergency Response Security Officer, the alarm system is not being used to its full potential.

This article has been written and provided by Gail Parson of Vanguard Surveillance and Security www.vanguardsas.co.uk , which has been established for 22 years. Vanguard provide keyholding services to businesses and, more increasingly, private homeowners.

Simple, effective IP CCTV Systems for home and business.

Increasingly in todays security market people are looking to use and utilise the information and technological resources available to them.

One of the latest trends is for IP CCTV Systems – these system utilise existing networks and the internet for cctv cabling and monitoring – replacing the need for traditional CCTV cabling.

IP CCTV Systems are often used on large scales sites where an existing cabling infra structure is usally in place, however there has been a demand recently for smaller, simpler IP CCTV systems suitable for homes and small businesses.

With that in mind we are now able to provide a simple, cost effective IP CCTV systems that meet this requirement.

Our range of IP CCTV systems allow to to view the cctv camera(s) from either your local PC or remotely from any authorised computer when you need to, from anywhere in the world. You can also retrieve and store information from a remote location should you require (a snapshot picture for example)

the IP CCTV cameras available are:

an internal IP CCTV colour dome camera – ideal for offices and shops

Internal IP CCTV dome camera

An external IP CCTV camera with infra red lighting (so it can see in the dark)

External IP CCTV camera

the third alternative is an internal IP colour dome camera with Pan and tilt facility – so you can control the camera to move, left, right, up and down etc

internal PTZ IP CCTV Camera

The three IP CCTV cameras are installed and connected to a router and will self configure for remote access. then anyone with te relevant software (supplied) and the correct codes can access the IP CCTV cameras.

Recording and viewing software is provided so that your PC or laptop can be tranformed into a fully operational digital video recorder as and when required including motion detection and snap shot facilities, this can be manually turned on or off or fully automated with pre-set timer schedules.

The supply and installation price for these IP CCTV cameras (including software) starts from as little as £500 + VAT per camera and multiple cameras can be installed on one site as required.

for more information please contact us.

So you’re thinking about either getting a burglar alarm or have recently just had an alarm system installed. If you are or you have – well done – security is an issue that is often overlooked until its too late.

Now i am often asked why should i get a burglar alarm? i’ve never been burgled so what’s the point?

Well apart from the obvious protection of your home, business and family i always feel the two main benefits of having a burglar alarm installed are:

• Peace of Mind

Simply knowing that when you leave your house or business that when you return, whether it be the next day or after a two week holiday that everything is as it should be, nothing is missing or damaged is a great peace of mind and stress reliever.

• Visual Deterrent

A burglar is going to go out burgling – its what they do and nothing is going to stop them (until they get caught that is).

Now what makes them pick the places they do? and what makes then decide which place to miss? the simple answer is that its a mixture of things but one of the most important things that deters a burglar is a visual deterrent – the more you put in the way they more likey they are to go somewhere else. It really is that simple. Why burgle a place with an alarm system when another house doesn’t have one and they have the same stuff to take?

So thats it really – peace of mind and visual deterrent – the two major benefits of a burglar alarms system.

P.S it helps if your external bell box is especially visual at night (like ours which is fully illuminated)

A common misconception about burglar alarms is that they stop burglars and burglary.

WRONG!!!!!

A burglar alarm system does not stop a criminal carrying out a burglary – it simply moves them on to another home / business or location. They are out to burgle and want to find the easist and simplist way to do it – and  overcoming a burglar alarm is neither simple or easy.

So a simple task is this. Go outside and take a look at your home or business property. do you have a burglar alarm? do most of the other properties have a burglar alarm? if most other houses / businesses have an alarm system and you don’t then guess where the burglars are lo0king at next!!

thats right, it could well be you. A burglar alarm is an excellent visual deterrent to burglars – even more so when twinned with our fully illuminated external siren.

fully illuminated alarm siren

Be it a wired or wirefree burglar alarm system they are not as expensive as you may think. If you would like to discuss any security concerns you may have or if you would like to arrange a free, no obligation security survey then please feel free to contact us.

Thats right – you heard me – security is a grudge purchase

why’s that you say?

let me explain my first sentence.

Nobody ever wants a security system, you may need one but you never want a security system. You never wake up in the morning with excitement and anticipation thinking that you can’t wait to go out and buy the latest burglar alarm system. 

In an ideal world nobody would ever need security for their home or their business, everyone would get along nicely and there would be no theft, crime or burglary.

Unfortunatley this isn’t the case, due to peoples nature and criminal activities we often need a security system,  its never nice to have to pay for a system to protect your home or business so hence it being a grudge purchase!

another way to look at it is this;

if you had £500 in your pocket would you rather go out and buy a big television or a burglar alarm? Most people would pick the telly (if you picked the burglar alarm then please call me). The problem arises when people see your new big telly and the fact that you have no security system to protect it, they take it and you end up £500 poorer with no telly.

That’s why security is a grudge purchase – it will never make you money, it doesn’t do stuff and make noises like a telly or a games machine but it will make sure that it protects the goods you have spent your money on, making sure that you, your business and your family are protected and safe (which is priceless!).

So although a burglar alarm or security system may be a grudge purchase, its also an essential one – for home and work – act now before its too late.