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Reliability of glass breakage listening devices

A

Andrew

Jan 1, 1970
0
The local consumer magazine in Washington DC says of glass breakage
listening devices "A recent study by the Association of Central
Monitoring Stations declared these devices unreliable".

I can't find a date on the article, so I checked the web site of the
Central Station Alarm Association. I couldn't find anything there
either. I have had a few local companies come by to assess my home and
almost all have recommended them.

Are they reliable? Do they give lots of false alarms? Should I use
them iin my home?

Thanks,

Andrew
 
R

Robert L Bass

Jan 1, 1970
0
I don't know how long ago that study was performed. Acoustic glass break
detectors have never been 100% reliable. They can and do add to the
security of an installation when properly installed though.

Almost all of them will false if there's a heavy thunderstorm directly
overhead. I used glass breaks (along with full perimeter magnetic contacts
and interior motion detection)
on most of my installations for many years with relatively few problems.
That was in Connecticut. Now I live in Florida and I'd hesitate to use them
here -- way too much lightning.

Everyone has his own preferences on makes and models. I've had good results
with IntelliSense (Honeywell) glass breaks. When they first came out
Sentrol's (GE Security) Shatterbox series were awful. They would false if a
broom dropped in a neighbor's house. :^) I haven't used these but several
friends who use them indicate the more recent ShatterPro series seem to have
overcome the early problems. I sell both brands to DIYers online and have
not had any returns in quite some time.

Best of luck.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
941-866-1100 Sales & Tech Support
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>
 
B

Bob Worthy

Jan 1, 1970
0
Glassbreak detectors are a device that need special attention both during
the installation process and then again when/if there are any changes to the
protected area. Changes in decor, furniture, window treatments, flooring,
etc. will effect the sensitivity of the detector. What was good yesterday
may not be good today after changes were made to the area. So after changes,
the detector(s) will need to be checked for their sensitivity range. A
detector that senses both frequency and vibration is recommended and one
that has adjustable sensitivity capabilities is a must. Don't try to cover
more area than what the detector is capable of at a mid range setting. There
are range limitations and you should never take it out to the max. trying to
save money. You won't be gaining anything except false alarms. The detector
will be to sensitive, making it subject to false trips. Keep in mind that
this device hears noise and feels vibrations, so location is important.
There are simulating devices that the technician should be using when
installing these devices to calibrate the sensitivity properly. Rattling
keys or clapping hands is not the proper installation method. I have
installed literally thousands of glassbreak detectors and have had good
success with them. As with any power device, the panel battery can cause
these devices to false if there is a black/brown out and the battery is not
capable of supporting the power load on the system. Keep your battery
reliable by changing every 3 years. To answer you question more directly,
audios are fine and if installed and located properly should not be a false
alarm problem. Hope this helps. Good luck.
 
B

Bob La Londe

Jan 1, 1970
0
Andrew said:
The local consumer magazine in Washington DC says of glass breakage
listening devices "A recent study by the Association of Central
Monitoring Stations declared these devices unreliable".

I can't find a date on the article, so I checked the web site of the
Central Station Alarm Association. I couldn't find anything there
either. I have had a few local companies come by to assess my home and
almost all have recommended them.

Are they reliable? Do they give lots of false alarms? Should I use
them iin my home?

Thanks,

Andrew


I have had four breakins where the glassbreaks activated properly. None
that I am aware of where they did not.

Two were from vehicles that ran through the front of a building, and the
other two were from a rock through the window.

That being said I have also had some false alarm problems. Usually in small
spaces with a high degree of echo. ie.. all tile bathrooms etc. Usually
switching out the glass break to one with adjustable sensitivity will reduce
this problem.

I have had two odd circumstances that caused false alarms. One was a small
barking dog. If it barked in one particular room of the house it would
trigger the glassbreak in that room. It did not trigger the glass break in
any other room. There was a very bad acoustic echoe in the room in
question. The other odd one was in a store front. A slightly over
sensitive glass break tripped when ever somebody knocked on the front glass.
Not a sound volume or combination that would normally trigger the
glassbreak. As it turns out they had a toy bird in a cage that chirped
whenever there was a loud noise in the area. A loud smack on the glass
would alert the glassbreak sensor and then the bird chirpig what trip it. I
stood there on ladder staring at it until I found the cause.

One thing to consider is that there are some circumstances where a
glassbreak may not operate when there is a broken window. One example is
where they are installed and tested at near maximum range in a room where
there are no or very light curtains, then later heavy drapes are installed.
They also typically do not work reliably with small panes of glass.

In your home if you do not skimp on them they should work reliably with few
to no false alarms. If you do not have them active when the house is
occupied there should be no false alarms, but quite often people prefer the
level of detection they get by having their glassbreaks active when they are
at home. If you do simpley discipline yourself to call in any false alrms
to your central station right away and know how to silence your alarm when
it goes off.
 
A

alarman

Jan 1, 1970
0
I stood there on ladder staring at it until I found the cause.

I have this image of you standing on a ladder, staring unblinking at the
errant device, one eyebrow cocked, until the glassbreak.....blinks.
js
 
B

Bob La Londe

Jan 1, 1970
0
alarman said:
I have this image of you standing on a ladder, staring unblinking at the
errant device, one eyebrow cocked, until the glassbreak.....blinks.
js

Snerk. Ya pretty much right on the money there.
 
J

J Barnes

Jan 1, 1970
0
On the subject of glass breaks, I had one do its job last night. :) It was
an intellisense fg series. Ive also had them not do their job when they
should have :( But thats why I back them up with motions


James
 
F

Frank Olson

Jan 1, 1970
0
J said:
On the subject of glass breaks, I had one do its job last night. :) It was
an intellisense fg series. Ive also had them not do their job when they
should have :( But thats why I back them up with motions


James


Snerk. Ya pretty much right on the money there.


I still say the FG730 is the best they ever made... I've never had one
false (even in Alberta, the lightning capital of the prairies)...
Properly installed and adjusted (you must use the manufacturer's
tester), the FG series of glass breaks are awesome...
 
A

Allan Waghalter

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have had very good luck with the Caddx 2000. They are round so we always
get them mounted right. There are no adjustments and false alarms are rare.
For years I used Visonic GFD20. They were good for their day, but their
rheostat gets dirty and has to be excercised to maintain the sensitivity you
set. Problem is when they get dirty, the unit loses sensitivity and
eventally is useless.

 
B

Bob Worthy

Jan 1, 1970
0
Yep

Frank Olson said:
J said:
On the subject of glass breaks, I had one do its job last night. :) It was
an intellisense fg series. Ive also had them not do their job when they
should have :( But thats why I back them up with motions


James





I still say the FG730 is the best they ever made... I've never had one
false (even in Alberta, the lightning capital of the prairies)...
Properly installed and adjusted (you must use the manufacturer's
tester), the FG series of glass breaks are awesome...
 
F

Frank Olson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Allan said:
I have had very good luck with the Caddx 2000. They are round so we always
get them mounted right. There are no adjustments and false alarms are rare.


Thanks Allan... I'll have a look at 'em.
 
C

Chub

Jan 1, 1970
0
I like those also. the rectangular one fits in a single gang box. GE
Solution 2000 now.
 
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