Testing Your Video Security Systems

May 22
14:50

2011

Aaliyah Arthur

Aaliyah Arthur

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Video security systems keep your home safe and worry-free, but like all technological things, they can break down. That's why you need to test them occasionally. This article tells you how to test your system and how often to get the best results.

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Video security systems are great. They let you know that your home is being watched even when you're far away. But unfortunately,Testing Your Video Security Systems Articles they sometimes fail at just the time when we need them most. This is why it's your responsibility to check your video security systems and make sure that they work. Technical problems sometimes occur, so it is important to be proactive and to make sure the system is working the way it's supposed to be.

Why Testing Is So Important
These days, every surveillance system has self-diagnosis technology so that it can check itself from time to time. This prevents lots of small glitches from occurring and also helps to prolong the life of your system. Unfortunately, it's not enough. You can't feel fully safe until you've made sure that everything works.

Another danger is that, rather than not working, it will work too well. Surveillance is so sharp today that it often detects the kids coming home from school or a neighborhood dog crossing through the yard. False alarms are annoying but they can also cause you problems. Aside from the regular hassle of calling the company and telling them it was a mistake, the company may fine you if you have too many. Testing your system also ensures that this doesn't happen.

How To Check Your Surveillance System
You should test your system at least twice a year. You can never really do it too much, but most companies say that twice a year is enough. To test it, you're going to do a drill where you'll trip up the alarm and respond to it exactly as you would during the real thing. This also means having the family go outside like they regularly would.

It's really important to tell the company that you're going to be testing your video security systems. You want it to be "real" but not too real. Arrange a time with them to do it. The best time is in the middle of the night. During the daytime may be convenient, but part of what you're testing is their response time, which is likely to be faster during the daytime.

Arm your system as you usually would, and then run around the house opening doors, running in front of cameras and so on. Follow the usual procedure and see how long it takes the company to respond. They should be able to tell you exactly what was opened or where the "intruder" was at the time of the break-in.

Routine Inspections
You might also want to have your video security systems routinely serviced. The company that installs your video security systems will make recommendations on doing your own self-testing, but they may also offer a maintenance service to help spot any faults that might prevent the system from working. Although they're there for you, it's really up to you to make sure that the whole system works. Aside from your bi-annual test, you can also do some troubleshooting of your own from time to time.