A car alarm means an electronic device installed in a car, designed to protect it from theft, stealing of its components or things that are in the car. The alarm notifies the owner or surrounding people with the help of sound and/or light signals about unauthorized access to the car, but doesn’t prevent car theft, stealing of car components, etc. Let’s try to figure out what types car alarms are divided into and how to set up its most effective version.
Typology of car alarms
Car alarm systems are usually divided into the following types: without feedback, with feedback, satellite and GSM alarms:
You should understand the types of alarm in order to choose the best option. After all, the car is a not a cheap pleasure. It doesn’t take much effort to lose it as a result of carjacking. And you should try harder to prevent the theft. Choosing of car alarms is not an easy process, each four-wheeled friend needs a system that will help exactly it.
Not long ago one-way models (alarms without feedback) dominated on the market, as well as were included in all top lists and ratings. But today the lack of feedback becomes the main drawback of car alarm. Emitted sound in a large city can be heard from a distance of only up to 100 m. Preference is given to these alarms only by those who have a very limited budget.
An alarm with feedback (two-way) seems most attractive from the position of reliability. During unauthorized entry into the car cabin, car produces not only a sound signal, but also sets off the alarm on the owner’s key fob. Some modern models allow you to assess the degree of threat by looking at the liquid crystal display of the key fob. The range of these systems is 3-4 km in a metropolis. The owner watches online everything that happens with his car. A signal in devices with feedback is coded according to a standard or dynamic algorithm. The standard code can be written down (that carjackers sometimes use), and dynamic coding constantly changes the encoding of the signal. It becomes difficult to crack such an alarm.
Satellite alarm is considered the most modern and advanced. Its main advantage is the unlimited range. Wherever satellite communication functions, such an alarm system monitors the position of the vehicle and all its parameters (speed, direction, etc.). However, the satellite alarm system can’t connect to the satellite through the roof of the closed or underground parking. Therefore, the owners of these parking lots establish GSM repeaters to ensure stable communication with the operator. A similar module must be installed on the car alarm device.
The main functionality of the car alarm system
Among the main and basic functions of the car alarm are protection, security and service. With the help of protection you can block the engine start. The security function will notify the owner of attempts to attack automobile (for example, “notice” the open door, blows on the body, etc.). As a result, the alarm is set off, information about an attempted breaking into a car is transmitted to the key fob, and then a light and sound alert is triggered. The service functionality of car alarms is huge nowadays. You can remotely start the engine to preheat it, or open the trunk, or close the hatch, etc. (more than thirty different options).
A certain alarm functional set can reliably protect the car from theft:
The main criteria in choosing car alarm
The decisive factor for the preferences of a certain type and brand of alarms often consists in three parameters: the cost of the alarm, its security functions and comfort functionality. Depending on the price, you can look at the most budget option of the alarm (but then you will forget about comfort, as well as a modular and security-telematics alarm complex). In addition, remember the cost of installing a car guard – in specialized centers it will be more expensive than in small auto shops or with self-installation, but there will be more guarantees from failure. Of course, you can have a car alarm with unique characteristics. However, in this case, you will have to pay 2% of the car cost for it.
Remember that no alarm system, even super-sophisticated and expensive, give a hundred percent guarantee against theft. Therefore, whatever the anti-theft device is in your car, don’t leave it unattended for a long time.
