Guest Post: Integrate your Alarm System into your Surveillance System

Integrating alarm systems with surveillance systems is vital if you are away from home.

Keeping yourself updated with both systems is now possible. When you are notified if something is happening in your house, you are more likely to fend off any possible intrusion or catastrophe.

If you already have a CCTV system in your house, you probably know that it has motion detection. That means when it senses motion, it starts recording. Also, if it is already equipped with an alarm system, it automatically sends a text to the owner to alert them of the intrusion. However, not all DVRs come with an alarm input, and they don’t have an input for smoke detectors.

Say a fire alarm goes off in your house, or a burglar comes in through a locked door. These immediately activate the alarm system and notify the police. Normally, the police will be notified first and they will alert you about the event. Now, if you are outside your house, you can also be notified immediately when it happens, and make a decision on what you want to do.

With this advanced technology, you can view your surveillance from anywhere you go. With remote viewing, you can watch videos from any laptop with internet connection or any smart phone. From laptops, you can even control the camera and take pictures.

For this to work, you need a DVR capture card or DVR with I/O (input/output) ports. The video capture cards can be inserted in a PC or server, or you can use a regular DVR, because most DVRs have I/O for alarms and relays. You also need and I/O box.

Although many DVRs have an alarm input, it is still better to keep track of all systems in your house. Whether it is your fire alarm, carbon dioxide sensor, or any other type of system, you can connect it to your DVR. This way, you always know what is going on in your house and make sure everything is safe.

This guest article was written by Raghad Rabah, representing 2MCCTV Security & Surveillance. 2MCCTV is a supplier of security cameras and provides home, small business, and/or enterprise level security solutions including planning, supply, integration, consultation, and installation nationwide. Visit their website or follow them on Twitter @2mcctv