Car Alarm Types
Before going over the types of car alarms, I want to say this: buy one! Installing pricey audio equipment in your vehicle, or having to leave valuables locked in the trunk all day, or owning a model that thieves like to target, is just asking for it. More and more, insurance companies are refusing to cover theft of electronic devices from vehicles, including stereos that weren’t factory installed. And an insurance check isn’t very good consolation when your Charger or Escalade ends up at a chop shop.
When you go shopping for a vehicle alarm, you’ll find two major types of car alarm triggering mechanisms: Active car alarms make you press your car alarm button to activate and deactivate your vehicle security system. Passive alarms are “smart alarms” that automatically arm themselves after you turn off the ignition and close all of your doors. A quality auto security system will let you set it to either passive or active mode, while a cheap car alarm will probably only have an active mode.
Put in a call to your insurance carrier after you buy your vehicle alarm and find out if they will offer you a discount on your policy for investing in some car security. Passive auto alarm systems are especially good candidates for insurance discounts.
If you’re having an aftermarket stereo system installed, have your car alarm system put in at the same time. You don’t want a thief to steal your stereo while you’re waiting to have a remote alarm put in.
Cheap car alarms are just that—cheap. Stick with brand names, because they don’t cost that much more, and your protection is worth it. The base price on a good quality auto alarm is around $100. When you get into the $200 range, you should be getting some major features in the unit. To have the unit installed will cost you a minimum of $100 and possibly more, depending on how complex the extras are to install. The physical appearance of the finished installation varies from installer to installer. Installation on a show vehicle will definitely cost you more money.
There are many types of car alarm features available, with more being added to the list all the time. Look for these extras when shopping for a vehicle security system.
Anti-code grabbing protection changes the alarm’s code every time you arm or disarm it. This should protect you from equipment that can grab your code from anywhere within signal range and save it for the thief who wants to come back and use it later. A microwave detector can sense when objects or people enter the protection zone but before they touch your vehicle. Carjack protection protects you from having your car taken by force by turning off the engine and setting off the siren. Tracking devices like LoJack are built in transmitters that law enforcement personnel can use to track your vehicle after it’s stolen.
Noisemaking devices have gotten louder and more effective with the advent of sophisticated car alarms. The basic siren is the noisemaker that everyone hears when the alarm triggers. They are usually set up in the engine compartment. A pain generator is a louder siren, usually an air horn, which goes in the passenger compartment and is intended to hurt the thief’s ears. Air horns can also be placed under the hood for extra noise.
Flashing lights are also part of a car alarm’s attention getting strategy. Basic systems will flash the headlights and parking lights on and off rapidly, along with flicking them when you arm or disarm the system so you can confirm that the alarm picked up the signal from your key fob. Strobe lights are additional features on high-end units and emit intense, pulsating light to attract attention. A few systems even fill the interior of the car with harmless smoke.
There are many convenience features on a good car alarm system too. Your alarm key fob should allow you lock and unlock your car doors without activating the alarm, along with a trunk release button to help you out when your hands aren’t free to open the trunk manually. Key-in features activate when you place your key in the ignition, such as automatic dome light activation. An ignition and/or starter disabling switch prevents the car from being started until you release it by inserting a specially coded key in your ignition.
Safety features on modern car alarm systems include an emergency disarm switch, or a valet switch. This is a hidden switch that will temporarily disable the alarm in case of malfunction or loss of the sending unit. You should get an OEM disarm feature on your aftermarket car alarm unit if your car has a factory installed alarm, because the two units often end up in conflict with each other.
You can get extra theft protection with features like a Window Roll-up Module, which will roll up the power windows on your car when you arm the alarm. An active re-arm feature will automatically set the alarm to “on” after a preset amount of time passes unless you actually open a car door. This keeps you from accidentally disarming your alarm after you leave your vehicle. Finally, every alarm system should have the flashing red LED light on the dashboard to provide a visual deterrent to thieves who might be thinking of stealing your car or something in it.
Other high-end types of car alarm features include car alarm pagers, which will send a signal to a paging unit that you carry with you when someone triggers the alarm sensors while you’re away from your car. Remote starter units let you start your car from inside your house with a sending unit on the key fob, to warm it up in the winter or cool it down in the summer.
Here’s a glossary of car alarm terms to help you choose the best alarm for your needs.
Channels: how many outputs on an alarm has you can control with the transmitter.
Disarm: switching the alarm to an inactive state.
Pin Switches: a triggering device placed in your car’s doors, hood or trunk. Pin switches close or open an electrical circuit when they’re compressed or released, sending an electric current to the alarm brain.
Zone: An area around or in the vehicle that is guarded with some kind of sensor.
Arm: switching the alarm to an active state.
Transmitter: also known as a key fob, this is a small device you carry on your keychain and use to arm/disarm and control the alarm.
Relay: a switch that takes an incoming low current and closes a mechanical switch that steps the low current up to a much higher current
Brain: the main switching board of the alarm that controls all of the sensors and connected
Trigger: A signal to the alarm brain from the pin switches and other sensing devices, activating a response within the brain.
Alarms might not stop a thief in his tracks, but they attract plenty of attention, which crooks hate. Here’s some other miscellaneous advice to help you keep your car or the valuables inside it from being stolen.
Don’t use stickers and decals that might make a bystander think you have a lot of money to spend on flashy gear, or might have that gear stored in your car. Looking hip isn’t worth putting out an invitation for thieves to steal your stuff.
Driving around in neighborhoods with your windows down and your stereo blasting is asking to have your car or stereo stolen.
When you park your car, put it under good street lighting and in full view of pedestrian and car traffic.
Don’t customize the exterior of your car with aftermarket add-ons that suggest more goodies inside. Keep the flash on the inside where no one can see it and keep the exterior all stock.