It takes some time and research to determine the best car alarm system choice for you. With so many different systems available in the marketplace, you must sort through all of the options to figure out what's best for you. It's very helpful to think about your location and its crime statistics when making this important decision.
Car alarm systems offer many different levels of protection to vehicle owners. The simplest just sound your car's horn if the driver's door has been improperly opened. More complex systems do things like disabling the car's engine and locking the thief inside the vehicle to await arrest while the police are alerted to the situation and car's location. Naturally, the higher tech options involve greater up-front cost, and may also incur monthly charges for the monitoring and tracking services that are so helpful in recovering a lost vehicle.
Increasingly, car alarms systems are being purchased not just to protect the vehicle itself, but also the car's contents. A personal vehicle may contain many high tech gadgets that require protection. In the business world, a delivery vehicle filled with company merchandise certainly requires a high level of security. Quick notification of invasion of these vehicles can help prevent huge financial losses.
National, regional or local tracking capability, achieved through GPS tracking systems, are becoming increasingly popular options for car alarms systems because of the invaluable assistance they offer in location and recovering stolen cars. One very popular feature automatically notifies police vehicles of a stolen car as soon as the theft is entered into the police computers. Although the primary focus of many car alarms is still deterring crime through very loud audible alarms, remote control capabilities in some car alarms systems enable to owner to do things like lock the doors, stop the fuel supply and even engage the parking brake when their vehicle has been violated. Simpler versions of this technology prevent the car's operation if the wrong key was pressed by the thief upon his/her entry to the vehicle.
Tilt switches have also become quite popular, because of their ability to engage a car alarms system if the car is tilted to a degree that indicates possible tow truck involvement in vehicle theft. Motion sensors and interior cameras can also engage when the car is entered, and even take a picture of the criminal to aid in prosecution of car thieves. Imagine the possibilities!
by David Faulkner
