Have You Heard of ‘Smash and Grab’?

Wondering how to prevent a “Smash and Grab”?

Have you ever heard of “ smash and grab ”? Smash and grab is a very literal term for a burglar technique . It literally means smash the window and grab the belongings . For example, recently there was a smash and grab burglary at the Cartier Boutique in New York City . Thieves were able to smash and then grab 16 luxury watches valued at 700,000 thousand dollars (those are some expensive watches!).

In the security alarm industry, there is a similar technique where a burglar can smash and destroy your alarm panel . What does this mean? If someone has a security system, one or two of their doors are often on a “ delay ”. This means that there is a gentle beep for 30-45 seconds (the delay) before the alarm’s siren goes off and communicates the alarm with the central station. This delay is to allow the user time to disarm his or her system. In the past and on older security systems, burglars could enter the home and use that 30-45 second delay to locate the alarm panel (typically located in the basement or utility closet) and smash the control panel before the siren sounds and the central station is notified. The newer systems have a mechanism in place to prevent this from happening.

Through monitoring your system with ATP Alarms and Honeywell’s Alarm Net , you can have “ Advanced Protection Logic ” technology. This is how the system would react to a smash and destroy attempt from a potential burglar.

1. The door is opened, triggering the delay and a “ping” to the central station.
2. The burglar locates the alarm panel and attempts to crash and destroy it.
3. The alarm panel is destroyed and the burglar thinks he successfully disarmed the system.
4. The central station does not receive a second ping.
5. The central station notifies the authorities and the homeowners.
6. Your life and your valuables are saved.

Without a panel that has Advanced Protection Logic technology, it is very easy for a burglar to dismantle an alarm system. The good news is that by sitting down with an ATP Alarms representative for a free consultation you can upgrade your current system. In many cases, there is no installation cost for an upgrade ! If you take your home security seriously, you should definitely call ATP Alarms today to inquire about Advanced Protection Logic.

As always, ATP is here to answer any of your questions relating to life safety and home automation. Please give us a call today.

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