Car alarm system installation
Installing car alarm systems is a difficult and demanding job that most car owners would rather have professional installers do the job. However, this installation is not exactly quantum physics and experienced do-it-yourself advocates can conceivably perform the task. But they do need to study the instructions carefully, and they must have the proper set of tools before attempting to install their own car alarm systems.
After reading, preferably several times over, the installation instructions of your car alarm system, prepare the following tools:
1. Flathead, Philips, and Pozidriv screwdrivers
2. Wrenches or spanners sets
3. Electric drill
4. Wire cutter
5. Soldering iron or crimping tool
6. Electrical tapes and insulation tubes
7. Multimeter
After you have prepared your tools and yourself, you can begin with the mounting of the siren. This is often placed under the hood but it can also be placed in the inner fender panel of your car. In either case, position it in a place that is the least accessible.
Following the siren, you can now mount the control module. Again, you have a choice where to put it. You can install it under the dash close to the steering column, or behind the glove box. An alternative to putting it under the dash is to put it under a seat.
Your sensors should be installed inside your vehicle where they can be kept dry. They should be attached solidly to metal surfaces with the use of screws. You can use your vehicles’ existing screws for this. Position it as close as possible to the center of the car so that it could pick up signals from all sides. When you adjust its sensitivity settings, test from all around the vehicle.
You may not need all the pin switches supplied with your car alarm. Instead, you can incorporate the alarm triggers with existing pin switches. For example, you can tie the alarm for an unauthorized door opening into the switch for the dome light.
The LED that comes with your system should be mounted on the place most visible to those outside the car. This is usually atop your dash or center console. The purpose of this flashing red light is to warn would-be car thieves that your car is protected.
Install your valet switch in a place not easily seen but still accessible, as you will have to manually activate or deactivate it.
Once these are installed, you can proceed to connect the wirings strictly following the diagram provided by the manufacturer. This is where mistakes often happen so you will want to be very careful with making the connections.
Car Stealer (Courtesy-www.fotosearch.com)
Almost all new models of vehicles in the last few years are equipped with some form of an alarm system. This is because 1,095,769 cars were reported stolen in 2007. Coupled with the increasing cost of cars, these figures give any car owner a powerful incentive to protect his or her vehicle.
A car alarm system is considered by many to be an effective deterrent to car theft. This is because the emitted loud noise and flashing lights when the alarm is triggered is bound to attract attention to a vehicle being broken into. For this reason, cars which have not been installed with an alarm system by their manufacturers are almost invariably installed with one by the owner himself or an auto accessories shop.
The marketing success of car alarm systems, compounded with the fact that some of the alarms may have been improperly installed may prove to be their own undoing. Some car alarm systems installed by non-professionals, and sometimes by so-called professionals from auto accessories shops, are far too easily triggered. This could be due to faulty adjustments in the sensitivity of their
sensors so that the slightest vibration could set off the warning signals. These often cause false alarms which, in time, numbs the people to the loud alarms. On top of this, the loud wailing of sirens and honking of horns contribute to noise pollution, generating negative reactions, and even hostility, from the people. Because of the frequency of false alarms and their hostility to them, they sometimes ignore the sirens and horns of the cars.
But is this enough reason to do away with noise-making car alarm systems? Indeed, car manufacturers are moving away these systems to immobilizers –an electronic gadget that prevents the car engine from running either by blocking the flow of fuel or by disabling certain circuits. Apart from this, aftermarket vehicle tracking systems that rely on GPS can also be installed. This helps the police locate the vehicle if stolen. It also allows the owner to lock the car and disable its starter.
Although immobilizers are quite effective in preventing theft of the vehicle, and GPS tracking systems in recovering them when stolen, they will not prevent the theft of a state-of-the art car sound system, a wood or leather-bound steering wheel, or any valuable item inadvertently left in the car.
Perhaps it is best if noise-making alarms, immobilizers, and tracking systems were all rolled into one security system. This would provide a very strong armor around the car.
Woman Opening Her Car By Remote Control (Courtesy-www.fotosearch.com)
In the United States more than a million vehicles have been stolen each year from 1998 until 2007. In the last year mentioned, California ranked No. 1 in the number of vehicles stolen, scoring 219,392. This figure does not include theft of parts and accessories. In that year, as well as in the previous, Honda Civic model 95 was the favorite of car thieves. If you live in California and drive a Honda Civic 95, better do something to protect your investment. However, living somewhere else and driving another make and model doesn’t mean you have no need to protect your car. With the price of cars going higher each year, you will need some form of protection. A car alarm system is an option you should consider.
A car alarm system is an electronic device that emits a loud noise when certain triggering conditions arise, such as the opening of a car door, hood, or trunk. Some alarm systems are also activated by movements or vibrations near the car, or by any impact upon it. The noise emitted is usually a siren, the car’s own horn, or a recorded verbal warning. These are often accompanied by a flashing of the vehicle’s lights. The noise and the lights are intended to attract the attention of the car owner (if he or she is near) or passersby to prevent the theft of the car. More expensive models incorporate a paging system that notifies the owner if his car’s alarm system has been activated. Others also include a feature that disables certain electrical circuits necessary to start the car.
Car alarm systems are divided into two broad categories: OEM and aftermarket. OEM alarms are factory-installed by the car manufacturer, while aftermarket types are installed by car dealers, the car owner, or auto accessories stores.
OEM alarms are activated and deactivated by the keyless entry remote control of the vehicle with the simple pressing of a button. On some models, this can also be done through switches within the key cylinders of the driver and passenger doors. When a key is inserted and turned to lock the door, the alarm is automatically activated. On the other hand, if it is turned the other way to open it, the alarm is deactivated.
Aftermarket alarm systems, like their OEM cousins, are also armed with the car’s keyless entry remote. They do not, however, have the key cylinder option. Instead, they have an override switch hidden somewhere in the vehicle.
Both the OEM and aftermarket alarm systems come with a radio receiver that receives signals from the car owner using his key fob to arm or disarm the alarm.
