How We Reviewed The Best Aftermarket Car Alarms
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For our car alarm systems review, we used our decades of security experience and an extensive review of product information and specifications. We also researched expert recommendations, customer reviews, and company ratings from third-party organizations to find our best car alarm system picks.
You can learn more about how we review products by visiting our methodology page.
Car Alarms And Car Theft
The first car alarm was developed a century ago, but they didnt become widespread until the 1960s and 1970s. Over time, people grew to ignore them, especially in the 1980s and early 1990s when urban crime rates were high. Nowadays, the streets are still teeming with older cars with loud, obnoxious anti-theft measures. Most of the time, when we hear a car alarm, we just try to ignore it, and most car thieves know this.
Debris On Hood Latch Sensor
While all sensors can get dirt and gunk on them, its most likely to happen on the hood latch sensor because of its location at the front of the car. This can cause a false alarm because the computer may interpret debris on the sensor as an open hood.
If there is oil, grime, or dirt on the sensor, try cleaning it by gently scrubbing it with brake fluid and drying with a microfiber cloth. If the problem persists, the sensor may need to be replaced.
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Things To Consider Before You Buy A Car Alarm
Most modern vehicles come equipped with a basic alarm system, but these bare-bones measures arent robust enough to deter professional car thieves. Experts recommend a range of bells and whistles to avoid car theft and give your ride the protection it deserves.
Plus, when you opt for an aftermarket car alarm system, you usually get a few more convenient features bundled in. Here are some of the basics to look for when choosing a car alarm system.
What Is A Car Alarm How Does It Work
The most basic components of a car alarm are nothing more than a few sensors and a loudspeaker. The most basic alarm would have a switch on the drivers door. The wiring helps to generate the siren exactly when the door opens. A siren, a switch, and a few pieces of wire are all that is needed to make this car alarm work. The advanced security systems include switches, pressure sensors, and motion detectors.
If you want to customize the sound of your cars siren, you can get one with a variety of different sound settings. The system includes a radio receiver with a key to wirelessly control it. And a backup battery in case the main battery fails to power the alarm.
As the systems brain, computer control units keep track of everything and sound an alarm if anything goes wrong. Most advanced systems use a computer as their brain. When certain switches that power sensors are open or closed, the brains job is to close the switches that activate alarm devices. They can be your horn, headlights, or an installed siren. When it comes to security systems, the primary differences lie in which sensors are present and how their connection to the central processing unit.
The cars main battery may be used to power the cars brain and alarm features, but there is usually a backup power source. When the main power source is cut, this backup battery kicks in. The brain alerts the alarm when the power is cut because this could be an indication of an intruder.
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Is Your Car Protected From Theft
While car-related crime is on the decline in the UK, there are still over 450,000 car crimes committed every year. Installing an alarm in your vehicle offers additional safety from thieves, significantly reducing the chance that its targeted.
From simple door alarms to perimeter scanners and microphone sensors, todays car alarms use a range of technology to protect your vehicle. If youd like to keep your car secure and safe, installing a car alarm could be your best option.
Thanks for reading.
How To Install A Car Alarm
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Car alarms are an effective way to insure your investment and give you peace of mind. While many cars come standard with some kind of alarm system, some do not. It is no surprise that many people want to install an aftermarket alarm system either because they dont have one or because they feel that they need to upgrade. Installing a car alarm might seem like a difficult task, but with a little bit of preparation and information, it becomes nothing more than a series of small tasks.
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What Sets Off Car Alarms
Few things rival the annoyance of being shaken out of a sound sleep by a car alarm, only to look outside and see the neighborhood stray cat — and the owner of the car — looking guilty. Alarms can be triggered by everything from loud noises to forgetting to disarm it before you open the door. Knowing how car alarms work can help you restore a little domestic tranquility to your block.
What Type Of Car Alarm Is Best For Me
If you are looking to install a new car security system, which type of alarm system is best for your unique needs? Not only do you need to make a decision on what type of alarm sensor you want, but also other aspects of your security system, such as remote start and smartphone compatibility. With all of these different components to choose from, we always suggest talking to a car alarm expert to determine the best fit for your car.
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Are Car Alarms Effective At Preventing A Car Theft
How safe is your car? If you have a traditional car alarm in your vehicle, you might believe that your vehicle is safe and sound sitting in your driveway or the parking low when you head into the grocery store. However, you might be living with a false sense of security right now. Once you start to learn more about these car alarms, you will find that they are not as effective at preventing car theft as you might have believed. While its still a good idea to have one of these alarms, its not the only type of protection you will want for your vehicle, as you will see below.
False Alarms and Ignored Alarms
How many times have you set off your own car alarm by mistake? It happens to everyone, and it happens more often than you might want to admit. You might bump into your car while walking past it or you might try to get into the trunk without first disarming it and the alarm will go off. Your child might accidentally hit the car with an errant basketball. Maybe the alarm is extremely sensitive and goes off when loud trucks or motorcycles rumble past your home.
Thieves Arent Deterred by Alarms and Have Advanced Theft Methods
Fortunately, there are some better methods that you can start using, and one of those is called CarLock. Lets get a better look at what this system and device can offer and why it might be the perfect complement to your vehicles current car alarm system.
CarLock Provides the Benefits You Need
Add Better Protection to Your Vehicle Today
Do Car Alarms Work With The Android App
Keeping your vehicle safe is essential, and that means getting the right car alarms. Of course, you cant use just any alarm and assume that your vehicle will have the protection it needs. Instead, you will want to choose a quality system that is capable of working with your smartphone and providing you with information and alerts when needed.
Car Alarms and How They Work
There are many different types of car alarms on the market today. Many vehicles will come with a basic alarm. These alarms will emit a loud auditory alert when someone tries to break into and steal a vehicle. Alarms that were only auditory were successful when they were first brought to the market. However, they have lost effectiveness over the years for a couple of reasons.
For starters, these types of alarms tend to be relatively simple. This means that thieves can find ways to bypass and shut off these alarms, which will make their job of stealing the vehicle easier. Also, these types of alarms do not garner the same amount of attention that they did in the past. When people hear car alarms today, the default seems to be to ignore them and assume someone simply made a mistake trying to get into their own vehicles.
Fortunately, these alarms are not the only options available, and those who want to keep their vehicles safe should always have additional security features.
GPS Car Tracker and Alarm Systems vs. Mobile App
Mobile App Android and iOS Versions
Benefits of CarLock and Using the App
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Are Car Alarms Reliable
Car alarms are usually used for alerting the owner in case of any thefts. But do they really work, or are they just hype? Steve Fuller, a former car burglar, said that car thieves are put off by good alarms with motion sensors, nosy neighbors, and security cameras,.
80% of robbers can disable an alarm in under a minute, according to research. The fact is that, while a loud alarm may deter inexperienced thieves and joyriders, a true professional is unlikely to be deterred. The lack of up-to-date, comprehensive studies on the effectiveness of car alarms should also be noted. Here are some pointers to protect your car otherwise:
- Always secure your doors and windows.
- Dont leave your keys in the ignition, this is an invitation for robbers.
- Parking in a well-lit area. A car that is parked under bright lights is less likely to be targeted by car thieves because they are more easily spotted and identified.
- Keep your windows and sunroof closed. Even a small gap invites intruders.
- Never leave anything of value in your car. Theft targets include everything from purses and backpacks to laptop accessories, GPS units, and cell phones. If you must leave your car, keep all packages, and valuables in the trunk.
- Using a smart key. For automobiles, look for models with smart keys, which contain unique computer chips that cannot be duplicated or altered. To turn the ignition on, a driver needs only that one key.
Are Car Alarms Still Standard In New Vehicles
Today, only a small percentage of cars are equipped with car alarms when they leave the factory. A spokeswoman for Toyota, the worlds largest automaker, for example, claims that alarms are not standard in their vehicles. Aside from regulating that carmakers differentiate key combinations for different vehicles and brand various sections of their automobiles with vehicle identification numbers, the federal government currently does not force carmakers to take many anti-theft safeguards.
However, some folks are choosing to have alarms installed even if their vehicle does not come with one. But is an alarm the best use of your funds when it comes to theft protection?
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Corroded Rusty Or Dirty Battery Terminals
If the charge cant flow properly from the battery to the cables, the computer might interpret that as low battery and alert you. Of course, the terminals should be clean for optimal function and lifespan of your battery. If there is any debris on the terminals, disconnect the battery and clean them.
Car Alarm Battery Problems
A car battery can lead to all kinds of problems with your car alarm, chiefly that your car alarm is going to go off randomly. As well as the internal circuiting causing problems, if your car alarm goes off in the middle of the night an old battery is often the problem. Car alarms are actually designed to go off if the battery is too low in order to alert you to the fact that it is dying. It might not be an accident that the alarm is going off, but as a warning sign that something is wrong with your battery. This is likely to happen after around 5 years or so of battery use.
The alarm going off randomly when you arent using the car can also indicate that the battery is dying or that the connections have been corroded. This would mean that they are sending inconsistent power signals throughout the vehicle.
A corroded or bad battery can also give you problems, even if it is fully charged. This can still send out the wrong signals to the car alarm. Rusty and worn-out terminals send essentially the same signals as a dying or dead battery to the systems in the car. This doesnt just mean that the car alarm could malfunction, but all of the electrical systems in your car. The car alarm going off could be a sign that something more serious is happening under your cars bonnet.
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Microphones And Pressure Sensors
Both pressure sensors and microphones operate on the same principle, but they serve slightly different purposes. Microphones detect the ambient sound level, which allows the control unit to monitor for sounds like breaking glass that indicate a theft in progress.
Pressure sensors work on the same basic principle that microphones do, but they are set off when the pressure in the vehicle changes. Since breaking a window or opening a door will trigger a pressure change, this type of sensor can be relatively effective.
Are Car Alarm Discounts Available
Car alarm discounts are sometimes bundled with other anti-theft devices, such as vehicle recovery systems, but the savings can range from 5% to 25% depending on where you live and the make and model of your vehicle. Consider the cost of a car alarm, which ranges from $100 to $1,000 , against the potential savings on your insurance premiums.
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Are Car Alarms Necessary
The primary argument against car alarms is that they end up being a whole lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. False alarms are rampant, and we, as a society, have become more or less desensitized to the sound of a car alarm since we’re so used to hearing them go off.
It’s also true that, while car theft is still rampant, the actual number of car thefts has trended down each year for the last several decades. According to the Insurance Information Institute, motor vehicle theft fell about 58 percent between 1991 and 2013, and the trend has continued through to this day.
The Fundamentals Of Car Alarm
Most of the current-gen cars come with central locking or car alarm from the factory. And many of the top variants take it up a notch as they come with a keyless entry and Go. Both have similar basic working principle.
So, the major parts that run the Alarm system in a car are:
- A Loud Horn – The things that ring the alarm out loud.
- Several Sensors The core unit that detects trouble.
- Receiver The component that controls the state of the alarm system.
- Control Unit The brain of the central locking system.
Basic Working
When the car is locked, the central locking or car alarm system is up and running .
- Several active sensors across the car send the signal to the computer when it detects trouble.
- This trouble could be noise, lock picking, glass shattering and towing. More on the sensors later in the article.
- The computer sends the signal to the loudspeaker in-turn blasting the alarm making the car somewhat theft free.
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A Car Alarm Should Not Be Your Only Carsecurity Solution
Fortunately, you can add another line of protection to your vehicle that is actually far better than just a car alarm. CarLock provides you with a far more robust amount of security than you would find with a simple car alarm systems.
With CarLock, you get a full GPS tracker that is able to provide you with real-time information regarding the location of your car, including real-time phone notification. You will be alerted if there is a suspicious activity with your vehicle, such as someone trying to break into it. The device is able to alert you if your vehicles engine has been started without you, it is moving, such as being towed, and it can even let you know if the device has been disconnected from the vehicle. Even if a thief finds and removes it, you will still know, which means you will have more time to react.
When you also choose to use the CarLock Tag,it will automate the security process for you. It means that you will be ableto pair with your phone, so the alarm will turn off when you near and turn on whenyou leave the vehicles proximity.
These devices are simple to install. Youcan choose those that will plug into the OBD, or you might opt for a hardwiredversion. There is also a portable version, which you can place anywhere in thevehicle and still get all of the same benefits.
The Basics Of A Car Alarm
Car alarms are made up of several different parts. Broken down into the most basic categories, todays car alarms are made up of a computer, a receiver that responds to your keycode, a loudspeaker and several different sensors.
The way a car alarm works is simple: when the alarm is switched on and a sensor receives a response, the alarm sounds. When the sensors dont record any unusual activity, the car alarm remains active but silent and unnoticeable.
Older car alarms usually only included one or two sensors typically a door sensor and a tilt/shock sensor. Today, car alarms particularly alarms fitted to expensive vehicles can include anywhere from two to ten different sensors.
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