Many believe that this is a waste of money and nothing more. In what they are right. If a car is taken by a team of professional car dealers - there is a high probability that the car will still be stolen. Anti-theft systems invented by one person can be rendered harmless by another. But do not quickly give up protecting your car. After all, properly selected and installed alarms can increase the time to turn off the "beepers-flashers", which in turn can stop the hijacker.
Article content:
- When should I set the alarm?
- Which car alarm should I choose?
When should I set the alarm?
If you have a new car, and you want to insure it against theft, then, alas, no car alarms will be dealt with by any company. Of course, they will go to you for a meeting and will offer to use the services of their "proven" companies, which is not the cheapest pleasure.
There is an opinion that no one can steal a car that is constantly in a garage or in a guarded parking lot. In fact, this opinion is mistaken: the car can be stolen amidst a white day and directly in your sight. There were times when a car was stolen directly at a traffic light or in a supermarket parking lot. For example, the driver folded all the purchases in the trunk of the car and is about to leave. A "well-wisher" approaches him and says that out of the car, something fell out( or he forgot to put something, there can be a huge number of options).And while the driver understands what happened, his car is confidently rolling towards the nearest transport route, completely with another driver. Shouts and waving of hands are unlikely to stop the hijackers, but it worked, after a while the immobilizer can save your car.
Which car alarm should I choose?
So, the choice of a suitable alarm system should begin with the definition of the parking lot of the car, its cost, as well as "popularity" among auto-hijackers. It makes no sense to install an expensive anti-theft GPS system, an old, shabby "Muscovite", and a new sports car will not be protected by a simple "peeple".
There are two types of car alarms. We will consider each separately.
Analog car alarms use an analogue short-circuit relay in operation. This is the simplest type of signaling, both in use and for car riders. The principle of operation is that electric signals are fed from the control unit to sensors located along the entire perimeter of the car. This type is the easiest to neutralize intruders. Since in order to neutralize it, you just need to disconnect the contact that connects the control unit with the sensors. Therefore, it is recommended to place the alarm control unit in the engine compartment of the car, as it is much easier to neutralize it in the cabin. There are two types of signaling communication: one-sided and two-sided. The first type does not support communication with the keyfob, that is, you can not know what is happening with your car at the moment. The second one is equipped with a special pager, which, in case of an alarm, will notify you with a keyring. In general, this alarm system will not provide adequate protection against the handheld auto-hijackers, as if incorrectly positioned, it can be easily deactivated. From the pluses it can be noted that it is not very expensive and will be able to provide basic protection of the car in the parking lot.
Digital car alarms , use in turn digital relays. Unlike analog alarms, a higher level of protection is provided, since the information exchange between the sensors and the control unit is carried out using digital codes. There are two types of digital alarms: with variable and permanent digital code. Alarms with variable code are the greatest headache for intruders: to disinfect it, you need to correctly select a digital code( which is constantly changing).As well as analog alarms, digital ones come with one-way and two-way communication. It should be noted that for two-way communication, a very limited range( up to 500 meters in city conditions) and can be easily eliminated with the help of special "jammers".Also such anti-theft systems support the remote start of the engine for its warm-up in advance: before you sit in the car. This type of alarm will provide good protection for your car, especially when used in conjunction with an immobilizer( we'll talk about it later).
Anti-theft GSM-systems. On TV, we have watched more than once the machines were easily tracked by satellite communication. In fact, this is not a fantasy and such systems are not new, they have been used for a long time as a method of protecting a car from theft. This is one of the most reliable and effective ways to prevent theft of a car. It works on a fairly simple principle( as a navigator): the satellite tracks the movement of the car and shows its location. The hijacker may not even suspect the presence of this system in the car. And even if it finds, it will get rid of it quite problematically. When installing sensors( which can be a large number) properly masked, and to determine exactly where they are very difficult. This system is the most expensive, its installation is carried out exclusively in the service centers of the manufacturer.
Requires monthly subscription fee. Of course, this system can be neutralized with the help of the same "jammers", but this requires special equipment that ordinary "hooligans" do not possess.
Mechanical protection. These include: immobilizers and other blockers.
Immobilizer - a device that allows you to stop the car in case of theft. The principle of operation consists in breaking the electrical circuit between the main components of the engine and the battery. The decision to turn on( turn off) the engine must be made by the car owner. Control over the actions of the immobilizer is carried out using a special key card. Immobilizer scans the space for its presence. It reminds the process of passing through the turnstile subway: there is a card - the passage is open, there is no card - and there is no passage. The most reliable means, which counteracts the hijacking of the car, because if the intruders still managed to turn off the alarm, they are far from destined to leave. Such a method would prevent hijacking in the aforementioned situation at the supermarket parking lot.
If the victim had a key card in his pocket, after a while his car would have stopped, which would prevent the theft. The main condition for the stable operation of the immobilizer is its inaccessibility to the villains: it must be well hidden. Many modern cars are equipped with regular immobilizers. But, unfortunately, in cars of the same brand they are installed, almost always in the same place. Experienced hijackers know its location and can easily be defused. It is desirable to place the immobilizer in the engine compartment, which can be protected from penetration with special locks.
The presence of an anti-theft system will not provide adequate protection if you do not adhere to certain safety rules when handling alarms. Here are a few of them:
- Do not set the alarm yourself. Incorrect installation can lead to failure, which will lead to negative consequences;
- Do not talk about where and what type of alarm was installed;
- Do not leave the machine unattended unattended.
Adhering to careful behavior with the machine, you significantly reduce the chances of thieves stealing it. The alarm system, although it does not give 100% protection, but it does not need to be squeamish because the new car costs much more.
