Evy Coe
If you’re looking for an intruder alarm, you have lots of different ones to choose from. One common type of intruder alarm is audible-only alarms. These are alarms that make a loud noise if they detect an intruder but don’t contact anyone or call the police.
Audible-only alarms can be very effective but they’re not suitable for every property. To help you decide if an audible-only alarm would be a good investment, we’ve come up with a list of their pros and cons.
Pros
Good visual deterrent
A big advantage to audible-only alarms is that they’re often a good visual deterrent. Seeing an intruder alarm on a property will often discourage a potential intruder from trespassing or trying to break in.
Can scare off intruders
Another benefit to audible-only alarms is that they’re very good at scaring off intruders. The loud noise they make will often deter intruders before they have the chance to cause any damage or pinch anything.
Handy if you know your neighbours
Audible-only alarms are a good choice if you know your neighbours. If you have a good relationship with your neighbours and your alarm goes off, they can investigate or give you a call to let you know.
Alerts you if you’re at home
Another advantage to audible-only alarms is that you can hear them go off when you’re at home. They’re loud enough to wake you up if you’re asleep and give you the chance to investigate or call the police.
Economical
Audible-only alarms are also economical. Once you’ve bought and installed them they don’t have any service charges or running costs.
Cons
Not guaranteed to catch intruders or make them leave
Unfortunately, audible-only alarms aren’t guaranteed to make intruders leave. If your alarm goes off and you’re not at home or no-one comes to investigate then an intruder could quite easily stay on your property. According to the National Home Security Month website, only 25% of homeowners would take action if they heard an alarm ringing in their neighbourhood.
Price
From around £50
Not including installation
Installation time
Usually less than 1 day
Wireless alarms tend to take less time to install than wired alarms
Advantages and disadvantages
- Good visual deterrent
- Can scare off intruders
- Handy if you know your neighbours
- Alerts you if you’re at home
- Economical
- Not guaranteed to catch intruders or make them leave
