Customer Reviews

Electronic Alarm and Security Systems: A Technician's Guide

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I thought this title would prove ideal for me -- one with very little knowledge on the subject. Instead, I found the text long-winded, very repetitive, and filled with common-sense wisdom; e.g. "remind your customers to always lock their doors". I had hopes for detailed tips, do's/don't's, etc. for installation of security systems. However, I found mostly useless (to me) details on some internal workings of mechanisms and then countless, repeated anecdotes as similarly described. About the only value I believe I could obtain from this book is some troubleshooting tips. I now will have to spend more money on another book on the subject, *sigh*.

The publisher's comments the back of the book promise the world. In reality it delivers virtually nothing. I hoped for a detailed discussion on the pros and cons of various sensor types, recomendations on designing and installing an alarm and suggestions as to how thieves by-pass alarms and ways in which this can be minimized through design.
Instead the book delivered the most cursory description of sensors, devoting pages to magnetic reed switches and almost nothing to PIR's, which are probably the most common sensors used today. Most false alarms are caused by the incorrect placement of PIRs (facing them at drapes or heaters for instance) and this is not discussed. Instead the book's idea of fault finding is a few pages on tacing a broken wire.
I should have taken more note of other reviews recommending against this book.