With load shedding being experienced by large parts of the country, ADT has warned South Africans to make sure their alarm systems are tested and working properly.
“Many people are under the incorrect assumption that their home alarm system is deactivated when the power supply is interrupted.
“However, if you have a stable and correctly programmed system coupled with a battery that is in good condition, it will continue to protect the premises during a power outage – regardless if it is because of load-shedding or not. The only time it may not function correctly is if there is a technical issue, or the battery power is low. “Most modern alarm systems have a back-up battery pack that activates automatically when there is a power failure,” ” said Charnel Hattingh, national marketing and communications manager at Fidelity ADT.
She said that there are a number of practical steps that can be taken to ensure security is not compromised during power cuts.
Some of these include ensuring that the alarm system has an adequate battery supply, that all automated gates and doors are secured and lastly to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to your security provider or the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Ms Hattingh says home and business-owners should consider installing Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology, which is integrated into the alarm system’s wiring and automatically switches on for a maximum of 15 minutes when there is a power outage.