A false alarm last week got me thinking about delay timer settings.

Longer delays mean fewer false alarms but give thieves more time, right?

3 comments

3 Comments

Actually read a security magazine piece last year that backed up what @karen739 is saying. They had police stats showing most grab-and-go thefts inside a home happen in under a minute. If your alarm gives a 45 second delay, someone is absolutely walking out with your big flat screen or emptying your jewelry box on the dresser. The quiet you get from fewer false alarms might just be the quiet of your stuff already being gone.

brown.olivia1mo ago

Ugh, that's a scary point from @williamo27. Makes you rethink the whole delay thing for sure.

karen7391mo ago

Wait, you actually consider a delay long enough to let someone walk out with your stuff? That's insane. The whole point is to scare them off before they take anything. Giving thieves even 45 seconds is basically an invitation. They can grab a laptop or a whole tv in that time. You're trading safety for a bit of quiet, and that's a bad deal.