One SHTF Prep Item I’ll Bet Almost Nobody Has

Rethinksurvival.com

I’ll cut right to the chase: I’ve been pondering wireless alarm systems lately. Ever since my 99 capacities post on Detect, Deter, and Deny Intruders a few weeks back I’ve been thinking that an alarm system is a potential prep item that I’ve overlooked. Sure, we talk about alarm systems as being something you can and should use when times are “normal,” but I don’t see anyone discussing them in a SHTF scenario.

Maybe that’s because it’s a usless prep but maybe not. And, yes, I recognize there are more primitive alarm systems we might utilize such as the beer can tripwire alarm but I say we should utilize technology whenever and wherever we can… it’s kind of like one of those force multipliers Rawles talks so fondly of.

The thing is, my general experience with alarm systems is a throw-back to when I was a latchkey kid and everything was hard wired and needed to be professionally installed. Apparently, the times they are a changin’ and now they have DIY wireless alarm systems that might rival what you can pay to have installed. To be clear, I haven’t yet purchased a wireless alarm system and I’m still not sure if it’s a brilliant idea or not, but let me throw a few things at you…

It’s DIY

First, it’s supposed to be a DIY project. Reading some of the various wireless alarm system reviews suggest it’s not that difficult to install but there are a few things to pay attention to; the bottom line is to read the manual thoroughly–for whatever system you purchase–and follow the instructions… yes, guys, that means you.

Low Price

Second, they’re relatively inexpensive. It seems I can purchase a complete system for around $200, such as the following. Per the description, the system includes 10 door/windows sensors, 3 motion sensors, a siren, 3 remote controllers and more:

That said, there are some systems out there that are quite a bit less expensive but only include a few sensors which I doubt would do much good for any typical home. As for the above reference system, I’m really only interested in the door/window sensors and motion sensors.

No Grid Power

Third, because it’s wireless, that means it runs on batteries–at least the sensors do–which means you don’t need grid power to work the alarm system. Unfortunately, the sensors use an A23 battery (which is about 1/2 the size of a AAA battery) so you would need to stock up on them if you intend to use the system for REALLY long periods of time. Of course, I’m willing to be the batteries last for a long time as it is, since I doubt the manufacturer expects people to be changing batteries every month or two.

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