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How Does a Glass Break Sensor Work?

Oct 13, 2017|

When it comes to protecting your family from intruders and burglars, it’s wise to have as many layers of protection as possible.

Surprisingly, glass break detection is a critical element of home security that many overlook. In this article, you’ll learn all about glass break detectors and why they are an essential part of your complete home security system.

What is a glass break sensor?

A glass break detector (or glass break sensor) is a particular type of detector that sounds an alarm when glass is broken. Glass break detectors are a critical part of a full security system alongside motion sensors, window sensors, and door sensors.

Glass break detector

Glass break detectors are unique in that they work to detect not just when windows and doors open, but detect breaks in windows and sliding glass doors. They work to keep your family safe from a burglar or intruder who may wish to steal your belongings or cause harm and grief to your family.

How do glass break sensors work?

Most glass break sensors function by using an audio microphone that recognizes the frequency of broken glass. If the right frequency is detected, the alarm sounds. Most glass break sensors have a working radius of several feet, so placing one in the middle of a room with multiple windows will usually be sufficient to detect shattering glass in the room.

The Vivint glass break protector integrates with your Vivint Smart Home security system, and you can easily monitor it through your Vivint Smart Hub Panel or directly from your smartphone. Glass break sensors are one of many security features covered by 24/7 security monitoring.

How essential are glass break sensors for home safety?

While you may think door sensors, window sensors, and motion sensors are sufficient to keep intruders out, you could be very wrong. If an intruder breaks your sliding door or window, for example, they can gain entry into your home, undetected, without ever setting off an alarm. Glass break detectors provide that extra layer of security for the whole door and window.

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Where should you install glass break sensors?

Glass break sensors are best placed on the wall or ceiling of rooms that have windows that you want to protect from intruders. Obviously, if you have a room with several windows and a sliding glass door, you’ll want to install a glass break sensor there. Placing detectors in bedrooms is also a good idea to give you peace of mind.

Glass break detectors don’t necessarily need to point directly at the glass or windows they are monitoring. They just need to be clearly in the vicinity to pick up the frequency of breaking glass.

How do you set up glass break detectors?

Since your family’s safety is on the line, it’s usually best to have a trained professional install your glass break detectors. Regularly checking and changing the batteries is something you can do on your own, and your device will typically notify you when the batteries are getting old. Putting in fresh batteries is relatively simple. Should you have trouble, however, most alarm companies will offer video tutorials on how to check and change the batteries depending on the specific design of your detector.

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What else do you need to know about glass break detectors?

Since glass break detectors are programmed to detect a specific frequency, you may need to be careful when doing any activity that could cause high-frequency vibrations. Sometimes, even the sound of breaking glass in a movie could trigger the alarm. So, if you are watching a loud movie in which glass breaks, or having a raucous dance party, you may want to disarm your alarm for a while. You’ll also want to test your glass break detectors periodically to ensure they are properly working.

How do you get a glass break detector?

At Vivint, we offer a wireless glass break detector along with full smart home security and burglary detection. Contact us today and we’ll help you determine which home security products will best fit your needs, and a trained professional will get everything installed.

Get a free quote today.

A Vivint Smart Home Pro will contact you within 24 hours. Or skip the form and call now: 844.481.8630.

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