Smart Security Systems

Most alarm systems are sold by a security company that has no involvement in the door they are protecting. That is backwards. The overwhelming majority of domestic burglaries in the UK are opportunistic, and they happen through a door that was either unlocked, left on the latch, or secured with a lock that failed. Detection is the second line of defence, not the first.

KMG Locksmiths comes at this from the other end. Martin fits the anti-snap cylinders, the BS3621 deadlocks and the door hardware first, because that is what stops someone getting in. The IQ system then covers what locks cannot: the patio door left open in summer, the window on a first-floor landing, the garage that is never checked, the smoke alarm nobody hears when the house is empty.

It also means one tradesman is responsible for the whole job. There is no argument between the locksmith and the alarm company about which one is at fault when something does not work, and no second contractor to schedule around.

The panel is the part people notice, but the wireless protocol underneath it is what decides whether a system works reliably in a real British house. Most budget wireless alarms use older unencrypted protocols on a narrow band, and the failure modes are predictable: the sensor in the back bedroom that drops off the network, the detector that eats batteries, the system that arms with a zone already in fault and does not say so clearly.

PowerG is a different class of technology. It uses encrypted two-way communication with frequency hopping, so the panel and each device confirm they can hear each other, and the link cannot be jammed by a cheap signal blocker. It also reaches further through solid walls, which matters in the older, thicker-walled properties common across West Lancashire.

For a takeover, replacing an ageing alarm in a house you already live in. PowerG is what makes the job viable without damage. Every device is wireless, so a full system can be fitted without lifting floors or chasing walls.

A typical three-bedroom semi-detached house takes one day. The panel is fitted in a hallway or utility room where it is convenient to reach but not immediately visible from the front door. Door contacts go on the front and back doors and any external side access. A pet-immune motion detector covers the main through-route. A bell box goes on the front elevation.

Larger houses and commercial premises scale up from there, additional zones, more partitions so a garage or annexe can be armed independently, keypads at second entry points, and automation devices such as smart locks, lighting and sockets added to the same system rather than run as separate apps.

Every device is individually tested at commissioning: contacts opened and closed, detectors walked through their coverage pattern, the bell verified, and the app set up on your phone before Martin leaves. You are given the installer code so you are never locked out of your own system.

The IQ range spans a genuinely wide price range, and the right answer depends on the property rather than on which model is newest. The IQ Panel 5 and the rest of the IQ5 Family are the current generation, built on the Qualcomm DragonWing processor with Android 14, faster, with a better camera for disarm images, and with a longer software support life ahead of it.

The IQ Panel 4 family remains fully supported and is often the sensible choice. It supports legacy wireless protocols as well as PowerG, which means an existing alarm's sensors can frequently be reused instead of replaced. On a takeover, that difference alone can pay for the new panel.

Where there is no need for a touchscreen at all, flats, rentals, or a panel hidden in a cupboard, the screen-free IQ5 NS and IQ4 NS do the same job for less money, controlled entirely from the app.

Martin will recommend the panel that fits the job and explain the trade-off, including when the cheaper option is the better one. The same principle applies here as to locks: the honest answer is sometimes the smaller invoice.