FAQ
As well as deterring burglars, an alarm system serves to protect property, people, psychological well-being, and to be able to react quickly in case of an intrusion. It is also strongly advised to install external warnings (signs, stickers,...) which indicate the presence of a camera-equipped device in your home.
In addition, new generation alarm systems such as those offered by gAlarm allow you to receive notifications on the mobile application in case of a trigger event. If your system is equipped with a camera, you will receive a sequence of images in real time to quickly tell whether it is a false alarm or a break-in.
First of all, if your home is already built, a wireless system is the best choice in most cases (operating on batteries). In fact, installing a wired system in an existing building requires expensive and uncomfortable work.
On one hand, the wired system has the advantage of being connected to the electrical network of your home, which ensures a continuous supply of power. The wired equipment is also equipped with a battery that takes over in case of power failure.
Although it is more expensive, the wired surveillance system can easily be integrated into your construction budget.
On the other hand, as the wireless system can be better adapted to an existing home, it offers the advantage of being easily installed and evolutive. Indeed, adding an element to increase the protection coverage only requires a few quick actions. Unlike the wired system, it is fully battery operated.
In terms of network connection, the major difference between the two systems lies in the fact that the wired alarm can be connected directly to the modem while the wireless system will rely on the quality of your Wi-Fi network. Thus, it may be needed to intervene on the wireless network coverage of your home to ensure a seamless connection of all monitoring elements.
It is important to note that the wireless devices of the gAlarm packages are equipped with radio technology that prevents any form of hacking from the Wi-Fi network.
As for the detectors, we advise you to compose your system from these three elements: magnetic contact, motion detector with camera and motion detector without camera. Our experts are at your disposal to help you place them strategically to ensure that no one can enter your home without being detected.
Whether you choose a wireless or a wired alarm system, Genista has the optimal solutions to install the system that will perfectly fit your expectations and your home. Our technicians are at your disposal to help you make the best choice.
Magnetic contact
The magnetic contact is a device placed on the most strategic openings of your home. Once activated and as long as the doors and windows are closed, the magnetic contact makes sure that you can be certain that your home is secure.
As soon as a door or window is opened, the magnetic contact is interrupted and a signal is sent to the control panel to indicate the anomaly. The control panel then emits an audible signal and warns the owner of a possible intrusion into the secured area.
Motion detector
The wireless motion detector with or without a camera is battery powered (one or more batteries per device). As its name indicates, once activated, the motion detector detects movements and sends a signal to the central unit to indicate the anomaly. The central unit then takes over by emitting a sound signal and notifying the owner of a possible intrusion.
Motion detector with a camera
In the case of a motion detector with a camera, the functionality is similar, but offers the advantage of taking images in case of detection of movement. These images will be automatically saved on your smartphone for a period of 7 days. After this period, the images will no longer be accessible from the application and their retrieval requires the intervention of a technician.
Please note that although we are talking about devices with cameras, they do not film permanently. For reasons of battery saving, wireless devices with a camera are limited to taking a sequence of photos when triggered (or on demand) and transmitting them to the central unit which relays them to the owner's smartphone.
The advantage of having photos in real time is to be able to perform a quick investigation to ensure that it is not a false alarm.
To have an effective alarm system, we advise you to compose it from the described three elements. Our experts are available to help you place them strategically to ensure that no one can enter your home without being detected.
Yes, the systems we offer are able to ignore pets up to 30 kilos. In order to allow this to work, adjustments will need to be made by our technicians. Do not forget to inform them of the presence of animals when installing your surveillance system.
If you have one or more cats, gAlarm recommends the use of magnetic contacts as a cat jumping up could trigger the motion detectors.
Yes. Unfortunately, apartments are not immune to burglary. Though first floor apartments are the most exposed, it is not uncommon to also see upstairs apartments broken into from balconies or even from the main entrance.
With gAlarm's offer, you have the possibility to precisely adapt your device to the configuration of your home by selecting only the devices you need. Plus, you get expert advice to help you make your choice.
The wireless connection between the different components is established through the Wi-Fi network of your home. Only the central unit is connected to your modem via an Ethernet cable.
In case the internet network were to be cut for any reason, the various detectors as well as the central unit will automatically connect to the 4G network to ensure the continuity of the monitoring service. (Please note: the 4G connection requires to have opted for the option of adding a SIM card to the monitoring system)
If the Wi-Fi reception is poor in certain areas of your home, it is possible to install one or more wireless repeaters to extend the area covered by the radio frequency.
For greater invulnerability, the components communicate with each other by bi-directional radio frequency 868 MHZ with AES-128 encryption, which makes hacking virtually impossible.
The mobile application allows you to :
- Arm and disarm your alarm (in its entirety or by zone)
- Check the battery status of the different components
- Add users to your alarm system
- Consult the history of your alarm system
- View images for 7 days in case of an alarm
A more detailed user manual will be given to you when your alarm is installed. If you wish, you can already check it out here.
The central unit has an autonomy of 12 hours in case of power cut.
A failure signal will be sent to your application to notify you of the event.
In addition, the monitoring equipment can also have a SIM card installed, allowing it to connect to the 4G network to remain functional in case of a Wi-Fi network outage. With this option, your home stays protected no matter what.
You should subscribe to the telesurveillance option if you want the intrusion and fire alarm signals to be monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by the operators of our partner Securitas and that they can intervene in the event of an alert.
The remote surveillance option - offered with our partner Securitas - includes remote surveillance services (point 1) and access to post-alarm intervention services (point 2) if desired.
1. Remote surveillance service
The remote surveillance service is based on the following elements:
- 24/7 monitoring of Intrusion, Fire and Sabotage alarm signals for private or small business customers - Processing by the Securitas operators
- Low battery or power failure: no processing by the Control Room
- Connection problem: mail to the Customer
- Up to 3 contact persons per line
- 12 operator actions per year included
2. The remote surveillance service + post alarm intervention service
As agreed, the Customer will be able to access the post-alarm intervention service only if he subscribes to the remote surveillance service.
This service is based on the following elements:
- Management of the Customer's means of access
- In the event of a real intrusion or real fire observed during an Intervention, the mobile service will remain on site for 2 hours free of charge to allow the customer to take the necessary actions.
- In the event of no real intrusion, the first indivisible half hour (from the call to the remote surveillance centre) is invoiced at €64 including tax and the additional indivisible half hour is invoiced at €54 including tax.
Interventions after an alarm on site, as indicated above, will be invoiced directly to the Client in a separate invoice from the current Rents.
From the 37th month onwards, we give a discount of 10% on the total monthly cost excluding remote surveillance options. (The contract is automatically extended by one year at the end of each of the three years).
When an alarm is triggered, the motion detectors with a camera capture a sequence of images. These images are automatically stored on your phone. They can also be seen in the mobile application under the tab "Messages" in the list of events for a period of 7 days. After this period, the images will no longer be accessible via the application and the intervention of a technician will be necessary.
The maintenance of the devices is carried out every year and exclusively by our team of technicians. It is up to the owner of the premises to make an appointment to have this annual inspection done.
In case this annual maintenance is not ordered or instead attempted by unqualified persons, all the expenses of dysfunction will be at your charge and gAlarm will be discharged from all past, present and future responsibilities.
Also, we ask our customers to notify our technical depa
The contract can be terminated by sending a registered letter to our services.
When terminating the contract, all of the equipment in the system must be returned to us in its original condition.
The legal clauses for termination are listed in full in your rental contract. You can preview the contract here.