When looking for an alarm/immobiliser you are advised to set a budget because you can spend an infinite amount of money getting the one with all the gadgets, improving general security. Some of the features may not even be of use to you which is why it’s vital you find out what alarm does what. Below you will find a definition of the terms used when describing security devices. Which ever alarm you decide to go for, make sure that it is Thatcham approved so it will be recognised by most insurers which in turn will give you a discount off of your premium.

Cat 1 - alarms and electronic immobilisers

Cat 2 – electronic immobilisers only

Cat 2-1 – electronic immobilisers which can later be upgraded to a Cat 1 alarm

Cat 3 – mechanical immobilisers such as locking wheel bolts, snap off steering wheels, steering locks, etc

Those of the top level category alarms that you have to choose from, after you have decided that you have additional features which many alarms have which will be discussed and explained below.

Two stage anti-shock alarm

This alarm will not just go off because it senses something nearby, it requires constant tampering or hard vibrations. It’s a very useful feature to have because if a cat was to jump onto your car and you had a standard alarm, it would go off and can become quite a nuisance if you live on a busy street.

Anti-tilt

If your alarm detects the car being lifted up by a jack then the alarm will go off, this is good at keeping your brand new alloys where you intended them to be so you wont get a nasty shock of waking up to a car on bricks and your wheels long gone. It does has its disadvantage because the anti-tilt feature makes it very sensitive so if the weather outside is very windy, it could potentially set the alarm off. You could prevent this by stiffening your suspension.

Anti-hijack

This is one that’s unexpected, once they steal your car, the immobiliser will begin its process. Once they get so far down the road thinking they are running clear, the engine will cut out forcing them to stop and abandon the vehicle.

Rolling code

There is software and equipment available in today’s world that is capable of grabbing your remotes codes so in the hands of a thief they could get access to your alarms coding allowing them to shut it off themselves. The rolling code function will reduce the chance of this happening.

Total closure

This module is connected to your central locking, electric windows and sunroof which will close and lock them all if the alarm is set off.

Pager control

This may seem really futuristic or something out of a James bond movie but today’s technology has made it possible for you to receive a page or text message stating that your vehicle is being tampered with. This has the downside because if you in a meeting at work when you get the message, you will be worrying and trying to get to your vehicle as fast as possible before it’s too late.

Current-sensing disable

This feature is a must if your car has a cooling fan which kicks in after the ignition is turned off. If you don’t have this feature and you leave your car and the fan was to turn on, it could potentially set your alarm off.

Volumetric-sensing disable

This allows you to turn certain sections off, for example if you wanted to leave the window slightly open in hot weather and a fly was to get in, it would normally set your alarm off but you can prevent situations like this from happening.

Talking alarms

Another futuristic gadget is having a talking alarm, this will give warnings out if someone was to get too close to your car. The downside is that you will have a bunch of kids making it go off just to hear it. You can even get ones that allows you can record your own message but these are often abused by other people.