"Perimeter Alarm" question...

[mindleftnumb]

How does the perimeter alarm that comes with the GTs work?

Is this one of those alarms that makes a sound whenever someone comes close distance to the vehicle?

 

[ceric]

AFAIK, the "perimeter alarm" is for the GT w/o SmartKey system.
I have the latter so no perimeter alarm. Can't comment on how it works and what it is.
However, the kind that makes sound when someone gets close is very annoying, IMHO.

If people want to break in and snap stuff from your vehicle, it can be done in seconds. Alarms will not help anything. The thief will be long gone. (unless you have anti-breakage films on window glasses). The best policy is not to leave anything visible from outside.

Modern vehicles have chips to control ignition. It is not as easy to steal for joy riders.
For professionals, they can steal any vehicles if they want to.

 

[Force-1]

I went to Costco the other day, and saw a super clean Triumph TR7 convertible parked in the lot. I decided to take a closer look since I hadn't seen one in many years. The top was down, and when I got within about 2' to take a look, the damn alarm went off, and it was LOUD. I never touched anything. No one else in the lot paid any attention to the alarm--typical.

 

[mindleftnumb]

Thanks for the replies. The reason I asked initially is because I have a new 2009 GT (w advanced smartkey) and haven't been able to successfully test the alarm.

I initially thought the "perimeter alarm" would be something similar to what Force-1 mentioned (Although, the alarm wouldn't blast off when someone got close... maybe just beep for warning).

However, my CX9 doesn't do this. The alarm won't even go off if someone tugs on the locked doors.

Do the doors actually need to be forced open before the alarm will sound?

 

[Force-1]

I just checked the owner's manual and it mentions nothing about a perimeter alarm.

Operation
What turns it on:
- Forcing open a door, the hood or the liftgate.
- Opening a door or the hood by operating an inside door-lock knob or the hood release handle.
What it does:
- The horn sounds intermittently and the hazard warning lights flash.
- The alarm continues for about 30 seconds, then stops.
- If the system is triggered again, the lights and horn will activate until a door or the liftgate is unlocked with the key or with the transmitter.

Some POS broke into my wife's '08 Hyundai Santa Fe last Friday morning. Broke a rear door window out with a rock, crawled in, rummaged through all compartments, and crawled back out broken window. The alarm never went off since a door was not opened.

 

[Force-1]

I just checked the owner's manual and it mentions nothing about a perimeter alarm.

Operation
What turns it on:
- Forcing open a door, the hood or the liftgate.
- Opening a door or the hood by operating an inside door-lock knob or the hood release handle.
What it does:
- The horn sounds intermittently and the hazard warning lights flash.
- The alarm continues for about 30 seconds, then stops.
- If the system is triggered again, the lights and horn will activate until a door or the liftgate is unlocked with the key or with the transmitter.

Some POS broke into my wife's '08 Hyundai Santa Fe last Friday morning. Broke a rear door window out with a rock, crawled in, rummaged through all compartments, and crawled back out broken window. The alarm never went off since a door was not opened.

Okay, this is weird. I posted this after The-9 posted #8, and it inserted before his post. Post time is also off by (-) 5 hours.

 

[The-9]

I banged on my door and it went off. More like a shock sensor then a true perimeter alarm.

 

[ceric]

The so-called "perimeter alarm" includes shock sensors.
That much I am sure of.
Motion detecting? Don't think so.

 

[jf0193]

GT w/ Smartkey Factory Alarm Improvement

The information on the Mazda USA website is incorrect as the GT model w/ Smartkey only has a very basic alarm system which does NOT detect shock or glass breakage. I learned this the hard way as my front driver's side window was recently broken and the factory alarm did NOT go off as the doors were never opened. The only major benefit from the factory system is the imobilizer of the ignition circuit (which qualifies as a discount on your insurance), but, as stated earlier, if a thief really wants your car, he will get it anyway. I recently upgraded the factory alarm system with a simple addition which now protects against motion/shock and glass breakage. I spliced into the driver's side door pin switch which acts as a trigger to the factory alarm circuit (turns on the dome/courtesy light) and mounted an integrated motion/glass sensor on the steering column. I mounted a glass sensor microphone in a discreet location on the dash and then wired in a relay to disable this trigger circuit when the ignition is on to prevent the courtesy/dome lights from coming on when the car is in motion (and the door is closed). This supplement to the factory system retains full function of the keyless entry system and provides complete protection of all windows and tampering without the addition of a completely new system and subsequent second independent remote. At least I can now have some piece of mind.....

 

[jf0193]

Of course false alarms are always annoying but if the sensors are properly adjusted, they can provide you with an additional level of perimeter protection which the factory system can not. Most thieves do not wish to draw attention to themselves and will move on to another vehicle when confronted with a honking horn or alarm. Of course, it is very important to park where there is sufficient lighting and visibility but this is not always possible. Leaving nothing of value in sight in the car is always a good rule to follow, but, regardless, with the factory system, you might as well leave your car unlocked, since breaking the window will not draw any attention and the thief can spend as much time as he needs to vandalize your car and take personal property.
To properly calibrate a motion/glass breakage sensor, placement of the sensor unit is critical. The motion sensor must be afixed to a surface which is part of the frame of the vehicle (not a interior trim piece). Typically, the steering column is a perfect location and most units come with a nylon strap specifically for this type of installation. The glass breakage sensor detects sound frequencies which are associated with breaking glass and can be duplicated by jingling a set a keys against the glass. Placement of the glass sensor (which is typicallly a small microphone) should be in a discrete location (like an air vent) and can pick up sounds from throughout the vehicle. Sensitivity of both sensors can be adjusted to eliminate most types of falsing but most people do NOT take this necessary step which is a major problem, as you mentioned.

 

[Force-1]

A POS broke into my wife's Santa Fe a few weeks ago by breaking out the back door window with a rock. The alarm never went off because POS climbed through the window, rummaged through glove box and console, then climbed back out. No door open, no alarm.

Tech who replaced her window said it's common for thieves to do this. On many occasions he finds blood on the vehicle from when they climb in/out.