Having alarm system in the car is very important. It helps to prevent theft and hijacking. And I bet this is why you are quite keen on adding an alarm system to your car. Or you already have one but you do not know where it is being installed. So where is car alarm system located in a vehicle? With the help of this post, you do not need to be a pro to locate the true position of the car alarm system. This post aims to bring to the fore all you need to know about the positions of car alarm systems.
Usually, the car alarm system of a vehicle can be located at the center of the vehicle and out of sight and reach. The center of the car could be under any of the seats, under the dash board close to the steering column, or under the center console of the vehicle. Any of these potions work just fine as your car alarm will be well hidden from people except you.
It is from this position that you now begin to extend the leads to other parts of the car. This could require an ample length of cable or wiring. And if it is a switch, a power source or a sensor you need to connect the alarm system to, you might need to take the brain plug to a hardware store.
The brain plugs by the way, is the control of the alarm system. This is the part you want to stay hidden at the center of the car. Make sure you buy stranded wire that is the exact or more measurement for the item you want to match it to. If you are connecting to the power leads, 16 gauge or more is fine. But if you are connecting to the sensors, 18 gauge or more is ideal.
As earlier stated, putting the alarm system under the car seat is an option too. But if you do so, make sure you do not cover it with a carpet. This is so because you do not want to destroy it by generating too much internal heat in the box.
For vehicles that have sound amplifiers under the seats, you also have no business mounting the central control unit of the alarms system close to it. This is because the amplifier emits electromagnetic radiations, and this could be very harmful to control system.
One other important point to note as regards the location of the control system of a car is that whichever place you decide to put it, just be careful enough to check what is around the mounting surface of the box so that you do not accidentally rupture a fuel line or destroy a wiring system with your screwdriver.
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PROS AND CONS OF CAR ALARM SYSTEM LOCATION
Now that we have established the positions you can find a car alarm system, let us consider some of these locations.
Under the dash board
If you are mounting the alarm system under the dash board the precise location to consider is near the steering column of the vehicle. Find below are the pros and cons of mounting your car alarm system in this location.
Pros:
- § This location keeps you in close proximity to most of the wired connections that will come in handy when making your installations.
- § The position is high enough to receive signal from the remote control of the vehicle.
- § It’s quite easy to reach. So in the event of repairs, service and maintenance, it will not be an issue locating it.
Cons
- § Our greatest concern about mounting your alarm system in the dash board/ steering column of the vehicle is that it might be the first place a car thief will look at. Opening that compartment and yanking off all the wires instantly disables the alarm system. However, there’s still a way out of this.
- If you insist that it’s the dash board area you want to mount the car alarm, make sure it is behind the glove box or kick panel, as these are less obvious places a thief will want to look at.
Under the front seat
This is another good place to site your car alarm system. Find below are its pros and cons
Pros
- § It is a very convenient space to work in once you lift up the seat. To get even better space to work, you might need to loosen the bolts and nuts used to attach the seat to the body of the car.
- § A thief will find it inconvenient disabling alarm systems located under the seat. But for non-criminal reasons, it is quite easy to access.
- § Under the front seat of the vehicle is totally separated from the wiring system of the car. And this is the perfect place to mount your car alarm system.
Cons
- § The biggest challenge with this position is that once you remove the seat, this could instantly deploy the air bag of the vehicle. So you need to be careful with this one.
- § Sensor might be out of range for the remote control. So you might need to draw out most of the wiring system.
- § If there is a heavy downpour and you mistakenly leave your window wound down, water might enter the car and soak the control unit. This also holds if the roof of the car is leaking.
STEPS ON HOW TO INSTALL A CAR ALARM CENTRALLY
Fixing a car alarm centrally is fast and easy. It is something you can try your hands on and do by yourself without necessarily contacting an auto electrician. Now that you have known where to mount your car alarm system, let us take a step by step approach on how to do this yourself (if you really want to).
- § First things first. Make a plan on the type of alarm system you want and then start implementing with the following steps below.
- § Fix the siren of the alarm on any solid member (preferably metal) surface under the hood of the car. We recommend you turn the face of the siren to face downward to avoid water entering into it.
- § Drill a hole into the rubber firewall of the vehicle, and then run the siren’s cable through the hole that you drilled to the front seat of the vehicle (assuming this where you want to site the control unit).
- § Drop the power line of the alarm system close to the battery of the car because you will soon be attaching it. (Do not be in a hurry to attach it now. We will tell you when to).
- § The wire that you have just laid out without connecting to the battery of the car, attach same to a fuse.
- § From the operational manual of the alarm system, identify the shock sensor and mount it.
- § In the dashboard of the vehicle, drill a hole where you would fix the LED indicator of the alarm system.
- § Pass the indicator wire of the LED indicator through the hole you just drilled. You can make sure the LED indicator is in place by using a masking tape.
- § Next, find the cables that are connected to the light button of the door. For cars that have power locks, you will need to locate their cables too.
- § Now connect a sensor to these door wires you have just found.
- § Make sure all the input and output wires of the alarm system are securely connected to the control system.
- § Fix the control under the car seat.
- § Assemble all the wires and hide them in the dash board area.
- § Finally, connect the power of the alarm system to the car battery. Test and make sure it is working perfectly.
Conclusion
Whichever option you choose to mount your alarm system, make sure it is central enough to get to other parts of the vehicle.
