Domakihub How to Install a Burglar Alarm in Your Home or Rental
A practical guide to understanding alarm systems, preparing your property, and knowing when to call a licensed electrician.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
Burglar alarms are one of the most cost-effective deterrents for homes, holiday rentals, and small hotels across Greece — a visible sounder on the facade alone cuts break-in risk significantly. The video above walks through a full wireless system installation from unboxing to live test, and this guide covers every preparation and decision step so you arrive at the job ready. For the mains-connected parts of a wired system, Greek law requires a licensed electrical contractor; we flag exactly where that line falls.
Wired vs. Wireless: Which System Is Right for You?
Wireless systems transmit signals between sensors and the control panel by radio frequency. There is no cable to run through walls, which makes them the practical choice for furnished holiday rentals, older stone buildings, or any property where core drilling is impractical. Battery-powered sensors can be self-installed, and many modern panels connect to a monitoring centre or your smartphone app without professional involvement.
Wired (hard-wired) systems are more reliable over the long term and are the standard choice for new-build villas and hotels. Every sensor cable runs back to the control panel, which draws power from the mains with a battery backup. The mains connection and any work inside the consumer unit must be carried out by a licensed electrician — this is both a legal requirement in Greece and a basic safety rule. Everything from the control panel outward (sensors, sirens, keypads) can usually be fitted by a competent owner once the electrician has completed the power supply.
System Components You Should Know Before Buying
A typical burglar alarm consists of a control panel (the brain), one or more keypads for arming and disarming, passive infrared (PIR) motion detectors, door and window magnetic reed contacts, an indoor sounder, and an external siren box. Grade-2 systems — the European standard recommended for residential and rental properties — add tamper protection on every device and a backup battery that keeps the system live for at least 12 hours during a power cut.
For holiday rentals and hotels in Greece, a GSM communicator inside the panel is strongly recommended. It sends an SMS or push notification the moment an alarm is triggered, reaching you or your property manager even when no landline is present. Some insurers now require proof of a monitored or GSM-capable alarm before issuing contents cover for short-let properties.
Installing a Wireless Burglar Alarm: Step-by-Step
- 1
Plan your coverage zones
Walk every entry point — front door, back door, ground-floor windows, terrace sliders, garage — and mark each one on a simple floor sketch. Add at least one PIR to cover the main internal corridor or hallway. The goal is overlapping detection: an intruder who defeats a door contact should still trigger a motion sensor before reaching any room of value. Agree this layout before you order equipment so you know exactly how many sensors you need.
- 2
Position the control panel and keypad
Mount the control panel in a locked cupboard or utility room away from exterior walls — this protects it from smash-and-grab attacks on the box itself. Place the keypad within arm's reach of the main entry door so you can disarm the system within the panel's entry delay (typically 30–60 seconds). For wired systems, call your licensed electrician at this stage to connect the panel to a dedicated mains spur with battery backup before you continue.
- 3
Install door and window contacts
Magnetic reed contacts come in two parts: a magnet on the moving leaf (door or window) and a switch on the fixed frame. Hold both pieces in place with a pencil mark, drill pilot holes where required, and secure with the supplied screws or self-adhesive pads. For wireless contacts, register each sensor to the control panel according to the manufacturer's pairing instructions immediately after mounting — it is far easier to re-pair on a ladder than after you have tidied cables or closed the wall.
- 4
Mount PIR motion detectors
Fit PIRs in room corners at a height of 2.0–2.4 metres, angling them to cover the widest diagonal sweep of the space. Keep them away from heating vents, south-facing windows, and any spot where direct sunlight reaches in the afternoon — heat sources cause false alarms. Pet-immune lenses (rated up to 25–38 kg) are worth specifying for any property with animals. After mounting, walk across the detection field to confirm the indicator LED triggers at every expected point.
- 5
Connect the external siren and test the full system
The external sounder box goes on the front facade, high enough to be visible from the street (typically 3–4 metres), with the tamper screw accessible from inside only. For wireless sirens, pair to the panel and confirm the LED heartbeat. Then run a full walk-test: arm the system, trigger each sensor in sequence, and verify the panel logs the correct zone. Adjust PIR sensitivity or entry/exit delays as needed, then test the GSM alert by cutting mains power and triggering the alarm — the battery backup and mobile notification should both fire.
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FAQ
- Do I legally need an electrician to install a burglar alarm in Greece?
- For a wireless system that runs entirely on batteries or low-voltage DC from an included adapter, no licensed electrician is legally required. However, any connection to the mains supply — including a dedicated spur from the consumer unit to power the control panel — must be carried out by a licensed electrical contractor (αδειούχος ηλεκτρολόγος). Skipping this step can void your insurance and breach building regulations.
- How do I stop false alarms from triggering at my holiday rental?
- The most common causes are PIR detectors aimed at windows (solar heat), air-conditioning units cycling warm air, and guests who do not know the disarm code or entry delay. Set your entry delay to at least 45 seconds, brief every guest on arming and disarming at check-in, use pet-immune PIRs even if you have no pets (they are less sensitive to heat fluctuations), and keep detectors at least one metre away from any air-handling unit.
- What is the difference between a monitored and an unmonitored alarm?
- An unmonitored alarm sounds its siren and sends a push notification or SMS to your phone, but no third party acts on it. A monitored alarm connects to a central monitoring station (ARC) that receives the alert, attempts to contact a keyholder, and can dispatch security response or notify the police. For unoccupied villas and tourist rentals in Greece, a monitored system or at minimum a GSM dialler calling a local keyholder is strongly recommended, since a siren alone may go unheard in a quiet rural area.