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The First Patent
The first patent for the alarm system was June 21, 1851 by Augustus Russell Pope.Edwin Holmes bought the rights to his invention in 1857. -
The First Model
The first model was invented in 1853 by Augustus Russell Pope. Augustus created a proximity sensor for doors and windows by connecting them to a parallel circuit, a simple device which rang a bell. Much like alarm systems today, Pope’s alarm could not be turned off simply by shutting the door or window that tripped it. -
ADT
Edward A. Calahan further developed this concept and helped form the American District Telegraph (ADT) in 1871. It divided New York City into districts connected to a central monitoring station. This was the first alarm system that could alert homeowners of a burglary and notify police and fire services simultaneously. His emergency call boxes became standard for emergency and messenger services. His company later expanded to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Chicago. -
Advancements
In May 1877, the first telephone switchboard was created by Alexander Bell to connect five bank branches. The board made bank robbery far more difficult. Bank staff could notify the other branches of a robbery. This meant law enforcement had a chance of arriving quickly to apprehend the bank robbers. Employees could describe the robber’s physical appearance over the phone, which made it easier for law enforcement to find them and post Wanted posters if the robbers managed to get away. -
Fire Alarms
During this same era, fire alarm technology evolved. In 1962 Canadian researchers conducted a study to examine the life-saving potential of heat and smoke detectors. They found that fatalities from residential fires could be reduced by 8% using heat detectors and 41% with smoke detectors. Between 1975 and 1998, smoke alarms attributed to a 50% drop in fire deaths in the U.S. -
Video Surveillance
Even though video surveillance technology existed in the 1940s, it didn’t become mainstream until the 1970s. The images were grainy at first, but users could see images of visitors on a television monitor. An early advancement was made in 1966, when nurse Marie Van Brittan Brown invented the first home video security system. It was the first time a remote control could be used to open a door -
Period: to
Present
In the 1980s, security became a large part of home automation technology, as automated garage doors, infrared controls, and fiber optics became mainstream. These systems became more affordable in the 1990s. Today, automated home security systems are commonplace and controlled via familiar devices, including smartphones.
