Protect Your Gear ... With Tech
The Simtek StealthALERT
The Simtek StealthALERT offers additional layers of protection to your firearms,
even if they're stored in a safe or lockbox.
The four rules of gun safety do a yeoman’s job of instilling caution when handling firearms. However, they’re not intended to address the day-to-day responsibilities associated with gun ownership. It’s up to us to ensure our firearms are stored safely and not accessible to those who shouldn’t have access. And who doesn’t want a tool to help foil outright theft?
We can never be too careful with our gun security strategies. In fact, storage plans ought to use a layered approach like self and home defense. The more layers, the better. Full-size gun safes are a great solution for longer-term storage, but they don’t address quick access needs for carry or home defense guns. Small lockboxes are handy for those purposes, but by design, they can’t be as secure as an 800-lb. safe. And someone could steal the entire lockbox and figure out how to break into it at their leisure later.
Enter the Simtek StealthALERT sensor. This handy little device provides watchful eyes on … well, most anything while you’re away. Let’s explain how it works, then you’ll clearly see its applications.
Simtek StealthALERT Sensor.
How It Works
The StealthALERT has three different sensors that “alert” the system as follows.
The motion sensor detects other things around it moving. If it’s sitting on a shelf, it’ll detect someone walking by. But for the security of stuff, think in terms of it detecting when a safe door opens when it’s inside. Or a drawer. Or a portable gun lockbox. Or your liquor cabinet. Hey, you might have teenage kids! Basically, if you want to know if someone is opening or messing with something, the motion alert will tell you.
The Simtek sensor is small and light.
Note the .38 Special cases for scale.
A light sensor does just what it says. If the StealthALERT is sitting in your gun safe, standing watch, and the door opens, the light alert will engage. Think of the alert system in layers. The motion and light sensors will both “fire” if someone opens a door or drawer where the unit resides. There are circumstances where the light sensor may engage without a motion alert. If the unit is in a locked room and someone opens a door, letting in daylight, then you’ll know.
The vibration alert lets you know when the unit itself moves or is moved. If the StealthALERT is in a lockbox along with your gun or valuables, and someone takes the whole box, you’ll know because the internal accelerometer will tell you it’s moving.
Alert!
The system uses the cellular network to deliver alerts to you, and there is no setup required on your end. That means no Bluetooth and no WiFi is required for alerts to be sent your way.
After you buy the StealthALERT, the first time it senses movement, motion or light after being armed, it will search the local area for a cell network to use. This first alert may take several minutes. However, once it learns how to “make a phone call” in your area, subsequent alerts go within seconds.
Tom tested all three sensors and the system detected intrusions without fail.
Testing the unit, I set off all types of alerts: motion, light and vibration, and my phone lit up within 15 seconds every single time. A companion app for iPhones and Androids will display alerts with a detailed status of what happened, and you can customize your alert preferences as you like. You can also have the system send a text message to you and anyone else you’d care to add to your circle.
The companion app gets its own alerts, but you can have the system send text messages also.
Persistence
Since the unit uses its own connection to a cellular network, one would be hard-pressed to interfere with an alert getting delivered. It requires no WiFi, home network or phone line. If a sophisticated burglar cuts phone lines and internet, no matter — you’re still protected.
It does come with an external antenna for better signal transmission, but if someone removes or cuts that, there’s a backup antenna internal to the StealthALERT that engages automatically. I did all of my testing NOT using the external antenna, and even from within steel safes and lockboxes, alerts were transmitted and received without fail.
The Simtek StealthALERT comes with an external antenna with a magnetic base.
There's an internal antenna too, so the external part is optional.
Usage Ideas
The more I use the StealthALERT, the more ideas I come up with. Sure, it’ll guard your safe or gun lockbox at home or on the road. It’ll monitor a gun room or closet. It’ll let you know if someone opens a drawer with your personal documents inside. It’ll protect your wine or bourbon collection. It’ll let you know if someone messes with your suitcase when it’s sitting in a hotel room all day. You get the idea. The system is an extra pair of “eyes” when you’re away.
There are a couple of “hidden” tricks. By hidden, I simply mean not obvious if you don’t read the instructions! For example, you can disable light and vibration sensors by opening up the case and flipping a couple of internal switches.
For example, if you use the Simtek StealthALERT to secure something in a vehicle, you won’t want it alerting you every time you drive. Simply turn off the vibration sensor and rely on the light and motion sensors.
Simtek StealthALERTS will be available in retail channels soon, but you can order one directly from the company. It’s currently on sale for $150 ($200 reg.)
