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Alarms, immobilizers, and pagers, oh my! Wading through the thick soup that is auto-alarm security can be messy. But if you're looking to make your vehicle unattractive to thieves, here are some tips that can ease your uncertainty when shopping for an alarm.

Decoding the jargon

Code-hopping
"Code-hopping is the alarm's ability to change transmission codes each time the alarm's remote-control transmitter button is pressed," says Barnet Fagel, auto security expert and Insure.com Auto Theft Forum host. "Theoretically, code-hopping prevents a thief with a code receiver from grabbing the alarm's code when you transmit it and replaying it to disarm the alarm."

Whether or not you need a code-hopping alarm is a matter of some debate, says Fagel. "Thieves aren't out there with code receivers grabbing alarm transmission codes with laptop computers. The thief would have to be within 10 to 15 feet of the driver when he or she uses the remote in order to pick up the code." Fagel says he has yet to witness a successful code-grabbing demonstration conducted under real-life conditions.

Steve Wertheimer, president of Wiremagic.com, a company that supplies technical support to auto-security installers, says that code-hopping is not necessary now, but will become important in the next few years as thieves will likely find a way to grab alarm codes.

Is it a must-have right now? Probably not.

Dual-stage shock sensor
This is largely a convenience feature, enabling you to stay at your desk or in your apartment without worrying your alarm is going to be set off for no apparent reason. During the first stage, the alarm issues a series of chirps. But in the second stage, the siren sounds full blast.

For example, say you park your car on the street and the neighborhood kids are playing football. One of the players zips a pass between another's hands and it bumps your car. Your alarm's shock sensor will pick up the vibration caused by the ball's impact. If your shock sensor is only single-stage, your alarm will go into full wail.

But if you have a dual-stage shock sensor, your alarm will chirp several times without waking up the neighbors. Of course, if that football player happens to throw the pigskin directly at your car with John Elway-like velocity, your dual-stage shock sensor is going to chirp and then go into full siren.

Is it a must-have? Yes.

States that mandate car insurance discounts for antitheft devices

Florida Illinois Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Minnesota New Mexico New York Pennsylvania Rhode Island Texas Washington

Source: Insurance Information Institute

Passive-setting
Twelve states require insurance companies to give you a discount on the comprehensive insurance portion of your auto insurance policy if you have an antitheft device. Insurance companies favor passive-setting alarms for the discount because a passive-setting alarm will arm automatically when you walk away from your car.

Auto insurers will give you a 5 percent to 25 percent break on your comprehensive insurance, depending on what kind of antitheft device you have on your car, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), an auto-security industry trade group.

Is it a must-have? Maybe, if manually setting an alarm is something you'd forget and if you want a more favorable insurance discount.

Perimeter sensor
Your hood, trunk, and doors are obvious entry points for a thief. A perimeter sensor will send your alarm into full wail if one of these is opened when your alarm is armed.

Is it a must-have? Yes, especially if you own a soft-top car.

LED
This is the little blinking red light on your instrument panel that lets you know your system is working. It also signals thieves that you have an alarm ready to scream if they try to break in.

Is it a must-have? Yes.

Keyless entry
If you've got your hands full of groceries and you have the choice of pressing a remote control or opening your trunk with your key, what would you do? "It's a no-brainer in terms of convenience," says Wertheimer. He notes that if you forget to lock your doors after you've exited the vehicle, "all you have to do is press a button and boom! the doors are locked." Wertheimer also says that in a severely cold climate, keyless entry can be an advantage because you don't have to worry about not being able to open your door when the lock cylinder is frozen. Keyless entry bypasses the lock cylinder altogether.

Is it a must-have? Yes.

Security on a budget

If you're concerned about the contents of your car being stolen, between $100 and $200 (you are going to have to spend some money) can get you an alarm installed that has the basic, necessary features to ward off thieves. "You should get basic perimeter and dual-stage shock protection, LED, a siren, a couple of remotes, and a three-year warranty for between $100 and $200," says Fagel. Any of the nationally distributed brands — Clifford, DEI, and Prestige, for example — can give you basic protection for under $200.

Immobilizer
Your other option at the $100 to $200 level is an immobilizer. These interrupt your car's ignition systems when an incorrect key or no key at all is used to start the car. Some factory-installed immobilizers, such as the Ford PATS, are single-point immobilizers. Single-point immobilizers interrupt the ignition system at one place in the circuit, usually the starter. More complex immobilizers, two- and three-point interrupts, are available and offer more protection, says Fagel.

The three-point interrupt is the most protection you can get from an immobilizer. It will cut off the ignition cycle at three different points, just in case a thief is seasoned enough to bypass one of them. Three-point immobilizers first disable the starter, then the fuel pump, then the ignition between the ignition switch and the coil. Both Fagel and Wertheimer say immobilizers are a must-have if you go without an alarm.

Security for fatter wallets

Budgeting between $200 and $400 for a car-security system can get you a rudimentary alarm plus some convenience features, such as a glass sensor and hood lock. A glass sensor is a microphone mounted strategically inside the vehicle that listens for the "crystalline sounds of breaking glass," which will set off the alarm. A hood lock will keep a thief from getting to your car's battery to cut the power going to the alarm.

You can also add a pager to your alarm system in the $200 to $400 price range, but it is not for everyone. Pagers will let you know when your alarm has been set off. "If you don't know how to react, the pager can be dangerous," says Fagel. "You don't want to come out of your house, guns blazing, because it might not be a thief who set off your alarm," he says. In addition, the thief might have an accomplice, which stacks the odds against you. Fagel recommends that folks with pagers observe the thief in action from a distance and to call the police if a theft is in progress. You should also note any cars nearby that are running, and you might want to take your camera with you in order to capture the theft on film.

Wertheimer recommends an "integrated two-way paging unit," which is a remote control that has a pager built in. "These are the future of auto security," he promises. You can send commands and queries to your alarm and the alarm can tell you what is going on with your car in a two-way system. The benefit is that you will know what's happening to your car at all times, says Wertheimer.

Luxury-level alarms

Beam me up

The importance of installation

"Stay away from installing it yourself," says Wertheimer. "There's too much complexity in the systems now for an untrained person to be poking around in the electronics of a car." Wertheimer says there's a real chance of getting injured if you install the alarm yourself, especially if your vehicle has air bags. One misplaced connection can activate the air bags, putting the do-it-yourselfer at risk.

In addition, you increase the chances of your car's original components going on the fritz by installing the security yourself. "Pay a competent professional to wire it, install it, and test it," Wertheimer says.

You want to make sure your installer knows what he or she is doing. But one who has passed the MECP test and is a certified technician will generally have a better understanding of the ins and outs of alarm installations.

After the installation is complete, your shop should walk you through the functions of the alarm to show you how it actually works. In addition, you should make sure that all of your car's other electrical functions — radio, headlights, and horn, for example — are working after the alarm has been installed. Finally, you want to know the shop's warranty on its work — and get it in writing.