The time has come to update our house alarm (to address a few issues and get better functionality); we've found an installer that we're happy with, but could do with a bit of help in deciding how extensive the upgrade should be.
The current system is based around a Risco Eurosec CP8, fully wired with PIRs, door contact and shock sensors on a couple of windows. We will be swapping to an internet-connected system with wireless capability and adding a couple of extra sensors in new locations. The installer has proposed an Orisec system and is willing to hook this up to our existing wired sensors if we want to keep the cost down, but perhaps unsurprisingly he says it would be preferable to replace all the old sensors at the same time. I can see the point of this, in that there is presumably less chance of something going wrong if the system is set up with all-new kit, and the installer could then guarantee the whole system (for 1 yr) rather than just bits of it. On the other hand, with new sensors something like £48 for wired up to nearly £80 for wireless dual tech, this increases the total cost considerably, and at least some of our existing sensors appear to be working just fine.
As such, I'm stuck in a bit of a quandary over spending extra just for the sake of it, versus potential false economy if there's a risk of the old sensors not working well with the new system or becoming unreliable due to age. Obviously I could just see how it goes and replace them as problems arise, but I'd rather not end up paying a £60 callout fee or whatever, plus potential fault-finding time and new sensor cost, when I could have just opted to refresh the sensors in the first place.
Trouble is, I've no idea what age our current kit is (some pics attached), as it was here when we moved in, getting on for 8 years ago. Some may even be from when the house was built (mid-90s). There is one sluggish, ancient-looking PIR which we'll definitely replace, but the others seem to work fine, as does the door contact (presumably little to go wrong with that). We have a couple of old Viper window shock sensors which seem pretty unresponsive (e.g. LED doesn't react if window frame is hit quite hard - only if you tap the sensor itself!) but then I know the sensitivity is adjustable, so maybe that's all that would be needed (perhaps re-fixing too, as there's a bit of play when nudging them).
The questions that occur to me are:
I'd be grateful for any thoughts/advice on that lot - thanks.
The current system is based around a Risco Eurosec CP8, fully wired with PIRs, door contact and shock sensors on a couple of windows. We will be swapping to an internet-connected system with wireless capability and adding a couple of extra sensors in new locations. The installer has proposed an Orisec system and is willing to hook this up to our existing wired sensors if we want to keep the cost down, but perhaps unsurprisingly he says it would be preferable to replace all the old sensors at the same time. I can see the point of this, in that there is presumably less chance of something going wrong if the system is set up with all-new kit, and the installer could then guarantee the whole system (for 1 yr) rather than just bits of it. On the other hand, with new sensors something like £48 for wired up to nearly £80 for wireless dual tech, this increases the total cost considerably, and at least some of our existing sensors appear to be working just fine.
As such, I'm stuck in a bit of a quandary over spending extra just for the sake of it, versus potential false economy if there's a risk of the old sensors not working well with the new system or becoming unreliable due to age. Obviously I could just see how it goes and replace them as problems arise, but I'd rather not end up paying a £60 callout fee or whatever, plus potential fault-finding time and new sensor cost, when I could have just opted to refresh the sensors in the first place.
Trouble is, I've no idea what age our current kit is (some pics attached), as it was here when we moved in, getting on for 8 years ago. Some may even be from when the house was built (mid-90s). There is one sluggish, ancient-looking PIR which we'll definitely replace, but the others seem to work fine, as does the door contact (presumably little to go wrong with that). We have a couple of old Viper window shock sensors which seem pretty unresponsive (e.g. LED doesn't react if window frame is hit quite hard - only if you tap the sensor itself!) but then I know the sensitivity is adjustable, so maybe that's all that would be needed (perhaps re-fixing too, as there's a bit of play when nudging them).
The questions that occur to me are:
- Is there such a thing as 'typical lifespan' for PIRs? I'm guessing this could vary quite a bit by model. Presumably they won't last forever. One guy told me the Fresnel lenses can go brittle after a while, degrading their reliability.
- For the window shocks, our options are to get the existing ones tested and tweaked (again, not sure of their lifespan), or to replace them like-for like (wired), or to upgrade to wireless ones - if they are any good? Reason for considering is that one window is quite wide and the existing sensor is tucked away in the corner, so may struggle to pick up vibrations from the other end. With a wireless one, we could place it in the centre of the frame. We need it to be not too sensitive though - e.g. don't want the alarm going off if the window cleaner comes round when we're out.
- Can anyone think of other pros/cons for replacing the working sensors or leaving them in situ as a hybrid (old/new and wired/wireless) system?
- What's generally the better bet for a conservatory - a combo door contact + shock sensor, or a dual-tech PIR? I guess the shock sensor could deter a break-in before much damage is done, but there's maybe a risk that someone could attempt entry at a point other than the door and therefore evade that sensor. Apart from the roof hatch, the opening windows are very small, though whether anyone would try breaking one of the larger (non-opening) panes, I don't know. Yes, we could have both, but that would come to about £150 and the costs already seem to be mounting.
I'd be grateful for any thoughts/advice on that lot - thanks.
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Only issue I suppose is if anyone tried to enter via the roof hatch, as there is then no functioning PIR to catch them, but it's probably unlikely (pitched polycarbonate roof, would require access via neighbour's driveway and forcible entry) and then there's still an internal door to get through to access the rest of the house.
