Which Alarm System Do You Fit?

[brummydave]

It's been years since I fitted an alarm, and those I did were Texecom Veritas R8 systems. Which I know they still make so they must be ok!

However, been asked to fit a system with keyfobs to arm/disarm/panic.

Texecom only do keyfobs for their Premier Elite series which I'm guessing is well pricey (they say 'commercial') and certainly out of the budget for a regular 3 bed semi.

Anyone got a recommendation or advice?

Also, what are your thoughts on wireless?

I get so many mixed opinions on this, easily hackable, easy to fit, batteries need changing too often, big and ugly, time saving over wired options, the dogs, worth the extra, a rip off, etc etc

I likes wires i do, but i also likes a neat job and this is in a house that's not having any works done that would need boards up. Oh and doesn't want plastic trunking everywhere!

TTFN

and thank you.

 

[Andy™]

i usually fit Veritas. have fitted a few visonic wireless alarms. they have keyfobs aswell as buttons on control panel

there not bad to fit, mostly out of the box and onto wall with some settings to change and your done

 

[brummydave]

Thanks! Denmans do the Visonic don't they .

Which Veritas do you prefer? the remote pad, the excel or the simple one?

A colleague suggest Optima, but I haven't looked into that more yet.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Check if an insurance company ect has asked for anything. You may need a class 2 system.

 

[Andy™]

usually R8. but if panel is going in hallway etc then 8C

 

[steptoe]

optima are cheap, cheerful and fit and forget,

not a load of options, but good enough for a normal 3bed semi, IMHO anyway.

 

[col]

Scantronic look the part, lots of wireless accessories too.

Not the cheapest though & keypad still hard-wired.

Used Infinite once but hated it, didn't find it at all intuitive, ending up programming it about 3 times, seems reliable though.

Batteries should easily last a year, good idea to offer an annual service.

 

[Andy™]

Used Infinite once but hated it,

same here. took an hour to install. and another 3 hours to get the thing working. even their technical support bloke's best advice was 'follow the instructions'. first and last time ive used them

 

[Steve3948]

I don't fit any - reason, after getting called out at 2am in pouring rain because panel would not reset and had to cut bell, then another where alarm was set downstairs and started going off every morning at around 4am, could not find fault with system, turned out that a sleeping policeman had been installed opposite and at around 4am a 3 wheel milk float went over it and triggered PIR in lounge with its headlight. I had about 30 installs and passed them over to a dedicated alarm company that offered 24/7 cover, best thing I ever did.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Try the Honeywell Galaxy 2 then. I am half way through programing and thats taken a few hours. You don't even get instructions, Honeywell say you have to go on a training course and get the installers manual as part of it.

 

[brummydave]

Check if an insurance company ect has asked for anything. You may need a class 2 system.

Good tip, I will ask that. And find out what a class 2 is as well!

TBH I think the main reason for the install is the couple have been burgled twice in the last 12 months! That was in their last house that was rented - the landlord didn't think anything needed installing after the first burglary but did after the second. They like the system but don't know which make it is or who installed it!

optima are cheap, cheerful and fit and forget, not a load of options, but good enough for a normal 3bed semi, IMHO anyway.

Thanks, I'll look into their keyfob options

Scantronic look the part, lots of wireless accessories too. Not the cheapest though & keypad still hard-wired. Used Infinite once but hated it, didn't find it at all intuitive, ending up programming it about 3 times, seems reliable though. Batteries should easily last a year, good idea to offer an annual service.

Great tip, thank you.

I don't fit any - reason, after getting called out at 2am in pouring rain because panel would not reset and had to cut bell, then another where alarm was set downstairs and started going off every morning at around 4am, could not find fault with system, turned out that a sleeping policeman had been installed opposite and at around 4am a 3 wheel milk float went over it and triggered PIR in lounge with its headlight. I had about 30 installs and passed them over to a dedicated alarm company that offered 24/7 cover, best thing I ever did.

Even better tip. I really need to learn to say 'no' more!

 

[Badger]

Try the Honeywell Galaxy 2 then. I am half way through programing and thats taken a few hours. You don't even get instructions, Honeywell say you have to go on a training course and get the installers manual as part of it.

argh im a galaxy installer g2 and g3 i can programme galaxys in no time O) :Salute :innocent

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Doh, might have to pick yor brains.

With the basic model with the (is it 10 or 12) on board zones via the REO 's is there an auto dialler built in ? I have no phone connected, have tried programming it off but it still has a fault ' no phone line '

 

[boltonsparky]

In the past I've always done wired using texecom, usually the R8 and for wireless the visonics.

Overall I'd strongly recommend the visonics, not the cheapest but find them to be bang on. Used to work with an alarm guy and we'd fitted loads of visonics, literally hundreds of the things and you could count the few problems we had with them on the fingers of one hand, and one of those we were sure was the customers fault, customer service and technical when you did need them was always bang on too and had the problem solved within minutes. Unbelievably easy to fit and you've got the beauty of the built in landline dialler too to offer the customer the option of self monitoring.

I should be working for them with a recommendation like that :Salute

I've fitted a DIY gsm dialler to mine, and yes it's as rough as it looks...

 

[brummydave]

I priced up a wireless Visonic at Denmans and it's the best part of £400! I love the recommendation but think this may be a bit steep.

However, then I started pricing up the others. The Infinite range seem well stocked by TLC but also come in around £400. And the Friedland/Response range through Denmans are slightly less but not much.

Seems having wireless really bumps up the cost, but I guess the labour is reduced a lot so it makes sense.

FYI the system I'm want to put together has:

6 PIRs

1 door contact

control box and battery with preferably a remote keypad.

2 keyfobs to set/unset etc

2 external siren/strobes (1 dummy)

1internal sounder (where possible)

possibility of smoke detectors linked in. either compatible detectors or from a relay.

Some systems have autodialler, which is indeed nice. How is this differnet to a GSM system?

Thank ee

D.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

In the past I've always done wired using texecom, usually the R8 and for wireless the visonics.

Overall I'd strongly recommend the visonics, not the cheapest but find them to be bang on. Used to work with an alarm guy and we'd fitted loads of visonics, literally hundreds of the things and you could count the few problems we had with them on the fingers of one hand, and one of those we were sure was the customers fault, customer service and technical when you did need them was always bang on too and had the problem solved within minutes. Unbelievably easy to fit and you've got the beauty of the built in landline dialler too to offer the customer the option of self monitoring.

I should be working for them with a recommendation like that :Salute

I've fitted a DIY gsm dialler to mine, and yes it's as rough as it looks...

Tell me more. What did that cost ? You can buy a sim free phone for about £7 now

 

[steptoe]

mine cost me £3.99 including a SIM of my choice,

 

[boltonsparky]

Tell me more. What did that cost ? You can buy a sim free phone for about £7 now

You just need a relay and a soldering iron, the metal box was one I had from an old internal sounder, can't remember how much the relay cost but it was around £5 on ebay.

The phone signal was a bit of a problem in a small room in the metal box which is why there are 2 wires sticking out of the top of the phone!

literally cost around a fiver with bits I had lying around the place.

 

[boltonsparky]

I priced up a wireless Visonic at Denmans and it's the best part of £400! I love the recommendation but think this may be a bit steep.

However, then I started pricing up the others. The Infinite range seem well stocked by TLC but also come in around £400. And the Friedland/Response range through Denmans are slightly less but not much.

Seems having wireless really bumps up the cost, but I guess the labour is reduced a lot so it makes sense.

FYI the system I'm want to put together has:

6 PIRs

1 door contact

control box and battery with preferably a remote keypad.

2 keyfobs to set/unset etc

2 external siren/strobes (1 dummy)

1internal sounder (where possible)

possibility of smoke detectors linked in. either compatible detectors or from a relay.

Some systems have autodialler, which is indeed nice. How is this differnet to a GSM system?

Thank ee

D.

The visonics have an auto dialler that you connect to a landline but cut the landline and you've lost your dialler, a gsm dialler works on the mobile network so doesn't rely on a landline that can be cut but does rely on having a good signal 100% of the time.

The best systems have both landline and gsm.

Using a gsm dialler you need to remember to keep the sim card active by dialling or texting once a month, the better gsm auto diallers have this function built in and will automatically send a text to the selected numbers every 30days.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

On your home made one how does the alarm trigger the phone & how is a message sent ?