Wireless Alarms

[Apache]

Looking at alarm options for the new surgery. Thoughts regarding wired or wireless.

Currently no alarm so anything is an improvement.

Want an alarm with a phone dialler. Two nearby houses would listen out for the alarm.

Would like a panic alarm option and 2 keypads (2 doors).

This sounds ok?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/yale-easy-fit-telecommunicating-wireless-alarm-kit/42727

 

[Sharpend]

Personally, wired every time, wireless means batteries, batteries means personal interaction and hassle, wired hit the button that's it? 

Other opinions are available...

 

[steptoe]

I bought a wireless one for the shed,

Got home, opened the box,

,,

and stuck it on Gumtree, :shakehead

Have a hardwired one now connected to the house system.

 

[Andy™]

forget yale. not had anything to do with that particular model, but the others i have are all lettuced

for wireless, i use visonic powermax. iirc they have built in diallers too. texecom have wireless too but ive never used them

but if youre going to the hassle of new surgery etc, fit a texecom wired alarm. you can also connect the premier to the network and use an app on your phone to control it, see its status, view log etc

 

[leesparkykent]

As above...I also fit visonic for wireless or texecom for hard wired.

 

[Apache]

The Visonic seem reasonably priced.

 

[Andy™]

get a wired texecom! far superior, you can do a lot more with the panels and you dont need to constantly change the batteries in the sensors (which are a few £ each)

 

[NozSpark]

Isn't this a new build??

I don't even understand why you would even consider a wireless alarm...

 

[Apache]

It a conversion of an old railway. Some rooms we have no access above.

 

[Sidewinder]

It a conversion of an old railway. Some rooms we have no access above.

That's what pvc trunking was invented for!

 

[Apache]

That's what pvc trunking was invented for!

God, I hate trunking. Making sparks chase everything (except in theatre where I have allowed dado trunking for flexibility)

 

[Andy™]

get a texecom wired for where you can, then use the wireless part for where you cant get?

 

[Apache]

Other than swapping a few batteries (I assume there is some notification via the panels?) then why is wired superior?

(I ask as we are ripping out a wired alarm that is no longer serviceable!)

You guys know me - I want something I can fix myself.

 

[Sidewinder]

God, I hate trunking. Making sparks chase everything (except in theatre where I have allowed dado trunking for flexibility)

You'll be sorry, the first time you have an issue & need to re-configure the business "office" layout.

Trunking & conduit is not pretty, but, it is excellent for commercial & industrial because it is so "re-configurable".

You will need this later on, and you will be sorry that you went for chased in.

 

[steptoe]

Other than swapping a few batteries (I assume there is some notification via the panels?) then why is wired superior?

(I ask as we are ripping out a wired alarm that is no longer serviceable!)

You guys know me - I want something I can fix myself.

You do know wireless can be blocked,?

Even cellblockers for mobile phone networks are freely available nowadays, illegal maybe, but people wanting to block your alarm are hardly the most law abiding citizens anyway,,,,,

You'll be sorry, the first time you have an issue & need to re-configure the business "office" layout.

Trunking & conduit is not pretty, but, it is excellent for commercial & industrial because it is so "re-configurable".

You will need this later on, and you will be sorry that you went for chased in.

Oh yes,

I do some work for a mechanical designer sort if bloke that works from home office/converted garage, he is continually changing his dado around depending on how his workload is progressing and what current projects he is working on.

He just says it's much easier to spend a day doing that rather than messing about with  wires all over the place for the next 3,6,9 months or whatever

 

[Doc Hudson]

Other than swapping a few batteries (I assume there is some notification via the panels?) then why is wired superior?

(I ask as we are ripping out a wired alarm that is no longer serviceable!)

You guys know me - I want something I can fix myself.

The whole point of an alarm system is reliability and fail safe operation at the key moment when you need it to alert of a break-in. If a key component fails due to the battery getting a bit to low to operate successfully, or due to poor signal strength, or due to obstructions blocking signal, or other wireless interference etc. then you may as well just pop a dummy bell box and few dummy sensors around the building as a visual deterrent. Where hard wiring is a feasible option its reliability is generally superior to wireless. (such as the similarity to the data reliability and speed with internet connection). In my opinion for a reliable system a designer will reduce the potential failure areas to an absolute minimum, rather than increasing them. Wireless system can work and do work in many applications, but are more costly to maintain and run over the same period of time than as wired system. If you have access to all of the installation and user manuals I doubt you would find a wired system too difficult to configure, maintain, expand or fix should the need arise. With just one main battery to replace around every 5 years typically costing less than £15.00 it can be far more economical than changing a lot of sensor batteries as well.

Doc H. 

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

Doc pretty much sums it all up.

The other thing is, you put a battery device in that corner over there, then six months later you put this cabinet under it and then when you have to change the battery you can't because the cabinet is full of stuff so it cant be moved, so what should have been a "5 minute job" turns into a couple of hours and that is for just one device.

Also as said each device will need a battery, they may last 2+ years, but the cost of them is not going to come down.

The other thing is the battery will always go wrong when its the most awkward time, like going on holiday, bank holiday or when you haven't got any spare batteries left (Yes they don't need changing strait away, but you will forget until...............)

When the panel reports there is a fault or jambing fault or poor signal what is causing it? You don't know and you can't see the cause because its radio, never happens with wired.

Radio alarms have come along way over the years, they are considerably better than they were, but there is no escaping the fact that wired is better.

 

[phil d]

Wired is definately the better option,incidentally you can get a communicator for about a hundred quid,this will ring you if the alarm goes off out of hours,now if you combine this with a cctv system you have a decent system for not a lot of money.the alarm goes off and rings your mobile,you then log into the cctv from your mobile and see what's happening,now that has to be something worth looking at.