Monitored Alarms

lampor

I just rang eircom about getting a phonewatch installed. My house is 3 years old, along with my current alarm system. I couldn't get a quote, only the voice mail of the guy who handles monitoring only setups.

The person that put me through however said that they don't really take on currently alarmed homes, the usually only go with installing their own. (rip-off merchants?)

He siad they might take it on however. But I awaiting a call back.
If they say no. What then. Are there other option's I can peruse.

What are the general costs of monitoring only with eircom, and the other options (if any)

Its expensive enough getting started without having to wire up a whole new alarm system. This may put things beyond my reach, at least for a while.

civdef

Talk to local reputable & registered alarm companies, they typically can do a lot better than Eircom, and have their own monitoring arrangements.

The people who used to be called Magnum do our place at a fairly reasnable rate. Cheaper then phone watch anyway I think.

Clare gunner

If you do use an independant,make damn sure they have private indemnity and public liability insurance,and are registerd with the private security authorthy.[Check then with the PSA].Which they are required to be now under law.Also ask them for references and go and view the referees in person to satisfy yourself that they haven't given you their ol mates number.
Still too many rippoff artists out there.It's your money and possesions ,so why risk it on the "cheaper option"??Eircom is a rippoff agreed,but it is not likely to disapper overnight,if by some chance they screw up the alarm and set your house on fire by an electricalk short.

Riggser

You're looking at a grand for Eircom Phonewatch once everything is installed you get your first few months free (they change the inro offer so much) out of the way.

Nothing wrong at all with seeking another company to monitor your alarm.

lampor

a grand is not something I gonna be able to pay,

even with phonewatch I was hoping for about 500 max. (monitoring only)

Any cheaper compaines in the cork City area ? Although I do take what Clare gunner says quite seriously. I don't fancy having a bunch of how ya's handling my security and i'd pay the extra if need be but I'd like to see a few options.

Given that I have an exisiting alarm system what esl are the going to install to make them able to monitor it ?

DublinWriter

Dude! Forget Phonewatch. 1,200 & Vat, €25 a month, plus a €200 yearly 'maintenance fee'.

Basically, all that happens when your alarm goes off is that they'll ring the garda or you. Big deal.

A couple of months ago I got a friend of a friend to alarm my place for €800. The unit he put in txt's me if it goes off. No monthly or yearly fees.

Really, forget about Eircom, get a unit that will txt you automatically.

Meclor

.

lampor

Does a text facility meet the "Monitored" requirements for the Guards.

I think my current alarm has that feature, just isn't setup as the phonelines where not in when the alarm was installed.

DublinWriter

lampor wrote:

Does a text facility meet the "Monitored" requirements for the Guards.

My local garda station is in a small town in Co.Meath.

Under normal operation it's now supposed to be manned between 9am and 1pm on weekdays. It's not a 'sub-station', it's a regular station.

It's been totally unmanned for the past 2 months.

Honestly, you are better having alarm alerts txted to you.

If you think that having a monitored alarm will mean that you'll have a patrol car skidding around your corner within minutes of your alarm going off, then think again.

lampor

Even if I lived next to a station and reported I was slowly being chopped to pieces I wouldn't expect a speedy repsonse. But will the Guards demand I get a phonewatch style setup or will something that notifyes me be just as good for them?

Clare gunner

Jeeze you folks are getting really wild quotes for Eircom:eek: .1500 Euros for a 15 room house,and that is a wireless system as well.As to what the gaurds want as satisfactory alarm,well,that is another open to debate question,as there are no requirements in law as to what type of alarm is required.Another reason i went with EirCON is the fact I have elderly parents,and as they get older the alarm can be rigged to a medical alarm pendant trigger.So a 24 7 365 monitor system is vital.
The text system would be sufficent for anyone,since the Gardai insist that nowadays a keyholder goes out to confirm a real or false alarm.[Why not spare the Gardai all the work,just go out and apprehend the criminal as well at the crime scene:rolleyes: ??]But because no doubt it is a simple and effective system,it will be totally unacceptable:rolleyes: .
The odd thing was when I signed up there was a Garda question on the installation docket ;are firearms stored on the premises?
I would assume that would mean if an alarm is triggerd here,the response will be alot quicker and proably armed as well.It was the last time we were broken into and one gun was nicked.Armed tecs were out within ten minutes from discovery of break in.

Riggser

lampor wrote:

a grand is not something I gonna be able to pay

Right cart before the horse here. Talk to you local cop shop and if you can your district SuperNintendo. I have talked to people that are relations of the super and everything is sorted in days, not weeks days. If you can find out what they want, as in what kind of monitored alarm they will accept.

.

Redstag

I have just been approved as a registered firearms dealer in Cork county, and have had to get an extensive alarm monitoring system installed on my premises. This involves having the alarm contacts monitored and alarms sent via the analoue telephone line, and then the analogue telphone line is monitored using a GSM backup, in the event of the main line being cut. I must pay my monitoring company an annual fee for both services, costs approx €650. If you pm me, I'll talk you through some of the additional requirements that you may be asked to have by the garda cpo.
Also, not wanting to distract from this thread, but if anyone wishes to get quotes on new rifles and shotguns, I would be delighted to quote and see how I fare against some of the bigger dealers. My motto is "Quick Sale, Light Profit."

Rovi

I upgraded my alarm a few months ago and I contacted the Crime Prevention Officer for his advice, as I intend applying for a pistol licence in due course and I want to have the thing up to spec beforehand.

He said that he (or more correctly, the Super) would be looking for a system installed to IS 199/EN 50131 and monitored to IS 228.
http://www.isia.ie/isia/Main/Standards.htm

A DIY installed/monitored system will not meet these standards, unless you can get an NSAI certified installer to sign off on it and sign up with a certified monitoring company.
I DO know one guy who has done exactly this, but then, he is an electrical engineer

My home is specifically noted as containing firearms, and the room with the safes has its own zone on the system.

.

lampor

I did a bit of ringing around and here what i found.

The company that put in my alarm system will add in extra contacts (window,door) and a PIR for my safe room for about 110euro and connect my to a monitioring company for 160+vat;

The monitioring company (Top security) will cost 150 a year.

no bad value overall really. compared to the eircom prices I've been seeing i'm stunned at how low it the prices are.

Clare gunner

lampor
Not telling you your biz,but check with the PSA if Top security is registerd with them to be able to do what they claim.Cant find them on the ISIA website,and by rights they should be members.
www.psa.ie

lampor

Will do Clare gunner, thanks

about that link to psa - Portable Site Accommodation ???

<edit>
www.psa.gov.ie found this link on the ISIA site.

scout

if the gardai recieve a call that a house is being broken into i think they would be slower coming out if they knew there were guns in the house i know i would be!

scout

Redstag wrote:

I have just been approved as a registered firearms dealer in Cork county,

Where abouts are you ?

Clare gunner

scout wrote:

if the gardai recieve a call that a house is being broken into i think they would be slower coming out if they knew there were guns in the house i know i would be!

ASFIK the policy for this is to send armed detectives ASAP with the regulars.

Redstag

I'm based in Youghal. PM me if you want any quotes. I'll do my best to get up and going.

Cheers.

Trojan911

Lampor,

I've just done the same with eircom, my quote for a bungalow was a few cent under €1,300, wireless system house 6 yrs old etc. I was able to do it online and got a quote back in two days via email plus correspondence through the letterbox.

Didn't figure on the price being so high so still looking. As for monitoring I have sussed approx eight companies nationwide and the cheapest monitoring quote was MCM Security for approx €12 a month. I just went through the phone book and called them one after the other.

TJ911...

PS: I have muddled the brains but cannot come up with the ASFIK abbreviation??? Can someone enlighten me ..........

lampor

ASFIK = As Far as I know ??? I think

12 a month sounds pretty good. I rang the loca FAO he siad I don't need a monitored alarm, which is great - very sound guy, he just said drop over when 'm ready and hell get me sorted out!

altough I'll still gonna get it in monitored just to be on the safe side, and I'll no doubt need it when the CJB eventually gets finished

The Security ma

And the **ONLY** reason the garda Crime Stats for 2005 show an overall 'decrease in crime', is because no-one bothers their arses reporting crime to the gardai anymore!
Whats the point??
No fear of the Superintendents reading this either, because they haven't even got an Internet connection in the garda stations (FACT!)....
LOL

Clash

lampor wrote:

ASFIK = As Far as I know ??? I think

As Far As I Know = AFAIK

ASFIK = I can't spell

Clash

Just spoke to a friend in the security business. Gardai will not call out to an alarm activation if only a window sensor goes off. They will call out if both a window sensor and a PIR are activated. Hence the need for monitoring.

If you are getting a monitored alarm for firearms cert purposes, then you must have both window sensors and a PIR in the room with the safe. You will probably also need a GSM router for protection in the event of telephone wires being cut.

jaycee

No fear of the Superintendents reading this either, because they haven't even got an Internet connection in the garda stations (FACT!)

I suppose they have no home pc's either.. :rolleyes:

flight93

Very sorry to dissapoint you but the PSA is just a scam and against current EU law (due to be challanged shortly). I can tell you that because I have first hand experience with them. Eddie Hobbs wrote a very accurate artical about them in the cork examiner a while ago. The PSA will not ensure higher standards, only higher prices.
There is still no regognised qualification for an alarm installer in this country, just people like the PSA looking to get hands on your money. Only afraction of alarm installers in the country are with the PSA (the same with door men and security personell). They even want to licence people who install locks in the future (unworkable). If you want to know more PM me. The PSA has been informed of sevral alarm installers installing alarms without a "licence", they responded by saying they "did not have the manpower" to deal with it. What techincal qualifications do you need to join the PSA as an intruder alarm installer???? NONE. I think this speaks volumes.


Eircom Phone Watch alarms generally have no outside bell box, only a dummy. This often means that when they go off they can not be heard by neighbours. So if an intruder were to cut the phone line and then break in he has in many cases got around you Phone Watch alarm system.

17HMR

This insistence on a monitored alarm is just more window dressing...
The vast majority of monitored alarms use a landline connection and the first thing any crim is going to target is the phone line coming into the house (particularly obvious if you live in the out in the countryside).

Even if the monitored part uses GSM, let's face it, unless the Gardia have a response time in minutes they are never going to catch anyone.

Where I live we have 2 Gardai on at night covering an area of about 500 square miles. One traffic accident and they're tied up for at least an hour....

Sparks

If it's window dressing, it's window dressing that not only saves your money on your house insurance costs, it's window dressing I would have liked to have had on Friday night when some thugs broke into my home and made off with around thirty grand's worth of jewellery. Sometimes windowdressing has a wider purpose.

Besides which, have you a better suggestion?