New Alarm

Heisenberg1

I'm in the market for a home alarm system i've rang around got got a few

prices and such. The last person I spoke too recommened that I get the

house fitted with motion sensors rather than contacts on the windows and

doors. Is this a good idea? What are the pro's and con's?.

They use the Visonic Express with the GSM dialer

for self monitoring is this a good system?. Any recommendations on the type

of system for a standard 3 Bed semi. Thanks

Thunderbird2

no as it means they have to be in the house before the alarm will activate . Motion detectors should really be only used as a backup to the door and window sensors and to help verify an alarm .

KoolKid

The Visonic system is good . The protection he is proposing is not.
With this type of protection an intruder is in the house before your alarm activates.
Get the windows and doors covered and also use 2 pirs internally.
Also check if that system includes a live external bell.

Thunderbird2

Have a look at the visonic power master range .

KoolKid

Are there inertia sensors available for the power master yet?

Thunderbird2

I was wondering that myself . It seems to be better then the quantum . And the PIRs with the built in cameras are a great idea
GE also released another Simon panel
The Simon XTI

Heisenberg1

KoolKid wrote: »

The Visonic system is good . The protection he is proposing is not.
With this type of protection an intruder is in the house before your alarm activates.
Get the windows and doors covered and also use 2 pirs internally.
Also check if that system includes a live external bell.

He said it was extra for the external bell and recommended a decoy for the

front of the house he was very negative about the HKC systems. What would

recommend for a system.

Thunderbird2

There is absolutely nothing wrong with HKCs alarms. :-) They are incredibly popular .
HKC, Siemens , aritech , visonic ,Astec and GE would be the systems you'd find in most homes throughout the country . I'd bet a friend or family member has a HKC system installed :-) . Ask him whats wrong with the HKC gear . I would glady recommend HKC , visonic or a Siemens wireless system.
:-)

Juliet

Hi! Could anyone give me some advice on choosing a wireless alarm? I only know of Eircom Phonewatch - they are quoting one for €848 -

Simon XT Panel
Dummy Bell
Motion Detector - Pet Lens Hallway
Motion Detector - Pet Lens Secure location
Contact Sensor (Brown) Front Door
Inertia Sensor (White) Front Windows 2
Inertia Sensor (White) Conservatory 2
Inertia/Contact (White) Back Door 1
GSM Reporting Module

I'm in a 2 bedroom town house. Does wireless offer sufficient security over a wired alarm? And is Eircom the best way to go?

I'd really appreciate any input.

Thanks
Juliet

Thunderbird2

Shop around as you can get much better gear at a better price .
Ask about the risks with GSM units ( they can easily be jammed )
At the price they quoted I'd expect a live working bell box .
I'd go for a 2 way system such as HKC , Siemens or visonics power master .

Wireless systems have come a long way . They are just as good as wired systems and sometimes offer more features . 2 way systems allow the sensor to talk to the panel aswell as the panel to talk to the sensor . If the sensors sends a signal , the panel sends one back to the sensor to let it know it's been received . If the sensor doesn't get a signal back it will keep trying to communicate with the panel until it does .
This helps protect against RF jamming as the sensor will eventually get through or the jam detect will activate within 30 secs causing the alarm to sound . So they're just as secure as a wired system

KoolKid

This gimmick of not including an external bell in a standard quote is bad practice and misleading in trying to make their quote look cheaper. Ask for an external bell and suddenly the price jumps by €200.....
An external bell is a normal part of an alarm. You wouldn't quote a system without a keypad would you?
Another reason for this practice is to tie you into their monitoring. It's very hard to cancel monitoring when all your left with is an internal siren.

Juliet

Thank you so much for your advice. I will definitely look into the suggestions.Many thanks again!

Heisenberg1

Thunderbird2 wrote: »

There is absolutely nothing wrong with HKCs alarms. :-) They are incredibly popular .
HKC, Siemens , aritech , visonic ,Astec and GE would be the systems you'd find in most homes throughout the country . I'd bet a friend or family member has a HKC system installed :-) . Ask him whats wrong with the HKC gear . I would glady recommend HKC , visonic or a Siemens wireless system.
:-)

I have no doubt they are fine alarm I think he was talking complete BS after

reading some of the older threads on the HKC brand. What company install's

the siemens systems are they much more expensive?

Heisenberg1

KoolKid wrote: »

This gimmick of not including an external bell in a standard quote is bad practice and misleading in trying to make their quote look cheaper. Ask for an external bell and suddenly the price jumps by €200.....
An external bell is a normal part of an alarm. You wouldn't quote a system without a keypad would you?
Another reason for this practice is to tie you into their monitoring. It's very hard to cancel monitoring when all your left with is an internal siren.

I was quoted 90e for the external bell. He told me that the GSM dialler was on

special for 40e I now know why it was so low beacuse it is built into the system.

Would you recommend a self monitoring system?

KoolKid

The GSM is included in that panel Afaik. For a wireless bell that is ok.
I would shop around , this guy is just telling too many pokies.
Most companies would do Siemens. Again shop around.

Mr. G

Juliet wrote: »

Hi! Could anyone give me some advice on choosing a wireless alarm? I only know of Eircom Phonewatch

Any company will do a wireless alarm and will setup monitoring on your alarm if you want.

Here is a list of installers and a link to the PSA registered installers.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055956748

Hope this helps.

Juliet

Thanks for the list!