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Possible new alarm, need help

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  • 03-11-2013 9:43pm
    #1
    moonski
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭


    I'm thinking of putting an alarm on my house, I've spent the last few days trawling through this forum for what I should be looking for but I have a few questions.

    The house is not wired for an alarm so it would need to be a wireless setup. I had initially thought contacts on the doors and a few PIRs inside but reading some of the posts getting the perimeter done is important so I would likely need contacts on the windows with shock sensors. This would probably start to get a bit pricey as I have 2 doors and 15 windows (lots of relatively smallish ones). From reading the posts here it seems Siemens has an edge over HKC, which of the 2 would be more cost effective to install. I'm not looking for monitoring just something that will contact me or another family member if an alarm went off. I had toyed with the idea of installing one myself but it would probably end badly so I'll be getting an installer to do the job.

    Also I currently have a landline but the internet over it is terrible and the exchange will never be upgraded so I might get rid of it and get fixed wireless for my broadband, is a GSM dialler the only thing suitable in that situation?


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    #2
    KoolKid
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 24,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭KoolKid


    When you say 15 windows, do you mean 15 openings.?
    If there are numerous openings on each frame it may be cheaper to wire out of the wireless contacts to some wired ones. This would help in reducing the cost of devices. Siemens & Visonic devices are also cheaper than HKC when it comes to wireless.
    For self monitoring you could use GSM or any VOIP provider that gives you an analogue line out.


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    #3
    moonski
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭moonski


    Each window only has 1 frame, only 1 opening per window, basically 15 window sills if that makes sense. The bedrooms have 2 or 3 long narrow windows in each. I guess it was a design feature to whoever built it. :rolleyes:

    Roughly speaking, any idea what I would be spending on it?


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    #4
    KoolKid
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 24,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭KoolKid


    And are all these windows accessible?


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    #5
    moonski
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭moonski


    It's a single story house, if there was no window pane in any of them it would be pretty easy to hop through them. You certainly wouldn't need a ladder or anything.


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    #6
    KoolKid
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 24,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭KoolKid


    And is the attic all accessible?
    Have you considered wiring. It may be a tidy enough job.


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    #7
    moonski
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭moonski


    The attic is fairly small, if you're pretty tiny and don't mind confined spaces then it possibly is all accessible. TBH I haven't considered wiring, I'm not a fan of wires and cables exposed. I prefer them hidden if at all possible, but if there was a ridiculous difference in price I could consider anything.


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    #8
    kub
    Registered Users Posts: 6,546 ✭✭✭kub


    moonski wrote: »
    The attic is fairly small, if you're pretty tiny and don't mind confined spaces then it possibly is all accessible. TBH I haven't considered wiring, I'm not a fan of wires and cables exposed. I prefer them hidden if at all possible, but if there was a ridiculous difference in price I could consider anything.

    Any decent installer could wire your home without actually exposing any cables. It is very easy to drill up through wall plates, has this house been built within the last 40 years?


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    #9
    kub
    Registered Users Posts: 6,546 ✭✭✭kub


    KoolKid wrote: »
    When you say 15 windows, do you mean 15 openings.?
    If there are numerous openings on each frame it may be cheaper to wire out of the wireless contacts to some wired ones. This would help in reducing the cost of devices. Siemens & Visonic devices are also cheaper than HKC when it comes to wireless.
    For self monitoring you could use GSM or any VOIP provider that gives you an analogue line out.

    Do Siemens/ Visonic do shock sensors which wired contacts can be connected to?


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    #10
    KoolKid
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 24,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭KoolKid


    The contacts can, not the shocks.


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    #11
    moonski
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭moonski


    kub wrote: »
    Any decent installer could wire your home without actually exposing any cables. It is very easy to drill up through wall plates, has this house been built within the last 40 years?
    The house was built in the 90's afaik. If it could be done neatly I would be all for a wired solution, but I can imagine the handiest option would be wireless. I might ring some people next week for quotes and see what they say when they see the place. The alarm might cost more than the house contents are worth. :o


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