Another home alarm thread ..sorry in advance

fitzparker

hoping i can get an answer,I have read through most threads and come to the conclusion (correct me if im wrong):

PW,Homesecure etc.. your basically renting the stuff from them, when contract ends and you want to change you can't take that stuff? so the €500 initally and 30-40 P/M is basically renting...

Im looking for a monitored system for a typical 3 bed house, am I best to go and get this myself (where is the first place to look), then get an installer to fit it, then call a monitoring company to monitor it for me?

is this the best process and if so, what sort of price will a decent intruder set cost and installation.

after reading previous threads it would be great for me to stay away from places like PW but the easiness of it etc is hard to stay away from a person with no clue of this industry

kub

fitzparker wrote: »

hoping i can get an answer,I have read through most threads and come to the conclusion (correct me if im wrong):

PW,Homesecure etc.. your basically renting the stuff from them, when contract ends and you want to change you can't take that stuff? so the ?500 initally and 30-40 P/M is basically renting...

Im looking for a monitored system for a typical 3 bed house, am I best to go and get this myself (where is the first place to look), then get an installer to fit it, then call a monitoring company to monitor it for me?

is this the best process and if so, what sort of price will a decent intruder set cost and installation.

after reading previous threads it would be great for me to stay away from places like PW but the easiness of it etc is hard to stay away from a person with no clue of this industry

You have nothing to apologise for, as always we are only too happy to help rather than someone walking into a contract with a company with big bucks and the best of legal advice on their side.

Originally all companies used to specify and install equipment, you the householder would pay for the labour and equipment and this equipment became yours as you paid for it, simple as that.
However some clever marketing came to the fore and people thought they were getting great deals without doing what you did, some research.

Most companies out there will still install systems that you pay for there and then so the equipment is yours. If for whatever reason you have a disagreement with the installation / service company then you can call another in to look after your system.
Obviously if you are paying for the installation and the equipment then it will cost more than these 'bargains' out there.

I would suggest that you talk with relatives / friends etc and see would they recommend anyone, of course there is always the PSA register of installers to go too.
We recommend that you get at least 3 written quotations.

I hope i have helped you there, let me know if you need to know anything further.

fitzparker

Thanks Kub, huge help!

Yes I used PSA register and mailed 8 -10 companies in my area. one has got back already with a quote of €800 and €12.50 P/M monitoring.. but confirmed everything I get is mine and there is no contract. so simply taking an hour out of the day to look has already opened my mind from PW etc..

does it matter what "brand" of system it is? with most i'm sure it comes with 1 year warranty anyway, but are there brands I should avoid or pay extra for if applicable?

kub

fitzparker wrote: »

Thanks Kub, huge help!

Yes I used PSA register and mailed 8 -10 companies in my area. one has got back already with a quote of ?800 and ?12.50 P/M monitoring.. but confirmed everything I get is mine and there is no contract. so simply taking an hour out of the day to look has already opened my mind from PW etc..

does it matter what "brand" of system it is? with most i'm sure it comes with 1 year warranty anyway, but are there brands I should avoid or pay extra for if applicable?

Good question, your best bet here is to make sure that you are not technically locked into any provider. There are a few installers out there who like to lock their customers in so they stay as their customers.

Just to mention 2 manufacturers; HKC tick all the boxes, Vanderbilt tick a lot of them, these would be my top recommendations.
Also check with them to see can you just pay your monitoring company in one go, per annum.

KoolKid

+1 on Kubs advice . get 3 quotations and get everything in writing.
Find out that you are buying the system , not renting. Find out if the equipment is locked down to the installer. Get this in writing. Some will pretend to look confused here & not know what you mean.
Also get in writing if there are any annual or monthly charges you are going to be tied to & what they include.
If you are getting Apps and/or remote access what are the charges & are you going to be tied to these for life.Are there SIM card charges.
(I was out with a customer recently who had maintenance & monitoring on his contract & was still asked to pay a call out & asked to supply & top up his own sim card for monitoring.):eek:
What does service /maintenance/monitoring charges cover? Some include all calls, some include none ,some include one or 2. Having to pay a call out because something is wrong will soon eat up the saving you made shopping around.
My recommendations for systems would be Vanderbilt and GSD.
If you are looking at IP/Apps take a look at the sticky here. It may well save you some more money.

altor

fitzparker wrote: »

Thanks Kub, huge help!

Yes I used PSA register and mailed 8 -10 companies in my area. one has got back already with a quote of €800 and €12.50 P/M monitoring.. but confirmed everything I get is mine and there is no contract. so simply taking an hour out of the day to look has already opened my mind from PW etc..

does it matter what "brand" of system it is? with most i'm sure it comes with 1 year warranty anyway, but are there brands I should avoid or pay extra for if applicable?

Good they got back to you.
Some systems are locked to installation companys so Id be aware of what you are getting and make sure you get everything in writing.
So many people come on here after signing the deal so you are one step ahead.

fitzparker

Thanks for the advice all, i'm currently waiting on other companies to get back and then seeing what option to go with.

with regards getting it monitored etc, is their anything i should ask for etc or is it all the same?

also I know its each to their own, but with the security that's fitted, is anything a necessity to have or anything you would definitely recommend having installed?

KoolKid

With regard to monitoring and maintenance ask what call outs are covered. A good contract will cover all calls. Some others limit it to one or two calls.

altor

fitzparker wrote: »

Thanks for the advice all, i'm currently waiting on other companies to get back and then seeing what option to go with.

You are always best advised to get a few quotes and compare like with like.

fitzparker wrote: »

with regards getting it monitored etc, is their anything i should ask for etc or is it all the same?

Mostly what is covered, callouts for repairs.

fitzparker wrote: »

also I know its each to their own, but with the security that's fitted, is anything a necessity to have or anything you would definitely recommend having installed?

Perimeter protection of your home is the most important, backed up by one or two PIRs.