considering installing phonewatch

bertsmom

Hi I live alone in a 4 bed semi. I work evenings and last Thursday night when I came home I seen that someone had knocked my bins and used them to climb over the garden gate. A large fence post was uprooted and thrown by the back double doors however here is where I think my dog went mental and frightened them off. Slobber all over the inside of the door.
I am now considering getting a monitored alarm as I'm just a bit afraid now and not sleeping too well.
I see from reading posts a lot of complaints regarding mis selling of these alarms that after a 12 month contract the are useless as a stand alone set and go type. My question is are they a good investment if you are prepared to carry on paying for the monitoring ? And also if anyone could give me a ballpark figure for what to expect to pay for installation and monthly for a 4 bed semi. Thanks

KoolKid

Read some more of the posts around here if the mis selling and lies are not enough to convince you.
You will pay €599, €499 or what ever the latest offer is to buy nothing. That is just the installation fee for about 40 minutes work.
If an electrician or a plumber charged that for a call you would feel very hard done by wouldn't you?
After that you are paying for an alarm that will only activate AFTER someone has got into your house.
As there are all motion sensors you will get little or no protection while you are in the house.
Are you also happy with cameras in each of these motion detectors which are viewable in the control room?

Shop around and get a decent system with full perimeter protection.

bertsmom

Thanks for taking the time to reply Koolkid. I did read further into phonewatch here on boards and also an article from a while back that came up in Google and I have decided not to go with them. The idea of cameras in the house that can be accessed by strangers in the phonewatch monitoring centre made me very uncomfortable and also the price after comparisons did seem very expensive.
I have decided to go with a company called Homesecure. The installation is significantly cheaper €99 and monthly is €40. Contract for 3 yrs and im happy enough with this. Many thanks for the help

Drifter50

bertsmom wrote: »

Thanks for taking the time to reply Koolkid. I did read further into phonewatch here on boards and also an article from a while back that came up in Google and I have decided not to go with them. The idea of cameras in the house that can be accessed by strangers in the phonewatch monitoring centre made me very uncomfortable and also the price after comparisons did seem very expensive.
I have decided to go with a company called Homesecure. The installation is significantly cheaper €99 and monthly is €40. Contract for 3 yrs and im happy enough with this. Many thanks for the help

Be careful what you are going with here. The Homesecure systems are operated by former Phonewatch employees who are simply using the PW model to market under a different name and I would expect you are going to get motion sensors in your rooms at that price. Step back a moment and do some research on a perimeter based alarm system where at least the alarm will activate before the intruder is in your home

HKC are the go to products and most certified installers can help you.

KoolKid

You have done your research but you are going with a company with the same business model.
You are still getting yourself tied into a locked down system that no one else can go near for you.
Again this will probably be a system based on motion detectors that will only activated after you are broken into.
As long as your decision making is based on the initial costs you are going to keep getting sucked into systems like this.
Buying a good system outright and having the ability to shop around for the best moniting on an ongoing basis will be cheapest in the long run. It will also give you much higher levels of protection as opposed to companies only interested in ongoing revenue from you.

bk

KoolKid wrote: »

After that you are paying for an alarm that will only activate AFTER someone has got into your house.

This seems to be no longer true, as posted in another thread, PW now seem to offer shock sensors on windows.

Not saying that the OP should go with PW. But I do think we should be accurate in what they now offer, which seems to be much the same as HKC.

bertsmom, you can still get either self monitoring or remote monitoring from an independently installed system, while costing a lot less in ongoing fees and actually owning the equipment. Though do expect to pay more for a HKC system upfront, probably closer to €1000 depending on what you go for.

I'd recommend getting quotes from 3 installers to get the best deal. You can also get quotes from PW and Homesecure if you like. They should all actually come to your home and do an actual survey on what is needed for your home and quote you based on that, not just over the phone.

BTW given that you have a dog (actually the best security to have) you will want to get a system with Pet immune motion sensors.

In terms of ongoing costs, think about it carefully. Monitoring costs:
- Phonewatch €35 per month, €420 year
- HKC self monitored, €70 per year *
- HKC remotely monitored, €180 per year *

* Note these can differ slightly depending on what company you go with. Which is why it is important to get multiple quotes.

So over 10 years, including install costs, ignoring price increases which are likely:
- Phonewatch €500 + €4200 = €4,700
- HKC self monitored €1000 + €700 = €1,700
- HKC remote monitored €1000 + €700 + €1800 = €3,500

And note for the HKC systems you actually own the system, so you can cancel the above monitoring at any time and continue to use it as a standard alarm or even move the remote monitoring to a different company. You aren't trapped with a useless system if you change your mind.

KoolKid

You can add perimeter protection to PW systems. It was the case that the monthly subscription went up for every extra device. Not sure if this is still the case, but I'd definitely recommend checking out the T and Cs.
It's also important to point out that it's the installation company that determines whether you own the equipment or not, not the Manufacturers.
Company A could install a new HKC system for you under a rental agreement while company B could be selling you the system outright and you own it outright.
If you are looking at apps also important to point out that HKC insist on ongoing subscriptions. Other manufacturers like Risco, GSD, Siemens Vanderbilt etc offer free apps with free usage over IP. There are also cheaper options available for GSM back up.
Again as always shop around.

bk

KoolKid wrote: »

You can add perimeter protection to PW systems. It was the case that the monthly subscription went up for every extra device. Not sure if this is still the case, but I'd definitely recommend checking out the T and Cs.

That doesn't make any sense, the number of devices you have should have no effect on the monitoring sub costs.

Of course more devices will likely increase the up front cost (from €500). Unless they keep the upfront cost the same and add the cost of the extra devices to the subscription, I suppose that is possible and maybe you can go with either options.

That is why if your interested, it is important to get a survey, discuss your needs with the installer and get a detailed quote. And best to do that with multiple companies.

KoolKid

It makes sense to PW if there is more income in it. Likewise the number of devices shouldn't increase the cost as you are only renting the equipment. €400-€500 is a nice mark up for an hours work for a fitter.
I'd agree the customer should be getting a detailed survey from a few licenced installers.

bk

KoolKid wrote: »

It makes sense to PW if there is more income in it. Likewise the number of devices shouldn't increase the cost as you are only renting the equipment. €400-€500 is a nice mark up for an hours work for a fitter.
I'd agree the customer should be getting a detailed survey from a few licenced installers.

Though I'm not sure they are actually doing that. The person on the other thread with Phonewatch and shock sensors seemed to be paying the normal sub, though I think he paid more up front.

KoolKid

They definitely have been Different deals depending on what people will pay it seems.

bertsmom

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I really do appreciate it. I totally get what ye are saying regarding spend a little more at the beginning and you can pay less monthly however with everything that I have going on at the moment I am going to stick with homesecure.ie.
I have a massive on going vet bill for my dog and that comes first. I live alone with him so he is my everything and my main priority however since the attempted break in I've barely slept so I do need an alarm system and the homesecure one is the most economical for me at the minute. I work full time in a secure job so the monthly instalments will be ok but a larger initial payment would be out of the question for me right now.
Thanks again for the advice

KoolKid

Out of the oven and into the fire. 🀣