New alarm installation with no contract and self monitoring

Jellybean73

Hi everyone,

Moved house and inherited an old eircom phone watch alarm. It's not in contract with phonewatch. Wanted it serviced and Phonewatch said €200 just for call out, coz we're not in contract. So obviously we aren't going to bother but is there any other company that can service that type of alarm considering its not in contract with Phonewatch?

More importantly, we want to replace that alarm soon with a new alarm system, either wireless or hybrid alarm. We don't want a contract and we don't want monitoring. We want self monitoring and ideally a touchscreen smart panel that has connectivity to add lights, smart plugs, etc.

Its a typical 4 bed semi and garage conversion.

Problem is that I have been hunting around to try and find a company that can do that, but its almost impossible to find without monthly monitoring contracts tying you in for 3 years. Can anyone PM me with any info regarding companies that could do this? i.e. Just installation, no service contract, no monitoring and a free app. We may need 7 shock sensors, approx 4 sensors, 5 pir motions sensors, 1 outdoor video camera.

So if anyone can suggest a few companies, I'd be grateful. Cannot find one myself.

Cheers

bk

Well if you wanted you could Do It Yourself. Yale Sync and Honeywell Evohome * are examples of smart alarm systems that you install yourself and tick most of those boxes.

They aren't perfect, but then nothing is.

If you want a professional installed system then Siemens Vanderbilt would be the only one without any subs, while having self monitoring.

I'd keep the Smart Home side of things separate from the alarm. You should check out the Home Automation forum here on boards, where smart lighting, plugs, touchscreens, voice assistants, etc. get discussed. Most of the alarm systems have relatively poor integration with modern smart home tech. Though there are signs that things are slowly improving (e.g. Yale Sync).

As always, I'd recommend that you don't include your alarm in your home insurance.

* Strictly speaking, Honeywell charge €20 per year to top up the sim card after the initial two years, but that is a pretty fair price IMO.

KoolKid

You have to ignore the big monitoring companies like Phone Watch , Home Secure & Network etc.
They want to tie you into long term contracts, that is why the initial outlay is so cheap. But these will be the most expensive in the long term.

If a nice touchscreen is a must then Siemens Vanderbilt is your best bet.
Otherwise GSD would also be a good option without getting tied to annual subscriptions.
Some massive differences between polling times between them so its well worth looking at the sticky here.
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057394782

Jellybean73

bk wrote: »

Well if you wanted you could Do It Yourself. Yale Sync and Honeywell Evohome * are examples of smart alarm systems that you install yourself and tick most of those boxes.

They aren't perfect, but then nothing is.

If you want a professional installed system then Siemens Vanderbilt would be the only one without any subs, while having self monitoring.

I'd keep the Smart Home side of things separate from the alarm. You should check out the Home Automation forum here on boards, where smart lighting, plugs, touchscreens, voice assistants, etc. get discussed. Most of the alarm systems have relatively poor integration with modern smart home tech. Though there are signs that things are slowly improving (e.g. Yale Sync).

As always, I'd recommend that you don't include your alarm in your home insurance.

* Strictly speaking, Honeywell charge €20 per year to top up the sim card after the initial two years, but that is a pretty fair price IMO.

Thanks BK for your reply.

Wouldn’t a DIY kit from Yale or Honeywell affect insurance policies? Could you explain what you mean when you say ‘don’t include your alarm in your home insurance’

The Siemens Vanderbilt looks like the best option. Is it capable for wireless contacts, shock sensors, etc?

Again I’m struggling to find someone who would just do installation without all the extras such as monitoring contracts, etc. It’s becoming a money racket and I’d like to be able to ‘choose’ who services the alarm in the future as opposed to be tied to one company.

If anyone could PM me with a couple of suggestions of companies?

Thanks again BK. I’ll keep in mind Re separating home automation and alarm.

daheff

im guessing hes saying don't tell insurance because if you are robbed & havent turned on the alarm then insurance will use that as an excuse not to pay out

salmocab

daheff wrote: »

im guessing hes saying don't tell insurance because if you are robbed & havent turned on the alarm then insurance will use that as an excuse not to pay out

I would take it more as unless it’s professionally installed and certified then as far as the insurance company are concerned you don’t have an alarm. Could be wrong though.

bk

daheff wrote: »

im guessing hes saying don't tell insurance because if you are robbed & havent turned on the alarm then insurance will use that as an excuse not to pay out

salmocab wrote: »

I would take it more as unless it’s professionally installed and certified then as far as the insurance company are concerned you don’t have an alarm. Could be wrong though.

You are both correct. A DIY system shouldn't be covered under home insurance as it isn't a certified system and not installed and maintained by a PSA certified installer as required by most home insurance if you want the alarm discount.

However even if you do have a certified and professionally installed system, I still don't recommend including it on insurance, because if you forget to turn on your alarm and don't get it regularly maintained, then you risk the insurance company not paying out as you have given them an excuse.

For the sake of 10% saving on home insurance, it just isn't worth it IMO. And in my experience, just shopping around for insurance or even threatening to do so will get you the same discount anyway without needing to include the alarm, win win.

Jellybean73 wrote: »

The Siemens Vanderbilt looks like the best option. Is it capable for wireless contacts, shock sensors, etc?

Yes, it looks like a very good system, with lots of nice options and if you want to hack a bit you can even do some Home Automation integration with it I think.

Yes, it supports contacts, shock sensors and all the usual wired and wireless devices.

Jellybean73 wrote: »

Again I’m struggling to find someone who would just do installation without all the extras such as monitoring contracts, etc. It’s becoming a money racket and I’d like to be able to ‘choose’ who services the alarm in the future as opposed to be tied to one company.

Yes, that is increasingly becoming a problem. Everyone wants to push you into subs, etc.

It is why I gave up and went the Yale/DIY route. Plus the knowledge that this area will be very much disrupted over the next few years as modern smart alarm systems hit the market. So I went with Yale as a cheap, temporary solution for a few years. It is ok, it has it pros and cons.

Perhaps contact Vanderbilt and they can give you a list of installers in your area that do their system. Don't forget to get 2 or 3 quotes if you can.

Jellybean73

bk wrote: »

You are both correct. A DIY system shouldn't be covered under home insurance as it isn't a certified system and not installed and maintained by a PSA certified installer as required by most home insurance if you want the alarm discount.

However even if you do have a certified and professionally installed system, I still don't recommend including it on insurance, because if you forget to turn on your alarm and don't get it regularly maintained, then you risk the insurance company not paying out as you have given them an excuse.

For the sake of 10% saving on home insurance, it just isn't worth it IMO. And in my experience, just shopping around for insurance or even threatening to do so will get you the same discount anyway without needing to include the alarm, win win.



Yes, it looks like a very good system, with lots of nice options and if you want to hack a bit you can even do some Home Automation integration with it I think.

Yes, it supports contacts, shock sensors and all the usual wired and wireless devices.



Yes, that is increasingly becoming a problem. Everyone wants to push you into subs, etc.

It is why I gave up and went the Yale/DIY route. Plus the knowledge that this area will be very much disrupted over the next few years as modern smart alarm systems hit the market. So I went with Yale as a cheap, temporary solution for a few years. It is ok, it has it pros and cons.

Perhaps contact Vanderbilt and they can give you a list of installers in your area that do their system. Don't forget to get 2 or 3 quotes if you can.

I’m tempted to just get the existing alarm serviced so to keep us ticking over till the new smart alarms come in..... It’d be really annoying if we put a whole new alarm system in and then a few months later there’s an explosion of new smart alarms on the market.

Has anyone experience with 2Gig products? Anyone installing them in Ireland? Anyone know possible timeline for new smart products coming on the market and professionally installed?

Thanks for all the great advice!!

Jellybean73

Forgot to ask does the Siemens/Vanderbilt have sim and WiFi in the panel? Do they supply sim or do we have to? And if we have to supply sim, any suggestions re purchasing?

And what kind of video cameras (not stills) can be connected to it?

Jellybean73

KoolKid wrote: »

You have to ignore the big monitoring companies like Phone Watch , Home Secure & Network etc.
They want to tie you into long term contracts, that is why the initial outlay is so cheap. But these will be the most expensive in the long term.

If a nice touchscreen is a must then Siemens Vanderbilt is your best bet.
Otherwise GSD would also be a good option without getting tied to annual subscriptions.
Some massive differences between polling times between them so its well worth looking at the sticky here.
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057394782

Thanks Koolkid. Went through the sticky re pros and cons. Siemens/Vanderbilt coming out top for me....I think..... only concern re shock sensors.....can they be connected to this system?

bk

Jellybean73 wrote: »

I’m tempted to just get the existing alarm serviced so to keep us ticking over till the new smart alarms come in..... It’d be really annoying if we put a whole new alarm system in and then a few months later there’s an explosion of new smart alarms on the market.

Yes, that is where I ended up. I've an old HKC system but not happy to spend close to €1000 get a new system when I feel things are going to change quickly over the next 2 or 3 years.

I ended up getting the Yale system on sale for cheap as a stop gap and I'm happy enough with it in that sense, it will do me until things mature. And it has some cool home automation features with Hue lights.

Jellybean73 wrote: »

And what kind of video cameras (not stills) can be connected to it?

Siemens has a range of their own cameras.

But you could aslo consider keeping the cameras separate from the alarm system and going for IP cameras instead. The likes of Nest, Yi Cameras, etc.

That is the route I took with a couple of Yi Cameras and Logitech Circle cameras. There are pros and cons between integrating and not integrating.

bk

BTW I think https://smartzone.ie use 2gig gear for their systems if you are interested in that product.

You should double check, but I think it definitely involves subscriptions, etc.

KoolKid

Jellybean73 wrote: »

Forgot to ask does the Siemens/Vanderbilt have sim and WiFi in the panel? Do they supply sim or do we have to? And if we have to supply sim, any suggestions re purchasing?

Siemens/Vanderbilt have hardwired Ethernet connection, you can use power-line adapters or WiFi adapters if a connection is not easy.
For a SIM backup toy need to add their GSM Modem.

Jellybean73 wrote: »

Thanks Koolkid. Went through the sticky re pros and cons. Siemens/Vanderbilt coming out top for me....I think..... only concern re shock sensors.....can they be connected to this system?

Hardwired sensors are fine. The panel inputs are analysed . Its just there is no wireless option for sensors unless you use 3rd party devices and receivers.

Jellybean73

KoolKid wrote: »

Siemens/Vanderbilt have hardwired Ethernet connection, you can use power-line adapters or WiFi adapters if a connection is not easy.
For a SIM backup toy need to add their GSM Modem.





Hardwired sensors are fine. The panel inputs are analysed . Its just there is no wireless option for sensors unless you use 3rd party devices and receivers.

Regarding 3rd party devices and receivers for wireless sensors, what would you recommend?

KoolKid

UTC or Risco

Jmac2999

Jellybean73 wrote: »

I’m tempted to just get the existing alarm serviced so to keep us ticking over till the new smart alarms come in..... It’d be really annoying if we put a whole new alarm system in and then a few months later there’s an explosion of new smart alarms on the market.

Has anyone experience with 2Gig products? Anyone installing them in Ireland? Anyone know possible timeline for new smart products coming on the market and professionally installed?

Thanks for all the great advice!!

check out GoKonnect smart home security they do full Smart home security & Smart home automation with installation without monitoring contracts contact them and they give you the options of self monitoring

Jmac2999

Jellybean73 wrote: »

I’m tempted to just get the existing alarm serviced so to keep us ticking over till the new smart alarms come in..... It’d be really annoying if we put a whole new alarm system in and then a few months later there’s an explosion of new smart alarms on the market.

Has anyone experience with 2Gig products? Anyone installing them in Ireland? Anyone know possible timeline for new smart products coming on the market and professionally installed?

Thanks for all the great advice!!

check out GoKonnect smart home security they do full Smart home security & Smart home automation with installation without monitoring contracts contact them and they give you the options of self monitoring

Jellybean73

Thanks Koolkid.

Jellybean73

Thanks Jmac2999. I'll check them out. Didn't come across these before....