Toad AI606 - still the alarm to go for?

Lum · 2 May 2010 at 21:32

I've just acquired some money courtesy of the Inland Revenue, so I figure it's time to spend some of it on the Ceffy and a decent alarm / immobiliser seems to be the most sensible thing to do.

Last time I researched alarms everyone was fapping over the AI606, is this still the one to go for?

What I want

- An alarm that isn't going to chirp constantly every time a cat farts near my car. I used to have a Clifford Concept 650 and this was a constant pain in the arse. I'd rather not have a proximity sensor at all to be honest
- Thatcham approval, duh, if I'm going to spend money then hopefully I can get some back in isurance savings
- Remote central locking and remote boot release. The boot release on my car is already electronic (I think) so this shouldn't be too hard to do.

Bonus features that would be nice to have

- The ability to program other fobs into the alarm. When me and my GF both had Cliffords I was able to program a spare button on my fob to lock/unlock her car and vice versa, which was nice as it meant we didn't have to both carry two alarm fobs.
- Remote starter. Yes I'm aware of the laws surrounding this, it's legal for me to remote start the car so long as I'm less than a meter away from the car, so I can easily start it up while I scrape the ice off and shovel the snow out of my driveway

Even more bonus points if anyone can recommend a competent fitter in the Valleys/Newport/Cardiff area as I'm sure half the problems I've had with Cliffords have been due to lazy and incompetent alarm fitters. I was pondering getting them to install my audio kit too as I'm lazy.

agw_01 · 3 May 2010 at 00:25

I've just finished installing an Ai606 into my car and apart from making a booboo and damaging the alarm unit, I'm well impressed.

The Toad doesn't come with exterior protection/pre-warn as standard so you won't have to worry about it chirping whenever there's a slight gale. Plenty of add on modules (I went for the tilt sensor and total closure) though so you can spec yourself a nice alarm system.

Of course, the alarm is only as good as the installer. I've seen some right bodge jobs when it comes to 'professionally' installed alarms... so do a good job and keep everything out of sight and it'll be pretty much unbeatable.

The Toad's siren is very very very loud and even has an output for an additional siren. I'm tempted to link it to my air horn for a bit of fun

The Toad can do remote CL and BR straight out of the box. Also comes with two timed outputs for things like total closure and what are they called... courtesy headlights?

Adding further keyfobs can be done but I'm not 100% on the remote starter function. It may cover it in the installation manual but I probably skipped past it.

It's taken me almost 3 days to install mine but it's a nice unit with plenty of features.

Lum · 3 May 2010 at 00:30

Sounds good. I forgot to add separate lock and unlock buttons to my list of requirements, but looking at the manual for the toad it appears that it does that anyway. I also don't want some ridiculously bright blue LED ala Clifford. That thing used to keep waking me up when I needed a few hours sleep in a motorway services car park. Ended up soldering a resistor into the wire for the damn thing, which probably invalidated the thatcham approval or something stupid.

agw_01 · 3 May 2010 at 00:45

haha, I know what you mean. Way to shout... "LOOK AT ME, I'M AN ALARM"

The Ai606 has a tri-colour LED; red, orange and green which isn't any brighter than the standard alarm LED in my car. It's bright enough to be seen during the day yet not over powering in the dark.

Liverpool-Lad · 3 May 2010 at 01:45

Have had this on my Capri for a year and a half without troubles.

Lum · 3 May 2010 at 03:27

You managed to keep hold of a Capri, in Liverpool, for a year an a half. They must be a good alarm

sovietspybob · 3 May 2010 at 10:49

I've got one of these fitted to my Teg and its been very good. As has been said you can buy the addons for everything you want to do, i'd defiantly buy one again if i changed cars.

Joshy · 3 May 2010 at 11:44

How difficult are one of these to wire in? I remember that I used to work with an alarm fitter a few years back and as an expert he managed to get installs done within 4-5 hours, so how much do I have to add on to this with me being a n00b and completely forgetting everything that he taught me?

Are functions like sensitivity all user programmable?

agw_01 · 3 May 2010 at 12:12

Fairly easy as long as you know the locations of the power feeds and door/bonnet switches. Things like central locking and electric windows can be a little more taxing but definitely do-able if you have wiring diagrams handy.

The most time consuming thing is hiding the wires and control unit. There's no point in installing a CAT1 alarm if the wiring can be compromised by a thief.

Sensitivity is changed by a potentiometer on the control unit, other functions are controlled by power cycling the ignition and pressing key fob buttons in a certain order.

Dogbreath · 3 May 2010 at 12:33

Lum said:
- Remote starter. Yes I'm aware of the laws surrounding this, it's legal for me to remote start the car so long as I'm less than a meter away from the car, so I can easily start it up while I scrape the ice off and shovel the snow out of my driveway

Where does this 1 meter clause exist in law? I've never heard of it, and I don't see any recent amendments to the RTA to cover this.

Durzel · 3 May 2010 at 12:38

I've not heard of that 1 metre rule either, though I am aware of it being illegal to leave a car running unattended...

RTA said:
The Road Traffic (Construction and use) Regulations 1986;

Regulation 98; the driver of a vehicle shall, when the vehicle in stationary, stop the action of any machinery attached to or forming part of the vehicle so far as may be necessary for the prevention of noise or of exhaust emissions.

Regulation 107; no person shall leave, or cause or permit to be left, on a road a motor vehicle which is not attended by a person licensed to drive it unless the engine is stopped and any parking brake with which the vehicle is required to be equipped is effectively set.

I quite like the cornea-burning blue LED on my Viper alarm (same manufacturer as Clifford - DEI), I'd rather people see it and not bother putting the windows in. Then again I don't often (ever?) sleep in my car.

Lum · 3 May 2010 at 13:09

Durzel said:
I quite like the cornea-burning blue LED on my Viper alarm (same manufacturer as Clifford - DEI), I'd rather people see it and not bother putting the windows in. Then again I don't often (ever?) sleep in my car.

Except that design of LED is unique to the Clifford based alarms. Newer Cliffords take it one step further and have a giant electroluminiscent blue flashing Clifford logo in the windscreen. Way to advertise exactly what type of alarm you have so that the thief can go straight to any known vulnerabilities in that alarm.

A generic red LED could be anything.

As for the one meter rule, I heard it ages ago. I think it's case law after someone argued that as they were never more than a meter away from the car then it wasn't unattended for the purposes of that bit of RTA.

It could, of course, also be complete ******** as a lot of stuff you hear on the internet is.