Smart home security - Recommendations?

[eviled]

I’ve got a Texecom with SmartCom but opted for an all wired setup. I have a Klaxxon Master blaster wired internally, if 2 zones trigger it goes off, basically a sonic weapon
Also half decent Hikvison CCTV, and laminated glass to the rear of the property, security lights, good locks and beefed up hinges/door frames.

(All this after I was burgled )

 

[Biz.Kid09]

Anyone know anything bout the Simplisafe setups?

Starting to price out 'smart' tech for when I move into my house and security is the first thing I am looking at doing. A standard 3 bed really, a main front door and a back door with no garage. Just trying to work out if the individual sensors you can put on the windows are worth it or just go motion sensors in the main rooms.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I just installed the Yale Sync Smart Home Alarm Yesterday.

I bought some mammoth double sided sticky tape off amazon. Nothing required drilling any holes internally. I just stuck everything to walls.

The only thing that requires drilling is external and the siren. Which is easy enough to do into mortar (avoid bricks). Make sure it's high up out of reach (large ladder).

I reckon you could install the full system yourself in under an hour. I am even thinking of expanding it to the point I even have PIR sensors upstairs. So if someone breaks in through an upstairs window and then was to leave without going downstairs the alarm would still go off.

Most people only ever put sensors downstairs.

 

[Skiddley]

I've got a Texecom system too. I'd focus on physical security first. Gates, locks, doors, privacy.

 

[Cottee]

Anyone know anything bout the Simplisafe setups?

Starting to price out 'smart' tech for when I move into my house and security is the first thing I am looking at doing. A standard 3 bed really, a main front door and a back door with no garage. Just trying to work out if the individual sensors you can put on the windows are worth it or just go motion sensors in the main rooms.

I have a SimpliSafe alarm and love it, very easy to set up. I have a combination of motion sensors and the door and window sensors. I have the door and window sensors in my hall and kitchen so the kids can get a drink in the night with the alarm on, every where else has motion sensors. Best alarm I have ever owned to be honest.

 

[Biz.Kid09]

I have a SimpliSafe alarm and love it, very easy to set up. I have a combination of motion sensors and the door and window sensors. I have the door and window sensors in my hall and kitchen so the kids can get a drink in the night with the alarm on, every where else has motion sensors. Best alarm I have ever owned to be honest.

Good to hear, it does look to do what I need. Out of interest did you buy one of their kits or just put together your own?

 

[Semple]

I have a SimpliSafe alarm and love it, very easy to set up. I have a combination of motion sensors and the door and window sensors. I have the door and window sensors in my hall and kitchen so the kids can get a drink in the night with the alarm on, every where else has motion sensors. Best alarm I have ever owned to be honest.

Are you paying for their monitoring subscription, or "going it alone".

The basic one seems to be 24/7 live alarm monitoring, cellular connection, and environmental monitoring. So if there's a break-in, the only thing they'll do is call your named contacts, being a smart alarm, shouldn't this all happen automatically anyway? I can understand with the environmental monitoring perhaps, but again, i would have expected the app to notify you of an issue.

 

[theone8181]

yale ones come with jamming protection

I'd love to know how that works, surely if you have a phone jammer (which I think might be quite hard to get hold of in the country, but still a possibility) I thought they would just spew out rf everywhere and interfere with everything. Not sure how you can protect against that, other than having aissice signal strength to start with.

 

[nutsnut]

I've just installed an Arlo Pro (4 cameras), with a back up 4g router all attached to my UPS.

Currently looking into some wireless alarm/door sensors/window sensors.

I also have a large dog that doesn't like strangers

 

[Cottee]

Good to hear, it does look to do what I need. Out of interest did you buy one of their kits or just put together your own?

I put my own together with 20% off.

 

[Cottee]

Are you paying for their monitoring subscription, or "going it alone".

The basic one seems to be 24/7 live alarm monitoring, cellular connection, and environmental monitoring. So if there's a break-in, the only thing they'll do is call your named contacts, being a smart alarm, shouldn't this all happen automatically anyway? I can understand with the environmental monitoring perhaps, but again, i would have expected the app to notify you of an issue.

I pay the £20 a month subscription fee at the moment, but it might be a waste of money for me as my house is rarely empty.
When you compare the cost with other monitoring systems it’s a bargain, and there’s no subscription time either. That being said I’ve not had to use it yet but does give me an extra piece of mind.

 

[Semple]

I'd love to know how that works, surely if you have a phone jammer (which I think might be quite hard to get hold of in the country, but still a possibility) I thought they would just spew out rf everywhere and interfere with everything. Not sure how you can protect against that, other than having aissice signal strength to start with.

I looked into how Simplisafe protects against jamming, and it's not as clever as you might think. Essentially they look out for any RF jamming, and if it suspects there is jamming going on, then you get notified on the app, and then it's up to you whether to trigger the alarm or not. So it doesn't quite protect from jamming, someone could still easily jam the unit. I'd suspect the Yale smart alarm systems work in exactly the same way.

 

[theone8181]

I looked into how Simplisafe protects against jamming, and it's not as clever as you might think. Essentially they look out for any RF jamming, and if it suspects there is jamming going on, then you get notified on the app, and then it's up to you whether to trigger the alarm or not. So it doesn't quite protect from jamming, someone could still easily jam the unit. I'd suspect the Yale smart alarm systems work in exactly the same way.

If its wirelessly connected to the internet, hows it going to notify you if its being jammed.

 

[ShotInTheAss86]

I've just installed an Arlo Pro (4 cameras), with a back up 4g router all attached to my UPS.

Currently looking into some wireless alarm/door sensors/window sensors.

I also have a large dog that doesn't like strangers

All that to stop strangers getting close to your dog

 

[nutsnut]

All that to stop strangers getting close to your dog

It's in their own interest to stay away from my dog, hopefully the camera's and alarm deter them enough.