Spec me a... House alarm!

Wireless are a lot more prone to false alarms which is the reason why police won't issue URNs for wireless models (except one specific one iirc). URN being the police response service for confirmed monitored house alarms. Had a wired one fitted couple of months back following a break in, you'd never know it was there. Mind you I had a company come and do mine.
 
I'm no expert when it comes to intruder alarms,,,however i have fitted one or two in different properties.

I've always gone for hard wired bar once, and have found hard wired to be far more reliable. In relation to not seeing the wires, well there are floor boards, skirts and ceilings to hide and run them in, never been an issue to me.

Always the most tricky thing for me is getting a mains supply to the control panel, this would be needed if you went wireless.

Sure its ok to post, i've used this supplier for the last system i fitted, the link takes you to a basic control unit which should meet most domestic needs. In terms of spec'ing a system, its a bit like a PC, it all depends how much you want to spend. The thing to remember as well, unless the system is intalled and serviced by a registered intaller, you wont get good discount on insurance and any auto dialler cant go straight to any of the 999 service iirc.

http://www.alertelectrical.com/prod/944/scantronic-8-zone-control-panel-with-9941-rkp-english
 
Also looking at the moment, new house doesn't have an alarm.
There seems to be plenty of different kits available.

what kinda of labour costs have people been quoted/charged?
Do the annual checks have that much of an impact on insurance?
 
Insurance co's usually specify the alarm must be serviced, many insurers also specify that alarms must be set at night and when out, and your insurance will be void if you hadn't set it in case of a break in!

Wired is the way to go, but other than battery changes I haven't had any issues with wireless. If you do go the wireless route make sure that the batteries are readily available and don't cost the earth, my mum's has odd sized batteries which need to be changed every 12 months, and they cost £8 EACH!
 
~Divine~Wind~ said:
Also looking at the moment, new house doesn't have an alarm.
There seems to be plenty of different kits available.

what kinda of labour costs have people been quoted/charged?
Do the annual checks have that much of an impact on insurance?
Click to expand...

I paid £500 (haggled down from £650) for equipment and install of mine, this was for 2 PIRs, 6 window impact sensors, 1 door contact sensor and dialler unit. This was for a National Security Inspectorate (NSI) NACOSS Gold level installation which provides the highest insurance discount.

I paid an additional £200 for a year's monitoring and maintenance which hooks up the system to a 24hour monitoring station which contacts myself and 2 other keyholders if the alarm is activated. It also includes any maintenance/repairs to the system. Although the basic system offered an auto-dialler that will phone up to 4 phone numbers upon activation of the alarm, I wanted the police response option and for that it needed to be a monitored system (See below).

If you want police response you have to pay for a Unique Reference Number (URN) from your local police force. This means that if there is a confirmed alarm (2 sensors activated) the police will respond. This is a one time fee of £40.
 
Is having a monitored alarm really worth it, I understand peace of mind buy it just seems a bit of a rip of when you think that by the time the police or whatever have got there they'll be long gone anyway... Also another reason I was leaning towards a wireless system is because I can probably install that myself
 
I say go wireless

what is your budget?

Just install it yourself it would work out much cheaper and that monitoring stuff is well expensive. The best thing to do is book an appointment with ADH or an equivalent then get the advice off of them ie where to put the door catches, sensors etc and then when the person says "£900 one off and £50 a month" then you say "crickey" go out and install a wireless system yourself with all the advice you got

simples
 
Does dog with big teeth also give an insurance discount? :p

Sounds like Im gonna have to have a fitter come round for a quote.
If people dont have many issues with wireless I think /i may as well go witht hat option.
But are things like door contact and impact sensors comatible with wireless?
 
I'd agree with the dog! Depends on what system you get as to compatibility, but most wireless systems have compatible door contacts, window sensors might be a bit more specialist, and not all sensors work with all systems.

Also, some systems can be monitored by yourself over the web, so might be worth checking up on that.

If you're looking for a cheap system you can fit yourself that alerts you via phone, look at Yale or BT, both systems are designed to be installed by the homeowner, and aren't too expensive.
 
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