Home Security Alarm

Tarzion

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Hi,

I am looking to install a home security alarm and am looking for some advise.

I have gone through some of the threads and but I don't have enough enough information to make up my mind.

I got a quote from one installer for £850 for 5 sensor units wireless setup but he hasn't mentioned the brand he is going to install and at the same time I was wondering if it's easy enough to install the alarms myself. Also I would rather spend most of that money on a good unit.

Reading from all the threads the wireless units seem to be the way to go for and I am looking for brands which are reliable (no false alarms), can be extended and also smart if possible (i.e. remote reset etc).

I also need advise on placing the sensors (whether they need to be discreet) and also the control panel.

Initially I looked at the Yale ones but it seems they are cheaper for a reason.

Do you also need a external bell and do any of these units come with one (excluding yale)?

Any help / advise would help make up my mind.
 
Last edited:
Hi,

I am looking to install a home security alarm and am looking for some advise.

I have gone through some of the threads and but I don't have enough enough information to make up my mind.

I got a quote from one installer for £850 for 5 sensor units wireless setup but he hasn't mentioned the brand he is going to install and at the same time I was wondering if it's easy enough to install the alarms myself. Also I would rather spend most of that money on a good unit.

Reading from all the threads the wireless units seem to be the way to go for and I am looking for brands which are reliable (no false alarms), can be extended and also smart if possible (i.e. remote reset etc).

I also need advise on placing the sensors (whether they need to be discreet) and also the control panel.

Initially I looked at the Yale ones but it seems they are cheaper for a reason.

Do you also need a external bell and do any of these units come with one (excluding yale)?

Any help / advise would help make up my mind.

£850 is very expensive for a wireless system, even more so if you don't know the make.

Visonic are amongst the best wireless system (better than what my company manufacture!)

Wireless Home Security Alarm Systems, Home Security Systems | Visonic Wireless Security
 
Thanks but the link points to the controller only albeit 5 different types.

I am looking for the full kit.

Also do I need to install a dummy outside the property?
 
Visonic all day long had one for years never missed a beat, contacts you via mobile if you have a fault not sure if the later ones are smart simple and easy to use. can be had of the bay for sensible money.

As for Yale I have one here when I moved in and was playing up simply took the panel of the wall and turned it of on the switch behind no need for codes disabled in a few seconds. Tried contacting Yale but I had more chance of getting the Queen on the phone.
 
Visonic all day long had one for years never missed a beat, contacts you via mobile if you have a fault not sure if the later ones are smart simple and easy to use. can be had of the bay for sensible money.

As for Yale I have one here when I moved in and was playing up simply took the panel of the wall and turned it of on the switch behind no need for codes disabled in a few seconds. Tried contacting Yale but I had more chance of getting the Queen on the phone.

There is a tamper switch on the Yale alarm box, which needs to be activated via the control panel.

If it had been activated, you would have fell off your ladder and be partially deaf!

I've had a Yale wireless system for a few years now, and can't fault it.

4 door sensors, one on garage door 6 window sensors and 3 PIRS.

Very easy to install, and have had no issues as of yet (touch wood!).
 
We had a yale. It seemed to work fine. No false alarms and it would dial 3 phone numbers if it was activated. You could set the alarm at night and just have it use door and window sensors rather than PIR as the kids would get up and go to the toilet.

Remote control activation and deactivation. Very simple to set up.

No idea if burglars are scared of them though, but we never got burgled so it was a winner in my eyes.
 
There is a tamper switch on the Yale alarm box, which needs to be activated via the control panel.

If it had been activated, you would have fell off your ladder and be partially deaf!

I've had a Yale wireless system for a few years now, and can't fault it.

4 door sensors, one on garage door 6 window sensors and 3 PIRS.

Very easy to install, and have had no issues as of yet (touch wood!).

I am not talking about the bell box but the control panel one of the removal guys disabled it in a few seconds no sirens or any activity stone dead.
 
I am not talking about the bell box but the control panel one of the removal guys disabled it in a few seconds no sirens or any activity stone dead.

Not sure I understand the issue? Why would it do anything if the alarm is disarmed? If it was armed, a burglar would have set off the alarm before he could get to the panel.
 
There is a reason you pay an installer, some of these questions are rather elementary. An installation is more than the sum of the parts. Having an appropriate design, a maintained solution, correct locations, secure programming etc are all part of it.

What is it you want out of an alarm? Why do you need one? What do you want it to achieve? Etc....

Get a proper quote, ideally from an NSI Gold provider and the system will last and be fit for purpose.
 
I'd get another quote if I were you from another installer.

If you asked the same questions to the outfit that quoted you £850 they probably saw you coming a mile off and thought you would pay anything. Thankfully you proved them wrong and have asked for advice.

Modern alarms are a piece of cake to install yourself. They are all wireless anyway, so it's not like you have to route wires all over the house. You'd have to get power to the main unit of course but the rest should be battery powered, including the external bell siren (which you definitely want). Some external sirens may have to be mains powered, depending on the system you choose.

Ideally you want a sensor on the front and back door, patio doors if you have them, then motion sensors in the main through route and main area such as lounge for example. The way to work it out is to pretend you are a burglar and plot a route into your house. There is no need to have sensors in every room and covering every door/windows. You just need to cover the access points and main areas.

The more modern systems now have smart phone apps and allow remote enabling, plus remote notifications so you get an instant notification of an intrusion. Couple this with a internet connected camera and you can then instantly look inside the house too to see if it's real or a false alarm.
 
We have an existing wired solution (wired window vibe sensors etc) that I want to replace.

Can you guys recommend a wired solution with smart features (e.g. phone/home automation)?
 
Texecom has the best wireless technology, Ricochet.

We even use it in some cases where wiring can't be done due to building being listed.
 
Alarms are pretty easy to install. I'm using a Texecom / Veritas system. I've installed several of them over the years, just follow the installation instructions. Never used any of the wireless range myself, I usually just hardwire them to save cost.

2017-03-07-19.08.jpg


Dan.
 
Alarms are pretty easy to install. I'm using a Texecom / Veritas system. I've installed several of them over the years, just follow the installation instructions. Never used any of the wireless range myself, I usually just hardwire them to save cost.

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Dan.
Blimey, not seen those in a while, they are like an ADE (honeywell now) accenta. I fitted hundreds of them years ago. Rock solid little panels :smashin:
 
Another vote for texecom, wasn't cheap but gives us a sense of security when away from home. Can also be controlled from my iPhone
 

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Can I ask the Texecom guys here.
I've got 5 year old small system that works well.
I want to add wireless
Do I rip out the panel and get a wireless one, or should I get the wireless expander box?
 
Thanks for all the responses.

I am liking Visonic and Risco LightSYS™2 both seem to support sensors with built in cameras (I will need atleast one of those).

Does the main panel need to be installed closer to the door or can be installed out of site?

The reason I am asking is I don't think I will be able to install the main control panel with consealed wiring. I would like to keep the control panel out of site.

Also do either of units become completely useless if the main control panel is shutdown somehow?
 
Can I ask the Texecom guys here.
I've got 5 year old small system that works well.
I want to add wireless
Do I rip out the panel and get a wireless one, or should I get the wireless expander box?
Depends on your actual control panel, the texecom premier panels can take a wireless expander.
 
Thanks for all the responses.

I am liking Visonic and Risco LightSYS™2 both seem to support sensors with built in cameras (I will need atleast one of those).

Does the main panel need to be installed closer to the door or can be installed out of site?

The reason I am asking is I don't think I will be able to install the main control panel with consealed wiring. I would like to keep the control panel out of site.

Also do either of units become completely useless if the main control panel is shutdown somehow?
I didn't want ours anywhere near the front door. Ugly was the first point, but also it then would not have reach for all essential locations wirelessly. We have this close to the main entry point.

Touch-screen Keyprox MKP-160

And as it is also an rfid reader it makes enabling and disarming a doddle.
 
Thanks for all the responses.

I am liking Visonic and Risco LightSYS™2 both seem to support sensors with built in cameras (I will need atleast one of those).

Does the main panel need to be installed closer to the door or can be installed out of site?

The reason I am asking is I don't think I will be able to install the main control panel with consealed wiring. I would like to keep the control panel out of site.

Also do either of units become completely useless if the main control panel is shutdown somehow?
What do you mean by main panel? reason I ask is for the last 20 odd years, whenever I ask people where their main panel is, they always point to the keypads :D

The main panel is the brain of the system, this is normally put out the way in a cupboard etc. Ideally any access to this panel should be protected by sensors etc.
For example, if you have a cupboard with a window and place panel in there, then the window should be protected.
Many wireless system are pretty much all in one on the panel. So you'll have the keypad controls, built in sounder etc. So this can be vulnerable along with limiting it's position.
A more professional system will be partly wired, keypad, sounder and external bell cabled but all detection is wireless. This is (imo) a much better solution. Even if the panel is destroyed, the external bell will still operate for around 15 minutes (20 min max)

Now people may argue here but over the years I have taken out so many wireless system that just fall over. Go a semi professional route and you can expect the system to last many, many years.

The panels I have mentioned will normally take a 12v 7amp hour battery. This will power most small systems for over a day if the power is cut. Very few stand alone wireless systems come close to that.

I no longer touch domestic systems really, I work on huge enterprise CCTV and access control, but cut my teeth in the domestic area. I often go past countless installations that I have done over the years, all are still there really.
 
Oh and just to add, I have mentioned texecom ricochet because of how it works.
Systems will have a receiver that talks to each device point to point. So positioning is crucial.
Ricochet is not point to point, it will bounce off nearby devices and create a mesh like signal path. This ensures a much better signal.
I have fitted honeywell wireless stuff in modern houses that really struggled with signal due to all the different types of insulation etc, texecom has always proved much better.

One example was a door contact in a very nice refurbed flat, it was less than 10 feet from the receiver and signal was barely registering. The whole place was like this. We switched to texecom and all was fine.
 
I had a Visonic system fitted with 5 wireless sensors, a main panel that talks to me, rings me if the alarm has gone off and a new bell box on tye front of the house for £450.

Cannot fault it.
 
I think one has to be aware that not all Visonic systems are the same. The PowerMax range for example doesn't have the capability for two way communication with its wireless components and is often the one used diy installations. The PowerMaster does allow for two way communication with its modules so it knows exactly what is up, what the battery status is etc. And some increased security around a its protocol as well. I understand it is creating a mesh as well just like zigbee and zwave protocols do.
 

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