Security Alarm. Which one?

stevemcol

Hi

Any opinions on the best fully wired security alarm panels and sensors?
Basic home system with two or three of PIRs, mag switches and a couple of smoke detectors.
Looking for value for money (quality, relaibility) rather than bargain basement.

Any help welcome.

Thanks

Pie123

YAle do them in the argos catalogue

bcl999

I have Yale systems and would recommend them but they are wireless. I have no experience with a fully wired system - sorry.

timbim_2

Make sure you get the 3-part sensors, the single part ones can be set off by a spider. Not fun at two in the morning.

bookduck

ask you insurance provider as they may slice a chunk off your premium for the correct type

tweeter

A decent hard-wired system will cost in the region of £600-£700, plus an annual servicing fee of approx £60 (more if you have home monitoring). False alarms can be a nuisance - caused by various things such as insects in the sensors. DIY and wire-free systems are notoriously unreliable and more prone to false alarms. Save a packet and look on the internet for a couple of convincing dummy boxes. Go for ones with a real company logo and telephone number and little flashing lights (preferably solar-powered).

GaryS

stevemcol wrote: »

Hi

Any opinions on the best fully wired security alarm panels and sensors?
Basic home system with two or three of PIRs, mag switches and a couple of smoke detectors.
Looking for value for money (quality, relaibility) rather than bargain basement.

Any help welcome.

Thanks

Ring a few alarm companies and get some quotes.

I currently have a fully wired system with 5 PIRs. Smoke alarms are separate mains powered with battery backups.
2 x CO alarms are battery powered with digital readouts.
No false alarms in 5 years. I test it and change the battery myself to save costs.

In my old house I installed a wireless system that was also fine, once again no false alarms. All worked fine during walk tests etc.

With regards to the previous comment "DIY and wire-free systems are notoriously unreliable and more prone to false alarms." it all depends on who installed it and how cheap and nasty it was.

Linbox

"With regards to the previous comment "DIY and wire-free systems are notoriously unreliable and more prone to false alarms." it all depends on who installed it and how cheap and nasty it was"
Cheep wireless alarms are totally unreliable also the better part of DIY installs fail to be reliable.While it does depend on the competence of the installer Most DIY installs will be by someone with little or no experience.

Buy a wired system from an electrical wholesaler. Do not buy from Argos/B&Q unless they are the EXACT same system. A wholesaler may be able to give you some help and info on the alarm. Argos/B&Q wont have a clue.

If you install it right you'll have many years of service from it - change the battery every 3 years without fail.

GaryS

Linbox wrote: »

"
If you install it right you'll have many years of service from it -"

Exactly what I said, my wireless system was not cheap and I installed it correctly.

Totally agree with comment about not buying from Argos etc, they will not have a clue on how to install it or how it works if you get a problem.

If you are unsure what you are doing, get a reputable alarm company in.

steeple_chaser

My advice is to go for a reputable company first of all - burglars can tell old, crap and dummy systems. Have a look at houses near to you and see who's box is outside most houses. Then go for a basic system covering your ground floor which will be sensor on front door and a PIR in hall and living room probably, you will also need one on the landing upstairs. Don't go for a monitored system, they don't get a fast time response like they used to from the police AND it takes 5mins for the call to be logged before anyone would be sent anyway, that's a waste of money as billy is on his toes by then. Your system from a good company should cost £600 - £700 max.

Whether you go for a maintenance contract is up to you. They are fairly simple systems, if you are going to put the alarm on your insurance policy to get a discount then you'll need to. I don't do either. The whole point of the alarm is to make your house less attractive to a burglar than your neighbours, that way they'll leave you alone as they walk along the road looking for somewhere to burgle... so make sure your fitted box is visible at the front and back of the house. Also look at leaving timers on when dark at this time of year and making sure garden tools are locked away. I'm in the police so unfortunately give this advice out nearly everyday (and people still don't take it!).....

sunshine54

Buy a wired system from an electrical wholesaler. Do not buy from Argos/B&Q unless they are the EXACT same system. A wholesaler may be able to give you some help and info on the alarm. Argos/B&Q wont have a clue.

My yale system from argos is great, it was £150, and can be expanded cheaply via ebay.
it comes with a yale technical helpline number if you get stuck (i did) during the install or if you get a fault they can talk you through it. i found them very helpfull
i can't think why anyone would consider ringing argos/B&Q first for technical support