Burglar alarm system - any recommendations?

Gem+Dave+Kaci

We're about to move from a 1 bed flat into a 3 bed house and as the house has an alleyway at the end of the garden, we will definitly need an alarm system installed.

Can anyone recommend any cheap but decent systems?? I've seen a pretty good wireless system on the BT website but it's not exactlly cheap. It's called the BT Home Monitor VT 1000) and the deluxe set is advertised as £199.99 and includes 2 key fobs, 3 motion sensors, and a magnetic sensor. They have also got a promotion running at the moment offering a 20% discount and along with 4% back from Quidco it brings the total price down to just over £150 which seems really good for what you get.

Has anyone here got this system or has anyone heard anything about it? The reviews on the site all say it's excellent but I was wondering if there is anything similar and cheaper available as BT products don't tend to be the cheapest?

Thanks in advance!!

Reluctant_spender

What are you hoping to achieve - Is it just to make a noise and scare people aware or do you expect a Police response.

If it is the latter then there are certain conditions that must be met. Contact the Police Station and speak with the Crime Prevention / Neighbourhood Watch person. They may be able to assist.

Cheers

alanobrien

I wouldn't personally recommend wireless systems at all but take a look at the Yale systems at Homebase and the like, they seem to sell well.

Dont forget that there are other good security things you can do. If you have a fence along the alley, build it up with a weak trellis along the top. Attempting to climb over it will break it and thieves do not like noise.

Fit low energy dawn to dusk lighting and plant defensively
along the alley fence.

The most important thing is to have decent door and window locks.

The local police crime prevention unit should be able to help with more advice.

Weymouth_Man

Have you had a look at Screwfix
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101422&ts=20126&id=34004
Hope this helps, it's one I hope to get round to buying at some time. :beer:

Wickedkitten

What's wrong with wireless alarms?

ben_edwards2612

Weymouth_Man wrote:

Have you had a look at Screwfix
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101422&ts=20126&id=34004
Hope this helps, it's one I hope to get round to buying at some time. :beer:

Tried and tested this model. I do not recommend it at all. Two points: 1) It draws power from a mains outlet - so switching it off at the wall renders it dependant on a backup (small 9v type -not long) battery; removing this silences the system. 2) The siren has no auxilory power. It is dependant on the latter mentioned supply. So... intruder gains entry, pulls out plug, rips off control box, takes out batteries... silence.

I can recommend the next model up: PA6. This is a mains system with backup lead acid batteries at both control panel and the siren. The main point is that the siren has its own powered circuit so it will sound if any tampering occurs.

Hope this helps.

[Deleted User]

I have the BT Home Monitoring system and it is excellent. Very straightforward to install. And I have a cat!

You can even set it to cover parts of the house while you are in - i.e when you're in bed you can set it for the rest of the house.

I am so pleased with mine I bought the smoke alarm as well and added that to the system.

You can update your account and contacts online and for £5 per month for the monitoring side of things it's good value. You are paying a computer at BT to do what other people pay humans at monitoring centres up to £30 per month to do - which most of the time is very little.

You will not get a police response - nor a fire response if the smoke alarm goes off. If the alarms activate your nominated keyholders are automatically alerted in the order you want them to be. This is by landline/mobile and text. If they don't respond by acknowledging the alert within a certain time, the system contacts the next on the list.

You can also look at the history of any alerts in your account. Everything you do to the alarm, including setting it and disarming it is monitored and logged.

You can also test it without the siren as well as with.

I have not bothered using my key fobs. It's just as easy without.

raymond

If its for insurance, a DIY will not be accepted and if it goes off intermittently you may be prosecuted. Alarm installation is a complicated process and I reckon most amatuer burglars coukd disable any DIY alarm quicker than a neighbour could twitch the curtains.

IMO fitting a real bell box but no alarm system is a good deterrent, if they see the bell and still break in then the alarm would not have worried them anyway.

If you are reasonably technical then I would suggest a "silent" alarm by rigging a couple of PIRs to an autodialler which will call your mobile if you have an intruder then at least you will know, doing something about it is another thing unless you rig the PIRs to connect the door handles to the mains .. rather painful if you get up in the middle of the night and forget though

Gem+Dave+Kaci

Thanks for all the replies - especially Deleted_User. I was hoping to hear form someone who had it to say wether it is any good or not and your comments have helped a lot.

I've also found the normal version of this kit (with 2 PIRs and 1 keyfob instead of 3 PIRs and 2 keyfobs) on the Savecentre website for £69.99 + VAT which makes it a bargain!! Woohoo!!

Reluctant_spender - What I'm hoping to achieve by having it is an alarm system which would hopefully scare burglars away, and as a safety device for when we're up in bed (I'm one of those paranoid people who would set it before I go to bed at night).

Thanks for all the tips alanobrien but why wou;dn't you recommened wireless systems? According to the statistics on the site it's got top-notch encryption on it and I know for definite I'd rather have a system that can be linked up without drilling holes and running wires everywhere!!

Gem+Dave+Kaci

raymond wrote:

connect the door handles to the mains ..

Oh how I would LOVE to do that!!!

If only you didn't get in trouble for seriously injuring burglars though!!!!






But I might be tempted to try that idea out for when the mother in law comes round.......

loungelizard_3

These are not all they are cracked up to be. Don't think you will get the Police at your door within seconds. The Police rely on a monitoring company to inform them. The monitoring company probably have thousands of houses to look after and I have known there to be a delay of around fifteen minutes before the Police are even informed by the company. Then onve the Police are aware it takes further time before the control room inform the local Police. I have known for a person to accidentaly set off their alarm, the Police then turn up about twenty minutes later.
Personally I wouldn't waste my money to pay extra for monitoring, you need to get friendly with your neighbours. Your neighbours will repond a lot faster than the Police. If you agree to look after each others property all the better. Swap mobiles etc. Think about starting a neighbourhood watch if you don't have one already. Half the battle is getting to know the people you live around. If they don't know you, they don't really care about your property.
I would support the suggestions raised previously such as contacting your local Police station for advice, some may also give you discounts off new/better locks

Good luck.