Alarm for new house

[steveb1964]

Gutting my new house and thought I might get an alarm installed while I've all the plaster etc ripped off the walls.

I have no idea about alarms or what make to go for and what ones to avoid so looking for some advice. Texecom and Galaxy seem to get a few mentions on here.

Basically I'd be after an alarm with 3 sensors for downstairs and something for the front door. I presume you wouldn't put a sensor in the hallway as any post coming through the letter box would set it off.

Also prefer it to be hard wired. I don't know if I should be looking to add everything else onto it or if I've missed something? Maybe have text alerts?

If I'm putting one in I'd like a half decent one but don't want to go over the top moneywise.

Thanks

 

[kamchow]

i'm not an expert, but i'll throw my tuppence worth in......

if you get a texecom panel, go for one of their veritas ones. veritas should be enough for a home system.

don't make the mistake i made and get one of their premier range of panels. those are really for factories / offices / shops etc.

there are 5 veritas panels and one of them should cater for your needs.

i can't say too much more as i'm not experienced enough in the field.

you can help others answer your question by telling us your budget and what you really want from the system.

do you really want the internet connection and texting to your mobile phone when break-ins occur?

do you really want to pay for an outside company to monitor your alarm system? as a very rough guide, this would cost about £30 a month.

a basic system, panel + few pirs + bellbox, might cost around £350.

if you GAMI (get a man in) to do the wiring and setting up, you'll have to pay for their time.

just remember one thing, an alarm system is a deterrent. if someone wants to break in, then no alarm system will stop him/her.

so use that as a guide to decide how much to spend on an alarm system and how much to spend on actually securing your home with solid doors, locks, window bars etc.

ok, no more speel from me. hope all i've written helps.

good luck.

 

[sparkymarka]

Depends on how good you are with technology.... Premier 24 kit 3 pirs panel keypad comm2400 ( ability for text )and 5 fobs all you need extra is a battery bellbox and dummy and a door contact all in for sub £300 inc a roll of 8 core...

 

[Smellis]

Best alarms out there are castle care-tec euro mini for your house , I would go for a castle enforcer to be fair wireless system with built in SMS ...no mess no fuss cheers

 

[sparkymarka]

why fit a wireless alarm when there is no plaster on the walls ? ?

 

[Smellis]

Why not ? Wireless alarms in domestics ate the future lets not get stuck in the past

 

[plugwash]

Wired systems have several advantages.

1: You can choose detectors from pretty much anyone rather than being stuck with one product range that's compatible with your panel.
2: No worries about interference, range or jamming issues and if the cables are burried under the plaster not much worry about people messing with the cabling.
3: You don't have to go round replacing batteries in all the sensors.

I can see the attraction of wireless for a retrofit in a property which has already been decorated and lacks existing usable alarm wiring but if you are ripping the property apart anyway then IMO it's best to put cables in.

 

[EightyTwo]

I can see no advantages in radio systems apart from the ease of installation. They just add a further layer of complication and increased risk of something going wrong. I'm not even fond of the remote setting fobs!

Plugwash has it right, in my opinion too.

 

[bernardgreen]

Plugwash and EightyTwo are correct.

 

[Europlex]

Why not ? Wireless alarms in domestics ate the future lets not get stuck in the past

And your experience of these two types of alarm systems, is......... ?

The only way to make an informed suggestion, is, the above.

 

[Europlex]

Best alarms out there are castle care-tec euro mini for your house , I would go for a castle enforcer to be fair wireless system with built in SMS ...no mess no fuss cheers

You work for Castle Care-Tec do you?

Loads of experience of other alarm systems, or, perhaps you are an installer who fits these?

A very narrow minded view if the either of the above is true.

 

[bernardgreen]

It is no wonder some semi-professional installers recommend using wireless when the profit margins are much higher due to near zero installation work.

Add to that the marketing hyper of wireless is the latest technology and is therefore better than anything sold previously and the un-informed customer will be mislead into believing wireless is better than wired.

It is so bad now that DIY wireless alarms are almost impulse buy items for DIYers with a few hours to fill.

Wireless is better for manufacturers and semi-professional installers, ( customers like them as there is no disruption during the installation so more sales which means more profit ) but for the customer it is seldom the best option.