Replacement burglar alarm panel

well I should get around to replacing the alarm panel that was fried during a lightning strike a few weeks back! It is an optima panel, with just 4 zones - is this still a reasonable panel and I can replace with the latest version, or are there any better panels you guys can recommend? Dont need anything too complicated - not sure we need any more than the 4 zones we already have.

Oh, while I am at it - what is the best way of attaching vibration sensors to uPVC window frames? I used some double sided sticky stuff a while back but it was quite soft and I think it absorbs a lot of the vibration making the sensor effectively less sensitive. Dont really want to screw into the plastic but if thats the best way...

Cheers

vibration sensors of almost any descrition are a waste of time.

lets look at it.

You fix a vibration sensor on the window, you hit the window it trips (all ok there then)

you fit more to the other windows, each one trips when window hit (still ok there then)

one day your alarm goes off, which vibration sensor was it?

oh dear, you put them all on the same cct or zone so you dont kno which one tripped.

lets assume you have them latching and you wired them correct , or you were really extravagant and put them each on one zone

one goes off, you know which one, but do you know why it went off? no of course you dont (not such a good idea now are they?)

it gets better (or worse)

say you have a big picture window, and you put one on that, you either live on a main road, or a large lorry comes up your road. the glass will vibrate and amplify the vibration (its true) your vibration sensor goes off (neighbours are going to love you)

you turn the sensativity down, it has a double knock feature, you turn that on.

a kid playing with a ball misses and it hits your window, its so hard the window vibrates, your sensor goes off (neigbours getting really fed up now)

you turn it down, some one comes to your house, no answer at door, knocks several times on window, guess what, your alarm goes off.

you turn it right down, some one braks in , nothing happens that was a good investment then wasnt it

I am not going to mention the times before you knew this when a bird or tree branch hit the window, or the time when you stuck them up with sticky tape and they fell off, or th big theunder clap that sets them off, all setting off your alarm

put a pir in the corner of the room and never have the above problems.

now i know some will say they have vibration sensors and never been a problem and yes they work, but have you tried taking a window out and seeing do they go off? now be honest have you? and besides burglars dont like windows, doors are easier (unless you leave a window open, climb up, open bigger window climb in, alarm doesnt go off

also what if you leave an upstairs window open and some one get in and then comes downstairs, a lot of good your vibration sensors will do you, a pir would have gone off by now.

its just my opinion you understand, but i have a mate who works for an alsrm company- need i say more.


as for new panel why not get another one the same as you had, since you were happy with it, you know how to programme it, they are cheap and all you need do is change the pcb, much less hassle

if it were me, i would go for a menvier, but they cost a lot more

ha ha, I see your point! We do have a few PIRs dotted around, however we used to leave some off as the cats would ssometimes set them off - I guess more modern PIRs are less senstive to small animals now though.

Not sure I can just change the PCB, dont know if the new panels will fit in the old casing (they certainly look different in the pictures) - still, its not too much hassle to change the whole thing.

i was figuring you can still get the same panel as you have.

there is no such thing as a "i am a pir and i cant see a pet" pir

keep your pets out of the rooms (shut the door) with pirs in

thats easier said than done! It isnt an issue at this moment in time as our cat recently departed this world, but there may be another animal (cat or dog) on the way soon - they would most likely have access to the kitchen/conservatory which is full of big windows (most of these are still wooden actually) and a prime entry point for burglars as it is at the back of the house. I suppose they couldnt get into other parts of the house which would be covered by PIRs etc, but the control panel is in this area and although it would be tamper protected I am not sure that is enough to stop it being compromised?

The optima panels are fine, but personally i like the texecom range of alarms. The pros and cons of different systems have been debated on here before, and it really boils down to personal preference.
If you have had an optima before you will be familiar with how it works and how to use it, so it makes sense to use the same again.

breezer said:

now i know some will say they have vibration sensors and never been a problem and yes they work

Click to expand...

I have vibration sensors and never been a problem and yes they work.
I fitted a couple at home, on a couple of windows, and I also have one mounted to the wall of my shed to detect an attempt to kick the door in.
If you are fitting the shock sensors to detect a window being broken, then you could as an alternative fit an Acoustic Glass Break Detector See Here


Have a look here I have not personally used one of these but it might be of interest to you.[/url]

NO! dont go any where near a break glass detector!

they are almost as bad as vibraion detectors.

brek glass detectors listen fo the noise (frequency) of breaking glass, th latest also need to feel the thump as the brick hits the window (honest)

but if some one kicks a bottle off goes your bgd, mate says near pubs they are a pain as people do indeed kick bottles, also breaks schreeching can hit the right frequency and if its a lorry its engine noise can cause the window to vibrate and so off it goes

cheers guys - I went for the optima in the end. Will have a ponder about the sensors

only place i have seen vibration detectors used is in the security cigarette gantry in shops. These aren't affected by traffic, or any of the issues above, as they are totally internal to the shop, and made of thick chipboard, whose resonant frequency is a lot different to car and lorry engine vibrations.

thats why they use them, because in the situation you describe they are (ideal) almost

that is until some one notices missing fags, and has the alarm co, set the vibration sensors onto 24 hour, then some joker bangs into where they are stored

yuk

Why cant you train your pet to move slowly?

I had a burgular alarm on my house until last week when it went off @ 10 pm. I climed up a ladder and wrenched the box of shyte off the wall and binned it in the water butt

Nige F said:

I had a burgular alarm on my house until last week when it went off @ 10 pm. I climed up a ladder and wrenched the box of shyte off the wall and binned it in the water butt

Click to expand...

would it have not been easier to enter your number?

seriously though, for that to happen means its lost its hold off

Nige F said:

I had a burgular alarm on my house until last week when it went off @ 10 pm. I climed up a ladder and wrenched the box of shyte off the wall and binned it in the water butt

Click to expand...

Now all the burglars will know what to do....