What are the Security Grades?

A system must meet one of four security grades, depending on the level of risk. These roughly translate as follows:

Grade
G1. Low risk:
Not likely to be enforced in the UK as it covers DIY-style bells-only systems

G2. Medium risk:
This is first level that will be recognised by insurers and covers the majority of domestic & low value commercial premises. Required as a minimum for Police-calling systems

G3. Medium-high risk:
This covers most commercial & industrial premises, as well as high value domestic premises
NB G3 has to have a 5/6 digit EngCde

G4. High risk:
This is for high security applications, & roughly equates to the old BS7042 high security standard

It is the installer’s responsibility to ensure that a system of the correct grade is installed. This must be done via a properly documented Site Survey. Please see En50131-7 for more details on the Site Survey

G. 2,3 & 4 are professionally fitted grades, ANYTHING else is G1

Technically a DIY system can't comply to any grade as it doesn't have a certificate of conformity nor will it be installed according to the european standard.

Also, don't forget G2x which would be a professional domestic audible only type system.

scott1980 said:

Technically a DIY system can't comply to any grade as it doesn't have a certificate of conformity nor will it be installed according to the european standard.

Click to expand...

What has technically got to do with anything?

That is why it is classified as Grade 1, get it?

Check on the gradings.

G1 G2 G3 & G4, the one you are interest in is G1.

Why do you think there are only G2, G3 & G4 grades, where is G1?

It's at the start, -

G1. Low risk:
Not likely to be enforced in the UK as it covers DIY-style bells-only systems

If you have difficulty in understanding this, go and search the standards, I'm not going to point you in the right direction to something that has been around since the 1st October 2005, when the existing British Standards (BS4737, BS7042 and BS6799) were withdrawn and replaced by the new European Standards BSEN 50131.

Whoops. I just have.

Hi Scott,

Well, you've raised a valid point, and the grades are obviously there for a purpose. However, I have seen first timer diy systems which have been installed to such a high degree of competence that they are far and above many of the systems I've seen installed by so called professionals, and many include grade two and grade three devices, yet all are diy. The last one I saw was installed by a retired RAF squadron leader, but no matter how good the job is, it will still be regarded as grade 1, as europlex points out quite rightly.

I suppose that it then begs the question, What is the difference between a system that has been installed by a "diy-er" and a system that has been installed by a "professional" where the quality of components, wiring and system design is the same?
Are we looking at paperwork only or is it a case of having traceable qualifications to prove that you know how to do the paperwork?

Hi TPNSpark,

You've raised a very valid point. I can probably understand insurance companies requesting their oddities, but there remains a big question mark over the paperwork issue. However, what I have stated is the absolute truth. Good installs up to and beyond specifications all carried out by diy'ers, but they remain in the grade 1 category for some reason, and this is dubious since the opposite also applies, I subcontracted to one firm in particular for a short time and I can honestly say that their work was atrocious, yet each of their systems were regarded as grade two or above, perhaps because they were linked to a arc, I really don't know, the juries out on it as far as I'm concerned. I know a brilliant electrician locally who has been in the business, genuinely for over forty years, I've grown up with him so the amount of time is correct. He's done just about everything you could think of in electrics, large industrial sites and so on, but because he never bothered to get his 17th edition and part P, he recently found that he was struggling for work a bit. He went to college and got them both with over 95% pass and something else, testing I think it was. The magazine Professional Electrician regularly featured articles from very experienced sparks arguing the fact that a lot of shoddy work which is carried out by those who have been in the trade for five minutes can be signed off by someone else in the firm who has part P and so on. It's a real brain teaser when you think about it. If you could shed any light on it, then that information would be welcomed by myself, since it all, grades included, appears to be a bit of a shambles, I don't really know what to think.

Take Care,

Chain Daisy.

One reason it is difficult ( but not impossible ) to get a DIY installed alarm approved is the lack of an audit trail of the components used.

Without an audit trail the source ( manufacturer ) of the components cannot be verified as a genuine source or approved dealer.

Almost all professional standard companies will have an audit trail for the equipment they use which reduces greatly the risks of counterfeit or sub-standard components being used. Also if there is a recall of any items the audit trail will enable them to identity which customers have those items and they can be changed.

The average DIYer does not keep an audit trail and many of them buy from non approved sources which too often have counterfeit items for sale.

Also stems from the insurers. They work on Grades.
For an install to be 'Graded' it must be installed/signed off/maintained/whatever by an accredited Installer. These installers are examined by their Inspectorate to confirm procedures/practices/Insurance etc are all to standard and kosher.

Merits of the inspectorates and quality of companies is a different topic entirely.

".....( but not impossible ) to get a DIY installed alarm approved....." Never seen an approved DIY install, I was going to ask where bernard had seen one, but he'll probably come back with a one liner, so I might be wasting valuable space.

"...Also stems from the insurers..." My information is completely opposed to that view, I was going to ask alumni where he got his information from but he'll probably come back with a no value 'one liner' so I might be wasting my time yet again.

That said, they're going to come back with sarcastic 'one liners' anyway.

A bit you are all missing here is that a graded system installed properly has a proper audit trail of arming , disarming and timings whereby the insurance company can interogate whether an alarm was actually set or not at the time of the alleged burglary.
This will affect whether they pay out or not.
Obviously there is no way to protect this information with a DIY system as the user has access to the log.
However if you have a Yale alarm and it is a 6400 set to ring your mobile you have actuall audited roof that your alarm was set and when it activated on your phone records proving the alarm worked , was set and went off and you also have proof of where you were geographically at the time.

mdf290 said:

A bit you are all missing here is that a graded system installed properly has a proper audit trail of arming , disarming and timings whereby the insurance company can interogate whether an alarm was actually set or not at the time of the alleged burglary.
This will affect whether they pay out or not.
Obviously there is no way to protect this information with a DIY system as the user has access to the log.
However if you have a Yale alarm and it is a 6400 set to ring your mobile you have actuall audited roof that your alarm was set and when it activated on your phone records proving the alarm worked , was set and went off and you also have proof of where you were geographically at the time.

Click to expand...

That's a feature of the panel, not specifically why. There are other features that may be required, hence the different grades.

Unfortunately, I am not allowed to answer this question.

alumni said:

mdf290 said:

A bit you are all missing here is that a graded system installed properly has a proper audit trail of arming , disarming and timings whereby the insurance company can interogate whether an alarm was actually set or not at the time of the alleged burglary.
This will affect whether they pay out or not.
Obviously there is no way to protect this information with a DIY system as the user has access to the log.
However if you have a Yale alarm and it is a 6400 set to ring your mobile you have actuall audited roof that your alarm was set and when it activated on your phone records proving the alarm worked , was set and went off and you also have proof of where you were geographically at the time.

Click to expand...

That's a feature of the panel, not specifically why. There are other features that may be required, hence the different grades.

Click to expand...

It's actually just a byproduct of the way the system works. The system has an arm/disarm event log but since the user has access and it only keeps 100 events it cannot be reliably kept intact. The system clock may simply be set wrong for example.
The Grades are for the risks covered. The higher the value of potential claims the better specified the alarm has to be.

If a domestic environment is where people might lose a laptop or two or an iphone and maybe some cash then you would not need a grade 4 high security system.
If however you have very expensive jewellery you insurance company will not demand G4 at your premises they will instead insist on a floor safe of a certain cash value and cover the risk only if you are actually wearing the jewellery or it is in your safe.
Take your bling Rolex off to have a bath and leave it on the Sideboard and you wont get a single penny back from the insurance approved alarm system or not.

Yes, hence the other features may be required and thus a higher grade (if demanded/justified)

Europlex, you know everything, or at least you try to give the impression that you do. Could you read the book you had the 'grade list' out of, and let the forum know precisely, when, where and by whom were these grades formulated. I should insert that I know the answer. Do you ?. By the way this post contains sixty two words.