Advice on basic Alarm system with monitored SIM car calling.

[safara]

Hi All

I have a detached property in the countryside, but on a main road through a village. What I am after is a basic alarm system that will alert me if intrusion is detected by calling me. As well as setting of a bloody loud noise etc.

The building is an old one with 3 foot thick stone walls in places. I would probably opt for wired for the reliability factor.

Currently renovating the property prior to moving in. Security issues will be much better once we have moved in as I will be there etc. But in the interim I just want to know if someone gains access.

There are 2 doors that I would like sensors on as they are away from the road. And then a couple or 4 PIR's inside??

New to this game so some advice welcome on a basic system I can fit (I am handy with this sort of stuff) that would offer basic intrusion detection, and hopefully expandable in the future to incorporate panic/fire/more internal sensors etc.

Another issue is that the property does not have a phone line at the moment. Can you work the call response with a PAYG Sim card, and if so, what sort of kit is required?

 

[sparkymarka]

texecom premier with gsm com will send you text messages via payg sim but not really for the diy end of the market.

 

[josh451]

One of these to start:
http://www.e-fireandsecurity.co.uk/texecom-veritas-8-complete-intruder-alarm-8-zone-kit/p4334

Then one of these to call you:
http://www.e-fireandsecurity.co.uk/pyronix-v2-gsm-speech-dialler-with-automation-control/p6293

There is a rather large price jump for a landline dialler and a GSM dialler, but because you don't have a landline...

 

[safara]

Cheers chaps - looks like the sort of thing I am after.

This Texecom kit decent?

And hmmm - from what I see on the website mentioned, £50 or so for a landline dialer, but add another £100 for a GSM one..

Hmmm

 

[sparkymarka]

look around for a texecom dual com inside kit as you get the gsm unit for peanuts just pop in a sim and away you go, but it does NOT come with a keypad.

 

[safara]

Cheers Sparkymarka!

Great info.

Looking at the e-fireandsecurity.co.uk site I see there are 2 versions of the alarm system - the Veritas 8 CFA-0001 (integral keypad unit) and for a tenner more you get the CFC-0001 Veritas R8 (with a separate keypad unit)

Is the separate keypad unit just a handy thing to site the keypad unit away from the main box of tricks - or are there other benefits?

As for the GSM thing, thinking I may need to get a landline installed, would need to be done anyway at some point = cheaper caller alerts.

Can be a bit of a minefield all this heehee

 

[safara]

Oooh - and in time, can you add remote key fobs to the texacom kit?

Will do some more reading...

 

[sparkymarka]

not on veritas you can have fobs on premier

 

[lee2009]

as sparky, texecom 48 with the com inside - i think you should check signal coverage on your phone, in the location the panel would go before you proceed.

by the way the premier is high end graded stuff, thats used in high risk areas, and is such is one hell of a good panel. its a REAL alarm. you will not regret going with the preimer and texecom gear.

 

[Alarm]

Wired would be the preferred method here. Had many a issue with wireless in these buildings and GSM issues also. Even Redcare was unable to use their GSM signal was that poor.

Although the Premier with ricochet is a wireless system that is made for this situation. I would still advise the landline though and a speech dialler rather than GSM.

 

[bernardgreen]

I totally agree with the advice that Alarm has posted.

If you have to use GSM then you will need to locate the GSM unit where it can "see" the phone mast.

You might be better off using a land line dial out from the alarm into a GSM unit such as a Pemicell http://www.westlake.co.uk/What_is_premicell.htm

This unit can be located remotely from the alarm panel in a location where there is a good GSM signal. Also premicells and similar have much better aerials and will work where a mobile phone cannot due to poor signal.

When you get the land line installed it will be a simple job to move the alarm dialler to the land line and maybe use the premicell as a second phone line.

 

[sparkymarka]

think somone is missing the point here NO landline, as for signal just check it with a mobile phone.

 

[Alarm]

think somone is missing the point here NO landline, as for signal just check it with a mobile phone.

Errrrr

thinking I may need to get a landline installed

And a check with a mobile is no guarantee. The special test phone supplied ( Looks like a Nokia but has different software) would show a signal then drop off. Never more than one bar. At the Country house the phones ( Mobiles) worked intermittently. The GSM unit would not.
When the Ariel was extended it dropped Db`s and made matters worse. ( a by product of extending a GSM Ariel). BT and Redcare could not get any signal that was usable. They use O2 masts also. This was in the Northampton area if anyone is interested.
I considered a Dualcom but the issue remained the same with a test. Now I use IP as well as landline. A bit safer, but not ideal. Sending in SIA/Event reporting.

 

[sparkymarka]

only downfall of ip and landline is if they cut the line you lose both although i do like the speed of the emizon units, and you can do upload download on the texecom via the emizon the other downfall is when some muppet turns the router off !!! by the way i would normally use the dualcom signal tester as it gives a list of the local basestations but this isnt available to the diyer.

 

[Alarm]

It is a Emizon, I fitted one of the first. As I said I cannot get any stable GSM in this location. There is a repeater being promised. Funny thing is the rest of the village is fine. The old Squires house is in a black spot.
And getting the unit "up the road is like using a siren as a control unit, it is outside the protected area..
(Although have one site where the manhole covers to services in the building are covered. You may have heard of the attacks on the telecoms networks a few yrs back, at least we get a unconfirmed and where it is )

Must admit I do like the Dualcom, and the signal tester is good.