Burglar Alarms

[lorraine]

Hi Everyone

My rewiring is almost complete, I got down to the ground floor pulled up the floorboards to be greated by a severe case of woodworm - surveys are such a waste of time + money (and mine was structural!)

anyway onto my question. As I am pretty much ripping out most of the stuff in my house I was wonderintg how difficult or easy it was to change a burglar alarm.

Currently there is a Menvier keypad downstairs and another upstairs, Not sure what type but they have green LED Display. About 6 PIR's with funny resistors in them and a panic button, Also above my hotwater cylinder is a large metal enclosure thats is the alarm panel. Looking around the web I think its a TS400 system although not entirely sure

I did phone up the alarm company that originally fitted it and they have gone bust so I phoned a few other people up and they were giving me quotes that made me sick.

So I was wondering how easy it would be to change the panel and keypads to a Texecom Premier system? is it just a case of undoing the connectors and changing the panels over or is there more to it than that? I am aware of the programming aspect but my main concern is when I want to disconnect my bellbox, I don't have the engineering code and think its going to go off and I won't be able to stop it!

Thanks in Advance.

Lorraine

 

[breezer]

Menvier are one of the leading manufactures of intruder alarm panels, texecom are at the low budget end of the market

so why do you want to change it? (i wouldn't)

 

[lorraine]

Hi Breezer

The main reason is I want more zones, the current alarm is only 8 zone and looks like something out of the mid 80's. Plus its not really very easy to use.

I was thinking of the texecom premier 48 because it has a dot matrix display, has more zones and having had a look on the security installer website it appears that texecom poached the menvier staff when they were bought up. So they've had some good feedback.

I took the lid off the control panel and luckily found an installlation manual so it shows me how to reset the codes. It also states it was installed in 1995 and it is a ts700 not a ts400 as i thought.

In your opinion do you think it would be worthwhile me upgrading?

I have the sounder, all PIR's and wiring so i was thinking it would just be a case of taking the old one off and putting hte new one on.

thanks in advance

Lorraine

 

[securespark]

If you had a structural survey, call the guy back and show him the rot. Ask him what he's going to do about it, given his report found no fault.

 

[plugwash]

afaict when removing an external bellbox you don't have a lot of choice but to set it off. wear earmuffs and try and get to the battery as quickly as possible .

as for installing a new system i can't imagine its that hard if you have the proper manuals.

 

[Lectrician]

I assume old square grey keypads - mevier have updated these considerably!

You can also get 3 types of keypad for the menvier range now - no screen, led screen, 2 line lcd 'dod matrix' screen.

Menvier are the best, although texecom are starting to pull equal - the specs on the systems are so close to equal!!

A TS690 is 8-14 zones. TS700 is now a TS790+, and has 10 to 16 zones. A TS900+ has 10-56 zones. A TS2500 has a stupid amount of zones!

TS690 has 6 zones in the panel, and 2 at each keypad (and as you can only have a max of 4 pads, you can have 8-14 zones! You will need atleast one pad (8zones), and can have 3 more keypads, or lecs, which are zone expanders - 2 zones per lecs).

 

[lorraine]

Hi Everyone,

Is the general concensus that I should stick with the Menvier or bite the bullet and upgrade? I'm not really clued up on whats good and whats not in the alarm world so would appreciate any input

I've got the keypad thats is grey but has an led screen, its a nightmare to use!

THanks in Advance

Lorraine

 

[andy]

if it works, keep it.

altho you can change it if you want to.

 

[lorraine]

I hope that fence you sit on is not too high!

Oh I'm also getting a refund for my structural survey, a free new floor and compensation for slowing the electrican [me + dad] down from the structural engineer!

It helps when you're a solicitor!

 

[breezer]

i disagree with repect to nightmare to use, if going out enter your 4 digit code, press zero, leave via prescribed route, shut door behind you.


sounds easy to me.

if it is that old i would recomend you change its standby battery,

it has 8 on board zones, 2 in each keypad, and as has been said 16 zones max, what do you really want that many for?

remeber this, the more zones you have the more to go wrong

and for those who dont know

this is a TS700 with remote keypad, although this keypad is sitting inside the panel for picture purposes

 

[lorraine]

I suppose its all relative, but one of my friends has a gardtec alarm and its really easy to use as its menu driven.

eg. if you say want to set the alarm but leave a zone out it talks you through it.

punch in code

> "would you like to full set?"

no

> "part set?"

no

> "omit zone?"

yes

> which zone

etc.

I just find that a lot more easy to use than my one which comes up with an incredibly un user friendly display.

My other issue, is I don't seem to be able to get Menvier stuff from anywhere. I have dialled everyone in the yellow pages and nobody stocks it other than the alarm dealers themselves and they charge so much for a LCD keypad that it costs almost the same as a completely new alarm!

Breezer, as you seem clued up on this system, and you say it has 2 zones in the keypad. Does that mean I could replace my garage PIR with a keypad and put two additional PIR's on?

Thanks In advance.

Lorraine.

 

[breezer]

does this answer your question?

but i would need to ask you some questions

it needs to be a 6 core cable that must go directly to the house,
why do you want to put 2 pirs into a garage?

(if you really must put something in, dont put a pir in a garage)

I would not bother my self, why? as i said the more you have the more to go wrong, that aside, with the garage wired to the house, if some one breaks into the garage where is everyone going to think they are?

in the house when they are not, i would suggest having an independant alarm in the garage

oh as for all the options your friends alarm has, why would you want to omit something anyway? the idea is you omit nothing

 

[lorraine]

my garage is part of my house hence the reason for the pir in there.

I shall have a long hard think, First things first I shall reset the system so I can have the engineer code back so I can at least have complete control of the system.

Incidentally do you know where I can buy an additional menvier keypad?

thanks for all the help, it is very much appreciated.

Lorraine

 

[breezer]

keypad from wholesalers, but that is becuae its "specialised" not you diy ice cream tub alarm

if its of any use, i dont need the one you have seen in the picture

 

[securespark]

I've heard of keeping the rkp secure, breezer, but mounting inside the end station???????????



Great news that you sorted the structural surveyor out. But one thing is bothering me. If you're a solicitor, how come you chose a cra**y one??

Don't you know the cream of the crop?