House alarm recommendations please.

[philsecure]

£900 is about right because it is a wireless system but i would steer clear of ADT because they charge premium rate calls to the ARC everytime the alarm is set, unset or goes off.

Try approved local companies if you want a monitored system as they usually use well known and tested brands rather than in-house brands as used ny ADT and British Gas.

Ideally you should try to get a wired system or at least part wired as wireless can cause problems.

 

[breezer]

£900 is about right because it is a wireless system

who said its radio, no one here did.

i would steer clear of ADT because they charge premium rate calls to the ARC everytime the alarm is set, unset or goes off.

can you prove that?

You can't because you are wrong.

Domestic alarms have no need to signal open / close.

 

[seasickstevie]

... suggested an ADT wireless system that is linked to the police... The prices from both are roughly the same at around £900.

 

[Europlex]

Domestic alarms have no need to signal open / close.

Don't forget though if a Digital Communicator is used and not RedCare to comply with standards, if installed during the last couple of years, think it's longer, the DC has to send a daily test signal to the ARC.

To prove the line.

 

[DiverseContracting]

I would suggest a hard wired system as with wireless unless properly maintained can lead to sensors not fuctioning correctly, causing the unwanted false alarms which will strike you off the police response.

As with the for the amount of equipment you have been quoted in that house, im thinking your keeping gold in there

Why so many detec' upstairs? maybe if you can gain access to any window from a flat roof.

if you can sketch a floor plan i'll give you a guide price

karl.

***Removed***

 

[seasickstevie]

As with the for the amount of equipment you have been quoted in hat house, im thinking your keeping gold in there

Apart from eight PIRs, he's only got two door contacts (+ shed).

No window contacts mentioned, no shocks, no glass breaks, not even a mention of a panic button!

With PIRs so cheap these days, I wouldn't consider it in any way over the top for a four-bed house with flat roof extension / garage and so on.

It's always good to have 'guest' rooms, departed teenager rooms that are only used occasionally to be covered at night when not in use.

 

[breezer]

if you can sketch a floor plan i'll give you a guide price

Touting for business as well as advertising, tut, tut tut

besides of what use is your "guide price" since you will not be doing the job. You nay as well say £500 'cos its cheaper.

 

[DiverseContracting]

Not touting for business just would rather people openly see what they are paying for, as a previous employee for ADT they have such a high overhead to consider this is why the cost reflects that.

i thought the idea of this forum was to help others with issues they are having so if i could design something they could use and refer back to current alarm company maybe they wouldn't have the steep price?!

 

[breezer]

its a fair comment, but it doesnt work like that on any forum.

i shall expalin

the OP does a drawing, your guide price is say £476

The OP then says to alarm company D (not ADT) i have a price of £476

company D then says "fine, get them to do it."

You have now stuffed the OP as no one where he is will do it for your "guide price", you wont do it either because of the distance.

OR

company D, "so OP where did you get £476 from?"

OP "from some one i dont know, that i will never meet on a forum i just joined"


costs / prices / how much, never work on forums.

 

[ahdsh]

If your going down the route of wireless - install it yourself? The price youve been quoted are extreme!
try your locel electrical wholesaler - usually on industrial estates. ESP (ww.esp-uk.com) do a wireless system, easy to install for just over the two-hundred quid mark.
registrations seem to diff county to county, but a 24hr monitoring should cost you no more than £12 per month irrelevant where you live

And Police response???

Police response is dependent on the system being installed by a NACOSS or SSIAB approved contractor . It needs that to comply with ACPO rules?
If he fits it DIY he can't or by a non registered electrician he can't get Police resonse.

 

[youtekkinthepish]

If your going down the route of wireless - install it yourself? The price youve been quoted are extreme!
try your locel electrical wholesaler - usually on industrial estates. ESP (ww.esp-uk.com) do a wireless system, easy to install for just over the two-hundred quid mark.
registrations seem to diff county to county, but a 24hr monitoring should cost you no more than £12 per month irrelevant where you live

And Police response???

Police response is dependent on the system being installed by a NACOSS or SSIAB approved contractor . It needs that to comply with ACPO rules?
If he fits it DIY he can't or by a non registered electrician he can't get Police resonse.

If you'd read the thread and specific post correctly, you'd realise that was the point being made.
PS, Nacoss is old hat. about 8 years out of date.

 

[Europlex]

If you'd read the thread and specific post correctly, you'd realise that was the point being made.
PS, Nacoss is old hat. about 8 years out of date.

QFA

 

[ahdsh]

If your going down the route of wireless - install it yourself? The price youve been quoted are extreme!
try your locel electrical wholesaler - usually on industrial estates. ESP (ww.esp-uk.com) do a wireless system, easy to install for just over the two-hundred quid mark.
registrations seem to diff county to county, but a 24hr monitoring should cost you no more than £12 per month irrelevant where you live

And Police response???

Police response is dependent on the system being installed by a NACOSS or SSIAB approved contractor . It needs that to comply with ACPO rules?
If he fits it DIY he can't or by a non registered electrician he can't get Police resonse.

If you'd read the thread and specific post correctly, you'd realise that was the point being made.
PS, Nacoss is old hat. about 8 years out of date.

Nope NSI are the governing organisation who then qualify you as NACOSS gold or silver.
Then there are the systems , grade 2 , 2 x or 3 depending on the level of perceived security threat and the safeguards deemed neccessary.
Of course then you have to decide from a 'bells only' (2) autodialler (2x) or grade 3 system. You then have to decide wether ptsn is adequate or gsm or a combination of both dualcom / BT redcare
But of course 'I know nuffink'

 

[youtekkinthepish]

If you'd read the thread and specific post correctly, you'd realise that was the point being made.
PS, Nacoss is old hat. about 8 years out of date.

Nope NSI are the governing organisation who then qualify you as NACOSS gold or silver.
Then there are the systems , grade 2 , 2 x or 3 depending on the level of perceived security threat and the safeguards deemed neccessary.
Of course then you have to decide from a 'bells only' (2) autodialler (2x) or grade 3 system. You then have to decide wether ptsn is adequate or gsm or a combination of both dualcom / BT redcare
But of course 'I know nuffink'

You're quite correct - on your last line.
Please stop trying to pass yourself off as someone with knowledge of the industry, procedures and regulations.

 

[ahdsh]

Ok thanks for the replies. The house is a 4 bedroom semi with a flat roof extension to the rear and one flat roof above the garage giving access to one window. The alarm company have offered a wireless ADT system (to minimise cabling disruption) with the following components:

Front door contact
Garden door contact
4 motion sensors downstairs
4 motion sensors upstairs
Door contact on rear shed
Alarm box etc
Yearly maintenance charge of £26/month
One of police registration of £44
Total cost approximately £950

Does this still sound unreasonable? If so who else would you recommend?

Since this is a DIY website and forum
You could buy a Yale alarm and install it yourself saving literally thousands of pounds.
Typical retail price of the system you would require would be
£199 + £19.99 + £179.94 total = £398.93 or less if you go on 10% days etc.
No monthly monitoring fees as the alarm would call three numbers of your choice direct. Probably your parents and your own and possibly one of your parents neighbours.
Take away the cost of the monthly fees and the purchase price and you would save £1000 in the first two years alone.
Don't forget that some alarm companies use a premium rate number to connect you to your ARC and that is an extra cost with a call being made every time you arm disarm or your alarm activates.

Don't listen to the inevitable neighsayers who will pounce on my response and claim Yale are a pile of junk. I have fitted 120 systems and they all work fine.
Of course if you require an insurance approved alarm or you want it to connect to a monitoring station then you can't fit Yale.