Pyronix, Galaxy and who else?

[Yorkshirebloke]

Good afternoon all!
Ok, firstly a little apology if this is a bit of a boring one, I've done loads of searching and reading on the net, but it's never as good as asking pros/experienced users for advice.

I've been doing some reading on alarms. It seems Pyronix and the Honeywell Galaxy are 2 names that regularly pop up, but I'm wondering if there is any other alarm I should be looking into?

This will need to be a DIY based system, I was planning wired as it seems a bit more of a reliable system and presently I've got most of the floors up in the house! From other posts it seems wise to fit 8 core to future proof it. So it looks like I might have to go for a hybrid system unless you think it really is better to be fully wired.. ..
The list of requirements I don't think are extensive...... dog proof PIRs, either remotes to arm/disarm or key type tags to swipe over the panel, 2 door contacts (upvc doors - wireless?)
And that's about it.... again unless you suggest window contacts? Would need perhaps to be extendable, as ideally I'd love it to cover the garage which is built onto the side of the house as well. Possible?
The area we are in is a very low crime rate area, but it's nice to have a bit of a deterrent.

Thanks for any advice all.

Alex

 

[sparkymarka]

How big is the dog ?

 

[Yorkshirebloke]

Erm........ no idea!!
Seriously, haven't got one yet. We will have one mid September. It will be 99% likely a Labrador.

 

[sparkymarka]

Forget pet sensors then ....unless you want to pay £30 a go for Bosch tritecs , which may not be trouble free , if it's a new pet get it in the habit of being in a certain room , e.g. Kitchen
Or look at shock sensors on the windows and door contacts , stick to wired as it will give you a greater range of products

 

[Yorkshirebloke]

Ok thank you for that
So pet sensors don't work then? I guess that rules put PIR then.
So contacts on the door and windows. I presume it's best to but them to go with the alarm itself, or is there better ones from elsewhere to pair with it?

Thanks for the help like, it's something I've never ever had cause to come across or read about etc.
I am as Madonna said..... like a virgin

 

[scott1980]

Go for shock sensors instead of contacts on the windows, especially if they are uPVC frames. The chances of forcing a locked uPVC window open from outside are quite slim, so a contact would be useless in most means of entry. Far more likely to have a brick lobbed through the glazing, which if set up correctly, a vibration sensor should pick up. The dogs get the run of the house too.

Also, if you're going wireless with them, they will have to be from the same manufacturer as the control panel. You can't mix and match wireless kit.

 

[Yorkshirebloke]

Ahhh great stuff thanks for that.
Would you go for wireless or wired shock sensors if you had the choice then? The house is a bomb site at the minute so it's a pretty much blank canvass.
If wired though, how the hell do people hide the wires?
Front and back door the same sensors? Or something different?

Cheers!!
Alex

 

[sparkymarka]

All depends on house construction ? Cavity wall ? Dry lined ? Every job is different

 

[Yorkshirebloke]

Ahh righto, I didn't imagine the construction would make much difference.

So the house is brick and block with cavity.
Downstairs is a suspended floor.... concrete slab and then brick pillars with the joists laid on it for the floorboards.
Upstairs floor void is 9" joists.
Loft is insulated and part floored.

Bell box could go on either the side or front wall as both are over the drive and easy to mount/maintain.
Power, easy to supply as house is being rewired over the next month.
In fact, one question I did have is could the control panel be mounted in the garage (It is joined onto the side of the house) or does it need to be in the house?

 

[turanafon]

The alarm panel can be mounted in the garage if you wish as long as you protect the area with a Duel tech detector

 

[Yorkshirebloke]

The area being the area immediately around the panel, or the garage itself?

Edit: scratch that, I see what you mean. It's basically a PIR type device that would pick up someone trying to tamper with the panel I guess.
That could be done no worries.

In fact, the garage could have extra PIR sensors and door contacts mounted as if it was another room in the house yes? That would be useful.

 

[turanafon]

correct yes but im sure 1 detector should suffice.
unless you have an external side door to the garage

 

[Yorkshirebloke]

Yes I do actually. One into the house, and one into the garden. Then a small roller shutter door that comes down in front of a sliding patio door at the back of the garage, and a motorised roller shutter door at the front of the garage.
Does that all make some sense? Would pics help?
Massively appreciate all the help

 

[scott1980]

If you're knocking the place about, then go for wired every time. You can run the cabling under the floorboards (If it's chipboard, that will come with it's own issues) and then chase the cable into the plaster down to the window frame. A bit of filler, sand down and paint and your never know.

There are ways of getting an alarm cable to a door/window without any damage, but it depends on the construction and usually a bit of prior experience in doing this sort of thing.

 

[Yorkshirebloke]

Morning

Yeah chipboard flooring throughout. Absolutely pain in the ringpiece! But lots of it is up now, so how's a good time to run the cables.
I haven't really got to decide which alarm to install right this second, I just need to know where to have the sensors and indeed which sensors so I can run wires to em.
So it seems pet specific PIRs aren't suitable, so it's down to entry points. The downstairs doors are easy enough as most of the floors are up so I can run the door contacts at the bottom if the doors.
The windows as per your earlier post can have shock sensors on, and basically it's a case of channelling wire to them. Is it worth running 8 core to them or is that overkill?
Should I protect upstairs windows as well? I appreciate that the more sensors in the house the better it's protected, but would a pro installer have a certain set of Windows that he normally protects and not others? Like upstairs windows that don't open aren't likely to be much of a risk are they?

Thanks again for all the help. Really does mean the world to us DIYers