I moved into a property last month with a hard wired Texecom Veritas system which had 4 x PIR sensors and 2 x door contacts. I wanted to expand this as it didn't protect the rear extension or the shed. I phoned the alarm company that installed it and he came out to give me a price. However, I wasn't impressed with him as he said they now install the Risco Agility 3 alarm and he basically wanted to rip the entire Texecom alarm out and start fresh. Needless to say the quote was a lot of money. I did some research and found that he could have offered the Risco LightSYS 2 which is a hybrid panel that has hard wired inputs and can also accept wireless inputs. Seemed perect, however I was a put off by the fact that I felt he was trying to have my pants down so decided that I was going to do the job myself. Instead of the LightSYS (which doesn't appear to be available to purchase by the general public) I went for a Texecom Premier Elite 24 panel which has 8 hard wired zones. I then bought the Ricochet wireless expander, a DT PIR for the shed and a combined shock sensor/door contact for the rear extension door. Im not an electrician but have a decent understanding and found installation was simple. I struggled with the programming side slightly but once I got the hang of it I found it easy. I also found Texecom support to be outstanding as I did ring them a number of times and they resolved the issue every time.
I can't comment on the Risco Agility but quite a number of professional alarm installers I have spoke to seem to be using them and speak highly of them. However, the Texecom Premier Elite Ricochet is also worth considering, I have only had it in a month but has been excellent so far. The only downside to the Texecom is that it doesn't offer a wireless keypad like the Risco which maybe an issue. They are expanding the product range though and may offer one in the future.
I can't comment on the Risco Agility but quite a number of professional alarm installers I have spoke to seem to be using them and speak highly of them. However, the Texecom Premier Elite Ricochet is also worth considering, I have only had it in a month but has been excellent so far. The only downside to the Texecom is that it doesn't offer a wireless keypad like the Risco which maybe an issue. They are expanding the product range though and may offer one in the future.
just use a fob !
