Upgrading Current Alarm - Recommendations please

[lawrenso]

Hi All,

Our builder installed a wired alarm system (the box is marked SL?). It consists of 6 hard wired PIR's and a bell box. However, my work takes me away a lot and my wife wishes for the system to be upgraded to give the following.

1. External Monitoring for up the sides and around the back
2. Door, Windows and Garage contacts
3. GSM Dailer (BT Line is exposed and easily got at if somebody wants)
4. Battery Backup
5. Keypad upstairs.

For some reason we have a control panel in the hallway, the main box is in the cloakroom on the opposite side of the wall from the control panel with a fused switch right next to it, and guess what - switching this off switches off the alarm full stop!!! If they come through the front door it could be off in under 10 seconds!

We are quite happy with the location of the existing PIR's but would like to ask the members sage advice on what to go with.

I am confident with electrics and electronics being a former technician in the Forces and I currently work in IT.

Thanks in advance

Steve

 

[breezer]

sounds like the builder forgot top put a battery in it.

dont bother with out side detection, its more bother than its worth, unless you do it with pairs of A.I.R. Beams which work out expensive.

any ordainairy detector is not designed for outside use, and if you did do it, it would false alarm a lot

buy another key pad and add it to what you have,

garage can be a pain, because if alarm is set and you come home ion the car and its raining you have to get out of car, go in the house and switch alarm off, go back out in the rain, open garage door drive car in. Thats assuming you do put car in garage

buy a speach dialer

oh don't bother with all door and window cotacts, a lot of hassle and not worth the bother. when alarm were first thought of they did have a "contact" on anything that opened, simply because there was nothing else (well almost) you have to have cables running to every window. 1 pir or DT in the room job done.

and change the FCU to a non switched one

 

[lawrenso]

Thanks for the response breezer, perhaps I should clarify, we live up a unadopted lane - no street lights etc.. and I would be willing to pay for the right stuff within reason (ie the outside detection).

For running cables, all our walls downstaires a wet plastered brick and block, and was looking to expand on what we have using wireless - ie keypad and extra sensors, so we don't have to go chanelling out, although bringing wires through from the garage would not be a big deal for exterior monitors. I did hear once of a alrm box that took wired and was expandable with wireless however I have yet to find one of these in my search...

Cheers

Steve

 

[breezer]

you cant add wireless to a wired alarm unless it is desingend to accept such junk.

i still do not recomend external detection wired to an alarm for protecting a building.

if you must do it, get a separate alarm. this way if one goes wrong you still have the other, and if you have differnet sounders you will know which has gone off.

you will also need either two single AIR beams or sets which are dopuble, i prefer the two singles as you can have them further apart which reduces false alarms by wild life.

why not get some flood lights and pirs, or the GJD system of flood lights, cheaper than external AIR beams. And please bear in mind: Lets say your house is square, to have beams you will need 8 sets, say £50 set (i dont know cost) thats £400 in beams, no panel sounders or cables. Beams are and always will be expensive, not least becuse there are 2 units to a pair

 

[lawrenso]

Thanks for that, a good idea to have it seperate, I never thought of that.

I have found this in my search, has anybody any exerience with it??

http://www.securitymarketing.co.uk/roboguard_features.html

Cheers

Steve

 

[breezer]

If you go by the acuracy of the blurb then its a pile of poop.

it will also give more false alarms than an A.I.R beam will since it covers a bigger area, but there is only one way to find out, why dont you try it and let us know.

oh, have you any idea of the £ as it doesnt say, i wonder have you contacted them to ask.