Which alarm would you recommend

[Skooby]

Guys,

I currently have a visonic powermax plus I installed 13 years ago. Its been a great alarm but technology moves on and I want one that works thru an app. The visonic is apparently too old to use an app. The two I have been looking at are the pyronix enforcer V10 and the texecom premier elite ricochet 64 or 32. The texecom is more expensive but doesnt look like you need a yearly subscription for the app. Which would you guys recommend?

I want it wireless and it must have a remote keypad. I also want to use a hardwired bell box (with led backlight) as I don't want to be climbing up changing batteries.

I am kind of learning towards the pyronix due to the price difference and also I have seen a lot more of those installed in houses.

Thanks

 

[BIANCO]

I personally would go for the pyronix but that purely because I have far more experience with it.

 

[bernardgreen]

I want it wireless

Other than ease of installation ( no cables to run ) is there any other reason for you to want it to be wireless ?

 

[secureiam]

If you opting for wireless, I would say it really depends on how you need it to work.

Whilst radio jamming is not a big issue it does occur and finding the source can take time, especially if its not in your own household.

Frequency hoping systems are available from Pyronix, Visonic and Orisec all offer frequency hoping making radio jamming less of an issue, as its unlikely that the whole frequency spread is being jammed at the same time sufficiently to cause issues.

Orisec are a trade only panel.

Wireless signal can be an issue due to the property build, however if it doesn't work for one system for that reason its highly likely it wont work on any system.

This is where repeaters can be useful, again how these repeaters work should be looked at.

Alarm choice should be hard wired first, wireless last resort, hybrid systems are the best of both worlds.

App charges, it is highly likely that in the next 5 to 10 years in my opinion that all apps will have an annual charge for cloud access, based on the noises I am hearing from manufacturers.

When it comes running the cloud services, it is a regular year in year cost, if the price is built into the equipment cost, lets base the figures on pyronix model.

first year free, subsequent years £36 a year, so if you paid up front on the equipment for 10 years its £360 on top of the goods cost and you can't change your mind in that situation at least annually you could stop it and start it again if you needed to or you moved house???

Due to patents Ricochet is the only system allowing multipul hops through wireless devices to report back to the alarm panel, other systems may have repeaters that only work on their one way devices and not their 2 way devices like Risco. Battery operated repeaters will obviously run down much quicker the more devices that are using them.

 

[Skooby]

Thanks for the informative responses guys. My visonic is currently wireless and works fine so I guess the new one will work too. One thing I do like about the visonic is that it speaks to you but these other ones don't (I like gadgets). As for the pyronix remote keypad I haven't been able to find out if it can be wired to mains rather than using battery. Obviously I could just get a PSU and hardwire to the battery connections as a last resort.

 

[bernardgreen]

Whilst radio jamming is not a big issue it does occur

often enough that one manufacturer of wireless alarms recommends turning tamper detection OFF if ther are too many false alarms.

and finding the source can take time

and when it is found not a lot can be done if the interfering equipment is compliant with the terms and conditions of License Exempt Short Range Radio Equipment

 

[JohnD]

often enough

so how many times is that, per year per 10,000 systems?

 

[secureiam]

Interfering equipment like faulty street lamps and low batteries in some devices are the only ones I am aware of.

As for turning off radio jamming detection, I wouldn't recommend it and its not possible on some systems, however for someone to get to sleep other things can be done short term.

Jamming isn't common, but its clearly enough of an issue for some manufactures to look at frequency hoping.

 

[Skooby]

I decided to go for the pyronix. It has frequency hopping although i ordered it before I knew that