Wireless the way forward?

[AssociatedAlarm]

I was beaten to it Bernard.
As you can see they go to a low power state but still detect. But a good reason NOT to use double knock on them. None AFAIK have "turn on turn off" sequences as they would not be fit for purpose.
A wired obviously runs at a higher current as it can, and gives a longer range for one because of this.

Joe the good ones have back and front tampers. Not going into detail but removal from the wall does signal back unlike some.

 

[lee2009]

knowing batteries, you could go on a 2 or 3 week holiday, it would most likely be when you was on holiday when the batteries started to go flat and cause problems.

 

[joe-90]

You obviously aren't an alarm engineer Bernard. They have a tamper switch - that's as good as it gets.

On the first point you are correct,

On the second point I would disagree. Maybe that's as good as it gets in the majority of systems but I know one system where the state of the bell box battery is reported back to the panel. But that is in a commercial premises and was installed by a professional company.

Come on then man - give us the name. (it's like pulling teeth).

 

[bernardgreen]

Come on then man - give us the name. (it's like pulling teeth).

I regret I cannot recall names of the equipment or company that installed it.

My involvement was linking the alarm system to a paging system so that minor ( non urgent ) alarms would be notified to staff via paging receivers with a numeric display related to the fault within the alarm system.

 

[joe-90]

Even so - it still doesn't mean that a sounder can,t go duff or a strobe. Only a tamper (front or back) will register with the panel. You are giving too much credit to a simple technology.

 

[bernardgreen]

No Joe,. what it means is that a well designed bell box can detect that it has a problem and then report that problem back to the control / monitoring panel before the problem means the bell box cannot raise an alarm.

The topic is " Wireless the way forward? " So no point in discussing systems that cannot operate on a wire free method of communication.

To determine if wireless is the way forward one has to ask what is the mimimum requirement of the alarm system and then accurately decide if a wire free system can reliably provide that minimum requirement. The decision process has to take account of factors that the sales people have decided not to mention.

As somebody has mentioned a battery can go from "good" to flat within a couple of weeks while the owner is away on holiday. The dead battery means that the item cannot report it has a dead battery and is out of action. The owner will only discover that item is out of action when he or she instructs that item to do something and then notices that the item did not respond. If that is acceptable in the minimum requirement then perhaps for people who consider that minimum requirement is adequate wireless is the way forward.

 

[AssociatedAlarm]

Only a tamper (front or back) will register with the panel.

Incorrect, and why is Skybloy agreeing, he fits stuff that will not even report all of what you mention.

 

[skyboy]

On the subject of sensors losing battery power and someone going on a 3 week holiday.

The Yale sensors report low battery to the panel when they still have about 3 weeks estimated life left in them.
The other point to mention is that the door contacts use an altogether longer lasting battery in the form of a 3v CR2032.
I normally relplace ALL the batteries including all the CR2032s when I do a battery change but I have yet to experience a CR2032 registering a low battery condition. So they must last 5 years in a magnetic contact.

Since its such an easy job to swap the batteries you could always put fresh ones in before you have any extended trips planned.
Only costs 75p per pir for three AAAs

 

[alumni]

On the subject of sensors losing battery power and someone going on a 3 week holiday.

The Yale sensors report low battery to the panel when they still have about 3 weeks estimated life left in them.
The other point to mention is that the door contacts use an altogether longer lasting battery in the form of a 3v CR2032.
I normally relplace ALL the batteries including all the CR2032s when I do a battery change but I have yet to experience a CR2032 registering a low battery condition. So they must last 5 years in a magnetic contact.

Since its such an easy job to swap the batteries you could always put fresh ones in before you have any extended trips planned.
Only costs 75p per pir for three AAAs

Doesn't matter what you specifically do. If your new mate had half an idea he'd know that the low battery scenario wouldn't arise in normal circumstances. A simple service schedule would cover it. (paid or not - just to keep the tight arses happy).

 

[skyboy]

On the subject of sensors losing battery power and someone going on a 3 week holiday.

The Yale sensors report low battery to the panel when they still have about 3 weeks estimated life left in them.
The other point to mention is that the door contacts use an altogether longer lasting battery in the form of a 3v CR2032.
I normally relplace ALL the batteries including all the CR2032s when I do a battery change but I have yet to experience a CR2032 registering a low battery condition. So they must last 5 years in a magnetic contact.

Since its such an easy job to swap the batteries you could always put fresh ones in before you have any extended trips planned.
Only costs 75p per pir for three AAAs

Doesn't matter what you specifically do. If your new mate had half an idea he'd know that the low battery scenario wouldn't arise in normal circumstances. A simple service schedule would cover it. (paid or not - just to keep the tight a**es happy).

Indeed putting new batteries in on a yearly basis would mean the problem would be unlikely to the point of infinitesimal, the trouble is Yale advertise 'up to' 3 yr battery life when in fact it's 18 months in a busy dining kitchen and over three years from an upstairs landing. So telling people they need to swap all their batteries every 18 months sometimes falls on deaf ears...

 

[AssociatedAlarm]

and over three years from an upstairs landing

The most busy place in the home.
Apart from the kitchen.

Please stop reading from hymn sheets.

 

[skyboy]

and over three years from an upstairs landing

The most busy place in the home.
Apart from the kitchen.

Really?

Shows what you don't know then.
What about the lounge where the TV is where people are for hours at a time or even when fitted the bedrooms where teens spend all night.
I think you are mixing up the upstairs landing with the downstairs hallway where people go back and forth very frequently to get in and out of the home and pass between the kitchen and the lounge.

 

[tryityourself]

Sorry to jump in on this thread.
Mine keeps getting locked up.
Just quickly thanks Skyboy,Joe-90 and Lee2009 for your comments.
I only came on here to get some advice to change a battery, but somehow whipped up a wasps nest.
I've done what I needed ie changed my battery, so im off. best wishes to you all,