Wez Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Hey All, Any security specialists on here? Previously I have always had wired house alarms fitted but recently a wireless unit was recommended. Apparently the sensors, bell etc have a 3 year battery life and the main unit is mains powered. Are these any good, how secure are they and what wireless technology do they use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foodfreak Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Hi Wez, funnily enough, I've just had a couple of quotes for a new house alarm. both companies said wireless PIR's are reliable now, but not really worth the difference in price. one quote was £500 +vat......the other nearly £800 + vat The only other 'gadget' I was considering was a module that links to the phone line that can text or phone up to 8 different numbers in sequence to warn you when the alartm has been set off. john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 I'm no expert, but fr it would be down to how prone the wireless ones were to false alarming (or not triggering when there was an alarm). Wireless technology has come on a very long way since the first wireless alarms came out (ten years ago??). My mate had one of those and it was nothing but trouble. My wired alarm (installed at the same time) hasn't been much of a bother after the initial "tuning" phase. Part of my CCTV system is wireless, and that's very robust, but because of the way I've installed it the wireless signals only have to travel a few inches through thin air I have heard of people with the same system having issues with interference from WiFi, thick walls, etc. The guys who installed my wired system were amazing when it came to hiding the wires - mind you, I did already have most of the floorboards up in the affected rooms. It took me about a month to do the wired part of my CCTV. Personally I'd go for wired but that's ainly because I like a "one size fits all" kind of solution. The idea of having to change lots of different batteries all over the house would annoy me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 The alarm I was looking at had the same phone feature although I think 4 numbers. You can also dial into the alarm and perform functions like listen to whats happening in the house etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 Personally I'd go for wired but that's ainly because I like a "one size fits all" kind of solution. The idea of having to change lots of different batteries all over the house would annoy me. Same here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 If you can put up with the agro of hiding the wires initially, DEFINITELY wired.. (although I'd consider chucking in some CAT5 at the same time as you do the other bit)... Isn't Emin an alarm guy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lui Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Hi Wez mate give emin a shout supra ST myster his an alarm specialist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merckx Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Save a load of money, buy a wired one and fit it yourself. They're very easy to install. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 Save a load of money, buy a wired one and fit it yourself. They're very easy to install. After receiving the quote I am now considering this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 This is correct - they're pretty plug'n'play. However my experience is that there are two levels of manuals for many alarm systems: one for end-users and one for installers. Some suppliers won't give end-users access to the installation manuals (for obvious reasons). My alarm was installed professionally, but sicne it is not a pre-requisite of my H&C insurance I maintain it myself. I recently found the complete installation manual on the interweb (which was a bit scary). Wiring it all together is the easy bit. Going through the millions of setup options using only a 1-9 keypad is a nightmare! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieP Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Hi Wez mate give emin a shout supra ST myster his an alarm specialist Yup, he did mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Wired, for sure, wireless is still not as robust. I have a trade account with Gardiner Security if it helps. Not sure if listening to the house being trashed is conducive to a quiet drink at the pub, but it takes all sorts http://www.gardinersecurity.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bignum Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 This is what i do wez, if you can get wires around the place it is the better more reliable option, i only use wireless if its impossible to cable,ie detached garage or folks have gone ballistic with the laminate flooring, you can also get a standalone autodialler to attach to any wired system, i can send some details over of equipment i use if you need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 Thanks for all the info guys Maybe the wooden flooring was the reason they opted for a wireless setup, with other installations there was carpet and the cable was easy to hide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz6002 Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Can you do both like the Clifford car alarms? Serious piece of mind there mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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