House alarms

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timmmay

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#110695 15-Oct-2012 09:04

I'm considering a house alarm, since I have a bunch of reasonably valuable stuff. I have a regular three bedroom house with an office added on, quite old, good ceiling access in the house but none in the office, good access under the floor.

I know nothing really, does anyone who knows something give me a primer? Wired vs wireless, monitored or not, self installed vs professional install, etc. I have no phone line, so monitoring via the internet would be useful, if such a thing exists.

If anyone can recommend a Wellington installer or supplier that would be great too :-)

This system looks fine for $999 installed. I may add things like the wireless deactivation and extra screamers to drive people out of multiple house sections.

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#701238 15-Oct-2012 09:05

IP monitoring does exist and Safeguard do it

timmmay

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#701244 15-Oct-2012 09:09

Ah good to know. It's $500 to install though, and about $380 per year. I suspect going from no alarm to an alarm would be a big step, monitored alarm would be another small step that I may do one day, or may not.

chevrolux

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#701392 15-Oct-2012 12:08

I personally think monitoring is a waste of time. It takes the security guards around 15 minutes to get to your house (based on Palmerston North so probably much longer in other places) by which time the thieving pricks are well gone. Monitoring is around $1 a day? - You are better to give that money to an unemployed neighbour who can keep watch of your place.

I got a small system for my garage from Stewarts electrical (Stewarts is Radcliffe & JA Russel) which had two sensors the outdoor strobe/siren, the indoor siren and keypad for $220. Installation is super simple. If you are relatively capable I owuld go for the DIY route and not bother with monitoring.

B1GGLZ

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#701398 15-Oct-2012 12:18

chevrolux: I personally think monitoring is a waste of time. It takes the security guards around 15 minutes to get to your house (based on Palmerston North so probably much longer in other places) by which time the thieving pricks are well gone. Monitoring is around $1 a day? - You are better to give that money to an unemployed neighbour who can keep watch of your place.

+1
Monitoring is a waste of maney.
I got a self install Wireless System from Mongoose here in Auckland. Around $500 and very simple to install. Has capability of Dialling out and remote monitoring and control but would need a phone line.

timmmay

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#701406 15-Oct-2012 12:28

Thanks Chev. Agreed, monitoring isn't something I'll consider, given the costs and probably response times in Wellington. Instead I'll fit internal screamers in a few places.

That Bosch system costs $999 installed, and I'd probably need to electrician to install it anyway. While I could do it, inside my house I'd rather have someone who's done it 100 times and can do a really neat job. Plus the advice from a professional should be valuable too.

Suggestions for other vendors and systems would be most welcome.

CYaBro

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#701412 15-Oct-2012 12:38

Monitoring on your home alarm I agree is a waste of money, different story for a business premises.
If you wanted to monitor then get an alarm that can send you a text or something like that rather.
Also mount the outside siren so that it faces directly at a neighbours house so if it does go off hopefully it will annoy them that they go and investigate. :)

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

timmmay

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#701421 15-Oct-2012 12:48

To send alerts I guess it'd need a SIM card and a plan of some kind. Pointing it at a neighbour sounds like a good idea, plus there's a rest home over the road and I guess they'd get annoyed and call someone sooner or later!

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dolsen

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#701423 15-Oct-2012 12:53

timmmay:

That Bosch system costs $999 installed, and I'd probably need to electrician to install it anyway. While I could do it, inside my house I'd rather have someone who's done it 100 times and can do a really neat job. Plus the advice from a professional should be valuable too.

Be careful with the assumption that a professional will do a really neat job, it's not always the case. I've installed a few alarms myself and have done a neat job. The house we are currently in had one installed by a professional before we brought it, and, I'm less than impressed with how it was installed.

Power for the alarm within 2m of the access point of the roof not secured.
Pirs not set aimed correctly.
Double up of 2 sensors when there is an extra zone that could have been used to have each on different zones (the sensors are in different rooms).
Outright lying about the zones - I have a 4 zone panel with an extra keypad zone available. The label states zone 1-4 & 8 are used, however, the keypad zone was left unconnected.

My expectation would be that the professional alarm installer would install the alarm the quickest and easiest way instead of you being able to take your own time and install it correctly.

timmmay

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#701424 15-Oct-2012 12:55

Thanks Dolsen, noted. After plenty of experience with tradesmen I don't just say "go", I ask their opinion, research things, tell them what I want done, and check it. They don't get paid until they do what was agreed up to a professional standard.

sbiddle

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#701454 15-Oct-2012 13:38

A lot of alarms in new homes are installed by sparky's because they can pick up a cheap (but good quality) Micron alarm for $250 and think they're perfectly capable of installing it. The problem is many of these people are the same ones who install phone wiring in series and use BT jackpoints still.

timmmay

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#701467 15-Oct-2012 13:54

I'm sure some electricians are perfectly capable of installing it. The basics should be fine, then I guess it's mostly sensor choice and placement.

Safeguard are coming to do a quote tomorrow so we'll see what they say.

nickb800

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#701525 15-Oct-2012 15:07

Regarding DIY, I found that some distrbutors require a security installers license (involves a police background check, etc) before they will sell you the alarm kit (I was trying to buy a Bosch kit). Ridiculous considering that you can pick up the installers .pdf straight from the Bosch website, including installer codes...

Back OT, you can get basic SMS devices from the likes of ebay that can interface with your alarm and txt you when it goes off, much cheaper than monitoring, at just the cost of a topup card or two every year

timmmay

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#701527 15-Oct-2012 15:10

That's interesting Nick. Do you have to get SMS devices designed for your exact make and model of alarm system, or are they somehow generic?

stuzzo

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#701528 15-Oct-2012 15:12

All installers should be electrically qualified as in, most cases, they are wiring into the mains.

I know that a lot aren't, of course, including the larger security firms.

timmmay

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#701529 15-Oct-2012 15:15

I'll ensure that any mains electrical work is done by qualified electricians, and that a certificate of compliance is produced, thanks.

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