Jasper
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 04:09 PM |
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Alarm advice needed
After the recent spate of theifs I wanna DIY alarm my house.
I have a cat who has the run of the house, and a dog too, so presumably I can't use PIR sensors in the house?
So do I just alarm the doors? And how hard is that?
And whose the best supplier of parts?
[Edited on 19/2/07 by Jasper]
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mookaloid
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 04:15 PM |
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My advice is to have one fitted professionally.
That way when it has woken you up for third night in a row at 3 am you can get on the phone and shout at the people who put it in.
I know from my own DIY alarm experience that I wish I had someone to shout at rather than wondering where I had gone wrong.......for the third night
in a row
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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grahamgg
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 04:52 PM |
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I used theselink here..quality products easy to install,,don't use a diy system with remote sensors
as they are crap ..worst bit is routing all the wiring throughout house
I think i bought the silver kit and also bought a few add ons
[Edited on 19/2/07 by grahamgg]
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MikeR
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 04:54 PM |
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As the person who's started some of these threads recently, here's my view.
I went into B&Q last Monday, bought a wireless response alarm and had it fitted in hours. It will eat batteries but was simple to fit. I've
used PIR's but you can get door contacts. That along with the large PIR lights at the back / side of the house have (in my opinion) saved me
from a far worse second robbery a week later.
To me it was worth it, especially when you think the second time they came with equipped with at least a screw driver & knew exactly what i had in
the house having unplugged lots of things etc 6 days earlier.
Spoke to a neighbour who retold a story from a police man. He never gets called out to robbery's on houses with alarms.
Once i've improved my back garden fence (spikey bushes) i'll start to feel safe again. Considering the agro i'm going through
sorting things out, its worth 200 quid buying the alarm. If you want the hassle of fitting wired, its a LOT less dosh.
[Edited on 19/2/07 by MikeR]
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ady8077
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 07:00 PM |
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Hi
You can get pet lenses for pir's which shouldn't detect your cat or small dogs
Adrian
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Chippy
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 07:01 PM |
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Not too sure, but seem to recall having read that you can get PIR's that scan three feet up, so that pets don't keep setting them of. HTH
Ray.
Blast, just beat me to it!!!!!!
[Edited on 19-2-07 by Chippy]
To make a car go faster, just add lightness. Colin Chapman - OR - fit a bigger engine. Chippy
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MikeR
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 07:44 PM |
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I've been told a lot of the wireless alarms have improved since they where first introduced - ie some of the early ones did have problems. So if
someone is saying "they're not very good" ask them what they are basing it on. Also consider how easily i fitted mine compared to
what a company will charge you for fitting a wired one (ie how much extra profit can they make on the wired one from labour charges).
Call me callous ....... but business is about profit.
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Hellfire
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 07:55 PM |
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As I installed and commisioned my own Security System I can vouch for it 100%. How do I base my findings?
Ask my neighbours how many times mine has failed to their professionally installed one's. Spend the money saved using good quality PIR's
and Contacts. Mine has only failed ONCE due to a spider getting in the bell box and shorting out the siren. Once cleared everything was fine and still
is 15 years later!
My insurance company will not give me a discount though on Security as it is not professionally installed.  Despite it being FAR superior!!!
The hardest bit is installing the hard wiring and connecting the 40+ wires into the keypad! Be warned...
DIY and good luck!
Steve
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chrisg
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 07:59 PM |
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I have a shotgun and an unreasonably grumpy attitude.
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MikeR
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 08:01 PM |
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Similar point, neighbours lad who was installing alarms for BT 20 years ago did theirs for them as a favour. Never had a failure yet (although my dad
did re-do some bits the following day as he wasn't happy - but thats cause my dad is a perfectionist)
Had 3 false alarms the first week though, dad forgot the alarm was on and walked straight downstairs into the path of a PIR every morning 
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lsdweb
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 08:15 PM |
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I'd go for hard wired if you can - one less thing to go wrong!
I trained as an installation engineer years ago and quickly realised that there were good and bad products out there! My current system has 6 PIR,s, 2
garage door sensors, 3 door contacts and 12 smoke alarms running off it and no false alarms in 5 years!
Running the cables is hard work but worth it in my view.
Wyn
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jlparsons
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 09:26 PM |
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Cabled definatly the best, but lot of work. I've got a yale one myself, wireless. No false alarms yet, but then it is still in its box.
One quick point - most of the own brand systems are all white label and absolutely identical, for instance Wickes and B&Q. Only difference is
that the former is cheaper. CHeapest was tesco online though. www.tesco.co.uk go to household electrical.
Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Some assembly required. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during
shipment. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Subject to
approval, terms and conditions apply. Apply only to affected area. For recreational use only. All models over 18 years of age. No user-serviceable
parts inside. Subject to change. As seen on TV. One size fits all. May contain nuts. Slippery when wet. For office use only. Edited for television.
Keep cool; process promptly.
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Deckman001
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| posted on 19/2/07 at 09:43 PM |
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My Boss has just installed a wireless system at his house after he was targeted, his next door neighbour was done over last week as well, and he has
just asked me boss to install the same system in his house, it wasn't cheap at £420 but was installed in an afternoon and working that night, it
had two pir's and contacts on all the doors and windows, it was from a company we get all our Smoke vent system batteries from, if you get
stuck, give me a bell and I can find out a cost for you.
Jason
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Jasper
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| posted on 21/2/07 at 08:50 AM |
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Thanks chaps - that's great. I'll be wireless for me, I just don't have the time or inclination to run a wired one.
Jason, I'll probably go with a Wickes one, as long as the main sections are covered I think that will be enough of a deterant. Thanks anyway.
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MikeR
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| posted on 22/2/07 at 06:15 PM |
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One warning - i alarmed the house and put up PIR based lights on the house. the toads turned up, saw the house and turned over my shed
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