Why Wired? Why Not Diy? Why Branded?

[Guest]

And......I can't seem to find any Peterborough based companies on this site. Any suggestions?

http://www.nsi.org.uk/jkcm/scripts/showres...S&selLevel=

or

http://www.ssaib.info/adsearch/Town_Region...mdSubmit=Search

[Guest Alarm Guard]

Thanks all.

I suppose my query about zones shows some of my misunderstanding. I thought a "zone" would be a part of the house - ie upstairs, front, back, shed etc. Am I right in thinking that it is normal to use a zone for each detector and then these can be grouped into areas - programmed at the control panel - which can then be armed/disarmed accordingly?

At first, many years ago it was normal to have several devices on one zone... and the word 'zone' is still used.

I think I'll have quotes from local companies as suggested. Is it normal/wise to have a monitored system these days?

For a couple of few hundred pounds more than you would pay for a diy kit you can have a professionally installed alarm that will be far superior to what you could acheive... no matter how good you are at diy.

I have fitted loads of alarms for guys who contemplated doing it themselves, and when they saw the end result they ALL said that there was no way they could have done it anything like the same, or as neat.

[Guest]

not totally ture about sparks some are a little dodgy at alarms but for the people that have trained in alarm installatyion and cctv they install to a much higher standard.

Someone trained and installing to standard is not a sparky then, ergo sparky installed alarms are rough.

and with regards to internet some people dont pay for their internet as i dont because ive had a orange contract and get free 2m broadband which suits me to the ground

Babbling on again. I fail to see the relevance?

[abbz]

I dont think that RJBSEC comment about SECOM using wireless systems on many of their installations is quite true. Granted they started to use the rokonet panel but only on low end residentals. In the 4 months they been using them we have 2 residentals with them installed in quite a large area. The main panels used are the pyronix pcx256 and galaxy g2 and g3.

[Guest]

Generally you'll find sparkys know nothing about grading and risk assessments.

so by that would a texecom be class 2 or class 1 and also eurosec.

You're getting grade and class mixed up.

Each panel is graded individually, and the grading on an installation takes into account the installation as a whole.

[Guest Alarm Guard]

so by that would a texecom be class 2 or class 1 and also eurosec.

roger

cjt

All compliant equipment will show the grade and class on it or on the accompanying paperwork.

The grading is how well the equipment will perform if someone tries to compromise it, either by intrusion or tampering.

The class is in what environment the equipment will perform.

But just to clarify, Grade 1 is not DIY. All DIY installations are ungraded, regardless of the equipment used.

[Guest Alarm Guard]

Grade 1 may or may not be DIY.

Why do you say all DIY installations are ungraded?

What prevents a DIY'er putting in a Grade 1 system?

The grading is determined by the installer of the system. A diy'er cannot comply with PD6662 regulations (even if he knew the regulations, which is extremely unlikely) and therefore cannot give the installation a grading. QED.

[Guest Alarm Guard]

Remind me, what aspects of PD6662 preclude a DIY'er installing to Grade 1?

I will start a new topic in the trade area

[arfur mo]

Hi folks

We're moving house shortly and I intend to improve the security of the home with a good alarm system.

In our current home I have installed a very cheap Micromark wireless system. It was very easy to do, simple to use and seems to be working just fine.

However, I'm aware that professional engineers tend to have a low opinion of wirefree systems especially cheap ones. There also seems to be a general consensus that an alarm system will not be much cop unless it is installed by a suitably qualified person. That is the impression I get from this forum and others.

So, I would like to understand this more before I decide whether to install my own system or pay for someone else to do it. Here's some questions:

1. Why is "wirefree" generally frowned upon? What are the main advantages of a wired system over wirefree?

2. What will a professional be able to do that a DIYer can't with a little bit of reading up and thought?

3. Why should one opt for a Texecom system over a budget brand?

4. Why on earth do some domestic systems have 8+ zones? I mean, surely 2 or 3 is sufficient!

5. Can my internal alarm system be setup to watch over a shed or maybe even a garden?

I'm not trying to belittle the professionals in the industry, I'm purely trying to get to grips with why there are specialists out there and what they offer over and above a very good DIYer. I don't happen to know anyone who has had a professionally installed system so I want to avoid cowboys at all costs.

I've been looking at these Texecom kits which seem to get good press and they contain plenty of kit for the money. Any opinions on those?

Texecom Ultimate

Texecom Premier

Many Thanks in advance

Hi Rodders

bet your glad you asked now are'nt you?

in an attempt to cut to the chase, your questions are the one's we 'bat' every day, you have 4 fingers and one thumb on each hand (ok, i'm guessing here), yes you can install your own system, aided with some decent tools, ability in using them and a little luck it will all work out just fine.

the main issue you might have is false alarms and fixing them, these cause lessoning awareness from you neighbours which is you most valuable security asset, very soon they say "it's only bob's the builders faulty 'home brew' alarm system again". so identifying the causes 1st time is paramount, thats what we are trained to do and should have the spares to back it up with.

a lot of potential problems can be 'built out' by an experienced, well trained and alive alarm engineer during the design and installation phase's, this is in sighting detectors for maximum effect while also considering turbulence source's for less false alarm possibilities. just like any trade, that is what you pay for, not what we actually do, but what we know how to do and know what not to do.

Radio Systems.

recent radio systems are far more reliable than the 1st efforts available, most of us have lived through them and so have subsequently been 'sworn off' using it. we all know you just can't beat a wired systems performance or reliability. add to this wired systems we have thousands of detectors and makes to choose from, if the situation alters, like you get a dog we can easily replace a detector to suit. radio is far more restricted perhaps down to 3/4 options if lucky but may suit your situation, that's why many avoid radio system in diffidence.

regs

alan