Which Kit To Use

[gps]

Evening all

 

i currently run a small gate automation and access control company and have been thinking about branching out into security alarms for some time now, having not long moved house i have the chance to do my first install on my own house (takes the pressure off) with no customer looking over my shoulder.

I have been looking into the many different makes of equipment on offer and wondering which will be the best to use, as i want reliability im not really interested in the cheapest stuff i can get.

Anyway the main parts of my shopping list looks like this - castle euro mini control panel with 2 eur 068 mini prox keypads - 3 bosch blue line tri-tech pir detectors - texecom premier elite odyssey 5 bell box - 2 texecom impaq plus shock detectors.

Any advice on the quality/reliability of the above equipment or generally the best kit to use would be much appreciated, many thanks 

 

 

 

[matthew.brough]

With a couple of exceptions, most manufacturers kit is of good quality and reliable. If you're new to this, my biggest choice would be on support from the manufacturer. This ranges quite a bit and if you're new to it and ask what might be deemed stupid questions some manufacturers will assist, whereas others would hang up. Texecom has a track record of being quite helpful, especially with novice users and we have used Premier in the past. It's well built, relatively simple to use and has a good support from Texecom. This would be the route I'd suggest you went down at this stage.

If you become a trade member, you can always ask for help here where there is alot good engineers happy to help out if you need it.

[gps]

Thanks matthew,

Yes i have also been looking at the texecom kit, they seem to do a good range of equipment to suit different bubgets/specs etc. The good technical helpline will come in very handy too, its the same with the gate automation equipment that we install, some manufactures bend over backwards to help you and others talk to you like your an idiot.

What the situation with wireless alarm systems? i know they will be easier to fit but are they reliable enough? do trade engineers tend to use them or stick to the hardwired versions?

[Ronnie]

re wireless: do trade engineers tend to use 

 

unfortunately yes.  this is an easy game to get into (small domestic anyway), there are plenty of cheap wireless kits around for all any any to buy.  if you fancy earning a few beer tokens then crack on because most us have lost all interest in this market.

[matthew.brough]

Thanks matthew,

Yes i have also been looking at the texecom kit, they seem to do a good range of equipment to suit different bubgets/specs etc. The good technical helpline will come in very handy too, its the same with the gate automation equipment that we install, some manufactures bend over backwards to help you and others talk to you like your an idiot.

What the situation with wireless alarm systems? i know they will be easier to fit but are they reliable enough? do trade engineers tend to use them or stick to the hardwired versions?

There is a lot of wireless kit out there, I don't particularly like it and I certainly wouldn't use it in my own business with the exception of maybe an arm / disarm fob. You will get the opposite view from some, in my opinion people who don't really understand radio rate it in a higher league than those that do. I'd strongly advise you to keep to the trusted cable.

 

unfortunately yes.  this is an easy game to get into (small domestic anyway), there are plenty of cheap wireless kits around for all any any to buy.  if you fancy earning a few beer tokens then crack on because most us have lost all interest in this market.

Totally agree

[Ronnie]

thats not to say we don't quote for small domestic jobs, but we very rarely win them as we are quoting for police as a minimum, cable only, DT's etc - a proper job which costs more than most are prepared to pay (thanks to the 399 wireless dickheads)

[matthew.brough]

£399, wow, that's expensive! A fellow radio ham runs a company up here and will do full installs for the £200 + VAT mark. When I asked why bother, his answer was that they had 60,000 more customers than we do.

[Ronnie]

£399, wow, that's expensive! A fellow radio ham runs a company up here and will do full installs for the £200 + VAT mark. When I asked why bother, his answer was that they had 60,000 more customers than we do.

 

i think he was exaggerating somewhat!  

[matthew.brough]

I wish . . .

 

http://www.homeguardsecurity.co.uk/

 

In Yorkshire you can't turn down a street that doesn't have their bell box's on. Their website says 90,000 now. At one time they used nothing but Texecom and when I'd go up to their offices you would think it was an ADI branch. They started back in the early 90's and used to advertise on the front page of the Yorkshire Evening Post at £199 (Think it was all A1 alarms from B&Q at the time) and their popularity went through the roof. I don't know when they moved on to Texecom but they have used it for a fair while.

 

To be fair to John he certainly managed to flood a market, but at the time he started people didn't really have alarms like they do now and the price was hard to with. No NSI / SSAIB but he gave the householders what they wanted, a cheap burglar alarm. They have a lot on maintence. I think he only charges £35 - £40 fully comp per year.

[Ronnie]

3mil a year worst case!