Monitored system for home?

[Guest Merritt]

Apologies if this is posted in the wrong area!

I am looking at the possibility of installing a monitored alarm system to my house but it appears I have hundreds of options!!

I spoke to a distributor / installer for //.National Installer.// kit this morning and was quoted the following :

£349 inc vat for supply & installation (£299 if I sign up before the end of this month)

£35 reg fee to the police

£26 per month service charge including maintenance/servicing costs

which seems reasonable for supply / installation etc but £26 per month sounds expensive for the service charge.. (any comments?)

I have a 3 bed detached house & would like to cover almost everywhere including the garage.. Im not sure I need/want the monitoring though...

What is the general opinion please? Any advice / help greatly appreciated!

Also - any other installer recommendations for the Andover, Hampshire area?

Thanks in advance.

Steve

[morph]

Shop arround you may be able to get a better deal locally, also check that you actually own the system and that it is not rental only, a lot of //.National Installer.// systems are.

The annual costs depend on the type of monitoring and as to the level of cover you want, generally with //.National Installer.// there contracts are comprehensive and cover most things barring damage by you or acts of God.

Personally I would suggest you get three quotes and compare them all, check the small print and if you still need some assistance ask on the forums.

Have a look round your area and see what companies are prominent in your area, and ask for refferences etc.

Colin.

[Brian c]

Ok, I think it is a reasonable price for the install of your system (just make sure it's not a lease arrangement and you will own the equipment). If you own the equipment, it's a good price, otherwise steer clear. The police charge is about right. £26 a month isn't really that bad as you will receive 24/7 monitoring and and 2 service visits a year and the back up of a national company. This is over a minium term, though and is designed to recoup the cost of fitting your system so cheap.

Also, in my opinion, the basic system you have been quoted for will have difficulty producing a 'confirmed alarm' required for police response(especially if theives gained entry via a room, robbed it, and left via the same room). Also the price would increase a lot with the addition of more equipment.

Considering you do not require monitoring I would recommend an install from a professional member of this forum in your area(if you hang about for a bit one will turn up!) tailored to your requirements. I would also recommend a speech dialler or SMS communicator to alert you to activations

( please see http://www.intruder-alarm-installers.co.uk...&st=0entry284 regarding this subject)

These are just my opinions and I'm sure you'll get lots more views to help you decide

Brian

[Guest Putus Security Systems]

Steve,

Unless you specifically want police response then a speech dialler is a more cost effective option. One off purchase of the dialler and thats it apart from any calls it makes to the phone numbers pre-programmed into it.

We are based in Godalming and cover your area if you would like a second opinion.

Regards

Shawn

[Chris Teague]

Gotta plug a fellow BT bloke.

I beleive forum member Smart1 is nearby too (Basingstoke)

Don't know if SSAIB / NSI

But I'm sure he won't mind the plug

Company: Smart Electrics Security Systems

Phone: 0870 7433392

Mobile: 0778 2879640

Bit too far away for us

[Guest RICHL]

Steve,

All of the above is good advice, but be sure any quotes you get include your garage. If it is not attached to the house this will usually bump up the price.

If you need to know who to get quotes off then ring your local crime prevention office and they will usually give you 3 phone numbers of SSAIB or NSI approved installers who cover your area. Or have a look through Yell.

Richard

[Guest]

if its a dealer job the kit is yours....£26 not bad for fully comp contract...i mean i pay sky £42 per month and get ****.....the monitored stuff is good for fire&pa if you have wife & kids at home while your out...

[Guest]

Well you must be completely crazy if you think £26 a month for monitoring is competative, maybe if you had RedcareGSM but not for a digi. We charge just over double that for a full year's monitoring plus service contract also with two service visits and 24hr callout. Really annoys me companies trumpeted such a cheap install only to take you to the cleaners further down the road.

23332[/snapback]

well you cant be making money at those prices,or the engineers are on the minimum wage..

[Guest Merritt]

Thanks for all the replies and advice chaps! I will be making a few calls over the next few days

[Guest Peter James]

Hi Merrit

The //.National Installer.// deal is not so bad if you consider that you have a National company backing you.

I would shop around and get three quotes, if you want Police responce (And I would always reccomend you should dialers are ok but they wont confirm an intrusion and they cant call the Police) then you must choose an Aproved installer either SSIAB or NSI (Nacoss).

Other things to consider are callout charges including outside normal hours.

Pete