Help choosing alarm for home with office. Please!

[Guest K.I.M.]

Hello

I'm trying find a hardwired system for a large house, which has an office with its own separate access.

I need to allow staff to turn off the alarm only in the office zone. Not the whole house. I'm concerned they could un-set the whole house - which I dont want them to be able to do.

I also want a dialler to call my mobile/other number when alarm activated. The system will have 30 sensors (made up of magnetic contacts , 2 pet friendly pirs, 5 shock sensors, 3 remote keypads)

There are so many systems out there I really need advice on which is best. My electrician fitted my previous house, and will do so again. (I did get a quote from a professional alarm company £2700+VAT far too much!)

All advice gratefully received, Thank you

[Guest ALSEC]

Hi

What area are you in?

Maybe someone on here can give you a more reasonable quote than that (although what you are asking for is not a normal domestic system). With all due respect to your electrician, I don't profess to be able to change the fuse board in your house becuase I'm not competent to do so (although I have a fairly good idea how to do it), therefore it is alway better to get an alarm installer to install an alarm. More so, as you require different wards within the protected premises and if you are talking about 30 sensors there is also an element of expansion devices etc.

Anyway, maybe someone on here can help you with a quote. If not then maybe we can help suggest suitable equipment.

Good luck

[Guest K.I.M]

I understand entirely what your saying - I call him "my electrician" but he actually does do subcontract work for professional registered alarm installers when they're own installers are all busy. He just has no time to source a system for me!

Thanks for responding

[Guest ALSEC]

OK, then there are many options available to you. The equipment I am most familiar with is Menvier or Galaxy. With both system you will have the ability to install one system which you can divide into seperate areas which can be indepentantlly set or unset. Menvier call this wards, Galaxy call this groups. You can use proximity tokens on both systems, so you would issue each member of staff a small token/card whatever, which would only allow them to set or unset the "system" for the office. This way, they have access to the office only and not your home.

Speech diallers are easy as most just need an output from the control panel to trigger them to dial. Texecom also make one which will send you texts messages as well but not entirely sure what that will look like on a screen etc.

You did mention 30 sensors, which does seem quite a lot (even for a large house). Generally you would require a detector in each ground floor room which has direct access to the outside, ie a window or door, something on a landing upstairs, possibly 2 if't long enough with a bend in, contacts on the front door (this initiates the entry sequence) and also on the door to this office (for the same reason). Shock sensors could be used as an alternative to pet friendly, however, always best to contain the animals in a room with no detection in, however, that is a matter of opinion between different installers.

Any more I can think of I'll put that down later.

Hope this helps!!!

[Guest K.I.M]

So many sensors because of my cats! which have free run, except in office. So I can only cover perimeter Doors and Windows no other PIR's. The Shock sensors are for rear windows (they were recommended by the £2700 installer, I'd not heard of them before)

[Guest ALSEC]

I am right in thinking that they/you are proposing to install contacts on all perimeter doors and windows? If so, it is worth remembering that this would be very difficult to do without having any cables showing or cable trunking showing (correct me if i'm wrong please everyone else). In my opinion that woudl be very unsightly. Shock sensors would be easier to install neatly and may be able to provide protection room by room (you might need to get someone elses opinion on this as I don't know a great deal about shock sensors).

Alternatively, pet sensors may be the way to go (but again, seek other advice as i'm not overly familiar with pet sensors)

I'M NOT DOING MY SELF ANY FAVOURS HERE AM I!! Not familiar with a lot of things by the sound of it!!

What specifically was the £2700 installer quoting for?

[breff]

Pet sensors are good for not picking up animals below about 1 metre, trouble is they also dont pick up people very well either. Shocks are the way to go.The texecom premier 48 can have 4 areas, 4 keypads and 48 zones. You can assign keypads to areas , codes to areas, and also assign codes as local which means if your code is assigned to both areas, the system checks which area the keypad is assigned to and only sets/unsets that area.

[Service Engineer]

Also consider the Gardtec GT840, it easilly meets all your requirements and then some. Upto 80 zones too if required.

[bellman]

Also consider the Gardtec GT840, it easilly meets all your requirements and then some. Upto 80 zones too if required.

26212[/snapback]

Good solid panels the Gardtec's, also look at the Menvier range, excellent reliability and features.

like gardtec they have been making panels for a LONG time.

Regards

Bellman

[Paul Giles]

I expect the 2700 quote was for a monitored system too?

Diallers are ok but for a system that size, what a compromise, cut the phone line and the system is useless.

Get your guy to install it all, we would recommend Galaxy and redcare home, get an approved firm to commission it and take over the service contract.

Would be good to see exactly what the 2700 quote included as the vibration sensors are very labour consuming to hide the cables.

Regards

Paul