What do you think of PeaceMaker?

[Guest Robert Trent]

We are a Canadian manufacturer with a new alarm system add-on product called PeaceMaker. I'd like to hear your opinions on our product. We're also looking for a UK distributor. Please give me some feedback.

PeaceMaker is an intelligent alarm siren disrupter. It easily attaches to the siren wire of any new or existing alarm system (home, business, or car) and temporarily silences extended or repeated siren soundings typical of false alarms. Please have a look at our web site at www.peacemaker.ca

The purpose of PeaceMaker is to shut off the siren if something goes wrong with an alarm system. It is effectively an independent watchdog for the alarm system. It reduces siren noise pollution from false alarms and helps alarm owners to avoid fines associated with false alarms and community noise restrictions.

An alarm system installer who includes a PeaceMaker and

[Guest Peter James]

Hi Robert

All sounders in the UK have a built in timer that is set to twenty minutes by law.

Usually the customer decides that they want the sounder set to less than that say ten minutes.

Max rearm is usually 3 times

So the only time we get runaway sounders is when they self activate and the peacmaker wont stop that.

Or if the system is old and not maintained.

Pete

[Service Engineer]

In the UK all modern bellbox`s have built in timers, mostly set to about 18 minutes but some are selectable to be less, and these only come into effect should the bellbox loose its power from the control panel.

All modern UK panels have the facillity to set the bellbox duration from 0 to 99 minutes (but 20 minutes is maximum allowed) and also control how many times the system can reset prior to user/engineer reset being required (3 resets are allowed).

So really your Peacemaker product has limited use as far as Home /Business intruder alarms are concerned in the UK.

But it still sounds as though it would come in handy for other purposes.

[Guest Affinity]

I have spoken to Robert about this as it does seem interesting but as you say uk has built in timers etc ...having said that Dave what sort of other purpose are you or anyone else thinking of ....it seems worth a look at but again as said has its limitations in the UK market

[Guest Robert Trent]

I see that UK systems are much different that North American alarm systems. There appears to be better false alarm prevention built into the system because the sounders require built in timers.

But I understand that the sounders themselves can sometimes malfunction and self-trigger, sounding continuously. Also, a malfunctioning alarm control unit that repeatedly turns the sounder on and off (ignoring the 3 reset limit) would not be stopped by the sounder's simple timer.

Instead of the sounder with its built in timer, imagine the following configuration...

The alarm control unit's bell box output runs first to PeaceMaker. From there, it runs to an inexpensive "dumb siren" with no 20-minute timer. It seems to me that this would be a superior system in preventing false alarm soundings because:

1. PeaceMaker draws power only from the alarm control unit's bell box output. Unlike the existing self-powered sounder with a timer, there is absolutely no way for PeaceMaker to malfunction and turn on the siren on its own.

2. If the control unit malfunctions, due to environmental conditions or component failure, and repeatedly turns the siren on and off either continually or intermittently, PeaceMaker would shut down the siren. The existing sounder with a timer would not prevent this type of false alarm.

3. PeaceMaker has special, distinct settings for intermittently triggered alarms, and can silence the siren by gradually abbreviating the siren sounding. An example of PeaceMaker's capabilities is given at www.peacemaker.ca/pm_howitworks.html.

According to your regulations, would a "PeaceMaker combined with a siren or bell"

not be equivalent to a "sounder with a timer"? The PeaceMaker solution would be superior at reducing false alarm noise. And, in addition, PeaceMaker reports false alarm occurences on its front panel, assisting in alarm system servicing.

Robert Trent

President

Spiral Technologies Ltd.

[Service Engineer]

The UK has very strict guidelines which must be met for all equipment to comply, Bellboxes having there own battery backup and inbuilt timers is not something we have any say in, regardless of whether we had fitted your unit, the bellboxes on the end would still be the same.

[Service Engineer]

And it also looks like the US and Canada will soon be adopting the SAME standards we in the UK currently complie with.

Have a read HERE

[Guest Robert Trent]

From the feedback that I've received in this forum, I understand that sounders in the UK must have a shut off timer. But is there also a requirement that sounders include their own power source? If so, what is the purpose of this requirement?

Robert Trent

President

Spiral Technologies Ltd.

[Service Engineer]

Its so that an intruder cant just rush into a property and remove power from the alarm system to shut up the bellbox, he cant also remove the bellbox from the wall to shut it up because it carries on sounding powered by the bellbox battery.

The control panel feeds the bellbox through front and back tamper circuits, so simply levering the bellbox 1/4 inch from the wall would trigger the bell to ring.

[Guest Robert Trent]

Ok, I definitely see the benefit of a self-powered sounder. But is a battery powered sounder part of your regulations as well? At first, I thought that the regulations were in place only to reduce false alarms (things like the 20 minute sounder timer and the 3 reset limit). But are the regulations also in place to reduce vulnerability of the alarm system to clever criminals? In other words, the regulations aren't just for false alarm reduction?