I need an Alarm. Any Advice ?

Dfitzer · 28-08-2005 7:47pm #1

After reading all about home security I better get an alarm. i was looking around my neighbours and their are about twenty different types/companys. can anyone suggest a decent alarm system or price range ? The house is your standard three bed semi in Co Kildare

beller b · 28-08-2005 7:50pm

There are plenty around...golden pages or google..Expect to pay €600-€850
PM me if your want some names (I wouldn't like to be accused of pimping)

brettmirl · 28-08-2005 9:47pm

I use Eircom Phonewatch.

Got it as part of a deal they were doing for new pre-wired houses.

Can't fault the service in anyway.

Lex Luthor · 28-08-2005 9:50pm

do you plan to install yourself?

Is the house pre-wired?

Lex Luthor · 28-08-2005 9:51pm

beller b wrote:

Expect to pay €600-€850

I don't know too many companies will do it for that price....at least over €1k...maybe up to €1600 from eircom p.watch

Pataman · 28-08-2005 10:39pm

I am impressed with the phonewatch system. It is very handy to be told what zones are triggered before you get there.

Debracd · 29-08-2005 12:00am

Sounds like a great system!

beller b · 29-08-2005 12:05am

I was basing price on being prewired

Dfitzer · 29-08-2005 9:22pm

Rang Eircom today Quoted €680 for installation and €20 monitoring per month - first three months free. This seems like a fairl;y decent offer. But with the amount of alarms going off do the Guards actually respond if it goes off

Debracd · 29-08-2005 9:26pm

That sounds great! I never rang them because i 'presumed' they'd be very expensive. Ring them back and tell them ya want commission for anyone who mentions boards.ie LOL

brettmirl · 29-08-2005 9:58pm

The Guards used to always respond. BUT they have changed their rules on this lately. Am sure its on the phonewatch website somewhere.

They work to a kind of three strikes and you are out.

The trick here is to give a neighbour you trust a set of your house keys, you alarm code and your 'secret word' for the phone confirmation.

As far as i know, now they ask that the people on your call list be tried first to establish if it is a false alarm or not. If no one on your list can be contacted, the guards get sent out.

If someone answers the phone call and gives the wrong 'secret word' the guards appear on the doorstep

Debracd · 29-08-2005 10:00pm

So if your burglars secretarial skills aren't up to scratch and they don't bother answering your phone.. the guards don't come out???

beller b · 30-08-2005 8:58am

The rules now as regards monitoring & Garda response are this.
Any new systems installed & set up for monitoring must use a method of verifying the Alarm Activation before the Guards respond.
An alarm can be verified by:
1) A second activation on a different zone.(ie if a burglar breaks a window etc this will activate 1 zone if the window is then opened or an infrared beam is activated this activates a second zone).The chances of 2 zones false alarming at the same time is remote so the Alarm is verified as genuine.
2) Video or Audio signals sent to the monitoring station.
3) Visual Inspection
On the 1st activation the monitoring station will contact the appointed keyholders & inform them there is an unverified alarm activation.If they get a second activation verifing the alarm they will contact the Guards & call the keyholder back.The keyholder can then decide to wait for the Guards or procede to the premises.(in this case the monitoring station can remain on the phone while the person enters the premises & have a line open to the Guards should they be needed.
This method is being phased in at the moment & older systems are still being monitored in the usual way.

thedesigntribe · 30-08-2005 5:34pm

I wouldn't go with Phone watch. €20 per every month for ever, is high tax to pay when you can 'monitor' your own alarm.

Any decent alarm technician can install a 'digi-text' into your alarm. The digi-text is a circuit board that text a number of mobiles when the alarm goes off. It will also tell you what zone was activated etc (or number of zones). It can have users which have different codes. If you want you can be txt-ed everytime the alarm is turned off & on etc.

This guy put mine in www.cusystems.com (I made him a small site)

Dfitzer · 30-08-2005 10:52pm

I know 20 € is pricey but you can have the monitoring off and it just works as a normal alarm. So considering normal alarms are around the same price approx 650 - 800 I dont think the monitoring is a bad option to have

beller b · 30-08-2005 10:58pm

Doesn't eircom make you sign a 2-3 year contract?

SnotNosedGit · 30-08-2005 11:11pm

I'm looking to get one too.
Does anyone know of any reasonable installers in Dublin?
Ideally the alarm would be able to text me as each zone was triggered.
Would be nice to have a camera that i could log into to check too, or even better, a camera which would text me a photo of what triggered the alarm.
Surley there are systems that can do that around now.

Smirky · 30-08-2005 11:25pm

Just got an alarm installed into my 3 bed semi d, put in from scratch & did a bloddy brilliant job! Didn't bother with the monitoring cos I think its a farce & v expensive. The tinkers will be in & out before the coppers finished their coffee & bun & squeeze into the squad car & amble down to your house.

€800 all in (best other quote I got was €1,300) another friend of mine just used them too & got the quotes down from €1,600 to 950. They even came out, checked the house, submitted a full written plan & quote (for free) and suggested extra security measures - I opted for the sensor halogen light over the part of the driveway where I park - to protect the car.

4 Garden & Security , Ray 2946681, you can tell him his recent job in Churchtown reccomended him!! I got them out of the Golden Pages.

PM if you want an email copy of the quote they sent me - it's pretty all inclusive for what the average house needs.

The Security ma · 20-10-2005 3:13am

Thats all great guys, but are these guys NSAI CERTIFIED ???

If they're not, don't touch them!

If you don't have a 'conformance certificate' (to EN50131 which is only available to licenced installers) for your alarm, your Insurance company will fleece you, should there be a break-in. You might save a few bob getting it done on the cheap, but it could end up costing you dearly.

I know a guy was burgled, alarm malfunctioned (AND got smashed), and all his wifes jewellery was nicked - The Insurance claim was for €5,500.
First thing he was asked by the Insurance company was the Certificate for the alarm (which didn't exist). He then was informed that because he stated his system complied (at the time of installation), and it actually didn't, they made out he had made a false declaration and voided his claim...

So beware!

beller b · 20-10-2005 5:00pm

Very true!

GreeBo · 16-12-2005 2:58pm

The Security ma wrote:

Thats all great guys, but are these guys NSAI CERTIFIED ???

4 Garden & Security:
NSAI Approval IS EN 50131-1-1997 Standard Licence Number IAS 11 07.

GreeBo · 27-02-2006 5:53pm

Smirky wrote:

4 Garden & Security , Ray 2946681, you can tell him his recent job in Churchtown reccomended him!! I got them out of the Golden Pages.

Oh dear God where do I start.
The pain and suffering these people caused me was unreal.
4 weeks from start to finish to get a simple pre-wired Alarm installed.
Weeks of promises to call around and not showing up, text messages half an hour later with every excuse you have ever heard and many you havent.
Half done jobs where "Ray" doesnt tell his hired installer what to install, wrong equipment installed, faulty equipment installed.
Incorrectly programmed many, many times.
(Why anyone would want an alarm to ring them when they unset it but not when it goes off is beyond me...)

In short, they may be cheaper but my life was hell for over 4 weeks.:mad:

I need an Alarm. Any Advice ?

Comments