Best House Alarm?

Reyman

My Homeguard Scopetronic alarm that I installed about 14 years ago is starting to give trouble and I was thinking of replacing it with something more reliable.

I need maybe 8 zones and something good i.e. I'm prepared to pay plenty for a good quality alarm.

Would some of you experienced guys be able to reommend a quality alarm?
If I could plug in my laptop and do diagnostics on it now that would be a real bonus but maybe domestic alarms aren't that fancy yet?

Reyman

Anyone knowledgable out there?

Beach Head

The Aritech CS350 is still available for the domestic market and is a good system.

But the best domestic alarm on the market at the moment IMO is the HKC Securewatch system. It will be compatible with your current sensor, panic buttons and beam installations and will have the same physical size panel as your old Homegaurd. The keypad is a lot nicer though. It comes as standard with eight zones, is expandable (Small Card) to twelve, has a dialler facility (Plug On) that you can text up to 19 numbers with when the alarm is activated. Has loads of outputs and configurations for them, all in all a very versatile and reliable system.

Stay away from Astec, no other equipment is compatible with it. This means that you will have to change every sensor and beam in your house.

Reyman

Beach Head wrote:

But the best domestic alarm on the market at the moment IMO is the HKC Securewatch system. It will be compatible with your current sensor, panic buttons and beam installations and will have the same physical size panel as your old Homegaurd. .

Sounds like I made a good choice - I bought the HKC and am putting it in at the moment. There's a nice layout on the board and as you say the keypad is very good .
I'm impressed.

One question if you know the answer. How do you wire the tamper part of the internal bell? I can't see any terminals to connect it to.
I suppose I could wire it in series with the bell box tamper but that doesn't seem good practice

nosmo-king

This looks good . Approx how much €
How much would it cost (approx) to have it fitted.
Tks

Beach Head

Firstly, internal bell tamper. Top two connections on RHS of panel, SAB Hold and Tamper return. Connect wire from SAB Hold to SAB Hold in Bell. Link 4K7 resistor from terminal beside SAB Hold in Bell to terminal marked Tamper return. Connect wire from Tamper return in bell to tamper return on panel.

Second, cost of fitting depends on number of windows, if you want smoke heads(Which I believe are a must), panic buttons, text diallers, PIR's or other stuff like lights activating when alarm is activated etc.

However, bog standard prewired should be around €500 - € 550
If it has to be cabled no more than €1700

If you want my opinion, do not accept a quote over the phone, there are too many alarm companies now quoting cheap prices over the phone and putting in a cheap system

johnnyrotten

I replaced my Aritech with the HKC system a few months back. I have to say its great. Get the Text card extra. Send you a text when alarm is activated.

Reyman

Beach Head wrote:

Firstly, internal bell tamper. Top two connections on RHS of panel, SAB Hold and Tamper return. Connect wire from SAB Hold to SAB Hold in Bell. Link 4K7 resistor from terminal beside SAB Hold in Bell to terminal marked Tamper return. Connect wire from Tamper return in bell to tamper return on panel.

That sounds like the instructions for the external bell tamper?

I don't know if it 's good practice to wire the Internal/external bell tampers in series. If something goes wrong you're not sure which bell it is !

Beach Head

Reyman wrote:

That sounds like the instructions for the external bell tamper?

I don't know if it 's good practice to wire the Internal/external bell tampers in series. If something goes wrong you're not sure which bell it is !

Sorry, my mistake, those are the external bell tamper connections. They are usually wired in series as there is only on bell tamper connection.

If you have a spare zone, you can always connect the tamper connections to it, program it as a tamper zone and rename it Int Bell tamper or something.

Reyman

Beach Head wrote:

Sorry, my mistake, those are the external bell tamper connections. They are usually wired in series as there is only on bell tamper connection.

If you have a spare zone, you can always connect the tamper connections to it, program it as a tamper zone and rename it Int Bell tamper or something.

Right thanks BH!

That seems the best solution.

fred funk }{

I wouldn't waste a zone for the internal tamper. Series the internal with the bell tamper or use the auxiliary tamper.

ps. I'm not sure if HKC has an auxiliary tamper, don't remember off hand.

Delboy5

Recently moved into my new house, its pre-wired for about 6-8 PIR's, can anyone suggest a good alarm system that has a built in GSM dialer as i dont have a phone line in the house, would like the alarm to call\text me whenever it goes off. Dont want to go down the monitored alarm path.........

nosmo-king

Beach Head wrote:

Firstly, internal bell tamper. Top two connections on RHS of panel, SAB Hold and Tamper return. Connect wire from SAB Hold to SAB Hold in Bell. Link 4K7 resistor from terminal beside SAB Hold in Bell to terminal marked Tamper return. Connect wire from Tamper return in bell to tamper return on panel.

Second, cost of fitting depends on number of windows, if you want smoke heads(Which I believe are a must), panic buttons, text diallers, PIR's or other stuff like lights activating when alarm is activated etc.

However, bog standard prewired should be around €500 - € 550
If it has to be cabled no more than €1700

If you want my opinion, do not accept a quote over the phone, there are too many alarm companies now quoting cheap prices over the phone and putting in a cheap system

Tks for that info.

matty2003

I just bought a HKC 812 with dialler to replace my old aritech. Before I start wiring it up, can anyone give me some advice so I don't make a dogs dinner of it?? I have 1 PIR and several window/inertia sensors, couple of door entry. I may want to replace a window/inertia with a PIR. I'm not sure about where I need to have resistors.

Reyman

matty2003 wrote:

I just bought a HKC 812 with dialler to replace my old aritech. Before I start wiring it up, can anyone give me some advice so I don't make a dogs dinner of it?? I have 1 PIR and several window/inertia sensors, couple of door entry. I may want to replace a window/inertia with a PIR. I'm not sure about where I need to have resistors.

You don't need any resistors except in the alarm box (Sabb) where you need a 4.7k resistor on the tamper hold.

You can easily replace an inertia detector with a PIR but you'll need to run 12v from the panel to power it - so an extra cable or a 6 core to do everything

matty2003

Thanks. The house was originally prewired, so I think there's 6 core going everywhere. What's the basic concept of a) STANDARD WIRING, b) Single EOL wiring, c) Dual EOL wiring ???

Reyman

matty2003 wrote:

Thanks. The house was originally prewired, so I think there's 6 core going everywhere. What's the basic concept of a) STANDARD WIRING, b) Single EOL wiring, c) Dual EOL wiring ???

Use standard wiring i.e. no resistors.

Otherwise with dual you will need resistors. Single also needs resistors, but I can't see any advantage to either of these systems unless you're trying to use 2 core cable

Beach Head

matty2003 wrote:

I just bought a HKC 812 with dialler to replace my old aritech. Before I start wiring it up, can anyone give me some advice so I don't make a dogs dinner of it?? I have 1 PIR and several window/inertia sensors, couple of door entry. I may want to replace a window/inertia with a PIR. I'm not sure about where I need to have resistors.

You will not require any resistors if all of the resistors on your old system were in the panel(Where they shouldnt be!) If there were resistors in the panel, just throw them away and program the HKC as non e.o.l.

If there are no resistors connected to the zones in the panel, they are in the inertias, just reconnect the zones to the HKC in the same order. Then check the inertias installed and if they are dual e.o.l. select dual in the zone hardware menu.

matty2003

Thanks for the tips guys. I just need to connect the PIR now. Whats the colour code to use - I need 4 wires I think and short the tamper ? I have red, black, blue, yellow, green, white. The HKC manual says to use red & yellow to connect to the zone on the board, but what colours then for power?

Reyman

I would use 6 core cable for the IR devices

Green/White: Power
Black/red: Alarm
Yellow/blue: Tamper

No need to short the tamper

Sizzler

The question with all alarms is what happens next when it goes off? If you're at work a bell ringing in your house is not worth a w@nk while some knack is helping himself to yourLCD tv!

Sizzler

Sizzler wrote:

The question with all alarms is what happens next when it goes off? If you're at work a bell ringing in your house is not worth a w@nk while some knack is helping himself to yourLCD tv!

Yes, I've come to that conclusion as well. I won't be fitting one, just some strategically placed security lights.

The house will be occupied 24/7 anyway.

Reyman

While I'm inclined to agree - you're relying on your neigbours to keep an eye out, when it sounds.

The alternative - an alarm phoning you every time it goes off could be a complete menace.

matty2003

I absolutely agree. But they're a necessary evil when everyone else has one. If a knack as you put it wants to pick a house, he's going to go for the one without an alarm. Text dialler is a compromise solution. An alarm should not be going off regularly - if it is then it's not set up correctly (or you have a lot of knacks visiting)

fitting a dummy box will deter most from trying.....

Beach Head

Deleted User wrote:

fitting a dummy box will deter most from trying.....

Fitting a decoy which has not even got an LED flashing on and off is not a deterrent. In fact it is an invitation to any burgular to enter your house without any disturbance.

Alarms are necessary to deterr intruders, not prevent them from entering. Main reason I have one and fit them, to make sure that no-one comes into my house at night without me knowing.

A properly fitted and used alarm will not false alarm. Most alarms in estates that continue to false alarm do so because they have not been correctly fitted (For example, shock sensors on Velux windows, so hail rain or birds activate them) or programmed by incompetent installers who really are only out to make fast money and do not care about installation quality.

Another reason for false alarms is the home owner who only has shock sensors fitted and buggers off while leaving a window open to shake in the wind or allow the blinds to rattle etc. And these people seem to continually do it.

Jnealon

I'm with BH here. Trying to skimp and save when the security of your property and family is at stake is not on.
Dummy boxes used to work years ago when there were no leds in them. I have to laugh when I see white dummy boxes up on houses

whowantstwoknow

Hi All

Looking to install the HKC Securewatch into the house, but would like it to dial me when activated, so I need to connect it to the phone network. Now I'm using VOIP for the phone would this be a problem? Also I'd prefer text messages rather than phone calls, so again is this possible over VOIP?

Thanks

Mike

Jnealon

madunphy wrote:

Hi All

Looking to install the HKC Securewatch into the house, but would like it to dial me when activated, so I need to connect it to the phone network. Now I'm using VOIP for the phone would this be a problem? Also I'd prefer text messages rather than phone calls, so again is this possible over VOIP?

Thanks

Mike

If you have a digital to analogue converter that will allow you to plug in your normal phone then it will work. The only thing is it will not have line seizure.

murphaph

Beach Head wrote:

You will not require any resistors if all of the resistors on your old system were in the panel(Where they shouldnt be!) If there were resistors in the panel, just throw them away and program the HKC as non e.o.l.

Amazing how many 'professionally' installed alarms have the eol resistors just stuck in series inside the panel. I replaced an ancient ITEC recently with an Aritech CD95 that I got off eBay for feck all. Brand new panel, 2 bell boxes (used but flawless), new Aritech internal sounder, expander card, 5 brand new Aritech dual tech PIRs, 2 Aritech inertia shock sensors (the expensive kind with built in analyser), Aritech contacts (though a contact is a contact), batteries for panel and external sounders and 8 core cable for £100. In hindsight I'd say the seller works in the industry and 'appropriated' the gear from his/her employer. The CD95 is not a domestic panel

I put all my eol resistors where they are supposed to go-inside the sensors.

De_man

apologies for hijacking the thread,

has anyone got an opinion on texecom premier 816/412 alarms?

i'm looking at their 12zone system at the moment