Advice on getting a house fitted with an alarm

miss_daisy

Hi,

Im living in town house in Kilkenny, and it is prewired for a house alarm. I have got a few quotes for installing an alarm system ranging from 500 - 950e. The prices included sensors on the windows downstairs, a PIR sensor on landing and a GSM dialer (as we dont have phone line). There are 13 windows in the house. We're not too bothered about having the alarm monitored or the dialler really, but just want the standard alarm system in.

How much should we be paying for the alarm installation when the alarm house is prewired?

A rough estimation would be really appreciated.
Cheers

KoolKid

Thats a very good price providing you are getting a decent make of system. Were you told what this would be. Also make sure its including a GSM designed for the panel. That will give you more control than the generic standalone ones.
Yo should get a reduction of around €250 -€300 off that price if you do not want a GSM dialler.

altor

miss_daisy wrote: »

Hi,

Im living in town house in Kilkenny, and it is prewired for a house alarm. I have got a few quotes for installing an alarm system ranging from 500 - 950e. The prices included sensors on the windows downstairs, a PIR sensor on landing and a GSM dialer (as we dont have phone line). There are 13 windows in the house. We're not too bothered about having the alarm monitored or the dialler really, but just want the standard alarm system in.

How much should we be paying for the alarm installation when the alarm house is prewired?

A rough estimation would be really appreciated.
Cheers

That does sound like a good price if your getting a good system installed but more info would be required to tell you if you are getting a good deal.

Do you know what system is being installed, do you know what is being installed on the windows, is it contacts or shock sensors, how many windows are the proposing to cover, is it a GSM that will give you remote access to the alarm or just a prerecorded message ?

Jnealon

What kind of equipment are these guys fitting and are they licensed.
The prices quoted could be the best deal you ever got or the worst, as without knowing what you are getting it's hard to compare

syklops

We're not too bothered about having the alarm monitored or the dialler really, but just want the standard alarm system in.

Do you mind if I ask why you just want an alarm, and not bother with monitoring or a dialler?

The reason I ask is because these days, alarms do not represent the same deterrent they used to. This is because the general public has become desensitized to alarms. They do not immediately spring into action upon hearing them. Often instead, waiting "in case it goes off by itself", then after a lengthy time has passed, they get curious, and maybe call the Guards. The Guards themselves, upon getting a call that a house alarm is going off, can also be slow to respond.

Between the length of time it takes for someone else to ring the police, and the length of time it may take them to respond, even an inexperienced burglar will have gotten an idea of what you have and what is of value before scarpering.

A common tactic among more experienced burglars is to set alarms off in a house. Wait for the alarm to be reset, and for the police to come and go, and then go in again. When the alarm goes off again, people in the neighborhood assume it is a faulty or over-sensitive alarm. The Police, upon getting a second call about the same house on the same day, will also assume it is faulty, and probably won't even send a car round. Some burglars have even taken to wearing overalls and having a clipboard with them, so that if stopped, they just say they are from a monitored alarm company, and that they think the alarm is faulty.

Instead of the alarm on its own, I would recommend a silent alarm with a dialer, or a monitored alarm package. Surveillance cameras have come way down in price in recent years so I would recommend getting a couple of cameras as well. These offer a better visual deterrent to burglars as they suggest you're a little bit more security conscious than your average home-owner. It also suggests to the would-be intruder, that if you have cameras outside, you might have other security measures inside.

altor

syklops wrote: »

they just say they are from a monitored alarm company

No one from a monitored alarm company will ever come knocking on your door. If anyone it would be the installer.

syklops

altor wrote: »

No one from a monitored alarm company will ever come knocking on your door. If anyone it would be the installer.

I didnt say they come knocking on your door. I said:

"Some burglars have even taken to wearing overalls and having a clipboard with them, so that if stopped[when entering an empty premises], they just say they are from a monitored alarm company, and that they think the alarm is faulty."

altor

syklops wrote: »

I didnt say they come knocking on your door. I said:

"Some burglars have even taken to wearing overalls and having a clipboard with them, so that if stopped[when entering an empty premises], they just say they are from a monitored alarm company, and that they think the alarm is faulty."

I was just pointing out that a monitoring company will not investigate if your alarm is faulty. If anyone is stopped then they should be asked for the proper form of ID plus it is easy to check with any company if the ID is real.