Unmonitored alarms - are they worth it?

Sgt Pepper 64

Is it worth having an unmonitored alarm, as most people just ignore the noise?

We have been quoted a grand to install one, but surely you can get a monitored one for that?

And which would you recommend?
We are contacts for a eircom phonewatch one, and they always ring us rather than checking it themselves, so I figure whats the point other than as a deterrent\cheaper home insurance as by the time it gets checked, the place would have been robbed!

Oh, and considering wireless cctc - any recommendations?

thanks

KoolKid

It really depends on what protection you want.
My take on monitored alarms is they are there for a panic alarm situation.
That's when you will get a quick response & that will be when you need it.
The thing about something like this is its hard to see the values because you are paying for something you never want to use.
I look upon it like this . Say you pay €200 a year for 10 years and never once does your alarm go off. In year 11 you end up in a panic alarm situation & that monitoring saves your or a member of your family. Would you consider the first€2000 a waste of money or would you say that's €2200 well spent.

Re wireless CCTV, unless you want to spend a lot on the good stuff, forget it.

Gingernuts31

I think monitored alarms are worth it. Its better if your alarm does go off and you get a phone call to ask are you aware your alarm is going off then the guards can be called while you are on route to your home.

Unmonitored alarms are not much good as if they do go off they can often be ignored. I used to live in an estate in tallaght and alarms were constantly going off but always ignored as no squad car ever showed up and the alarm could of been going off for 8 hours straight.

altor

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

Is it worth having an unmonitored alarm, as most people just ignore the noise?

We have been quoted a grand to install one, but surely you can get a monitored one for that?

And which would you recommend?
We are contacts for a eircom phonewatch one, and they always ring us rather than checking it themselves, so I figure whats the point other than as a deterrent\cheaper home insurance as by the time it gets checked, the place would have been robbed!

Oh, and considering wireless cctc - any recommendations?

thanks

It is worth the extra money as you say yourself, most standalone alarm systems will ring all day without the owner knowing till they get home. Even if there is a self monitored alarm then someone can respond to the system.

Monitoring is not just for a panic activation's but some people have fire systems connected, an elderly person may also have a medical pendant attached to the system for emergency's. A monitored alarm system will always get a quicker response then a self monitored system.

Sgt Pepper 64

Ok, so monitored would be the way to go.
I suppose its not so much about losing possessions rather peace of mind about intruders breaking in whilst your family are in the house

So, who do people recommend?
I have UPC phone and internet, so would Eircom be hard to install?
Do you just pay a flat rate of "x" per month or is it a lump sum to install and then "x" per month?

thanks again

KoolKid

Eircom phone watch would be difficult because for some reason they lie and say monitored alarms don't work over UPC lines. They do. ..
Any Licensed company can set up monitoring for you.
Generally you pay for the alarm up front and the monitoring is a recurring charge. That could be monthly, quarterly our annually.
As always, shop around, get a few quotes and ensure you are comparing like with like.
Eircom, for example, won't usually include an external bell. Most others will.
Likewise some company's will limit your service agreement to one or 2 calls. Others won't.

altor

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

Ok, so monitored would be the way to go.
I suppose its not so much about losing possessions rather peace of mind about intruders breaking in whilst your family are in the house

So, who do people recommend?
I have UPC phone and internet, so would Eircom be hard to install?
Do you just pay a flat rate of "x" per month or is it a lump sum to install and then "x" per month?

thanks again

It is a mixture of both, be that through self monitoring or monitoring through a monitoring station. The best place to start is on the PSA website for a list of local registered installers.
If you do use the UPC for your phone, try protect it as best you can as if this is cut then either type of monitoring will be of no use to you.