Agility 3 house alarm system

Doctor Grijandermor

Hi,

I need to upgrade my house alarm, as the one currently in place is starting to give me trouble (it’s nearly 20 yo). I've shopped around a bit and got quotations from 3 different installers, more or less the same prices, but 3 different brands.

Of the 3 alarm systems, the one that caught my eye was the wireless Agility™3 system, made by Risco Group: http://www.riscogroup.com/products/solution/39

Don’t know if this info is relevant, but the wireless offer pack includes: 1 x Panel; 1 x Keypad; 4 x Shock sensors; 2 x Door contacts; 2 x PIR detectors; 1 x External bell; 1 x GSM unit.

I have searched the Home Security Forum here in boards.ie and there doesn’t seem to be much information about the Agility 3 system (performance, reliability, quality, etc.); so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Is this house alarm system a decent, trouble-free option or should I look at other brands and get something else installed?

Thanks in advance

KoolKid

It's a good system, but beware, some installers who use these systems have them locked down with a closed protocol so no other company can service them or even source parts.
What were the other quotations you got?

Doctor Grijandermor

Hi Koolkid, many thanks for your reply.

I’m away for the weekend, so I don’t have all the exact details with me, but I seem to remember that the other 2 quotes were for a HKC Quantum 70 system & a HKC 1070.

My current alarm is an Aritech CS350 and until last week it never gave me any hassle, so I’d like something simple, stable and trouble-free like the Aritech was. I don’t need a system that has all the latest bells and whistles.

Also, if I PM you the name of the company installing the Agility 3, could you tell me (AFAYK) if it is one of those you were referring to, i.e., they will lock the system down? I'd obviously like to avoid that.

Many thanks again

KoolKid

Yes. Feel free to pm me and I'll check it out for you.
If you are replacing a CS350 there is no need for Quantum or Agility. They are effectively wireless systems.
I would recommend that you look at the Vanderbilt Siemens SPC range or GSD i1070.
They would let you use existing wiring and any existing sensors that are good..
If you are looking at self monitoring and apps they also have no subscription charges and the apps are free.
Take a look at the sticky and some other threads for more details about this.

Doctor Grijandermor

Thanks for the swift reply Koolkid, I just PM you with the installer’s name and offer.

I'm only giving consideration to the wireless systems because all 3 engineers that called out to the house told me that wireless is the way to go; but on Monday I’ll definitively check the 2 wired systems you are suggesting

Forgot to say, another issue that has me considering wireless is that those same 3 engineers told me that the current alarm wiring in the house has been in place for the last 20 years, so it is not to be trusted. Scaremonging??

KoolKid

Prewired houses cabling will last a lot longer than that if not damaged.
Think about all the other wiring in your home and around your estate etc.
If all networks etc were useless after 20 years we would all be in trouble.
This sounds like a classic case of the installers wanting to install what they want rather than what suits your needs etc.
The wired systems I suggested would also have the option to use wireless also, so you are getting the best of both worlds.
Shop around some more would be my advice.

stuartkee

Hi there as alarm panels and shock sensors go the Risco is really badly made the shock sensors are rubbish with a really bad battery life compared to other systems . I certainly wouldn't recommend installing it in anyone's house. The HKC system is far more robust and s far better build quality than Risco it's an Irish panel for an Irish market plus it's a proper hybrid alarm panel so you may be able to use some if not all of your original wiring. And as it wasn't mentioned before and it's the best selling panel in Ireland by a country mile I fear you where not getting told the true and full picture . Risco is a low quality panel HKC is the best system for you in my opinion.

Doctor Grijandermor wrote: »

Thanks for the swift reply Koolkid, I just PM you with the installer’s name and offer.

I'm only giving consideration to the wireless systems because all 3 engineers that called out to the house told me that wireless is the way to go; but on Monday I’ll definitively check the 2 wired systems you are suggesting

Forgot to say, another issue that has me considering wireless is that those same 3 engineers told me that the current alarm wiring in the house has been in place for the last 20 years, so it is not to be trusted. Scaremonging??

kub

I cannot understand why someone would recommend wireless when there are cables already in situ.
Maybe these installers can no longer do wired systems

Doctor Grijandermor

Hi Stuartkee,

many thanks for your input.

You’re right; I wasn’t given the full picture about wireless systems. For example, extra costs like SIM cards for GSM units, batteries needed for all the wireless gear, charges for the phone apps, etc, were never mentioned. I only learned about them after browsing around this forum. Not saying I wouldn’t pay for it if that is what really suits my needs, but I’d appreciate to be given all the necessary info to make an informed decision.

In your view, if I was to go for a wired system again, which one of the HKC models would be a good replacement for my current system (Aritech CS350)?

Doctor Grijandermor

kub wrote: »

I cannot understand why someone would recommend wireless when there are cables already in situ.
Maybe these installers can no longer do wired systems

Hi Kub,

I’m a homeowner, so I’ve no idea about the current state of affairs in the industry, but as I said before, all of them went on and on about the benefits of a wireless systems, future-proofing your burglar alarm, etc. They talked about wired systems like if they were a thing of the past, outdated 20th century equipment.

“If your wiring is over fifteen years old we would recommend you opt for a wireless system”. This is a statement that you can find on the website of a well-known installer, verbatim. If you copy it and paste it back into Google you’ll see who.

Tell you even more, I asked the 3 of them to email me their quotes for both a wired and a wireless system, but 2 of them got back to me with only their quotes for a wireless system.

stuartkee

Hi the HKC 10/70 is the panel for you it's a very solid panel with plenty of different options when it comes to communicating or self monitoring and has a the ability to take all wired sensors from your aritech panel with the back up of the wireless option

Doctor Grijandermor wrote: »

Hi Stuartkee,

many thanks for your input.

You’re right; I wasn’t given the full picture about wireless systems. For example, extra costs like SIM cards for GSM units, batteries needed for all the wireless gear, charges for the phone apps, etc, were never mentioned. I only learned about them after browsing around this forum. Not saying I wouldn’t pay for it if that is what really suits my needs, but I’d appreciate to be given all the necessary info to make an informed decision.

In your view, if I was to go for a wired system again, which one of the HKC models would be a good replacement for my current system (Aritech CS350)?

KoolKid

It seems to me you are being given advice to suit the installers instead of your needs.
Has anyone come to you and said here is systems A B & C here is what each of them do and here is what each of them cost etc?
Nothing wrong with HKC as a reliable system. Like the others they all conform to En50131.
What lets it down is the High app charges and the very low polling times. When you compare all the options like for like the figures make no sense in my opinion.
I am always weary of anyone with only one offering. You don't see Harvey Norman selling one brand of PC or One brand of TV etc.

Doctor Grijandermor

stuartkee wrote: »

Hi the HKC 10/70 is the panel for you it's a very solid panel with plenty of different options when it comes to communicating or self monitoring and has a the ability to take all wired sensors from your aritech panel with the back up of the wireless option

Thanks for that! Will look into it tonight.

Doctor Grijandermor

KoolKid wrote: »

It seems to me you are being given advice to suit the installers instead of your needs.
Has anyone come to you and said here is systems A B & C here is what each of them do and here is what each of them cost etc?
Nothing wrong with HKC as a reliable system. Like the others they all conform to En50131.
What lets it down is the High app charges and the very low polling times. When you compare all the options like for like the figures make no sense in my opinion.
I am always weary of anyone with only one offering. You don't see Harvey Norman selling one brand of PC or One brand of TV etc.

No, none of the installers walked me through any of the different available options; it was wireless all the way. As I said, 2 of them didn’t even bother giving me a quote for a wired system.

Had I not asked here, I would have never guessed that you could go for a hybrid choice or that some systems are scalable.

Don’t know the first thing about HKC, I will google their gear tonight, but amen to the rest of your post.

altor

Doctor Grijandermor wrote: »

No, none of the installers walked me through any of the different available options; it was wireless all the way. As I said, 2 of them didn’t even bother giving me a quote for a wired system.

Had I not asked here, I would have never guessed that you could go for a hybrid choice or that some systems are scalable.

Don’t know the first thing about HKC, I will google their gear tonight, but amen to the rest of your post.

Thats a strange one. If you are upgrading then cables would be used unless you have issues with cables. The hybrid system is the way to go as this will allow you mix both..

I use more HKC myself than anything else, very rare have any issues.

KoolKid

Doctor Grijandermor wrote: »

No, none of the installers walked me through any of the different available options; it was wireless all the way. As I said, 2 of them didn’t even bother giving me a quote for a wired system.

Had I not asked here, I would have never guessed that you could go for a hybrid choice or that some systems are scalable.

Don’t know the first thing about HKC, I will google their gear tonight, but amen to the rest of your post.

Some guys , that's all they know unfortunately.
Simple advice that works every time:
Shop Around & Beware of the one trick ponies.
There is a mountain of good information here & on other sites . A little reading could save you a lot of money. In many cased the ongoing charges will cost more than the alarm itself.

SALEENS

In relation to the above system I was quoted for a maintenance call €80 +VAT per hour engineer on site plus €10 per battery requiring replacement (not sure if that is ex-VAT). Rather expensive if between shocks, sensors, keypads and bells you have 20 batteries to replace albeit not all may be required to be replaced at once. Might try to do it myself.

KoolKid

As i said above , shop around.:)

altor

SALEENS wrote: »

In relation to the above system I was quoted for a maintenance call €80 +VAT per hour engineer on site plus €10 per battery requiring replacement (not sure if that is ex-VAT). Rather expensive if between shocks, sensors, keypads and bells you have 20 batteries to replace albeit not all may be required to be replaced at once. Might try to do it myself.

Very easy to replace batteries on this system yourself.
When complete do a walk test to clear any notifications on the panel.

stuartkee

That fee isnt at all dear €80 to get someone to call out and fix your alarm is the lower end of what is being charged by some company's