House alarms - what's the point?

Hitchens · 02-02-2016 10:18PM

I've disconnected my home alarm system and resigned from the Neighborhood Watch.

I've got the black flag of ISIS on display in two of the front windows.

The local cops and the ERU are all watching the house 24/7. I've never felt safer and I am saving €49.95 a month.

timthumbni · 02-02-2016 10:50PM

Don't currently have an alarm system and have no intention of getting one. Lived in a few houses with them and each time they were a right pain in the arse.

After a few weeks we stopped setting them and even then every so often the thing would start going off randomly and then sometimes would not stop.

I can see the sense in them if they detect an intrusion whilst you are sleeping though. Personally I just set up various diy, home alone style traps for any unsuspecting burglars.

timthumbni · 02-02-2016 10:50PM

Don't currently have an alarm system and have no intention of getting one. Lived in a few houses with them and each time they were a right pain in the arse.

After a few weeks we stopped setting them and even then every so often the thing would start going off randomly and then sometimes would not stop.

I can see the sense in them if they detect an intrusion whilst you are sleeping though. Personally I just set up various diy, home alone style traps for any unsuspecting burglars.

andekwarhola · 02-02-2016 10:55PM

To be fair, I do go out and check if a neighbour's alarm goes off.

Plus even if a lot if neighbours ignore it, you cant really picture burglars leisurely ransacking a gaff while ignoring the alarm if it was going off.

timthumbni · 02-02-2016 10:56PM

Hitchens wrote: »

I've disconnected my home alarm system and resigned from the Neighborhood Watch.

I've got the black flag of ISIS on display in two of the front windows.

The local cops and the ERU are all watching the house 24/7. I've never felt safer and I am saving €49.95 a month.

That sounds like one of the tips of the week from the old viz magazines. One of its best ever headlines in viz which I still remember 20 years later was:-

EATING BLUE SMARTIES MADE ME GROW WOMANS' TITS

:-)

jimbis · 02-02-2016 11:14PM

Dubwat wrote: »

Maybe alarms could be fitted with some sort of recording device. So if neighbours complained, the EPA/Gardai etc could look at the record and see definitive proof that the alarm did indeed go off 25 times during the month. And then fine the feckers, lol.

All alarm systems have an operations log so you can check back when it was armed,unarmed, activated etc. Problem is getting the permission to view this log.

Internal and external sirens are now by law limited to 15 min, still annoying as hell though.
Alarms aren't pointless though, if installed properly you could go ten years without an issue. I got my alarm from a house that was being renovated 9 years ago so god knows how long it was in there beforehand. I've never had one problem with it and only changed the battery once. Because I installed it properly. Then we have wireless alarms which I feel haven't quite peaked yet, maybe the likes of HKC but I don't have much experience with them.

The problem with a lot of installers is the job is always time criticle and your always in a rush to get to the next job, or finish the one your on so you don't have to come back and waste 2 hours in the morning. This is when corners are cut and proper tests etc aren't done

Degag · 02-02-2016 11:51PM

Mena wrote: »

Back home, we had armed response tied into the alarm. Many a time I almost got shot dead forgetting the code after a night on the piss.

Without that though, pointless.

Where are you from? South Africa?

The_Valeyard · 02-02-2016 11:54PM

Degag wrote: »

Where are you from? South Africa?

No, people get shot there taking a piss.

gutenberg · 03-02-2016 11:36AM

Degag wrote: »

Where are you from? South Africa?

I remember seeing the 'armed response' signs stuck in every garden in Pasadena, California when I lived there for a time. Scary stuff, although I never actually heard an alarm or saw the armed responders. It's a low-crime area though - maybe a drop in crime occurred after all the alarms/signs appeared! :eek:

chelbi · 06-02-2016 09:52PM

CIP4 wrote: »

I can't remember the exact system we have but it's a HKC system wired which is one of the better manufacturers of alarms. Now I'm no expert on them but you have two options either landline or SIM card. For SIM card which we have you need a GSM module which slots into the alarm system and is about 150-200 euro extra from that you code in the numbers and it will text them in event of it going off or power cuts etc. You then just top up the SIM card every so often. Our one was installed by a registered electrical contractor so they did everything. But ultimately if you want a SIM card you need this GSM module added. I think kellehers electrical stock HKC alarms and they have branches throughout Ireland. I personally would go for a decent brand like HKC that will last. Sure if there is any other questions you have you can pm me if you want.

[URL="http://www.hkcsecurity.com/ie/product/sw-10120-wired/control-
panels/#.VrDk70W6CnM"]http://www.hkcsecurity.com/ie/product/sw-10120-wired/control-panels/#.VrDk70W6CnM[/URL]

Thanks a million for your helpful reply CIP4, your a gem ☺

DexysGrl · 06-02-2016 10:27PM

I have one of the old annoying alarms. I'd love to update it to one of the less annoying alarms but I'm not really in a position to do that at the moment. We have a lot of break-ins in my area and as a result people DO actually take notice if someone's alarm is going off. Someone on the road set up a facebook group so we could let each other know if the alarms were going off if someone wasn't home.

House alarms - what's the point?

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