We’ve an ageing keypad system that needs updating. 4 bed detached and I want to extend the coverage into the garage. North west based. No fancy police response stuff needed but I would like something simple, robust and good quality. I need the Mondeo of alarm systems!

Any ideas on ball park price?

If its not monitored why bother, as no-one takes the slightest bit of notice to a burglar alarm going off nowadays.

£200 for a basic Yale system:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/yale-wireless-4-room-alarm-kit/54473

Because if it goes off in the middle of the night I can get up and beat the intruder to death…or lock myself in the bathroom and wimper.

just over £120 + vat from me. for a very good texecom set up.

no-one takes the slightest bit of notice to a burglar alarm going off

I do – proper neighbourhood watch me but I do work from home a lot of the time and live on a cul-de-sac. Besides if they snap off your euro locks in the middle of the night to nick your car keys you get to know about it.

Ton

Would such a system would I just need to replace the PIRs and control pad or do I have to re-wire the whole thing? Naive I expect but useful to know.

Thanks

just over £120 + vat from me. for a very good texecom set up.

What model is that?

cb, we do em with or without keypads
the old cabling might be ok on your system……4 core alarm cable?
my price includes pir’s, cable, battery, new panel, door contacts the whole kit.

texecom 8 live front is the model.

You got a link to a spec sheet on line?

no, it will be on texecom’s website tho.

I had a look, is this the Veritas range?

footflaps, it is the veritas stuff.

I assume it’s this one?

if that is a veritas 8 live front then yes.

Can this be linked to a garage easily enough?

I had a couple of local alarm companies round to quote and the price was 700-900 for 6 PIR, a contact sensor, alarm box, and a control box with a dialler. Both were wireless and the control boxes looked dated.
In the end I dis some research and purchased a Alert Gen G7

from Quick Safe
It was £400 for the box, siren, 2 contacts and 3 PIRs. I also got a 3 extra PIRs, a extra siren to fit inside the garage to scare any scum away, and a smoke alarm. It has a GSM module and is easy to setup remotely using SMS or the smartphone app. It you use the proximity tags you can even set it up to tell you when the cleaner arrives, kids come home etc. The siren is solar powered too so no need to get up on the ladder every year to change the batteries or have complex wiring to it.
OK, it’s not the cheapest but, it looks good (so many hade awful control boxes and remotes) and can be set up in a few hours. I can alarm the garage PIR without alarming the others.
Wired alarm probably better if you have the time to take up floors to wire it up.

I’d rather go for a wired one, as that way you don’t have to change the batteries in all the sensors every year or so, plus it can’t be jammed. which would be pretty easy with a wireless system (although the odds of a burglar doing so much be next to zero).

I’m just getting quotes for my house at the moment but I like the look of the Alert Gen 7 above.

What I don’t understand is if I can figure out where I would want sensors (i’m an engineer so reckon I can think it through properly), why would I pay a company to fit an alarm when there is something like the one above easily available and apparently easy to install?

Do professionally installed alarms (without police response dooberries) offer anything more than a self install system like that above?

no.

We had a professionally installed alarm and the premium we paid meant I didn’t have to concern myself with sensor placement, cable routing (and associated tools) or programming and testing and for that reason it was worth it.

I don’t know what the insurance industry’s view of self-installed alarms is but if you say you have one you have to use it and (I believe) get it serviced annually.

@Mintman
From having the alarm salesman round it was obvious that they have no benefits over the DIY route – for wireless at least. Placing the sensors is easy and common sense with wireless they can be easily moved if you do get it wrong.
The Alertgen alarm actually offered more that the ‘professionally’ fitted one. The help desk is good to if you get stuck.

Sorry to come back to this but I have just had the local alarm fitter out to quote. To fit a Risco CPX wireless system he wants about 800 notes. I have checked the online price and the alarm kit costs 120 all in. Now there may well be a few extra PIRs and door contacts etc but I am struggling to see what I get for the extra 600 quid? My current system is wired but knackered and ancient.

A certificate and what I would expect is no more than a day’s labour. The insurance benefit is worth something to me as I wouldn’t trust myself to install everything but it seems steep. Anyone out there fit these things for a living? One window sensor, two door contacts and 6 PIRs needed. Phone alert to 4 numbers included and 2 keyfobs.

To fit a Risco CPX wireless system he wants about 800 notes.

WTF, That must be about £400 / hour!

If it was wired and he was doing a very nice job of hiding all the wires, I could see it taking 2 days and costing say £500….

The insurance benefit is worth something to me

I wouldn’t worry too much about the insurance ‘benefit’. Fitting ours saved a princely £11 pounds from my annual premium…

If its not monitored why bother, as no-one takes the slightest bit of notice to a burglar alarm going off nowadays.

I do, as do my neighbors. Depends what your neighbors are like I suppose.

no-one takes the slightest bit of notice to a burglar alarm going off nowadays.

I do too. Plus I like the keyholder notification bit, so that if I am away my friendly neighbours can at least see what’s going on and tell me if I need to get someone to do something about the gaping hole in my garage door/back door etc.

So, no fitters on here at all?