Newbie questions on alarms

Newbie questions on alarms

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Subject Author Date
Newbie questions on alarms Mike W. 06-14-2009
Posted by Mike W. on June 14, 2009, 6:02 pm
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Hi!

I am interested in installing a home alarm system, but like anybody, I
am uncertain on which company to go with and what to get. Many web
sites I've seen seem a little shady, and the company web sites are not
user friendly at all. IE: GE, Honeywell.

The one that seems user friendly is the Smarthome SecureLinc alarm,
though I've read some negative things. It looks like the majority of
people go with GE or Honeywell. Here are my requirements.

1) I have two dogs, so I believe a PIR/motion sensor is out of the
question for the house.
2) I have a detached garage that I need monitored. PIR, window
sensors, and/or a BMS for the overhead doors and service door is
possible.
3) Two keyfobs to arm/disarm the system.
4) I prefer to hardwire the system. I like the convenience and easy-
setup of the wireless system, but I'm a little leery about the battery
life, false positives, and interference.
5) Prefer to connect it to my LAN for external monitoring. I like the
idea of being able to receive email if the alarm goes off, and
utilizing a camera to see if I should call the police or not.
6) Money isn't an issue. I like installing things myself and would
like to do it myself. I have some experience in the security field
and feel confident that I can do this on my own.
7) I have 9 windows and two doors on the house. I have 1 door, 2
overhead doors, and one (rather large) window in the garage. I have a
1st floor and basement, and I'm able to access the attic in the house.

As I mentioned, I checked out the SecureLinc one and it seems to meet
all my requirements, but just want to know if there's something else
out there I should be going with...and where to purchase it. I prefer
to also purchase it locally, but don't know where in the Chicago area.
(South side).

Thanks for the help!
Mike

Posted by Frank Olson on June 14, 2009, 6:34 pm
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Mike W. wrote:
> Hi!
>
> I am interested in installing a home alarm system, but like anybody, I
> am uncertain on which company to go with and what to get. Many web
> sites I've seen seem a little shady, and the company web sites are not
> user friendly at all. IE: GE, Honeywell.
>
> The one that seems user friendly is the Smarthome SecureLinc alarm,
> though I've read some negative things. It looks like the majority of
> people go with GE or Honeywell. Here are my requirements.
>
> 1) I have two dogs, so I believe a PIR/motion sensor is out of the
> question for the house.

Not necessarily. What size are the dogs? There are several "pet
immune" detectors on the market. It's a matter of "positioning" where
they go to minimize the risk of false alarms.

> 2) I have a detached garage that I need monitored. PIR, window
> sensors, and/or a BMS for the overhead doors and service door is
> possible.

Problem with a wireless PIR in a garage is the lack of heat. It depends
on what area of the country you're in whether installing a PIR is even
possible. Window bugs, contacts on the windows and doors shouldn't be
difficult.


> 3) Two keyfobs to arm/disarm the system.

Most security panels are capable of this, however... "Disarming" may
not be where you want to go. Consider if someone were to steal your
wife's purse. They'd have your home address and the means to disarm
your security system.


> 4) I prefer to hardwire the system. I like the convenience and easy-
> setup of the wireless system, but I'm a little leery about the battery
> life, false positives, and interference.

Modern wireless controls don't present any problems of the nature you're
concerned about when set up properly. If you want to go "hard wired",
you'll need some specialty bits and other tools to run the wire in the
attic. It's not something just any "monkey" can do... :-)


> 5) Prefer to connect it to my LAN for external monitoring. I like the
> idea of being able to receive email if the alarm goes off, and
> utilizing a camera to see if I should call the police or not.

You start of with #6 by saying that "money isn't an issue". The cost of
third party monitoring (and the inherent security afforded by modern IP
communicators) would ensure your home is safeguarded (even when your
cell phone is "off" or "out of the service area").


> 6) Money isn't an issue. I like installing things myself and would
> like to do it myself. I have some experience in the security field
> and feel confident that I can do this on my own.

Good for you. I have no problem with helping someone wire their own
home (for security).


> 7) I have 9 windows and two doors on the house. I have 1 door, 2
> overhead doors, and one (rather large) window in the garage. I have a
> 1st floor and basement, and I'm able to access the attic in the house.

This isn't sufficient information to provide a proper recommendation.
We'd need to know if the windows are accessible from the ground floor or
if they're second story. We'd also need to know something about the
layout to properly recommend the best protection for the dollars you
want to spend.

>
> As I mentioned, I checked out the SecureLinc one and it seems to meet
> all my requirements, but just want to know if there's something else
> out there I should be going with...and where to purchase it. I prefer
> to also purchase it locally, but don't know where in the Chicago area.
> (South side).

I wouldn't suggest X-10 to be the "be all" and "end all" of wireless
alarms. Far from it... It's unsupervised crap. I'd go with a "hybrid"
system like Ademco's Vista 20 or DSC's "Power" Series.


>
> Thanks for the help!


You're welcome. You can explore some helpful tips at
http://www.yoursecuritysource.com. Good luck!!



Posted by alarman on June 14, 2009, 9:55 pm
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Crash Gordon wrote:
> I especially like 5

Yes. What a novel idea.

--
js

Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.



Posted by Mike W. on June 15, 2009, 11:17 am
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On Jun 14, 5:34=A0pm, Frank Olson

> Not necessarily. =A0What size are the dogs? =A0There are several "pet
> immune" detectors on the market. =A0It's a matter of "positioning" where
> they go to minimize the risk of false alarms.

They are beagles and they like to eat. I'd say they're about 40 lbs
for the one and about 35 for the other dog.
>
> > 2) I have a detached garage that I need monitored. =A0PIR, window
> > sensors, and/or a BMS for the overhead doors and service door is
> > possible.
>
> Problem with a wireless PIR in a garage is the lack of heat. =A0It depend=
s
> on what area of the country you're in whether installing a PIR is even
> possible. =A0Window bugs, contacts on the windows and doors shouldn't be
> difficult.
>

This is good to know. I live in Chicago so in the winter, it can get
cold and in the summer, it can get hot. Now that you mention that,
I'm thinking of just the window and door contacts.


> > 3) Two keyfobs to arm/disarm the system.
>
> Most security panels are capable of this, however... =A0"Disarming" may
> not be where you want to go. =A0Consider if someone were to steal your
> wife's purse. =A0They'd have your home address and the means to disarm
> your security system.
>

Another good tip. I didn't even think about this one!!! Thanks!


> > 4) I prefer to hardwire the system. =A0I like the convenience and easy-
> > setup of the wireless system, but I'm a little leery about the battery
> > life, false positives, and interference.
>
> Modern wireless controls don't present any problems of the nature you're
> concerned about when set up properly. =A0If you want to go "hard wired",
> you'll need some specialty bits and other tools to run the wire in the
> attic. =A0It's not something just any "monkey" can do... =A0:-)
>

I've run my own conduit and electrical wire, and it doesn't bother me
to make a few dents in the wall and just plaster over them. It's good
to know that the wireless stuff is pretty good now. I won't limit
myself to wired, but feel better now that I know.

> > 5) Prefer to connect it to my LAN for external monitoring. =A0I like th=
e
> > idea of being able to receive email if the alarm goes off, and
> > utilizing a camera to see if I should call the police or not.
>
> You start of with #6 by saying that "money isn't an issue". =A0The cost o=
f
> third party monitoring (and the inherent security afforded by modern IP
> communicators) would ensure your home is safeguarded (even when your
> cell phone is "off" or "out of the service area").
>

The one thing that I don't want to do is have a 3rd party monitor the
alarm system. I could just go with ADT and be done with it, but I do
not want to pay a monthly fee. Part of it is that I like doing it
myself, the other part that I know how it is setup and configured, the
other part is since I'll be doing it, I know where things are hidden,
and finally, I do not want my equipment locked to one company. One of
my pet peeves is when you buy a piece of equipment and you don't have
control of it. You have to call somebody else to come fix it, have to
take a day off of work, yadda yadda... I know I can get a "free"
system from ADT, but it's just something that I wouldn't want to do.

> > 7) I have 9 windows and two doors on the house. =A0I have 1 door, 2
> > overhead doors, and one (rather large) window in the garage. =A0I have =
a
> > 1st floor and basement, and I'm able to access the attic in the house.
>
> This isn't sufficient information to provide a proper recommendation.
> We'd need to know if the windows are accessible from the ground floor or
> if they're second story. =A0We'd also need to know something about the
> layout to properly recommend the best protection for the dollars you
> want to spend.
>

Ah, yeah, I forgot... All the windows are on the ground floor, along
with the doors. I don't have a second story, so all the windows are
accessible by somebody.

>
>
> > As I mentioned, I checked out the SecureLinc one and it seems to meet
> > all my requirements, but just want to know if there's something else
> > out there I should be going with...and where to purchase it. =A0I prefe=
r
> > to also purchase it locally, but don't know where in the Chicago area.
> > (South side).
>
> I wouldn't suggest X-10 to be the "be all" and "end all" of wireless
> alarms. =A0Far from it... =A0It's unsupervised crap. =A0I'd go with a "hy=
brid"
> system like Ademco's Vista 20 or DSC's "Power" Series.
>

I'm leaning towards Ademco's Vista 20. It seems like it's what a lot
of people recommend.

Thanks for all the responses!
mike

Posted by Bill on June 15, 2009, 10:26 am
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Beware that some large alarm companies can be larger crooks than the crooks
they are protecting you from!

Read EVERY SINGLE WORD of any contract / paperwork they ask you to sign.
Don't be pressured into signing anything. Say to leave it and you will read
it at your leisure.

Be sure you purchase and own the alarm equipment. Get the key to the control
box, the password for programming, and a programming instruction manual. (or
no deal!) With this you can reprogram it to use another monitoring service
if you so choose.

You can buy your own equipment on the internet as well. Some alarm panels
may require a specific keypad for you to be able to program it. Be sure you
will be able to do this yourself before purchasing.

Be sure you can get and installation and programming manual before
purchasing.

They will try to keep the key and "lock out" the control unit with a
password so you can't change to a different monitoring service. Or they will
"own" the main control unit and will not allow you to switch to a less
expensive monitoring service.

They will try to lock you into paying for monitoring for several years in a
contract and this automatically renews. Again read every word!

You can get monitoring at the following link for $8.95 a month...
http://www.alarmrelay.com

For other companies which also have reasonable rates, search google.com for
Alarm Monitoring.

Then wireless sensors use batteries which need to be replaced every so
often. Find out what type batteries these are, then go to the store and see
how expensive each one of these batteries are. They are not cheap! In my
opinion it is less expensive in the long run to get hard wired sensors. Then
you don't need to replace batteries every year.

If I were you, I would find out what is the best equipment to buy and buy it
on the internet. Then if you decide to go with a wired system, find a small
local company to run the wires for you and connect them. But don't sign any
monitoring contracts with that company. Learn how to set that part up
yourself and choose your own company. Then you could switch it as you
choose.

There is an "art" to running wires in an existing home. These wires and
window/door sensors can be totally concealed. Need an experienced installer
for that.



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