I've been asked to fit an alarm for a customer. They currently have a wired one that is 20 years old, so needs replacing as it is falling apart, especially the door sensors.
Fitting a wireless one would be far easier for me, but are they reliable enough?
If not/so, then could someone recommend an alarm for a bungalow, 3 doors, plus maybe 2 movement sensors in the conservatory and garage?
Thanks Alan.
Most sensors are standard and can be replaced?
If the wiring is good and suitable, surely it would be easy to replace like with like?
By the nature of things. wireless is never going to be as reliable as wired - unless the wiring is so badly done it could suffer damage.
If the existing wiring is sound and the sensors, panel and sounder are in the right places its a simple swap out job. Lots of similar models on the market now so ask at your local electrical wholesale suppliers which are readily available rather than getting a hard to source model.
No, complete rewire, so best done while doing that. The old one is unreliable, with numerous wires going all over that cannot be traced, so I dont really want to work on it to try and fix it when new alarms are £100ish. Alan.
I'd point out the likely problems with wireless sensors (battery costs and the need for regular replacements) to the owner and let him decide.
It's not difficult to trace wires with the correct equipment. Just needs a methodical approach.
It's a bungalow, what is the loft access like? If it is reasonable then do away with the door sensors (unless they want the alarm to chime when a door is opened) and just use PIRs everywhere.
Not usual to have one the final exit/entrance these days?
I have a wireless system. The magnetic sensors take two CR2023 cells (around 10p each if you by in bulk from eBay) and PIR's take one PP3 (about 70p).
In both types of sensor the batteries last over 2 years. They signal the control unit when the battery gets low so you get an alert message.
The siren uses solar-charged lead/acid cells, so my running cost for 5 mag sensors + 5 PIRs is under £4 a year. That would rise if you wanted mag sensors on every window. It was an absolute doddle to install, and being wireless it's easy to protect the shed and a detached garage too.
I think the statement "existing wiring" was refering only to the alarm wiring not a what I think you are saying a complete mains rewire.
A tone cable tracer will make working out what cables go where a doddle. Hang the sender unit on the remote end and then see which one it is at the panel, label, move sender to another cable end repeat. A new panel and sensors would be far more reliable than wireless IMHO but then I don't trust wireless for "critical" applications without a hot spare backup...
Not sure I trust something that could be jammed with a lowish power RF noise generator.
What are you protecting it against? A clueless stoned druggie looking for something to sell quick, or a professional thief targeting something specific?
Wired systems can be more secure against the latter and they tend to be better, with a wider range of options, but there's an overlap and the best wireless systems will be better than a low end wired system.
Wireless systems should be regarded as non-extendible and non- repairable, as the chances of finding compatible parts a few years on will be very low. Conversely, additional and replacement wired sensors will always be available, and you will likely be able to add new sensors at a later date which haven't been invented yet.
Both conservatory and garage can be liable to false triggering from PIR sensors, due to significant sources of heat causing movement of hot air - conservatory from the sun, and garage from a parked car with hot exhaust/engine. In these cases, a dual tech sensor (PIR and microwave) may be necessary, although in a conservatory, careful adjustment of microwave power will be needed to avoid sensitivity from outside the glass.
You probably want a PIR somewhere in the body of the house, such as the main room or hallway, as door sensors are only perimeter detection and don't cover the volume of the house accessed via other routes such as broken window access.
I suggest that, particularly if you are not familiar with designing sensor layouts, you initially leave the external sounder disconnected. Wait for at least a month or more of no false alarms before connecting it up, and all false alarms in this period are explained and the cause fixed. Otherwise, the good will of the neighbours will be lost before the alarm is working, and they'll take no notice of a real alarm later.
I've fitted a couple of Yale wireless ones lately without any problems.
However, with alarms - and PIR lights, I always get the customer to buy them. That way any warranty on the actual unit isn't with me.
The PIR half wont work through the glass so it shouldn't matter.
When I worked at Chubb many many years ago we virtually never fitted stuff to external doors, it was always on the internal doors and safes. The exception being the exit route and shop windows where we fitted the lead strips or break glass detectors. the theory was that you wanted to catch burglars in the property not scare them away. I think CCTV to catch them and a perimeter alarm to scare them is probably the best these days.
In message , "dennis@home" wrote
Isn't the aim to deter burglars from a domestic property hence the prominently displayed external bell box.
Yes - that's the first aim. Burglar alarms don't 'catch' burglars. Police used to temporarily supply silent alert systems where they wanted to catch someone, but if you aren't the police, you don't want to encounter a burglar, you just want them to scarper empty handed as fast as possible.
If someone walks past outside and is picked up by the microwave whilst there's heat movement inside, you get a false alarm.
If someone walks past outside and is picked up by the microwave whilst there's no heat movement inside, and the dual-tech has anti-masking (most do), it will generate a masked alarm (which depending on model will generate either a movement or a tamper signal), and you also get a false alarm.
On the other hand, if you set it up correctly, then it will work well.
I think the real reason it was done the way it was was because if you alarm a locked door (i.e. the periphery) the alarm will never go off because the bugler will find a weaker spot. The sensors were always fitted to internal doors that were likely to be used by a burglar.
Now PIRs are so cheap you don't need to protect the periphery at all.
Frank Erskine :
Seriously? What are you going to do when you've caught them?
All external doors are always protected. They are the most common form of burglary entry/exit. This also enables alerting when attempting to set the alarm that an external door isn't closed (sometimes it includes a check that the door isn't only closed, but also locked, although that's unlikely to be added in a domestic installation).
If you don't protect the perimeter, the alarm can't trigger until the burglar is inside, which is already later than you want.
My thoughts too. When DIYing where time isn't a problem it is perfectly possible to fit sensors to doors and windows that don't show at all. Wired ones that is - dunno about wireless types. All my ground floor external doors and windows are so protected.
Bury them in an unmarked grave.
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