Texecom decides to go green/save money

I bought one of their branded SLA batteries once (it was what the local wholesaler had). It had the shortest life of any SLA I've ever bought - just over 1 year on float at 13.8V without ever being run down.

Haven't ever used their alarms.

On the forum for the alarms I've installed, one of the professional installers asked why they make all the programming data and interface protocols available to the public, and shouldn't this be hidden? The answer from the company was that all the innovative ideas and suggestions they get for enhancements come from DIYers, and not the professional installers. A DIYer is using their installation, and tends to use most of the features which gives them good ideas for other things they would like it to do, which the company often implements. A professional installer is not using their installations and generally make use of rather few of the alarm's features.

One of the first examples (>20 years ago now) was the Homesafe sign in, where the alarm alerts the parents if the children haven't arrived back home from school by a certain time. This feature is configured by many DIY installers, but almost never by professional installers. (This feature has probably been overtaken by smartphone apps nowadays, but still shows how a DIY and a professional installation are likely to differ.)

Most alarms I fit are on new builds and so are left as working with no input from me to the user.

The second biggest market I fit alarms for are for people who have just been burgled.

Do you typically fit a particular brand / model under those circumstances and if so what?

Would there be any you would advise the customer against?

If money was no object, what would you install at your own place?

Cheers, T i m

I have only fitted my own alarm in the last fourty years.

The last one I was paid for was in a bank in Walsall IIRC.

It was a pig as to fit the shock/heat/lock sensor on the safe required drilling and tapping the safe door. They are bloody hard going.

You wouldn't, you would get a monitored alarm fitted.

Self guiding lasers that asked no questions.

I fit Texecom stuff. Usually the R8.

Thanks Adam.

Assuming it can take both, do you generally use wired and / or wireless sensors as I'm not sure about the 'security' of Wireless these days (thinking keyless cars etc)?

Cheers, T i m

Wired.

Thank you for your email. In the past I have been able to download the instruction pdf files from their website. I hope this will be possible I am not really a fan of mobile phones.

Thanks.

Cheers, T i m

I wonder if they have thought this through. I can see what is going to happen now. All the installers will print them out and may even print two out one for them, and one for the customer, or at least in part.Then of course most crooks would be interested I'd imagine. Brian

That's helpful as I've been dithering about a wired alarm. But I was leaning towards one that offered a "follower" setting and can't see that in the R8 manual. Any recommendations please among those that do - eg Texecom's Premier range?

What's clever about it , I would have thought it was quite important to have the latest install guide for any product even an old one especailly if something has been updated or the original install guide had an error or wasn;t as good as it coukld be.

It tells them they no longer have to resister at their website but can get an app .

Do you have to sign up claiming to be a professonal installer. Most apps yuo don't sign up for. You agree to T&Cs .

That's nice of yuo but if you get a request for 100s will you pay the cost of photocopying (which might be against copyright) and posting to everyone.

Adam said he would *email* it out, not post out a copy.

So what's the problem ?

So what's the problem ?

How would he email out something that doesn't appear to exist ?

and your conclusion ?

In it something is. I agree with you, thanks for an explanation. As always all ingenious is simple.

By "follower" setting do you mean a zone that will sound the alarm immediately if that is the first zone that is activated but would otherwise not immediately sound the alarm if you have already activated another zone?

eg zone one is the front door contact and zone 2 is the hall PIR and the keypad is in the hallway and you enter via the front door.

Or am I completely missing the point?