Wireless alarms.

[Clive Mitchell]

While I'm not a big fan of wireless alarm systems (so easy to jam) I've got a situation where a sibling is wanting a new alarm and I can't be arsed running wires around his house.

Are the modern wireless alarm systems any good these days? I've been looking at the ones in Screwfix.

I recall that the early ones could be set off by the high level radio transmissions of Taxi's. This is apparently a problem with the current system which is a wired Optima Concept system. Normally the Optima range provided stellar service, but the "concept" version tried to be clever and mounted the full electronics in the remote keypad with just the power supply and some circuit terminals in the main box. It appears to be the interconnecting wiring that is prone to picking up RF from any passing taxi's and setting the alarm off.

Anyone used the Yale or other wireless alarm systems from Screwfix?

[Lurch]

On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 23:29:11 GMT, Clive Mitchell mused:

You won't find any decent wireless alarms in Screwfix.

Erm, right.

Yale = bag of shit. Offerings from only decent wireless alarms I can think of aren't readily available in DIY type places. Txecom Premier and radio expander might be the best to go for for ease of use and installation, reliability and availability.

[Clive Mitchell]

In message , Lurch writes

Oh well. Hard wired it is then.

It's too easy to jam wireless alarms anyway. You can hack one of the transmitters or even a matched keyfob to transmit at higher power continuously and it jams the whole system. Even if it has an "anti-jam" feature (sets the alarm off) the owner will soon turn the system off if it just sits there in alarm mode continuously.

[John Rumm]

Nope, but I have used TLCs Infinite range. That does seem quite good. Fairly pricey though.

[Lurch]

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:39:13 +0100, John Rumm mused:

Keep forgetting about those. THe Infinite is meant to be reasonably good. FM Electronics do some decent wireless kit too.

[John]

Yale are crap. I installed one of these last year:

it's worked brilliantly ever since - no false alarms and works when it should do. Well recommended.

John

[Dave Plowman (News)]

That should be easy enough to cure.

[Terry W.]

Clive Mitchell wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I wouldn't worry too much about the "jamming" problem. Only a very well organised burglar is going to attempt to jam an alarm system and then only if the contents being protected are of high value. The large majority of burglaries in domestic premises are carried out by relatively low-intelligence people who are certainly not going to carry jamming equipment with them.

Terry W.

[Clive Mitchell]

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Yeah, if I rewired it all in screened cable!

I'd rather just put in a new system and avoid any repeat visits.

[Frank Erskine]

Not necessarily. You could try fitting ferrite beads to the wires coming out of the alarm box to increase their self-inductance...

[Stuart Noble]

I get the feeling burglary has gone out of fashion since nothing is worth much any more and people tend to take their phones and laptops out with them

[Frank Erskine]

Except by the police:-

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Not necessarily - a simple filter should do the business.

[Clive Mitchell]

In message , Frank Erskine writes

[Lurch]

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:28:21 GMT, "Terry W." mused:

And if that was the case the contents would be of interest to the insurance company who would insists on a grded alarm which you couldn't fit yourself anyway.

[Piers James]

I installed the Visonic PowerMax+ system. It operates in a frequency spectrum reserved for security devices - 868MHz I think - which is supposed to all but eliminate interference and false alarms.

Fully monitored system for tamper events and low battery warnings etc etc.

It's not cheap though - bought mine from