Wireless alarms.

Yes, wired.

m_d snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.co.uk wrote in

FWIW, I fitted a Yale wireless system 12 years ago - no problems, never had a false alarm, always functions. YMMV

I've had the ESP Infinite system for about two years now and no problems whatsoever.

John

wrote

I think that opposition to wireless systems harks back to early versions which, like much new technology, were beset with problems. Whenever the question comes up there are plenty around who now champion wireless installs. Personally, if the wires are already there (as in my case) I prefer wired - less batteries etc to bother with for a start. If wires aren't there, then wireless systems have probably come-of-age.

HTH

Phil

In article , TheScullster Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:36:53 writes

How frequently do the various batteries have to be changed?

Hi depends on the equipment. If it utilises std batteries (usually aa or 9v pp3) 12 mths on average but can last up to 2 yrs. If 3v lithium 3yrs on average unless its a wireless bell then 12 mths.(manufacturers spec) HTH

CJ

In article , cj Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:21:13 writes

It does. I was trying to gauge how much of a nuisance and cost battery changes would be.

This is something I have been considering for a while but never felt confident that wireless alarms were anything but toys.

Hi Les These days far from it ,all the reputable makes are fully BS and ISO compliant and with PIR,Seismic,reed,smoke & water level devices most situations are catered for.You can even hard wire into the door contacts to add a second door or the seismic detectors can have a reed built in so you can fit it to an opening light. Add to this the add on systems which are a stand alone receiver which you add to a normal panel & the rolling code 4 button key fobs and you can see the applications. We have over 100 systems in operation to date and this is growing rapidly.

As an old-school engineer I still believe you can't beat a well installed wired system but in today's 'get it done now' world radio is really taking off.

CJ

As a matter of interest, which brands to find to be of the best quality?

I fitted a Yale and had problems with my wireless router setting off the bell. I ended up calling their tech support and they assured me it was interference from the router. Once I turned the wireless off I never had a problem. Seems a bit of an issue to me though seeing as quite a few houses have wireless now. I wonder if you could change the channel or something?

In article , cj Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:12:20 writes

I am tempted.

John recommended ESP Infinite - and looks like a comprehensive range.

Any recommendations for that or an other brand?

Yale was also recommended but I have not been able to find a site showing clearly the full range.

Hi Les Never fitted an Infinity so can't comment. The DIY kits like Yale are just that and as such use less stringent equipment which can give problems if near other RF sources ,having said that they are quite reliable. We use Risco (Guardtec) equipment or Scantronics (cooper Menvier) as both have a proven track record and come with full service backup to the trade. The cheeper of the 2 is the Gardtec equipment but it matches the Menvier in every way. Be warned though this equipment is not cheap. Compared with the Yale kit for around £160.00 the Gardtec will come in around £300.00 and the Menvier £380.00. (NB these are just rough estimates comparing part for part) This is Gardtec.

CJ

In article , cj Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:54:54 writes

While I want to DIY I would prefer professional units.

I will check out your liks and get back.

Thank you for the details.

In article , cj Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:54:54 writes

What particular models would you recommend for a three floor house?

After research on this group & elsewhere, I fitted an Infinite earlier in the year (January I think), and haven't had any false alarms. The manuals seem to assume that it's being professionally fitted (but I managed anyway :-), but it's a good solid piece of kit. I fitted a Yale ~10 years ago at our last place, and this is a definite step up. A word of warning - I purchased the PSTN dialler (~£40??) add-on module. Although this works, full use seems to be restricted without a PC program at the other end. I got this insteaed of an external bell box (on the logic that theese are ignored anyway), but as I've had no false alerts, I'll now purchase and fit an external bell. (Again, a warning, this does require power - it's not solar powered like some makes). The internal siren is prettty damn load, and if I was a specuialtive burglar I wouldn't want to hang around with this going off. HTH, Mike

In article , Michael Atkinson Sun, 4 May 2008 21:13:52 writes

Thanks for the info.

CJ recommended Gardtec and am looking at their range at the moment. They are rather secretive about their prices - they only sell direct and not through distributors.

So far I have had their catalogue and special offers but no prices. I have to decide what I want and they will let me have prices.. It is making it difficult to make a sensible choice.

The catalogue also assumes they are talking to professionals (a fair assumption) so it is not easy to differentiate between products.

The Infinite does not give a lot of options to do the same job so it is much simpler to decide.

I will continue with investigating the Gardtec for the moment.

I'd just like to apologise to all for my *appalling* spelling in the previous posting. I'll engage my spell-checker, if not my brain ;-)