Our house was prewired from new to support a burgler alarm.

DOes anyone have any good recomendations on which to buy?

To get insurance discounts, has to be by a professional firm.

Do you want/need redcare or alarm only?

Adt are the usual suspects, but chubb and initial are keen to expand so may have some deals going.

Have no idea If my home's pre-wired, as it's not that old. Is there and easy way to tell?

I know people who have oakpark alarms and they seem to be very professional and work well.

Past that I don't know I'm afraid Stu.

I'm not too worried about insurance discounts and I'm not signing a 36 month contract @ £25 per month with ADT!!!

Just looking for a mid range system that is known to be good.

This is the one everyone seems to talk about -

Accenta Gen4 Alarm Panel - Metal Case - 8SP419A

Pre-wiring in our house consists of a few blank plates around the place, power supply to the control unit location, dummy PIR's and wiring to the front of the house for the bell box.

I have a good friend that works in the industry working mainly with comercial/industrial properties. I'll find out from him what's a 'good' system

Ta

a good guard dog should be cheaper than ADT

Had a word but the advice I got was a little sketchy as his area of 'expertise' is in the commercial market. Only real nugget of info was NOT to buy from the DIY chains such as B&Q as their systems tend to be cheap and cheerful. The one you've found looks pretty good tbh

Don't suppose your man would have a spare ADT bell box would he??

I'll ask the question

Obviously a suitable incentive would be provided for such a device.

Bit of advice from watching the experts when I got my one installed!

Scantronic are probably the most common control panels you can get on the market. I think you can choose the type of keypad you want - some of them have a key dongle so that you don't need to enter a code, but I prefer the old fashioned method - number's in my head not on a key I could lose.

You need to think about the PIR sensors as well - if you've got a wood/coal fire, or a gas fire that will be on whilst the alarm's set, you'll need dual IR/Microwave PIRs (they only activate with heat and movement, IR activates on heat or movement). Then there's window sensors, under carpet floor pads and panic buttons. Most keypads will also have a key sequence for activating live panic (sound the bell), passive panic (no bell, but activates speech dialer).

If you don't want red care monitoring, get a speech dialer. It works on GSM (any mobile provider's PAYG sim should work in it), and will alert you (and upto 10 other phone numbers) depending on how it's programmed, i.e. deactivation of the alarm, alarm triggered, mains failure etc. You just have to remember to keep it topped up with credit.

Other than that, read the installation instructions carefully and probably best to wire each sensor to the control panel as you go, so you know what wire is going where. Even if you get a NACOSS approved system installed by a professional, the effect on your insurance premium will be negligable. HTH.

Looks like you got yourself a bell box

If you don't want red care monitoring, get a speech dialer. It works on GSM (any mobile provider's PAYG sim should work in it), and will alert you (and upto 10 other phone numbers) depending on how it's programmed, i.e. deactivation of the alarm, alarm triggered, mains failure etc. You just have to remember to keep it topped up with credit.

Been looking at dialers but not GSM -

Informer Speech Dialler - Not 999

Only problem with that one is if someone cuts the phone line! :eek: Probably the only down side to that system.

Forgot one thing! When you're doing this, you have to make sure that the control box is configured to disable the siren in the external bell box 20 minutes after the alarm has been activated. It's some law they passed a while ago. The newer bell boxes will also have a strobe light which I think remains on past the 20 minute duration.

Only problem with that one is if someone cuts the phone line! :eek: Probably the only down side to that system.

The telephone junction box is also adjacent to the alarm panel location so hard wiring is possible. I think that would be adequate, we don't exactly have the crown jewels stored here

I've just had a thought.

You could put a full size, naked picture of me in the hallway with the words "I am hot and I live here" and any prospective burglars would run a mile.

Think of the money you could save.

I've just had a thought.

You could put a full size, naked picture of me in the hallway with the words "I am hot and I live here" and any prospective burglars would run a mile.

Think of the money you could save.

:eek:

The telephone junction box is also adjacent to the alarm panel location so hard wiring is possible. I think that would be adequate, we don't exactly have the crown jewels stored here

It's all about costs versus risks! I went for the GSM one as I didn't want phone wires trailing around the place, but as your junction box is next to the panel you won't have this problem. The cost of the GSM unit was mitigated by the price I paid for the complete install - some 'big' companies quoted upwards of £1500, not including monitoring! :eek:

I've just had a thought.

You could put a full size, naked picture of me in the hallway with the words "I am hot and I live here" and any prospective burglars would run a mile.

Think of the money you could save.

Aren't you the numpty that locked Stu out of his house a few months back?

Lucky you didn't have better security back then!

Aren't you the numpty that locked Stu out of his house a few months back?

HTF????

Aren't you the numpty that locked Stu out of his house a few months back?

Yes I do remember accidently locking Stu out of his house.

If I remember correctly we were helping another numpty that had tried to fit a hi-volume fuel pump and made a pigs ear of it. :P

And I seem to remember driving said numpty around Portsmouth looking for a deep 18mm socket. :P

30-15

I'm not too worried about insurance discounts and I'm not signing a 36 month contract @ £25 per month with ADT!!!

Yikes.

Didnt realise they were that much. When swmbo worked for them she was offered one for £10 a month redcare.

Still have friends and family there, so hoping for a deal should I need one.

30-15

.........lets just pretend that I'm Nadal and your'e Murray shall we.................oops, it's all over!