Burglar Alarm - wireless or wired in ?

[Willowisp]

Looking to have a burglar alarm installed - we have the remains of the old one & wondering whether to take the ADT offer, which is an installation & monthly contract, or to go for a wired in one ?

Does anyone have either of these & have any advice for me ?

sorry i have no advice to give, but hope someone does as we will be installing a burglar alarm soon!

We considered the ADT option, but read some very mixed reviews of their service online.

In the end we went for a system where the control panel is wired into the main electric fuse box for the house and into the phone line, so it phones us if the alarm is triggered.

The sensors and alarm box themselves are wireless - saved the drama of replastering and repainting.

Shop around - smaller local companies can be cheaper by hundreds if not thousands of pounds.

Many insurance policies are invalidated if your system isn't serviced once a year, so try and negotiate a service agreement at the same time (if you go wireless they'll change the batteries at service time).

Make sure your alarm company uses qualified electricians (many don't) as you'll need to get the connection to the fuse box certified.

Contact your local crime prevention officer at your police station. They can't recommend companies, but they can recommend the right kind of system for you and offer advice as to how to select a reputable company.

Good advice, thanks. Could you reveal the name of the system you have ? Sounds exactly what we are looking for !

We have the system that calls you - the panel is called Texecom Premier, it's all wired in - but we were renovating so we didn't consider a wireless option. We haven't informed our insurance company that we now have an alarm - they only give you a small 5% discount and if you forget to set it - you aren't covered, that's too big a risk.

Our system is a Visonic. It comes with remote 'plippers' also so I don't have to dash through the house with the pram to set and unset it.

I heard about a family last week who didn't tell their insurance company they had an alarm for the same reason, and when they were broken into the insurance refused to pay out because they felt the family had lied when making their insurance application. Insurance companies really are slippery.

we have a wireless alarm from Yale. it calls us if there is a disturbance in the house. it works great and have had no problems with it. i think ours cost around £500.

As far as I can recall, usually the cost of a burglar alarm service agreement outweighs the savings you make on the home insurance by quite a margin. If you want a service agreement then by all means go for it, but it will work out more expensive overall.

I think if you tell them you have an alarm but no service agreement they don't give you a discount anyway. Although what happens then if you forget to set it and are broken into is anyone's guess.

I can't imagine the insurance company in nancerama's example above would have a very strong case tbh but maybe I underestimate their lawyers.

thanks - DH is keen on the ADT one, but will look into the other. The suppliers/installers for Visonic don't seem to be in our area, but maybe I need to give them a call.

I've seen the Yale ones too, I think you need to install that one yourself ?

We're quite keen to have a monitored alarm, as if no-one responds, there's little point.

The other thing about the ADT is some we know has one & it's gone off whilst they were in the house & apparently the alarm is so loud it disorients you, whereas the one in our previous house was just loud.

Although of course, this maybe the norm now..

Wireless alarms are not considered to be as good, and the trade sneers as them.

However they are very easy for a DIYer to fit. I put one in my old mum's house and it took me a couple of hours, using just a cordless drill and a screwdriver, and reading the instructions carefully.

Ironmongery Direct has the top of the range Yale system on special offer this week at £135, it usually costs about £200. This is the one that phones three numbers in the event of an alarm and plays your recorded address. You can buy additional sensors if you have a larger house.

It is an advantage to have an extra keypad near the front door, or use a keyfob button, so the panel can be concealed well away from any likely point of entry, to stop anyone interfering with it before it has had time to raise the alarm. Once the siren has started to sound, attacking the panel won't stop it.

IMO if you are paying a professional to fit an alarm, you're better off with a wired one, but having it able to phone out is a valuable feature.

Insurance companies might only recognise more expensive alarms fitted to commercial standards by an approved company, with a maintenance contract. This is much more expensive. If you notify them of an alarm and they give you a discount, they might refuse to pay out if it was not turned on when you were burgled.

I am bemused at the idea of an insurance co failing to pay out because they were not notified that an alarm had been fitted, and would want to see evidence before I believed it (sorry).