Type of alarm: managed, "noisy", wireless?

[RiotAndAlarum]

We are doing a big renovation on a detached house we have bought, and DH has just had this question about alarms, from our builder.

We're not sure we're keen on either an "unattended" (noisy) alarm, where false alarms would annoy our neighbours, or a "managed" alarm, which would mean paying for callouts, "false" or real.

Is a wireless system any good? For example,to send a text message, or top trigger recording (though I'm not sure how I feel about that inside the house. I'd prefer it to be outside!)

The house is in a suburb and is: detached, 4 bed, 2 storey, with retired neighbours, front & back gardens, train station and high street within walking distance. All windows triple glazed, and the ground floor windows will be locked with keys. The property backs onto houses converted into offices (e.g. GP/dentist surgery) with their back gardens converted into parking.

Do insurers have a preference about the setup?

Thanks for any input you may have!

bumping as interested

A monitored alarm will be quite expensive. Who will respond if there is an alarm?

It is usual to have the siren sounding for at least a while in order to make the burglars anxious and possibly run off before they have stolen much.

That's what I thought, PigletJohn. On the other hand, I'm really not very keen on alarms that go off for hours and piss off the neighbours, as we have been those neighbours, in the past!

Given all that, some sort of self-monitoring is just rather appealing, especially for gathering evidence. But do such systems really work, or is the issue that they are poor value for money?

Sorry for the naivete of these questions; I'm trying to get my head round it all!

alarms stop hooting after 20 minutes. If longer, it is considered a nuisance.

10 mins would probably be enough.

I don't know what you mean by self-monitoring. I have a monitored alarm, it phones a monitoring station and passes a digital signal saying what sensors have triggered., and the precise time. If, e.g., the back door sensor went off, then the hall, then the living room, then the stairs, it would be obvious that some had broken in and was running round inside the house. If only a single sensor triggered, it might be a false alarm. Police will not come out to an alarm that has not been confirmed, either by someone looking in and seeing an intruder, or by an alarm reporting such a pattern. It costs me a few hundreds a year for maintenance and monitoring. Police will not respond to an alarm that is not maintained by an approved company.

I also pay an annual keyholding charge to a loical firm of security guards, because I used to be away on business a lot. They drive round with dogs and keys if there is an alarm.

They charge by the half-hour for callouts so they make more money the more alarms there are. If I am away they will call a locksmith, glazier or joiner to repair any doors and windows, and will guard the house until it is secure. If there was an electrical fasult, they would call an electrician. If the alarm was faulty, they would call the maintenance company to fix it. A person who is mostly at home or has two trusted and capable nearby keyholders would not need all that.

You can also get an alarm that will phone a trusted neighbour and/or your mobiles(s) The police require a keyholder who can be at the address within 20 minutes.

Get one where the siren is mounted in the house, makes it unbearable for anyone inside.