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Thread: Wired home alarm system - worth it?

  1. #1
    Master Christian's Avatar
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    Wired home alarm system - worth it?

    Moved house recently and the house I moved into has a fully wired alarm system...contacts on every door and IR sensors in each room. Phoned up the company that fitted it and they say I should go onto an annual maintenance contract with them for servicing and reduced cost call outs if there is a fault. They also said most home insurers don’t accept your alarm system as security mitigation unless it is under a maintenance contract. The cost was £240 first year then £150 per year after that.

    It’s there and fitted so I’ve just paid it. I don’t want the use the thing and find it’s been going off annoying the neighbours when I’m out due to a fault.

    It got me thinking though...with the likes of nest and other wi-fi based alarm kits that I could self-install and arm/disarm through my phone, is this thing a relic that I shouldn’t have bothered with and spent the money on my own system?

  2. #2
    Grand Master wileeeeeey's Avatar
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    You can get WiFi alarm systems from local companies or stay with the telephone linked ones, completely your choice. We had a traditional one in our old house linked to the house phone and it cost about £800 then £150 every 24 months to service - reduced our insurance by £5 per year...

    In the next house we will update the existing alarm but I doubt we'll be paying over a grand to install with a local company. I'll probably go with CCTV and a top brand DIY alarm system connected over WiFi with a 4/5G mobile internet failsafe.

  3. #3
    Master r.dawson's Avatar
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    Our wired system was put in when the house was built 6 years ago. Never caused us any bother and a maintenance contract wouldn't reduce the home insurance Vs the cost. All they need is a couple of new batteries every now and again.

    If it went wrong I'd go with a contactless one from the likes of yayle.

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  4. #4
    Master Christian's Avatar
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    Never having had one before...are these old school ones pretty reliable? My worst fear is I go away on a holiday and day 1 it sets itself off!

  5. #5
    Have a look at a wireless Pyronix system.

  6. #6
    The maintenance contract is norm a change of battery every two years.
    I’ve got a wired system hardly ever use it unless on holiday
    Never been serviced
    Never had to change the battery
    I just tell my insurer I have an alarm but it’s not on a contract


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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian View Post
    Never having had one before...are these old school ones pretty reliable? My worst fear is I go away on a holiday and day 1 it sets itself off!
    Been there done that, got a call on bank holiday August from my next door neighbour at 2am saying the alarm was going off.

    Had to call and send someone round who had a set off keys, fortunately it was a false alarm.

    This alarm system is nearly 9 years old however at the time it was pretty good.

    If I was doing it now, I would have a system that I can control via my phone and also have a CCTV system linked to my phone so I know if it's a false alarm or something to be worried about.

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  8. #8
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sweepinghand View Post
    I’ve got a wired system hardly ever use it unless on holiday


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    Our alarm system has a part set so it covers certain areas only if needed. Every night we set it to part so it covers downstairs and the garage leaving upstairs disabled.

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  9. #9
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sweepinghand View Post
    I’ve got a wired system hardly ever use it

    ...

    I just tell my insurer I have an alarm but it’s not on a contract
    Beware. If you need to make a big burglary claim, and you’ve declared an alarm, the first thing your insurer will do is check the alarm logs ie that it was active. If it wasn’t, they may not pay out.

    When I learned this, I called my insurers and took the alarm off my insurance, and the premium went up by ... £0.

    So, I have an alarm that I use every day, but I don’t tell the insurer so they can’t use it against me the one time I forget to set it...

  10. #10
    Grand Master oldoakknives's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Justin Case View Post
    Have a look at a wireless Pyronix system.
    We have a Pyronix system which covers the house, garage/workshop and shed. Find it easy to use with the app and have it on an annual maintenance/call out contract with a local security/alarm company.
    Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.

  11. #11
    Grand Master oldoakknives's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Estoril-5 View Post
    Our alarm system has a part set so it covers certain areas only if needed. Every night we set it to part so it covers downstairs and the garage leaving upstairs disabled.

    Sent from my moto g(8) power lite using Tapatalk
    Our Pyronix system has this, we have a night setting which leaves out some areas.
    Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.

  12. #12
    Craftsman
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    Do alarms provide any real protection or deterrent? Someone has to investigate pretty much immediately and the police won't and I doubt the neighbours are going to intervene. Might as well invest in a decent CCTV system via an app with alerts or get a dog.

  13. #13
    Grand Master oldoakknives's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wotsthecrack View Post
    Do alarms provide any real protection or deterrent? Someone has to investigate pretty much immediately and the police won't and I doubt the neighbours are going to intervene. Might as well invest in a decent CCTV system via an app with alerts or get a dog.
    CCTV is fine if it alerts you in real time and you can stop the miscreants.

    They'll probably steal your dog to sell on or use training dogs for dogfighting.

    You don't need the best alarm or security in the world, just the best in your street.

    Burglars and scrotes like an easy touch.
    Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.

  14. #14

    Alarm

    Quote Originally Posted by Christian View Post
    Moved house recently and the house I moved into has a fully wired alarm system...contacts on every door and IR sensors in each room. Phoned up the company that fitted it and they say I should go onto an annual maintenance contract with them for servicing and reduced cost call outs if there is a fault. They also said most home insurers don’t accept your alarm system as security mitigation unless it is under a maintenance contract. The cost was £240 first year then £150 per year after that.

    It’s there and fitted so I’ve just paid it. I don’t want the use the thing and find it’s been going off annoying the neighbours when I’m out due to a fault.

    It got me thinking though...with the likes of nest and other wi-fi based alarm kits that I could self-install and arm/disarm through my phone, is this thing a relic that I shouldn’t have bothered with and spent the money on my own system?
    I have just canceled my maintenance contract due to the high cost and have managed to get a private engineer at half the price you've got to consider the main function of the alarm is a deterrent so make it very visible ie strobe light on the front siren box, and alarm windows, doors and garage, when I insure the house I do get asked if it has an alarm but nothing about a discount I think the insurance company is just happy if you have one.Just a warning when I cancelled the maintenance contract I asked for the engineers code to get into the box to change the
    entry code they refused to give me it so rendering the system useless if it ever went wrong! fortunately my new engineer got into it.
    Squashy1

  15. #15
    Hiscox said that the alarm needed to be maintained by an approved installer NFU don’t, mine is wireless but anyone can change a few batteries. Maintenance contracts are a con

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by ach5 View Post
    Beware. If you need to make a big burglary claim, and you’ve declared an alarm, the first thing your insurer will do is check the alarm logs ie that it was active. If it wasn’t, they may not pay out.

    When I learned this, I called my insurers and took the alarm off my insurance, and the premium went up by ... £0.

    So, I have an alarm that I use every day, but I don’t tell the insurer so they can’t use it against me the one time I forget to set it...
    That's worth knowing and probably something that most people wouldn't realise until they make a claim.
    If the OP has already got a fully wired system then I'd get it checked over so that it works as it should and go from there.
    I always remember from years ago when my old man said about having a "crook lock" on the steering wheel of my car, if it makes the little thieving shits move on to the next car then it's paid for itself.

  17. #17
    Master Thewatchbloke's Avatar
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    My wired alarm maintenance contract and alarm monitoring charge is £160pa, £80pa for maintenance and service and £80pa for the monitoring charge which I didn't think was too bad at all.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by oldoakknives View Post
    CCTV is fine if it alerts you in real time and you can stop the miscreants.

    They'll probably steal your dog to sell on or use training dogs for dogfighting.

    You don't need the best alarm or security in the world, just the best in your street.

    Burglars and scrotes like an easy touch.
    If they are chancers they will choose the easiest target, dummy external box or a barking dog will make them look alsewhere. If you are a targeted burglary no alarm system is going to stop them. Even with realtime alert unless you are close by or in the house they'll be in and out before they can be apprehended. I wonder if there are any figures published re burglars caught in the act after triggering an alarm system, if there are it will be a tiny proportion of the total.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by wotsthecrack View Post
    If they are chancers they will choose the easiest target, dummy external box or a barking dog will make them look alsewhere. If you are a targeted burglary no alarm system is going to stop them. Even with realtime alert unless you are close by or in the house they'll be in and out before they can be apprehended. I wonder if there are any figures published re burglars caught in the act after triggering an alarm system, if there are it will be a tiny proportion of the total.
    We got caught in 5min by armed police when we de commissioned an alarm in an ambassadors residents in Chelsea last month not your normal domestic property I suppose lol


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  20. #20
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    [QUOTE=Pennywise;5722198]We got caught in 5min by armed police when we de commissioned an alarm in an ambassadors residents in Chelsea last month not your normal domestic property I suppose lol


    Haha, were you bricking it?

  21. #21
    Master Christian's Avatar
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    Thanks guys...some good replies to get me thinking! Since I already paid up for year 1, I'll have a good look at all the alternative options when it comes to renewal next year.

  22. #22
    Craftsman
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    [QUOTE=wotsthecrack;5722233]
    Quote Originally Posted by Pennywise View Post
    We got caught in 5min by armed police when we de commissioned an alarm in an ambassadors residents in Chelsea last month not your normal domestic property I suppose lol


    Haha, were you bricking it?
    We get it quite often when the email or phone call hasn’t been made to turn off the red care line . They were quite understanding, the ambassador thought it was the Iranian siege 2.0


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  23. #23
    Grand Master oldoakknives's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wotsthecrack View Post
    If they are chancers they will choose the easiest target, dummy external box or a barking dog will make them look alsewhere. If you are a targeted burglary no alarm system is going to stop them. Even with realtime alert unless you are close by or in the house they'll be in and out before they can be apprehended. I wonder if there are any figures published re burglars caught in the act after triggering an alarm system, if there are it will be a tiny proportion of the total.
    I would think the number of targeted burglaries by 'raffles' or 'Mission Impossible' types prepared to circumvent security measures would be fairly small, although I stand to be corrected. Having said that, it will always be possible to get around security measures/alarms. For most home burglaries chancers and local scrotes/druggies are probably the more common types of offenders. They are the ones who simply move on to an easier target.
    It's a similar scenario to the old saying, 'you don't have to run faster than a grizzly bear to survive, just faster than your companions'.
    Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.

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