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?