Security System - or not and 'seeing callers'

[canalsiderenovation]

Our electrician is doing first fix and we need to decide if we want an alarm system/get some prices. The electrician has quoted £700 for a wired alarm which seems steep. 

 

We don't have a lot of crime (we weren't able to lock our door since moving in but did have an alarm which seemed to cause more issues than protection, though neighbours were good at getting in touch and keeping an eye on the place). We are currently more secure than we have ever been ironically!

 

Eventually we will have electric gates and I'm just not sure if an alarm is worth the cost (not CCTV).

 

And final question, building regs;

 

The main doors for entering a dwelling (usually the front door) should have a door viewer unless other means exist to see callers, such as clear glass within the door or a window next to the doorset. The same doorset should also have a door chain or door limiter.

 

So, in the absence of a door viewer, clear glass or window next to the doorset how do we meet building regs? Could we meet this by getting some sort of doorbell like Ring or similar (we have asked for wiring for a doorbell). Any recommendations?

[PeterW]

That isn’t a bad price for an alarm installed tbh - the Texecom Ricochet I fitted recently was £450 just in components. They act as a deterrent in some instances but more than likely something like CCTV is a bigger deterrent - or a dog....

 

Not sure the regs have caught up with the 21st century yet but I think you could argue that a video doorbell meets the requirement. Never actually seen a BCO check but I’m sure there is always a first .... 

[canalsiderenovation]

7 minutes ago, PeterW said:

That isn’t a bad price for an alarm installed tbh - the Texecom Ricochet I fitted recently was £450 just in components. They act as a deterrent in some instances but more than likely something like CCTV is a bigger deterrent - or a dog....

 

I'll ask for details so I can check out what he is pricing for exactly.

 

Dog is out, the wife is allergic though I may have convinced her to get some chickens, which aren't really going to be a deterrent!

 

I

9 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Not sure the regs have caught up with the 21st century yet but I think you could argue that a video doorbell meets the requirement. Never actually seen a BCO check but I’m sure there is always a first .... 

 

Hmm, I'll look into video doorbells, any recommendations? I don't like the idea of a subscription service for Ring and information storing with Amazon.....

[Pocster]

Could just get a nvr and some ip cameras . Depends how much “ fun” you want ??! 

[PeterW]

Geese are brilliant but noisy and crap everywhere ..! 
 

I’ve been impressed with the Blink outdoor cameras - they say the battery life is very good and I think there is another new one out soon in the range. 

[canalsiderenovation]

3 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Geese are brilliant but noisy and crap everywhere ..! 
 

I’ve been impressed with the Blink outdoor cameras - they say the battery life is very good and I think there is another new one out soon in the range. 

 

Are these all wireless? Our WiFi is crap due to location even with boosters there was no signal at the other end of the bungalow and that was before we started building and making it bigger.

[PeterW]

Yep all are wireless but come with hubs / base units. 
 

Sorting WiFi should be simple. Order a reel of CAT 5 and get the sparky to run a couple of cables the full length of the house and just get faceplates behind tv points etc. Can soon sort dead WiFi spots then with something like ubiquiti hubs. 

[NSS]

We have the basic model of the Arlo wireless cameras, lots of them, connected to several hubs. The audible alerts to our phones mean we know when someone sets foot on our driveway, and they're recorded by several cameras before they reach the front door, garage door or side gate. If they seek an alternative approach and hack their way through the dense, 4m high mature laurel hedgerows from neighboring properties then they are again recorded (and we notified) before they can get near patio or back doors, garden shed or greenhouse.

 

Worst case we're not here and they smash their way into the property, the alarm will go off and, you guessed it, they get recorded again. We can view the images and received alerts anywhere we have a 3G or better mobile signal. We periodically move the cameras around (the beauty of wireless), with some clearly visible (as a deterrent) and others more discreetly positioned. Nothing guarantees against intruders, but we feel fairly secure.

 

By the way, we pay no subscription. With Arlo, you have to pay if you have more than 5 cameras on a single hub / account, but so long as you have no more than 5 on each, you can register accounts for different people / each hub installed at the same address ? 

 

PS: We even use Arlo cameras to keep an eye on the chickens in their coop, and the visiting hedgehogs and othe wildlife.

Edited October 14, 2020 by NSS

[canalsiderenovation]

So sounds like a wireless camera system will be best like Blink or Arlo rather than a wired alarm I think thanks @NSS and @PeterW

 

Out property is pretty secure. Unless one wants to swim from the towpath side of the canal to us, come by boat or drive over a canal bridge when there is only us and a farm which wouldn't go unnoticed (cameras from another property) the only alternative is to try and scale an old railway embankment and then the very steep drop to us full of bramble (definitely not for the faint hearted)!

 

Just need to sort out cat5 cable so we can address the poor WiFi issues. I'll speak to the spark tomorrow.

[NSS]

1 hour ago, canalsiderenovation said:

Just need to sort out cat5 cable so we can address the poor WiFi issues. I'll speak to the spark tomorrow.

 

We put in Cat6 cabling throughout. Much better bandwidth and very little cost difference. 

[SiBee]

The company I use for our security (work related) told me that all their standard domestic intruder alarm installs are now wireless and they don’t get many problems. Easy to install and less intrusive so maybe consider this an option for a retro install if you finish decorating and then decide you still want an alarm.

I was very sceptical but opted for a visonic wireless system which has been in a few years now. Works well and provides piece of mind for the other half. Think we paid about £900 but I reckon you can buy the system for half that. Very diy possible.

Pyronix have a great reputation in the wireless option and  is what our guys recommended but I liked the sleeker visonic controls.

i am no tech expert by the way?

[canalsiderenovation]

50 minutes ago, SiBee said:

The company I use for our security (work related) told me that all their standard domestic intruder alarm installs are now wireless and they don’t get many problems. Easy to install and less intrusive so maybe consider this an option for a retro install if you finish decorating and then decide you still want an alarm.

I was very sceptical but opted for a visonic wireless system which has been in a few years now. Works well and provides piece of mind for the other half. Think we paid about £900 but I reckon you can buy the system for half that. Very diy possible.

Pyronix have a great reputation in the wireless option and  is what our guys recommended but I liked the sleeker visonic controls.

i am no tech expert by the way?

 

Thanks I think we will go down the wireless route which will be OK to install ourselves we just need to tackle our poor WiFi.

[Temp]

We have had Visonic wireless system for 13 years. Their Quad PIR sensors seem pretty reliable. Remember to turn off any LEDs in the PIR sensors and the batteries will last much lolonger - Well over a year. We use key fobs to arm and disarm from outside the house.

[Rmawdsley]

I ran cat6 cables to places I potentially wanted cameras from a central location which I knew I would put my DVR whilst the sparky was doing the 1st fix. A 100m box of cat6 doesn’t cost a great deal! And then I bought a hikvision DVR and have gradually added Poe cameras to the system. No batteries required, no potential issues with WiFi signal and no subscription. The latest cameras hardly ever give false detections/alerts either.

[canalsiderenovation]

On 14/10/2020 at 17:35, PeterW said:

Yep all are wireless but come with hubs / base units. 
 

Sorting WiFi should be simple. Order a reel of CAT 5 and get the sparky to run a couple of cables the full length of the house and just get faceplates behind tv points etc. Can soon sort dead WiFi spots then with something like ubiquiti hubs. 

 

Spoke to sparky and going to get faceplates sorted behind three TV points which, with the hubs should cover each area of the house. If only we could get a decent mobile signal too!

[SiBee]

On 15/10/2020 at 17:21, Temp said:

We have had Visonic wireless system for 13 years. Their Quad PIR sensors seem pretty reliable. Remember to turn off any LEDs in the PIR sensors and the batteries will last much lolonger - Well over a year. We use key fobs to arm and disarm from outside the house.

Hi Temp,

i Got a low battery warning on one sensor after 3 years so trumping your 1 year?My mate had the same system fitted 2 weeks after seeing ours. He only changed his batteries because I did, thinking his would all die within 2 weeks but none had actually failed. Cheap enough so I changed the lot and will do this as a routine maintenance three years from install.

We also use the remotes, very sleek when compared to rival systems. We use the arming at home option too so that we can walk around the house at night with just the perimeter  armed. I have my detached garage set as partition one so can be armed separately and the shed will be added as another partition.

Also connected to the phone line so we get notifications of any alarm activation or faults. Not sure how to set up 2 way conversation though.

I have the slimline contacts which blend in well but not got around to fitting the power link adapter for app control.

Very pleased with the system (my mate is too) but wish the bell box could be hard wired. I hate heights so changing the battery in this requires a few stiff drinks.?

 

Hi canalside, can’t help with your Wi-Fi issues but the signal strength on these things should not be an issue. My garage detector is some way from the control unit and the signal passes through many brick walls and remains at full strength.