Can anyone recommend a good burglar alarm system?

[Don Barzini]

My house has got a very basic burglar alarm which is unreliable so we don’t often use it. Time for an upgrade.

I want a decent one though, not just something bought from B&Q which you have to install yourself. At a previous house we had an ADT system. If anyone broke in and triggered the alarm, we’d get a phonecall from ADT straight away and if we weren’t around they’d call the police immediately. We had to pay a monthly fee for it, but I don’t mind that.

I’ll get a quote from ADT of course. But I’m unsure of any companies which offer the same or similar service and I’d like to get a couple of other quotes too. So can anyone advise? Any recommendations - or just as important, any companies to avoid?

Thanks in advance. :thup:

 

[Dando]

I’ve just a Yale alarm installed. It’s not monitored but hopefully it’ll be enough of a deterrent

 

[PJ87]

did have ADT (what a con, soon as contract ended they said keep the alarm... but it went off once because the pad stopped talking to the alarm .. went to reset it and it said call the company.. they wanted £150 to send a tech out to reset it...)

so I installed a yale alarm myself.. really easy to do.. control from your phone aswell and if the alarm goes of you get an alert on your phone

same as ADT for me without the £30 a month cost

smoke alarm linked to it aswell

set up cost less than £500 but nothing PCM

 

[SteveJay]

My house has got a very basic burglar alarm which is unreliable so we don’t often use it. Time for an upgrade.

I want a decent one though, not just something bought from B&Q which you have to install yourself. At a previous house we had an ADT system. If anyone broke in and triggered the alarm, we’d get a phonecall from ADT straight away and if we weren’t around they’d call the police immediately. We had to pay a monthly fee for it, but I don’t mind that.

I’ll get a quote from ADT of course. But I’m unsure of any companies which offer the same or similar service and I’d like to get a couple of other quotes too. So can anyone advise? Any recommendations - or just as important, any companies to avoid?

Thanks in advance. :thup:

After being burgled a few years ago we got a Risco alarm installed. Not that expensive but a great system that is linked to your phone. We can set/unset by our mobiles and if the alarm goes off we get notified and can see an image taken by a camera in the house. Also can be set to call 999. I like the fact that if there was a false alarm you can see whether anyone is in the house and then disarm it even if you were miles away. We have 2 dogs and it is set so they don't trigger the PIRs when we at home alone.

Its all wireless so apart from the main unit, linked to your modem, all sensors, cameras and keypads can be located anywhere and can be removed easily if you moved house.

Costs will vary depending on house size. Think we paid about £800 for covering a fairly large 4 bed house. Worth googling and finding a local installer and see what they recommend.

 

[CliveW]

Perhaps have a chat with your insurance provider and see if they recommend any particular system. They may also offer a discount on your premium which could offset any monthly costs.

 

[PJ87]

Perhaps have a chat with your insurance provider and see if they recommend any particular system. They may also offer a discount on your premium which could offset any monthly costs.

not worth it at all tbh.. you get about £20 off a year but you HAVE to remember to set it at night and when your out

so if you go out and forgot then got robbed you wouldnt be covered

I have my alarm but took it off the insurance as its much better for not having to remember to set it (even though we do anyways) just less risk of them not paying out

plus the terms have to be certain companies and maintained yearly by them

 

[tugglesf239]

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Move to my hamlet where putting a burglar alarm on your house is considered as an insult to the community.

 

[need_my_wedge]

My house has got a very basic burglar alarm which is unreliable so we don’t often use it. Time for an upgrade.

I want a decent one though, not just something bought from B&Q which you have to install yourself. At a previous house we had an ADT system. If anyone broke in and triggered the alarm, we’d get a phonecall from ADT straight away and if we weren’t around they’d call the police immediately. We had to pay a monthly fee for it, but I don’t mind that.

I’ll get a quote from ADT of course. But I’m unsure of any companies which offer the same or similar service and I’d like to get a couple of other quotes too. So can anyone advise? Any recommendations - or just as important, any companies to avoid?

Thanks in advance. :thup:

Where are you based? I've used ACE Security for the last 15 years. They've been good, alarm serviceed every year. Sensors upgraded for free a couple of years back.

 

[SteveJay]

Endorse the point about discounts for insurance. Not worth the risk in my view.

We religiously set ours now whenever we leave the house and when we go to bed, but I still wouldn't risk seeking the paltry discount from our insurers just in case I forgot once and was broken into. Could be the difference between saving £20-30 a year and losing a claim which would have been thousands.

Having suffered a break in and going through the claims process, whilst mine was settled OK and in full, I have to say I felt like I was being investigated during it with all sorts of questions about the receipts and photographic evidence i provided. Know thats to stop fraudulent claims but didn't make me feel great at a time when life was pretty ****!

 

[Don Barzini]

Thank you for the replies people.

Like the the idea of the Risco system, will definitely look into that.

Also love the German Shepherd idea! Need to work on the wife for that one though!

 

[SteveJay]

Thank you for the replies people.

Like the the idea of the Risco system, will definitely look into that.

Also love the German Shepherd idea! Need to work on the wife for that one though!

I can certainly recommend Risco. Was advised that self installed items are not great and so whilst this is a bit more expensive, in terms of ease of use via a mobile, or conventionally, it is superb.