Re: DIY'er Questions - Any Help Appreciated

["Bob Worthy" <securinc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Vacu Flo" <sodom@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fhdte.63571$887.3910@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> I'm just a homeowner.  We moved into a house with an existing system, no
> monitoring company.  We decided to keep it that way, and added an
> auto-dialer.  We programmed it to call us at work and leave a message,

How often do you pick up your messages? Getting your messages on Monday
morning must be like rubbing salt into the wound when you were broken into
over the weekend.


> also page us.

How does it work when you have a police emergency? The intruder is there and
you and your wife are shivering in the corner or a closet, but
wait!!!!!!!!everything is going to be fine honey, I hear my pager going off.

So far it's worked like a champ.

On false alarms

 Here's the one we bought.
> I believe we also had to purchase and install a relay.  They can provide
you
> with the tech support you need.  It wasn't difficult.

Just a waste of time and money

>
> http://norcoalarms.com/detail_pages/ad2001.htm
>
>
> <nafhsuramai@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:1119101563.362737.207870@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > I am in the planning stages of installing my own home alarm system and
> > have some questions I am hoping some of the professionals in this group
> > can help me with.
> >
> > 1. An alarm technician my company does business with spoke highly of
> > Ademco.  From reading this group I know many of you use Ademco as well.
> >  Of all the current model Ademco's which one would be most highly
> > recommended or conversely generally have the least problems associated
> > with it.  I am currently researching the Vista 10, 15 & 20 but I
> > don't understand the main differences between them.  From what I have
> > learned I would need an Ademco 6139 or 6160 keypad to program any of
> > these panels.  What are the main differences between these keypads?  I
> > am more interested in whichever is easier to read and less confusing
> > for my wife to be able to understand.
> >
> > 2. If not Ademco I am open to any suggestions regarding other systems.
> > My goal is to keep this system as simple as possible.  I don't plan
> > to have the system monitored.  I am basically looking to know if
> > someone has broken in when I am home so I can be ready to defend myself
> > and my family.  If I am not home I'd imagine the alarm would likely
> > scare most burglars away and I have plenty of neighbors who are almost
> > always home who I would hope would make the call for me.  I would
> > however like the system to have the capability to dial my cell phone so
> > I would know it had been tripped.  Is this something most panels would
> > already have or something I'd need to add on.
> >
> > 3. In keeping with my intention not to have this system monitored, once
> > the alarm is tripped how long is the typical cutoff time for the system
> > to sound until?  If memory serves me correct when my neighbor's alarm
> > has gone off when he was not home his alarm sounded for around five
> > minutes.  After this period of time is the system inactive, active and
> > able to detect a different zone other than the one that was tripped or
> > are all zones active again including the one that was tripped?
> >
> > 4. Which systems (or which Ademco systems if any) have a voice alarm
> > where when the alarm is tripped the system announces something such as
> > "the police have been notified" or something similar.  I would
> > suspect this is an effective feature and I would think in the middle of
> > the night it would be better to be woken up to that rather than an
> > ear-piercing siren.
> >
> > 5. How do security systems differentiate a security alarm signal from a
> > fire alarm    signal?  Is the same "audible tone" generated when
> > either is activated or are they distinct?
> >
> > 6. The house is a cape style home with two finished levels and a full
> > basement.  The basement is wide open, measures 24' x 34' and the
> > only entrance points are two small ground level windows and a steel
> > bulkhead all along the same wall.  I am wondering if the approach
> > should be switches on all three, a beam sensor across all three or
> > simply one motion for the whole basement and maybe reinforce the
> > entrance points (i.e. bars on inside of windows.)  My focus on this and
> > really all parts of the system is highest reliability and on minimizing
> > false alarms.
> >
> > 7. While it would be great if I had the time and money required to
> > alarm every window in the house I unfortunately have neither.  I have a
> > rear sliding patio door I believe would be a likely point of entry for
> > a thief and I'd like to protect that with a glass-break detector for
> > the door and a motion detector for that room as a back-up to the
> > glass-break detector.  Assuming I use a motion in that room I would
> > want it armed at night.  If I were to go in that room at night however
> > I would set it off.  Is it possible however to use a dual-technology
> > peripheral for this one room and wire/program the system so that the
> > glass-break detector is on a 24 hour zone and the motion detector is on
> > an "away" zone or would I need to use two different peripherals for
> > this?
> >
> > As some general information I will be installing the system myself and
> > I will be using 80% hardwired devices and limiting my wireless devices
> > to those areas where running wire to them is either impractical or
> > impossible.  I plan to purchase the equipment from ADI through a
> > neighbor who has an account there.  I am asking these questions here
> > rather than of him since he deals with ADI through his work as a
> > commercial surveillance system technician and has very little knowledge
> > of security alarm systems.
> >
> > As professionals I value your opinion and appreciate your input.  I
> > will check this thread for replies but if you would rather e-mail a
> > reply please feel free to do so.
> >
> > Thanks again.
> >
> > -Steve
> >
>
>