Re: Thanks for all the replies folks, a few more questions...

["Roland Moore" <roland@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 You wrote "and I don't want to micromanage the alarm company and every
component they pick and how they install it, but if
there is anything anyone could share that could help me to differentiate a
"good equipment" proposal from a "poor equipment" proposal I'd
welcome it."
There is good equipment that is put in a bad application and vice versa.
Even within a fairly good brand name there are some turkeys.
If a manufacturer has a large presence in the low end high volume like DSC,
sometimes their reach into the high end can be less than spectacular and
vice versa.
Examples of that might include DSC 1832 versus DSC 4020 and the bottom end
and Bosch G Series versus Bosch 4412 at the top end.
In my experience the best wireless has been from Inovonics.
http://www.inovonics.com/ It can work directly with many high end panels
like Bosch or DMP.
Despite some recent issues that have been resolved for the most part the G
series panel form Bosch http://www.boschsecurity.us/index.aspx?prdctid=3316
is a good high end panel. Some folks here might not like them because they
are not available through normal alarm distribution channels. There is both
good and bad to that.
My opinion of the price/quality spectrum of common brand alarm panels your
are likely to receive proposals on:
DSC, mostly low end (The new 433 wireless not built by DSC is much better
than the old 900 which was pure land fill.) [A distribution product]
Honeywell (Ademco), Mostly Low to Some Medium (Wireless is okay, not great -
not terrible) [A distribution product]
Napco, Some Low to Mostly Medium (but the worst wireless after DSC 900) [A
distribution product & Direct to Dealer]
Bosch, Mostly High End (G Series) - but stay far away from their low end
(6412-4412-2212 & Easy Series) (Their Inovonics Wireless is great. Their ITI
Wireless is okay) [Direct to Dealer only]
DMP, Mostly High End - but off in a world of its own. (Supports Inovonics
Wireless). Not many dealers know or support it (including me). I usually
pull it out when I find it. It has some really unique features if you're
into high tech gadgetry. [Direct to Dealer only]
Hope this helps.



"David" <this@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:x4WdnQ_b7YrQg9DYnZ2dnUVZ_oGdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> "tourman" <rh.campbell@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:1162652516.175132.150490@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> 1- The first decision you have to make is not who you want to deal
>> with, but how you want to buy your system....low up front price, high
>> monthly rates with a long term contract on  one extreme, and full but
>> fair market price up front and low ongoing monthly, sometimes with no
>> long term committment at the other extreme.
>
> In general I prefer to keep contracts on the short side... a year in
> length,
> ocassionally I'll go monthly until I develop a warm fuzzy.  With alarms,
> are monitoring contracts usually unrelated to hardware warranty/support
> length or are they tied together?
>
>> 3- Generally speaking, it's best to avoid wireless equipment if it is
>> possible to install hardwired gear. In this writer's opinion, wireless
>> should only be used as a last resort if it isn't possible to
>> economically run wires. Wireless will require more maintenance
>> over the years.
>
> I'd prefer hardwired, but we'll see.  The main, seemingly impossible
> position to wire without damaging the walls (which we don't want for
> now... could change things down the road prior to a repainting) would
> be the main entrance.  So maybe we'll just end up with one wireless
> keypad until the next remodeling (shrug).
>
> This being a dense neighborhood I would expect there to be a fair
> amount of gear operating in the 900 MHz, 2.4GHz, and 5GHz bands.
> Are wireless alarm components pretty robust and interference free?
>
>> 6- Ensure up front that you don't buy equipment which is proprietary
>> ie: can only be used to report back to one particular company. At some
>> point in the future, you may decide to shop elsewhere for your
>> monitoring services, and this will allow you to do so. And if you
>> decide to sell your home, an alarm system with no legal or proprietary
>> encumberances will add some additional albeit minor value to the home.
>
> Yes, avoiding lock-in and maximizing the control I'd have over the system
> are high-priorities.  I don't have the time to become very knowledgeable
> on the different systems, and I don't want to micromanage the alarm
> company and every component they pick and how they install it, but if
> there is anything anyone could share that could help me to differentiate
> a "good equipment" proposal from a "poor equipment" proposal I'd
> welcome it.
>
> Thanks again.