My elderly grandmother lives alone in quite a large house which stands out from most of the others in the area...

Recently one of the double glazed patio windows was shattered (not penetrated, just cracked) by something which has started to worry her..

So what are peoples opinions of PIR and door latch opperated security systems....Do they really act as a deterent against theft/breakins?...

If I did install one for her, I would be looking at fitting a wireless system with potentially 6 zones....Are there and systems that I should be looking at?...

And do I just go for PIR sensors, or should I seriously be considering door sensors as well....

ANd as an asside, are there any wireless security systems that encorporate smoke and carbon monoxide alarms?

IMHO I would rather she had motion activate CCTV so the local plod could hunt down the criminals and chop their balls off...

my parents keep having things taken from the garden, (only the local kids)

so i've put up 2 of these, they have a blue light on them so are visible.

argoose

You've got two options

1) put up an alarm that looks flash but does nothing but will act as a deterrent.

2) do it properly

Wireless alarms are often quite rubbish. The cheap B+Q warehouse ones (like "Response" can easily be hacked and disabled remotely. Its a pain but if you're going to do it properly etc etc...

I hate PIRs because they cause a lot of false alarms... Pressure mats, reed relays, glass shatter strips etc meanwhile are much better. Trouble is, the cost soon adds up installing a proper system.... and really it should be wired which means either lots of making good afterwards or having wires all over the place.....

I'd spend the money making the place more secure in the first place (replacing old window frames, window locks, patio door locks / anti-jack plates etc, padlock on the side gate, secure the shed etc etc), maybe an external PIR floodlight (as long as its not right under the bedroom window as they tend to be activated a lot and keep people awake otherwise) and perhaps even an external bellbox with a flashing light

Avoid the current Yale DIY systems --- can't even be heard inside the house and give a lot of false alarms.
PIR detectors are OK if decent quality, sited correctly and set to a a high discrimination or pulse count setting.

However the best way is to fit magnetic reed contact switches to external doors and windows.

We have two alarms system ---
The first is armed 24/7, it is just seperate key switch operated shed alarms wired through magnetic contact switches on every downstairs or vulnerable upstairs window.


The second system is an old Yale part wired, part wireless system with PIRs (wired and wireless) and external door contact switches.
This system acts as a warning chime on front and back doors when not armed.

On some of the windows and door glass we also have mercury tilt switch shock sensors -- but due to ec regulations you can no longer buy these.
This bigger alarm system only really gets much use when we are or on holiday.

It goes without saying you have to check the batteries yearly.
With wired systems you must make sure the quality of your connections is 100%..

Alarm boxes 2 real and 1 decoy are sited on most visible outside walls.

We also have cameras front and rear a mixture of real and decoy.

Each approach to the house has PIR floodlighting (150watt) that can be set to operate a loud chime
[Edited on 13/8/07 by britishtrident]

[Edited on 13/8/07 by britishtrident]

get a cheap bell box from ebay and i'll post you a ADT logo...

I've got a wireless Response alarm after been burgled & PIR's side and rear of house and garage.

A week later my new 'friend' returned, got scared off the house and did my shed.

I now have a 6' fence at the bottom of the garden & haven't been visited since.

wireless isn't as good as wired, but its better than nothing. I did have a couple of false alarms - these turned out to be my fault (the contact for the alarm box being tampered with wasn't set properly).

My brother in law is a commercial alarm installation engineer.

He installed our PIR system, he didn't charge us a penny labour and the parts alone came to over £300 at trade costs. and our house is only a 3 bed semi.

The system is rated good enough for jewlery stores and similar.

PIR can cause false alarms, however high quality detectors are far better, and in any areas where there are breezes etc - e.g. garage, then install duel PIR/Microwave detectors.

What I'm getting at is - you will be looking at a £ grand + to get a big house properly sorted. So think it through.

Would a deteterent be a better option?

The whole picture is you have to persuade "chummy" (official Dixon of Dock Green speak) to rob the house 3 doors down not grannies.
That means making the chav think security is being taken seriously.

Granies and hi-tech gadgets don't mix so keep it simple --- external pir lighting, dummy or real bell boxes --- anything visible.

quote:

---

Originally posted by britishtrident
The whole picture is you have to persuade "chummy" (official Dixon of Dock Green speak) to rob the house 3 doors down not grannies.
That means making the chav think security is being taken seriously.

Granies and hi-tech gadgets don't mix so keep it simple --- external pir lighting, dummy or real bell boxes --- anything visible.

---

Chears for the input guys...

She has actually just had a quote from a local chap who wanted £700 to instal a very basic PIR based system....

But as you say, grannies and gadgets dont go together!!!

I think the most sensible option would be to have a couple of dummy boxes with flashing lights, and perhaps a camera or two (possibly dummy as well)...

Will see what I can fiddle together...



Slightly off toppic, but...Her front door is a UPVC thing with one of those handles that you have to lift up before locking the door.... Has lots of locking pins that pop out of the side of the door etc when you lock it...

Is it possible to retrofit a yale type lock that automatically locks the door once the door is closed to these types of door because the only other way to lock the door is to physically put a key in, which means that sometimes she falls asleep inftont of the TV with the door unlocked

I bought a cheap alarm from B&Q with radio door and window units. It also has a red button thingy that my mother (88) wears around her neck. The alarm auto dials me and my brother if it goes off. I find my response time a lot better than the police, anyway if you get 3 false alarms in 6 months even on a proper system (like I have in my office) they won't come out until there has been at least 3 months without any alarm!

The button idea is really good as it gives the person an element of control and secure feeling that they can call for help when needed, but you do have to respond to make it work!

Caber

Give these guys a tryhttp://www.adt.co.uk/discover-home-protection.html
they do a lovely wireless system for around £400. If you want to fit it yourself i personally would go for a Galaxy system as fitted by ADT, Some available on ebay.You might want to consider window vipers and door contacts on front and rear doors not internal doors. u2u if you need anymore info.
ADT rules

No really possible withat type of door.

Be aware these modern euro locks have a security flaw -- don't want to detail it in public forum but a mod is avialable for it.