Browse Forums Safer Living 1 Aug 20, 2011 6:26 pm Hi all, I recently put an offer on a property which needsquite a bit of work that ill tackle myself but first thing i would like to do is add an alarm. I'm perfectly competent to install an alarm. I would say three PIR's and a couple of read switches would be enough to cover the house and i dont want monitoring. I am not to bothered what brand the equipment is but it must be pretty stable and reliable and well priced. I thought perhaps a Hill/DAS nx8 would be ideal and seen the following: 1 x NX8 Control Panel 1 x Vertex 8 Zone LED Keypad 2 x RK410D Zodiac Digital PIR Motion Sensors 1 x Small Siren Kit - Including Box, Strobe, Siren 1 x Internal Piezo Siren 1 x AC Plug Pack 1 x 12V 4Amp Back Up Battery 1 x Phone Line Cable with Plug. 1 x User Manual 1 x Installation Manual For $330AUS and im told the system can ring a mobile number if activated. Its also powered by plug pack which makes locating allot easier without having to pay for another 240v outlet... I havnt been looking long and it seems hard to locate these parts as a public member and not a company. Does anyone have any recommendations as to a better system or set up for the price and where to obtain the hardware? I am located in SA but dont mind reasonable postage costs. Many thanks Jonesy Re: Which alarm for DIY small home? 3Aug 21, 2011 7:41 pm Yes, that's where I seen this equipment. I was hoping to get some feedback from the guys in the know on weather this equipment was good bang for buck. I have been told there is good and bad panels, pir's etc etc Re: Which alarm for DIY small home? 4Aug 22, 2011 1:12 pm Panel is fine, but the pir's arent the best, the Zodiac's come free with the panel. If you still a couple of rx's in instead of the zodiacs it will save you alot of money later on. Also be cautious when buying from ebay to see whether you get a warranty with the panels, just in case something goes wrong. Re: Which alarm for DIY small home? 5Aug 22, 2011 7:03 pm [quote="TUBBYM"]Panel is fine, but the pir's arent the best, the Zodiac's come free with the panel.[/quote] hi, when you say not that good. Do they give off false signals or not last very long? Can anyone recommend a better site to purchase this gear, eBay doesn't seem to have any hills stuff and limited selection. Cheers Re: Which alarm for DIY small home? 6Aug 22, 2011 9:31 pm Hello, Id go with either NESS eco8x panel kit, or bosch 844 panel kit.. have much better sensors and come with all the accessories you mentioned.. i would stay clear of reed switches.. over time they tend to be the main culprits of false alarms.. due to dirt etc/ misalignment of windows over time etc.. between the contacts. if you need a hand programming, ill be more than happy to give you some advice.. just pm me. hope this helped chris Electrical - Automation - Smart wiring - New homes - Commercial - Data cabling] 1300 050 315 www.cenemelectrical.com.au www.facebook.com/cenemelectrical Re: Which alarm for DIY small home? 7Aug 23, 2011 12:00 pm Jonesy_sa TUBBYM Panel is fine, but the pir's arent the best, the Zodiac's come free with the panel. hi, when you say not that good. Do they give off false signals or not last very long? Can anyone recommend a better site to purchase this gear, eBay doesn't seem to have any hills stuff and limited selection. Cheers They false alarm alot, If you like PM me everything you would like and I will get a price from DAS for the NX package with the better pir's. Re: Which alarm for DIY small home? 8Aug 25, 2011 8:39 pm I think I'll grab some quotes from online stores for the Bosch, Ness and Hills gear and compare the outcomes. Is there anything I should know when looking for pir's for the bosch and ness stuff? Cheers Re: Which alarm for DIY small home? 9Aug 28, 2011 2:13 pm Here is a floor plan if anyone wants to make suggestions. There is already an alarm on the building that works and is in use but its pretty old so ill update. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The ceilings are real high and brick construction. Thoughts on locations of PIR's etc.. I can provide clearer dimensions if required. Cheers Re: Which alarm for DIY small home? 10Sep 05, 2011 9:46 pm Hi all, I didn't realise buying a house would be so time consuming!!! Anyhow, i have had some time to look at things and was wondering if i could get everyone's thoughts. In regards to the floor plan how would you secure the property, where would you put sensors etc?? Also could i obtain everyones thoughts in the following alarm kits: Bosh 844 and 880 - Can anyone tell me what the big difference is between these two. It seems that the 880 is more easily obtainable and only a fraction dearer. What's the benefits of each? I had a look at kits and for 300-345 you can get a 844/880 with blue line sensors of the better (?) quad sensors. The following link has a Bosch 880 with 3 x Quad Pirs for $349. Comes with all the usual Bosch warranties etc. I did a bit of googling and it seems their standard classic or blueline sensors are really good and the quads are even better so all up for under $400 posted to SA that seems respectable. http://cheapalarmparts.com.au/prod21.htm Ness Eco8x: It seems the Ness stuff is less popular than other brands and the only place i could find to purchase it was on Ebay. I wont provide a link, just ebay Ness D8x and Ness Eco8x... Most of which was sold through this ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com.au/MAXTECHSTORE I really liked this system. The touch screens and keypads looked nice and it seemed to have a fair amount of options. The downside was that there seems to be little info and no one selling to the general public. The ECO8x is $458 with free shipping and 3 pirs but no idea if they are good or bad quality. There is the D8X for $300 but you need to purchase sensors ebay prices start at $50 so minimum would be $450 again... Thoughts? Hills (see my earlier post) - As i have been so busy i havn't had a chance to get quotes on the better sensors for this panel, its also hard in that i dont know what sensors i should use and placement as i havnt really studied the the floor plan. As a base system it does seem to be a nice unit with good features and user feedback. Price wise its only $310 with standard sensors (which are problematic) Does anyone know an online seller that sells Hills products who may be able to quote? What is everyone's thoughts. At this stage im kind of leaning towards the Bosch 880 with 3 Quad pirs. I know local installers are installing the same unit with blueline pirs for $800 - $1000 so essentially if i do the work myself i should be in for 50% saving. Cheers a building inspector should be able to tell you about any major problems but we need a floor plan with dimensions to clarify options for extra bedrooms ... sometime an… 1 8818 Assuming the structure of your cabinetry is good then I would DIY everything as follows: - replace your counter tops entirely, - replace all drawer runners with soft close… 1 4837 |