thorfun

You're not the first to say that about the risco kit. It wasn't offered by any of the companies and I would've disregarded them if they had!

Just for completeness, had the Texecom premier installed today. All seemed to go well. Can't comment on the reliability of it all yet. Door sensors are huge but the PIRs aren't intrusive. Panel looks nice and neat on the wall with the main unit hidden away. All in all a good job done. Thanks again to all who contributed to this discussion.

I've already read your blogs which is why I want a 2-way system! I found them very informative. So thank you!

You make a valid point here. But the developer in this case (well, the sales assistant speaking on behalf of the company that is!) told us that they used to cable for wired alarms but most people didn't utilise the wiring. So, it's obvious that they can cut costs and get a bigger profit margin if they don't bother with the wiring. It's annoying for those of us who would've used the wiring but I understand the economics. Hence....I'm stuck with the wireless route and less than ideal cable routing! But don't forget to always look on the bright side of life!

Sorry for the confusion. I'm not planning to have the system monitored or connected to the police so I want an external sounder.

Interesting comments about running the cables under the carpet. I just thought that would be ok. He seemed to think that the floor would be chipboard rather than floor boards which would make running them a bit harder but I'm pretty sure the other wired bell system guy said they would also run under the carpet. But maybe it is a case of taking the easy route out I guess. Still waiting for the other SSAIB guy to call me back. I'll see what he says and compare stories. He was saying that the Texecom premier elite system could be connected to the police, so would that necessitate the need to have a wired bell over a wireless?

obviously....that should've been 24-W not W-24 but i can't seem to edit my post!

had one guy out today to have a look around (not got the quote yet for cost comparison) but he offered the W-24 and said that as the external bell needs to be wired to the panel and the cable will be run under the carpet and into the loft he could put in wired detectors upstairs and that would save on cost a bit! the first person to offer that even though one of the other systems needed a wired bell as well. i thought that was a good plus point for the Texecom and this company as he actually sounded like an engineer rather than just a surveyor. i'll have to wait and see what the quote is like!

Thanks all. I've found a couple of SSAIB companies that supply Texecom. I'll give them a call tomorrow and get them to quote.

Would love to but we're basically getting a property that's pretty much finished as the previous buyers pulled out so all the fixtures/fittings/wiring/decorating etc has already been completed. So, fitting a wired system would involve lifting carpets and floor boards etc something that we are reluctant to have to go through as we're moving to a new build so we don't need to go through that upheaval!! But, I'm not averse to a wired system but all the companies quoted so far have said wireless as they're reliable these days.

That Videofied stuff looks awesome and is right up my tech street! But, yes, a little OTT for our needs.

. I'll make my way through those if the footy gets too boring! Good point! Sweet! The W-12 has an iOS app to control the system. Love that sort of cross tech implementation.

Loads of great information, thanks again! I've found a couple of local SSAIB approved companies that, by the looks of their website, use Texecom. So, brings me to another question about the differences between NSI and SSAIB and why one would choose to be with one over the other and which is a better accreditation. But maybe that's a discussion for another thread.

Thanks. I will check out the SSAIB site as well. I think the developers we're buying from use a company that install Texecom as I recall seeing a panel that looks like the W-12 with Texecom on it in the show home. Might ask them who they use and take a closer look at the show home panel.

Thanks. Great info and advice and I'll look into those products too. I get the feeling I will be getting more quotes!

after a quick google on the Texecom 12-W i see that it IS the Ricochet range so it IS the "mesh" technology! still....i will ask around and do some more research on it as the tech sounds cool and I like cool tech. thanks again Mr. Beast.

you might have thought that but the quote for the ion-16 came in substantially higher than a quote for the Enforcer! which, with the ion only being 1-way, has meant that i've pretty much already discounted that company. it's a four bedroom house. not massive (about 1800sqft) so probably not big enough for this "mesh" technology. I'll research the Texecom 12-W and see if someone would be willing to fit it or find a local company that work with Texecom as a preferred manufacturer. thanks for the tip. yes. one of the companies brought the Enforcer panel and PIRs around and they didn't seem excessively large at all. bigger than the wired PIRs in our current house but i guess that's to be expected. He didn't have any door contacts with him though. maybe if i decide to go with the Enforcer then I should ask to see the door contacts first to make sure they're not going to be too intrusive. thanks for your long and detailed response. I understand the benefits of 2-way RF which is why i was leaning that way and it's nice to get another recommendation for a wireless 2-way system. oh, btw, i notice on the Visonic website that their PowerMaster systems using their PowerG technology appear to be 2-way RF systems. as one of the companies are offering Visonic kit i wonder if i could ask them about that system instead of the PowerMax. any comments on the PowerMaster (using PowerG technology!) systems?

Thanks Adi. is that due to the 2-way RF in particular or do you feel it's just a better system in general? who makes the Galaxy? as i guess i could go back to the company i like the most and ask if they'd install and support it! i did get various "feelings" about the guys who came around and that will influence my decision as will the cost but, i'm just looking at a technology perspective at the moment. one company said that if i needed something re-programmed then they would come out without charge etc. and I will factor all that in in the end. i'm putting cost near the bottom of the importance for the moment though as i don't mind paying more for better technology. if that makes sense! thanks for the responses so far guys. really appreciate the assistance.

Hi all, i've been researching Wireless alarms and came across this forum and I have done quite a lot of reading on here and this seems to be the place to go for good advice! i know there are other "which wireless alarm" threads and I hope that you guys aren't completely sick of these just yet and are good to give a bit more advice. I have got 4 quotes from NSI approved companies and, if we ignore costs for the moment, I wanted some advice on which hardware would be the best to go for out of the following: Visonic PowerMax Scantronic ion-16 Pyronix Enforcer I'm sure each has it's good and bad points and it's really hard to know which is the best system as I have no experience in alarms! it's for a residential new build and I'll be looking to have 4 x door contacts and 5 x PIRs in the house with the option to zone the system so that i can arm the door contacts and leave the PIRs disarmed at night to allow free movement for the family at night time to keep the perimeter secure and then do a full arm of the entire system when the house is empty. we don't currently have any pets but the chances are we will be getting a cat and a dog at some point in the near future. from the reading I've done I am leaning towards a 2-way RF system in which case that would be the Enforcer. But, is it as simple as that? is it a case of don't bother with 1-way RF alarms? in which case this is a simple choice! if not, what do the other 2 offer to make them better than the 2-way Enforcer system? reliability? i'm not so fussed about the aesthetics of the panel as it will be hidden away under the stairs but I've read that the PIRs and Door contacts on the Pyronix are larger than the other makes. is the size difference substantial to make them an eye sore or are we talking about small margins here? I hope you can shed some sage advice and many thanks in advance.