charlie6

"....You clearly dont know the industry, you need to be approved to get police response..." Well that's even worse, you'll be telling me next that customers these days have to pay for a URN..we used to get them free, for nothing, zilch.. they just tapped out a number on a computer (if you were police approved, of course)..Absolutely smack on, I don't know the industry, only a little bit about troubleshooting and installing security systems. "....We did submit the application form years ago but it was rejected due to shaky balance sheet..." So they employ HMRC as well then ?... this is ridiculous. "...inspector arrived at 8am left at 7pm..." Eleven hours of Your time..aww ! get real.. can't you see that people are making big money off your back ?

"...5 magnetics and 6 PIR's...." So just how big is this new property. I accept that it is logical to keep each device on a separate zone, I accept that it is ultimately your own decision as far as opting for Galaxy is concerned (This is a professionals' panel though so keep in mind the earlier posts)but there are occasions, whether it bodes well with the experts or not, when more than one device on a zone does not mean the end of the world. Two adjacent rooms could be one zone (it's not a mansion by any chance is it?)and a further two could be another and so on. If you're bothered about troubleshooting two devices on one zone then bring them both back to the panel on separate cables and troubleshoot from there (that's the Lazy Man's way out). Put just one on latch there's no need to put two. In days gone by we had to look for faults on a loop of ten or more door contacts (there's an easy way for that too).

Nice one MrHappy.

I can't remember writing that... jog my memory.

How much are you paying these people to walk around with clipboards, they must be on a fair packet. Isn't police approval enough without shelling out to these numerous "inspectors" and adding to your paperwork, and taking up the time you could be spending at installations, between this and cctv dpa's the world is reaching the stage where even big brother is watching big brother...who happens to be getting paid to watch another big brother..

Thanks both, I'm OK for the moment, have a few rolls, but I'll buy CQR when I need cable next time. Used to buy it from Gardiner many years ago but opted for my local electrical wholesaler for the last few years out of sheer laziness. Anyone ever seen this thin streeky 12 core I mentioned, horrible stuff.Thanks once again.

Seen literally hundreds of petrol station, service station and corner shop systems where the monitors are 'ceiling bracketed' and you can even comb your hair or straighten your tie whilst watching yourself on the monitor... should imagine if the camera is on the premises and suitable signs displayed shouldn't be a problem..but I gather from a superior site expert that the camera should not point outside the store onto a public place. Must bow down to his knowledge but there would be anarchy in the U.S.A. if the powers that be attempted to prevent this.. Worth noting also that petrol stations have cctv on their forecourts

"... I go to a lot of houses that have been burgled and not many burglars open doors they normally go through them..." Exactly. Brilliant comment.

OK then, you can call me Arf Lite, or anything else for that matter. There shouldn't be anything in 'the regs' regarding eol's since resistors are still provided with panels (not all of them of course !!).

Texecom as an alternative possibly ? (open to comment).

There is no such thing as 'overkill' when it comes to the security of your loved ones. Are there any draughts or obvious fault possibilities at the garage, you mentioned a pir at that point. Maybe a dual technology would suit you better (combined pir and microwave)although, judging by your set-up you've probably got one there already. How long has the garage control panel been there, purely from a condensation or damp viewpoint. You may as well go the whole hog now and tell the site what panels you are using. Very interesting and congratulations on your forethought.. Welcome to the site by the way.

I don't think you are being paranoid at all. First and foremost the site experts would probably tell you that before any installation, they carry out a 'risk assessment' which is supposed to consider all eventualities. Having said that, no one can guarantee with 100% certainty that a 'break-in' shall not occur. If there is such a thing as a professional burglar then he will look for a 'weak link' regardless. I find in several properties that the upstairs can be protected at night precisely with the shock sensors you have mentioned, it is also possible to fit remote keypads in that area should there be a need to move around briefly, this however has obvious disadvantages and may not be a key feature in all cases. If I could take you back a few years, there was a typical installation method employed by quite a few cowboys called the 'three down-one up' where just the landing was protected by a single pir. Fortunes were made using that system since it was accepted by the home owner in their ignorance that they enjoyed total security. The selling point on this one was "...if a burglar gains entry to say the bathroom, then it is obvious that he is going to use the landing area in order to 'move around' (some logic in that I suppose). So good on you for concentrating on perimeter protection...now what about your garage.

In my humble opinion the Galaxy is a professional install panel,but subject to the advice of the site experts it could be suitable for yourself given that you have installed in the past. I notice though, from your inventory, that there is no perimeter protection (break glass, shock etc) other than door contacts. This means that there is a probability that the intruder may well be able to get inside the premises before any alarm activation occurs. I shall leave it up to the experts to decide.

Mr Happy, Arf is my nickname on this site and I've got a bus pass..never use it though..can't find any buses in my part of the world..horse and cart maybe, but very few buses.. I agree with you, at least there was a chance of finding the high value resistor. Is there anything in the regs that says we can't use a straight forward contact with our own (the panel) resistors ?

I broke my own rule a few months back and bought a roll of unbranded twelve core on ebay. Never used it, thought it might be OK as a spare and put it away. Had a glance at it recently, it's so thin, smaller than four core and stripping is a nightmare. I asked around and one chap said that the chinese had bought up all the copper, he said ".. but not to worry..there's no voltage loss.." but that's just it..I am worried !! So what's the truth of the matter, is all the branded cable as thin as that..I haven't bought any for ages..any good reccomendations welcome.

The manufacturers rely on professionals like yourself Datafussion to sell their products, without you..no sale..Isn't it time that these problems were put back in their court. I reckon a bit, or a lot, of complaining is overdue.

Why not take a look at the suppliers sites, they usually contain the info you need, Security Warehouse has excellent info and back up (not that the others haven't..don't want to get into trouble !!) You could also try a standard contact and use the resistors supplied with the panel, unless there is some sort of regulation that forbids this of course. I like the 'bit of silicon' idea.

The 'balancing resistor' should be 470 ohm (open to comment) in series with tamper return. It is common (well almost !) to separate global tamper from warning device tamper since were this not the case then a tamper fault at say a passive would give rise to a tamper fault at the sounder, again open to comment. You are correct that global should be reserved for zones (exceptions apply). Before going any further though, why not try a known good sounder at floor level as previously mentioned. I can give you the panel to sounder connections for a CP4203 but realistically you need to give me the existing connections (don't remove any wiring) at the sounder in order to 'marry them up'.

Good call Petrolhead, What concerns me though is the fact that he does not have a code and the panel doesn't appear to have defaulted to manufacturer code so I don't know what the situation would be if he attempted to open the panel himself (open to comment) nor do I know the current status of the panel.. I reckon he should call in a professional...

Hello and Welcome.

Power/battery disconnect would only determine whether the existing sounder can activate from it's own battery. You could also try 'tripping' the sounder at the panel with a negative. If it's not tripping from the panel I would hazard that a new sounder may be required (subject to inspection of the sounder obviously !!).

Which External sounder are you using, It is still possible to use four core provided you link out terminals at the sounder. Have you attempted the obvious and tried a known good sounder at floor level before condemning the existing sounder ?

Is this the Ariech CP42/03 ?

You had two lights on last night, red indicated that there was a mains supply to the panel and green indicated that the panel was clear of faults. I don't know how you silenced the sounders, but look for a tamper light glowing or a zone light glowing now (although it may not have been present last night),It would be worth your while if you called out a bona fide security company to give the system a once over and thereafter arrange some type of maintenance contract, it shall cost you a few quid but it's worth it. First and foremost have them to change the standby battery for 'brand new' regardless of it's condition. Could you let us know what the current status is and whether the sounders simply timed themselves out. Suggest a re-set.

And I am now in deep, deep trouble for giving that advice.