Hi all,
Backstory
Recently I approached my alarm guy (not sure of the exact terminology! Engineer?), he inherited the system as he didn't install it, for a service on my existing system. An appointment was booked however no show on the day nor no phone call back when leaving a message. Another reminder a few days later and a day later he arrived and carried out a service. He always knew I wanted to upgrade as my garage, as it stands, is currently unprotected.
Him and I got talking and discussed all of the potential options on the table in terms of this however since the house side trunking, that runs between the house and the garage, was nowhere to be found, the existing panel and keypad would need to be ripped out and replaced with a hybrid system and suggested a Euro 46. I would have really preferred a wired PIR, due to the untrustworthiness of wireless, for the garage but alas it wasn't to be given the environment but there's no love lost as by upgrading I'd be able to achieve smart features - I've always wanted the existing system to have communication. Win some, lose some I guess.
My questions in terms of upgrading, on the day he arrived, were mostly answered however some he had to come back to me on. I had more questions post that which have been left unanswered however I requested a quote for the kit discussed. Unfortunately items were missing from the quote that I had to chase up upon. In the end up here's what he priced me for:
Upgrade - £950
Euro 46
Keypad
Batteries
LAN Module
Wireless DT
Wireless Deltabell
Wireless Zone Expander
I found this to be a little steep and in the age of the internet where information is at our finger tips I set about trying to reduce this as much as possible/understand his position in terms of his pricing. His explanation was because margins were extremely tight in the industry.
What I found was that I can get the above kit for roughly £500 sans installation. I fully appreciate that I'm paying an installer, a professional, his knowledge/training etc to do this but I'm unable to justify £450 installation for what would be maybe half a days worth of work? I'd be willing to meet him in the middle (or slightly over) however he won't budge lower than £900 nor will he install the kit if I were to source it.
Here's the system that it's replacing/upgrading:
Existing system
Scantronic 9651 Keypad and Panel
Wired PIRs
Deltabell E (I believe - looking at the comparison charts of the WE/Plus/E/X it doesn't have an illuminated backcover nor is it wireless so by elimination it has to be the E)
FPMEQBL PIRs (I believe - they look similar)
My plan
I'm now determined to upgrade this myself because as far as I can understand he'll still service it so long as it has been installed. Funny thing is that I'd still be quids in if I procured and installed the kit but had him service it hence why I'm having difficulty in justifying him doing the install. Not to forget the kind of bad experience I've had with him of late but the benefits offered by him as part of his servicing makes me want to stay albeit not have him install. I know the engineer code for the 9651 panel.
My questions before I purchase the components above
How many users can I register on the app?
Does each user have their own login on the app?
I believe, within the HomeControl 2.0 app, you can see the status of each detector, does this work with existing, hardwired, detectors such as those I've outlined above?
Will I need a ladder long enough to reach the existing Deltabell, say to identify anything?
I have looked at the wiring guide from Pyronix in relation to the Deltabell E and there's a potential that there could be resistors within the unit itself. I don't have a ladder large enough to do this although buying a ladder long enough would still be cheaper than having him do the install.
When decomissioning the existing system, is there any way to prevent the existing Deltabell from sounding?
Taking a look at the installation guide for the Deltabell E I should be able to connect the cable connected to ENG HOLD to 0V (I assume this means grounding it) however when looking at the Deltabell E wiring guide for the Scantronic 9651 the ENG HOLD terminal isn't connected. I suppose this is sort of ways related to the previous question - can I identify if this ENG HOLD terminal is connected without opening the existing Deltabell?
Is there any other advice that I should be aware of/take heed of before taking the plunge?
Thank you in advance and I look forward to reading your responses.
