Key Post: Warning:Thinking of installing Eircom Phonewatch?

Re: Eircom Phonewatch

I've been informed that Eircom offer an SMS-based service that gets around the risk of the landline being physically cut - see [broken link removed]for more details - It's pretty pricey though, €1,000 a year approx.
 
Cell phone based autodialing

It occurs to me that it shouldn't be too difficult to buy a mobile phone, on a "pay as you go" tariff. This could be plugged into a charger connected to an UPS. The trick would be interfacing this with the alarm system. I know Nokia DO build units that have a SIM card and can be interfaced with a PABX system.

I'm sure a clever tech/engineer would be able to do this inexpensively.

Having waited for nearly a year for Eircom to refit a fallen line into my house (and been given off too for not being in on the random day they deigned to show up) I would NEVER recommend them or anything to do with them. As soon as I have a choice for line provider I will ditch Eircom in favour of a customer focused company - not a marketing department and an asset stripping department.

In fairness when the engineers called to fit the line they did a really neat, professional job - just why did it take so long?
 
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just why did it take so long?

Well I'm sure you already know the answer to this. It took a long time because they were the only company that could do it. Who else would you go to?
 
eircom PhoneWatch monitoring

Just to let people know a very important difference between wireless and wired alarm systems. Suppose your alarm activates and it is wired it will ring monitoing for the Gardai. If you have no keyholder available and the Gardai have been and gone it will not ring into monitoring again untill it is unset and rearmed...
While wirefree technology will ring it on each activation and point out to the monitoring operator where it has activated. This will stop an intruder entering a home after watching the Gardai come and go...
 
phonewatch wirefree

I heard this before I have had a PhoneWatch alarm for over five years without any problems I find their service people very good and polite.
 
No thanks

Lucky you!

An update:
I had another battery replaced in the system late last November. By January, it had gone again.

Not wanting to have my house unalarmed (again!) for 4 months until I was due another callout, I gathered together all my documentation, worked out how many callouts I've had in 5 years and how many batteries I've had replaced (14).
All I got was the same old answer "If you need more callouts, pay for them"
Needless to say, I haven't renewed my maintenance contract

I paid for my alarm, paid for maintenance for 5 years, paid for monitoring for 5 years. Paid for all those batteries to be replaced (EUR12 for a battery I can buy in the supermarket fro a quarter of the price!), and all for an alarm system that only worked for about half the time I had it.

I feel ripped off and ignored :(
 
Re: eircom PhoneWatch monitoring

I had another battery replaced in the system late last November. By January, it had gone again.

There must be some problem if the battery is draining this quickly.
 
batteries ?

I have been enjoying a phonewatch system for over five years. I have only changed batteries once. When I did I only paid €6.00 per battery the same ones can be bought for €12.00 in Peats ( check it out ) . I think you may be receiving some different sort of super batteries at that price. I think you should maybe contact their helpline they may be able to sort you out. I think you may be working for some other alarm company cos thats how much they charge for their batteries.
 
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Confussed,

I'm thrilled skinny for you that you've been happily enjoying your alarm for five years with only one battery change. My parents have had the same experience as you - six years with one battery change and I'm thrilled skinny for them too. My sister has gone four years with no batteries needing to be changed, and I'm over the moon for her

The point is, as Clubman pointed out, that there is quite obviously something wrong with my system for the batteries to be failing at such a rate. My beef with eircom is that they won't admit this, or sort it out for me.

If you had read all my posts, you would realise that I have contacted eircom on several occasions about this, and their reply every time, is that they see nothing unusual about this level of failure.

I don't know what makes you think I work for an alarm company, that part of your post was a little confussing (sic), but I assure you I don't. I'm a graphic designer. If I worked for an alarm company I wouldn't be having these problems. Maybe I'll upload a copy of my last service documentation to a website and you'll see that I'm telling the truth about the cost of the batteries.
 
Auto - Dailer

Hi Penny,

Sorry for not replying sooner / Been on honeymoon.

If your still interested John Reid 086-2607149 installed the auto dailler for me (operates under the name "Retec"). Cost me EUR 150 which included installation. He knows his stuff inside out, is a total gent and only uses quality Aritech kit. You won't find a better guy in Dublin.
 
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John Reid, was that last reply you? :D

btw, just to update this thread, I finally got eircom phonewatch to admit that the system they installed for me was no good and they offered me a refund. However, they messed me around for a few months after admitting it, and by the time I (or rather my other half) got through to the person dealing with the problem, I had thrown out all the evidence (six bin-bags of old wiring take up a lot of patio!) and because of this they would only refund my last years monitoring charge. I went mad on Amazon with the refund, but I still feel they owed me a lot more.

While all this was happening, John Reid installed a new system, with an autodialler and it has given me no problems at all - it works like a dream. He is indeed a gent, and we cannot remember the last time we had this level of value for money. Thank you Intruder for the recommendation, and thank you John Reid for great service and lots of alarm wisdom!
 
Alarm System

We just had John Reid of Retec (PH 086 2607149 )install our house alarm today and he was indeed very good. As another person has said on this site he was a total gentleman and by far the best value for money I could find. Not only that but he has to come back to hook up our monitoring as Eircom Telecoms have not completed the work in our area and he is doing that for free! Eircoms charges were over 900 euro for install and return visits to complete the lines and monitoring would be 80 euro.
All because the same company had not fitted the phone lines even though a request had been put in 2 Months previous! We saved well over 300 euro going with Retec.
 
Alternative to Eirlink

One possible alternative to the expensive Eirlink system would be to build your own system.

Simply combine a standard Autodialer Alarm system - for example, the following wireless one in B&Q Liffey Valley for €350:

[broken link removed]

You could probably find cheaper and better system if you were willing to do the research. An Autodialler has a standard telephone plug for connection to a land-line telephone socket. But of course, a thief could simply clip the telephone wire if it's easily accessible - in my house, it's beside the front door and trivial to snip.

In any event, you might not want to pay €25/Month to Eircom anyway for a land line, if you use a mobile for all calls.

So, one solution is to use the Nokia Premicell, which can be obtained second-hand from ebay.co.uk for about €50:



Pop a Pay-as-you-go SIM card into it, plug it into your autodialer, and the autodialler will now make outgoing calls via the mobile network.

Advantages: Total cost less than €400. No monthly fee to Eircom. A thief snipping the telephone line won't stop it from working.

Disadvantages: Need to install it yourself, and you've got to top up (or swap) the SIM card every 6 months.

It wouldn't suit everyone, but if you enjoy DIY, it works as good as the Eirlink system for a fraction of the price.

-- James
 
Re: >>Warning:Thinking of installing Eircom Phonewatch

Liz
Unregistered User
Eircom phonewatch-pros and cons

Hi,

I am thinking about installing the above in my new house. It is a brand new house and the phone box is outside the house. Does it mean that if an intruder cuts the phone line, phonewatch would be useless?

What are the pros and cons? Are other monitoring services better? Can I get other companies to do the monitoring on an alarm system that is installed by Ericom Phone watch?


effortless
Unregistered User
alarms

Well liz if so one wants to get in they will simple as that.the problem with all domestic alarms is the response time of either Gardai or security companies to the activation.i would personally say that they are all about similar at the moment .

all of the companies work on the basis of auto diallers if the montoiring signal is broken the activation occurs

ps. if the phone wire is cut the alarm will activate

rainyday
Registered User
Re: alarms


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if the phone wire is cut the alarm will activate
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But of course, it can only activate locally if the line has been cut. It can't 'phone home' to the monitoring station.

Maceface
Registered User
Re: alarms
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Another option is an auto-dialler.
They cost about 200 quid and if the alarm activates, they send out a text to loads of phones telling the time and location of the trigger.
No monthly running costs.

Liz
Unregistered User
Eircom phonewatch-pros and cons
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Do you know of any suppliers for the auto dialer type alarms? Also, do you know of any ways to combat the problem of the phone line being cut off?

Maceface
Registered User
Re: Eircom phonewatch-pros and cons
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I am not getting an autodialler installed until the end of the month, so maybe then I can explain the situation I have.
I don't know if you can hook it up to a mobile, or whether it has to be a landline.

As for suppliers, most of them have them.
I recently got a quote from BestAlarms saying it was 200 extra on top of a standard alarm.

ADT to monitoring with Radio Frequency, so cutting phone lines doesn't really matter.

Penny Foolish
Unregistered User
eircom phonewatch problems

Liz,

My advice is not to touch eircom at all. When I had endless problems with the alarm they installed, they ignored my complaints for years, and I ended up ripping out their alarm and having a new one installed. They also use their own components, so you can't get anyone else to monitor it.

machalla
Registered User

By the way you may also have problems getting connected to Broadband with an Eircom alarm. It will certainly cost you more to do so.

Makes sense doesn't it?

Not mentioned I realise but it is a con for Eircom Phonewatch.
 
EIRCOM P/Watch

its possible to programme tel numbers / mobile numbers into the phonewatch system without reference to any additional tech / cost. Also at present Eircom p/watch have a deal for free maint / monmitoring for lapsed customers - 2 months free. Get them to look at your system again.
 
!

Get them to look at your system again.

Ermmm. That might be a bit difficult, My old system is probably in a land fill somewhere by now :D
 
Thinking of installing Eircom Phonewatch

We are also thinking of installing Phonewatch as they have an offer on at the moment for 4 months monitoring free. Whats to stop you not paying the monitoring after the 4 months and just keeping the alarm as is???? Do they make you sign a contract for 12 months or anything???
 
Re: Alarms / Cut Line / ADT

One thing to keep in mind when getting discount on house insurance (for having an alarm) is that the insurance provider might only pay if the alarm was activated when burglary occured. Imagine popping out to your neighbour, knowing you'll only be a few minutes and therefore you don't switch on the alarm. Or sitting in your garden and someone steals your TV. Sounds crazy but these things have happened.
I'd rather not avail of 10% discount.
 
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