What should I look for in a new alarm for my home?

Hi Brendan

There are some companies that will take over the Simon panels & monitor them for you. But they would probably need to change out the GSM thats programmed into PW. There are also some companies that would reconfigure this system to call you directly.
The other side of it is this is a very old system & lots of it would be end of life equipment anyway.
If you are looking at changing you would open up the options of self monitoring & apps.
Some systems like HKC charge a monthly or annual charge to us their apps. Others, like GSD ,Vanderbilt & Risco are free to use once set up.
Shopping around if going down this road would be your best option. Get some surveys and around 3 quotes from local companies. They will tend to be more competitive & give much better service also.
Beware of the cheep offers that appear too good to be true they are.! Its like getting a free phone ,it has to be paid for along the way with you tied into contracts or systems locked down.
 
KoolKid said:
Some systems like HKC charge a monthly or annual charge to us their apps. Others, like GSD ,Vanderbilt & Risco are free to use once set up.
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What do you think are the best systems on the market here for self-monitoring if you don't want HKC's ongoing charge?
 
Renewing my house insurance and will get 10% off i fit a burgalar alarm. this is 45 euros or 450 euros over 10 years .I am senior citizen and not to tech minded. This should help offset the cost of installation.I am not interested in cameras as i think all the are good for i watching your house on camera being burgalised afterwards and they are a waste of money.Keep it as simple as possible [K.I.S.S.]with a good loud alarm plus a once off installation cost and no ongoing costs for batteries,maintainance in my humble opinion. What did you finally opt for Brendan?
 
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You should check the T&Cs re the 10% discount. It might state that it must be serviced yearly by a particular company (from a set list) and that if you are burgled while the alarm is off you may not be covered. I always forgo the 10% discount.
 
When I had my alarm system replaced a few years ago, the installer told me that some insurance companies required a monitored alarm system (not self-monitored via an app) to give a discount. I haven't availed of the discount, as I didn't renew the monitoring after year 1.
 
DK123 said:
Renewing my house insurance and will get 10% off i fit a burgalar alarm.
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As above, beware the T&Cs, not alone must the alarm be installed to the relevent standard, it must be serviced annually by a PSA registered supplier, and claims can be denied if the system wasn't armed.

DK123 said:
I am not interested in cameras as i think all the are good for i watching your house on camera being burgalised afterwards and they are a waste of money.
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Talk to your local community Garda, they often state that cameras are a more effective deterent than just an alarm.
 
I know a few house owners who have fitted dummy alarm boxes. Have no idea if they deter burglars or not, but their properties have never been broken into.
 
I got a HKC Quantum wireless alarm, i got the add on monitoring which sends messages and app etc, last year, it was €67 a year, for the gsm sim monitoring service.
 
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