Thread: Does this quote look OK?

Well they have sold you a 48 zone system of which 11 zones will be equiped. While I haven't played with a Vista 48, a quick google shows nothing out of the ordinary.
$30/month monitoring is about average but it would be interesting to find out if they will do this price only if you get the alarm off them as well. A better breakdown of the price ( parts / labour ) would help but unless there are installation difficulties I think it is a bit steep. I know that I can undercut the lager companies by 20% without trying.
Get a price off one or two smaller operators (someone that is recommended) & you may be surprised.
I would go with the Bosch 16+

Isn't a UC 351G a telstra secure unit? Wouldn't it GPRS monitoring? If they're doing that @$30 month the monitoring seems extremely cheap to me and is normally $60-$70 a month.

Originally Posted by eug

Is self-monitoring a common thing?

If you don't value your property or are not worried about insurance voiding a claim, go ahead.

Originally Posted by intelliGEORGE

If you don't value your property or are not worried about insurance voiding a claim, go ahead.

Oh, I'm well aware of the disadvantages of being self-monitored. I was asking if it was common.

It's common in the residential arena due to the highly priced monitoring costs, I don't blame them for self monitoring. But as for businesses, I have come across small corner stores that won't part with $30/mnth, until they get ram raided for cigarettes and the insurance doesn't pay out.

Here is the thing....That is a good system, good detectors and a large reputable company with proven service... slightly expensive.. but if there is a failure you know you will get service and are monitored by a grade A1 control room...
IP Monitoring is a MUST (i would be asking what class that is ? 3 i would assume) ?

At the end of the day self monitoring is out of the question... and CTC should hang their heads in shame.

You are getting another quote for a SOL 16+ expect that installer to mark up his parts, its how we / companies make money, just as im sure your business does...not to forget which ever company you use has to warrant his / her products for the period.

Im pretty sure ADT contracts allow for a yearly Maintenance inspection on the system as well.. which u need for Aust Standard /insurance.

Well Keef I'll agree with you that self monitoring for a commercial installation is stupid but -

Large reputable companies have been responsible for some of the worst installations I have seen
Installation quality & monitoring quality have nothing to do with each other
The fact that it's class 3 means jack shit in the real world.
I have never seen an insurance policy that states the alarm must comply with Aust standards. Some require a minimum number of detectors or that it be monitored but that's about it. (yes it would be good if they did)

** Pls tell why IP monitoring is a must.

Originally Posted by watchdog

Well Keef I'll agree with you that self monitoring for a commercial installation is stupid but -

Large reputable companies have been responsible for some of the worst installations I have seen
Installation quality & monitoring quality have nothing to do with each other
The fact that it's class 3 means jack shit in the real world.
I have never seen an insurance policy that states the alarm must comply with Aust standards. Some require a minimum number of detectors or that it be monitored but that's about it. (yes it would be good if they did)

** Pls tell why IP monitoring is a must.

Alot of high risk customers are insured under the basis that they have a gsm or higher monitoring solution. When securitel was around it was this that was required before they would insure you.

You also mention that they request a minimum amount of detectors etc. Have you had an undetected break say in a room that you have to pass alot of other detectors? One local company had this happen in a tilt up concrete warehouse that had approx 40 foot ceilings. All entry doors in were covered with reed on door and PIR covering the general entry areas. The building was accessed by rope through the ultra high roof and nearly $100,000 worth of stock was taken back out the same way all undetected!! The insurance company payed out to the client and sued the alarm company and won as what they sold and recommended did not provide "adequate" coverage.

Eug it is not common for people to be self monitored I think I could count on my fingers the number of installations that I have done that were self monitored compared to 1000's that are back to base monitored. All the self monitored ones sign a disclaimer stating we are not responsible for ANY phone calls made from the alarm whether it be equipment failure or false alarms. Have seen some ugly phone bills for self monitored alarms.

Rechenberg got back to us today with a quote for $3,437 plus $299 to supply/install a DirectWireless gprs module with pstn backup. GPRS polled monitoring is $59+gst a month, standard is $34.66+gst, both of which costs more than ADT.

Their proposed setup looks more thorough though. The panel is a Solution 16+, and the package includes 3x Blue Line PIRs, 6 wireless PIRs (located where the ceiling is plasterboard), two wireless reeds, 2 Takex 360 PIRs, an internal screamer, external siren/strobe, and a keypad near the entry door. The DirectWireless module will have a PSTN backup. ADT's plan only had one PIR covering the whole (small) first floor, while Rechenberg's plan had 4 PIRs there.

We've decided to go with Rechenberg as the DirectWireless module costs way less than ADT's IPConnect module. The IPConnect one has more features (web-based stuff), but the main reason for us getting ip or gprs-based reporting is to avoid having to pay for a call every time the system is armed or disarmed.

I could upload the layout diagrams somewhere if anyone's curious. Putting up an alarm layout on a forum seems a bit silly, but it feels anonymous enough (it's for a remote building I don't work in)...

Originally Posted by rotor138

Eug it is not common for people to be self monitored I think I could count on my fingers the number of installations that I have done that were self monitored compared to 1000's that are back to base monitored. All the self monitored ones sign a disclaimer stating we are not responsible for ANY phone calls made from the alarm whether it be equipment failure or false alarms. Have seen some ugly phone bills for self monitored alarms.

Sounds good.. my friend's looking at getting an alarm installed at his house and was wondering about his monitoring options. I think self-monitoring would be ok for him as he'll be having IP cameras installed too, which would allow him to visually check on any alarms.