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Thread: Alarm Recommendation

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    Default Alarm Recommendation

    Hi All,

    I am looking at installing a security alarm at my 2 storey brick veneer house (roof has concrete tiles). The house has a lounge, garage and a combined kitchen & dining on the ground floor and 3 bedrooms on the first floor.

    I am looking for an easy to use system with probably 4 detectors. i have ADSL on the phone line so a central splitter will be required for back-to-base monitoring. I don't need pet immune detectors.

    I have quotes from two security firms for the Bosch 880 Ultima and Avolution S series. I am waiting on further quotes on the Paradox this week. The Avolution comes with 10 years parts & 2 year labour warranty.

    Which of the above do you recommend I get? I just need a trouble free system. I don't need fancy features.

    Many Thanks.

    Regards,

    VJ



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    From the posts on here, I am leaning more towards the Bosch 16 Plus (I am yet to get a quote for this). I am yet to get a quote for Paradox, so at this stage I am guessing the 5050.

    I am in Mount Kuring-Gai, NSW.

    If suppliers/installers on these forums service this area and would like to give me a quote, please feel free to let me know.
    Last edited by vijvis; 28-05-12 at 11:15 PM.

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    Cool

    Never heard of an Avolution , where is it from. There have been people who've imported some weird & wonderful panels in the past that have ended up being nothing but a scar on the backside of the industry. I'd go for the Bosch.

    ps - I had my tile roof resprayed about 10 yrs ago & it came with a 25 yr warranty. 2 yrs later when it all started peeling off the company was nowhere to be seen.

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    Avolution Series S panel are sold by SMA. They have a few unique CID codes. We have about 4 connected back to us so far.

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    The company that provided me the quote for the Avolution S series has been in business since 1979. They also have an A1 grade control room. They are also an ASIAL Gold Member since the last 16 years.

    So I don't think they will be quoting on an bad product to tarnish their reputation. Also I can believe (to a level) they will be around to honor the warranty.

    I have asked them to quote on the Bosch 16+ too.

    I was told that the Avolution systems are made in New Zealand.

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    Avolution is apparently a re badged crow runner ,I installed 1 avolution s with LCD keypad ,it was not to bad and had a easy/sensible laptop programming interface.

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    @pjjp123 - have you had any issues reported from your end users with the Avolution system after install?

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    no it was installed about 8 weeks ago and we havent heard from them about the alarm at all,we need to go back soon and complete a gate and intercom system.The thing I liked was that all Areas,Users,keypads and inputs could have names programed so it was user friendly for the owners.

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    vijvis (29-05-12)

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    Quote Originally Posted by vijvis View Post
    . They also have an A1 grade control room. They are also an ASIAL Gold Member since the last 16 years.
    Hate to break it to you but that doesn't mean what it once did. It's buy no means a guarantee that you'll be provided with top notch product or outstanding customer service.

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    Yes the Avolution is a re badged Crow Runner, I've installed loads of Runners and I find them a nice easy to install and program system for domestic and light commercial premises. They are very reliable and don't cause us too many problems. In saying that, hopefully the Avolution is just the same.

    The solution is a good panel as well, haven't installed many but worked on a lot.

    Which ever way you go make sure you get an LCD keypad, LED keypads have gone the way of the dodo.

    Good luck

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    Quote Originally Posted by pjjp123 View Post
    no it was installed about 8 weeks ago and we havent heard from them about the alarm at all,we need to go back soon and complete a gate and intercom system.The thing I liked was that all Areas,Users,keypads and inputs could have names programed so it was user friendly for the owners.
    Cool. Thanks very much. Looks to be a good product then. I am waiting on two other firms who are coming onsite on Thursday to provide quotes. I will then make a decision on which product to get by this weekend.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drift View Post
    Hate to break it to you but that doesn't mean what it once did. It's buy no means a guarantee that you'll be provided with top notch product or outstanding customer service.
    Understood. Things these days are never what they were many years go. Good customer service is hard to find. Products don't last like they did before.

    I am not looking for a top end product with all the fancy bells and whistles. I need a product that will work without issues when it needs to. If a company is still alive (since 1979) they must be doing something right.

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    Quote Originally Posted by AdRock View Post
    Yes the Avolution is a re badged Crow Runner, I've installed loads of Runners and I find them a nice easy to install and program system for domestic and light commercial premises. They are very reliable and don't cause us too many problems. In saying that, hopefully the Avolution is just the same.

    The solution is a good panel as well, haven't installed many but worked on a lot.

    Which ever way you go make sure you get an LCD keypad, LED keypads have gone the way of the dodo.

    Good luck
    Thanks very much. Once I get quotes for the Bosch 16 Plus, I will weigh it against the Avolution and decide.

    The quote on the Avolution was for an LED keypad. I will ask for an LCD keypad if we decide to go ahead with this firm.

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    Just an FYI the avolution has a 5 year warranty. When i was in at sma the guy said the were "Bulletproof"

    I know everyone says that stuff but when we got on the topic of cameras he told me the ones that he doesnt have faith in, and the ones he does. Which was quite refreshing.

    Honesty is the key after all.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MrSwish View Post
    Just an FYI the avolution has a 5 year warranty. When i was in at sma the guy said the were "Bulletproof"

    I know everyone says that stuff but when we got on the topic of cameras he told me the ones that he doesnt have faith in, and the ones he does. Which was quite refreshing.

    Honesty is the key after all.
    I have a block of ice. Would you like to buy it? It's bullet proof, you can chip bits off and eat it, you can melt it and drink it. But most of all, no matter what, it's bullet proof. Won't need an alarm with a bullet proof ice block.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MrSwish View Post
    Just an FYI the avolution has a 5 year warranty. When i was in at sma the guy said the were "Bulletproof"
    The firm I got the quote from is giving a 10 year warranty on parts plus 2 years on labor. The parts warranty goes up to "lifetime to the original purchaser" if connected to their B-2-B monitoring service.

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    Quote Originally Posted by vijvis View Post
    The firm I got the quote from is giving a 10 year warranty on parts plus 2 years on labor. The parts warranty goes up to "lifetime to the original purchaser" if connected to their B-2-B monitoring service.
    got to be suspect when the installer gives a longer warranty than the manufacturer.

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    Quote Originally Posted by watchdog View Post
    got to be suspect when the installer gives a longer warranty than the manufacturer.
    I agree. But for a company that has been in the business for 33 years, probably give them the benefit of the doubt?

    I can send you the details of the firm by PM if you would like to take a look.

    I also have everything in writing on the firm's official letter-head which also has their ASIAL membership details. I won't be uploading the documents here though. I checked ASIAL website and the firm's details are correct.

    Edit: Also this firm was recommended to me by two people from the Whirlpool forums. They were happy with the price, the product supplied and quality of work.

    It's not the "only" quote. I am getting two more on Thursday. I did get a quote from NRMA for the Bosch 880 Ultima system. But I am dropping it due to the system being old and since Bosch 16+ being heaps better.

    So far in all my dealings (since 2006) with different firms and trades-people, I have not been taken for a ride. Hopefully this time it's the same too.
    Last edited by vijvis; 29-05-12 at 10:20 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by vijvis View Post
    The company that provided me the quote for the Avolution S series has been in business since 1979. They also have an A1 grade control room. They are also an ASIAL Gold Member since the last 16 years.
    I am only speaking in general terms as I have no idea which company you are referring to.

    Rant
    The absolute majority of security companies do not have their own monitoring centre and contract their monitoring to a third-party monitoring centre. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, of course.

    What I dislike immensely however are companies who deliberately blur the line and attempt to convince the customer that it is their own facility, and their company is far larger with greater capability than is actually the truth.

    They will often use deliberately vague weasel words like "our monitoring station" or "linked to our central monitoring station" etc.

    Just about any company can become a member of ASIAL, so that alone is no real achievement and my suspicion here arises from the boasting about it. Any graded monitoring station (which *is* an achievement) would usually not feel the need to bang on about mere membership of ASIAL.

    In fairness, there is a difference between 'talking yourself up' and flat-out bullshit. Most companies probably won't immediately advertise details of their monitoring provider, who they may actually also see as a competitor (it's complicated). However if you ask them flat-out, you should always expect an honest answer.

    There is a published list of graded (certified) monitoring centers on ASIAL's website. Certified monitoring stations are the only ones you should use. Whilst it's not a problem if there is a middleman such as an installer, if the company with whom you are dealing will not unequivocally specify which monitoring centre they use (theirs or via contract) you should run. I am a big believer in transparency and ethics which regrettably are very absent in large sections of the security industry. People should declare their associations and hopefully be proud of them.

    Often the little guy will change provider or sell their monitored lines, and you could go from an A1 graded station to an ungraded 'back to bodgey' room and quality could suffer without you even knowing about it. This is often enabled by monitoring centres who answer the telephone "security" or "control room" rather than their actual trading name. Remember, if you have a good alarm system with minimal false alarms, you won't have many dealings with the monitoring company until the day it really matters. You don't want to find out then that quality has deteriorated.

    Don't even get me started on companies which take a stock photo of a control room or patrol car and photoshop their own logo over it. Ditto companies which specifically refer to their own A1 control room despite ASIAL's list having never mentioned them. Crooks and liars do not belong in the security industry.

    Side note: Expanding on what Drift said, the fact a monitoring centre is graded is not necessarily proof they are good. Some , big and small are shocking. However like an unlicenced driver, the absence of certification tells you all you need to know.

    Lastly, in terms of alarm panel choice, the Ultima 880 is a relic which has long passed its use-by date, like a number of panels still being sold. I have long enjoyed the Bosch Solution 16+ and 64. However they are getting a bit long in the tooth. This week I'll be playing with the Paradox and I'm quite looking forward to the adventure.
    Last edited by downunderdan; 29-05-12 at 11:47 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by downunderdan View Post

    There is a published list of graded (certified) monitoring centers on ASIAL's website. Certified monitoring stations are the only ones you should use.
    Thanks very much. It looks like that portion of ASIAL's website is down. I get a "page cannot be displayed".

    I will double check and make a honest decision.

    Edit: Got the PDF list from the ASIAL site. Can't find them listed by their usual name. I will ask them tomorrow.
    Last edited by vijvis; 30-05-12 at 12:07 AM. Reason: More Information

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