I’ve been looking for a trustworthy burglar alarm system, but the ones I’ve looked at (Yale for example) seem to go over the internet.
I want something that :
I only need it to handle PIR, window/door sensors.
any suggestions please?
I have used an ELK M1 for over 13 years. It meets all the requirements you listed.
ELK M1, DSC PowerSeries (with envizalink) , Honeywell Vista 20p (with envizalink)
They are all pretty rock solid, though if you want PIR you probably do not want Honeywell since the “off” response time is variable and not indicative of the actual sensor status
thanks, never even heard of them before, but on initial look, it seems to fit the bill.
It also looks like I could hardwire too. being able to mix and match wireless and wired sensors would be great. I prefer wired but had kind of ruled it out looking at newer systems.
Hi, don’t know if you’d be interested in it, but take a look at Konnected too: https://konnected.io/
Just to clarify, you can use it as an alarm system (that works with HASS), OR you can use it in parallel with your dumb alarm system to allow you to access your sensors from within HASS, without affecting the “main” alarm panel (I’m using it for the latter use case).
Paradox.
Canadian professional alarm brand for years.
Very reliable.
Very well integrated into HA using PAI addon : you can get all status in real time, alarm status and also all module status !
It’s not cheap.
Well the first thing that comes up to my mind is an alarm system should definitely be supported by backup power system, since it is very easy to cut power lines-fuse box to a house. That is why a system fully dependent on Wi-Fi will create a problem since a power cut will disable the WiFi APs in the house if not supported with UPS.
In my opinion, a dumb alarm system with an IP interface will work the best. Even if HA, IP Module or the network fails, it will still continue to work.
In my case, i have been using a Crow Runner 8/16 Alarm System (Which is dirt cheap since it is an old technology), which is backed up by batteries on the alarm panel and siren itself (will provide about 24 hrs of backup), wired PIR, door and window sensors, and also including some wireless sensors and wireless pendant. It also has an ethernet IP Module to be connected to HA with a custom component. It is the most reliable component in all my HA network! It also has a voice module; even when HA fails, whenever the alarm is tripped it calls my smartphone from the landline and informs me about the tripped sensor and i can also enable/disable it by pressing number buttons on the smartphone by calling my house landline phone.
I humbly recommend using DSC, Honeywell, Paradox, Crow Runner or Arrowhead AAP with the related IP Module.
Thanks all
@lexam79 I saw this. I don’t have an existing alarm this is a new install, but if I can find a decent wired system I could perhaps use this.
@Shaad thanks, I will check it out. I’m in the UK so not sure how easy it will be to obtain.
@febalci I will check out the IP module. honeywell is the only brand I was familiar with there but will look at the others. As you say I want an alarm that stands on it’s own two feet. For a start my HA is a VM and so UPS will only go so far. I have thought about putting HA on a Pi but even then it’s too DIY for an alarm.
For best results, find out what kind of equipment professional installers are using in your area. For pros, time is money and they’ll typically choose what works reliably, is readily available, and has good support from the manufacturer.
thanks for the tip. it seems smart home experts are a bit thin on the ground here, i certainly noticed this with electricians. As for understanding the finer points of privacy and security forget it. But I guess if I can find out the components they use and if they are “smart enabled” that is a starting point.
If you can’t find residential installers, look for installers of commercial alarm systems. The basic idea here is to discover which brand(s) they prefer because they have no time to waste with poor parts availability or weak technical support.
Put me on the happy DSC customer list. My PC1616 system had never had a single problem in 10 years. There are a ton of add on modules (programmable outputs, cellular BAT’s, wireless support), but there’s also a ton of different ways to integrate the system into HA. There’s the alarm decoder and envisalink route. I’m using an 8 ch programmable output module coupled to a few esp modules running esphome, plus there’s an esphome firmware that communicates over the four wire bus to simulate a keypad. All great choices.
DSC is what I am planning to use when I build my next home.
Something like this:
Alarms and cctv are still semi protected in the US. What is available to an installer most times isn’t available to the general public and if they are it’s at a considerable mark up. Idk if it’s the same in the UK
ADI is one global alarm and cctv distributors, there are other as well. Typically the brands that they stock are what’s popular. You’ll probably need to be a business to buy from them but you can at least get an idea of brands.
It looks like the popular brands in the UK site are, in no particular order:
ADI is owned by the same company that owns Honewell/Ademco (Alarm DEvice Manufacturing COmpany), System Sensor, Novar, Videofied…
So when they show what is popular there may be a reason, though they do carry many many other brands.
Also, on the other hand JC owns DSC, Tyco Security, Simplex, Visionic, Qolsys, and Ansul.
I believe it’s the other way around, honeywell being the parent company. Yeah, I mean the title of the site says it’s a resideo company it’s not like they hide it. I buy cctv equipment from them and they’ve never pushed honeywell products.
It was indeed the parent company, until they spun it off to focus on their non-residential business markets a few years ago. Residio is the spinoff but they get to use the Honeywell name under license, as does a ton of other companies, notably Kaz, which makes air filters and humidifiers sold as Honeywell purely for brand name purposes (Honeywell does not design or manufacture them) .
Interestingly, Kaz had their SSL certificate expire over a year ago!!! And if you judge them by some of the product reviews, they are clearly a company that does not have their sh!t together, though they do make some useful products (many are function over form and just suck).
The original (i.e. non rebranded) equipment from DSC, Paradox, ELK, etc is available for purchase by consumers in the USA and Canada. I bought my ELK system, almost 14 years ago, locally (in Canada) from a distributor but I now see it’s more widely available (aartech, Amazon, etc). However, when it comes to availability in the UK, I defer to the knowledge of others.
FWIW, in my neck of the woods, most pros install DSC equipment (residential and commercial).
Moreover, OP asked for recommendations what to buy. The suggestion was made find what the pro’s use without any suggestion of how to obtain this information. It was merely a suggestion to give the OP avenues to pursue.
I see now that I should have been more succinct and left off the anecdotal evidence that pro’s get a discount and have a wider variety to choose from out.
Telephone call.
Many users have suggested many brands (I had suggested ELK) but the best choice may be to select what is readily available in the OP’s location. One way to determine that information would be to contact local installers and ask what they use. As mentioned, I know DSC is popular in my area but I’m on a completely different continent from the OP.