Burglar alarm advice and information

Buying a burglar alarm for your home or business can be quite a daunting task, given the fact that you want to pick the best alarm system to protect things that you love and hold dear.

We’ve put together a burglar alarm guide based around series of key questions you should ask and check before you buy, giving you all the advice, tips and information you need to make the best decision.

Check this advice below in our interactive presentation:

Burglar Alarm buyers guide – advice and information Presentation Transcript

1. Alarm buyers check list 7 things to check when you’re buying a burglar alarm . . . Click to go through check list >>
2. 1: Wired or wireless Q: Is the system wired or wireless? A: AMCO answerBoth wired and wireless systems have their pros and cons. AMCO provides both wired and wireless systems to suit the specific needs of customers.• Wired systems are more reliable and donʼt requiresensor battery replacements.• Wireless systems are easier to install and donʼt requirethe sensors to be physically wired in – averting any decorconcerns. www.Alarm-Monitoring.co.uk
3. 2: Type of monitoring Q: What type of monitoring does the A: AMCO answer alarm come with?There are two main types of alarm monitoring – “call back AMCO provides both types of monitoring, allowingmonitoring” and “immediate audio response clients to choose which is the best for their situation.monitoring”. AMCO recommends the advanced “immediate audio• Call back monitoring means that when the alarm is response monitoring” for full peace of mind – as this typeactivated the property is called via telephone, and of monitoring means that youʼve got someone onkeyholders are informed of the activation by telephone. standby 24/7 to help you in an emergency if needed.• Immediate audio response monitoring means that “Call back monitoring” is good as an entry-level system.when the alarm is activated monitoring centre staff can You can always upgrade the advanced “immediateimmediately listen and talk into the property via a speaker / audio response” in the future.microphone unit to check whatʼs happening. Thendepending on the status of the situation can call thekeyholders or emergency services (Police, Fire orAmbulance). www.Alarm-Monitoring.co.uk
4. 3: Contract length Q: How long does the monitoring A: AMCO answer contract tie me in for?All monitoring contracts will have a “minimum contract AMCO has two different “minimum contract periods”:period” and a “termination period” (the amount of time 12 months and 36 months for our two different typesyou need to inform the alarm company before you of systems.terminate your contract). Our termination period for both is 3 monthsYou need to check the details of how long these periodsare, so you donʼt get tied into a contract thatʼs too long foryou. www.Alarm-Monitoring.co.uk
5. 4: Maintenance support and costs Q: What type of maintenance is A: AMCO answer provided, and how much does it cost?There are two types of maintenance support that can be AMCO provide a minimum of one remote check everyprovided: month and provide 24/7 telephone support.•“On site maintenance” – where engineers visit the After the initial one year guarantee (parts and labour),property to check the alarm. if a fault is detected that requires an engineer, then call-out visits cost £49.•“Remote maintenance” – where the system can beautomatically checked via the telephone line. N.B. It is a common myth that alarm systems are highly complicated pieces of equipment. In truth theyYou should also be aware of “Call out charges” – i.e. how arenʼt, and because of this they rarely go wrong.much it costs if you need an engineer to come out and fixyour system. www.Alarm-Monitoring.co.uk
6. 5: Hidden costs Q: Are there any hidden costs I’m not A: AMCO answer being told about?Alarm companies (apart from us!) are famous for their AMCO pride ourselves on our transparency, and donʼt*hidden extra costs*. Make sure you ask about these, in hide extra costs.particular: • Fuse spur: our “call-back” monitored alarm system• Fuse spur: to adhere to regulations, alarm systems DOES NOT come with a fuse spur as standard – youshould be connected to the mains power via an need to add this when doing your calculations if you“unswitched fuse spur” and NOT plugged straight into a need one. Our advanced “immediate audio response”power socket. If you donʼt have an existing fuse spur monitored alarm system DOES come with a fuse spurinstalled, make sure you get your alarm company to install as standard.one and that this is included in their quotation price. • Premium telephone charges: our alarm monitoring• Premium telephone charges: every time your alarm is telephone charges cost on average £1.50 a year.activated it will make a call via the telephone line. Makesure your alarm installer isnʼt using an expensive numberto dial them every time you set and unset your alarm asthis could cost result in high ongoing costs for you (often£100ʼs a year!). www.Alarm-Monitoring.co.uk
7. 6: Ownership statusQ: Do I own the system when I buy it? A: AMCO answerCheck in the small print of your alarm quote to see whether All AMCO systems are owned by the buyer NOTyou own the alarm system, or whether itʼs a rental system. rented. www.Alarm-Monitoring.co.uk
8. 7: Industry standardsQ: Is the company installing my alarm A: AMCO answerregistered with NSI or SSAIB – anddoes it matter?NSI (NACOSS as it used to known as) and SSAIB are AMCO follows the European Standards (EN50131)alarm certification companies that many alarm companies that ensure that AMCO security systems provide thesubscribe to. best possible protection for its clients and their property.Both of these are private companies and are NOTgovernment bodies. We are NOT a subscriber to either of the inspectorate companies as we see it as a costly bureaucraticNSI is the trading name for “Insight Certification Limited” burden for both us and our customers.and SSAIB stands for “Security Systems and AlarmsInspection Board Limited”. Instead of paying unnecessary certification fees weʼd rather pass those savings onto our customers! www.Alarm-Monitoring.co.uk
9. System comparison chart – part 1 [Print out and fill in when doing a system comparison] Consideration AMCO system Competitor system Type of system Wired or wireless (you choose). “Call back” or “immediate audio response” Type of monitoring monitoring (you choose). 12 or 36 months (depending on system choice). Length of contract 3 month termination notice period. Monthly remote system checks. After the first year Maintenance support guarantee, a 30 minute call-out costs £49 + any type and call out costs parts. Hidden extras (e.g. Fuse Fuse spurs are installed where the customer does not have an existing one installed. AMCO does NOT use expensive spur or premium telephone numbers. Average yearly telephone bill costs for telephone numbers) AMCO systems are around £1.50. www.Alarm-Monitoring.co.uk
10. System comparison chart – part 2 Consideration AMCO system Competitor system All AMCO systems are owned by the buyer, NOT Ownership status rented. AMCO does not subscribe to either of these NSI / SSAIB registration companies. Installation cost (one- [use the quote calculator on our website to calculate off) the cost of your system] £14.95 per month for “immediate audio response” Monitoring cost monitoring (monthly) £17.95 per month for “call back” monitoring We have not increased our annual monitoring fees Annual price increase to existing customers for over 16 years and we intend to keep it that way as long as possible. * All AMCO prices quote include VAT www.Alarm-Monitoring.co.uk
11. The Alarm Monitoring Company says . . . Hope this has been helpful! Got any more questions? Drop us an email: info@Alarm-Monitoring.co.uk You can also download / print this out if you want to!