Newish build house with no PIR upstairs for alarm system, is this common?

[jamesmacwhite]

Just curious, but the property I have was originally built in 2006 and from what I can understand it was fitted with an alarm system which never had or even planned to have a PIR sensor anywhere upstairs. I am assuming all the houses on my road are like this, as they were all built at the same time.

The alarm system itself is an the older GardTec with a Eurosec CP8L keypad.

Is it common to not have a PIR upstairs these days? To me this seems a bit strange, nothing stopping anyone from going through the window of any room upstairs and having free movement between rooms on the landing. Of course you'd like to think having someone with some ladders going through a window at the front or back would raise some form of concern, but I found it strange, particularly for a newish build.

How easy is it to add PIRs after the fact? Not necessarily me doing it myself, but generally getting wiring up to the right place without making a mess of the walls and such. I know the alarm can have up to eight zones and I have 3 currently, so it's probably possible, but I was just interested what typical PIR configurations are.

 

[sparkymarka]

Depends where the control panel is ? We did some houses with 3 stories and didn’t fit anything on the top floor ….but we did leave a spare cable in the loft ….just in case …

 

[secureiam]

depends on where you need to route the cable and what its wired in.

3 floors and going in via a window is unlikely at the top, 2 floors and its likely

 

[jamesmacwhite]

Keypad and main panel are at the very front. (programmed as the only entry point, marked HALL).

Main alarm box on the back wall in the hall. Keypad literally beside the door as you open the front door. So close in fact the plastic front over for the CP8L has been broken off because, someone either didn't measure or just didn't pay attention as the inner part of door lock actually hits it, without pulling the handle down first. Nice one builders (or alarm installers!)

It's just two floors (ground level and upstairs).

I don't know if there was any spare wiring left in the loft, might be a pain as it's basically going to have to go from the hall, across the stairs to the landing.

 

[sparkymarka]

Or builders electrian ….

 

[JohnD]

my top floor doesn't have a PIR, but it does have a smoke, a keypad, a sound bomb, and the cable to the bellbox goes up to the loft and down the other side.

If you have a 3-storey house, it's tiresome to go downstairs to the entry keypad, and you might not hear the siren if sleeping soundly.

 

[jamesmacwhite]

Or builders electrian ….

Fair point, either way someone didn't think about it!

my top floor doesn't have a PIR, but it does have a smoke, a keypad, a sound bomb, and the cable to the bellbox goes up to the loft and down the other side.

If you have a 3-storey house, it's tiresome to go downstairs to the entry keypad, and you might not hear the siren if sleeping soundly.

Just two storey house and a fairly smallish one at that, I'll maybe look into it. I have a local company who serviced it last year and may ask them to quote or inspect what's possible or realistic as an add-on.

 

[Tigercubrider]

My house is a diy wireless installation but I fitted nothing upstairs.
The panel is in the hall, but use a fob normally
All downstairs is pir or door contacts.

No alarm upstairs allows bathroom visits while downstairs is alarmed.
Guess I could do it with zones?

 

[opps]

Mine is a two bedroom terrace. We don't have any PIRs upstairs- primarily because it is quite nice to be able to go to the loo without setting the alarm off. The windows at the back of the property have "vipers" because of the flat roof on the extension. The first floor windows at the front of the house have none.

The guys who installed the alarm though it unlikely that someone would move the car off the drive to put a ladder up.

 

[jamesmacwhite]

Mine is a two bedroom terrace. We don't have any PIRs upstairs- primarily because it is quite nice to be able to go to the loo without setting the alarm off. The windows at the back of the property have "vipers" because of the flat roof on the extension. The first floor windows at the front of the house have none.

The guys who installed the alarm though it unlikely that someone would move the car off the drive to put a ladder up.

Interesting. I assume like mine it is deliberate to not have a PIR upstairs by design! I guess the alternative is window sensors rather than a PIR, but I guess if you went that route you'd need to have them on most.

 

[opps]

Interesting. I assume like mine it is deliberate to not have a PIR upstairs by design! I guess the alternative is window sensors rather than a PIR, but I guess if you went that route you'd need to have them on most.

Again, I only live in a two bedroom house. Two rooms at the back of the house (on the first floor)- both of which have vipers (read: vibration sensors). The two windows are aluminum so each only needs one viper per window.

 

[jamesmacwhite]

Again, I only live in a two bedroom house. Two rooms at the back of the house- both of which have vipers (read: vibration sensors). The two windows are aluminum so each only needs one viper per window.

Thanks, something like this you mean: https://www.tradesparky.com/fire-an...-sensors/honeywell-pc0900020-viper-glx-sensor

 

[sparkymarka]

My house is a diy wireless installation but I fitted nothing upstairs.
The panel is in the hall, but use a fob normally
All downstairs is pir or door contacts.

No alarm upstairs allows bathroom visits while downstairs is alarmed.
Guess I could do it with zones?

Errrr thats why they have part sets …

 

[opps]

Thanks, something like this you mean: https://www.tradesparky.com/fire-an...-sensors/honeywell-pc0900020-viper-glx-sensor

Yeah we have those on our rear upper windows.

 

[DIYSOS2018]

It’s astonishing the folks that don’t have any PIRs upstairs just so they can go to the loo during the night.

Here in lies one of the problem with DIY installs