Recommend pet friendly wired alarm sensors please

[alan333]

Sorry, I'm probably being confusing by saying "PA" when I really mean "PA silent".

My manual states: 04 24hrs - "As an intruder zone but permanently active".
(03 intruder - "...When system is set, activation of an intruder zone causes a full alarm activation...")

So my interpretation of 24hrs it's the same as 03 intruder ie that it would cause a full alarm, which would mean interior and exterior strobes and bells?

However, 14 PA silent  - "...identical to the PA function, with the exception that there is no audible or visual indication of the activation; that is, no bells or strobes are activated.  Only the PA output (normally channel 2 on the digital communicator) signals the alarm.  The activation and restoral of PA silent zones is recorded in the event log."

So my interpretation of PA silent is that it'll activate an output and log the event, but with a Brucie bonus that the alarm will still be active protecting me against burglars, while not annoying the neighbours?  By connecting the output to my existing unused interior siren then it'll make noise inside the house for whoever's in, or anyone entering.  The down side is, as you guys have pointed out, that it'll look like a panic alarm.  But I've not got a specific setting for CO anyway, and when I view the log (or the event) it would say CO UPSTAIRS PASIL, which would be enough to draw my attention to the fact it's related to my CO sensor?

 

[EightyTwo]

Yes, a 24hr zone is a "permanently set INTRUDER".

Bernard makes a significant point. If the CO alarm goes off outside, your neighbours might be able to come in and wake you out of your CO-induced coma.

I have no experience of CO detectors and have no idea how likely they are to false alarm. If it is very unlikely, the outside sounder may be useful and won't get the neighbours ignoring your alarm. You could set the zone as FIRE which sounds the bell intermittently. If they false alarm from time to time, then the internal siren and the LINK or PA SILENT are a good choice.

It is very unusual for a system to have its keypad and internal sounders set really quiet.

Well done with your pet-friendly PIR experiments. Did you use the walk test to check it or set the alarm?

 

[alan333]

I'll give the CO sensor some more thought, weighing up all the pro's n cons you have all kindly pointed out.

Re the keypad and sounders. Say one of us is in bed with the alarm on night set when the other comes in from work. The entry tone wakes them up if the sounder is set anything other than vol 00, even on night set. The keypad vol is set low but not so low that it doesn't attract your attention when you come in. It's the most peaceful way to have it set, after experimenting with it when it was first installed.

Re the pet experiments, we walk tested the alarm. Would it make any difference if the alarm was set?

Regards
Alan

 

[EightyTwo]

Nah! It just upsets the neighbours if it's set

 

[alan333]

"Hey your alarm keeps going off. Please shut the thing up!"

"but EightyTwo on a forum said it'll be ok, what's your problem?"

Lol

 

[alan333]

Another update for you all.

The new dining room sensor hasn't triggered in 6 days (it's on soak), but the hall one has (again). So I've now changed the other three sensors to the same Bosch one that's in the dining. All four are now on soak. I'll post back again soon.

Thanks again

 

[alan333]

Another update. No false alarms from the dining (the one the cat should be able to set off the easiest), or either of the hall ones. However something (almost deffo the cat) set off the lounge one about a week ago. We're currently trying to figure out what he's doing to set it off. We have had him running around chasing after treats but can't get him to set it off.

At the risk of being bombarded with "we told you to get them to begin with, you ****" answers - will one of the thirty quid sensors cure it?

Thanks again for everyone's help, it's been great.

 

[pcaouolte]

The closer to the detector the cat can get the bigger it will look to the detector. Is there something (furniture, curtains etc.) that the cat can climb to get near the detector? Alternatively if the cat can get high up but further away from the detector it is still likely to be picked up.

No detector is likely to be immune if the cat can get near enough or high enough.

 

[alan333]

The closer to the detector the cat can get the bigger it will look to the detector. Is there something (furniture, curtains etc.) that the cat can climb to get near the detector? Alternatively if the cat can get high up but further away from the detector it is still likely to be picked up.

No detector is likely to be immune if the cat can get near enough or high enough.

Thanks for the reply pcaouoltle, and thanks EightyTwo for taking the time to follow my ramblings for so long without losing the will to live.

Felix could be up up on the back of the sofa or on top of the dresser, both of which he knows he's not allowed to do, and doesn't do while we're around. The sensor is in the corner and the sofa is fairly near against one wall, with the dresser similar on the other wall. We'll try encouraging him up each of these and see if it's the culprit.

Will report back (bet you can't wait lol).

 

[EightyTwo]

Look at the beam pattern pictures in the "book": if the cat "breaks" the lower beams then it's okay but if he breaks the upper, long distance, ones he's likely to set it off.

 

[alan333]

Still can't get him to set it off. Been trying like a mad person trying to get his cat to set off his alarm too. I'll have a look at the spread tho, thanks mate.

Ps he's not set it off again...yet

 

[alan333]

Well 3 months have gone by and we've had no false alarms. No doubt we'll get one some day, but hopefully they'll be few and far between, so no annoyance to the neighbours. I've had the system set up properly (no soak zones, no emitting zones, siren set to longer time etc) for a while now and all is just dandy.

Once again thank you for all your help, it's much appreciated

 

[EightyTwo]

Woo Hoo!