Wireless system needed

[PiccoloVenezia]

We recently moved to Italy into a nice and large rented flat in a very old building with a couple of very think stone interior walls. Because it is rented and because some of the walls are several feet thick, a wired system is out of the question. It would be expensive and difficult to install and, importantly, we wouldn't get permission from the landlord.

So what would you recommend for wireless system to cover, say, 8 large rooms split by stone walls into two or three zones?

We want a system that can be tied into the police and a monitoring agency.

Cost is important but we understand that this is not going to be the cheapest system out there.

Regards and grateful for any advice.

 

[bernardgreen]

The best advice is that you talk to local alarm installers who will know the problems involved with stone walls and wireless communications through and around those walls. They will also know the licence requirements for the use of wireless linked alarms in Italy.

Thick stone walls, especially if moist ( but not visibly damp ) will significantly reduce the range of the wireless signals if they have to pass through one wall and may render them ineffectively weak after two walls.

 

[Alarm]

As above, local installers should know better for this type of installation.
A quick look suggests Texecom Ricochet is available in Italy.

Al I can do is give you the link from their website for enquiries.

International Customers
Telephone: +44 1278 686197

Email: [email protected]

 

[PiccoloVenezia]

Thanks for your replies. I intend to call one of the local installers once I have figured out what brand I am interested in.

The bottom line is that these walls are thick enough that wifi signals are erratic if just one of the thick walls is in the way which is why our wifi set-up uses two nodes linked by an ethernet cable. Hence my assumption that we may have to have two alarm systems (separately controlled and alarmable and separately tied into the phone system because I do not think we can use the existing ethernet set-up). [Actually, is there a booster out there that acts as a relay point for the control system? So the relay point can be used to log separate PIRs and tie them into the control system by wire?]

What I would appreciate from you is which of the competing systems is a very good product: Visonic, Elkron, Scantronic, Friedland or somebody else?

Regards

 

[bernardgreen]

If the system is to be tied into the police or ( more likely ) a monitoring agency then you are going to have to have phone wiring cabled to each of the zones so some cabling will have to be done.

Are you sure the landlord will not give permission ? If a tenant offered to pay for a burglar alarm to be installed in the house that I let and then leave it when they moved out I would probably welcome the idea and would ask them to install a wired system so the next tenants would not have the problem of fitting new batteries etc etc.

Also you may find the monitoring company will not accept a system made up of three separate systems in one house unless they charge you for monitoring three houses which in effect their system will be doing.

Drilling holes for small alarm cables in stone walls is difficult but not impossible.

 

[PiccoloVenezia]

Thanks for your suggestions but drilling is not an option for two basic reasons: (1) the walls in questions are over 3-feet thick so it would be extremely expensive and very messy, and (2) since this is a historic property, consent from the equivalent of English Heritage would be required and that consent is unlikely to be given quickly.

This property is essentially two medieval fortified towers that have been joined together by a later infill and wrap. Wifi communication within the towers and through doorways is reasonable. Alarm mentioned Texecom Richochet as a possibility and a quick look at the info on them suggests that their system might just work in my environment.

Any thoughts, anyone?

 

[Alarm]

Ricochet was designed for this senario. The detectors are actually repeaters in themselves. Rather than trying to connect "Nodes" , "Rios" or whatever you were going to use you would only need a few extra detectors to get the pathways operational. I was recently talking to their top man on this kit and they had just done the same where no one else could.

I suggest you take another look and see what it can actually do. It os probably the only piece of kit I would try and use for this situation, having tried it with Galaxy on a similar project and had nothing but headaches.

I am in no way associated directly with any manufacturer.

 

[PiccoloVenezia]

I had the local reseller over today and he is giving me a quote. I also spoke to the Ricochet tech service in the UK and it seems that I could probably manage to install the system myself if the quote is excessive. Having said that, I know the system is not going to be cheap with 10 PIRs plus control panel etc. I decided to pass on perimeter defense as we have a tendency to keep the windows open anyway.

Thanks again for your advice.

 

[Alarm]

Thanks for getting back.
Then telling us you leave the windows open.
Then say 10 detectors and a control panel ECT is expensive in a supposed "listed building"!

Please do us all a favour and stick your head up your arse.

Have a nice smelly day.

 

[Europlex]

.......... 10 PIRs .....we have a tendency to keep the windows open anyway.

Are you serious?

10 rooms with PIRs and windows open!!

Not done your research very well then, have you?