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WhatsAppComparing prices, who doesn’t do this?
It seems logical to do the same with alarm systems, and request prices from different providers.
After reading this article, you will know exactly why comparing quotes fairly is almost impossible.
With a kilo of apples, the price is easy to compare, provided the type of apple is the same.
But with alarm systems that come in dozens of different brands and models, comparing on price is a lot harder.
The price depends entirely on:
- Brand
- Model of detector
- PIR and radar sensor presence
- Masking detection
- Jamming detection
- Number of detectors required to monitor 100% of area
- Battery life
- Wireless range
- Immunity to cats
- Quality of outdoor siren
Brand
By cutting back on quality by offering a different brand of alarm system, the price can easily be halved. So the first thing to note when comparing prices is that it is the same brand and type of alarm system.
We offer the Hikvision alarm system, with the model name AX Pro. This model is the latest alarm system from world leader Hikvision.
Model of detector
Each brand has several different models of detectors in its range. From the outside, they often look the same, but inside, there are sometimes up to 4 different versions of the same brand and model of detector available.
An example of cost savings is the omission of the radar sensor in an outdoor detector, or the lack of masking detection.
When comparing prices, and even thinking of comparing the same make and model, always check if the detector also features a radar sensor, and Anti-Masking detection.
PIR and radar sensor presence
The best quality outdoor detector not only possesses one or two PIR sensors, also known as heat sensors, it also possesses a radar sensor.
The radar sensor checks after the heat sensor detects a movement using radar images whether the motion detection is correct, and only then sends an alarm notification to the control centre. This double check makes the detection quality much more reliable. The absence of a radar sensor can reduce the price of a detector by up to 50%.
All our outdoor detectors are always equipped with this additional radar sensor.
Masking detection
Many detectors mounted outdoors have no control over lens masking. This means that the detector does not notice if a malicious person blocks the view of the sensor. If a towel is simply hung over it, you might notice it, but with special invisible spray, no one sees it.
If a detector is equipped with anti-masking detection then any blockage, even with special spray, will be noticed by the detector. This check can be active both with the alarm on and when it is off. If the alarm is off because you are present at home, for example, and someone would block the view of the detector in your garden, a notification will immediately follow on your smartphone and even the siren can be activated automatically.
The lack of masking detection can reduce the price of a detector by up to 25%.
Jamming detection
These days, almost all alarm systems are wireless. Easy, quick and cheaper to install than wired systems. However, wireless also comes with an inconvenience. It is easier to sabotage than a wired system.
Thieves are increasingly walking around with a Jammer in their hands. Almost all alarm systems from major national providers are not Jamming-proof. The alarm appears to the property owner to be on, but the Jammer causes none of the sensors to work. The signal sent by the detector does not arrive at the home’s control centre. In other words, the detector does not transmit any registration when the Jammer is active.
So when buying an alarm system, always check how Jamming is detected. Without Jamming detection, any wireless alarm is useless.
Many providers tell you that Jamming detection is present, but turns out it is not! Never settle for the nice words of representatives who will tell you anything just for the commission. Always check whether jamming detection is really present by checking how it works, or whether the story about how it is checked is correct as the salesperson tells you. If you hear a confused story, you know enough. Again: Almost 100% of the national alarm system providers do not offer Jamming detection!
In doubt whether your current alarm system detects Jamming? Then contact us. Based on make, model and a single photo, we will immediately know if and how it is monitoring.
Number of detectors required to monitor 100% of area
The more detectors, the higher the price. It’s as simple as that. So when giving a quote, always ask how many detectors you will actually get for this.
When we give you a quote that includes a price for exterior detection, it is based on virtually 100% coverage of the area around the house. We therefore take into account the number of detectors required to ensure that the house cannot be touched at any point without detection and therefore an alarm occurring. We call this 100% exterior coverage. Specifically, this means that no window or door can be approached without the siren sounding.
Don’t want 100% but 98% coverage? That can easily reduce the quote by €400 by fitting one less detector.
So always compare quotes based on an equivalent percentage of coverage, and check this during installation as well.
Battery lifetime
All wireless detectors are always equipped with batteries. However, there is a big difference in the number of batteries present in a detector, and every how many months or years these batteries need replacing.
Many detectors from national providers need to be replaced every 8 to 12 months. The detectors we fit easily last from 4 to as many as 7 years. Yes you read it right, on average you only need to replace the battery of the detectors we work with once every 5 years. This can quickly save you up to 100 euros per year.
In addition, our alarm clearly displays the battery status in the app on your smartphone, alerting you in good time if a battery needs replacing in the coming year.
With other providers, you just have to hope that a detector’s battery is still working, as no insight into this is given. There must be a reason why this is not insightful for you as a user.
Wireless range
The entire alarm system has a standard wireless range of 1,600 to 2,000 metres (2 kilometres). Each detector can therefore be mounted up to a distance of 2,000 metres from the central unit in the home. With signal amplifiers, it can even be extended to 10 kilometres. You will understand that even for the largest homes signal strength is never a problem, even without signal amplifiers, no home is 2 kilometres.
This signal strength is unique for alarm systems. The range of systems offered by national providers is no more than a dozen metres, if you are lucky.
You will understand that a weak signal is also easier to sabotage with a Jammer than a strong signal. So monitoring interference is also much easier to detect because any Jammer has to operate at a much higher power to be effective.
Our Hikvision AX Pro alarm systems can operate on 64 different frequencies to bypass Jamming. Should Jamming nevertheless occur on all available frequencies, you as the user will always receive a notification of this on your smartphone.
Immunity for cats
Spain is home to many street cats. The chances of a cat walking in your garden are considerably high, especially at night. Then you don’t want to be woken up by the loud siren when a detector spots a cat.
Thanks to the quality of the detectors we use, alarms on cats can be 100% excluded. So you will never get an alarm if one or even several cats are wandering through your garden at the same time.
Quality of outdoor siren
Hikvision offers genuine outdoor sirens. This means that the siren is waterproof and tamper-proof. Normally, the siren is mounted in an inaccessible place. Should someone knock the siren off the wall unseen, the siren will be activated immediately and you will be notified immediately on your smartphone. In addition, any other sirens present are automatically and immediately activated.
The Hikvision outdoor siren is securely mounted to the wall with 4 screws. We can say from experience that the quality of this mounting is far above average. Also, the volume produced by this siren is enough to wake up an entire street at night.
Why do we emphasise the good quality of this outdoor siren so explicitly? Because you should know that a good siren is not a given with many other providers!
At many homes, you will see a siren hanging outside under a canopy. This is because that siren is actually meant to be mounted inside the house. These sirens are not waterproof and lack any kind of tamper protection.
Worse, one can slide them off the wall bracket with one finger and the batteries will already fall out spontaneously. Typical of the entire quality of some providers.
And yet millions of people pay monthly to ´security companies´ offering this quality, pretty crazy right? People simply do not know what rubbish they are having fitted and for which they also pay a hefty monthly fee. (They were probably persuaded by a pushy representative at the door, whom they never saw afterwards once the scrawl was made on the year-long contract).
Comparing quotes impossible
You are probably comparing the proverbial apples to oranges because national providers work with their own brand of system, and not Hikvision AX Pro.
Globally, Hikvision is the largest security manufacturer in the world, and for good reason, of course.
To paint a picture of the size of the company, Hikvision produces a quarter of a million cameras a day, in addition to all the other security products such as alarm systems.
Tricks to lower the price in an offer
For outdoor detection in particular, you can reduce the price in an offer considerably by choosing cheaper detectors that offer less to no protection against tampering or simply monitor a more limited area. That is not the quality we aim for. We want to offer the best system for your home, by customising and using the best detectors available.
Our quotations are therefore always based on the best product possible for your property. And if you want outdoor detection, it is for the entire house and garden, and not just a part of the total area, to reduce the quotation price.
Why are we writing this article
Because people are not aware of the huge differences in quality among them. For the ordinary consumer who does not deal with security on a daily basis, it is impossible to notice the differences in quality immediately. But that there is huge difference in quality present should be clear after reading this article.
Therefore, with the above explanation, we hope to give you more insight into the features and specifications that a good alarm system should meet.
What we guarantee
We provide exterior detection quotes on a daily basis. These are always based on the customer’s own home. The customer sends us photos, which we study thoroughly to arrive at a certain target price.
Sometimes customers compare our quote with others, not taking into account our guarantees, chosen quality, and the fact that no monthly costs apply. This may give the impression that we are not the cheapest, purely because we offer a better system in the quote. Such unfair comparison is something we naturally want to avoid.
That is why it is important for you to know that we offer the following guarantees in all our quotations:
- Hikvision AX Pro alarm system, made by the largest manufacturer worldwide.
- If required, 100% outdoor detection coverage, supplemented by indoor detection. (100% is the standard in any quotation).
- Highest quality detectors with Anti-Masking and Jamming detection.
- Installation by Dutch professionals with years of experience in outdoor detection. (English speaking)
- Outdoor detectors equipped with PIR and radar sensor.
- No false alarms on cats or any other possible occurrences in your garden.
- Free on-site service, also after installation (free of charge up to 6 months after installation, optional after that for a small fee).
- Full control worldwide with the free Hik-Connect app.
- Never any monthly costs (except optional SIM card subscription)
- System is your property immediately. You do not rent anything as with many other providers.
- Free warning signs mounted on the facade. (As many as you wish).
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