House alarm wired- upgrade or new system?

E

enchanted

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Our alarm system is 10 year old. It was pre-wired. So far we have had bell box replaced. Now we need a new motion sensor and new keypad. We also want to take the opportunity to get some kind of monitoring either full monitoring or text service. We have been told different things by different companies. One says the wiring will still be fine and we should have no problems once keypad and sensor are upgraded and two say because the wiring is ten years old we need a new wireless system. To be honest, the upgrade is not working out that much cheaper than replacing whole thing with wireless but is this really necessary? We have had issues in the past with the alarm going off even when not set but are fairly happy with the system we have since the bell box/ tamper was replaced. My fear is if we go for the upgrade we ll only have to replace whole system a year or two down the road. Does the wiring really deteriorate that much? Any advice would be great. Thanks.
 
The PVC insulated wiiring would not deteriorate in 10 years. It will be in perfect condition and has a very long lifespan. The only thing to check is if there is mechanical damage to the insulation in exposed areas due to friction, or doors or windows hitting the cables. Also check skirting level wiring for pet damage.
 
It's simple enough for a good installer to test the conductivity of the cables to ensure they're in good nick.

The guys suggesting the wireless are most likely looking for a quick job with better margin for themselves. Wireless means each unit has a battery that will need replacing every few years, that means more business for the installer, more expense for you.
 
Whoever is telling you the wiring is gone is looking for an easier , higher priced installation. Wiring is probably fine & is very easy to check anyway.
If your upgrading you will be replacing the Control panel & keypad.
Take a good look around. There is some nice new features available now from text monitoring to full IP panels with remote access via web browser & apps.
As always get a few quotes for a few licensed companies to ensure your getting the best information and the best value.
 
Just to ask, we have been quoted for a 8/12 hkc panel and back up battery using our current wired system and adapted for monitoring. The other option is to pay through the nose for phonewatch wirefree. I did read though that the panel we have a quote for is quite outdated. Is this the case? Tbh it is only a standard semi on a housing estate but dont want to pay for something thats only going to last us a year or two. Will this panel upgrade do the job?
 
Are you sure its an 8/12 panel???
That system is over 20 years old. We stopped installing them at the end of the nineties . Ask for either the Newer Secure watch 10 70 or a Siemens 4221
Price wise they are the same as what your being quoted but with much more features and include wireless built in.
No reason in the world to be selling you something so dated. It may possibly be a repair or ex stock panel.
 
yes its the 8/12 we ve been quoted for. We've since found someone to do the newer version using our current wired system for quite a bit cheaper so we are going with them and the gsm text monitoring. I know there are jammer issues with this but just feel it suits our needs better than full monitoring. Thanks for all the advice. Had I not posted here we would have almost certainly gone for the outdated panel and been none the wiser.
 
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