security
Intruder alarm installation
A wireless house alarm fitted costs £500 to £1,200, and a wired system in a property being renovated £800 to £2,000. The decision that matters more than the hardware is what happens when it goes off: a bell on the wall, a message to your phone, or a monitoring centre that calls a keyholder.
What this covers
What it costs. A wireless system fitted is £500 to £1,200 for a typical house, and a wired system installed during renovation £800 to £2,000. Full cost breakdown.
What the job covers
- Wired and wireless systems with a control panel
- Detector positions that avoid pets and radiators
- Monitored systems with a keyholder response
- Taking over and reprogramming an existing panel
- Replacing panels and batteries at end of life
What is involved
A domestic system is a panel, a keypad or app, contacts on the doors worth protecting, movement detectors covering the routes through the house, and an external sounder. Wireless systems are the normal choice in a finished house because nothing is chased into a wall, and they trade that for batteries in every device on a replacement cycle. Wired systems belong in a renovation, where the cable goes in with everything else, and they then need nothing for years.
Detector placement is where a system becomes either useful or an annoyance. A passive infra red detector responds to movement across its field rather than towards it, so it covers a hallway well and a straight approach poorly. It also responds to a radiator warming up, sunlight moving across a floor and a cat, which is why pet tolerant detectors and sensible mounting heights exist. Most false alarms in a domestic system trace back to one badly placed detector, and a system that cries wolf gets left unset.
Response is the design decision. A bell only system deters and alerts neighbours, and nothing more happens. A speech dialler or app system tells you, wherever you are, which is the common choice and which puts the decision back on you at an inconvenient moment. A monitored system passes that to a centre that calls nominated keyholders in order, and carries a running cost. Police response requires a system installed and maintained to a recognised standard by an inspected company and a unique reference number, and it is not something a self installed kit can have.
Choosing someone for the job
Ask which devices are wireless and what the battery replacement cycle and cost look like across the whole system. Ask where each detector goes and walk the route it is covering. Ask what happens when the alarm activates, in order, and what any monitoring costs a year. Ask whether the installer takes over the maintenance or hands you a manual.
Common questions
Wired or wireless?
Wireless in a finished house, because no cable has to be chased in. Wired in a property being renovated, because the cable is cheap while the floors are up and there are then no batteries to replace.
Will the pets set it off?
Not with pet tolerant detectors mounted at the right height and angled away from furniture a cat can climb. It is a placement question more than a hardware one, and it is worth raising before the survey rather than after the third false alarm.