The Home Improvements Thread (2)

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I.am.Sam said:
so where in the house do you need

Room 1,2 and 3

Bathroom 1 and 2

lounge

Kitchen

Outhouse *3

Garage

lounge
entrance hall

so you count each one as a zone ?
Click to expand...

I started with door mags on every external door and downstairs windows (except bathroom), PIR sensors watching the main entry points and the routes that one would walk in the house. (You cant get from 1 room to another room in the house without being detected)

Then externally I put strip beams across the front and back of my house covering all the external window and doors downstairs and the garage door. Then I have a PIR in the garage also.

That covers all my major points of entry.

I plan on adding window sensors to all my upstairs windows (I doubt anyone can reach my upstairs windows without triggering the downstairs beams but its good to know if any windows are left open etc). I want PIRs in all the rooms, and I may just put a 24hr active high sensitivity motion sensor in the roof (in the case of roof entry)

Look at all the ways you would break into your own house and account for that in your alarm.
For alarms, I wouldn't suggest looking for the cheapest. Look for the best
 
SaucePlz said:
What cameras are those? How's the image quality at night?
Click to expand...
www.communica.co.za

Communica South Africa

Communica is a wholesale and retail distributor of semiconductors, electromechanical and passive electronic components for automotives, electronics, electrical, automation, mining and process control industries and technical and tertiary educational institutions.
www.communica.co.za www.communica.co.za

I think it's decent:
1631537787110.png

I need to get the council to cut that tree back a bit, the glare is probably making it worse. This is just a screenshot of the cam, so may or may not look better if I exported it.
 
I.am.Sam said:
you in northern suburbs right

who is doing your work ?

Did smokey go into hiding
Click to expand...
I'm doing all the work I can myself, lifting this pole 2 meters in the air to slide it onto the existing pole was fun.

Not sure about Smokey, not sure what his situation is and would rather not assume what's happening with him.
 
I.am.Sam said:
and with all the security you guys still have armed response ?
Click to expand...
Insurance requirement to have alarm linked to armed response because my area is considered dangerous by my insurance company.. over and above the fact that they also required me to install burglar bars and security gates..

Still the cheapest of the lot though, even factoring in the armed response monthly cost..

Santam, for those who were going to ask..
 
WAslayer said:
8 perimeter beams seems a bit excessive..?

You have a massive yard with that many entry points that require coverage..?
Click to expand...
Not a large property at all nope. About 700sqm.

Your outdoor beams need to have overlapping coverage. If they can touch one external beam without another one catching them then you've got a hole in your security.
 
SAguy said:
Not a large property at all nope. About 700sqm.

Your outdoor beams need to have overlapping coverage. If they can touch one external beam without another one catching them then you've got a hole in your security.
Click to expand...
Makes sense..

In my case they can't touch any of the beams without the beam having been triggered before they do so..
 
WAslayer said:
Makes sense..

In my case they can't touch any of the beams without the beam having been triggered before they do so..
Click to expand...
That's good yeah. Some of mine are like that, but I've got 2 where I need to have extra to cover them.
I could probably get away with 5 beams.

I've had one guy in my front yard, he got about 2m and then the alarm went off. So it's worth it for me.
 
MidnightZA said:
I started with door mags on every external door and downstairs windows (except bathroom), PIR sensors watching the main entry points and the routes that one would walk in the house. (You cant get from 1 room to another room in the house without being detected)

Then externally I put strip beams across the front and back of my house covering all the external window and doors downstairs and the garage door. Then I have a PIR in the garage also.

That covers all my major points of entry.

I plan on adding window sensors to all my upstairs windows (I doubt anyone can reach my upstairs windows without triggering the downstairs beams but its good to know if any windows are left open etc). I want PIRs in all the rooms, and I may just put a 24hr active high sensitivity motion sensor in the roof (in the case of roof entry)

Look at all the ways you would break into your own house and account for that in your alarm.
For alarms, I wouldn't suggest looking for the cheapest. Look for the best
Click to expand...
I would definitely recommend starting with perimeter and working your way in.
If I could only have 8 zones I'd have 4 or 5 for perimeter alarms and just 3 or 4 for the house itself.

If your alarm only goes off when they've broken your door open they have at least 6 minutes before anyone rocks up.

My brother in laws armed response arrived in about 7 minutes, by that stage the skelms had stolen over R100k worth of tvs, laptops and camera equipment.

My opinion is that if someone can get to your door or window, then you're buggered.
 
SAguy said:
I would definitely recommend starting with perimeter and working your way in.
Click to expand...

100%. My post was a bit vague. I meant cover all the major points first then add on. I did all of my major external and internal in one go. At a later stage I want to add more internal zones.
 
SAguy said:
Not a large property at all nope. About 700sqm.

Your outdoor beams need to have overlapping coverage. If they can touch one external beam without another one catching them then you've got a hole in your security.
Click to expand...
Which sensors do you use as outdoor beams and for your doors? I'm still a noob when it comes to security and it's something that I want to start looking at
 
Kung Fu Porkchop said:
Which sensors do you use as outdoor beams and for your doors? I'm still a noob when it comes to security and it's something that I want to start looking at
Click to expand...
When I moved into this house there was a Texecom alarm, so I just carried on expanding it.

Door/window sensors I use:
www.alarmtec.co.za

Texecom SC-W Shock Contact

Texecom SC-W Shock Contact is a wireless shock and tilt magnetic contact with built-in VIBER™ accelerometer technology, providing accurate detection of vibration and movement. It features Ric...
www.alarmtec.co.za www.alarmtec.co.za

You have three different usage options:
- shock sensor for breaking/banging glass
- magnetic sensor for door opening
- wired input

And has tamper as well of course if you open in.

Outdoors I use these:
www.alarmtec.co.za

Texecom External TD-W

Texecom External TD-W is a high-performance outdoor PIR sensor designed for security applications in harsh environments. It uses dual, non-overlapping digital PIR sensors with mirrored optics to en...
www.alarmtec.co.za www.alarmtec.co.za
 
WAslayer said:
Insurance requirement to have alarm linked to armed response because my area is considered dangerous by my insurance company.. over and above the fact that they also required me to install burglar bars and security gates..

Still the cheapest of the lot though, even factoring in the armed response monthly cost..

Santam, for those who were going to ask..
Click to expand...

yeah im with santam as well and think its a requirement now for all areas

i got a quote from renasa (i think) and they dont require any security
 
SAguy said:
I would definitely recommend starting with perimeter and working your way in.
If I could only have 8 zones I'd have 4 or 5 for perimeter alarms and just 3 or 4 for the house itself.

If your alarm only goes off when they've broken your door open they have at least 6 minutes before anyone rocks up.

My brother in laws armed response arrived in about 7 minutes, by that stage the skelms had stolen over R100k worth of tvs, laptops and camera equipment.

My opinion is that if someone can get to your door or window, then you're buggered.
Click to expand...

the crowbar gangs can get away with schit in literally 2 mins

the gap between my front wall and front gate is few metres

2 mins is more than enough time to get hold of stuff
 
^Drill out the rivets, tighten the handle rivet if it needs it and re-rivet.
 
Looking at installing a controller with solenoid valves for the irrigation.
Now i know Hunter and Rainbird are very popular brands, but, i saw this:

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com

Anyone used it before ? Recommendations ?
 
Kung Fu Porkchop said:
Smart device for irrigation. I have so much to learn :ROFL:
Click to expand...
That's just smart based on WiFi and being able to set a timer..

If you want to go really smart, you set a timer according to season, early morning/early evening in summer etc and only of soil moisture level is such that whatever you are growing there, requires watering..
 
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