Dummy Alarm Box - any point?

Dummy Alarm Box - any point?

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Discussion

DoubleSix

Original Poster:

11,691 posts

175 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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Got some scaffold up at the moment so taking opportunity to remove some tatty old alarm boxes circa 1985 smile

Shall I put some dummies up? Opinions?

Thx

Cyberprog

2,186 posts

182 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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Stick an ADT one up with the flashing blue LED's. Most ADT alarms are monitored, and the scrotes know that!

Morningside

24,110 posts

228 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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I always think they look what they are...fake.

guindilias

5,245 posts

119 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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I put one up on a friend's house - rang the contact number on it just to see what it did, and it was actually a real alarm company!

richie99

1,116 posts

185 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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About as much use as a real alarm IMO. Only one house in our street has an alarm. It goes off every month or so and everyone ignores it. That's the house to break in to.

Dr Mike Oxgreen

4,101 posts

164 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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You should be able to buy a dummy box that is absolutely identical to a real one. Many manufacturers supply dummies to match their real boxes, because in some installations you might need to install the real box on the back of the house and want to have something on the front as a deterrent.

Is it worth it? Well, it can't do any harm. And even if all it does is make you feel better, then it's probably £10 well spent.

Muncher

12,219 posts

248 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
You should be able to buy a dummy box that is absolutely identical to a real one. Many manufacturers supply dummies to match their real boxes, because in some installations you might need to install the real box on the back of the house and want to have something on the front as a deterrent.

Is it worth it? Well, it can't do any harm. And even if all it does is make you feel better, then it's probably £10 well spent.
No decent alarm company will do that. They're not making money selling alarms that way and more importantly scrotes will start to know some of their boxes are fake so the deterrent factor is diminished, for all of their customers!

Our alarm supplier will do a dummy box as part of an install, but there's no chance of them just selling you a dummy box.

e21Mark

16,205 posts

172 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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I'd fit one. Worth a punt for the outlay.

Foppo

2,344 posts

123 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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It will never do any harm if it gives you peace of mind.We have a proper system installed with one dummy box.The live box has lights flashing.Burglars aren't daft and you never stop a professional.

jogon

2,971 posts

157 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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You can buy them on eBay from the likes of ADT, Chubb etc. Our new ADT alarm does not have an external sounder only internal but monitored so the box outside on the wall is in effect a dummy box with flashing led.


Crumpet

3,876 posts

179 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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richie99 said:
About as much use as a real alarm IMO. Only one house in our street has an alarm. It goes off every month or so and everyone ignores it. That's the house to break in to.
On a side note, it always seems to be our neighbours with the expensive monitored alarms that have endless false alarms. Those with cheap, DIY or electrician fitted ones never seem to have any issues.

jogon

2,971 posts

157 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
quotequote all
Crumpet said:
On a side note, it always seems to be our neighbours with the expensive monitored alarms that have endless false alarms. Those with cheap, DIY or electrician fitted ones never seem to have any issues.
I'm currently trialling a new system which comes with an IP camera and can all be controlled via your smart phone, tablet or laptop. If it goes off I'll receive a call from the monitoring team and can then check the camera to see if it is a real threat or not and then disable it and then activate it again all via the app. Also came with a smart plug so you can turn a light on or off and set up scenarios for when your away. So far so good.




Edited by jogon on Tuesday 30th June 16:48

moles

1,794 posts

243 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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Jogon any details of it?.

jogon

2,971 posts

157 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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Not much marketing gumpf available yet as not yet on sale to public we are doing the testing to make sure it works ok and no hiccups. Will be sold via ADT and called Interactive Security. Already available in the USA called ADT Pulse but that has some features not yet available here.

You can add multiple IP cameras and magic plugs and can all be viewed and controlled via the app.

Had it just over a month so far and it's nice to be able to check if you forgot to set the alarm and then set it remotely if you have done. Other than that It is a standard alarm with 2 PIRs, door contact, keypad and internal sounder. Uses both your internet and then mobile network as a backup for the monitoring.

Not sure on cost yet as we get it free plus 3 years free monitoring.

Nickbrapp

5,277 posts

129 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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theres a similar system already available that used ip cctv and can take snapshots or video when a motion sensor is triggered.

why not buy a standard bell and replace the old one, then you already have one fitted should you ever wish to fit a intruder alarm.

http://www.hunters-wholesalers.co.uk/pyronix-delta...

Spare tyre

9,458 posts

129 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
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I've always bought second hand bell boxes from eBay And chuck em up

I have retro fitted the alarm sounder from my diy effort into them


98elise

26,376 posts

160 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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Morningside said:
I always think they look what they are...fake.
Its the absence of the sounder that makes it a "dummy" alarm box, so they look identical. I've fitted a few and in each case I simply bought the alarm box from a component based alarm system.

even if you went to a company that just sold empty cases, it would still function as a "real" alarm box if you put the sounder in it.

Dr Interceptor

7,743 posts

195 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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I've got two dummy boxes at work, with the blue LEDs in.

Our alarm system doesn't have an external sounder, as we're in a residential area, and I wouldn't want members of the public getting involved in dealing with intruders! There is a loud internal sounder (ear piercingly so), and it's monitored.

I think the dummy boxes work as a deterrent, it's just something visual.


DJFish

5,917 posts

262 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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We've got a wireless system with a dummy box on the back as most of the break-ins round our way are via rear patio doors.


DoubleSix

Original Poster:

11,691 posts

175 months

Wednesday 1st July 2015
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Thanks all.

Reckon I'll still one up! Can't find these ADT ones online. Some Yale ones look ok.

Seems most of those with LEDs run off batteries but this area wont have access when the scaff is down. Be good if they did one with a little solar panel or something.