Garage Alarms?

dale(Carlsbad) · 10-27-02, 07:22

Two of my neighbors just had their garages burglarized (crime is everywhere these days). The entry was through the two-car garage door with automatic opener. I was surprised to see how easy it is to pry the end of the door open enough to crawl through.

Anyway, not wanting to have to lock/latch the doors every night I am going to install a simple alarm system. Have checked web sites and wondering if anyone has experience (pros or cons) with the different options.

The plan is to install a sensor, which would activate an audible (really loud) alarm. The system would be activated from a switch in the house.

So....Infrared motion sensor or magnetic contact sensors? Hard wired or wireless? The system should run around $100.

Any thoughts, Thanks.

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thevolvoguy · 10-27-02, 07:33

Sounds like a good idea. Personally I would go out to home depot and check out the wireless security systems. For about $75 you can get a System included with the control box, siren, a few magnetic sensors and 2 motion detectors. I can't recall the name of it at the time, but I installed one of these for my dad a few years ago.

Check it out and see what you think.

Good Luck!

Redcar GUY · 10-27-02, 08:08

I am not going to post what My alarm is made up of but ,Do you have windows? how many entry doors/big doors do you have? And is it an attached garage and if it isnt how far from the house is it? If you just get a ceiling mounted motion alarm that will watch the whole room that will work good but every garage situation is a whole new game

Shiny Lil Detlr · 10-27-02, 09:22

if the "big door" into your garage is the only one you have major concerns about, why not get a second set of those "cross beam sensors" like they install as a safety device when you get a garage door put in, but instead hook 'em up to an alarm siren? I would think that this would work to deter thieves from this entry method.

Or, if you were planning on having a whole-house security system installed (i.e ADT), you could always just have them assess/install something for you.

dale(Carlsbad) · 10-27-02, 11:14

It's a 20 x20 detached garage with a back entry door and the standard 2-car garage door on rollers & remote. No windows and about 25 feet from the house. I am thinking that one interior motion sensor mounted in the corner would work, but wonder if these sensors are too sensitive. Up until now...my only security was the two dogs that sleep upstairs with us, and a switch to cut off power to the garage door opener! When I think of what these guys "could have" hauled off...I can't believe that i did not think of better security sooner! any input welcome... Thanks

ashsarna · 10-27-02, 12:13

I had a very similar alarm system set up in my garage. It is from Intermatic which is an international make and very reliable. The sensor part is connected to the garage door and the receiver(which sounds the alarm) is set in the house within 50 feet of the garage door. The alarm is a sensor device which will pick up any movement(ie the garage door opening even a little) through walls, doors ect (so you can put it anywhre in the house. There is no wire hookup required and it took me 5 minutes to activate the whole contraption. I required only a screwdriver and batteries. It costed me $20 at Target. I think you are paying too much.

NY detailer · 10-27-02, 02:17

One of the cheapest systems in price, but not quality is from x10.
I have the motion sensor in my yard and it turn lights on and rings a bell in the house anytime someone opens the gate or walks around my yard. I shut it off when i am detialing and then turn it back on. I also have hidden small cameras that turn on when there is motion and the vcr records it all for me.
go to www.x10.com and look around.

bgruver · 10-28-02, 08:54

The x10 products are neat. I can't wait to fool around with some of the devices - once I buy a house that is. A simple system like the poster is looking for shouldn't cost too much using X10 products.

DaveGS4 · 10-28-02, 08:16

For the guys with monitored alarms in their garage...

How do you have it wired to work when you drive up to the house and open the garage door with your remote?

Here's my issue. Most alarms have two settings similar to 'on home' and 'on away'. 'On home' sets up all the perimeter, but does not usually turn on motion sensors inside the house. 'On away' turns on everything (assume this is the setting you'll use for the question below).

If you have a motion sensor in your two-car garage and you open the door and drive in - the alarm should begin a countdown to enter your code. Depending on how much time you've allowed yourself, it seems like you'd need to jump out of the car, unlock the house and get inside to disarm the alarm very quickly. Add groceries or fumbling with keys and you're out of time and the police are on the way to your house.

I guess there are a couple of alternatives like installing a keypad in the garage, or remote disarm of the home alarm. Anything else obvious I'm missing to make this work?

NY detailer · 10-29-02, 05:13

The alarms i was reffering too was from x10.com
It was to monitor the garage, you will have motion, camera, auto lights, etc...
there was no keypad or anything like that.

I do know that you can get an alram installed like ADT and get a wireless key chain remote to turn the alarm off when you pull up to your home.

NYD

DaveGS4 · 10-29-02, 08:43

Thanks NYD. I've actually got those exact remotes myself. Here's the problem with them - you don't always know that they worked when you disarm outside the house where you can't hear the beeps from the alarm that represent the "30 seconds before I go off for real" warning. Hearing this warning from the drivers seat pulling into the garage is going to be difficult if not impossible.

One other disadvantage (for my system anyway) - my alarm pages me to let me know when the remotes are used (versus the master code which does not page me). Don't want to be paged every time I personally come in & out of the house.

Have also thought about programming my built in auto homelink with the same signal as the alarm remote, but decided it was a bad idea to have my car sitting in the garage with a button to disarm the home alarm.