House Alarm Prices Survey

Alarm Bell BoxHi folks,
recently we carried out a quick house alarm prices survey of alarm installation and upgrade costs from installers listed on our site.   Most of the installers surveyed were from the Dublin area but there were a couple from outside Dublin.  We asked them for rough prices for installing or upgrading an alarm system in an average home.  Modern alarm systems offer several advantages over the older systems.  For example they may have better tamper proof protection and the ability to notify one or more keyholders by text message when an alarm is activated.  Modern alarm systems can also be installed wirelessly and there are advantages and disadvantages to these systems.  Therefore, it’s best to ask your installer about the different options before choosing the right system for your home.

Here is a sample of the replies we received below:-

Joe L: depends on Wireless or Wired.  We have a basic wireless package starting from €590 Inc VAT that includes:
Wireless Alarm Price
Quantum 70 wireless Panel with built in siren
Front Door Contact
Back door contact and sensor
2 Motion detectors
Wireless Bellbox
Decoy Bellbox
Keyfob
1 year’s free Monitoring (T&C)
If you want the windows done it’s around €90 extra per window.

Wired Alarm Price
If the house was prewired our systems can start from as little as €650 Inc VAT which includes:
10/70 Hybrid panel
Batter
Bellbox
Decoy
Int bell
Keypad
Front Door
Back Door
Sitting room Window
Kitchen Window
PIR Landing

1 years free Monitoring (T&C)

If they want the upstairs done it will cost around €40 per window if wired.  Make sure they are PSA Licensed and Insured and Tax Clearance Cert.  Hope this helps.

Darren C:  3 bed house alarm would be 570 inc vat.  That’s for a house with 2 doors and 8 windows and a pir in the hall.  Thats windows getting inertia sensors and
Front door a contact and sliding door getting a sensor with built in
contact.  Extra cost if sensors were changed to ones with built in contact.

Panel up grade would be 310 inc vat thats just changing panel outside
bellbox and keypad. Extras would occur if sensors, contacts or motion sensor
needed to be changed.

Simon D: Roughly around €749 incl. Vat for a new install and for an upgrade from an
old system maybe €500 – 575 depending on how recent it was installed

Depending on what the customer is looking for as regards an upgrade check
for condition of wires and if the building has changed since last install
(extensions) draft up a new design plan to better suit their needs.  Hope this helps

Fergus M : A 3 bedroom house would vary between €599 to €899 depending on type of system and number of devices.  Make sure installer has a current PSA licence number.
Choose between wired or wireless and also good to have a local company install Alarm system as it would be a quicker response time of call out if client should need this .
Make sure system is to En 50131 standards

Brendan O: There are 2 different types of systems,

1) A wired alarm with internal passive infra red beam a wired bell box
control panel and digital keypad comes in at €500.00

2) The same equipment only wire free comes in at €650.00

All alarms come with a completion certificate and we are registered

Ciaran R: If the house is prewired to the windows prices range between 500-900 euro if the hse requires Wirefree alarm system prices range from 700-1300 … Currently we are doing a promo of 2 internal PIRS front door back door sensors all wire free for 599 euros

Matthew M: Prices start at €499 which will cover front & back door and 2 internal beams.

Monitoring cost approx. €16.25 a month.

Additional points cost €70 each.

The customer should make sure the company they use is licenced by the P.S.A..

Peter T: We Would Mainly Do Larger Installations Such As Schools,Factories, Office Blocks ( Industrial & Commercial )

Average 3Bed House Alarm Thats Is Pre-Wired (All Windows Covered With Vibration & Reed Sensors ) €550 + VAT Approx

Average 3Bed House Alarm Wireless (All Windows Covered With Viberation & Reed Sensors ) €850 + VAT Approx

Be Carefull Of Contractors Installing PIR’s As All Entry Points Need To Be Covered To Have A Clean Cert With No ” Non Conformances ”

—-

Well as you can see there is a big variation in prices with new installations ranging from €570 for the most basic to €1,300 for a bigger installation.  Upgrades start at €310.   I suppose the lesson from this survey is to get a number of quotes and get as much advice as possible so that you have an alarm system which suits your needs and conforms with or exceeds the minimum standards.

Most respondants to our survey made the point that an alarm installer must be PSA registered to install, upgrade or service an alarm in Ireland.  It is illegal for anyone to work with alarms unless they have a PSA license so please ask to see their PSA license with photo ID and/or check out their details at www.psa.gov.ie.  One of the respondants also recommended hiring an installer who is as local as possible.  This is because if anything ever goes wrong with the alarm you need to know that your alarm installer can come out at short notice and fix it if necessary.

Always get a detailed quote in writing before proceeding with the job and check whether the prices are inclusive or exclusive of VAT.   Please remember that an alarm system is no substitute for having well secured doors and windows in your home so make sure that you ask a good locksmith to check your locks when you get a chance:)

I hope this helps some of you who are looking for alarm prices for installing or upgrading your alarm.  If you decide to go ahead with it you can get a number of alarm prices here and get up to 4 quotes fast from rated tradesmen!

Cheers
Oliver Dempsey
Tradesmen.ie
9th September 2013

More Alarms and Security Related Articles:-

Can a Burglar Alarm Protect my Home?

What are the best types of door locks?

Ten Easy Ways to Prevent a Burglary

Security Camera Tips for the Home

More Home Improvement and Renovation Price Surveys:-

Bathroom Renovation Cost Survey

Window and Door Prices Survey

Flooring Prices Survey

Tiling Prices Survey

House Painting Price Survey

Attic Conversion Prices Survey

House Extension Prices Survey

Conservatory Prices Survey

About Oliver Dempsey

Owner and Managing Director at Tradesmen.ie and contributor to the Tradesmen.ie Blog DISCLAIMER: All content provided in my articles is for informational purposes only. The information contained in these articles has been obtained from research carried out by myself through online and offline sources and through other writers and contributors who provide me with content. While I am responsible for the final editing of each article and I do my best to verify the information, I do not make representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information. Therefore you must not rely on the information contained in any of these articles and always make sure to seek the advice of a suitably qualified expert before embarking on any project.
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  • Patrick Chesser

    Great article Oliver! Just wondering as well,
    have you any advice on how to deal with flies setting off the alarms when you’re
    away? We went away on a holiday recently and a friend of mine minding the house
    had to disable the alarm at least 5 times in the space of two weeks just
    because of these insects! Even when I get a repair man to take a look at it the
    same problem keeps arising a couple of days after this. Not sure whether to
    continue using it or just disconnect the alarm completely as it is very costly
    and frustratingly time consuming.

  • tradesmen1

    Hi Patrick,
    thanks for your comments. I’m not an expert but from my own experience I have been told that flies shouldn’t set them off unless they are very large flies like blue bottles. Spiders can set off the alarm if they build a web infront of the motion detector and crawl infront of it. If your alarm is set up for remote log in you should be able to disable one of the zones remotely and then when you get back home you can clear away the spider’s web or get an engineer to look at it if it is a fault with the motion detector. If small flies are setting off the alarm the motion detectors are too sensitive and you might see can they be adjusted or replaced. The best thing to do is to talk to a few alarm installers and get some advice from them. The more advice you get the better chance you have of making an informed decision. I hope this helps

    Oliver

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  • tradesmen1

    Hi folks,

    we got another reply from a tradesman today and I have put it below. I hope it helps
    Regards
    Oliver
    “Tony M: Price for an average three bedroom house would be €950. This price is for
    wired or wirefree. The price for upgrading varies but if the existing alarm
    wiring can be utilized then the cost would be around €700. Customers should
    insist on a panic button and at least one PIR movement detector.Customers
    should make sure they deal with a licenced company and ask for references.

    Kind regards,
    Tony”