Alarm systems

Yes. We install Ajax smart wireless alarms for homes and businesses. A wireless alarm needs no cables between the sensors and the control panel, so there's no chasing of walls, no dust and far less disruption. It suits homes where running cables would be difficult, such as finished houses with tiled floors or face-brick walls. You arm, disarm and check the system from an app on your phone, and alerts tell you which sensor was triggered and where. The sensors run on long-life batteries, and the system warns you when one is getting low. Wireless systems can also be moved if you move house, and extra sensors are easy to add later. We plan where each sensor goes on the site visit and list everything on the written quotation.

Not if the system uses pet-friendly detectors placed correctly. Pet-friendly detectors are made to ignore animals up to a set size, so a dog or cat can walk through the house at night without setting off the alarm. Placement counts as much as the detector. A cat jumping onto a counter or climbing the stairs can come close enough to look like a person, so we mount sensors at the right height and angle for your pets. Large dogs may need a different setup, such as sensors on doors and windows instead of indoor movement sensors. On the site visit, we ask about your pets, where they sleep and where they roam. We place each detector to suit, then test the system with the pets moving around before we leave.

Yes. With a GSM or internet-connected alarm system, you can arm, disarm and check the alarm from an app on your phone. You can arm the house from the airport, or check whether the last person to leave remembered to set it. You can also let someone in while you're out, such as a family member who forgot the code. Alerts come to your phone too, naming the zone or sensor triggered, so you know where to look before you do anything. Most modern systems show a history of who armed and disarmed the alarm, and when. Older alarm panels may need an extra module to connect to a phone, or replacing if they're too old. On the site visit, we check your current panel and tell you what's possible.

Yes. We can link your alarm to a CCTV system, so a trigger sends you a clip or a photo along with the alert. At 2am, you see what set the alarm off before you decide whether to go outside, call your armed response company or go back to sleep. A cat on the patio looks different from a person at the back door. Some systems also send the footage to your response company, so they know what they're driving into. We plan the alarm zones and cameras together, so every zone has a camera watching it. Where you already have one system, we check what it can connect to on the site visit. The written quotation lists what's needed to join them and what each part will cost.

Most false alarms come from a few common causes: a draught moving curtains or blinds, an animal crossing a sensor, a flat or failing battery, a faulty or dirty sensor, or a door contact out of line. Insects inside a sensor and sunlight heating a room can trigger them too. Each false alarm costs something more than sleep. An alarm sounding for no reason teaches the house and the street to ignore it, which is the real danger. We test the whole system, check the history on the panel to see which zone keeps triggering, and find the cause. Often it's a simple fix, such as moving a sensor or replacing a battery. If a sensor or the panel is past repair, we tell you and quote for a replacement before any work.

No. We install, service and repair alarm systems, but we don't provide armed response or alarm monitoring. Those services come from a separate security company you choose and pay directly. Our job is to make sure the alarm works and reaches them: we connect the alarm to your chosen response company's control room, and to your phone. If you don't have a response company yet, choose one before you need it. An alarm nobody answers is only noise in the dark. When choosing, ask about their response times in your suburb and how they'll contact you. If you change response companies later, we can reconnect your alarm to the new one. Many people also have their alarm send alerts to their own phone, so they know as soon as the response company does.

Your alarm keeps working during load-shedding as long as its backup battery is healthy. The battery charges while the power is on and takes over when it goes off, keeping the sensors, panel and siren running. Alarm batteries fade over months without any warning sign. A weak battery can make the alarm fail during a long outage, or set it off in the middle of the night when the power drops or comes back. Frequent outages wear batteries out faster than before, so many need replacing every year or two. We test the battery at every service visit and replace it before it fails. If your outages are long, we can fit a bigger battery or link the alarm to solar power or a battery backup system.