I've installed a few Accenta panels over the years - they seem to have worked reliably enough. Programming it always seemed a bit clumsy (these days you'd image they could manage a decent colour screen with a proper user interface rather than keying in 0s and 1s in the right place) but straight forward enough once you've got your head around it. SWIMBO likes the flap the covers the buttons on the keypad - apparently it looks neater that way....


   - Andy.

Texecom Veritas or Premier if budget allows.

Risco Eurosec CP8L is worth a try and there is a choice of keypads.

My old favourite was the Gardtech 800 series now discontinued.

Prior that Scantronic 9800  & 9600.

Also depends how many zones you got John, the Risco Eurosec is 8 Zone, they also do do the CPX which is 8 zone expandable to 16 as it comes in the box via resistors supplied and a built in landline dialler.

Because of the resistor configuration it means that if your existing PIRs are 6 core cable via the traditional 2 loop system you can easy convert each cable to take 2 detectors say back to back in adjacent rooms etc 2 cores for 1 zone, 2 cores for another zone and 2 cores for the 12v supply to both zones. ( 2 core one alarm loop via resistors is also more secure than 4 core 2 loop too)

Also can take a few wireless zones via add ons if you say have a garage/shed across the road etc.

As said, there are other brands too.

The world is yer lobster.

I`ve not mentioned systems that also take cameras or alarm diallers that work on the mobile phone networks for both calls and texts signalling and the abillity to switch a relay or two in your home via your mobile phone.

I agree with that Graham, anything alarm, anything telephone say and any extensions for plugging in computers is a goodstart and commonly available these days.

Graham


Type 2 SPD already fitted. Might go for a Type 3 on the input terminals to the panel.

I had a panel at home go, when the oven element went, Must have taken out the RCD (and mcb - both tripped, but not the 13 A BS 1362 fuse protecting the oven downstream) at an opportune moment to cause chaos with the controller in the panel.


Seen similar cases where faults in the distribution network in the street have eventually given panels in shops permanent amnesia, although granted these panels were more "domestic" than "commercial", but used in smaller shops

Many years ago I did an alarm install in a small sports club in pretty much an open field and got a report by staff the a lightning strike had hit the building and "sent the alarm crazy".

It was in the days prior shock sensors on windows or acoustic glass break detectors therefore a lot of the old window foil strips in the system and I was told that all of the foil had glowed.

In fact it was quite a crack I know as a live within a few miles.

Several folks alarms in our  locality (amongst other things) were permanently damaged.

After about half an hour this alarm settled down and gave years of service afterwards.

It was an A & G BS80/1 control panel.

Back in those days alarm systems were transistors/thyrisors rather than ICs threfore fewer and less sensitive components, the only SPD was in the BT socket attached to the autodialler (old 8 track cartridge 999 dialler).

Would a modern control panel have withstood this event?

Doubtfull, although when I Informed A & G (Carters) they were rather surprised too.

Would an SPD have helped? I don`t know.

I knew an installer who had a few systems over the years that had diallers (old tape diallers including 8 track or the common small tape cassettes) gone down and he had a policy of adding his own SPD in addition to the one in the BT master socket, he felt it helped a lot.

My  view is SPDs in control panels/diallers and the like in addition to surge protected sockets and extensions is probably a good idea and cheap enough. I also think an SPD on our incomming mains supply is probably worthwhile too.


Anywy, back to the plot, John I hope we`ve all given you food for thought for your weekend read, it would be interesting to hear what you finally decide on and why. There is quite a lot of choice these days