Due to yet another local break-in we've decided to fit an alarm to our van. Any recommendations or advice greatly appreciated. Pretty good at DIY stuff so looking for something I can fit myself.
The Concept KEL caravan alarm was always an excellent and recommended device. This has now been replaced by the Protector Two, by the same manufacturer, Keen Electronics. They specialise in caravan alarms and as such, their products offer very comprehensive protection.
i can give another thumbs up for the concept Kel - it seems that the only thing that has changed with the new model is the casings.
easy to fit if you are happy with routing cables.
the only critisim i have is that the actual alarm sounder is not great...i keep meaning to wire in a second sounder.
If it goes off, it wakes the neigbours, but not us as its on the other side of the van from our house if you knwo what I mean.
choose one with a very loud siren, you cant hear most modern alarms after 100yds and most people will ignore it anyway. very loud will help scare off the low life
Before lashing out any money, make sure it is insurance approved with your insurance company. May save you a bit on your annual premium. We have the Kel concept fitted.
Thanks for the advice. I will take a look at the Kel. Last night missed a new IDM4 on Ebay for £100.
To be honest I'm now having second thoiughts. Looking at it logicaly what benefit will an alarm give you? We don't store anything of value in the van and it would be difficult to tow away due to where we park it. The most costly part of a break-in could be the damage done getting into the van and that could happen with or without an alarm.
I can see some benefit to having an alarm when on site to protect the contents.
We just have a single PIR alarm unit ( about a fiver ) for use when on site for opportunists . We dont see the point of an alarm on storage as we dont store anything valuable + the site is like a maximum security prison + we already have the maximum discount available with our insurance :)
Quote: Originally posted by bobajob59 on 08/7/2011
...To be honest I'm now having second thoiughts.
To be fair, there's always the issue whether an alarm would actually deter a determined thief, but just worth checking out your current insurance for specific requirements. My renewal had the addition of an alarm being fitted to comply with policy, with regards to storage conditions. The alarm was already fitted anyway, but if alarm is a requirement and not fitted, then insurance company would arguably have another cop-out should a claim be made.
Quote: Originally posted by bobajob59 on 08/7/2011
Thanks for the advice. I will take a look at the Kel. Last night missed a new IDM4 on Ebay for £100.
To be honest I'm now having second thoiughts. Looking at it logicaly what benefit will an alarm give you? We don't store anything of value in the van and it would be difficult to tow away due to where we park it. The most costly part of a break-in could be the damage done getting into the van and that could happen with or without an alarm.
I can see some benefit to having an alarm when on site to protect the contents.
BTW if you fit it yourself, in order to get an insurance discount you will need to supply a certificate of competence to show that it has been fitted correctly. Most fitters will supply this for about £15 even if you have fitted it yourself once they have checked the system.
We fitted a Keene alarm on our last van and the insurers didn't ask for any certificate. I probably would have got someone to fit it if I had found someone.