Shed/Workshop alarm systems

[Rockburner]

Anyone got one? Could recommend one?

My workshop is not attached to the house, but does have mains electricity: but all I really want is a very very loud alarm that goes off if anyone gets inside (which is now hopefully a lot harder to achieve than before...)

[MingtheMerciless]

Blank shotgun cartridge trip wire alarm, by fook are they loud. The flash is a bit disconcerting as well. I've set mine off a few times by mistake, I normally have a nano second warning as I feel the trip wire go tight across my shin before all hell lets loose.

[wheelnut]

Can you integrate it into your house alarm? Our alarm is wireless and although the garage is detached and 20m from the house it works fine, There’s a PIR, a sound bomb and a separate bell box on the outside of the garage,

[ZRX61]

Pressure pad on the floor just inside the door, Pressure sensors on windows etc, both connected to strobes (external) & sirens.

If you forget to disarm the system, I can guarantee you'll only do it once...

[Eclipse]

If your shed/workshop has internet you might consider smart home devices.
I use TP-Link Tapo devices, you can set cameras, motion detectors and door/window contacts events to activate
smart plugs and turn on what you like. You can also link some of them to alexa or google home, plus you get event notifications on your mobile phone.

[Rockburner]

Can you integrate it into your house alarm? Our alarm is wireless and although the garage is detached and 20m from the house it works fine, There’s a PIR, a sound bomb and a separate bell box on the outside of the garage,

No, unfortunately there's a public road between the buildings. (we own two plots of land, either side of the road).

[Rockburner]

If your shed/workshop has internet you might consider smart home devices.
I use TP-Link Tapo devices, you can set cameras, motion detectors and door/window contacts events to activate
smart plugs and turn on what you like. You can also link some of them to alexa or google home, plus you get event notifications on your mobile phone.

We're not into smart devices (call me a luddite if you like), but thanks for mentioning a brand name to investigate if we ever go down that route (IIRC our 4G router is TP-link)

[cheb]

How does the power get to the shed? Is there a duct under the road you could feed a wire through?

[Rockburner]

How does the power get to the shed? Is there a duct under the road you could feed a wire through?

err - an armoured cable fed under a culvert (that's 99% full of mud/water 90% of the year) by (presumably) the previous owner of the house. It's one those "spur off a spur off a spur" arrangements and there's a domestic distribution box somewhere in there as well so a network-extension plug very likely won't work (although I've not tried one...).


TBH I'm looking for a simple "fit and forget" system that will just set off a loud alarm if tinkered with - anything overly complex involving networks or wifi or 3g or whatever isn't what I'm looking for.

[cheb]

I was thinking you could run a cable through it and connect the shed to the house alarm as a separate zone.

It may not be possible, I know very little about alarms.

[KungFooBob]

https://www.henrykrank.com/alarm-mine-h4990/

[Rockburner]

I was thinking you could run a cable through it and connect the shed to the house alarm as a separate zone.

It may not be possible, I know very little about alarms.

Good idea..... if we had a house alarm...


(We have had a company come round, but since the guy seems to be allergic to answering simple questions from prospective clients we're looking elsewhere).

[cheb]

Ah....

[Count Steer]

I was thinking you could run a cable through it and connect the shed to the house alarm as a separate zone.

It may not be possible, I know very little about alarms.

Good idea..... if we had a house alarm...


(We have had a company come round, but since the guy seems to be allergic to answering simple questions from prospective clients we're looking elsewhere).

The bigger companies all seem more interested in getting you on a maintenance contract than the actual alarm installation. Ours was installed and supported by a local company until they got bought out by a national one. The new lot made a 'courtesy call' ie a sales visit wanting to sell me a new system (and new maintenance contract) for some ridiculous £sum. As far as I could make out it sounded just like one of the self-install, wireless systems you can buy from Screwfix etc for 1/3rd the price. So I cancelled the existing contract. (I can replace a back-up battery every few years myself ta v much).

Something like this would probably suffice.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/yale-hsa-ess ... -kit/344jf

[Rockburner]

I was thinking you could run a cable through it and connect the shed to the house alarm as a separate zone.

It may not be possible, I know very little about alarms.

Good idea..... if we had a house alarm...


(We have had a company come round, but since the guy seems to be allergic to answering simple questions from prospective clients we're looking elsewhere).

The bigger companies all seem more interested in getting you on a maintenance contract than the actual alarm installation. Ours was installed and supported by a local company until they got bought out by a national one. The new lot made a 'courtesy call' ie a sales visit wanting to sell me a new system (and new maintenance contract) for some ridiculous £sum. As far as I could make out it sounded just like one of the self-install, wireless systems you can buy from Screwfix etc for 1/3rd the price. So I cancelled the existing contract. (I can replace a back-up battery every few years myself ta v much).

Something like this would probably suffice.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/yale-hsa-ess ... -kit/344jf

Oddly enough - that system is exactly the one I've been looking at and wondering if it's any good. (All I'd want is a 2nd door sensor to add to it).

[Count Steer]

Good idea..... if we had a house alarm...


(We have had a company come round, but since the guy seems to be allergic to answering simple questions from prospective clients we're looking elsewhere).

The bigger companies all seem more interested in getting you on a maintenance contract than the actual alarm installation. Ours was installed and supported by a local company until they got bought out by a national one. The new lot made a 'courtesy call' ie a sales visit wanting to sell me a new system (and new maintenance contract) for some ridiculous £sum. As far as I could make out it sounded just like one of the self-install, wireless systems you can buy from Screwfix etc for 1/3rd the price. So I cancelled the existing contract. (I can replace a back-up battery every few years myself ta v much).

Something like this would probably suffice.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/yale-hsa-ess ... -kit/344jf

Oddly enough - that system is exactly the one I've been looking at and wondering if it's any good. (All I'd want is a 2nd door sensor to add to it).

Well, I guess you can put the alarm where you (and thieving scrotes) can hear it and out of their reach. Main issue for me is actually the battery operation. I'd assume (but don't know) that you monitor the battery state via an app but it still means you need to keep on top of it...which I probably wouldn't ).

[Rockburner]

The bigger companies all seem more interested in getting you on a maintenance contract than the actual alarm installation. Ours was installed and supported by a local company until they got bought out by a national one. The new lot made a 'courtesy call' ie a sales visit wanting to sell me a new system (and new maintenance contract) for some ridiculous £sum. As far as I could make out it sounded just like one of the self-install, wireless systems you can buy from Screwfix etc for 1/3rd the price. So I cancelled the existing contract. (I can replace a back-up battery every few years myself ta v much).

Something like this would probably suffice.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/yale-hsa-ess ... -kit/344jf

Oddly enough - that system is exactly the one I've been looking at and wondering if it's any good. (All I'd want is a 2nd door sensor to add to it).

Well, I guess you can put the alarm where you (and thieving scrotes) can hear it and out of their reach. Main issue for me is actually the battery operation. I'd assume (but don't know) that you monitor the battery state via an app but it still means you need to keep on top of it...which I probably wouldn't ).

I think on the non-connected systems the battery status (when low) is shown by flashing leds on the components (or something).

I wouldn't want the app-enabled one - it means having a 3G connection which is added cost for something I wouldn't find useful.