OT: Alarm system motion detector

Tom,,

I am in the security business. If ADT is quoting $400 for a single hard wired motion detector, that's crazy. (unless the wiring run is very long/unsual.)

Standard cost for an additional device, installed should be $125~150 tops. That's NY prices.

First, find out what the term of your original contract is. If the contract has ended or is in renewal, open up your yellow pages and call a few local security dealers. Ask them to take over your system. They might even throw in the motion detector for free if you bargain.

You need a real security dealer. Forget about the Rube Goldberg contraptions.

ADT is owned by TYCO (ala Kowalski). You're paying for his Roman parties.

Tony

I'm still getting broken into almost every weekend again and the thieves only get the employee's food in the refrigerators and make a mess. I have the tools locked-up. We have an ADT system with door contacts and 4 motion detectors. ADT wants $400 for a motion detector so my idea is to install some or all of the 10 I bought for $14 ea. on a separate system that triggers a relay to turn on a fan in front of ADT's motion detector. However, a fan won't trigger the motion detector. I can't "cut-in" to ADT's system actively so I need to do it passively...any ideas?

(I won't sit down here with a gun, I won't make a batch of Exlax brownies! I do have an armed guard service that is in here every couple of hours.)

Leave the door unlocked on the weekend. Make up a tape loop of a bunch of 'good old boys' sitting around and talking guns.

Set up a relay or use the motion detector that turns off the lights when the door is opened and at the same time activates a bunch of lasers pointed at said door.

Rent a big dog for a while.

Regards. Ken.

A couple of things you can do...Can you move the motion detectors where they will be activated? This likely will not be a problem for ADT as they rarely keep track of actual location of sensors. That should only be 2 wires. You could even add a sensor to run in series to the existing one, so if either kicked off that would activate it. Kind of like 2 contacts running through one input line. Do it right and ADT won't even know. You didn't say what kind of $14 sensors you had or what system they would work with. You could set up the additional off line sensors to trigger an internal bell that might just scare off any intruders. Also, you could rig the sensors to trigger the fan with a flag or strips of cloth to trigger the ADT sensors. I use an independant monitoring company that allows me to make my own changes. Just don't make any overt efforts to hurt anyone, or you'll end up with a nasty law suit.

-Mike

I am sorry, but what about the obvious, improving the doors and windows and such. If you have internet on premises, you may be able to use X10 cameras, which can send images over the internet. Also, it is a great idea to keep a [possibly chained] dog on premises, with a doghouse etc.

see below

you can make your relay release a swinging bag via a simple pull solenoid. You would have the bag (full of old rags or whatever) hung from the ceiling, and held by a solenoid like a swing ready to start swinging. The solenoid would release it. It is a one time thing, but very likely to work.

Does the motion detector detect IR? If so, you can have your relays turn on a space heater.

Sit the fan on a platform with wheels so it will roll away ...

Nick

Have fan blow on something which creates lots of motion such as ribbon, toilet paper, or............

Else buy one of those motorized advertizing gimmicks which shake, bounce, rotate, or whatever to be activated instead of a fan.

Are the motion detectors IR sensitive? If so, how about a slowly flashing heat lamp aimed at the detector?

Ned Simmons

1. Nope, 4 wires..NO and NC used with no common.
2. ADT has some minor repairs every few month and the same guy does them...he KNOWS every inch of his work...I can't "cut in".
3. My sensor have a NO and a NC with a common
4. I tried the strips of cloth without joy. Maybe foil?

The X-10 wireless cameras I have are crap in here, too much metal and distance. My kitties here probably wouldn't like a dog here.

EUREKA! Will try!

That and I wouldn't buy from them if they were the only vendor around. All that popup crap they pulled a couple years ago (shudder) How about homeautomation.com ?

Dave Hinz

Well, Tom, it sounds like you have some hungry neighbors. Maybe you should set food out for them.

- - Rex Burkheimer

Tom Gardner wrote:

Do the guards have access to the inside (key)? Long ago I installed alarm systems. More than once the minor problems were the guards themselves. Just a thought.

Surprising that ADT isn't more helpful as your situation is not a positive advertisement.

I mean, this might be a pretty basic question, but why in the hell are you still paying ADT if your still getting broken into ???

At my parents cottage my Dad installed a motion light and then hooked up a large radio and big light to it. It was only ever activated twice and nothing was missing. Try the same thing except add an audio tape that starts when the power is activated, thief's hate voices. Activating the motion sensor should work with a light.

I think the motion detector works or changes in the infrared levels. So a person ( warm object ) will trigger it, but a fan will not. But if you had a infrared emmitter placed so the fan blades modulated the levels that the motion detector saw............ So how about a light placed so the fan blades cast shadows on the motion detector. Easy to try.

Dan

Tom Gardner (nospam) wrote: so my idea is to install

"Tom Gardner" wrote in message news:7BTBe.2689$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com... | The X-10 wireless cameras I have are crap in here, too much metal and | distance. | My kitties here probably wouldn't like a dog here.

I recall a pawn shop next to a store where I worked as a kid. He had a boa constrictor snake inside and a sign warning as such. Now any intelligent person fears no threat to full sized humans from a boa, well fed or not. The only thing that ever happened was that the cops called one day and said a fellow was in the back and cornered by the snake, hollering his head off. He drove to his store laughing the whole way because there's no way that snake can ever "corner" a human. The fellow had soiled himself and was all too happy to be led away by the cops.... as they stepped right over the snake. That was the only break in he ever had after installing his new security system. Then I saw the note about the kitties... Maybe for the evenings and weekends the animals swap cages....

Hell, I bet the sign alone will do wonders.