What is the best car alarm?

[05Rrunner]

I find it interesting that virtually EVERY insurance company I got quotes from for my photography gear insisted on an armed car alarm in order for theft protection while in my vehicle. Do you suppose that they might have some statistical data that contradicts your opinion? I'm betting they do.

Besides that, the newer systems actually alert you now that they are going off....so you have a good chance of thwarting the theft yourself if you're close enough to respond. To each his own, but I think they make a difference. They probably won't stop a simple "smash and grab", but they will likely discourage something that takes more time. If nothing else, you get the satisfaction of knowing they had to put up with that annoying siren while they were doing the deed.

Yes insurance company's like it when you spend your money to help protect them, but in the real world.I do not want to stop or catch a criminal in the act that's why I have insurance. Pick a new color and move on. Not worth getting hurt or worse over stuff in a truck or a broke window. I have had many cars with alarms broken into and stolen. Alarms do not stop a real thief. But if it helps you sleep it's worth it to you. For me never again , if it has factory ok whatever but never again aftermarket.

 

[gshadow325]

This coming from a person that had a full custom truck stolen , several broken into all with high quality alarms. The police and the insurance agent laughed when I brought up the alarm. They basically said they go off all the time people don't even give it a second look or do not want to get involved period. Alarms are for honest people or kids joyriding , a real thief stole my full custom 4x4 in a busy gym parking lot and it was never found. Police said crooks flat bed them with alarms blazing and nobody cares. Of course the insurance company thinks its a good idea for you to spend your money to help them protect there investment. Yea I know "But they give me a small credit" to each there own , funny thing is since I stopped buying alarms I have had no problems. Go figure.

In my city of brotherly love, Philadelphia PA. I see the Police regularly stop tow trucks to check the paperwork on the vehicles they are towing. It doesnt sound like your taxes are working for you since the police dont do anything about the car thefts.

How long ago this this theft of your custom 4x4 occur? why i ask, telematics is a big industry right now. i do a ton of installs for a 9000+ vehicle fleet to thwart vehicle thefts. they are being transported in containers overseas. Maybe if that was available when you had your truck, you would still have it now.

I dont know how my vehicle will be a insurance company's investment. Wouldnt it be MY investment and the insurance company insures it for me?

Since you stop buying alarms, maybe your POLICE department has been doing a better job. Maybe you are just that lucky not to be a statistic.

You are right no one cares about stuff that is not theirs. i have ignored car alarms going off myself too.

Yes insurance company's like it when you spend your money to help protect them, but in the real world.I do not want to stop or catch a criminal in the act that's why I have insurance. Pick a new color and move on. Not worth getting hurt or worse over stuff in a truck or a broke window. I have had many cars with alarms broken into and stolen. Alarms do not stop a real thief. But if it helps you sleep it's worth it to you. For me never again , if it has factory ok whatever but never again aftermarket.

I dont think anyone wants to catch a thief in action.

Your insurance is most likely NOT going to replace the Raybans you got for Christmas from grandma, since you don't have a receipt or that work laptop or that Louie Vitton purse your now ex girlfriend left in the truck that had $$$ in it.

When does a smash and grab cause a truck to be totaled? thats the only time you can go pick a new color and move on less a bunch of cash that you needed for a trade in.

My truck has at least $8000 of mods and hardware in it. Its a trade-in valued truck at $10k MAX

My Alarms will stop a real thief.
*My truck will honk the factory horn when set off
*My truck will set off if the main power is cut because of battery back up
*My truck has a GPS tracking device in it. Drone Mobile. It will alert me via text, email and application alerts on my phone.
*My truck has a digital tilt sensor that will sense any movement more than 1.5 degrees. example: towing, impact, shock
*My truck also has a Compustar Dash, front and rear dash cam with motion sensor, GPS sensor and gyro scope. mess with my truck and i have you on video.
*My truck will also trigger my horn blasters train horns. the whole neighborhood will wake up when that happens. No way of ignoring my alarm when it goes off. My alarm doesn't false so it never cries wolf.

I also own my truck, tittle in hand the bank doesn't own mine, so dont like others taking stuff that is not theirs.

Everyone's situation, needs, wants, desires and location is different. What works for you might not work for everyone.

Great discussion by the way!

 

[gm350reratliff]

Hopefully, the blinking light will detour most theives. Usually it does. If they do get in, hopefully I'll get notified via Drone mobile on my phone in a timely manner then it's :uzi: and/or :bash:

 

[gshadow325]

Hopefully, the blinking light will detour most theives. Usually it does. If they do get in, hopefully I'll get notified via Drone mobile on my phone in a timely manner then it's :uzi: and/or :bash:

this just happened to a fellow volvo owner in West Little Rock, AR. last night

"Robert Spinner Garrett, about 20 reasons. Main one being the fact that I'm on the road and was dog tired after driving 10 hours, then helping a guy get his 850 on the road by changing his timing belt, water pump, etc., in the dark for $0 with MY PARTS late last night. In some countries, that would cost you an arm."

lost a laptop, nice guy that travels a lot. he doesnt know if its a good or bad neighborhood. He just became a statistic, its just a laptop lost and a broken window. $300 for a used laptop and $50 for the glass = total $450 after labor..deductable is $500. Who looses in the end? Nice volvo guy!

[

 

[rcollins12918]

Yeah, I just had 12k looted from my truck. ALL my camera gear!!! Definietly adding a security system

Giving this thread a bump, as I have to install an alarm system because my insurance rider on my camera gear requires it. In my FJ Cruiser, I had a Viper system. Pretty basic, but made noise and had the glaring blue strobe to warn would-be "snatch and grabbers" that the vehicle was alarmed. I'm definitely going to look into Compustar after reading this thread! I wanted to have remote start and also ability to control the alarm remotely and be warned at considerable distance that the alarm was going off. These were features I didn't have with the basic Viper system I had in my last vehicle.

Like some others pointed out, I'm not so worried about the vehicle being stolen as I am about breakins to steal things from the vehicle. I'm sure that's why my insurance carrier wants it too in order to keep my rates reasonable.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

Yeah, I just had 12k looted from my truck. ALL my camera gear!!! Definietly adding a security system

Thieves break into 1000s of vehicles everyday with or without security systems.

One way to help prevent it is to have nothing of value in plain view. Thieves can smash a window; grab-n-go in a heartbeat.

 

[Jtwo]

Move some place that it isn't a concern. I used to live in Tampa and Atlanta. Now, I could leave the keys in the ignition in my driveway for months and have no problem.

Couldn't leave a Mtn Bike out front though......:lol:

 

[Jeremy556]

Couldn't leave a Mtn Bike out front though......:lol:

lol, very true. Most people around here, their mountain bike frames are worth more than their car.

 

[Engineer]

More maintenance than a compustar but equally effective

 

[RG79]

I have installed hundreds of alarms in my day. My personal opinion is that directed electronics manufactures the best car alarms. Car alarms have a bad rap due to crappy products and crappy installers. If you get a good alarm and an even better installer you will be very happy. Another good thing to do is get a distinctive siren/horn alert so you know it's your car going off and not someone else's. Also get a pager remote or an alarm that can alert your mobilephone or email ie:smart start. You guys are all right no one is going to give a shit about your alarm going of besides it annoying them. The alert is for the vehicle owner to listen for, I have a warn away feature on mine that honks the horn 3 times if someone bumps into it. We install a ton of alarms for new car dealers and we offer a theft benefit with our alarm that covers up to $3000 for content theft or vandalism with a zero deductable.

Anyone looking for a great alarm and great installers in So-Cal hit me up....

 

[gshadow325]

I have installed hundreds of alarms in my day. My personal opinion is that directed electronics manufactures the best car alarms. Car alarms have a bad rap due to crappy products and crappy installers. If you get a good alarm and an even better installer you will be very happy. Another good thing to do is get a distinctive siren/horn alert so you know it's your car going off and not someone else's. Also get a pager remote or an alarm that can alert your mobilephone or email ie:smart start. You guys are all right no one is going to give a shit about your alarm going of besides it annoying them. The alert is for the vehicle owner to listen for, I have a warn away feature on mine that honks the horn 3 times if someone bumps into it. We install a ton of alarms for new car dealers and we offer a theft benefit with our alarm that covers up to $3000 for content theft or vandalism with a zero deductable.

Anyone looking for a great alarm and great installers in So-Cal hit me up....

You must have been out of the security business for a whole since you still hold dei in such high regards lol. Dei is losing more and more market share to Compustar on a daily basis. Compustar has better variety of remotes, hardware integration and technology.

Dei to me is like Apple, when you don't know better. It's the shit.

When you do know better, Android or Compustar all the way.

You might want to get your hands on a Compustar to install and you might change your tune about directed. I know of one directed convert here on t4r

BTW, not trying to start a alarm war lol

 

[Desert Fox]

[MENTION=93434]gshadow325[/MENTION] If I understand correctly the Compustar features can be turned on or off depending on user selection. Is that correct?
I am looking at the Compustar CS7102-AS system. Is there one better?

Can you recommend an installer in the Colorado Springs Colorado area?

 

[ben550]

This is probably what [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] would say to someone if they stole his 4runner...

For practical purposes substitute "4runner" for "daughter" haha

<iframe width="890" height="515" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KgmO32IdwuE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[gshadow325]

[MENTION=93434]gshadow325[/MENTION] If I understand correctly the Compustar features can be turned on or off depending on user selection. Is that correct?
I am looking at the Compustar CS7102-AS system. Is there one better?

Can you recommend an installer in the Colorado Springs Colorado area?

Well what feature did you want to turn on and off?

The LT series from Compustar is the lower end no frills, non upgrade-able , no add on system.
LT SERIES | Compustar.com

I am a Pro Dealer, so i would be using their 7000 series of controllers.

The product mix i would suggest is
-7000 series controller. this could be a alarm or alarm and remote starter unit.
- Learn more about FTX Remote Starts these remotes. if not the g7 or g8 remotes
-RPS touch
-Drone Mobile

i would intergrate the rear window to roll up and down from the remote too.

thats what i would do.

here's a place from the dealer locator. can tell you if they good or bad, ypu'll have to go in and get a feel for them and see if they know what they talking about. they are not listed as a pro dealer, that means they dont do a lot of compustar but doesnt mean they are bad installers.

Autosound & Tint
1528 North Academy Boulevard
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
719-636-2676

 

[RG79]

You must have been out of the security business for a whole since you still hold dei in such high regards lol. Dei is losing more and more market share to Compustar on a daily basis. Compustar has better variety of remotes, hardware integration and technology.

Dei to me is like Apple, when you don't know better. It's the shit.

When you do know better, Android or Compustar all the way.

You might want to get your hands on a Compustar to install and you might change your tune about directed. I know of one directed convert here on t4r

BTW, not trying to start a alarm war lol

Yes, I still currently am actively involved in the alarm business. My company installs over 500 alarms a month. For what we do Directed has been a great partner. I am sure compustar is a great company but I am not an12volt retailer and for my application (new car dealers/integration) Directed has custom built programs that suit my needs. But, with all that being said they are second to none.

 

[gm350reratliff]

You must have been out of the security business for a whole since you still hold dei in such high regards lol. Dei is losing more and more market share to Compustar on a daily basis. Compustar has better variety of remotes, hardware integration and technology.

Dei to me is like Apple, when you don't know better. It's the shit.

When you do know better, Android or Compustar all the way.

You might want to get your hands on a Compustar to install and you might change your tune about directed. I know of one directed convert here on t4r

BTW, not trying to start a alarm war lol

Hmmmm, must be talking about me. I agree with the statements above as well.

Well what feature did you want to turn on and off?

The LT series from Compustar is the lower end no frills, non upgrade-able , no add on system.
LT SERIES | Compustar.com

I am a Pro Dealer, so i would be using their 7000 series of controllers.

The product mix i would suggest is
-7000 series controller. this could be a alarm or alarm and remote starter unit.
- Learn more about FTX Remote Starts these remotes. if not the g7 or g8 remotes
-RPS touch
-Drone Mobile

i would intergrate the rear window to roll up and down from the remote too.

thats what i would do.

I also agree on the parts listed above. For me the RPS touch and Drone Mobile are the two items that really set it apart from the others.

Yes, I still currently am actively involved in the alarm business. My company installs over 500 alarms a month. For what we do Directed has been a great partner. I am sure compustar is a great company but I am not an12volt retailer and for my application (new car dealers/integration) Directed has custom built programs that suit my needs. But, with all that being said they are second to none.

Your selling over 500 DEI products a month? No wonder DEI takes care of you. Years ago when I installed alarms our shop was probably like 50-60 a month. I was the only one who installed at the shop (truck accessory shop, lift kits, 5th wheels, custom fab primarily). DEI was good to us at first but in 2008-09 we had a rash of bad DEI stuff. At that point DEI pretty much told us to just deal with it. We had a hard time getting stuff warrantied, reimbursed, etc. Kind of turned me off to them.

Now I've never had to deal with Compustar on that front but I do like how things are integrated/programmable over DEI. I also like how I can upgrade/downgrade without replacing the entire system. I can recall so many times in the past our shop installed a basic RS system and a week later the customer wanted to upgrade to a 2-way remote or something like that. It would have been so much easier with compustar.

I do agree that ultimately how a system performs comes down to the quality of the install itself.

 

[gshadow325]

Yes, I still currently am actively involved in the alarm business. My company installs over 500 alarms a month. For what we do Directed has been a great partner. I am sure compustar is a great company but I am not an12volt retailer and for my application (new car dealers/integration) Directed has custom built programs that suit my needs. But, with all that being said they are second to none.

So you a expediter?

Each brand has it's merits and short comings.

By saying directed is second to none, that's a matter of opinion. Since I would say Compustar is second to none lol

You should try a Compustar install. One is all you need to be convince to switch to the other side. Take your hardest car to install with DEi, then look at the Compustar solution.

 

[RG79]

So you a expediter?

Each brand has it's merits and short comings.

By saying directed is second to none, that's a matter of opinion. Since I would say Compustar is second to none lol

You should try a Compustar install. One is all you need to be convince to switch to the other side. Take your hardest car to install with DEi, then look at the Compustar solution.

Yes we are expeditors. I agree, it's all a matter of opinion. That being said I have never tried compustar so I don't have one yet. I will check them out but, being here in San Diego there is not much demand for RS.

 

[gshadow325]

There's tons if demand for alarms? Kinda neat to see different corners of America tend to use different stuff. Northeast and most northern States now and Canada use tons of remote starters, mid Atlantic States use more combo units and southern States use more alarms. probably to prevent cars from gm being exported to Mexico lol.

 

[gshadow325]

In terms of alarm, almost anything is fine since those things are basic of basics. Four wires to hook up 95% of the time