5 Domestic Alarm Systems Reviewed

There are going to be times when the products and systems that we offer don’t fit with exactly what you want to achieve. So if our Visonc and Qolsys alarm systems aren’t right for you, what other systems are there?

But let’s set some rules from the get-go.

This list isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list. If you don’t see your favourite manufacturer, sorry, that’s just the way. This is just a list of five very popular domestic alarm system control panels which might be more suitable for you than the systems that we do install.

We’re not going to feature our own systems. If you want that information, you know where to find it, go to our website or look at some of the videos on our socials.

All the information that I’m giving out is available publicly. If I can find it, you can find it.

And lastly, any opinions that I express are mine, as someone who’s been in the security industry for 30 plus years. Sorry if you disagree. As I say, it’s my opinion. And not statement of fact.

So anyway, here we go.

PYRONIX ENFORCER

First up, we have the Pyronix Enforcer. It’s currently on V11, I presume there was V10, 9, 8, 7, 6 etc., but we’re on V11 at the moment. It’s a traditional looking control panel, flip down the flap and you find the keypad and you’ve got a two line LED display there. The system itself gives you 66 zones and up to 80 users, which seems quite a lot.

There’s Wi-Fi on board, and with this connecting it to the Internet, you get both a smartphone app and the ability for your service agent to service it remotely. The sensors are encrypted, and you can have up to four partitions. (Partitions are where you have effectively 3 or 4 different alarm systems on the same control panel. They each can be armed and disarmed separately, covering separate areas of the building perhaps.) With Pyronix being part of the Hikvision Empire, there is some CCTV integration and a limited amount of home automation built into this panel as well.

RISCO LIGHTSYS+

Next up we have the Risco Lightsys+. There’s no screen on this panel at all, which means that it is necessary to buy a keypad to go with it, to programme the system. That’s an interesting choice, not one that I’m really keen on, but if you’re happy with it, then fair enough.

There are slightly fewer zones with the Risco system, with 32 different zones available, but a huge 256 different user codes. Wi-Fi is included, which is handy, and that again means you get a smartphone app and remote service is available. I haven’t looked into to see how easy it is to connect the system to Wi-Fi, but having had issues in the past with a similar arrangement, I’m a little dubious. Again there are 4 partitions available on this panel. I can’t find any mention of encryption of data transmission so that leads me to believe that maybe the communication between the devices and the control panel isn’t encrypted, and that could potentially leave them vulnerable to being hacked, though I could be wrong about that.

TEXECOM PREMIER ELITE

Next up, we have another very popular name in the alarm industry, and that’s Texecom with their Premier Elite panel. This one again has 32 zones to it, only 50 users this time, though I’m not entirely certain that you need 256. The disadvantage with this panel is that you need to buy additional components for connectivity and Wi-Fi access, but once you have, again there is a smartphone app and remote servicing is available.

Once again, this panel has four partitions and what’s really good with this one is that it has an integral fob reader. Sensor transmission is also encrypted, making it nice and secure.

DAHUA AIRSHIELD

New kid on the block is Dahua’s AirShield system.

Now obviously Dahua are a big name in CCTV but not particularly in alarm systems, and so, because they’re new in this side of the industry, they’re doing things slightly differently.

There’s no keypad on the contol panel (Which they describe as a hub), the way that the system is set up is via a smartphone app. You need to make sure that you buy the right type of hub, you’ve got options with Wi-Fi and 4G. Therefore if you’ve not got Wi-Fi in your house, the system can work through 4G, nut obviously that then means you need to factor in a monthly fee for the 4G contract.

They also do things slightly differently in the terms of the number of zones. Rather than device zones, they have a maximum number of 150 devices that can be used. This includes sirens and key fobs, so if you’ve got the maximum of 64 key fobs that then impinges on the number of zones that you can use for detectors. Likewise, sirens also take that capacity down. But having said that, with 150 of them, that’s probably enough for most people.

Obviously, with a smartphone app involved you can have remote service on the system and it integrates with Dahua CCTV. The sensors are encrypted as well, but I can’t find any details about the number of partitions involved, so I’m presuming there aren’t any.

Eaton Scantronic i-on Compact

Last on this list is Eaton Scantron’s i-on Compact panel. I’m not sure I particularly like the upright, portrait nature of the control panel, but at least it does have a small screen and a keypad on it and I like that better, personally, than one that’s set up via app or via a separate keypad. That’s just me being a traditionalist, I guess.

There’s a relatively low capacity with this one, just 20 zones. And again, relatively low number of users on this panel with just twenty of those.

In order to connect to the app, you do need additional components, but once you’ve done that, remote service is available. I’m working on the basis that you don’t have any partitions on this system as again, I can’t find any mention of it anywhere, but the devices and detectors are encrypted.

The one thing that’s really good with this system is that it integrates with Google Home, Amazon’s Alexa, and the Control4 home automation platform, which is something that I’ve not seen on any of the other panels that we’ve reviewed.

So there you have it. That’s my take on five very popular domestic alarm system control panels.