Newbie looking for self monitoring solution for shed.

[genner2]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a simple alarm solution to self monitor a Shed on my property. The shed has 6 windows and two doors.
The shed has electricity but no telephone lines.

I'm looking for a system that will notify me at the main house either via txt messaging to my cell phone or some sort of default voice call to the main house if the alarm is triggered.

If this is even possible, what equipment do you recommend?

 

[tmbrown97]

Do you currently have any low-voltage connectivity between the shed and house? Do you have any conduit? How far is the shed from the house? Do you currently have any sort of security system in the main house?

There are a million options - just depends on what you have. If nothing exists currently, finding something that can communicate back via IP is the best solution - it may require a wifi bridge, but it just all depends on what's there, how far away it is, and all that good stuff.

Of course, if you want to go super low budget and just want voice calls, there's always the old X10 security systems that use the door/window contacts and motion sensors - they're hooked to a voice dialer. They're not high-quality but I doubt you keep pets in the shed, and it'd notify you. Based on your answers above, there will be better (but more expensive) options as well.

 

[thadsaab]

How far is the shed from the house? There are a lot of wireless motion sensors kits for driveway monitoring which might do the job easily at a low cost.

As Work2Play said, there are a million options for doing this. It all depends on the features you want and how much you're willing to spend.

 

[genner2]

The distance between the shed and the main house is about 150yd. No conduit exists between the shed and the main house. The shed does have a separate elec meter, no low voltage that I am aware of.

The main house has a basic alarm system, no paid services. It was previous owner installed. I believe the brand is Radionics on the keypad.

I've seen some online websites that sell some sort of GSM dialer like the
HAI C3 GSM Communicator. Will this device be able to notify a main house phone or even a cellphone if the alarm is triggered?

For an IP solution, I'll have to check if the wifi signal from the main house can reach to the shed. I will get back to you on that. In the meantime which Ip communicator equipment do you recommend?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Sandpiper]

The GE Quik Bridge is a possible solution. It allows connection of wireless contacts, which are battery powered, to a receiver which has dry contacts. With the dry contacts at the receiver you can connect to an alarm sytem or anything else you want to.

 

[thadsaab]

The Cross Point Industries Text Alert sounds like exactly what you're looking for. But, I haven't seen much discussion about it and the cost seems way too high. When you include the cost of some sensors, it seems like you could install a basic security system and connect it to the HAI C3 or another GSM solution for a similar price.

 

[genner2]

Thanks Thadsaab, this device does sound promising. From the description, it seems to do what I had in mind.

However, you are right, it is a bit more pricey.
It seems like the Cross Point Ta-1 is a stand-alone unit and only needs sensors and a simcard (like ATT or T-mobile) for it to be fully functional am I correct? Activation to deactivation is all done by an SMS text or by an optional remote?

The Hai C3 is cheaper but like you said it isn't a stand-alone unit and needs to be piggyback off of an existing alarm system is that correct? Is it also correct that the Hai C3 is just simply a phone dialer since it cannot send SMS txt or even a recorded voice message to a cellphone when a zone is triggered?

 

[thadsaab]

I think you're right about the TA-1. At least that's how I read the description too.

The C3 replaces a phone line. So, if you had a device that would call you when something happened, you would just plug it into the C3. The C3 looks like a regular "land line" to any devices connected to it.

 

[genner2]

Is the TA-1 only one of it's kind? Also does anyone know if it can integrate with any brand motion sensors and contact switches?

 

[thadsaab]

If you look at the TA-1 manual, pages 32-35, it appears that there are two inputs that can accept wired sensors. But, it sounds like some sort of accessory is required to use them.

A google search for "text gsm contact closure" turns up a few other devices with inputs. None seem to be widely available in the US or have online reviews.