Options for loud siren and strobe

[theedudenator]

I currently have an ELK EZ8 system.
The kit came with a small plastic type siren.

I want to add an ear bleeding siren in my detatched garage.
What options are available? I am assuming it will need a local power source? Or would the elk panel run it.

Same for a strobe mounted on the side of the garage/house.

Something my wife can see when she pulls in the driveway to let her know something is wrong.

 

[wuench]

A lot of people swear by the Moose Piezo Screamers. They have a low power draw for the amount of sound they output. Word has it you can't stand to be in the same room with one going off...

 

[Del91574]

How about Elk's offering, with the variable being either a siren or speaker and the strobe. They're enclosed in a stainless can and they're really quality units.

I know some people swear by the piezo screamers, but I can't say I'm one of them.

 

[tmbrown97]

I'm one of them that does swear by them... the Moose Piezo screamers are now found under the GE brand - they come in a nice small round option or a single gang option; they use hardly any current at all (a fraction of what a speaker would) and you really won't want to be in the room with them. I use rules to lessen the likelihood of them ever going off while I'm home and have an accidental alarm trigger...

Single Gang Unit
Round Mount

It would take some searching to find the pics - but I did a couple of the round ones in the ceiling in my last house - installed with a perfect hole saw then siliconed the thing in place and it was almost unnoticeable - but if it went off, god help anyone in the house - and outside it could be heard from a good hundred feet away.

 

[video321]

I use the SS Elk combo with a siren (converted to a speaker) and strobe outside above my garage. I also use a few (yes... a few!) screamers in my small house. As Work2Play mentioned, use a rule to have them trigger only during an "away" alarm because they will rattle your brain!

As for notification something went wrong... I have my strobe time out after 30 mins. However, since we use keyfobs to disarm the house and open the garage door when we pull up, if there was an alarm which we were not notified about the system would not open the garage door and instead chirp the siren and turn on the strobe. After a few secnds I can hit the keyfob again to trigger the main routine that will disarm and open.

 

[newalarm]

I don't really understand the screamers. When alarms go off, it often is user (or guest) error. So they are going to suffer. If a robber breaks in, I wonder if the screamer is going to make much of a difference. If they are smart, they will get the hell out of there ASAP.

Of course, if you live far from others, i could understand installing one outside.

 

[theedudenator]

Is there a wireless option for these?
Otherwise I need to figure the best way to arm my garage area.
I am currently using a wireless motion.

 

[tmbrown97]

If someone is already in the house when the alarm triggers (say they got past the door/window sensors but get inside) - once an alarm goes off, it's really easy to still grab the laptop on the counter as they run out the back door. The piezo's are so shocking when they go off they'll literally make it hard to concentrate and leave the person confused. It's also fun to put one inside the alarm panel on a tamper switch in case someone tries to open the cover and disable the alarm h34r:

 

[newalarm]

Are they installed on Out 2?

 

[video321]

Are they installed on Out 2?

You can, but I would never do that as Out2 is triggered with any type of alarm - even non-burglar.
The reason I have screamers is to make someone want to leave! People who break into houses know they have time before anyone shows up, giving them all they need to ransack your house and get out of there without any worries. The screamers will confuse and rattle them.

Just the other day, my wife gave my neighbor our garage door code so she could dry her wet clothes as her dryer had broken. My wife completely forgot about the alarm since we use keyfobs automating everything for us. Well... when the alarm went off my neighbor ran out of the house so fast that my cameras didn't pick up her motion! (I need to adjust them - that was supposed to make YouTube :rofl: ) I remotely disabled the alarm and called her right away; she was still rattled by it going off. She said no one would ever stay in your house to rob you!

 

[RobNJ]

Cats dont like them either....oops My poor cats

 

[theedudenator]

Are these being driven off the panel or an external power supply?

 

[video321]

If they can or not depends on your load - they're rated at less than 200mA.
I have mine running directly off the batteries.