Skylink SC-1000 Complete Wireless Alarm System
by Skylink
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List Price: Our Price: $159.99 You Save: $16.13 (9%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Skylink SC-1000 Complete Wireless Alarm System
Customer Review: Very good alarm system that could be improved.
Summary: 3 Stars
I had an old ADT wired alarm system at my house. After a repeated number of false alarms, I decided to replace it.
I purchased a Skylink system. I used the existing wiring of the windows and doors (in series) in the lower floor of the house, attached to one sensor at the end. I replaced the 12V battery of the sensor with a transformer (output 12V 2 amp) so that I do not have to worry about the battery getting weak. I repeated the exact same thing with the top floor.
This way I can test each floor by opening just one of the windows (or doors) connected to that floor (or series) and use the test chime, instead of the actual alarm, to make sure that the circuit is closed. (The chime goes off when the closed circuit is interupted by opening the door or window, thus separating the contacts).
I used all the contacts available to me as needed.
I used transformers that usually come with hard disks, since I only use one or two at a time.
Drawbacks of the system.
1- The Keypad is not illuminated (minor).
2- The system forgets the assigned zoning occasionally, and you may have the alarm 'armed', but the sensors are not connected. So you have to check every now and then, to verify that the sensors are connected and not 'forgotten'
3- You can arm the system with an open circuit There is no indicator on the keypad to verify the status of the zones. (My old alarm had a light indicating that the circuits are closed, in each zone before arming. The chime in this alarm will not sound with an open circuit, when you test it with the chime, but it will arm.
In spite of the fact that there are many things to consider, checking each zone in the alarm takes a few seconds, but an indicator light to rule out an open circuit in a zone, in the key pad would help a lot.
Checking the status of the alarm is very easy simple and quick for someone who understands how it works, but not for the lady of the house who was used to confirm the status by the indicators on the keypad, before leaving the house.
Customer Review: Very Good But ...
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the Skyline SC-1000 system in August 2010. It's a good alarm system but there are several things you should know. When you arm or disarm the alarm it sounds a short but very loud beep. I put my hand over the speaker when arming because it's so darn loud. I added an additional Audio Alarm for outside and it also sounds when you arm & disarm the alarm and it's pretty loud. I'm sure my neighbors could do without the beep every time I get home late.
The instructions are OK but short so if you are not too technically & mechanically inclined you might have some difficulty with the installation.
The remote dialer only lets you record a forty second message and I found that to not be enough time because in that message you should tell whomever your system calls how to stop receiving calls otherwise they will receive three phone calls with the message repeating three times in each call.
There is no phone line tamper alarm so if someone cuts the phone line the system can't make any calls.
The issue that bothered me the most was the fact that if someone breaks into the house they can just go to the control and smash it to pieces before it goes into alarm and the alarm is useless. To get around this I have purchased the remote keypad and have located the main controller and remote dialer in separate places where there will not be enough time for a thief to find and destroy them before going into alarm.
I haven't checked with the police to see if they would respond to a recorded alarm so if you want an alarm that calls the police make sure you check with them first, I have mine set up to call friends & family plus my cell.
By the way, it's not shown in the product image, but there is a 5.5 inch antenna that stick out the top of the main Control Panel.
Even with these issues I'm happy with the system. In the six months I've used this alarm it has never given a false alarm. For the price it's really very good. Hope this helps. God Bless you.
Customer Review: Well Made, Reliable... A Satisfied Customer
Summary: 5 Stars
After several weeks of usage, the Skylink system we purchased has proven to be well made and reliable. The installation went smoothly and all components worked as advertised (better even, actually).
Here's the thing... RTFM!!! RTFM!!! RTFM!!!
You must read the manual carefully if you are going to make the system work as designed. I cannot stress this enough. Many of the complaints I have read here in the comments could have been fixed had the instructions been read more carefully. Thankfully, the instructions are written well even though they are a bit on the techy side. The main book explains how to set the zones and modes, but it can be confusing. I'd suggest doing a little preplanning about which sensors/zones you are going to be setting up.
Once you've planned... setup the system on a table and get it to work BEFORE you do any installation. Labeling each sensor with a post-it note will help you keep it all straight. I found that clearing each zone and re-adding the sensors made for an easier set-up.
Each sensor/accessory has mounting hardware and templates that make permanent installation relatively easy. The components themselves are well made although there are some funky design elements. The only defect I had in a large installation (with a lot of add ons) was a defective antenna. Luckily it was easy to fix with a pair of pliers.
This alarm system is definitely worth the money. We wanted a high quality security system that did not require some sort of monthly monitoring fees. This definitely fit the bill. The dialer is reliable and, if set up correctly, will call up to 9 numbers. I'd suggest it call only your portable phone until you are comfortable with your installation. Later you can add neighbors.
Ultimately... I think our Skylink system was worth the $400 we invested. If you aren't looking to pay a company like ADT every month... this is an EXCELLENT choice.
Customer Review: Good price but one major flaw
Summary: 3 Stars
We bought this system to monitor our travel trailer while parked outside of our house during a remodel. We have 110v to the trailor so the system doesn't have to run from it's own batteries all of the time. The door sensors and motion detector are easy to mount, even in a trailer. Programming the base key pad is a snap and the remote control is great. With the remote, I don't really ever use the key pad. The alarm is painfully (literally) loud when it goes off. The system even has entry delays and one can program all of the input devices to a selected zone - delayed or instant.
My one complaint - the dialer functionality. The concept of the dialer is great. It will call your phone when the alarm goes off. The draw back is you have to turn it off and on seperately from the rest of the system. It does not "talk" with the remote or the keypad. Also, It will dial when anything is tripped, even when the system is not armed. It will dial if the system is set to monitor only the doors but the motion detector is activated (the "at home" setting). The only solution is to keep the dialer off when anything could be tripped and only turn it on when you leave. Also, if we arm the system for the doors only and one of the dogs activates the motion detector while we are gone...guess what. We get dialed. That is so annoying. The only work around is to hide the motion detector when we are gone.
UPDATE: After reading some truely helpful comments to the above review, I have reprogrammed the system and deleted all of the sensors except the main control panel from the dialer and that has solved the excessive calls. Now, my suggestion would be to clarify the instructions - which provide directions for registering the sensors before registering the panel. I am a very step by step person and I just followed the directions not realizing registering a device was optional and what impact that would have on the system as a whole.
Customer Review: Decent consumer system
Summary: 4 Stars
This is not a professional-grade alarm system, but armed (sorry) with that information, consumers can choose it and end up with a decent amount of protection for a small-to-medium size home.
The two professional features I would have liked to get (but which may not be available at this price) are a way for the system to store which zone tripped an alarm, and warning when a door or window is open and you try to arm the system.
Ability to know what triggered the alarm is important for troubleshooting, though to be fair this system has not yet given me any trouble with false alarms. An important tip is that the motion sensor ships with its jumpers in the "high" sensitivity mode. Switch to low and test thoroughly to avoid false alarms.
If I leave one of the protected windows or doors open I can still arm the system and leave the house. There is no warning of this and for obvious reasons it would be nice if it blinked or beeped.
Finally, it would be very easy for a burglar to rip the main alarm unit off the wall and smash it into silence, so I ignored the instructions which advise mounting the control unit near the door you usually enter. I'd recommend being much more creative about locating the panel and if that means you have trouble disarming when you enter, use the remote, which works great. You can also re-program individual zones to respond instantly, which is a nice feature and helps guard against this problem.
When our house was burglarized recently, we were advised by the police to get a device that makes plenty of noise, and not to waste money on a fancy system. So we bought this alarm and it does a good job.
The instructions could be better, but they are not bad and the installation went smoothly and rapidly.