Customer Reviews

AAS 600 Wireless Home Security Alarm System Kit DIY (R)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Took a risk with this alarm system w/o knowing much of the seller and the few technical specs provided. Well after receiving and testing a while it has met my expectations...especially for the price.
Some things to note which the seller forgot to mention. It comes w/ 2 horns which is essential for any alarm system (one outdoor for your neighbors to hear and one indoor for yourself). The installation instructions are sparse and seem hand made in a personal computer but it is clear enough so I haven't needed to contact them.
Of all the 30 plus components I received, 1 of the 5 motion detectors wasn't working. I didn't contact the seller to replace it since 4 is more than enough.
Programming the unit took less than an hour. Because all the units are wireless, you will need to replace batteries on everything which will be a real pain. The instructions don't say how long they last. But its better than running wires all over the house.
All in all, its everything I expected to provide a good deterrent from your opportunistic thieves. One of the reviewers here gave it only 1 star since it isn't foolproof. Well what do you expect from a $320 system? Yes, if a thief breaks a window and the alarm sounds, he can start searching the house for the keypad and horns and disable them, but I'm guessing they'd just split instead of taking the chance of getting caught (unless you live in the boondocks where neighbors will not here the alarm). You also get a phone call from the system that the alarms went off, so you can take appropriate action. Yes a pro will be able to disable it but i bet he can disable most of the other alarm systems out there as well...

I purchased the AAS-500 system, which appears to be the same as the 600, but with fewer sensors. The installation instructions were perfectly clear. All the door sensors came with the batteries already installed, which was nice. The motion detectors came with the (9v) batteries, and were easily installed. I got this system to replace a 1996 system from Radio Shack which had failed. A major difference with this system (in addition to the much better quality) is that the outside siren can be mounted without worrying about physically connecting it to the console.

Prior to installing sensors I read the entire instruction manual then made a list (map) of what was going to be installed, and where, and numbered each sensor per the instructions. I wrote the numbers on each sensor. I then activated each one and tested them, one by one to make sure everything worked properly. Then, I mounted each sensor per the map I had made. One of the door sensors failed to work. This is when I discovered that the magnet must be placed on the right side of the sensor containing the antenna. I removed the sensor and replaced the backing with one of the extra sensors and mounted it with the antenna pointing down. I should have tested this aspect before actually mounting it and ruining the sticky tape.

The motion detectors have a one page instruction sheet, which really does not need to be read. If you do read it, you will find it pretty choppy; very poor English.

In summary, this is an excellent product, very good quality, good instructions and a major step forward in terms of technology over the system I was previously using.

I purchased the AAS Wireless 600 as a cost effective method of protecting my property without the cost of a monthly charge and to get the components I really wanted. I got enough components to have some spares, should they be necessary in the future. The system arrived in a timely manner and I made a general map of where I wanted the components installed. I laid the system out on the kitchen table and labeled them so that I knew exactly where they were to go. The programming of the controller was extremely easy and the installation was straightforward. The system performs better than I expected and I am more than satisfied with my purchase. I really like the fact that the system will call my cell from the land line in the house and tell me that something has set the system off. The American Alarm System rewards customers for a 4 star or 5 star rating, but I am truly satisfied with system and recommend it to my friends and family. I think it is every bit as good as the expensive systems, without the monthly charge and contracts..

New Updates Added 8/20/11 at bottom.

Main reasons for getting a system:

1. New renters next door are apparently into meth. Google "meth crime"
2. U.S. dollar collapse in the next 36 months (possibly by end of June). Google "Most Predictable Financial Calamity in History"

My thoughts about this system:

I have mixed feelings. It seems a good value overall, but there are some significant drawbacks to it.

The Cons:

1. Cordless phone interference. I now have a buzzing on all the phones in the house. The phones auto-select the channel they operate on, so I can't change that manually. Also, I have two sets of cordless phones and it happens on both sets so it's obviously not because they are on the same frequency. The support person suggested removing the DSL filters on the lines, which I was OK with as we no longer use DSL... but I tried it and no luck. She said if that didn't work that there was no way to fix the problem (outside of getting all corded phones, I suppose). This, I think, is something everyone should know ahead of time, as the buzzing is pretty bad. And, when I put someone on speaker phone as I often do for work, it's REALLY bad. I can't use my speaker phone anymore and I used to use it all the time. Cell phones are fine, though. No interference there or with my wireless Internet.

2. The double-sided tape on the window/door sensors is the foam type. You know, that kind that once you stick it to your beautiful new windows, walls or door trim, it will never come off again without leaving clumps of foam behind. So, thinking ahead... (SO GLAD I DID THIS!) I decided to buy "UGLU" from Wal-Mart and use that instead. So, installation took much longer as I removed every one of the foam tapes from both sides of the 25 door/window sensors, and used UGLU instead. The UGLU is great, as you can remove the sensors without damaging anything - though paint can sometimes come off a bit if you don't remove it as per the instructions and just try pulling it straight off; and you can reposition and re-stick the sensors if you'd like. The ability to reposition them is great for the motion detectors while you work out the best positioning for them. Use the bigger pieces of UGLU for the heavier motion sensors, not the tiny ones, as they will come loose and the sensors will drop to the floor and likely damage the antennas. Incidentally, I was told that unless you live in a huge house, you don't need to extend the antennas, which I like. If you don't want to risk them coming loose, use screws.

3. There is an on/off switch right on the control panel. This seems positively STUPID to me. Essentially, this could defeat the purpose of the entire system. If the alarm is sounding, or if it's beeping when entering the house indicating you have to enter the code to avoid the alarm going off... well... all I had to do was turn off the switch and the alarm was completely shut down. This is probably the dumbest thing I've ever seen unless I'm missing something. Definitely a question I'll be asking support next time they get back to me.

4. The instructions are unclear. I could rewrite them much better after the support person answered my questions. My questions were pretty basic and they probably should have been spelled out in the instructions in the first place in order to cut back on the number of calls their support line gets. With fewer calls, maybe they could get back to the remaining customers faster. I'll probably update this review later on with additional tips on installing so you can continue moving forward with installation while you wait for support to call you back.

5. The recording microphone for the auto-dialer is very poor. I practically had to shout into the microphone to get a half-way decent recording, else you couldn't hear it when it called the phone.

6. Slow technical support. I had to leave 3 messages until I finally got service to call me back and help me install it. I called again a couple days ago due to either a malfunctioning wireless smoke alarm or a control panel issue. I'm not sure which yet. I'm sure they'll get back to me eventually, but this isn't service where they'll get back to you in 24 hours. But, if they revised their installation manual with better instructions, they probably could handle all requests in 24 hours.

7. Wireless smoke detector problem. Upon testing the smoke detector right after installing it, the system kept triggering over and over again for that sensor -- even long after I removed the battery -- and it kept calling the phone numbers I set up for it to call. There's no apparent way to deactivate that one sensor or to reset the system so that it can stop thinking the smoke detector is being triggered -- at least not without deactivating all the sensors (that's what the manual says). I'm not sure if that would mean I'd have to reprogram them all (seems possible as I don't see anything in the instructions about "reactivating" them), but it would certainly mean the system wouldn't work if the sensors were all deactivated. So, I can't even set the alarm until someone gets back to me. Fortunately, I rarely go anywhere. I left a message with support three days ago regarding this issue. Still waiting. Glad I don't have to head out of town. But, to the company's credit, the woman I spoke with the one time was very knowledgeable and answered my questions very well. She said she was doing support for the system for eight years. She's a professional.

Pros:

1. Very loud indoor alarm (I haven't tested the outdoor one yet). This siren will scare the dickens out of anyone breaking in. It's very hard on the ears, and on any animals' ears, so you will want to put pets in a separate room with the door shut when testing, else you could probably damage their hearing some.

2. System dials up to 6 phone numbers, so you can have it call yours and your spouse's cell or work phones, along with a neighbor or two, and an alarm monitoring service if you wish.

3. Overall good value for the money. Comes with a bunch of sensors (25 door/window, 5 motion detectors, 1 glass break sensor, 1 smoke detector) so you can cover a mid-sized home quite well with the basics. We got a quote from ADT and the equivalent system would have cost around $2-3k for all this stuff -- plus they would have locked us into a 3 year contract for expensive monitoring service. You can get a cheaper service (as low as $8.95/mo) without any contracts that will work with this system. Also, I found ADT window stickers and an ADT lawn sign on eBay that you could get as a deterrent if you'd like. As the ADT guy explained, a survey of criminals was done and nine out of ten would not even bother burglarizing a home if they saw it had an alarm system. The odds of a break-in drop to an average of around 1 in 10,000 when adding just the stickers.

4. Installation and programming was actually quite simple once the instructions were clarified for me by support. Again, the most time-consuming part was putting UGLU adhesive on all the sensors, as I didn't want white sticky foam on everything if I needed to move or remove the system. UGLU was only $10 for the box and I used about a third of it. You can Google UGLU to order it. Amazon might carry it, too.

5. Comes with four keychain remotes. These are cool. If you hear someone in the house at night that shouldn't be there, just click the "panic" button on the keychain to sound the alarm and have the system start dialing out. Any intruder will undoubtedly freak out with the blaring siren. Also, each remote has a home and an away button you can activate, just as you can from the main panel, so you can set it from bed at night, putting it into "home" mode with the click of a button, or click the "away" button if you're heading out the door. Then, just click the disarm button when you are ready to turn it off.

6. Remote monitoring function. I haven't tested this yet. It could be great, or it might be junk if it uses the same microphone I used to record the outbound phone message. If that's the case, I don't have high hopes of actually hearing anyone in the house through my phone if the system calls me.

Conclusion:

I'm not 100% sure if I'm keeping it yet so I can't recommend it for everyone. It'll probably work OK for some, but some won't like it. The on/off switch on the side is - and forgive me if I'm repeating myself here - STUPID. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. I'm thinking of Crazy-gluing it permanently in the on position so it can't be turned off by an intruder. If I need to shut it down in a hurry then - and the pass-code doesn't work for some reason - I'll just use a hammer :) Currently I put duct tape over the on/off to hide it a bit - as if that'll help. Even if it didn't have the on/off switch, it'd probably be easy enough to just UNPLUG the siren from the control panel to silence it, and take out the phone cord so it doesn't call anyone. But, maybe a criminal won't be thinking so logically.

Maybe I'll keep it, as something is better than nothing. Also, it keeps me on track with my security plan (next comes the moat with crocodiles and motion-sensing paintball sniper rifles on the roof), and it provides at least a little peace of mind if we head out of town. The system will, very conveniently, call us if anything goes awry, and then we can call our really awesome neighbors (not the renters) and have them check things out. Actually, the system will call them for us. As we have pets, I appreciate the wireless smoke detector, too, knowing if ever there's a fire, we might get a call that will help save them.

Installation Tips:

1. Make a diagram of your rooms and where you'll put the sensors and number what sensors are in what room.
2. Label each sensor by number after programming it -- writing each zone number on the plastic pouch they come in so you know what's what when installing.
3. If you install all the sensors on the doors and windows, not realizing you actually needed to test them once everything was programmed, no worries - you can take the control panel (with battery backup) around the house with you as you test each one. Just take it off the wall and arm it when you reach the next sensor, then open the window or door or trip the motion detector. If the sensor is working properly, it will show the sensor number on the panel and the red "alarm" light will be lit until you disarm.
4. Again, use UGLU clear adhesive to stick the sensors if you ever think you might want to remove them without leaving ugly foam behind on the windows, doors or walls. This company should probably consider including a half-box of this stuff in every alarm kit. It would cost them an extra $5 per kit and I'm sure folks wouldn't mind paying that in order to not damage their home.
5. Be patient with support. They'll get back to you eventually. If all else fails, mention on their VM that you want to leave a positive review for them on Amazon, but can't do so until you speak with them.

I'm happy to amend this review if support contacts me and tells me how I can resolve some of these issues.

I'll add additional installation tips when I have more time. Those will be the answers I got from the support rep. You will probably have the same questions when you install it.

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UPDATE 8/20/11

I've decided not to use the system. Too troublesome and not worth my time to reinstall it due to unclear instructions. When I have a few extra bucks I'll be getting a professional system installed.

I changed my mind on the UGLU. It comes loose eventually. Use the provided screws for the motion detectors and I guess you'll have to deal with the white foam tape gunking up your windows and doors, as that will likely hold better.

I find this system has limited value for my needs given the hassle. If anyone wants to buy this system, with 2-3 broken antennas on the motion sensors (that fell off the wall... but the company said they really don't need the antenna extended), let me know and I'll post it as a used system for sale here on Amazon.

I bought one of these wireless home security systems as a temporary fix
until we could get a professionally installed system. It dose work
well as advertised, its easy to install and program as directed in
the installation manual. My only complaint is that the batteries supplied
in the kit for the window and door sensors don't seem to last very long,
maybe six months tops. The batteries you buy from the retail store last much
longer. All in all though the sytem works well.

I read most reviews here prior purchasing this systems.
I bought this one to replace the current expensive system in my home that is inoperative recently !
First, Let's me conclude:

4* for the product
5* for the customer care

I am happy with the purchase and here is my wish list of improvement to make this Alarm system much more better.

a/ No close loop monitoring. The system can not tell what door (sensor)is open prior the Alarm SET. (You may think that the whole house is armed)
b/ Once you failed programming a sensor, you must repeat the process for all sensors again. It is very straight forward, but tedious and time consuming.
c/ The double sticky tape on sensor are useless, you have to use the good one; otherwise, sensors may fall (at night!) and the alarm will wake you up!!!
c/ Enable and Disable chirps sound the same, unlike the car's alarm. One chirp is ON, two chirps is OFF. SO you can't tell what state the Alarm is in.

Problems encountered:

a/ I have 3 sensors failed during programming, but 25 sensors are provided; I don't bother to get replacements.
b/ The systems went off by itself , just 3 minutes after ARMED. Remedy: Deleted and reprogrammed all sensors. So far so good

Customer care:

Sent email, got quick reply offering a Refund
Since it was installed, I decided to keep it give it a try

This system is very very basic one. However, with the price tag, it sure will do the job deterring intruder until he/she can find the Main Panel located !!!

Edited 5/24/2011
After 6 month, most of the sensors started dying (20 of them!!!), alarm went off in middle of the night. To pinpoint which one, you have to remove one by one, this is a very frustrated process. You will not want to arm it any more!
Save your money, get a better, more expensive one for long run. I re-rated 2 stars as of today.

I purchased this wireless home security alarm system after a recent break in at our home. I was so scared after we were robbed I could hardly sleep, every little noise I would jump out of bed and look out the windows. I am home alone during the day and my husband works about 85 miles from home. After installing this product I am completly worry free now.(although we also purchased security cams so I can see where I cant see out windows)This product was sooo easy to install and has an indoor and outdoor siren. The indoor alarm is very very loud, there is no doubt anyone would ever sleep through the sound. I love having peace of mind at home again. We also have a 2000 sq. ft. shop not attatched to our house and was able to fully secure all the windows and doors to it also with the same unit. This system has more door/window sensors than any other product I have seen on the market and was a great value for the price. I am very happy. I also had a couple of questions during installation and got right through to a human being, that answered my questions immediatly! I reccomend this product if you don't have alot of money to spend and you dont want to have to pay a fee to a monitoring company. Being wireless is a breeze to install and can use it on other out buildings as well.

I was unsure if I could put this system in our house. It came with good directions on how to program the alarm system, but nothing to tell me what each component did and how and where to put the sensors. But not to worry, with the toll free number, the dealer was most helpful in educating me as how to do everything and make it work. The alarm works great, sometimes we forget to turn it off with the remote and it goes off when the door is opened. "Extremely LOUD". I like the way it lets you hook it up to the phone and it calls you when in alarm condition. No phone call all day, then everything is ok and secure. The sensors and motion detector even work in the storage building I have over 100 feet from the house. By numbering the sensors you know where the alarm is, as it appears on the alarm system panel. This is a good value alarm for the low price. I would recommend it to anyone.

Price: Very good for the number of component included. I got only one defective battery in door/window sensor.
Installation: It took me longer to install because the manual is poorly written and illustrated.
Quality: Good. Sensors react very well. Sensors should be fasten with screws, not just back to back tape.
Performance: Good, doing what suppose to do except I still getting false alarm and its a little bit hard to trouble shoot because there no log of which sensor/s has been activated. It just stay in the display for a certain time. Recorded message for telephone annunciation is bad. Can't hardly understand it.
System: Its good except that the window sensor can not be program separate from the Door and Motion sensor with out delay in entry and exit. Window sensor should be instantaneous because this is not a normal entry and where most break in occurs. They should have used a more common battery type for the sensors so it will be easy to find and buy.

The alarm system is fairly easy to install if you follow the printed directions. It is important to number every sensor, as instructed in the printed materials. It took me about 90 minutes to secure the entire house, including four sets of doors and 19 windows.

I would have rated the unit 5 stars but for three weaknesses. First, the Home setting should have a different activation delay function, allowing the user to set the delay to 0, when at home. A delay to zero in the Home setting will set the alarm off immediately during an attempt to invade the home. Other systems I have used in the past allowed this distinction.

Second, by making all wiring connections to the control panel on the side, it was difficult to make a clean installation. I had to install it in the kitchen pantry, where it would be obscured from an intruder as well as hide the wiring.

Thirdly, this exception is easy to solve. The outside horn requires you to purchase a small battery backup in case the invader cuts the power first. The manufacturer should incorporate the battery back-up unit into the body of the outside horn, and the kit would be complete.

Overall, nice system at a great price. Would recommend to anyone.