Customer Reviews

AAS 600 Wireless Home Security Alarm System Pet Immune DIY (R)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I did not want to spend $30/month on a monitored system that only includes two door sensors and one motion detector. By comparison, a wireless system might only cost $30/YEAR in batteries and replacement double sided tape. But up until now, it seems like none of the DIY systems out there are expandable enough to do everything I need them to do on a moderate size house (2500 SF). AAS appears to have finally filled that void in the marketplace with a programmable, customizable, and interestingly expandable system that does almost everything a homeowner would want it to do.

I purchased the AAS 600 Pet Immune system, which included an ample supply of door/window sensors and pet friendly motion detectors. It took me an afternoon to set up (mostly due to me playing with the sensors and planning where I wanted to put things). So far, it's better than I expected. Programming is EASY. The instructions are okay (I had no issues). I feel I need to add some helpful information here that I didn't read elsewhere when I was deciding whether to make the purchase:

1.The sirens don't need to be connected to the system. You can make it a silent alarm (dialing your phone). Or you can just make it flash a silent alert on its display when a zone is triggered (which is GREAT for quietly testing the system - no need to bother neighbors, or the family). Also, all of the sensors have small diode lights so you can see they're functioning properly while you work with them.

2.The motion detectors I received take two standard alkaline AA batteries. The door/window sensors take a smaller ALKALINE battery about half the length of AAA size ("Vantt" 23A, 12V). The smoke detector takes a standard rectangular 9V alkaline battery. Battery access is EASY. There is a place to put a screwdriver to pry open the units, but I found it easy to do with hand pressure (the plastic pieces still fit snuggly). I have no idea how long the batteries will last.

3. My kit came with four key fobs which can arm/disarm the house system as if it were a standard car alarm. So if you don't want the hassle of punching in a code to disarm the system, you can treat your house like a car. But this feature is OPTIONAL and it can be disabled if you want (say you lose a key fob). ALSO, the instruction manual indicates that the system can monitor for unknown devices using its airwaves and will sound an alert (in case of tampering or interference).

4. The door/window sensors do not need to be in contact in order for the alarm system to work. That is, the sensors send a signal only when detecting a "change". So if you have a door jamb that isn't flush with the door (like all of my doors), don't panic! It will still work. Just install them off-set. The alarm system can still be armed and then the sensor will work when the door moves the magnet past the sensor on the jamb. You can also off-set the sensors on your windows so that the windows can still be opened a crack without setting off the alarm. And I was able to install the magnet in several orientations with respect to the sensor, even with a bit of a gap.

5. I'm still testing the range, but it seems to be pretty darn good. It's definitely better than our in-home WIFI system. Right now, I'm installing the keypad at one end of the house. If I find that the farthest sensors can't reach, I'm absolutely certain that I can install the keypad near the center of the house and get perfect all-around reception.

6. It has convenient quick buttons for arming the system when you are HOME (i.e. motion detectors are ignored) and when you are AWAY (i.e. no sensors are ignored).

7. These sensors are smaller than I expected. When I saw the size of the UPS box, I was horrified thinking that it couldn't possible include everything I ordered. But I'm really happy with the size of the things - not as obtrusive as I thought they would be.

8. I haven't had to use customer service for troubleshooting, but I do have to say that their shipping department rocks! I ordered during the early evening (west coast time) and was amazed to get a shipping confirmation number only two hours later that night! Somebody was working late!

I wish this company the best of luck. They are obviously trying hard to be very competitive in the DIY home security market and I think they're off to a great start.

UPDATE 10/6/11: I've had this system installed for over a year now. Even though the manufacturer recommends battery replacement every six months, I procrastinated. I STILL have battery life left in many of the units after a year, although I'm getting flashing signals from some, so it's time to replace batteries and check all of the sensor positions. During the year, some of my window sensors detached, but others (to my surprise) have stayed put on the aluminum window frames. I have had no sensors detach from wooded surfaces. So I don't think it's a matter of tape quality, but rather the location (and surface type) where the tape is put. It seems that southern exposure resulted in tape detachment more than northern, so it might be a deal with the repeated heating and cooling (expansion and contraction) of the aluminum window frame. It's no big deal (happened infrequently), and it would be an expected minor routine maintenance issue (like batteries) for any type of wireless system. So I would recommend placing sensors with southern exposure (or maybe all exposures to be safe) at the base of the windows so you don't get sensors falling down and causing an unnecessary alarm (which didn't happen with us because the alarm was off when the detachment occurred).

This is a very reliable system. I installed the system in approximately 3 hours and it was set to go for self monitoring.
My plan was to have it monitored by our police department since they do it for free. The only problem I encountered was the system required additional code that AAS could not provide.
I had to take a trip after the system was installed. Three days into the trip I received a phone call that the system was tripped. I called the police department, they checked the house and confirmed the false alarm. I had my daughter check the house and she found one of the door sensors were on the floor (adhesive tape did not hold the unit and it was laying on the floor which caused the false alarm).
I am returning this unit ONLY because it can not be monitored by my police department.For self monitoring to call you while you are out it is an excellent system and price is very reasonable.
People at AAS are very friendly and knowledgeable in solving the problem I was told to return the unit for refund.
Again excellent unit for price and reliability.

Updated review 10/6/10
AAS is a great place to purchase good quality alarm system.
I returned the unit as I explained above and my total purchase price was refunded promptly.
Thanks again AAS.

This AAS alarm system is easy to install and has many good features. We have been using it for over a year and are happy with the system. The door/window sensors attach with an adhesive, but I used little screws to make them more secure after I read that someone had a false alarm after one of the sensors became detached. Although I like the system very much (and therefore have given it 5 stars), the system is not perfect and it is important to be aware of the shortcomings:

1) We have had one false alarm and it was during a thunderstorm. I suspect thunder set off the break-glass sensor. We stopped using that sensor and have had no further problems.

2) The instructions that came with the system are barely adequate. Fortunately the support service is good (I only contacted them by email). I suspect that there are many undocumented features. After I emailed the company, they told me about one: The sirens can be used to signal activation/deactivation of the alarm. This is useful, because if you want to use the key fob to activate/deactivate the alarm from outside your house, you will hear a loud beep of acknowledgment from the sirens. Otherwise, you wouldn't know that the signal had been received. To activate this feature: enter programming mode, then enter 21*1#Exit.

3) The system can be set to call you if the alarm is activated. However, you cannot enter a * into the phone number and therefore cannot deactivate caller-ID blocking. Therefore, when the system calls me, it shows up as a unidentified caller. (I would like to be able to ignore such calls!)

4) If you set a entrance delay, then the alarm will not go off for a set number of minutes giving you time to deactivate it. The base unit beeps until it is deactivated. If I were an intruder, I would smash the base unit and there would be no alarm. (is this true of professionally-installed systems as well?) One solution: don't use the entrance delay, and use one of the key fobs to turn off the alarm before coming into the house. My less-secure solution: I locked the base station in a sturdy drawer and set the delay to only 1 minute.

5) The base station has a backup battery, the wireless sirens do not. If you want the full alarm sound during a power outage, you will have to have to buy backup batteries for any wireless sirens.

6) I bought the wireless keypad, hoping I could put it in the garage and it would indicate if the alarm was armed or not. Unfortunately, it doesn't show the status of the alarm. We ended up not using the wireless keypad and just use the key fobs. I ended up buying a second base station that I keep in the garage. It is not connected to anything, but it receives the same arm/disarm signal that the real base station receives and therefore shows the activation status.

7) If the alarm is activated and the system calls you, there is no way to tell if the alarm was set off by the smoke detector or one of the other sensors. (this would be a useful feature!)

Most of the issues above (except #4) are relatively minor. I think this alarm system is a very good value and recommend it highly.

Every aspect of the AAS 600 has functioned exactly as advertised. I was a little concerned when some of the reviews complained of difficulty understanding the instruction manual or programming the sensors but everything was very simple to follow and I installed/programmed the entire system in under two hours. The wireless key fob remotes were a bit of a worry at first (in case we lost one) but after reading the manual and realizing that I can deactivate a lost remote in just a few short steps that worry was erased. The system functions perfectly and fulfills all the needs of a person searching for a DIY home alarm system.

ONLY DOWN SIDE IS THE OUTDOOR HORN IS NOT VERY LOUD AND REALLY NEEDS AT LEAST ONE MORE. BUT WE LIVE IN A RURAL AREA AND OUR NEIGHBORS ARE NOT CLOSE BY. SO NEED MORE NOISE.

"I had a few issues getting the system to work but I was partially my fault. I should have taken more time to read the manual. Good product overall. Works as advertised. The number of sensors is impressive. I have spare parts for years to come. I recommend this product to anybody who needs a low cost alarm system. Big bang for the buck."

worked just as described, very helpful when called on the phone for install help. For mony hard to beat. Can turn on/off system from 50' outside house.

As promised, Our new AAS 600 Home Sercuity system arrived on time, boxed and ready to install with good instructions and full tech support. My wife installed the entire system with a couple easy calls to tech support, set our system up with the call/dial alert to 6 phone numbers and everything works just as promised!! The good thing is, we called our insurance company and they reduced our yearly Home Insurance premium by 7 percent!! This is a unit you will be happy with at a fraction of cost compared to others with similar features!! I highly recommend this product for all the right reasons! MCF

First of all, before purchasing the unit, I contacted the company and I inquired for the "newer" model because the one being listed here is the "2006" model, which is ultimately 6 years old. They responded by saying that they will add the 2010-2011 model with my purchase. When I received my purchase, it was the 2006 model, and I contacted them IMMEDIATELY over 7 times and they completely ignored my questions and concerns. So ultimately, I've been stuck with the 2006 model and they have yet to correct this issue!

Now that I'm stuck with the 2006 model, due to their lack of follow-through and the WORST customer service ever, I decided to give this product a try. When installing the system, I found that 75% of the window and door sensors do not stay (stick) using the double sided tape. Meaning that the alarm goes off in the middle of the night after a sensor comes off the window or door.

MOST IMPORTANTLY - This item is NOT SAFE!!! If a burglar breaks into your home, the only thing he / she needs to do, is find the box and literally unplug the speaker. I found this to be the most incredible thing ever! The unit DOES NOT HAVE built in speakers, and for whatever reason, if you happen to brush against the unit, or someone accidentally OR intentionally unplugs the speaker from the unit, you are good as DEAD in your own home! Also, all of the "good" reviews you've read online are all inaccurate and are being tailored by the same company.

Take it from me, the unit is NOT WORTH your LIFE (BEWARE!). Not only do they have the worst customer service, but overall the product is NOT SAFE and does not work how it's intended. I take security serious and this particular system has too many flaws that ultimately DOES NOT make the unit a trust-worthy-unit. I would not depend on this product and most importantly I would not depend on it to keep me, my family, and my home, safe from intruders. Do NOT BUY this product or brand!

After reading the reviews on this product I decided to purchase it to replace the system I had from the alarm company to whom I was currently paying $30/month to. I figured in the long run this was the cheaper alternative. I gave the alarm three stars as it did everything it was advertised to do and the set-up couldn't have been easier. However, after setting it up I realized that the people who reviewed this alarm must have never owned one before, because the system is missing basic functionality which was all present on my previous system.

1.) When the system is armed it does not tell you if any windows are open. Ergo, you could arm the system and think everything is fine but have rendered it useless as the thief comes through the window you left open. Unless you live alone and know exactly what was opened it's a pain to have to go to each room to check before you arm the alarm.
2.) The system does not tell you in any sensors are unoperational. Eventually the batteries on these things fail (after about 2yrs from my experience), or you accidentally knock it off a window or door without noticing. So it's the same situation as above, you arm it and think everything's fine when multiple sensors might not be working.
3.) There is no delay on the sensors. While the siren should go off immediately if any windows or front doors are tripped, there should be a 45 second delay on the back door so you can walk in and punch in the code. This is not possible with this system. They do give you these handy key-chains, which are actually easier, as you can disarm it before opening the door. But what if you misplace them or have guests? It would be nice to have the option to disarm it by hand.
4.) The main panel can't be put on silent. Whatever you do, don't put this system near a bedroom, the chirp when arming the system is loud and you can't get up before someone, leave, and re-arm the system without waking them up.

So, yes, the alarm does everything it says it will, but if I were you I'd get something else. What that is though I don't know, I'm still looking myself.