Customer Reviews

Skylink SC-100 Security System Deluxe Kit

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

After my house was broken into I wanted to get an alarm but didn't want to pay any companies or commit to any monitoring contracts. This fit the bill perfectly. It works great once you plan around some caveats.

Pros: very simple operation. I've only had it two weeks but seems reliable so far. Easy to set up. The remote works well, but it's too bulky for me to carry around. So I just use a PIN code when I come and ago. I love the flexibility of this system. It's easy to add sensors or accessories. Compared to a pro alarm, the stuff is very cheap but built decently. It doesn't quite have the build quality "feel" of a pro system but it's simple and for the money works well. I love how it's all wireless. I"m a renter and don't want to drill holes or pull wire in walls and this is perfect.

Cons: The control panel (SC-001), PIN pad and siren are all one unit. If a crook breaks in and smashes it to bits during the 30 seconds on a delayed entry alarm it will be worthless. Or even if the siren is going off, cover it tightly with your hand, rip it off the wall and take it to the bathroom sink and submerge it in water or otherwise disable it. In other words, there's a single failure point that's not well protected. Especially if you mount it by your door for easy ripping off the wall as the crooks come in. In professional systems, the control unit is usually in a metal box in a closet so if someone smashes the keypad it will still go off. In pro systems the siren is separate as well.

Now here's how you can plan your system to mitigate the cons. Here's what to buy: Buy an extra key pad and at least one extra siren unit. They're only $30 each. Next, get creative where you hide the control panel. Put it in a closet or behind your washer and dryer or some place hard to get to. Some palace where it will take more than 30 seconds to destroy the control panel. Better yet, I am going to buy an inexpensive metal key box. It's a locking metal box that you can hang keys in. I found one on a big auction site for $15. I plan to drill a hole to poke the antenna out and another hole to run the power cord in. And some holes in the door so if the siren does go off, it can be heard. This will make it a little more like a pro system, in a locked metal box, preferably in a closet. Once the control box is secure, then set up one or more external sirens. I bought two. I put them on opposite sides of the house. Now if a bad guy breaks in, he has to find three sirens and smash them (control panel siren + 2 external ones). The sirens are very loud but I live on a noisy road and it's hard to hear the interior one from outside when traffic is going by. That's why I discreetly mounted one siren on the outside of a window on the front of the house. The other one is mounted on the outside of a window on the side of the house. I even wrapped one in black trash bad plastic to make it less obvious it's an alarm. You might even want to put electrical tape over the LED on the siren unit. Now you will have a system that's very difficult to defeat. Most crooks aren't going to want to hang around a house with 3 sirens going, not knowing it's it's monitored as well.

Some other thoughts: I didn't get a dialer because I don't have a land line and odds are burglars may cut the house phone lines anyway. But if you already have a landline, it couldn't hurt. The magnet contact sensors work well on the doors. The PIR (motion detector) works very well. The only problem is I have a cat and it might trip it. So I put a couple of the PIRs in closets. When I was burglarized, the first place they hit were the closets. Keep the closet doors closed and the cat won't set it off. I'm very careful to avoid false alarms because I don't want the neighbors hear it cry wolf from a false alarm. If you don't have pets, the PIRs will work great in the hallways or any rooms.

Wish list: separate key pad, controller box and siren units. I wish it would tell you if a sensor was "ready" like a pro system, but this would no doubt make the cost of the sensors much higher.

Plan around its shortcomings and this can be a 5 star system. I gave it 5 stars because it works well for what it is and is a great value for the money.

At the time of writing this review I have only had the system up and running for about a month. So far, I have not yet had any problems, and don't anticipate any to come up. I would rate this product with 5/5 stars, but a few minor things kept me at a 4/5, even though I am very satisfied with this product.
First, be aware that the system comes with only a few pieces, and you will most likely need to buy extra motion sensors and/or door sensors if you own a house. I personally - after inquiring of the company - bought two SC-100 systems so that I would have extra sensors and because I was informed that they are compatible and work together. This is mostly correct. The two systems can be programmed so that all of the sensors activate both alarms at the same time (and therefore you have two separate alarms sounding, making it all that much more difficult for any crooks to disable), but both can only be activated or deactivated SIMULTANEOUSLY if you are using the remote clicker within range of both control panels. If you manually activate/deactivate on the keypad itself, it will only affect the control panel you are typing into (and you will therefore have to run through the house to activate/deactivate the second control panel and get in/out during the allotted 45 seconds). Also, any other function than the two pre-programmed "arm" settings of the clicker (1 - arm with no one home, 2 - arm with leaving someone inside, 3 - disarm, RED - sound alarm) will have to be entered manually. For example: coding in for 'Night Mode' before you go to bed will require you to manually arm both control panels. (However, if you have the extra keypad-only accessory (KP-434), you could program it to work for both control panels, and skip this step, but will have to pay for the keypad which does not light up).
I did end up buying two extra motion sensors (PS-434a) for a total of 4, as well as an extra alarm (AA-433) for a total of 3 blaring sirens, which I put out in my detached garage to sound off in case someone were to break into that building.

An individual components critique:
1. Control Panel - Easy to understand and set up. Look through 'Advanced programming' in the instructions to get a good idea of how it all works, and figure out what sensors you want in which zones. The first CP I received nearly deafened me when I set it off. The second one was only about 75% as loud, and I have not been able to locate any change in its volume.
2. Motion Sensor (PS-434a) - Settings can be adjusted to high or low, and an extra sensitivity adjustment comes with aiming the sensor down a little bit more. They pick up most movement in smaller rooms, but are sometimes limited by where you locate them. By this I mean, if you try to position them into a ceiling corner to keep them from being too noticeable, they WILL be limited in the direction that you aim them and the STILL WILL be somewhat noticeable. Despite this, they have served the purpose. I have yet to replace any batteries, and it has been one month.
3. Door/Window Sensor (WT-433) - The directions say to have both magnets no more than 5/8 inches away from each other. The kit comes with 3 extra spacers and long enough screws that you should not have any problems. However, if you use all the spacers, the magnets become more noticeable than they already are. These sensors work wonderfully and I have had not trouble with the magnets. But I did not like that the sensor 'house' that attaches to the door frame magnet is on a relatively short wire, so that you can only position it about 6 inches away from the door frame magnet. This made it a little tricky on one or two of my windows/doors because there were not very good places to screw a little box. Also the 'house' is clearly visible by your door unless you can creatively hide it somewhere.
4. Audio Alarm (AA-433) - I received this piece last. It's an alarm. It's very loud. It's very basic: sounds off only when the system goes into full alert. It does not give warning beeps during the 45-second entry delay (like the Control Panel does), but will rather just blare at you once activated. A nice feature is that you can program it to work with either the Control Panel (and system) or just individual sensors (ie, just the back garage door or basement door) or both at the same time.
5. Clicker (4B-434) - No problems yet. Seems to work within the described 100 feet, although I have not measure this out :) The only disadvantages are, first - as many others have already said in other reviews - the buttons are hard to see. I took someone else's advice and colored around button 3 (disarm) so I could see it better. Second, the clicker-on-keychain is handy, but rather bulky. With a car clicker already attached to my keyring, this adds another, almost twice as large...'chunk' (for lack of a better word) into my pocket. But I would rather deal with the 'chunk' than have to run back and forth through the house all the time.

Overall, I am very pleased with this system. The instructions for setup and programming were clear, it did not take long to set up, it is sensitive and loud enough to wake up anything in a 50-foot radius, and provides me and my family with a little more sense of security without the contract. At this point I do not plan to add any other accessories (such as the telephone dialer) to the current pieces I already have. I would recommend this product (and in fact, already have to family members).
I hope this helps!

Purchased this product in October 2008.

1st let me say that my setup for this product is as follows:

Two complete system control panels in operation. (unexpected repeat purchase)
Three motion sensors in operation. (all three pre-programmed to both control panels)
Only one of the two dialers is in operation, & that one I programmed to only one of the two control panels.

I have not chosen to install the door/window sensors... as the motion sensors cover the area used to approach the doors, & I have lots of windows.

The Good:

If you have a consistent electricity supply & no long (>10 minute) blackouts, the batteries will keep you going but you'll need to change them.

The Bad:
If your electricity supply isn't so steady, you may need to plug the control panel & dialer AC power supplies into a UPS. (e.g. APC)

Sometimes I have to re-program the dialer to the control panel.

Maybe it's just my purchase but the Dialer in both purchases stopped being able to playback the messages soon after installation, although it would still dial the numbers I programmed in.

When plugged into the AC Adapter, the case of the Automated Dialer accompanying the system, generates a lot of heat and has stopped playing back the voice message... (i.e. I hear pops & clicks)......although it DOES still dial the pre-programmed numbers.

I would hear silence for the length of the message after it connects to my cell phone.

NOTE:
I use a UPS with my system.

In spite of these shortcomings, I like the product and it has brought me peace of mind.

I've been using this security system for 3 years and have had NO problems with it. I had one false alarm and that was my fault (accidentally pressed the panic button on the keychain remote while it was in my pocket). The system comes with an AC powered control panel with battery back up, two door/window sensors, a keychain remote control and a motion detector. I also ordered the Skylink KP-434 Keypad Control, and extra door/window sensors as well as some window stickers and a lighted yard sign. I didn't get mine from Amazon, I got it from Norco/HomeSecurityStore because they offered free tech support if I had any problems with it. The user manual is easy to understand and has photographs of all the equipment, installation process, programming and use. Very easy to follow. I had the system completely installed and working in about 2 hours. All the batteries needed for setup are included. The system is easy to expand for all sorts of devices including telephone monitoring. You can set the system to call a neighbor, family member, police station or even an independent monitoring service. The built in siren is loud enough to be heard on my street even when all the doors are closed. The control pad and keypad control are backlit so you can see them in the dark. The system uses all sorts of batteries from 9volts to tiny little camera type batteries to those little flat round lithium batteries. Replacements can be found at any Radioshack.

The system has 5 zones and multiple devices can be programmed for each zone. Four of the five zones are visible on the control pannel and the fifth zone is "invisible". Zone one is for entrance doors and has delayed entrance feature. Zone two is for motion detectors. Zones 3 and 4 are for additional sensors set for instant activation. Zone 5 is for control devices like keypads, keychain remotes and panic buttons. You can custom program the control panel for whatever your needs are but the built in programs are probably sufficient for almost any purpose. The system supports multiple PIN numbers. It uses rolling code tech for additional security. For a fairly inexpensive system it is pretty state of the art.

I like the design of the control panel. There is no screen with little messages to read. Instead you can tell exactly what state the system is in with the use of red and green lights. In a few days of use you will be able to glance at the panel and tell what mode the system is in. You don't have to walk up to it and read messages.

TIPS FOR INSTALLATION AND USE

1. READ THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL. If you don't do this then you will not know how to arm the system. There are no on and off buttons. You have to remember your PIN Code and know which letters and symbol to push and the only way to do that is to read the manual. The manual covers everything you need to know except for installing optional devices and complete instructions come with those devices. If you do have a problem, Skylink has decent customer service. I had to call them one time with a question in three years and within 3 minutes of dialing the number I was off the phone with my question answered.

2. DON'T INSTALL THE CONTROL PANEL BY THE ENTRANCE DOOR OR SIT IT ON A TABLE WITH THE CORD SHOWING. Install it in a less obvious place and cover the cord. I did a wall mount in the middle of the house and hid the AC cord underneath the woodwork and the plug is in an outlet behind a heavy piece of furniture. If the cord should get cut, the battery in the control panel will keep the system activated. If anyone attempts to remove the battery without first entering the PIN then the alarm will activate. Not fool proof but better than nothing. Don't give an intruder any help by just sitting the thing out with the cord visible.

3. USE THE HARDWARE PROVIDED TO MOUNT THE SYSTEM PARTS AND DON'T HANG IT UP WITH TAPE. Yes, the alarm comes with double sided tape but the instructions clearly point out this is only for the initial temporary install. Once you have all the sensors, panels and detectors installed with tape and have checked to see that it is working properly then you MUST use the screws that are provided to do a permanent install. It helps to have a small drill to start the holes for the screw. Use the tape for checking placement and for leaving both hands free to handle the little sensor magnets and screws. Use a small Philips screwdriver. If you leave this thing up with just the provided temporary tape then be sure things are gonna fall down (probably in the middle of the night, giving you a false alarm).

4. BUY A KEYPAD FOR THE ENTRANCE DOOR and put the control panel somewhere else. Even if you use the keychain remote to arm and disarm the system, you will still want a keypad by your main entrance so other people can turn the system on and off (babysitter, housesitter, relatives etc.). The system will support an additional PIN that you can give to someone for temporary access. Then you can reset the system with a different PIN while keep your personal PIN. Instructions for this are in the ADVANCED PROGRAMMING section of the user manual.

5. CHANGE THE BATTERIES! If you don't keep up with the batteries the thing won't work. Every sensor has some sort of alert to let you know it is working. All door sensors have a test button. If it dosen't light up red when you press the button then your battery is dead. Also, put the system in "chime" mode and check every sensor and detector to make sure signal is getting to the control pannel. The motion detector will make a chirping sound when the battery is low to alert you. It also has a red light behind the screen that flashes briefly when motion is detected so look up at every once in a while to make sure you see the red light when you move. If you don't see it turn red, you missed the warning chirps and should change the battery. The control panel has a low battery indicator light as does the keypad control. Whenever there is a time change and you change out the batteries in your smoke detectors, do the same thing for your alarm system. You can buy all the strange little batteries on line or at any electronic store like Radio Shack. If you do that regularly then your system will keep working. It will take you about 15 minutes to change all the batteries but that isn't such a big deal is it?

6. DON'T INSTALL THE MOTION DETECTOR AROUND AIR VENTS OR WHERE PETS WALK. If you have curtains near an AC/Heating vent then the air will blow the curtains and your motion detector will notice and give you a false alarm. Don't install the motion detector in a room with a running ceiling fan. Turn the fan off before you turn on the motion detector. If you have a cat or dog, keep them out of the area covered by the motion detector . They WILL set it off, even a little cat. Even on the low sensitivity a small cat will set these off. You will have to close the door and keep kitty out of any room covered by the motion detector or you are gonna get false alarms and if you have the telephone option set up you may get complaints about false alarm nuisance calls so either close the door so kitty dosen't wander in or don't turn the motion detector on. Those are your only choices.

7. INSTALL YARD SIGN AND WINDOW STICKERS, OUTSIDE LIGHTS and DEADBOLT LOCKS and leave a light on inside when you go out at night and chances are a burglar will pass you by for a less protected looking house and you will never have your alarm system tested for real.

I got everything for under $200 bucks, installed it myself in a couple of hours, have kept the batteries maintained, used a little bit of thought when planning the placement of everything, READ THE MANUAL and have used the system on a regular basis for 3 years without any problems. If you take a little time to learn it, it is easy to use. I think it was a good purchase.

UPDATE 1/30/11: still using this system, still working perfectly!

I installed the Skylink SC-100 today in about an hour. The following components were installed:

SC-001 Control Panel
KP-434 Keypad Control
PS-434 Motion Sensors (4)
WT-433 Window/Door Sensors (2)
AA-433 Audio Alarm

The directions are fairly straightforward and in logical order. A very nice feature is that if you buy the SC-100 or SC-1000 Kits, the Motion and Window/Door sensors are already paired to the control panel, so you do not have to spend time doing that step.

Basically the Control Panel has 5 zones, although the led lights on the panel itself only show 4. The 5th zone is reserved for the keychain remote and optional Keypad Control. The Control Panel comes pre-programmed with the Window/Door sensors assigned to Zone 1 and the Motion Sensors assigned to Zone 2. Zones 3 and 4 are unused so you can assign other sensors to them and customize your system. Here's an example of how this would be useful:

Let's say you have a split-level home with a basement, and install the Control Panel and 4 Motion Detectors upstairs. You also install 2 Motion Detectors in the basement. You could leave the upstairs Motion Detectors assigned to Zone 2, and assign the basement Motion Detectors to Zone 3 or 4. That way if you are in the house at night and arm the alarm, the upstairs Motion Detectors will not set off the alarm, but the basement Motion Detectors WOULD set off the alarm (if assigned to Zone 3 or 4). Very handy.

The Window/Door sensors that are included are not the most attractive pieces of hardware you've ever seen. The silver terminals on the magnet are exposed instead of hidden within a housing. Again, this system is only $100 so you have to be prepared to accept some features that aren't the most desirable. They do work very well though, which is the most important feature they could have.

The Motion Sensors work excellent, in both bright light and total darkness. I have all mine set on the highest sensitivity level (default) and I can't take a step without them picking up on it. They were very easy to install with the included mounting arms. One tip here however; they designed the sensor so that when you slide it onto the mounting arm, you can "snap" it into place. I don't advise snapping it into place for most applications though. If you do, you will have a hard time removing the motion sensor from the arm when it's time to change the batteries, and you risk ripping the mounting arm out of the sheet rock and creating a mess. Because of the way they hang in a corner, I found they worked fine by sliding the sensor onto the mounting arm until they stopped, and left them there. I did not snap them into place but they are still secure. It's hard to explain, but you'll see what I mean when you look at the mounting arm and the back of the Motion Sensor.

Since I bought the optional Audio Alarm I had to pair this to the Control Panel. Again, following the directions worked perfectly and I installed it in another area of the house so there would be more alarm sound coverage and prevent instant disablement of the actual siren by smashing the main Control Panel.

Some reviewers have complained that the alarm isn't very loud outside the home. It's not, but again the company has accessories you can add if you want your neighbors to hear your alarm. I wasn't concerned about this feature though because my primary reason for buying this alarm was to simply wake me up if someone were to enter my home in the middle of the night. We sometimes use a noise machine at night, and I'm always concerned that I would not hear someone entering the home because of the noise the sleep machine makes. The Skylink alarm definitely will wake me up, and hopefully any intruder would be headed the other direction at the same time.

Shortcomings/Wishlist:

-the Main Control Panel (SC-001) should have a volume control for controlling how loud the tones are when arming/disarming. They are pretty loud, especially the confirmation beep. It would be nice if it were adjustable.

-the Keypad Control (KP-434) which is an optional accessory should show the armed/disarmed status of the alarm. It only has two lights: "Low Battery" and "On". The only time the "On" light comes on is when you are using the keypad. The keypad should also be backlit when you are using it.

-the sensor magnets, which are part of the Window/Door sensors (WT-433) should have the contact terminals enclosed in the plastic housing that encloses the magnet. It would not only look cleaner, but would keep the contacts clean from dirt and possible damage by being exposed.

Of course this alarm system has some shortcomings, but let's get real. The main unit was $100, and I spent less than $200 total for everything I installed. I'm thinking of ordering the vibration sensors for all the windows in the home, because I think in almost all cases an intruder will not be sliding my locked windows open, but they will be smashing them.

All in all I am extremely pleased with this as a basic alarm system. I think if you understand its limitations and use it for what it was designed for you will be happy with it as well.

UPDATE 11/29/09

It's only been a week, but everything is still functioning perfectly. I couldn't be happier with the motion detectors, and we've had no false alarms. We'll see how it works long term, but even if I only got a year out of this system I'd be happy for the money I paid. Hopefully the only thing this system will need in the future is batteries, but I'll be sure to do another update in 6 months or so.

On a side note our dog alerted us to some activity in the backyard last night. Using a flashlight I was able to see the eyes of a person looking towards me at about 2:00 am. After a minute or so he was gone and my dog settled down. I slept MUCH better after that knowing our alarm was set and would alert me if any windows or doors were opened. That peace of mind alone is worth whatever we paid for the alarm system.

I have installed the SC-100 Security System about a week ago together with the AA-433 Remote Alarm. Installation was very easy and the Manual is concise but complete. The noise level of the alarm within the house (Part of the keypad) is loud if you sleep in the same room where the alarm is located. I have installed the keypad (alarm) in a closet in another bedroom. It is barely audible outside of the house. Knowing this from prior reviews, I purchased the AA-433 Remote Alarm (Direct from Skylink) and installed it in the attic by the front of the house. This is audible in the front yard but clearly not loud enough to disturb a neigbor - Perhaps that's a positive?? We live on a 60 x 100 lot and there are neighbors on both sides with the same size lots. We now have two alarms sounding and a burglar would not know it if he were entering the home from the rear. So I have to buy another alarm and install in the attic in the rear of the home.

6 months now from installation (simple by the way), no problems to report. Only one false allarm in 6 months.
Only three wishes: little more range for the remote control, more power to siren, and better documentation (even if the whole set works very well).
With no much more other systems to choose from Amazon, I think it is a good deal.

Great product for the money. Siren decibel level will definitely deter would-be burglars. Optional autodialer to police, fire, relatives, etc. a great addition. Provides full-time security at a fraction of the cost of monthly monitoring companies.

I liked the performance and the range of this unit so well that I decided to expand it. I purchased an additional SC-100 Kit from Amazon because it was less expensive than buying the additional sensors and parts that I wanted separately. Also, the second control panel can be used as an additional audio alarm, and as a backup in case of a problem with the first unit.

During the installation process, one of the door sensors in the second kit would not communicate properly with the control panel. Instead of the chime and the flashing light in zone 1 that was supposed to be the result of opening the door in test mode, the only indication I got was a quick flash of the ARM light. I had read at least one review of this system by someone else who had experienced a problem with faulty door sensors, and I was on the verge of sending it back for replacement when it occured to me that maybe it had to do with the initial factory programming or zone assignment. After a little experimentation in the advanced programming mode, it turned out that in this case, the factory had not assigned a zone to this sensor. After I assigned it to a zone, which by the way is easy, it worked fine.

I'm using the skylink setup in my 1 br apartment (~1000 sq ft). I have the two magnetic sensors hooked up to the windows (rather than using one for the door), and the motion detector is covering the rest of the space. I imagine that you would need a few more motion detectors for a whole house. The detector is incredibly sensitive--I would expect a lot of false alarms if you have animals roaming around. I haven't had any problems with light or shadows triggering it though. It works well in the dark.

I've been happy with everything so far and it's been quite dependable. The keychain component is helpful since I prefer to set my alarm to "away" at night. This allows me to disarm from my bedroom and get up to have a glass of water, etc, in the apt. area that is in motion detector range.

The alarm is piercingly loud. I would say that the only downfall so far is how loud the system is when it arms. It lets out a couple (loud) short beeps that are probably annoying my neighbors a lot. The chime mode is equally loud, but it wouldn't be bad if I were using this in a larger space. Another minor disadvantage is the design of the magnetic sensors. My windows are oriented vertically and they can be opened from other side. I would technically need two of these sensors for each window to be thorough. Also, if my windows were locked, a burglar would be smashing the windows, not opening them. With that being said, I would recommend investing in more motion detectors and only using the sensors for doors (which is their intended purpose anyway).

This system was incredibly easy to set up. I'm not sure how difficult it would be to add additional components, but I expect that they would be no problem. Overall it is a great buy and will give you some peace of mind for a reasonable price.