Fire Alarm design, installation, monitoring and testing.

View Original

Security details to consider

JCI is not the low price leader because we customize our designs to fit your needs.



  1.  Depending on your application, size of building and expansion needs we can do a hardwired or a wireless system. Hardwired systems cost more. Drawback to wireless is having to change batteries every 2 to 3 years. Having a service agreement includes us doing that.

  2. Do we need a lift to install wire, if so you can rent a drivable lift or we can although if you rent the lift you will avoid Peak putting a markup on the cost of the lift.

  3. How many arm disarm keypads do you need? Employee entries, management entries. Keep in mind you can arm and disarm using your cell phones.

  4. Do you need to add keyless entry to the same security system? DMP is UL listed for Fire, Security and Access Control. You will be able to unlock and lock doors from your cell phones or from a computer. You can also delete or add users remotely.

  5. Equipment; panel, expanders, contacts, ohd, wireless, motions glass breaks, bms contacts, UL installations, defeating system with magnets, motions at all entries and in key areas. 

  6. Anti-masking hardwired motions will alert you if someone spray paints them to defeat the system. Other motions will not.

  7. BMS contacts cannot be defeated by putting a fridge magnet on them as other normal contacts can but they will go into alarm. They cost more than normal magnets although for high security installations they are a must. These are the contacts we put on military and government SCIFs that we install. There are several magnets with different polarities in these high security magnets.

  8. If you want wire in conduit the cost will go up. You can pay an electrical contractor to do the conduit for less than paying an alarm integrator to do it.

  9. Remote arm disarm using an app is the norm now.

  10. We no longer install systems that just communicate over normal POTS analog phone lines because often a real copper phone line will cost you $100 per month and phone companies are no longer required to repair them and almost all new phone lines are VOIP which are around 18 volts and analog POTS lines are around 54 volts so using VOIP on elevators, security or fire alarm often will not transmit all the signals from the security panel to the central station computer. VOIP works fine for voice but not well for these uses.

  11. Metal in building can affect how wireless systems function and require additional repeaters, hardwire costs more, cannot warranty old wire and devices.

  12. Old devices are not encrypted and can be hacked much easier than the newer systems.

  13. If you want multiple keypads then  DMP would be the best system, if you just have one keypad wireless Qolsys wireless will cost less money although it does not have the same ability on high end systems as DMP does.

  14. Use of DMP repeaters compared to Qolsys is different because Qolsys repeaters only talk to the panel not to each other so in a building that is large DMP is a better choice most of the time.

  15. Do you have a map we can use to design? If we make a basic drawing it will work although using an actual building MAP like your fire exit plan will allow the techs to get the locations correct the first time.

  16. How many months is the contact? Peak normally does a 36 month agreement although we can do 12 or 24 as well but the install cost would be higher because we would not subsidize the install very much if at all.

  17. Lower monthly higher install cost.

  18. Higher monthly lower initial cost .

  19. Entry points, contacts and motions as well as cameras.

  20. Cameras for safety and liability. Once facility had a forklift driver hit an employee and they did not have a record. Another one of our accounts had a solid metal bar fall on an employee’s leg and again there was not a record of the accident. Another account had an employee injury and they did have cameras showing one employee chasing another around with a can of hair spray and workers compensation did not cover that accident.

  21. Quality cameras cost more, you get what you pay for.

  22. Design lowest cost give up quality 

  23. Remote arm and disarm, also arm disarm areas separately 

  24. How many users, codes, everyone with separate codes. Do not use birth years like 1982, 1979 and do not use easy to guess codes like 6969 or 1111 or 1212

  25. Tell me what you are looking for as far as budget, quality and if you want any of the features listed or if you just want the least expensive system.  

  26. Drawback to glass break sensors – We have lots of false alarms for glass break sensors because many sounds set them off including large trucks driving by and more. We prefer to install motion detectors properly to avoid false alarms.

  27. Camera views with the new HD IP cameras and the proper lenses need to be discussed carefully if you decide to install a camera system or improve the one you have. Need to know how many days of storage you want and what your purpose is when using the system, if you need facial recognition, analytics that can send you notifications or seeing just a general view of things.

  28. High security systems are a whole different game than the normal systems most security companies install so with this application you let me know if we need to do anything on the high security side. I can make recommendations but I don’t want to waste your time or mine if you are trying to find the least expensive option let me know and I won’t include the high security items like BMS contacts or Anti-masking motions.


Call Larry Love for projects in Utah 801 898 6003 Larry.Love@JCI.com