alarm system

[rdub]

i recently was forced to park on the street were i cant see the van im wanting a good alarm installed and or an imobalizer has anyone done so and what was the cost if you dont mind.

[Green1]

I went "all out" on my alarm system, got one with 2way remote (it will page me if it goes off) and a remote starter as well... wasn't cheap, but it's nice to have the toys... especially with the extra radio gear I have in the vehicle.

I can't remember the price right now, but it was over $1000

[EricN]

I bought one from these guys off of ebay http://cgi.ebay.ca/HT-LCD-2-WAY-PAGERS- ... dZViewItem
works great. Has the pager which works from insane distances. Hardest part of the install was running the wires through the drivers door loom to an actuator for the drivers door lock. Everything else is basically connected behind the dash. I used the "door open warning light" on the dash as the trigger for the alarm. I didnt bother hooking up the remote start because I dont believe in wasting fuel/polluting the environment just so I have a warm truck to get into and since I live in the lowermainlad, I dont need it to keep the truck alive.
The only downside I can see to buying from them is if you loose a remote, I dont know if you can get a new one. On the other hand, for that price, you can just buy another alarm, get 2 new remotes and everything else and still be ahead of the game.

[Green1]

not quite as high end as what I went with, but at that price! I shoulda done that instead!

[trialsmaster2]

I have a Compustar 2-way paging alarm in my turbo charged Celica. I plan on having a similar alarm installed once we get a Delica. Looks like a similar model is going for $400 to $500 at Futureshop now, or they have a 1-way model (like what we have on the Echo) for $330.

The main reasons I like the Compustar in my Celica is because of its 2-way paging and turbo timing functions, which will come in handy on the Delica. If I'm looking to save a few bucks, then I'll go with the 1-way model. Either way, I'm going with a Compustar again. I have an Ungo alarm in my truck, which I think was fairly inexpensive when I bought it, but it just has less bells and whistles.

[Green1]

Either way, I'm going with a Compustar again

I have an Arctic Start unit, which near as I can tell is the same as the Compustar ones, I love it, 2 way, and ridiculous range, I haven't used the turbo-timer on it yet, but I do use the "continuation" mode on occasion.

[Sailing Deli]

OK noob question of the day...what do you mean by 2way

[Green1]

OK noob question of the day...what do you mean by 2way

in a standard alarm your remote sends a signal to the vehicle to arm or disarm the vehicle, but the only way to tell if the alarm is going off it to actually hear it.
in a 2way setup, the vehicle can "page" you on the remote to tell you that the alarm is going off, and even tell you what's wrong (door open, glass broken, shock sensor, trunk open, hood open, etc)
This way you can know that your alarm is going off without being within earshot.

Consider that most people "tune-out" the noise of the average car alarm, this way at least YOU have been notified, even if nobody else takes notice.

[CVI]

I've recently installed an alarm system with remote start, pager, keyless entry and turbo timer too. It comes with centralized locking on all the doors. I'm very happy with it. Cost me $550 for the parts and labor.

[robinimpey]

How do the different remote starters work for cold weather starts? I mean does it work well? I wouldn't mind having a remote start, remote locks, alarm...............all the toys would be cool.

[trialsmaster2]

OK noob question of the day...what do you mean by 2way

in a standard alarm your remote sends a signal to the vehicle to arm or disarm the vehicle, but the only way to tell if the alarm is going off it to actually hear it.
in a 2way setup, the vehicle can "page" you on the remote to tell you that the alarm is going off, and even tell you what's wrong (door open, glass broken, shock sensor, trunk open, hood open, etc)
This way you can know that your alarm is going off without being within earshot.

Consider that most people "tune-out" the noise of the average car alarm, this way at least YOU have been notified, even if nobody else takes notice.

Another plus to a 2-way paging alarm is if you have the turbo timer set up or you remote start your car, you have confirmation on your keychain that your car did start (or if it's still running while doing its turbo timing thing). It's handy when combined with the wicked range that the remote works in too...starting the car from at my desk with my car parked waaay out in the parking lot.

In both of the Toyotas we have the car alarms hooked up to the power door locks to lock when arming and unlock when disarming. I assume that the majority of alarms would allow you to tie into your power door locks. The truck has manual door locks, so I didn't bother paying the extra $$ per door to tie it into the alarm system.

[rdub]

I was at Beamriders today in Langley and it looks like for the price $218 installed after tax gets me a basic alarm (no pager ) and they'll wire into the hazards so the lights flash and the thing is LOUD i would like to have a remote but ,if it goes off i still will be needing to go out to see no to concernd if the pager tells me were or what got smashed ,whats done is done, its more of a deterant ,and a little peace of mined ,I also have a club i use. Thanks all for your goodness.

[Kakah]

Killer info. I need to get in gear and pick up an alarm, hope to get it soon so its rad to be a little clearer on the subject. I had no idea the whole 2-way thing existed but it makes sense for sure.

2nd noob question on this thread: Whats the deal with imobilizers? I don't know how they work but it sounds like a killer idea. If I spring for an alarm w/ an imobilizer is my van going to be un-stealable because it won't start no matter what?

[Green1]

2nd noob question on this thread: Whats the deal with immobilizers? I don't know how they work but it sounds like a killer idea. If I spring for an alarm w/ an imobilizer is my van going to be un-stealable because it won't start no matter what?

There is no such thing as "un-stealable" only "harder to steal"
immobilizers disable the vehicle while the alarm is armed, this can be accomplished several ways, common ones are a solenoid that blocks the fuel line, or a relay that removes power from the starter (in gas vehicles sometimes the spark plugs will be disabled as well). in newer vehicles they are integrated right in to the vehicle's computer (not on vehicles like ours)
An immobilizer makes it more difficult to steal a vehicle because not only do you need to bypass the ignition lock, but also any extra immobilization devices, not knowing what they are, or where they are, adds to the complication.
If someone is intent on stealing your vehicle, they still will, either by bypassing the immobilization devices, or by simply towing the vehicle. However this makes it slightly more difficult which will hopefully convince the would-be thief to try a different vehicle instead.

[Kakah]

Sweet, thanks for the info!

So I will try and get my hands on a 2-way dealy with an imobilizer. Futureshop is run by satan himself and they only seem to have his 14 yearold minions working there so I'll not get one from those clowns...