Alarm system

[DaveC]

Has anyone any experiance of a device that can alert you by text message if there is a problem with the boat whenyou are away from it? The system ideally will allow remote control of heating as well as alerting if there is any problem.

 

If you prefer not to advertise what you have on your boat then PM would be helpful.

 

Dave

[mrsmelly]

Has anyone any experiance of a device that can alert you by text message if there is a problem with the boat whenyou are away from it? The system ideally will allow remote control of heating as well as alerting if there is any problem.

 

If you prefer not to advertise what you have on your boat then PM would be helpful.

 

Dave

 

Are you on a plugged in mooring. If so there are several things on the market made for houses that will do what you want. We have just had fitted an alarm system to house that does the obvious but also telephones us or texts us and turns on cctv system. Dont know if they could be made to run off 12volt but of course you will still need power from somewhere long term.

[Chalky]

Most of the ones on the market assume that you've got a permanently connected mains supply since they draw a not insignificant current.

 

If you've got any electronics experience it is possible to modify a mobile phone so you can control it off a single chip micro like a PIC. You can connect to the phone's keyboard matrix and switch the keys using opto isolators. The control software is quite simple to write. If the phone is left off, but on charge (you need to modify the charger circuit and turn it on to transmit) you can get the whole alarm down to less than 1ma.

The alternative is to use a GSM modem with an RS232 connection (which could be a modified phone) and a PIC or use a 3G dongle and a PIC but this would be more involved to write the software for.

 

An alarm that sends a message when an alarm has occurred is going to use less power that one that can respond to a call since a transmit only device only needs to power the GSM engine to transmit, it doesn't have to leave it permanently powered to receive a call.

Edited January 21, 2012 by Chalky

[DaveC]

Thanks MrSmelly and Chalky. I should have made it plain that I do not have mains available but I do have a reliable 12 volt system available that is float charged by a decent sized solar panel through a MPPT regulator.

 

Dave

[Boat&Bikes]

Has anyone any experiance of a device that can alert you by text message if there is a problem with the boat whenyou are away from it? The system ideally will allow remote control of heating as well as alerting if there is any problem.

 

If you prefer not to advertise what you have on your boat then PM would be helpful.

 

Dave

 

 

I have a motorbike with a text messaging alarm system,though obviously not linked to central heating......

 

Ian

[ditchcrawler]

A friend of mine has a system that monitors the door alarms, bilge Alarm, battery voltage (he can tell if the sun is shining as the solar panel ups the volts)It texts him a status every day plus if anything alarms it sends another text.

[DaveC]

A friend of mine has a system that monitors the door alarms, bilge Alarm, battery voltage (he can tell if the sun is shining as the solar panel ups the volts)It texts him a status every day plus if anything alarms it sends another text.

 

Any idea of make / model please?

 

Dave

[oarfish]

Any idea of make / model please?

 

Dave

 

This looks like it might fit the bill. 12 volts, 0.1W. Camera and multiple sensor inputs.

 

I have been looking for something similar myself. I suspect it may take quite a few pictures of my cat though.

Edited January 22, 2012 by oarfish

[ditchcrawler]

Any idea of make / model please?

 

Dave

Sorry I don't know.

[keble]

This looks like it might fit the bill. 12 volts, 0.1W. Camera and multiple sensor inputs.

 

I have been looking for something similar myself. I suspect it may take quite a few pictures of my cat though.

Thats a fascinating web site! I was drawn to the Water-powered calculator

I can't think of any realistic condition where this might be preferable to a light-powered one?

[DaveC]

Thanks for the replys, including some PMs. I have just ordered a PROTEXT - GSM remote control.

 

Dave

Edited January 23, 2012 by DaveC

[KJT]

Any idea of make / model please?

 

Dave

 

I think this is what you are looking for. www.boatwarden.com

 

It monitors several things including change of boat position, bilge level, shorepower status, intruder/hatch alarm, and can control heating/lighting all via a smartphone app. and sms messaging.

 

Ken

[ditchcrawler]

Thats a fascinating web site! I was drawn to the Water-powered calculator

I can't think of any realistic condition where this might be preferable to a light-powered one?

Looks good

[dano87]

Thanks for the replys, including some PMs. I have just ordered a PROTEXT - GSM remote control.

 

Dave

 

Was this any good Dave as I want to get one myself?

[jenlyn]

Was this any good Dave as I want to get one myself?

Am well impressed with mine, it even starts the engine from phone. I wouldn't use the heating on facility, not whilst away from the boat.

[Joshua]

I think this is what you are looking for. www.boatwarden.com

 

It monitors several things including change of boat position, bilge level, shorepower status, intruder/hatch alarm, and can control heating/lighting all via a smartphone app. and sms messaging.

 

Ken

 

I am also looking for a boat security system, that BoatWarden product looks good, does anyone have personal experience of it in action or know of someone who has one that I could seek an opinion from?

 

 

 

 

Joshua

 

 

[by'eck]

Rather than devices that monitor/report break-ins or tampering after the event, does anyone have any suggestions for preventing/discouraging such activity in the first place?

 

CCTV or audible mechanical/infra-red triggered systems spring to mind, backed by warning signs - not sure effective they would be with the average hoody though, especially the latter given false alarms.

Edited July 16, 2012 by by'eck

[Joshua]

Rather than devices that monitor/report break-ins or tampering after the event, does anyone have any suggestions for preventing/discouraging such activity in the first place?

 

CCTV or audible mechanical/infra-red triggered systems spring to mind, backed by warning signs - not sure effective they would be with the average hoody though, especially the latter given false alarms.

 

I did a little research this afternoon and came upon these people GOST who have an ingenious feature in their security system called Gost Cloak.

 

When the alarm is tripped by an intruder, this system fills the boat with a thick blanket of smoke to prevent the gits from seeing anything worth nicking.

 

Bit too James Bond for me but neat.

 

I'm thinking, if I can get a system with a good loud alarm and blue flashing light on top of the boat and a means to trigger it early enough (like the cratch cover poppers thing) then any opportunist thief is likely to leg it before any harm is done?

 

 

 

 

Joshua

Edited July 16, 2012 by Joshua

[ditchcrawler]

I did a little research this afternoon and came upon these people GOST who have an ingenious feature in their security system called Gost Cloak.

 

When the alarm is tripped by an intruder, this system fills the boat with a thick blanket of smoke to prevent the gits from seeing anything worth nicking.

 

Bit too James Bond for me but neat.

 

I'm thinking, if I can get a system with a good loud alarm and blue flashing light on top of the boat and a means to trigger it early enough (like the cratch cover poppers thing) then any opportunist thief is likely to leg it before any harm is done?

 

 

 

 

Joshua

Watch out for the wind and spiders

[Arthur Brown]

The smoke cloaking devie is no more than a big disco smoke machine and it probably consumes 200 - 300w continuously! OK for high value places with mains, less good for off grid places.

[bottle]

I have seen a system fitted into a car (on TV) so I wonder if there is a different type of system that does nor need all that power.

[PaulJ]

My gsm alarm,although not as high spec as the one in earlier post,does have a very useful relay output so anything can be wired through this.This output is activated by alarm being triggered or by txt/phone command. I have wired two extra strobe sirens to this.Makes alot of noise.

[nicknorman]

My gsm alarm,although not as high spec as the one in earlier post,does have a very useful relay output so anything can be wired through this.This output is activated by alarm being triggered or by txt/phone command. I have wired two extra strobe sirens to this.Makes alot of noise.

Let's hope we are never moored near you when the alarm is falsely triggered in the middle of the night!

 

Burglars are fairly stupid, but not so stupid as to not realise that when people hear an alarm sounding, they just curse the owners, close the windows etc. they only phone the police when the alarm is still going after 30 mins and they can't sleep, by which time the burglars have gone off with whatever they want.

[PaulJ]

Let's hope we are never moored near you when the alarm is falsely triggered in the middle of the night

Dont worry -would have soon remotely switched it off as would have been driving me mad texting and phoning me :-D

[Harpic]

Two years ago, I fitted to my narrowboat a "Yacht sentinel". If you google this, it'll bring up their website.

It's not cheap, but it's reliable and offers worthwhile features. These include sending a text to up to three stipulated mobile phones warning of impending disaster such as fire, flood, frost or intruder. Additionally, its owner may send texts to the unit from any mobile, requesting the status of its sensors, and will receive a text reply on the same mobile The status includes the voltage of the boat and sensor batteries, and the boat's position, course and speed (via an in-built GPS). The owner may also, by sending a text, set the various parameters suitable to needs. For instance, the intruder alert can be switched on or off, and the fire and frost alarms can be set to operate at any given temperature.

I have no connection with the manufacturers but would conclude that the Yacht Sentinel does what it says on the tin, and provides reassurance to the owner that his pride and joy is being quietly looked after. I would add that the unit is completely silent in operation, no sound or light alarm being provided on the boat itself.

The only objection that I have found with the unit is that the low boat battery alarm is pre-fixed at 11v. I reckon that if your battery volts have sunk that far, then it's as good as dead. Maybe the manufacturer has raised this to a more sensible level these days.

So there it is. Efficient and comprehensive, and, as I've mentioned, expensive. BUT it works.....