megalomaniac

I see it like this. If a professional is going to seal your car, alarm or not, he'll probably get away with it. Even with having a top model alarm someone out there can bypass it just as easy as a cheap one if he knows what he is doing. I've been installing audio and security for over 2 years now just with the knowledge that I have on installing them I could bypass most car alarms. So someone with TRAINING on stealing cars and bypassing alarms could do it a lot better and faster then me. So when I choose my alarm I got a Viper 751 (few years old) which has a 2-way remote. Having a 2-way is about the best prevention to thieft I think. Even if your siren is cut you alarm is still going off therefore you remote is still vibrating/beeping like crazy. The only bad thing is having to be in range of your car to get the benefit of it, and the nerve or a big enough stick to go confront someone who is messing with your car.

To answer Kyushin: Working at a Best Buy we sell all DEI brands and that is mostly what we install. The new model of vipers really have not added anything to them to make the security any better. The new Vipers are very installer friendly with cutting the install time in half by cutting the amount of wire required down.

Also the security of a security system is solely based on the installer. If he is lazy and hides the alarm brain next to the column then it would be easier to find. We are taught to hide them in more obscure locations (not going to list any for obvious reasons). Although with someone how knows what they are doing can always trace wires down to find an alarm brain so unless you lock that brain up in a steel box it's going to be accessible.

The moral of my story is pick a good alarm and have it installed by someone you know will do it right. You get what you pay for. No alarm is 100% perfect because someone somewhere cause get around it.

Chrisbert

Access to a big stick is not much of an issue here.

alSpeed2k

Isn't Clifford owned by DEI now?

Kyushin

Big stick? Nahh im commin out loaded, might as well kill one of the douschebags, I dont mind doin time if I take out a criminal with me ^^

Kyushin

Yes

Kyushin

Megalow, doesnt less wires make it easier and faster for the thief to bypass the alarm? I also heard there was a trick a thief could do with a battery to completely disable the electrical system,... have you heard of such a method?

NFRS2K83

NOTE TO EVERYONE HERE.... CLIFFORD, Viper, Automate.... are all the same alarms named differently.... with the same programming... using the same black box;s... there actually interchangable... clifford isn't how they used to be in the past.. where they used to use all the same color wires... and all that good stufff. there all interchangable... i can program the viper remotes to clifford and visa versa!!!!

NFRS2K83

NOTE TO EVERYONE HERE.... CLIFFORD, Viper, Automate.... are all the same alarms named differently.... with the same programming... using the same black box;s... there actually interchangable... clifford isn't how they used to be in the past.. where they used to use all the same color wires... and all that good stufff. there all interchangable... i can program the viper remotes to clifford and visa versa!!!!

Penforhire

Meh. Back-up battery and radar sensor (for convertible) make most of DEI's line just as good.

As far as value in newer models, the 2-way pager range is freakin' amazing in my Viper 5900. but otherwise I think the feature set is similar to alarms I owned many years ago.

NFRS2K83

ive been installing for about 7 years now... ive had nothing but dei products in my car... and it takes me a good 3 hours to do an s2000... because i hide the brains... i disguise all wiring to look very similar to factory... with that being said... it is very hard for someone to steal the car the good old fashion way... (disconnecting battery, cutting siren wire, backfeeding the battery back into the alarm so you short out the alarm module, etc etc etc)


on top of that they now have to deal with the immobilizer systems that come built into the car... and as for our car.. you cannot get a key cut via vin number at your local honda dealership... you physically need the car and a key to have it programmed with the honda HDS system...

another point i would like to make is that if a theif wants to steal the car... they arent going to worry about any of that stuff.. there going to put it on a flatbed.. and just take it..

i have a friend thats in the repo business and he takes cars with alarms alll day long... and doesn't know a damn thing about electronics...

having an alarm in your car... and all the sensors.. helps to protect your investment and the things inside of your car that you consider valuable ... 99% of the time... the alarm will do its job.. and the theif will be turned down... for the simple fact that he doens't wanna get caught...