Wanted - a car alarm for people who refuse to lock their doors

[wtimothyholman]

Given the huge variety of third-party vehicle alarms available today, I want to save some time by inquiring with the IPcamtalk crowd.

Here's the issue: a great many people in some high-crime neighborhoods near me have essentially given up on locking their car doors. In their minds, it's worth having criminals search through their cars, or even having homeless people sleep in them, to avoid the cost of replacing broken windows. Consequently gangs of door checkers keep hitting them every week, over and over. You'll see lots of griping and bitching about it accompanied by bad Ring videos on Nextdoor, but nothing changes.

My observation is that door checkers are rarely deterred by lights or cameras, but they will instantly run almost every time if a very loud car alarm goes off. The last thing they want is to risk confronting an angry homeowner with a gun. So here is my question: is there a third-party auto alarm that can be set to go off if someone opens an unlocked door? Low cost and ease of installation are important, along with a very loud alarm and lights when triggered.

Does such an alarm exist?

 

[wittaj]

I actually did that with an aftermarket system on a previous car I owned.

When I had it installed, they installed 3 hidden toggle switches.

One I could flip and the alarm would set on the key fob push but not lock the doors.

It is has been too long now and I cannot remember what I had the other two toggle switches do LOL, but I think one would turn off the siren and just do flashing lights and the other turned off the bump sensor.

But I would think even on one that comes standard, it would simply be a matter of disconnecting or throwing in a toggle switch on the wire path to the locks.

 

[Mike A.]

Not sure you're right about the alarms. Pretty much everyone ignores them now. But yes most third-party alarms have door and hood contact sensors. Also small portable PIR and motion sensor-type alarms that plug into the lighter or run on batteries and some that you can drop into a door pocket, etc., that sense motion. They won't be loud like one with a siren though.

I've lived in places where it was better to just leave the car unlocked. They'd break the windows if they thought you might have a few quarters in the ashtray. The only solution is just not to leave anything in the car that looks even remotely interesting or of any value. No bags, boxes, etc. Some would pop the glove compartment or console open, pull the ashtray open (back when they had them).

 

[wtimothyholman]

Not sure you're right about the alarms. Pretty much everyone ignores them now. But yes most third-party alarms have door and hood contact sensors. Also small portable PIR and motion sensor-type alarms that plug into the lighter or run on batteries and some that you can drop into a door pocket, etc., that sense motion. They won't be loud like one with a siren though.

I've lived in places where it was better to just leave the car unlocked. They'd break the windows if they thought you might have a few quarters in the ashtray. The only solution is just not to leave anything in the car that looks even remotely interesting or of any value. No bags, boxes, etc. Some would pop the glove compartment or console open, pull the ashtray open (back when they had them).

People will certainly ignore a car alarm in a parking lot. On a residential street in the middle of the night, not so much. At least on the videos I've watched, a loud alarm sends thieves scurrying off in an instant. If people choose to leave their doors unlocked, so be it. But a loud alarm is infinitely better than no alarm at all, which seems to be the default for most car owners.

If I were in their shoes, I'd install a professional alarm system, and also use spotlights and external alarms triggered by human figures. I am uncompromising where criminal activity is concerned. But few will go to that effort. I'm just hoping for a middle ground that will provide them with some degree of deterrence.

 

[Mike A.]

Most car alarms work that way or as @wittaj says can be set up that way. Nothing special really. Some you also can have trigger without the siren and notify you otherwise in some way (phone alert, light/noise inside the house, etc.).

 

[wtimothyholman]

Most car alarms work that way or as @wittaj says can be set up that way. Nothing special really. Some you also can have trigger without the siren and notify you otherwise in some way (phone alert, light/noise inside the house, etc.).

But is there a specific brand or model that you're aware of that advertises this feature? I'd like to point people to a specific company or product.

When I mention car alarms to most people, their reply is, "The alarm won't go off until they break the window. What good does that do me?"

 

[garycrist]

Have you looked at Viper - Car Alarms | Remote Starters | SmartStart | Window Film and Tint | Vehicle Security | Keyless Entry

I have used their products.

 

[wittaj]

Viper was the system I used.

 

[wtimothyholman]

Viper was the system I used.

The problem with the Viper systems is exactly the same problem with professional security cameras - one out of 1000 people will go to the effort and expense of installing them. I've done a little reading and I'm wondering if something like this might be worth recommending to neighbors:

https://www.amazon.com/Mengshen-Wireless-Motorcycle-Anti-Theft-Waterproof/dp/B077GW7QWY

It's cheap, it can be attached to the door so that it goes off when the door is opened, and it provides some level of deterrence.

 

[Mike A.]

Yeah, I had Viper too. They've been around forever. Trying to remember the others that I had. Maybe Clifford.

 

[biggen]

Are you concerned about this because the door checkers are expanding to your neighborhood?

 

[wtimothyholman]

Are you concerned about this because the door checkers are expanding to your neighborhood?

No, I’m just trying to provide some advice to people who keep complaining about the same problem over and over again.

I rarely have door checkers on my street anymore. I can’t be certain if my own camera system is responsible for that, but there does seem to be a correlation.

 

[tangent]

I'll preface this that this is generally annoying and will desensitize people to the car alarm.

Aftermarket car alarms are typically stupidly simple devices, monitoring a dual stage shock shock sensor, the door switches, and with a starter kill relay. They do often have some extra I/O that often isn't hooked up, but can be used for accessories like acoustic glass break sensors, tilt sensors (towing), to pop the trunk, and so on.
One accessory that exists is a microwave motion detector. You might have encountered one of these if someone with a convertible parks next to you and their car alarm goes off as you approach your vehicle. If you were an insolent teenager, you may or may not have "spilled" the sticky beverage in your hand in their convertible. Typically there are two stages one to scare people off and a second that goes full alarm.

If you want to scare people who approach your vehicle a microwave motion detector can work, but optimal placement and adjustment can be tricky. Years ago, dissatisfied with some of the products out there I built my own car alarm of sorts that interfaced with this: DIRECTED 508D DEI Dual Zone Motion Radar (Invisibeam Field Disturbance) Sensor 93207050848 | eBay
The simplest thing to do is use something like this secondary to the factory alarm and only arm is when people shouldn't be near the vehicle. This is made to interface with certain models of DEI car alarms.

Also note aftermarket remote start systems typically disable the vehicle immobilizer making them easier to steal.

 

[rolibr24]

 

[fenderman]

As others have noted any car alarm can be wired this way simply to ignore the status of the doors. I would suggest mounting the speaker on the inside rather than outside. This will chase them away due to the unbearable noise and disturb the neighbors less. They will still have to arm the system.

 

[eggsan]

Agree with all previous suggestions. As an example, I will consider the same deterrent approach used on residential installations while detecting movement in the patio, turning ON smart switches in sequential/timely order (kitchen>5sec>hallway>10sec>terrace>5sec, etc.). For a vehicle, installing a surface mount high intensity strobe light(s) inside the cabin, could serve as a deterrent as well. A switch at the handle or while opening the door, will trigger the event. Include a timer (5min) for turning OFF.

 

[tangent]

Agree with all previous suggestions. As an example, I will consider the same deterrent approach used on residential installations while detecting movement in the patio, turning ON smart switches in sequential/timely order (kitchen>5sec>hallway>10sec>terrace>5sec, etc.). For a vehicle, installing a surface mount high intensity strobe light(s) inside the cabin, could serve as a deterrent as well. A switch at the handle or while opening the door, will trigger the event. Include a timer (5min) for turning OFF.

Yeah, I used to have my car alarm hooked to a sensor for my automation system but that car was totaled.

Expectations vs reality of how someone's factory car alarm work also often diverge. Many factory alarms have no shock or glass break sensor at all.