Drunkpenguins SS3 Review!

My SS3 Review

Summary for those who want the short version.  I'm keeping it!  

***Unboxing and first impressions:
One word, gorgeous!  This system is beautiful.  We ordered keypads and base in black because our home is a fairly modern decor.  They both look very stylish and sleek.  Anything that makes my house look more cool is a big plus in my world.  These are going to fit in nicely.  

***The Base
The base has a MUCH improved voice.  The old voice always bugged me, sounded cheap.  There is obviously a better speaker and her tone is much better.  She now sounds like she means business when she announces the alarm is set.  The base light has also MUCH improved.  I love the new light ring.  At times it reminds me of KIT from Knight Rider if anyone is old enough to remember.  Communication among devices and base is extremely fast now.  Door chimes are instant and she responds quickly to arms and disarms.  And I just kinda like her, she sounds like she could be Alexas cousin.  In fact I should name her.  Something tough like Ripley  :)  I think the 2 of them are going to get along just great!


***The Keypad
Love love love the keypad!  Oh my this thing looks high tech and expensive.  Its very easy to use.  Simple to navigate.  It connected with the base immediately after pulling out the battery activator strip.  Buttons are the perfect size.  Lights come on when you put your hand near it, but your hand has to be close which is good. It does not come on just because you happened to walk by so this should save battery life.  For those worried about taking the keypads off to put them closer to the base station for software updates rest easy, they come off without struggle.


***Activation
Pretty simple and straight forward.  Logged into my account, clicked activate service, chose upgrade existing service, entered my new Base serial number and thats it.  It told me to wait up to 30 minutes for activation.  I would estimate that it took exactly 30 minutes to activate.  After activation you can start using the online control panel to name devices which is a bit easier than the keypad.  Joining WIFI is also very easy.  It will scan for networks, choose the one you want, enter the password and your online.  The keypad works like cell phones did prior to smart phones.  Each number cycles though a few letters of the alphabet.  (Note there seems to be a character limit on the SSID.  There are other threads discussing this but it appears to be 13 characters.  This makes sense because there is also a 13 character limit on sensor names.  As one member recently discovered you'll need to change your WIFI SSID if it exceeds 13 characters or it wont connect to WIFI.


***Window Sensors

Kudus to SS for putting the screw holes in the exact same location as the old sensors!  For most people this will make swapping a breeze!  Me however, I decided to take advantage of the smaller size and mount them to a newer location and make the job a bit more complex.  I originally had my window sensors mounted on the sides of the windows which worked fine, but the bulkiness of the old sensors were always in the way of the blinds opening and closing. The new sensors are MUCH thinner.  This allowed me to mount them in a more stealthy part of the window where they would be out of sight and out of the way.  They actually fit in the small gap between the top bar of the blinds and the window.  Once the blinds are re-installed they disappear.  The old sensors were pretty fat and could not fit up in there.  I have vinyl windows.  I installed these by screwing the sensors into place in the vinyl rail on top.  The magnets were put on using the sticky tape, but to ensure a permanent bond I put a thin layer of clear caulk around the magnet as well.  I tend to over do everything.

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A side note on entry sensors, depending on how you orient the sensors will determine how far they need to separate before triggering.  Heres the best way I can draw it on the forum:

mounted this way they trigger at about an inch
[magnet] [[[[[sensor]]]]]
<----------------------------->

mounted this way so they slide apart they trigger at 3" if measuring center to center
[[[[[sensor]]]]]
. [magnet]
<-------------->


***Door Sensors

The door sensors needed to remain visible wich was fine, since the screw holes lined up perfectly I didnt need to drill any new holes which is a big bonus considering I have metal doors.  These look sleeker and more modern.  The white is a true white.  The older sensors were kinda of an off white.  The blue blinking light looks better as well.


***Motion Sensors

The motions seem identical to the old ones as far as what they see and where.  They look really cool though.  They remind me a bit of the Hal 9000 sensors from 2001.  Is that a bad thing lol?  I left mine on the middle sensitivity setting which seems to cover everywhere just like my old ones did.  My only complaint and its really minor, but if you are using screws and tape at the same time the screw twists the tape around while trying to put these on and make it hard to mount.  I ended up taking the tape off and just using the screws which should be fine.

***Glass Break Sensor

This is my first glass break so I don't have much to compare on this.  The clapping test does indicate that the sensor does need to be within 20 feet to hear you.  I was hoping it might cover the entire main livingroom which is rather large and open, but looks like I'll need more than 1 to pull that off.  No biggie, I'll order some more eventually.


***External Siren.

Other than looking cooler not much has changed here.  I do like that its now listed as a device in the control panel rather than being an after thought add on like the old system.


***Other sensors

I dont use water sensors or smoke alarms with my system so cannot comment on them.



***Summary

Installation was super simple.  SS accomplished their goal here.  I ordered 18 entry sensors, 5 motions, 1 glass break, 2 keypads, and 1 siren with my initial order and all devices worked out of the box.  During testing COPS called to verify we were testing so thats a relief.  I really like this system a lot.  I really do.  Some of you may recall I considered looking for another system but decided to give SS a shot and so far Im really glad I did.  This system looks fantastic which is a big deal to me and it seems to function as good if not better than the original.  

I would say if you are even remotely considering the upgrade and you have the funds just go for it.  Like my grandfather always said you can't take it with you, spend away and help the economy!


(I'll update this thread as we have more time to actually use it.  I'll be getting some additional sensors to cover the detached garage and might venture into other things like water sensors)