what brand r/s do you like

see that phrase "proper training" it means a lot and not very many installers get it these days, not something you can pick up from reading a book or watching someone else install and far too few employers are willing to train AND supervise newer installers until they have seen enough to make good installation decisions by themselves. a lot of problems that get reported as being a bad alarm brain or a fried output are just the results or a misplaced wire or a wire that got pinched from being ran where it shouldnt be, or knowing when and how to use a relay so that you dont fry an output. these are all installer errors that most often get reported as a bad brain because it will fry a brain the first time so it just looks like it was bad out of the box. i am totally guilty of just about any mistake you can think of and that is just a fact about this business, it is very hard to learn and not F things up occasionally so thats why i say that you cant really judge an alarm by certain problems like a bad brain. failure to program, range issues, com issues keypad durability and outputs that go out months after the install are better factors to judge an alarm on

Again, X 2.

soundnsecurity wrote: in my experience between DEI and audiovox, the problems i get with each are about what and what. maybe not recently as i havent installed dei alarms regularly in a long time, a few here and there but thats it. anyway, for my money i choose viper over audiovox, true the viper can be tricky to program without a bitwriter but i have one so programming is nothing to me. to me audiovox just lacks features that i consider basic like a timed delayed start for diesels and some convenience features that are standard on mid level and up DEI units like the ability to delete the door trigger error chirp when there is a dome light delay. dumb features like that just make for a better experience as a user. as far as problems ive had with audiovox, the range is very subjectable to outside interference, many many many times ive had complaints from people who cant get the alarms to respond even standing right next to the car and ive seen it plenty of times with my own eyes too. their 2-way systems are spotty at best, the communication is usually very delayed if it happens at all. the other major problem i get with audiovox is they like to drop power on the ignition or accessory wires for no apparent reason, ive had this happen twice on friends cars and it likes to happen a few months after the alarm has been installed and working just fine until one day it just quits. this is a big big problem because if you try to start the car with the wrong wire not getting power it can throw engine and trouble codes and in rare cases can hurt the car. no alarm is completely without problems and i guess DEI has been going down hill fast over the years that i havent been installing them and its probably true that installer error has a lot to do with many of the problems, when you are the most popular you will inevitable have more installers with less training than they should have trying to install these alarms and they arent very forgiving of bad wiring mistakes. ive heard good things about ultrastart but i have never used or installed one. autopage...junk scytek...junk

FYI, all Avox Rs units have a Deisel delay. It is programmable in 5 second increments. Also, all Avox alarms have the ability to delete the dome delay chirp. Very simple to program, just arm disarm 3 times ina row and shut the door. It calculates the delay and programs itself. The 2 way is junk and needs a total revamp IMHO. rediculaously long delay when arming. Never experienced the dropped power you describe, but for a while they had an issue where they would just stop working and you would have to unplug and plug it in again to get it going. This was an issue fixed a few years back....

Mike M2

Tech Manager

CS Dealer Services

soundnsecurity wrote: see that phrase "proper training" it means a lot and not very many installers get it these days, not something you can pick up from reading a book or watching someone else install and far too few employers are willing to train AND supervise newer installers until they have seen enough to make good installation decisions by themselves. a lot of problems that get reported as being a bad alarm brain or a fried output are just the results or a misplaced wire or a wire that got pinched from being ran where it shouldnt be, or knowing when and how to use a relay so that you dont fry an output. these are all installer errors that most often get reported as a bad brain because it will fry a brain the first time so it just looks like it was bad out of the box. i am totally guilty of just about any mistake you can think of and that is just a fact about this business, it is very hard to learn and not F things up occasionally so thats why i say that you cant really judge an alarm by certain problems like a bad brain. failure to program, range issues, com issues keypad durability and outputs that go out months after the install are better factors to judge an alarm on

I agree 100%... and I did fry one of my remote starts because I misconnected the trunk release output on a relay (I was a little tired at the time). However, the latest 2 issues I've had were in perfectly working vehicles and it just decided to stop working. I went through my wife's Jeep with a fine tooth comb checking for pinched wires and the install was still perfectly fine. It truly was a brain gone bad.Kenny

Owner / Technician

KKD Garage LLC

Albany, NY 12205

Just in, 18 month old install, Avital 3300*, not responding to either remote, the two way is dead, i.e. doesn't light up even with a battery change. A wasted morning visiting the customer next Friday. *Officially there are no 2 way plain alarms imported into the UK although we grey import 3303s.

thats interesting, are you sure all audiovox alarms have the delay and the chirp delete, i havent used anything other than the aps997c and ive been up and down the manual a hundred times looking for those features. maybe its just the basic aps25c that im thinking of. i am pretty sure i have never seen anything to do with diesel delay. i think setting 5 is the tach, voltage, virtual tach setting. yea im not saying all bad brains are caused by bad installs, sometimes its just a bad brain or a power surge from changing a battery or something else, it does happen. audiovox 2 way communication is total garbage and i have had to reset a few brains because they were unresponsive.

For sure the 997c has both. the dome delay is on page 27. I know it's there because i do about 5 a week for a Honda dealer and use the dome wire on them myself. Like i said, arm/disarm 3 times and the light goes solid, then shut the door and when the light goes out it will chirp again to let you know it's programmed the delay(much easier than DEI). 

Diesel delay is bank 3, program 11....

On the 25C dome delay is on page 5...

Can't agree more on the 2way, but honestly i think they all are all junk. In todays technology you would think someone could make a quality 2 way that meets all our demands...

Mike M2

Tech Manager

CS Dealer Services

Mike, I think I gotcha after 6 years! Why in heaven's name would you need dome supervision on a Honda? Like Toyotas and BMWs it's built in to the car and shuts down immediately on lock.

On Toyota and Honda it's much easier to use the dome as an all door trigger than get separate ones. Problem is that both have a 2 second delay from when the door locks until it goes out so Avox chirps 3 times, then another chirp when the light is out. We program the delay to eliminate all the chirps...Mike M2

Tech Manager

CS Dealer Services

yea audiovox is stupid with the amount of chirps it gives you when it senses a door still open. id say the 2-way on my older model 5901 is pretty decent and i still have an old 791xv in a bag that was nice too even with my whole truck tinted including the whole windshield i still get decent reception. i have the antenna mounted to the roof under the headliner instead of on the glass