choosing an alarm

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rudbwoy69camaro

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Joined: June 10, 2003

Location: United States

Posted: November 28, 2004 at 12:32 PM / IP Logged

TriOptimum wrote:

That 6 mile range sounds very cool :).

That range is insane.

TriOptimum wrote:

The stereo place down the street from me had similar prices, about $400 installed, for 2500ft ranged ones. Unfortunately I can't find anyone else who will install anytihng other than what they have in store :(. I need mroe than 2500ft range (I assume it's less than that throug walls and parking lots).

'2500 ?!? That's almost half a mile. It's all about the install. Going to the mall, watching a movie? Trippin too much.

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pken

Member - Posts: 10

Joined: November 26, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: November 28, 2004 at 12:46 PM / IP Logged

Hi TriOptimum,

If you want to install it by yourself, get it from ebay. CompuStar 2W900FM (3000ft range) sold at ebay for $200. This creature looks a lot nicer and has more options than CompuStar 2WSSR (6000ft range). I dont know if http://www.compustar.org and http://www.magicar.com/main.htm are the same company, many of their products look identical. Here are the differences between 2W900FM and 2WSSR remote transmitter (the CPU brain is exactly the same):

2W900FM: up to 3000ft (open field). 2WSSR: up 6000ft (open field)

2W900FM: clock & count down time. 2WSSR: no clock or count down time.

2W900FM: able to turn RPS on/off. 2WSSR: always on, can't turn off.

2W900FM: looks a lot slimmer & nicer. 2WSSR: bigger, but more durable.

2W900FM: 1.5V AAA battery. 2WSSR: 1.5v AA battery.

2W900FM: hood open flashing icon. 2WSSR: none

2W900FM: temperature icon. 2WSSR: none.

I found a bug in 2WSSR, and it's a serious one. If someone knocks on the RPS to page you while the remote is in vibration mode, the manual tells you to press any button to turn it off. But if you press button I, it's not only turn off the RPS, but it also unlocks the door too (which is not good). Anyway, here is the email to Kopel: sean@kprokorea.com. They are very nice and fast. I emailed them at 9:25PM (U.S eastern time), and i got back on 9:27PM.

Enjoy shopping

TriOptimum

Member - Posts: 12

Joined: November 26, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: November 28, 2004 at 1:59 PM / IP Logged

2500ft is their range 'in an open field' usually, but when your in a parking lot, or walking in to a mall, that range isn’t going to make it nearly as far. Ideally 2500ft is fine, but the real range is probably within sight of the car if your in a parking lot. If anyone has any advice or experience to prove me wrong please speak up, this is mostly speculation from me :).

All I need it to do is reach about a half a mile to a mile through a building so I don't have to worry about it during the day. I know for sure that 6 mile remote would make it (unless they are just plain lying), but I don't know for sure about a 2500ft one. Thanks for the specs and info pken.

I'll let you guys know what I decide on. I don't think I'm going to do the install myself (just to make sure it works right - anytihng I do takes ripping the dash out at least 4 times to work perfect ^^), so I need to find a retailer or someone around here (nobody on the installer database here near me got back to me yet, but I'll give it a week). I'm thinking best buy, circuit city, or hhgregg might be able to do it.

1997 Saab 900 SE Turbo (Black)

LED ground/interior lighting

TomTom GO GPS hardwired

In car 80gb divx/dvd, 7" screen

Orbis Audio carbon fiber orb woofer

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TriOptimum

Member - Posts: 12

Joined: November 26, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: November 28, 2004 at 2:02 PM / IP Logged

BTW, I found KPro's english website for the alarm (with enlgish diagrams and manual):

http://www.kprokorea.com/p1-kr7000.htm

1997 Saab 900 SE Turbo (Black)

LED ground/interior lighting

TomTom GO GPS hardwired

In car 80gb divx/dvd, 7" screen

Orbis Audio carbon fiber orb woofer

iPod Color 40gb hardwired w/Sony headunit

forbidden

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Joined: November 01, 2003

Location: Alberta, Canada

Posted: November 28, 2004 at 2:31 PM / IP Logged

The 2wssr I do not think is in production any longer or if it is it will be soon phased out. The 2w8000fmas or 2w900fmas are both stellar units. I do more work with the former as our local distributor does not bring in the 900 model. Jeff brings in the 900 model as his local distributor does not bring in the 8000 model (Jeff will correct if I am wrong). I have a 2wfm model in my own F350 and the range on it is almost 1.5km, in some cases more and I am not talking about parking lots or open fields. I am talking about my vehicle is at my store (a strip mall) and I can start it from out of the line of sight or from with Walmart's big metal and concrete coffin that is a good 10 minute walk from here. The new models that we are talking about are not on the website yet I do not think. Compustar does manufacture these alarms with different brand names as well, feature content is very very close on them as well. Again Compustar tech support is great if you are a dealer, these starters and most starters in general should always be installed by a qualified installer, even we sometimes have install issues with them and that is the real reason why tech support is there.

Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

giggy3

Member - Posts: 3

Joined: October 19, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: November 28, 2004 at 2:46 PM / IP Logged

I have an Ultra Start 4500M and I installed this myself. Ultra start has great support if you have time to wait to talk to one of them and if you email them they will give you a wire diagram on how to hook up there alarm to your car with pics. Also DEI is the manufactuer that makes the alrams such alrams like Ultra Start, Viper, Clifford, Prestige, audiovox. So it really doesnt matter what brand you buy as long as it is DEI you will get a great alarm/starter. My dad had a Compustar for 6 months and it blew fuses and really messed up his car and compustar would not fix or replace it and the support for them really stinks

Thanks

Dave

forbidden

Platinum - Posts: 5,352

Joined: November 01, 2003

Location: Alberta, Canada

Posted: November 28, 2004 at 3:33 PM / IP Logged

A manufacturer can choose to warranty a product at any point in time. Compustar has a lifetime warranty. If a compustar was blowing fuses and really messed up his car, it was install related and not product related. If all of these brains are made on the same assembly line, with the same parts and the same predicatbility, I predict that based on your post, that all the other compustar's made are going to blow fuses and mess up everyones vehicles who have them. Again a Compustar is a advanced remote start alarm system that even us pro's find that we have issues with. Now giggy3, if you were compustar and you built these products you would provide a warranty. It is made very clear to use dealers that if it is dealer installed it is a lifetime warranty, if it is self installed you are on your own. If this was dealer installed then the onus is on the dealer to solve the issue. If it is self installed the onus is on the person that installed it and not the guy that made it.

Some people have the ability to trudge through a remote starter install, especially with help from forums like this, matter of fact there was a fellow who just posted to say thanks for the help, it took me 11 hours to do one and 13 hours to do the other. If you were a paying customer do you have any idea how much this would cost? Tech support is available from all companies and whilst DEI might have good tech support for you, they are the same for me, while tech support from Compustar may suck for you as you are not a authorized installer of their products, they are stellar for me as a authorized dealer and installer. Like I said originally, it is all about the install.

There are alot of good alarm / starters on the market, but to blatently say that since one company makes brands a -p they are great but since they do not make brands q - z is not a good comparison at all. I have DEI products available to me for sale as well, I go with what is best for the customer and not what is best for my back pocket.

Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

pken

Member - Posts: 10

Joined: November 26, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: November 28, 2004 at 4:11 PM / IP Logged

Hi Forbidden,

I agreed with your points. but i'm not sure if CompuStar is a real company or simply a branch of another company. Magicar ( http://www.magicar.com) born in 1993, CompuStar ( http://www.compustar.org) on the other hand born in 1998. Magicar launched 900Mhz spread spectrum in 2002, same year as CompuStar's claim. Antenna, brain, remote, option programmer, accessaries, etc. are all look identical. By looking at Magicar company profile, i think Magicar is more a real company than CompuStar. About CompuStar ( http://www.compustar.org/aboutus/), about Magicar ( http://www.magicar.com/youngshin_English/ys_01/who1-2.htm).

TriOptimum

Member - Posts: 12

Joined: November 26, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: November 28, 2004 at 5:45 PM / IP Logged

I would think CompuStar is the US distributor of the product then... in any case, they don't have a list of authorized dealers, and so far haven't answered my emails on where to find one. If you just have an installer (not authorized) do it your out of warranty, and I doubt the instalelr will care if it breaks a few months later unless your willing to hand some more cash out. To have the warranty you probably (correct me if I'm wrong) have to buy and install at an authorized dealer.

I disagree on tech support though. Unless they say right on their site and product packaging they won't provide install support, then they should, even if they say your out of warranty if you do it yourself (out of warranty doesn't mean 'out of tech support'). And from what I hear, even if you have an authorized dealer install it, and it malfunctions later, CompuStar don't care very much, which isn't right either; so you'd better make sure you have a real good dealer/installer.

Oh well. This is why we make our own decisions on what brand to buy and where ;).

I'm going to go for the Kopel/KPro 7000 model for the range though, just to be safe. It's suck to spend 1/2k on one of these and not have it work well.

1997 Saab 900 SE Turbo (Black)

LED ground/interior lighting

TomTom GO GPS hardwired

In car 80gb divx/dvd, 7" screen

Orbis Audio carbon fiber orb woofer

iPod Color 40gb hardwired w/Sony headunit

giggy3

Member - Posts: 3

Joined: October 19, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: November 28, 2004 at 8:16 PM / IP Logged

I guess I should have also said that it was installed at an authorized dealer and compustar still would not do any thing. Well anyways I thought I should say that my ultra start had problems with the key fob or the brain and Ultra start fix the problem for me and I installed it myself and I am not a dealer. Also I do put in start for friends or who ever will pay me and I do what everbrand they think is right for them. Although I do an influnce on what to stay away from like compustar

Thanks

Dave

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