Security for the Van

My alarm is supposed to go off if it is hit hard too. But I sleep in mine with the alarm activated for security and it hasnt gone off yet.

Best Buy did a crappy job installing the Viper Alarm they sold me, and my dealings with them after it was apparent the B is incompletely armed were terrible.
The side door is off the alarm circuit all together.

I wrote more specifics about my experience, check it out if you want more details.
I'm not surprised Best Buy threatens to fold entirely at times.

My RV is parked under dusk to dawn lighting and I had a Viper 350HV alarm installed. Nobody has messed with it during the three years I have had it. Bought the alarm at Best Buy and they did a decent job of installing it. If someone only bangs on the RV windows the shock sensor will cause the alarm to chirp four times as a warning. If you do a search of Viper alarms on line you should get all the info you need. It has a lot of features I like and no problems as of yet. When we are camping I put the alarm in the "valet mode" so it only acts as a door lock/unlock so no alarms while we are sleeping or walking in it. Works great.

drsolo wrote:

mlts22 wrote:
As a step up, I have used fog machines in the past. Of course, each false alarm costs $10 in fog juice.

What happens if they go off while driving?
Any idea of what a system like this costs? TIA

I paid a hefty penny for mine, but that was ages ago. I'd say around $2-3k these days.

As for it going off while driving, the chance of that is probably the same as having the steering wheel lock engage while on the road... if the ignition is set to "on", the alarm disengages and can't go off. Of course, nothing is 100%, but the chance is very low.

These fog machines are not common, so that when one of the fog alarms go off, it definitely is something that people will stop and notice.

mlts22 wrote:
As a step up, I have used fog machines in the past. Of course, each false alarm costs $10 in fog juice.

What happens if they go off while driving?
Any idea of what a system like this costs? TIA

I second the Clifford/Viper alarm. Sound-wise, they tend to be the same, except BMW seems to have a new, more shrill/annoying version out, but it may just get people to encourage the thief.

Installation is half the battle with a car alarm. A well installed car alarm will not go off when someone slams a door in a parking garage, nor if thunder hits nearby.

As a step up, I have used fog machines in the past. They go by different names, Dragon, FlashFog, Pea Soup, smokemachines.net, but what those do is pour out fog and flash strobes when your car is broken into. I've found that this is the only way to get would-be thieves to leave quickly. A car alarm going off is one thing. Smoke billowing out of a car with flashing lights will either make people think they are at a rave, or at least get their attention. Of course, each false alarm costs $10 in fog juice, but I can count the number of times I've had a false alarm on my old truck on the fingers of one hand.

For added protection, you might see about importing auxiliary locks from Fiamma in Europe. Here, they only sell awnings. However, across the pond, they sell "Safe Door Guardian" locks that install on all doors of an RV, providing much better theft resistance without the ugliness of the US-style round hockey puck and hasp.

For future reference, it can't hurt to install cameras on your property. I prefer wired HD cameras over wireless (so the signal doesn't jam other people's Wi-Fi devices), but anything is better than nothing.

Consider a system with a two-way remote, such as manufactured by Clifford/Viper. All alarm systems tend to sound the same and are largely ignored in neighborhoods where false alarms abound, but hearing the chirp coming from your keychain sure gets your attention. Transmit range on a two-way system is typically 1/2 to 3/4 mile, so it's useful if your rig is parked only sorta nearby.

The downside of a two-way system is that they will consume additional battery power - mine draws an additional 40 mA after everything in the RV stabilizes - about 4-5 minutes after the doors have been locked and the alarm has been armed.

False alarms can generally be eliminated by properly adjusting the threshold of the glass break sensor, so installation by someone knowledgeable about your particular brand is essential. I had my system installed by a local independent car stereo sales/installation shop that I'd found previously through Yelp when I was looking for someone to replace the GPS/sound system.

VE3ESN wrote:
We were recently told to NEVER use the remote in a crowded parking lot or other busy place. Apparently there is software out there that enables a crook to receive the remote signal and then to "learn" the unique code for your vehicle as seems to have happened in your unfortunate situation.

That is sort of an urban myth with a small kernel of truth, but really not a problem.
snopes link

Motion detectors around the RV that alert you or your wife inside the house day or night and security lights on the 4 corners of your house that have motion detectors.
Make sure all of them have an inside switch in case you want darkness sometimes.

Within a couple weeks of buying my older 1992 conversion van (in 2011) I had an alarm installed. It was an Avital. I dont know if you have Angie's list but that is where I found the installer. I live in the city of Milwaukee. My van is parked on the street year round (except when I am traveling). Cars are broken into in the surrounding blocks despite our living in the lowest crime are of the city. I do try to keep my van pretty close to the house so I can hear if the alarm goes off. While I have had the alarm go off when I accidentally hit the panic button for a couple seconds, there hasnt been any false alarms and nobody has broken in either ... so far. Now, we left a little, truly ugly pathetic trailer brimming over with construction materials on the street with one of those "tongue locks" overnight and it was gone in the morning. We have had 3 trailers stolen until we finally put our trailer into a garage.
We do have thieves working the back alley and breaking into garages here. I would highly recommend motion alarms along the fence especially where the gate is, and we recently installed a door to our side yard that has a bump-proof, double keypad lock (Lockey M210DC Keyless Double Sided Deadbolt) which prevents them from getting in and then opening up the door and dragging or carrying stuff out (not that there is much to take).