ALARMTEK

Presented by JP Audio & Security

Since the early 90s we have heard Viper this, Viper that on the street, but in the car security world, it's more like DEI or DIE...(DEI being the abbreviated name for Viper's manufacturer Directed Electronics). But why?

Being a private alarm installer when people ask me do I have Viper it almost sickens me, I mean I'm tired of hearing that. No I don't carry their stuff is my reply...But why is everyone so brainwashed into thinking the word alarm is synonymous with Viper? It's because of marketing, you gotta hand it to DEI, they put their product all over the place at the right time and pretty much dubbed anything dealing with car security their invention, not to say they are not innovators, but surely everything did not originate with them...Take a look at the company that DEI buys their circuit boards for their Viper brain modules, a little company called Micro who has been in this game for ages as well, but do they get the credit? NO!

Granted, if you walk into a shop and buy a Viper installed, you get a lifetime warranty from DEI and no matter what, that shop has to fix your alarm in the event of malfunction, but what if you're not buying it at a shop, what if you want to use that thing we call the Internet to purchase your alarm and install it yourself?

To me, blatantly and blindly going for only DEI products on the web is a waste of your hard earned money since if you're not an authorized dealer like say, the local Best Buy, then you SOL for the warranty, so where does that leave the actual Viper product (brain, remotes, wiring etc...) in it's separation apart from the rest? Nowhere is the answer, you can buy a product for about half the price on the web as a Viper and get friendlier, easier to understand installation instructions, different looking products, newer and fresher designs and you're not getting a shop warranty anyway so why pay double...oh and try contacting DEI for tech support and you're not a dealer, good luck! However, on the web, you get fast friendly advice on the spot, some websites even do step by step with you on installation, try getting that from DEI.

Take a look at the Micro CS2003 remote start/alarm system and take a look at the Viper 550ESP, both remote start your vehicle, both offer keyless entry, a number of aux outputs, hood and trunk protection, (2) 4-button remotes, starter kill output, parking lights flash, the list goes on and on, they are pretty much dead on par with each other, only thing is, you can pay $99.95 + shipping for a CS2003 and about $399 + parts installed at a Viper dealer or about $350 + shipping on EBay for the Viper 550, hmmm, now which do I want? What people are getting themselves into here is the name of the product, it's like buying aspirin, why buy Tylenol for $6 a bottle when u can buy the Wal-Mart brand with all the same active ingredients in it (not to mention clears up your headache) for $3 less? Some people do, I don't...I mean consider this, both alarms are installed by the same installer and of the same quality of install, is your car going to be any more well protected if you have the word Viper on your remote than if you have the word Micro? No, the vehicle will still flash and blare a siren if the window is smashed and door opened, they will both have a starter kill relay immobilize the car and so on....Point is, at this stage in the alarm game, pretty much all of the stuff is at about the same level and depending on quality (I mean don't go on eBay and see an alarm with 2-way pager for $30 and think it's the same as the high end Vipers or Audiovox Prestige units, be for real), you're getting the same thing, so why pay twice as much?

Speaking of 2-way Paging alarms, let's take a gander at them...Viper 791XV vs. Prestige APS-996, both have an LCD transmitter pager, both have an extra 4-button remote, both have all of the same stuff, I can get a Prestige APS-996 for about the half the price installed as a Viper 791XV, why? I'll tell you why, because one says Viper on it and one say Prestige...and nobody in the alarm business can tell you that Prestige sucks or isn't in Viper's class because that would be a lie. The information is out there to prove everything I am saying...Oh did I mention I can get an Ultrastart 4255TL with just about all the same features as both of those aforementioned alarms online for about $190 bucks? Oh, and the ultrastarter will do everything the Viper will do only do it from a lot further away, range baby, range.