In article ,
ARW writes:
www.texe.com

will no longer be giving out paper copies of installation manuals with
their alarms. That's not much use to a DIYer.

From their email

"Texecom is no longer supplying printed copies of installation manuals
with Texecom electronic security products manufactured after Monday 21st
January.

Printing hard copies of installation manuals and supplying with each
individual product is extremely wasteful, increasingly expensive,
damaging to the environment and, crucially, does not guarantee the
latest information relating to digitally-enabled and remotely upgradable
security products.

Texecom installation manuals are always available and always up to date
to professional security installers on our free TexecomPro app and on
the Texecom website.

Texecom has developed the TexecomPro app specifically to enhance and
support professional installers who design, install and maintain Texecom
security systems. Available free on iOS and Android, TexecomPro is the
go-to resource for all Texecom technical information."

See the clever use of the word crucially?

So how does this post help DIYers?

Well you just sign up as a professional installer and make up any
company name you want for free online access to their manuals. They do
not check any details (I am sure a reader will register with them to
prove this).

Of if you do not want to sign up then just email me with the Texecom
manual you want and I'll email it to you.

I bought one of their branded SLA batteries once (it was what
the local wholesaler had). It had the shortest life of any SLA
I've ever bought - just over 1 year on float at 13.8V without
ever being run down.

Haven't ever used their alarms.

On the forum for the alarms I've installed, one of the professional
installers asked why they make all the programming data and interface
protocols available to the public, and shouldn't this be hidden?
The answer from the company was that all the innovative ideas and
suggestions they get for enhancements come from DIYers, and not the
professional installers. A DIYer is using their installation, and
tends to use most of the features which gives them good ideas
for other things they would like it to do, which the company often
implements. A professional installer is not using their installations
and generally make use of rather few of the alarm's features.

One of the first examples (20 years ago now) was the Homesafe sign
in, where the alarm alerts the parents if the children haven't
arrived back home from school by a certain time. This feature is
configured by many DIY installers, but almost never by professional
installers. (This feature has probably been overtaken by smartphone
apps nowadays, but still shows how a DIY and a professional
installation are likely to differ.)

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]