Well I was just about to buy a Compustar 2WSS-AS for my car when I started hearing the the alarm had some problems and a few months ago the subjuct of Clifford and Compustar was beaten to death. Well there has been a new alarm out, the Responder from Viper. I would like to know a few things...

1) What were the problems that Compustar was having?
2) Would the Viper be better since it is DEI?
3) Which one would be easier to use?
4) Pricing on both?
5) What has the better capabilities and features like upgrading and secuirty?

If any one has any experience with either please give me your

Viper Responder

Compustar 2wss-as

 

I had the CompuStar SSAS in my TLS for a few months and found the remote to be unreliable. Sometimes it worked at unreal distances, other times it wouldn't work even if I was standing next to the car. The CompuStar remote is a bit tempermental. You can't press the button too quickly if the car doesn't respond immediately, you have to wait 1 sec between button presses. The last straw was when there was a major downpour and I couldn't get the doors unlocked. The battery meter read a full charge, but I changed the battery just in case anyway and still the same quirks.

I had the alarm pulled and installed the Viper 790 XV and found the remote to be much more reliable. The antennae was mounted in the same exact location, so I know the problems I had before had nothing to do with the way things were placed. Ron at StreetEffectz verified the CompuStar installation (which was done by someone else) and that everything was connected where it needed to be, so it has something to do with the system itself.

I know others on this board love their CompuStar, however, I personally have had both systems installed in my TLS and had too many issues with the remote's reliability. You may or may not, so it's your call in the end.

Regarding remote ergonomics:
CompuStar - nicer display, bright, uniform and pleasing (think Indiglo). Vibrate mode is strong and noticable, and beeps are very audible. Remote start buttons can be used with one hand (described in more detail in the Viper section). Instructions and button combination layout is nicely printed on the back. Nicely contoured, but still big, about the size of box of paperclips. Seems somewhat more delicate though. I dropped the remote from my desk and the display now has a minor crack in the face.

Viper - ok display, but backlight is like the old pre-indiglo backlights, not very bright, but readable at night. Vibrate mode is ok, but I already forgot how to do that, would have been nice if they printed it like the CompuStar. Remote start button is basically the lock/unlock button combination which is impossible to do with one hand, so it gets kind of annoying especially when you want to go into 'pit-stop mode'. 'Pit Stop Mode' is when you can park your car, take your key out, and leave the engine running. Because of the way the buttons are laid out, you have to reach across the steering column with both hands to hit the lock/unlock buttons. The CompuStar I could do it with one hand easily. Pretty much the same size as the CompuStar but a lot boxier. Survived the accidental drop test without cracks.

Although I miss the prettier CompuStar remote, I prefer having one that I can actually depend on. The basic features were essentially the same. Forgot how much I spent on the whole ordeal, but I had the Viper installed by StreetEffectz and haven't had any problems since then.

ckNJ