TBH, the Toad and the Clifford are much of a muchness.

I used to fit both varieties and never had any problems. The difference between me and most other fitters though is that I used to take my time and fit it properly, not all in one place where it was easiest.

I generally recommend a Toad ai101CL or ai606 for people who just want an alarm that does what it says on the tin, but always remove the ultrasonics and fit a glass-break in its place as I will not warranty ultrasonics due to false-alarms. You then add any extra sensors as required.

A Clifford I recommend for people who want that bit more, remote start, anti-hijack, etc... and are more au-fait with their cars. A Clifford IS harder to fit, especially the G5 and G5.5 series as they operate a multiplex-style system so a pulse of less than 0.5 seconds might be a warn-away but longer would be a full activation. Some sensors may cause problems therefore if not suited to that type of alarm.


Another problem is the user/owner. An alarm may be set up fine when fitted, but then the customer goes and changes something (adds dark tints, changes seats, etc..) and suddenly the alarm is having to deal with another variable that was not there originally, which may require as slight adjustment (a prime example is prox. sensors and dark tints as they (the tints) have a slight metal content in them which affects the sensitivity of the sensor).

A lot of problems with Clifford alarms is the fitter putting sensors in an easy place, not the best place. The number of times I have seen dual-zone proximity sensors placed behind the gearstick is unbelievable. All that does is give lots of "dead-zones" as the wave will not pass through metal, so is blocked by things like seats, coins nearby affect it, etc... A harder place to install it would be in the rooflining, but most places think that is too much like hard work. A prox. sensor fitted there will not pick up passing trucks, trees nearby or a cat walking over your car @ 2am, etc. but will pick someone standing next to it and looking through the window, which is what the sensor is designed to do.

Also, with some sensors, they do actually settle once activated, so it may be worth re-checking a sensor and its sensitivity a couple of days later. Again, a lot of fitters do not do this. They may set it up in their workshop with all their fluorescent lights around, then send the customer on their way. The next thing the customer knows is that their alarm keeps going off as the sensor has re-adjusted slightly and is now outside its "safe zone". Clifford themselves even state in their installation instructions that it may be necessary to test and retest sensors for optimum positioning and not to test when surrounded by fluorescent lighting, but time and time again I see them being installed and setup next to these lights.

@ the end of the day, the decisions is yours. I know some people will slate me for my opinions, and some people will have opinions of their own. The best advice I can give is to speak to a few people with both types of alarm and see what they think (maybe see if you can have a play with their system for usability). Also, get an alarm installed that is suitable for YOU, not the installer. Too many Clifford installers want to fit the Concept 650 Cat1 as it is simple and they make nicely out of it, then they charge you extra for add-ons where as a higher-spec alarm might be a little dearer, but would have everything you want pre-installed for an overall cheaper price and with more room for upgrading later should you wish. Same as most Toad installers just want to install their "favourite" model as they sell loads and they can fit it quickly.