Viper 5706V 2-Way Car Security with Remote Start System (Open Box)

The alarm is great. I installed it myself because I had a hard time finding a reputable dealer that wasn't going to charge me an arm and a leg. I've done a lot of car electronics and stereo installs before, but never a car alarm. This was my first time, but I spent many hours reading online in various forums to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. I printed out 2 sets of wiring diagrams for my Tacoma and spent another 20 hours on the installation. I spent 2 hours just to match up the wiring codes from viper's manual to the diagrams I printed out. I took my time and went slowly, triple checking which wires I'm cutting and soldering most of the connections. I spent about an hour alone on building a plug and play harness for the ignition so I wouldn't have to cut into the factory ignition harness. 1-10 scale Difficulty 9: This is not for your average DIY. You must be able to read factory wiring schematics and figure out which wires you need to splice or cut. You must be comfortable with wiring for this as it requires you to install many modules if you want the full functionality of this remote start alarm. I installed the remote start plus 2 window modules to roll up/down my 4 windows and a bypass module. You should also be comfortable taking apart your interior panels and running wiring through your firewall to the battery. Another reviewer said they had a difficult time finding an installer because Viper is unique. It's not. It's part of the DEI family and is the premium brand of DEI (Directed). Other brands of DEI are Clifford, Autostart, Automate, Python, etc. Any competent shop will have a trained DEI installer since DEI brands are the most popular brands available to consumers. Best Buy installs Viper alarms along with many others. Warranty: It's in the fine print. If it's not purchased and installed by an authorized retailer, you get no warranty. The upside of buying from Amazon or best buy and doing it yourself is that you can return the unit if it's defective upon initial install. You also save a lot of money. I had 1 shop quote me $1200 labor to install it. Granted it was a high end shop, but even $400 is a lot of money you can save doing it yourself. My 5706V has been installed for 2 years and there has been 1 hiccup. When the remote runs out of battery, even if the LCD still displays something, the unit can get out of sync with the remote. Essentially, the remote doesn't send a powerful enough signal to the antenna and the unit gets confused. It will stop responding to any commands. The fix is to disconnect all the connections to the brain box and reconnect. I found this out the hard way. The troubleshooting guide doesn't Make sure your remote is charged regularly. My remote has had the same battery and with 2 years on it, I usually have it on the charger once a week now. It charges to full quickly still. The alarm will tell you when it sees a low charge on your remote by giving one extra beep when you disarm it. That's a good reminder to put the remote on a charger. As far as functionality, I love it. Windows roll up and down the way I want them to (modules sold separately), remote start works consistently, and the LCD lets me know if the truck is locked or not. Signal penetration is very good. I've been in a parking garage 2 floors of thick concrete above my truck and was still able to remote start it. I can be inside my school building and remote start before walking the 150ish yards to my truck. Conclusion: if you have any doubts, buy it from an authorized installer. If you are confident in yourself or your friends, DIY and save a ton of money.