AVS S5 Alarm Review | Expired Standards Still Quoted In 2025

AVS S5 Alarm Review freshly updated for 2025

It’s one of the best known alarms here in NZ. So many car audio shops recommend it. But is it any good? Should you get one, and can you trust the marketing hype? Let jump right into my AVS S5 Alarm review.

The AVS S5 is a re-branded Rhinoco Alarm

AVS won’t tell you this, but I like to be transparent with my reviews.

Have a look at the Rhinco Website. The AVS S5 looks suspiciously like the Rhino RAV4, The only noticeable difference is the remote design and an AVS Sticker slapped over the box. AVS do similar re-branding with their GPS Trackers: Anyone noticing a pattern here?

AVS car alarm problems

The main AVS car alarm problems are:

Weak immobiliser
Poor quality siren
Misleading certification

Issues with the AVS S5 immobiliser housing:

The AVS alarm installer made this look easy by failing to hide the alarm. But from my experience this is very common.

No reinforced security case
Many high-end alarms use resin-filled, or armoured housings to protect immobiliser relays. The AVS S5 doesn’t. Its immobiliser cuts are inside the main alarm box, which is only plastic-cased and can be cracked open with minimal effort.
Centralised failure point
Because the immobiliser relays are all inside the alarm module, once an offender reaches it, they effectively bypass the whole system at once.
Bulky design
The S5’s control unit is quite large, making it harder to conceal behind factory wiring, dash bracing, or in tight looms. This increases the chance a thief can spot the unit quickly and disable it.

Why this matters:

A determined thief who gains access to the cabin and dash area doesn’t need to be an electronics wizard. If they find the S5 box, they can open it and bridge the immobiliser relays in minutes. Without a hardened housing, the deterrence relies almost entirely on concealment, not resistance.

Let’s take a look at the AVS alarm siren.

First off, these sirens come with an override key. That means they need to be mounted in a position that’s accessible, but that makes them vulnerable.

The mounting bracket is flimsy and can be broken in just seconds. Once that happens, the siren can be ripped straight out, which makes the built-in battery backup completely pointless.

In other words, there’s no real advantage here compared to a standard, non-battery siren.

And to make matters worse the sirens aren’t even waterproof. So over time, water damage can further reduce their reliability.

AVS & Misleading Standards

5 Star Alarm Rating invalid as of 2012

The 5 Star alarm rating system was dropped by the new Zealand Security Association in 2012, but AVS still promote it on their website

AS/NZS 3749.1.2003 Deleted

AS/NZS 3749.1.2003 was deleted on the 26 November 2020. Why do AVS quote an out of date standard?

AVS alarm reviews on Google

If you look at AVS alarm reviews on Google then you’ll notice some common complaints:

Key fob issues
Siren failures
Installation Issues

AVS key fob issues

The key fobs buttons are very flimsy so are prone to arming and disarming, and panicking the alarm to go off unintentionally.

Siren faults

If you are lucky your siren will fail when it is still under warranty. If so you’ll get a free replacement. If it’s out of warranty then good luck. It’s interesting that AVS got a 5 star review because the replaced a faulty siren. Whilst this suggests the service was good it clearly shows the product is below par.

Installation Issues

Another common theme is AVS alarms being sold without installation. The alarm then gets delivered without any wiring instructions of support from AVS.

Reasons I Don’t Sell or Trust AVS Alarms

Reason 1: Outdated 5-Star Claims
“AVS still advertises a 5-Star alarm rating. The problem? That system hasn’t been valid in New Zealand for years. So, those claims are misleading at best.”

Reason 2: Standards That Don’t Exist
“They also promote compliance with AS/NZS 3749.1:2003. That standard was officially deleted back in 2020 which means it no longer holds any weight.”

Reason 3: Weak Siren Security
“The siren comes with a flimsy bracket. A thief can break it off in seconds, rip the siren out, and suddenly that so-called battery backup means nothing.”

Reason 4: Vulnerable siren with override Key
“Because the siren has an override key, it has to be mounted in an accessible spot. That makes it even easier for thieves to locate and disable.”

Reason 5: Not Waterproof
“And if all that wasn’t enough, the sirens aren’t even waterproof. Over time, water can get in and damage the unit, making it even less reliable.”

Reason 6: Vulnerable to remote cloning
“The is no excuse this vulnerability has not been fixed, vehicle theft via remote programming has been known about for decades.”

So before you trust your vehicle security to AVS, remember: outdated standards, misleading ratings, and weak hardware aren’t exactly ‘advanced security.’ Do your research and don’t get caught out by branding over substance.

AVS S5 Review Summary

Obsessive Rating: Great Marketing or Dishonest?

If you trust a man who is pissing on your leg whilst telling you that it’s raining then you’ll probably purchase one.

I don’t see the point listing the features here when the flaws are already a deal breaker. Besides, you can find them all on the AVS or RhinoCo Website.

I’m aware that this review will upset a number of installers who make good money installing AVS alarms. Please let me know if I’ve got anything wrong here.