Viper 3400V Review

Viper is such a popular car alarm brand, you can buy decals to put on your window to deter potential thieves. If you want a Viper car alarm, but you don't want to spend $200, the Viper 3400V is a great option.

Early Verdict

The Viper 3400V is simple and affordable car alarm with a high-end brand name, but it lacks convenience features.

Pros

  • +

    It has a starter interrupt.

Cons

  • -

    The remote isn't two-way.

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Viper is such a popular car alarm brand, you can buy decals to put on your window to deter potential thieves. If you want a Viper car alarm, but you don't want to spend $200, the Viper 3400V is a great option. While it lacks the two-way, long-range remotes of its more expensive siblings, it still has the same dual-stage shock sensor, a warn-away feature, a six-stage 120-dB siren and a fault-proof starter interrupt. In other words, it's still more than capable of sinking 120-dB fangs into the ears of a thief.

At $58, the Viper 3400V is arguably just as effective as a car security system as the $200 Viper 5706V. Both have a six-stage, 120-dB siren and a dual-stage shock sensor. And both come with the respected Viper brand. If the purpose of an alarm is to deter potential thieves with a loud siren, then there's no difference in the performance of these alarms. But then, there's also no difference in the car alarms with prices lower than $30, like the Avital 3100LX.

The Viper 3400V's starter interrupt feature is designed to thwart hotwiring. This is a valuable feature because even if the baddie ignores the siren or happens to be deaf, the starter interrupt system makes it so they can't drive off with the car. Starter interrupts aren't impossible to get around, as professional car thieves have proven, but at the very least, it's a hassle some thieves are likely to stay away from, especially if they know Viper car alarm is protecting the vehicle.

This car alarm comes with two remotes with a range of a quarter mile. By comparison, the high-end Viper alarm remotes have a range of a mile. That said, most people rarely roam a quarter mile from their parked car, much less a mile. The biggest downside to the remote is the one-way feature. This is one of the biggest reasons for the price disparity among high-end alarms and affordable alarms. The one-way remote can't receive alerts when an alarm is activated, so you have to investigate whether it's your car or someone else's every time you hear a car alarm.

On a positive note, the Viper 3400V security system is compatible with keyless entry and trunk release. However, these are options, costing extra and taking up the two auxiliary ports. Since the alarm only has two ports, you can't expand the functions or the alarm sensors very easily. For example, you can add keyless entry, but you'd have to sacrifice the trunk release if you want a tilt sensor.

With the Viper 3400V, you protect your vehicle with a respected car alarm brand, but at a fraction of the cost of high-end Viper alarms. The features are simple, yet effective with a Zone-2 impact sensor, a fault-proof starter interrupt and a loud alarm. There aren't many convenience features, but at this price point, you're basically just paying for the alarm.

Jeph Preece

Jeph is a freelance writer who specializes in automotive subjects, like car stereos, and tech. With a Masters degree in Fiction from San Diego State University, he has written extensively for Top Ten Reviews on subjects ranging from car speakers and Bluetooth devices, all the way through to online file storage and backup software.