Home Security System Opinions

[Beotch]

Anyone have one, what is your opinion, etc. Getting those offers (like free equipment if you pay for service), dunno if it is worth it or not....

[Suki]

so your house currently is unarmed... hmm good to know..

[Devaclis]

After paying for a phone line (if you don't have one) and $27 a month for monitoring, the amount you will save on your home owners insurance will be wasted. We had Brinks for 2 years. Not too bad. The installers were sloppy tho.

[Beotch]

so you're house currently is unarmed... hmm good to know..

Just cuz the house is unarmed doesn't mean I am :guns:

[Monkey]

I think a shotgun provides better deterrent than an alarm system.

[R1chie]

Anyone have one, what is your opinion, etc. Getting those offers (like free equipment if you pay for service), dunno if it is worth it or not....

Be careful and unfortunatly you will have to read the contract. I was with Proalert, they came(subcontractor) out installed it and it had monitoring. Sometimes they would start talking to me for no reason over the alarm box with no alarm going off, suff like I left a door open all night, when it was locked. So I waited 2 years to cancel the contract (thinking it was like a cell phone). The problem was I did not cancel it on the inception date so I had to wait another year. They would not let me cancel to go to another company and the way the contract was written, I could not get out of it. The monitoring service part it was bought out twice by other companys during my contract.

There are home security systems that will call your cell phone or your neighbor. The monitoring service calls your neighbors to check and reset your alarm anyway or sometimes the police. That is what I would do if I did it again.

[Airreed]

I have ADT (it came with the house when we bought it).
Typically, the only time it is used is when I'm out of town for business and the wife needs the added security.

Honestly the biggest detorent is probably the little sign placed in front of the house that says "House protected by ADT security system" and the bark of the dog.... I look at it as if i'm a buglar...house with a security system that I advertise and one without...i'm hitting the house without. House with a dog Vs a house w/o a dog...I'll take a house w/o a dog....

[jplracing]

Mel,

I have been providing security for over 10 years in denver. Give me a call and I will give you the pros and cons

Joe

[salsashark]

There are home security systems that will call your cell phone or your neighbor. The monitoring service calls your neighbors to check and reset your alarm anyway or sometimes the police. That is what I would do if I did it again.

Not entirely true... It depends on how you set up your monitoring options. You can opt to have the monitoring company call you at home/work/cell, neighbors, family, or just automatically dispatch the police. If you go with a compitent security company this is all explained to you.

As for those free offers... There's no such thing as a free lunch. I'm not knocking ADT or anyone, but a free system usually consists of a motion detector, a couple of door and window sensors, panel, siren, and a 3 to 5 year contract paying 27 - 32 per month for monitoring. Typically the "free" systems usually provide the minimum amount of protection and if you need anything additional, you pay for it. By the time you complete your monitoring contract, you've more than paid for the alarm.

If you're interested, pm me and I'll send you the name of my friend's security company. The owner of the company still runs the show and does most if not all of the sales calls. They are a small company that has been in business in Denver for 20+ years. I used them for all of my fire and security systems when I was doing property management.

With their company, you purchase the equipment, but there is no monitoring contract and the equipment is yours (some companies lease the equipment and yank it out if you cancel). Also, monitoring is like 18/month and they use the same monitoring company that ADT, Brinks, etc uses.

[R1chie]

Not entirely true... It depends on how you set up your monitoring options. You can opt to have the monitoring company call you at home/work/cell, neighbors, family, or just automatically dispatch the police. If you go with a compitent security company this is all explained to you.

As for those free offers... There's no such thing as a free lunch. I'm not knocking ADT or anyone, but a free system usually consists of a motion detector, a couple of door and window sensors, panel, siren, and a 3 to 5 year contract paying 27 - 32 per month for monitoring. Typically the "free" systems usually provide the minimum amount of protection and if you need anything additional, you pay for it. .

It was explained, they would call me, if I am on vacation, I leave them a neighbor number. They gave me two motion garage and main floor/stairs/basement door, covered all the 4 exterior doors, ground level windows, and a couple of keyless entry with a 2 year contract. I guess I wanted to say I was not very happy with the service and that I would purchase one that would call my cell phone or neighbor without monitoring if I had to do it again.

[ten31]

Find out how your local Police Department chooses to handle these calls. Certain PSAP's ( public safety answering points ) choose to prioritize these with a non-emergent response even in cases of no homeowner contact. Some even go so far as to not send an officer unless the alarm company made contact with you and you say you have an emergency. If that is the case, you could save yourself the money and make a 911 call if you ever need to.

Alarm companies do not set policy on how 911 answers/handles alarms.

[ten31]

Get a few of these and put em on your windows.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e200/soyelgaucho/glock29.jpg

[Monkey]

My friends who I regularly house sit for have one.. can't recall which one.

Needless to say, one day while they were out of town, and i was watching their house, I had to use the restroom with the fury of a race horse. The alarm went off and I deactivated it... or atleast I thought i did... it chimed 'alarm off' at me. The monitoring company came on and blah blah blah, I gave them the code and thought I was done with it..

They proceeded to call the people on the emergency list... both mother-in-laws.. they proceeded then to call the house relentlessly.. I wasn't going to answer the phone, hell.. why would I want to talk to their mothers?

Even though I had turned the alarm off and given them the code for the next 2 days they called the mother-in-laws at all hours of the morning, finally one of them drove up from the springs, at a very early 4am (she's a trucker) and proceeded to pound on the door.. then started to yell at me for setting off the alarm.. afterwards we all had a good laugh..

[salsashark]

It was explained, they would call me, if I am on vacation, I leave them a neighbor number. They gave me two motion garage and main floor/stairs/basement door, covered all the 4 exterior doors, ground level windows, and a couple of keyless entry with a 2 year contract. I guess I wanted to say I was not very happy with the service and that I would purchase one that would call my cell phone or neighbor without monitoring if I had to do it again.

gotcha :up:

[InlineSIX24]

I couldn't find any decent deals for less than about $30/mo so I got the radioshack Home Control system that calls my cell. I think if I had to do it again I would go the same way again. If I go out of town I can switch the callout number to whoever watches the house.
Pros:
-No monthly cost for monitoring
-Can add however many doors or motion sensors fairly cheaply & comes w/ keychain remote
-Calls your cell first - then if you hear someone in the house you call the cops
-Turns lights on when you come in the house or when alarm goes off

Cons:
-Sensor are wireless and have to replace batteries every few months on doors that open/close a lot
-Not tied into smoke alarm

[krod]

I have a couple WP grenades I brought back from the Gulf War I will sell ya. Just huck one at whoever breaks in and run like hell.

[R1chie]

I couldn't find any decent deals for less than about $30/mo so I got the radioshack Home Control system that calls my cell. I think if I had to do it again I would go the same way again. If I go out of town I can switch the callout number to whoever watches the house.
Pros:
-No monthly cost for monitoring
-Can add however many doors or motion sensors fairly cheaply & comes w/ keychain remote
-Calls your cell first - then if you hear someone in the house you call the cops
-Turns lights on when you come in the house or when alarm goes off

Cons:
-Sensor are wireless and have to replace batteries every few months on doors that open/close a lot
-Not tied into smoke alarm

You are smart. I wish I would have researched it better and went the same route you went. Maybe in my next house.

[snatfinder]

xd-45 with tactical light laying next to the bed. :guns:
not to mention the cw-40 for concealed carry, or the mossy 500 in the other room.

[salsashark]

xd-45 with tactical light laying next to the bed. :guns:
not to mention the cw-40 for concealed carry, or the mossy 500 in the other room.

Yep, and those will do a lot of good while your at work and some cracked out asshat is robbing you blind. But hey, guns left in nightstands can be fenced as well.

Now, if you never leave your house, then you really have nothing to worry about.

[hcr25]

Our system is around $40.00 a month. That seems to be the going rate for Biljac which is the food our 2 Dobermans get. If you have been to the races you have seen them, if not Sete the male is 2 1/2 years old and 107lbs. Laney the female is about a year older and 89lbs. Both are good natured and not aggresive. If you were able to get by the dogs and get into our house most likely you would not be able to get out.
The down side is the monster size piles Sete leaves behind.

[sprtbkbabe]

Mel-

I'll loan ya the Akitas. I got rid of the alarm system once they each got to about 110 lbs :doublefinger:

[Lurch]

Our system is around $40.00 a month. That seems to be the going rate for Biljac which is the food our 2 Dobermans get. If you have been to the races you have seen them, if not Sete the male is 2 1/2 years old and 107lbs. Laney the female is about a year older and 89lbs. Both are good natured and not aggresive. If you were able to get by the dogs and get into our house most likely you would not be able to get out.
The down side is the monster size piles Sete leaves behind.

I can get by Sete he's a big pussy but Laney on the other hand is a whole different story. That bitch scares me.

Lurch

[Big-J]

I think a shotgun provides better deterrent than an alarm system.

Well a gun isn't going to be much of a deterrent if you're not home, which is when someone is most likely to strike!

[leviathin]

so my sister lives in colo sprgs, and she uses ADT, so one day her door was blown open by a bad storm while she was at work, her cell phone was in her purse and she did not hear it ringing, her husband was in iraq at the time, so because they couldnt get a hold of her they didnt call the cops, later when she got home, 4hrs later, and her door was still open she called the cops from her car and the cops came with there guns drawn checking out her house. after they cleared the house she went in and called ADT, who said they they dont call the cops unless they know that you are in trouble cause the cops wont come unless they know there is trouble, the cops denied that fact, but regardless someone is droping the ball in that loop, and like big-j said, if you aint home the gun doesnt help.

[Filo]

I wouldn't bother with an alarm. I had one way back in 1990 (can't even remember the company anymore - ADT?) that was more money and trouble than it was worth. If I were to do something like that again, I would go with the Radio Shack version or (more likely) a big dog or two. At least the dogs can keep you warm at night when the power goes off.

[InlineSIX24]

The dog option would be a cool addition to the Glock and the Springfield... just have to find a way to have someone clean up my backyard for very little pay each week...