what home alarm system?
 

hey there... i recently purchased a 20yr old home that is not wired for an alarm system. i am in the market to have one installed but i am curious to get some feedback of the different providers out there

Brinks ADT etc etc

thanks in advance guys!!

EDIT: new question, what self install alarm system can you guys recommend? im looking for wireless motion with siren etc etc

A dog that barks alot and a recording of a shotgun cocking.

go with a more local provider. I used to install alarm systems and I've had to do alot of redo's on ADT and Brinks stuff. ADT became known as America's Dumbest Technicians. (sorry to anyone here that works for them) Seems like you get just as good a quality and service from a smaller business as you do for a major business. Plus it's usually faster to get help if it's needed. Anyway that's my $.02

ahhh

interesting info... i will check on some local providers to see how they fair...

I'm not sure I would bother with an alarm system. I work for a local police agency and take calls from these companies. They just don't seen to know what is going on. First, hey seem to have the wrong information on where to call half the time. I usually end up giving them the correct phone number. If, by chance, they call the right place, all they can usually tell me is if it's a burglar or fire alarm. The systems have different sensors on the doors and windows along with the control panel panic buttons and motion sensors. They are all programmed to provide a zone or alert area which either doesn't show up or the operator can't tell me what the codes mean to tell me where the problem is.

Now, the police arrive on scene and look things over. 98% of the time (at least where I live), there is no problem. False alarms are very frequent and the homeowner is held responsible, even if it is caused by means outside of their control (weather, power surge, etc).

Once the property is looked over, if the alarm company hasn't called back to tell us if someone will respond to reset the alarm, we have to call them. In most cases, they either haven't reached anyone and haven't told us or they can't find anyone who is on the list. If this happens, all the police can do is leave.

This is a lot more work than an alarm system is worth. You are better off making your own replicas of alarm system warning signs and putting them up. With all the work and time it takes police to get to your house, most burglars just don't care.

one thing i wanted out of the alarm system was an alarm of somesorts that can be controlled by a keypad...

i dont mind not having it monitored etc but i am not sure if i could just by the alrm portion from someplace and do it my self.

im a paranoid person (hehe) and would have like to have had like 2 motion sensors located downstairs on the first floor that can trigger an alarm if they detect motion...

is there some kind of item i can install myself that will handle that? any suggestions are appreciated.

A really loud alarm is going to scare most people off. We use a Monitronics system only because we knew the guy that sold it to us. I highly doubt that Brinks or ADT can be much better.

I can't give them a perfect score though, they originally installed the alarm siren in the attic and it could barely be heard outside or inside for that matter, and they call us in the middle of the night if the power goes out, they don't call the police but it's annoying to get a phonecall to tell you the power's out. We could probably get that fixed :)

You could add some motion detection lights yourself. if anything walks in front of them they'll light up the area. It'll spook someone wanting to go unseen.. and you could possibly rig it up to the doorbell so it digs when the light comes on... Sounds like a fun little DIY project :)

ADT in both office and home, professionally installed. Got the motion detectors, wired windows and doors, all the bells and whistles. Had a break in at office- alarms went off and he was outa there real quick-cool. Can turn on at night and just alarm certain zones- ie- downstairs. IMHO peace of mind worth the bucks

But if you are handy, self install is no problem- just have it professionally monitored- if you are not around, no one gives a rats ass about an alarm going off.

The big companies install alarms at a break-even or lose basis, because you will pay dearly for the monthly monitoring, which is where they make their money. Small independent alarm installing contractors like myself expect to earn a decent markup on the materials, and a fair labor rate for my expertise to install and program the system. My annual monitoring charge is less than half the going rate.

A good quality product, installed by a professional, will transmit accurate data to the central station, who in turn will transmit that to the authorities. If a panel starts to behave oddly, I resolve the problem quickly, before the customer or the authorities lose confidence in the system. None of my accounts have unexplained false alarms.

It is not possible for anyone to evaluate your home, your lifestyle, and other important factors via a message board post. Find a professional who is interested in listening, who doesn't want to sell a level of protection you neither want or need. Good luck.

How about those alarms they advertise on the Infomercials.. You know, you attach the two parts to a door, window, etc. and when the seal is broken it emits a beep.

This beeping (powered by a battery) will likely scare any potential robbers away and also prevent your children from drinking that Comet you have stored under the sink.

I'm still waiting for a lawsuit to be filed when someone gets robbed and murdered as a result of not being properly protected by this "home security" device.

my next door neighbor had one, it went off about once a year almost, with false results...

As stated by Rage angel,
Your best bet would be a dog....

@ my house
/over 9 years with the dog - one breakin
/2 years after the dog left - two

[all three times were the cars and garage]

It's a pretty safe bet if it's sold on late night TV, and is remarkably inexpensive, it's a piece of shit. If it was so great, then ADT and Honeywell, and guys like me would have to find other work.

I installed a wireless system at home like the one below.
http://www.smarthome.com/73902.html
You can purchase as many motion/window/door sensors as you want. The unit is 29 zone capable. You can sign with a local alarm monitoring service so it's monitored 7/24.
Of course you can have ADT / Brinks intall one for "free" but you need to sign up for their service 2~3 years depending on their terms.

I am a locksmith and alarm installer. There is only one brand that I sell over the counter for do it yourselfers. It's wireless and is very easy to install. It's made by Linear. There are two panels. Linear DVS1200, a 12 zone panel, and a DVS2400, a 24 zone panel. Unless you are doing all of your windows, most people opt for the 1200 model. It handles door and window contacts and motion detectors. The panel resembles a desktop business phone and can be wall mounted. The only wires needed are for a plug in transformer and a phone connection if you choose. The installation instructions are really good. I've installed many of these systems and they are very reliable.

If you aren't a DIY type of person, do yourself a favor and hire a local security specialist. A Linear system installed with say 4 doors and 2 motions will run you about $900. This is professional equipment with a very fast modem if you choose monitoring. Monitoring should run about $20-$25 a month.

Regards

very interesting... thanks for the info!

i will research that brand a bit as well

Great idea. I think the ominous sound of a round chambering in a shotgun would be the worst thing a burgler would want to hear. CHUNK!-CHUNK!.

Abel -

This is what I do for a living (I own a company that does the engineering side of security systems). I have worked on tiny systems and multi-million dollar systems, so I have a pretty good idea regarding this topic.

If you are still researching this topic, let me know and I will answer pretty much any question you might have--from a practical standpoint and from the technical side as well.

Could you re-cap exactly what you want to accomplish--from the wish list side. What is the budget? Monthly budget (i.e. monitoring if so desired)? What is your ability (i.e. installing this stuff)? Are you interested in wireless because you think it will be easier to install? What are the details of your home (wall type, ceiling type, crawl spaces, etc.)?

We love our system. Every time it's been set off we have been called within 30 seconds. We had someone doing some work one day and forgot to leave it disarmed for him. He told us within 2 minutes 2 squad cars were there and had him face-first on the ground at gunpoint. 5 yrs ago it cost us $500 and its still only $25 a month for monitoring. Also the fire alarm is connected to the fire dept 24/7 whether the alarm is armed or not. We used a local guy.

I know that the security companies sometimes offer "deals" for advertising on your lawn. An ADT guy tried selling us on a free system, but their sign has to be up in our yard. It was for just the basics (doors and ground floor windows) and he tried upselling us to a bigger package, but we ended up turning down the whole deal. You may want to negotiate when talking to the reps - telling them that you know a bunch of the neighbors who might also be interested in the system and you could rave about it if you get the right deal....

I sold ADT alarms one summer and that was the first door approach they taught us in training. "I'm just in the neighborhood trying to get more visibility for our systems. What I could do for you is give you a system no charge, all you have to do is keep this sign on your property."

After that you have to sign a 2 year contract at $40 a month. Add it all up and you pay more than enough for the alarm system that they are giving to you for "free" plus... once people sign up, the contract renews itself unless you tell them otherwise. I couldn't handle the idea of ripping people off so I didn't make much money that summer, but I kept my pride.