ADT Home Security
 

Anyone have experience with or knowledge of ADT home security? I am suspect of customer reviews so I'm turning to the all-knowing members of TFP for assistance.

They did ok by me for about 3 years, but then we got a better deal froM APX, including an upgraded system.

It really depends on what you are looking for and what you are willing to spend. Anyone can monitor. The ads sounds great but you'll spend more money when they actually set things up because a bare-bones set up usually isn't all you are looking for.

Burglar Alarm: Costs hundreds or thousands of dollars, is subject to failures caused by power outage or electronic fault (or even dying batteries), and mostly serves as an automatic 911 dialer...with all the attendant problems that brings with it. The first time our alarm went off, it took 10mins for the alarm company to respond, and another 10-15 before the Sherriff's Office even bothered to call. Bear in mind that this is a high-end multi-sensor suite ON A GUN SHOP. Read through that again; 20-25mins before a potential burglary AT A GUN SHOP was investigated. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in computer hardware, tonnes of credit-card info, thousands of dollars in cash, and oh yeah...LOTS OF GUNS (and I'm not talking about Elmer Fudd's SxS shotgun, here) would have been long gone before Depputy Dawg even picked up the telephone.

Go down to the Pound, or the Humane Society. Get a cute little puppy that will turn into a large, noisy dog, preferably a breed with good ears, a good nose, and an ounce of common sense. Then buy a shotgun. Your outlay will be much smaller, your service much more reliable, and the help you receive in extremis will be much faster and more effective. A downed tree-limb never stopped my Mossberg from working.

We had one at our old house. The ads say they'll call you right away if someone tries to break in (or if you forget to turn it off), but they don't. It's alright I guess, but prolly not worth an ass load of CREAM.

Why would these options be mutually exclusive? I'm thinking about getting and installing an unmonitored alarm system with door/window open and glass break sensors to supplement my two dogs and Mossberg.

Not a bad idea, if you can afford it. My point is this; that you made the correct "order of purchase" decisions in this regard, IMO. A dog makes a wonderful alarm system; so do chickens, geese, and Jesus Christ Almighty Yes Guinea-fowl. The Mossberg is indeed a first-class choice. The alarm system serves as a backup, in the unlikely event that your home is penetrated by thieves or others stealthy enough to evade avoid the dogs' (or yardfowl's) hearing, esp. if it has an audible countdown feature. If a thief runs away before you can shoot him, it's better for all involved. Who knows? The little bugger might rehabilitate himself on fear alone. Unlikely, but possible. But in prioritising home-security measures, it's best IMO to start at the "top:" ie that which will, when needed, allow a person to defend themselves and their family with the kind of close-range firepower which -decides- such situations. In the 1700s, this meant a blunderbuss. In the 1800s, it meant a sawn-off shotgun, and in the 20th and 21st centuries it has consistently meant a short, large-capacity shotgun. Good: Mossberg 500 or Rem 870. Better: Browning A-5, Mossberg 590, Rem. 11-87. Best: Saiga-12, possibly a suitably reliable Mossberg or Remington with a Sidewinder drum. For "repelling boarders" at close range, nothing beats a shotgun.

Red talked to APX today, and they mentioned a 7 point system and directed him to the website. He didn't find a good explanation on the website so what is a 7 point system?

---------- Post added at 11:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:45 PM ----------

We are already looking at dogs. Haven't decided on a puppy or pound/rescued dog. Friends say to get a lab. Others say get two. I'm a cat person, and I've never had a large dog. As for a shotgun, I've been leaning towards the judge. My brother thinks the recoil may be too much for me, being female. But I think it would be much easier for me to carry around when I need to...There are rattlesnakes, water moccasins, and the slight potential for wild dogs to consider. What do you think? So, we are considering these things and a security system.

The Judge is a FANTASTIC "lady's gun." Unless you get into the "Elephant-killer" .45LC loads, recoil is no problem, whether shooting .410 or .45. Between the leverage of having all that weight forward of your hand, and Taurus's rubber grip, it's nothing you can't handle, I promise. My Mom, who stands all of 5'3" and 110lbs soaking wet, uses hers to bust copperheads and water-moccasins every summer. There is one consideration, though; the chambers. The 2.5" model shoots then .45LC -very- accurately, but the 3" Magnum can't shoot the .45 for shit; too much freebore between the bullet and the forcing cone. A .45LC out of the 3" Judge will be keyholing inside 15yrds. However, if all you're after it for is the shotgun capability, go with the 3" if possible. For concealed-carry purposes, Taurus also makes a "chopped" 2.5" version with a bobbed hammer, short barrel, and "boot" grip; this one's called the Public Defender.

As for ammo, Federal is now loading a "Premium Defense" 2.5" shell specifically for the Judge; either #4 Buck or OO Buck at 1200fps. At close range, that turns the .410 into a very viable defensive tool. Not sure I'd trust other, slower .410 buckshot loads, and birdshot should be reserved for busting snakes. Our Judges are usually loaded thus;

Chamber 1: #8 birdshot, for snakes.
Chambers 2-3: OO or OOO buckshot, for possible rabid small critters.
Chambers 4-5: garden-variety .45LC hollowpoints.

Set up like that, the Judge now allows you to defend yourself against literally anything in the woods, at least on the East Coast. .45LC has been killing bad guys real dead for over 100 years now, and it's racked up more that a few deer and bears besides. If a Bad Guy comes through your door, just grab it and start shooting. By the time he gets the memo that he might oughta get mad 'cause you just blasted him with birdshot (which will hurt, but not much else unless it hits his eyes), that buckshot and those two .45s are on the way and he has -much- bigger problems.

Only caution I would make on the Judge is that it is a .410, and a small-capacity one at that. You're not exactly throwing a tonne of shot here, and your useful range is probably going to be somewhat diminished compared to a 20ga or 12ga shoulder-arm, due to the shorter bbl and lower velocities. If you do decide on the Judge, might wanna consider a 20ga that you can use as well; Remington makes an 870 Tactical in 20ga specifically for ladies; 7+1 capacity IIRC, and -very- nicely balanced.

As for the dog, I'm not sure about a Lab. Labs tend to be great family dogs, but big doofuses. Noisy (if they decide to be, which they frequently don't), but not any great shakes in the brains department and tending towards laziness. For guard-dog duty, you want one that'll "patrol" a couple of times a night "just to make sure everything's still there." It looks like a neurotic behavior, and it can be if carried to excess, but a dog with that instinct is a good bet. Working/hunting dual-use breeds are good for this, but any mutt will do if they can do the job. There are only two things -every- criminal knows and fears; the sound of a weapon being loaded and the sound of an Akita about to digest his testicles.

Between a large dog, a properly set-up shotgun, and the alarm system, it sounds like y'all will be good to go. "Defense in depth" is the way to go with home defense, and every layer you add buys you more time to call the cops, arm up, or just GTFO.

Labs aren't good guard dogs. I have two and the most they'll ever do is go batnuts with barking. I'd recommend any other breed, just not labs.