Home Security Systems

[ferco]

We are looking at a home security system. ADT has quoted us $,30-40/month, 3 year contract.Installation approx $230. They also want $5/mth extra for carbon monoxide surveillance. Anyone have any experience with the most economical way to go. Also, I we want a company that will be there if and when we need it, so reliability and reputation are important.

We've used ADT over the past 10 years at other homes and they've served us well.

Opine please

 

[saluki9]

We use brinks at our office. I heard too many bad things about ADT from trusted sources so I went elsewhere.

Brinks wants $99 for install and $32 a month for service.

 

[lets-retire]

I use a large dog, a phone and the signs form a local security company. I reoutinely take the dog for walks around the neighborhood, but don't let the kids pet her. It's not any cheaper than the security company, but is much more enjoyable.

 

[saluki9]

I use a large dog, a phone and the signs form a local security company. I reoutinely take the dog for walks around the neighborhood, but don't let the kids pet her. It's not any cheaper than the security company, but is much more enjoyable.

My dog wouldn't threaten anything.

The alarm is just for when I'm gone. When I'm home I just rely on a very large caliber handgun.

 

[Goonie]

I have a self-designed/installed alarm system, and my very good friends, Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson and a magnum of their 357 ideas why no one would like to visit my place with out my permission. As one of my signs states: "If You Are Found Here Tonight....You'll Be Found Here Tomorrow!" Or the other one "Intruders Will Be Shot....Survivors Will Be Shot Again!"

 

[lets-retire]

My dog wouldn't threaten anything.

The alarm is just for when I'm gone. When I'm home I just rely on a very large caliber handgun.

The dog doesn't need to be threatening, just noisy. But even a noisy dog won't help you if your not home.

 

[sgeeeee]

We have an ADT system, but I wouldn't do it again. They have been very difficult to work with. The installation was shoddy and the system does not work as promised. Their billing is wrong more often than it is correct. Getting them to correct the billing has been a nightmare.

We also have a large black lab. Police officers I know have told me that a dog is really the most effective security system you can have. Even a big, friendly, relatively quiet black lab is an unkown that will send likely thieves to your neighbors rather than test the "friendly, relatively quiet" hypothesis.

 

[wabmester]

The dog doesn't need to be threatening, just noisy. But even a noisy dog won't help you if your not home.

We used to have an X-10 Robodog. Motion detector + recording of a LARGE dog. Hard to tell if it was effective, but it made our guests kind of jumpy....

 

[Baxter]

There are wireless security systems you can install yourself, that will call you and let you listen to what's going on in the house. They're fairly inexpensive IIRC from a place like x10.com or smarthome.com and let you avoid the monthly fee. It helps if you're on good terms with your neighbors, so you can call them and ask if they see anything suspicious going on.

For the money, the security system signs you can buy at Radio Shack are probably the best investment.

 

[BUM]

I don't have anything worth stealing laying around the house.

 

[farmerEd]

I agree with most that said a home burglar system is not worth it...I used to have one 12+ years ago from ADT and after 2-3 false alarms the police simply stopped responding - so it was useless.

A remotely monitored fire alarm, if you live in a remote house like mine, is probably not a bad idea. My place could burn down to the ground before anyone noticed. If you have close neighbors...maybe not an issue.

I am looking into systems that would allow me via the internet monitor a video feed of my place from anywhere in the world...not so much because I could do anything about it, but being the "worry wart" that I tend to be it would allow me to enjoy my extended vacations more knowing that the heat is on, and the house is still standing...

 

[73ss454]

My DS had 2 pit bulls in his house when it was broken into a few years back. The people who broke in just threw some McDonalds burgers into the back yard and kicked in to door. The dogs had a good meal and the house was destroyed.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i live (or at least i used to live) in the poor part of town and let the intracoastal & ocean dwellers worry about theft. nothin' worth stealing here. problem is my little crack town has gone from crap to quaint back to crap again. only this time the crap is a 4-story "loft-style" luxury townhouse where the drug rehab center used to be and a starbucks where some perfectly respectible but dinky pub once stood.

so now we seem to be attracting society's undesireables: thieves and old rich people. i might have to trash the front of my house up a bit to keep both at bay.

 

[Corporateburnout]

We have an ADT system after they bought out the previous alarm company (sentry alarm) They upgarded my old wireless system with 3 fire and carbone monoxide detectors for $800 and they charge $30 per month for monitoring.

Thinking about dumping them soon in exchange for extra patrols from my daughter's boyfriend and potential SIL who is police detective.

 

[sgeeeee]

My DS had 2 pit bulls in his house when it was broken into a few years back. The people who broke in just threw some McDonalds burgers into the back yard and kicked in to door. The dogs had a good meal and the house was destroyed.

I've heard stories like this and, of course, it shows up in the movies, but it isn't consistent with any of the dogs I've ever seen. Most dogs would rather attack the large moving meat first. They seem to know that once the big moving target has been dispersed or digested they can always go over and eat the dead food.

But the main thing about dogs is that they are unpredictable. My current dog rarely ever barks and usually only once. He does not seem to have an aggressive bone in his body. There is an older gentleman that lives in the yard behind my orange grove and he took a liking to Bubba and started feeding him table scraps (steaks and burgers). The interesting thing is that this is one of the things that caused Bubba to bark loud and repeatedly. He loved the food flying over the fence, but he also wanted to make a lot of noise about it. A crook that depends on burgers to silence a dog might be in for quite a surprise. Most would simply eat the burgers themselves and move on to the next house rather than find out if your dog is a sucker.

 

[73ss454]

My not be constant with the dogs you know but it happened to my son and it wasn't in the movies.

 

[sgeeeee]

My not be constant with the dogs you know but it happened to my son and it wasn't in the movies.

Pretty lucky criminals. What did your son have that would convince criminals that his house was worth a sack full of burgers and a lot more risk over the house next door?

 

[73ss454]

Pretty lucky criminals. What did your son have that would convince criminals that his house was worth a sack full of burgers and a lot more risk over the house next door?

I think he was a diamond dealer at the time.

 

[sgeeeee]

I think he was a diamond dealer at the time.

Ahhhhh. . . That would probably be worth a couple of happy meals.

 

[73ss454]

No wait maybe he was an arms dealer at that time, I can't remember.

 

[Brat]

We have a 10 year old wired system installed by a local quality security company. Then they were bought out. Response call center in another state (they are clueless about local geography), billing problems, you name it. General PITA. Other security companies won't work with another installer's system.

Today we would install a wireless system that called us first as we set it when we are away.

Most burglars avoid homes with a horn that goes off upon intrusion. Secure locks on doors and windows that are USED help a lot. The one time someone got into our home they entered through an unlocked sliding door at the back. The horn went off, police came out but couldn't find anything amiss. The perp had hidden in a garage storage area behind boxes. Once the cops left he opened the garage door and fled. Now we check all the doors, even the ones we think are locked. We lock the door to the garage storage area and turn off the power to the garage doors.

One homeowner in the region managed to kill an intruder, but I think most thieves prefer to work empty homes. If they find a gun in the home they will steal it and sell to a bad guy.

 

[bbbamI]

We have never had an alarm system at our house. But, I volunteer at my local police department and the majority of alarm providers are ADT & Brinks.

It's costly around here to have an alarm. The registration fee is $50 per year, and the fees start at $50 and go up to $100 for each false alarm.

 

[CybrMike]

Used Brinks for 3 years. FREE install. $32 a month (including $5 monthly equip insurance which I've never used).

 

[frayne]

380 Bersa Thunder, XD-9 and a wife meaner than a junkyard dog.

 

[unclemick]

After 25 years in a fish camp over water outside the levee system - I try not to own anything I'm not willing to lose(you can't take it with you).

Now in the midwest - I often don't lock my door.

Heh heh heh heh - I would be pissed if someone sole my dog(the Golden Retriever). The eight month Pug has entered a 'chewing phase' - HE could get stolen(please!).