Home security companies...worth it?

[Chicago526]

My DH works nights so I'm alone in the house all night with my dog Missy, who is no help at all since she's affraid of EVERYTHING and hides behind me when she feels threatenend . At least she barks at noises, so I guess that's something!

It's a safe neighborhood, but I'd feel better if I had more protection than a deadbolt on the front and side doors. I see the ads on tv for ADT and other security companies and wonder if they are really worth it? Or are there other things I can do to make the house more secure. The only type of "security feature" we have on the house are two motion sensor lights, one on the garage pointed at the side door of the house, the other pointed at the backyard (no door, just windows).

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

We cancelled our service because it was pointless. Due to the amount of false alarms, the police are very lax in responding to them. Ours was set off by a neighbor once, and the police arrived over 30 minutes later. After that I tested the panic button to see if the police would arrive as quickly as they should, and noone showed up for 20 minutes! It wasn't worth it. My house could be cleaned out, and I could be dead before help would arrive. We have a gun in the house and I feel safer with that than the alarm system.

 

[Hercules10]

You can always go to a local security store and just get the front yard sign and window stickers. These have been found to be the largest deterent next to a dog.

Due to false alarms, many cities now require verification before dispatching the police. Also many cities have requirements for alarm permits and fines for false alarms. So you might want to call your City Hall first to find out how they handle security company calls before investing in one.

Of course me being a guy, my best choice for home protection is a 12 gauge shotgun. But most ladies don't want to deal with firearm issues, so you can always get yourself a stun-gun or pepper spray.

 

[kbkids]

We have one literally because I want to be awakened if someone tries to get in. My DD did set the alarm off once, and just like others have said, it took almost 30 minutes for the police to get there.

And once, while we were gone, it stormed pretty badly. The wind blew the back French doors in just enough to make the contacts separate, so the alarm went off. My neighbor told me that the police showed up, again about 30 minutes later, rang the doorbell, and then just left. I understand they can't come in the house realistically - I wouldn't want them busting doors down either - but he said that they didn't bother looking around the back yard, looking in the windows, nothing. Now, what if I was being held hostage in there???

I agree on the signs being the biggest deterrent/

 

[Chicago526]

Of course me being a guy, my best choice for home protection is a 12 gauge shotgun. But most ladies don't want to deal with firearm issues, so you can always get yourself a stun-gun or pepper spray.

Good ideas, but I'm looking for ways to keep the bad guys out of the house all together, or scare them away before they get inside. Although it is a good idea to have something handy incase all else fails, I feel my best defence is not to have bad people in my house to begin with.

And thanks for the advice on the security companies. I thought it might be something like that, that the police are lax in responding due to false alarms (can't blame them).

Any ideas on how to turn my house into Ft. Knox?

 

[live4christp1]

My DH installs alarms. The key is finding a company that has local monitoring. Most of the big companies your monitoring is many states away (I know that shouldn't make a difference in the response time but it does, they are monitoring nationwide). My sis works in the monitoring department were DH is employed and they follow up as soon as the alarm goes off. Their company takes over many accounts from the nationwide chains were people just aren't happy with the service they receive from them.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

put the alarm stickers in your windows and you can also get one that says "Beware of The Dog."

Keep the doors and windows well lit and not obscured by shrubs.
You don't have kids - right? So you can certainly consider keeping Pepper Spray or something around the house without worry.

Also, that timid dog is more beneficial than you think. Burglars want quiet and privacy. Even a timid dog will wake you up and let you know something odd is going on. Most likely, if they know they aren't going to find it at your house, they won't choose your house to invade.

 

[Free4Life11]

You could always buy "The Clapper." I remember in the commercials they showed a guy trying to break into a house, but when he broke the window, "The Clapper" picked up the noise and the lights turned on automatically...clap on...clap off...

 

[aero99]

We bought ours from smarthome.com. It is self monitoring. I just wanted something that would wake me up if someone did come into the house. It is amazing how much better I sleep now then before when I was analyzing every noise I heard.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

There are many features available to better secure your home without hiring a service. Here is one site that has a list of things.

http://www.bizrate.com/buy/refine__att--259818,att259818--more,cat_id--11510904,start--48.html

 

[Brianne]

We have the sign & the stickers, plus I leave the coach lights (outside garage lights) on all night long. The house had an alarm system installed before we bought it, but I only use it as a warning when doors are opened (it'll chime when one is opened)--it's not activated to a company. A neighbor's alarm went off recently---I watched the officer pull up a good 20 minutes later, sit in the vehicle for a few minutes & then drive off again. Can't say that made me want to go & activate the system anytime soon.

 

[FionaLovesShrek]

Just a note from an ADT subscriber. Maybe it does take the police a while to respond, but the point is, you have an alarm that will scare away intruders who do not want attention drawn to them. As far as the police having to respond to a false alarm, they shouldn't have to if your monitoring company calls to verify you need help. While my husband and I were an hour and a half away having an ultrasound during my pregnancy, our alarm went off. The company tried to call our home number and couldn't reach us, so they then called my husband's cell phone. The police were dispatched because we weren't there. They did not find anything, but our nieighbors said they heard the alarm going off and they went out to look at our home. How many burglars are going to stay around for that kind of attention? I believe in the protection of the system. I feel safer knowing if one of my windows or doors is jarred at night, I will have an alarm waking me up.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I like mine b/c it makes me feel safe. I also have the heat sensor--so if there is a fire--the fire dept will come.

Also--my paranoia likes the "hostage" feature. If for some reason you get taken hostage and they ask you to disarm the system--you can do so in a way that doesn't reveal that you just notified the security company that you need help. They will not call to verify--immediately police will be dispatched and the situation will be treated as a hostage situation (so--a quiet approach). This is not a panic button--and it is not a feature to be tested.

We had a false alarm b/c one of my doors opened. I do not know how long it took police to get there--but they did...they also came back later when I was home to make sure everything was okay--and let me know the finer points of making sure doors are locked.

 

[cardaway]

My DH installs alarms. The key is finding a company that has local monitoring. Most of the big companies your monitoring is many states away (I know that shouldn't make a difference in the response time but it does, they are monitoring nationwide). My sis works in the monitoring department were DH is employed and they follow up as soon as the alarm goes off. Their company takes over many accounts from the nationwide chains were people just aren't happy with the service they receive from them.

Unless those are the people that go to the house, local isn't any better than national. It's all about the response of the law enforcement in the area.

The do it yourself systems are getting cheaper and better. We'll all be better off when it will be possible to cut out these alarm companies and get the same benefit without their overpriced installation/monthly fees.

 

[cardaway]

We recently has an incident and I'm more than just a little ticked at how lame the repsonse was. And we called 911 directly, no chance of a false alarm.

The bad guys in this case were doing the knock method. Knock on the front door in the late hours, wait to see if there is any reaction, go to the back if there seems to be no one at home. Since I only grabbed the gun and headed to the back, the bad guys tried to get on our deck to get to the back doors. By then we had started turning on the lights and they bolted.

Cops showed up 20 minutes later and they saw the gate left open. About 10 minutes after the cops left I got a call. Turns out a neighbor called because of the same thing and they were warning us to stay inside and stay safe. By the time it was all done, there were two cars at every entrance of the development.

I didn't get any sleep that night, too many noises and lights. But at least the cops stuck around after the second incident.

 

[live4christp1]

Unless those are the people that go to the house, local isn't any better than national. It's all about the response of the law enforcement in the area.

The do it yourself systems are getting cheaper and better. We'll all be better off when it will be possible to cut out these alarm companies and get the same benefit without their overpriced installation/monthly fees.

I guess that is true to an extent but here locally there was an incident were a home burned that had a nationwide monitoring system. The fire trucks weren't dispatched to the home until 3 days later by the alarm company.

 

[kbkids]

I like mine b/c it makes me feel safe. I also have the heat sensor--so if there is a fire--the fire dept will come.

Also--my paranoia likes the "hostage" feature. If for some reason you get taken hostage and they ask you to disarm the system--you can do so in a way that doesn't reveal that you just notified the security company that you need help. They will not call to verify--immediately police will be dispatched and the situation will be treated as a hostage situation (so--a quiet approach). This is not a panic button--and it is not a feature to be tested.

We had a false alarm b/c one of my doors opened. I do not know how long it took police to get there--but they did...they also came back later when I was home to make sure everything was okay--and let me know the finer points of making sure doors are locked.

I liked this feature on mine too until we were housesitting a friend's house. They had the same alarm system as us, but unfortunately, it was malfunctioning. The glass break sensors set off the alarm one night when my DD dropped a glass. I turned it off immediately and sat back down to watch TV. Almost an hour later, the police show up (4 cars to be exact!!) I opened the door and was told that I had keyed in the hostage numbers. I didn't (didn't even know her hostage code) - but anyway - as I said, the alarm system was malfunctioning, as we later figured out. But all of us were shocked at how long it took them to arrive.

I agree with those who say that they like it for the "attention factor" of it. I want to be awakened if someone is breaking in my house. I want my neighbors to be annoyed when that loud alarm goes off and come out to see what is going on. But, I'm not real impressed with the amount of time it takes for the monitoring dept to notify police and get them out there. When our contract is up, I doubt seriously I'll continue the monitoring.

 

[Pugsley]

I love mine; it makes me feel so secure. I think it makes it very unlikely that our house would be broken into. Why would they bother trying once they see that you have a system; they might as well choose another house. Plus, I can't imagine them actually coming into the house once the alarm goes off. Also, I don't think there's much risk of false alarms if you don't have motion sensors, which we don't since we have cats.

 

[DVC-Don]

We have had an ADT monitored system for two years now. I've only set it off once when I removed a door sensor to replace the door. ADT was calling while I was still on the ladder.

Police response is slow throughout our whole county. No local police, just Sheriff Deputies and State Troopers. A buddy with the sheriff says there are only 8 cars for the whole county out at night.

 

[cardaway]

I guess that is true to an extent but here locally there was an incident were a home burned that had a nationwide monitoring system. The fire trucks weren't dispatched to the home until 3 days later by the alarm company.

That must be one very remote home or there is another explanation.