Home security system?

[mom2boys77]

Our new home is almost done and we are looking into a security system. I would like to know who you use and your opinion on them? Do you have to do the monthly monitoring or can you just get the keypad and door/window sensors? What are the upfront costs? Thanks!

 

[bonoriffic]

The large companies only do monthly monitoring service. Depending on the installation costs, you either outright own the equipment or are basically renting it as long as you have service. Basic installation can start at $99 and gets you little to nothing in equipment. Add a second keypad, a few more options, and it is easily over $200 just for install plus $30 or so a month in service fees.

You can buy your own equipment and install it, for $200 or so for a decent setup and then use internet monitoring services for as low as $7 a month. Or, just have alarms sent to your phone and basically have the alarm be a deterrent with sound at the point of actual break in and allow you to decide to call the police yourself if away from the home. That is all free, but you need power and internet to be up.

If you haven't painted and finished walls, this is the perfect time to have equipment installed. I didn't install the system, the original owner did. If I could change anything it would be to have more motion sensors in basement and 1st floor to give a more complete coverage of anything coming into the home. Installing sensors on every door and window gets expensive, throwing 2 motion sensors to cover everything is cheaper.

I'd also have at minimum a door sensor on the front door and garage door. If you have kids you can have the alarm pad chime when the door is opened. I plan on using this when the kids are much older and I will know if they are sneaking in/out of the house.

 

[Purseval]

Our house was prewired so there wasn't much involved in hooking things up. We got sensors on the 1st and 2nd floor windows and doors, a break sensor for the 1st floor, a motion sensor for the 2nd floor and paid extra for a wireless connection since we have no landline. We have 2 keypads, one on the first floor and one in the 3rd floor bedroom. We use Ackerman for monitoring, about $19/month.

 

[bettymae1121]

DH and I put in an un-monitered system ouselves. An alarm goes off if a door/window opens while it's armed, no one is called. It's just to wake us up and/or scare off the intruder. I think we paid $200 for the base unit and $25 for each door/windo sensor. We can eventually get it hooked in to our fire/carbon monoxide dectors, and we can also program it to call us if an alarm is sounded. It can do all sorts of things, we can get motion sensors added, broken glass detectors, a remote entry button for our key chains, the options are almost endless.

DH put it in, he said the instructions were tough to sort out but once he got it in, it works just fine.

 

[momof1princess]

we got a system through ADT with a smoke detector included, and we pay $88.71 every 3 months. not a bad deal for the peace of mind it provides.

 

[DisneyNutMic]

My fiance installs them for a living (small local company though). You might want to search for something along those lines though. He says ADT is the biggest rip off ever.

 

[redlawyer]

Our security system is on all the 1st floor windows and doors, with one keypad near the back door. We didn't pay anything for the installation, just a quarterly fee of $80 for monitoring. We have key fobs for remote access and some kind of remote thingy for using upstairs in our bedroom. When the kids get a little older, I will get sensors installed on the upstairs window, just to make sure everyone is in at night.

Vector is the company we used. Their monitoring system is local to us.

 

[DVC-Don]

We've had an ADT system for 8 years now without any problems. We pay $28 per month for monitoring. Our homeowners insurance would not give us a discount unless it reported to a central station. I think it was $99 for the system with installation included. We have a key pad, remote, sensors on all basement and first floor windows and a motion dectector on the second floor. The second floor windows have sensors that are just audible and are not hooked up to the main system. I added that part on myself when ADT wanted $75 per window to add them.

 

[Melrosgirl]

We've had ADT for a few years and are happy with it. I feel if you are going to get an alarm system, do it right: get every window armed, every door armed. Upstairs and downstairs.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

If you are going to do it, do it right and learn to use the system correctly. Keep your system properly maintained.

Keep in mind that the alarm company does not even call 9-1-1 for most alarms until they have tried to contact the homeowner. Exception would be panic alarms, fire, or some medical emergency alarms. Most triggers are burglar alarm signals.

I work at a 9-1-1 center. Of those calls which do get reported to 9-1-1, literally 99%+ of all alarms are false alarms here. Most frequently it is operator error (forgot code, didn't enter code in time, forgot to give code to the cleaning lady, etc...) 99% false alarms. No joke.

Many cities are now charging homeowners for sending police to repeated false alarms.

 

[smcabee]

We use Vector. Cost us about $200 to install all windows door with sensors as well as couple motion sensors and monitored smoke detector. Its around $30/month for monitoring.

 

[JB2K]

BUDGET TIP:

Also, check your homeowner's insurance policy -- you may eligible for a discount on your insurance...

 

[mom2boys77]

Thank you everyone! We had a fire in November that destroyed our home so we want to make sure we are as safe as we can be.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Another former 911 dispatcher here. I concur with the pp, most are false alarms. However, they can be useful IF used correctly. For your purpose, to have a central monitored fire alarm might be great peace of mind.

One thing that a pp also mentioned was alarm ordinances/fines. Some cities/towns do NOT allow audible/non centrally monitored alarms of any kind. (Audible meaning heard outside of the home.) Because they can do off for no reason and be a noise nuisance to neighbors, and yet the police have no way to contact anyone to come turn it off. So be careful of this.

For alarms that ARE centrally monitored, if you choose to get motion detectors be sure to keep in mind things like balloos with helium that are loose in the house, or curtains swaying on a breezy day if a window is left open, pets that are in the home, etc. All of these can set off the alarm. And in some towns the fees are STEEP.

Also, carefully consider the central monitoring company. Where they are located, what capacity their call center can handle. Be sure they have the correct #s on file to contact for your town in an emergency. Many of us aren't aware that our 911 calls are actually answered by a regional center, or by the state police in some cases, so do your homework and be sure the alarm company has the right # to call. In a true emergency, a delay can be deadly or costly.

 

[ceecee]

We use Brinks (Broadview) which was just bought out by ADT. We pay $25 a month, installation with 1 keypad (2nd keypad was $40) and the alarm was free.

 

[sau418]

We use Guardian and had it installed when we built our home. We have sensors on all first floor windows as well as the basement egress window and all doors, as well as smoke detectors on all 3 floors. With two keypads. It was just under $1800 for installation and we have a $35 monthly monitoring fee. We did get a discount on our homeowners insurance. We also have a yearly fee of $25 that goes to our township, there are no fees for police coming to the house because of this fee.

Our keypads also have buttons that will automatically dispatch police, medical and/or fire if they are pressed. If the smoke detectors (ones installed by guardian) go off they will contact the house first and if there is no response at the house the fire department is automatically dispatched.

I believe the smoke detectors were one of the more expensive parts of the system and are considered an extra.

 

[RooRach0906]

We use Brinks (Broadview) which was just bought out by ADT. We pay $25 a month, installation with 1 keypad (2nd keypad was $40) and the alarm was free.

Just wondering how you feel about the takeover so far???
DH wanted me to point out tho that Broadview was bought out by Tyco and mergering with ADT. Tyco bought Broadview to make improvements to ADT i.e. Customer Service.

 

[Jaklackus]

I wasn't a fan of security systems until my step brother had home invasion last year. My step brother was home with his pre-school aged daughter and newborn son...they were taking a nap in the master bedroom...my step brother woke up to find a man walking out of his daughter's pink flowered barbie bedroom(ughhhh)when the man spotted him he charged my step brother swinging a crow bar toward his head. My stepbrother was armed and was able to fire 2 shots (hitting shoulder and head) only then did the intruder think to run in the other direction out of the house.

Within a week we had a security system installed...ADT...we bought sensors for all of the windows and doors(11) and the smoke alarms, and 2 key chain beepers and after some hemming and hawing and some wheeling and dealing the installation and parts cost about $800(our installer did have the authority to wheel and deal on the hardware..i.e. stepson ran wires for the keypad in the attic and the installer threw in a free key chain beeper). Our monthly monitoring fee costs about $47...including the fire alarm/radio communication/parts protection...we own the sensors and the keypad...but if the parts break we only have to pay $26 for a service call...the part is replaced at no cost....so far one sensor($100) has been replaced. The keypad wires into the phone line...but the sensors are wireless.

Do we overpay? Yes... Is is 100% protection? No..

We also adopted 2 English Mastiff Puppies as an extra layer of protection since DH travels so much .... ADT is a bargain compared to what we spend to feed those monster dogs....11 months old and weighing in at 150lbs each...with another year and a half of growing to do.

 

[Chaoster]

I have a slomin system with 3 key pads, 1 motion detector, 2 smoke detector, 3 doors and about 10 windows (first floor only). All installed free about 9 years ago. Only needed to have a 5 year monitoring contract. We figured we need the central monitoring anyway why not. It started at $20 a month and went up. Like the cable bill you don't really notice. They raise less than a dollar each time. Last year we had the doors replaced. Had a local alarm guy reconnect the doors. Asked him how much for the monitoring fee. It was $20 a month. Slomin was up to about $26. The central monitoring system they use monitor several small alarm companies. Don't know if that is good or bad. But was going to switch. Called Slomins to cancel and they lowered our monthly price to $20. We'll see how long before it goes up again.

 

[labdogs42]

What's the deal with the $7 a month online monitoring services? How does that work?