home security system

[floridascgirl]

Due to a recent burgulary, we are looking into possibly getting a home security system. How much of a budget buster is this going to be? I don't know if it makes a difference or not, but we have a tiny house...just 1150 sq. ft. and another small out building "man cave" that contains all of my DH's musical equipment, etc...

Any advice would be appreciated because we are clueless. I'm not finding any info. on the company websites. They just want you to call for a quote or to set up an appt.

 

[diesel]

We had an alarm system installed last year for $1200. We don't have it monitored so no monthly fee. We have a small ranch style house. We had alarms put on all windows and three exterior doors and a motion sensor in the basement. We did not go with a name brand company link ADT. We asked a local builder who he uses for his homes and he suggested an independant person to us. Took one day to install and it's been great so far.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

We had one installed before my husband deployed last time. It was a bit over $700. I don't know how much we pay per month to maintain it. Our home is over 3000 square feet. We went with ADT and have been very happy with them.

 

[floridascgirl]

Do you receive a discount on your homeowners for having a system installed?

 

[dex08]

We had one installed last year and it cost around $500 and our monthly monitoring fees are under $40. We got a great deal through a discount that my DH gets through work - it was through a ADT reseller and they threw in a 2nd keychain fob plus a $100 Visa card. With the cost of the Visa card deducted, our installation and equipment was $400.

My advice to you is to call around the different companies to get quotes and do your research before making your decision. Ask around about your friends and neighbor's experiences too. Some companies have much better response time in different areas. Also, there are different contract lock-in timeframes too. I think ours is 3 years before we can switch monitoring service companies.

The equipment charges vary based on the # of sensors you want/need and there are different fees for motion sensors, glass break sensors, door/window sensors, etc. Also, there is a higher fee for the more sophisticated systems, such as the ones you can control with your iPhone or those that use wireless phone signals instead of a land line.

One thing I was very weary of was companies who would not give me a general quote over the phone and who wanted to send someone out first. I knew exactly how many sensors I needed and what kind and I couldn't get an over-the-phone quote from one local company. While I realize all of their employees are (or are supposed to be) bonded, I didn't trust to have someone come into my home and examine every entry point just to give me a quote that I may not go with.

We did get a small discount on our homeowner's policy for having a monitored alarm system.

GL!

 

[scbelleatheart]

Our installation was $400 for a 2800 sf house including glass break alarms motion detectors upstairs and an outside siren for our other garage. We pay $39 a month for monitoring for break ins and fire that gets sent to the fire and police department if they can't verify with us by the security code that it was set off by mistake.
It's worth it for the peace of mind when DH is away and when no one is home.

 

[sksjasams]

I was looking at an ADT ad in the Valpak. In tiny writing at the bottom, it says for homeowners only. We are renters. Does that mean we can't get a security system? Or is it just ADT that has this rule?

Thank you!

 

[RooRach0906]

Do you receive a discount on your homeowners for having a system installed?

Yes, you do.

 

[kappyfinn]

I was looking at an ADT ad in the Valpak. In tiny writing at the bottom, it says for homeowners only. We are renters. Does that mean we can't get a security system? Or is it just ADT that has this rule?

Thank you!

Most alarm companies will only install if the person is the homeowner.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

We have slomins. We pay $30 a month. We paid about $700 for install because we added and upgraded to what was their basic free install. My parents and friends were fine with the basic so they paid nothing.

Shop around, we found slomins was cheapest for us and works out great. Also their referral program is awesome, every refferal that gets their system you get 3 months free. So far, we have gotten 6 months free!

 

[CatNipRules]

We had an alarm system installed last year for $1200. We don't have it monitored so no monthly fee. We have a small ranch style house. We had alarms put on all windows and three exterior doors and a motion sensor in the basement. We did not go with a name brand company link ADT. We asked a local builder who he uses for his homes and he suggested an independant person to us. Took one day to install and it's been great so far.

No offense, but how do you know that a sensor is going bad or if someone enters your home when you aren't home? Just wondering because I've never heard of an alarm not being monitored.....

 

[Kellydelly]

No offense, but how do you know that a sensor is going bad or if someone enters your home when you aren't home? Just wondering because I've never heard of an alarm not being monitored.....

The alarm would go off and alert your neighbors and hopefully scare off the intruders. We have an alarm system on our home that is not monitored. The system was in place when we bought the home, we have never used it. Some people also set their alarms at night, so if an intruder breaks in it would alert them.

 

[KarenAylwood]

First- I'm so sorry you were burglarized. I know your pain- I've been broken into twice in the last 5 years. Once was in a city setting, an apartment and I had almost nothing at the time so they didn't get away with much. Second time was a bit worse, once we were in a townhouse- about $10,000 worth of items - almost everything that was worth anything including all of my jewelry and my DH's soc sec card, passport, etc. Nightmare!!

I called ADT the day after it happened and they were installing our system the day after that. I did have the guy come to the house to get a quote- they were running a special at the time and I think the entire package cost us $200. We installed window sensors on 3 downstairs windows, and sensors on 4 doors. We are monitored for $41/month - we upgraded to have the plan that has a live agent come over your loudspeaker if theres a break in. Since we are in a three story townhouse there wasn't as much monitoring because we only did the ground floor.

We had one issue with a sensor and they have been easy to work with. After being broken into I would pay whatever I had to to protect my home. Your price is going to depend on how many entry points you have and the level of monitoring you want. It will cost more to run through your cell phone than your landline as well (we are running through the landline).

 

[Gigi22]

We were burglarized years ago. We considered installing a security system, but didn't.

Reason being, the police told us that most burglars are in and out of your house in less than 3 minutes. No matter how effective your security system is, nothing is going to happen to catch/drive off burglars in that time frame. (Don't know about security systems as a deterrent to home invasions--any that have occurred locally seem to involve people involved in drugs).

We were advised to save our money, and just make sure our home is a bit harder to break into than other homes in the neighbourhood. So we cleaned up some overgrown shrubbery near our house, installed some really annoying outside lighting, put lights on timers, and we're good.

 

[teCh0010]

There are two ways to do this:

With a contract -
A company like ADT subsidizes your install, but locks you into a contract for 25 - 40 dollars a month.

Without a contract -
You pay more up front for the equipment that you purchase and have installed through an independent company, but you can have it monitored much cheaper. Companies like alarmrelay.com will monitor for 9$ a month.

Things to watch out for:

The free systems include very few sensors. Motion sensors work fine for when you are away, but if you want to use the alarm when you are home at night you need to have all doors and windows connected.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

Our installation was $400 for a 2800 sf house including glass break alarms motion detectors upstairs and an outside siren for our other garage. We pay $39 a month for monitoring for break ins and fire that gets sent to the fire and police department if they can't verify with us by the security code that it was set off by mistake.
It's worth it for the peace of mind when DH is away and when no one is home.

We also have glass break alarms on our 1st floor windows. All of our doors are alarmed. They monitor ours for fire and breakins so if the alarm gets tripped, they notify the fire and police dept. They also offer a military discount!!! I love the piece of mind, especially since my hubs is military and not always home.

 

[ilovemk76]

We had an alarm system installed last year for $1200. We don't have it monitored so no monthly fee. We have a small ranch style house. We had alarms put on all windows and three exterior doors and a motion sensor in the basement. We did not go with a name brand company link ADT. We asked a local builder who he uses for his homes and he suggested an independant person to us. Took one day to install and it's been great so far.

What is the point of doing the install and then having the home monitored?

This is not a deterrent to burglars and does not get you the insurance discount. Burglars are smart enough to kick the door in, hide and then when nobody responds, they take what they came for.

Do you receive a discount on your homeowners for having a system installed?

Only if you have the house monitored.


We had our system installed when we had our home built. The cost varies depending on how you secure the home. We asked our local police department who they recommended and they said only the local one. They said all of the national ones give horrible help to the police and fire when an alarm goes off. The local ones know the area you home is in.

We pay $120/year for our monitoring. If our power goes out and our back up battery runs our of power, sends a signal when it gets low, the company will send guards around in vehicles to keep an eye on the homes and businesses they monitor.

They can also explain to you how the system will "call" in when an alarm goes off.

We are covered for fire, break-ins and ambush.

For us, if the fire alarm is activated the fire company will be sent before the call is placed.

 

[ilovemk76]

We were burglarized years ago. We considered installing a security system, but didn't.

Reason being, the police told us that most burglars are in and out of your house in less than 3 minutes. No matter how effective your security system is, nothing is going to happen to catch/drive off burglars in that time frame. (Don't know about security systems as a deterrent to home invasions--any that have occurred locally seem to involve people involved in drugs).

We were advised to save our money, and just make sure our home is a bit harder to break into than other homes in the neighbourhood. So we cleaned up some overgrown shrubbery near our house, installed some really annoying outside lighting, put lights on timers, and we're good.

Any security system will not prevent a person from breaking down your door, taking one item and leaving. The reason for the system is to prevent you home from burning to the ground, warning you a person has entered your home while you were there, to prevent them from taking all your belongings and to prevent an ambush.

 

[Earstou]

We were burglarized years ago. We considered installing a security system, but didn't.

Reason being, the police told us that most burglars are in and out of your house in less than 3 minutes. No matter how effective your security system is, nothing is going to happen to catch/drive off burglars in that time frame. (Don't know about security systems as a deterrent to home invasions--any that have occurred locally seem to involve people involved in drugs).

We were advised to save our money, and just make sure our home is a bit harder to break into than other homes in the neighbourhood. So we cleaned up some overgrown shrubbery near our house, installed some really annoying outside lighting, put lights on timers, and we're good.

Our alarm scared off a burglar before he ever got in the house! The neighbors had guests arriving who heard our alarm and saw a pickup truck with tarps in our driveway. So we know it was attempted, the alarm showed a basement window triggered the alarm, but he never made it in!

 

[floridascgirl]

Wow...thanks to everyone who has replied. I'm a research person, most of us DIS'ers are, I think so all of this info. is very helpful. I will ask our local police department if they have a company that they recommend. I'll ask my insurance company, too.

Several of our friends mentioned looking into DIY systems that you can either purchase online or at Lowes/Home Depot. Does anyone have experience with going this route?