Home Security?

[apnep]

I am thinking about not renewing my home security. We never turn it on anyway except for when we leave town, so I feel like it's a waste of money.

I pay for the entire year and it's only like $208, plus I have an annual $35 city permit fee.

How many of you pay for one? Just curious...

Thanks in advance,

Ang

 

[msmayor]

We've paid for a security system ever since we moved in to our home 15 years ago.

With the credit we receive on our homeowner's insurance for having a centrally monitored home security system, the real net cost is only $5/month. For us, $60/year is well worth it.

 

[minnie1928]

We had one at the last house, we armed it when we were asleep, at work or on vacation. But when we moved to this house it didn't have an alarm. I just bought some alarm system stickers/signs to place in the windows to make it look like we have one.

 

[MN Disneyfan]

We were robbed in November (during the day) so we had one installed in December. I don't think I'll ever live in a home without a security system. Is there a reason you don't turn it on except when you go out of town? If that is all you use it for I'd certainly stop paying for it. But keep the security system signs/stickers on. It's probably enough to deter any thief from hitting your house.

 

[apnep]

We were robbed in November (during the day) so we had one installed in December. I don't think I'll ever live in a home without a security system. Is there a reason you don't turn it on except when you go out of town? If that is all you use it for I'd certainly stop paying for it. But keep the security system signs/stickers on. It's probably enough to deter any thief from hitting your house.

Yes, because I'm always home anyway! I quit turning it on at night because when we first moved into our house one of the backdoors accidentally opened with a big gust of wind and woke up us in the middle of the night and scared the bejeebers out of me! That, and the kids are always in and out. I guess I just got lazy and we don't use it.

I have the signs and all that around the house.

Sorry to hear you were robbed!

Ang

 

[BrettS]

If you have monitored smoke detectors you might want to consider leaving them active as well. That will work whether the alarm is armed or not, so if you do happen to have a fire while you're asleep or out of the house running an errand it could be detected and called in sooner.

 

[riley2008]

Our homeowner's discount for having the security system more than pays for the annual fee of keeping it.

 

[geek]

Check out nextalarm.com. They offer full UL listed central station monitoring for about $12 per month. The best part is thier system will email you or send you a text alert if your alarm is triggered. You can also go online and view each arm/disarm event. They also offer less expensive plans without live dispatch services.

 

[thebeesknees]

Ours is about $35 a month for monitoring, and we pay a $40 permit fee every year. I know it gives us a discount on our homeowner's insurance, but I couldn't tell you off the top of my head how much. We keep it armed whenever we are out of the house or at night. DH says he feels much safer leaving me and the kids when he travels for business because of the alarm, and I agree with him.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

We installed one last year. We pay about $82.00 per quarter. I will keep paying it, but I use it. We set it at night when we are sleeping. I set it when I bathe or shower & we set it when we are out. I like the door chime feature so that I can hear when people go in & out or open windows.

If you really don't use it, stop paying for it, but personally I would advise that you go ahead & use it.

 

[nexttrip4us]

What is so important to me about having ours and paying the monitoring fee is the heat/smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring. Our friends had a kitchen fire start after they had left for work and their Brinks system saved their home. Our fee is $39/month.

 

[daisyduck123]

18 years now, with Brinks....worth every penny.

I'd never be without a monitored security system.

 

[RooRach0906]

What is so important to me about having ours and paying the monitoring fee is the heat/smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring. Our friends had a kitchen fire start after they had left for work and their Brinks system saved their home. Our fee is $39/month.

18 years now, with Brinks....worth every penny.

I'd never be without a monitored security system.

Don't you mean Broadview Security soon to be ADT if the merger goes through.

 

[daisyduck123]

Don't you mean Broadview Security soon to be ADT if the merger goes through.

Yes...but after using them & referring to them as "Brinks" for almost 20 years...that's the name that's stuck in my head.

 

[gisgt]

I'm in the minority. Unless it pays for itself (via insurance discounts), it's a waste of money. I've always had systems but never hooked them up, neither has anyone else I know. Had one year that was included with a house purchase & used it exactly like the OP, only for vacations. Skip the monitoring and add the saved $$ to the Disney Fund!!

 

[minnie1928]

Ok, am I correct in thinking here? Could she cancel the monitoring but still use the alarm? Meaning, cancel the monitoring but still arm the alarm for vacations. The horn would still go off if the house was compromised and perhaps scare off any intruder.

 

[littlbugmom]

Our system paid for itself the night it scared away an intruder.

Someone came in through the back door while the kids and I were sleeping. The alarm sounded and he ran off. Police arrived in minutes but only found dirt prints on the back step. We have a long back yard and it stays wet back there longer than the rest of the yard and yards around us. The tracks were a little muddy, so it's likely that the intruder came/left from behind our property.

My DH is a firefighter, working 24/48 hr shifts. He wanted the system because he's away so much. Something could happen just as easily when he's home but being away was the reason he wanted it. I'm glad he insisted on it. I was terrified.

 

[littlbugmom]

Ok, am I correct in thinking here? Could she cancel the monitoring but still use the alarm? Meaning, cancel the monitoring but still arm the alarm for vacations. The horn would still go off if the house was compromised and perhaps scare off any intruder.

Our system would still sound, even if it wasn't monitored.

 

[minnie1928]

Our system would still sound, even if it wasn't monitored.

I thought so, our previous house system didn't "require" monitoring in order to sound the alarm.

 

[dawson5]

No opinion on the security system but wanted to comment on the systems in use but not monitored by a company. We had friends that bought a home with ADT installed in it. About two years after moving in, the alarm randomly went off, they never activated it so they were unsure of what to do. He called ADT and they would not help him to shut it off because he was not the person who had it installed and did not start a contract in his name when they bought the house. He eventually followed the electrical lines, unplugged the system and I think ripped it out. He was ticked. All I can say is if you move in with one in place, find out what you need to do in case of something like this happening.