Recommend a home security system

[Glory]

Our house was burglarized last night. Luckily, they were after only jewelry and we didn't have a lot. What we lost mostly sentimental (my grandmother's charm bracelet - each charm picked out by my grandfather, my husband's grandfather's pocket watch from the 1800s, my high school ring, etc).

So anyway, we're interested in investing in a home security system. I heard some bad things right away about ADT. Does anyone have a system they would recommend?

Thanks!

[Musicat]

I can't tell from your profile where you are. Is there a local company you could hire? I only ask that because many security firms' monitoring system is thousands of miles away and they may not understand local situations. This may not be important to you, but it would be to me.

[DiosaBellissima]

Incidentally, someone broke into my father's house last night-- they didn't get anything, because they are absolutely stupid, but this is the 3rd time in two years his house has been robbed.

Needless to say, I'll be watching this thread with interest.

[Aurelia]

If you get a monitored alarm system, be careful with false alarms because the police may charge you if they come out to your house and it hasn't been burglarized.

[DiosaBellissima]

Oh, I wanted to mention: one thing the police told me yesterday was that the most important thing you can get is a camera system. The alarm will often scare off idiots, but the camera will help you identify.

[elbravoiv]

yeah we have ATD, it's a huge pain in the butt, used to like go off all the time when we didn't want to, other times i had to break in cuz i didn't have my key and it didn't go off, - it going off on its own is scarier though cuz 2nd (or 3rd) time that happens and u don't get to it in time, u go to jail... f'd up

what i trust is my dog to bark and wake me up so i can grab my 12 gauge (my dog would f someone up, but that's a liability i wouldn't recommend)

[DiosaBellissima]

yeah we have ATD

My neighbor across the street has ADT. Several times now, her alarm has gone off for DAYS on end. The first time it did this, I called the number on her ADT placard out front (after knocking on her front door for a few minutes) and was routed to an Indian call center. I explained to the woman the situation and she said, "There's nothing we can do." I said, "But this little old lady might be dead in her house, don't you guys send the police out to investigate then, if all is clear, turn off the alarm?" She said no, they try to call the person and if they don't answer, they can't do anything.

That sure makes fucking sense. There I am, macheted in my living room by some weirdo, but because I can't answer the phone, ADT won't help.

I ended up calling the police myself, who came out and took care of it. Worthless, that's what ADT is.

[longhair75]

Your monitoring contract with ADT will be binding even if the system is no longer in use. An acquaintance was paying for the monitoring on a house that had burned to the ground months before.

[not what you'd expect]

I am with protection one security systems. When I got the system a long time ago, they installed the whole thing plus all the sensors for free (up to 4 entrances) and the monthly rate has been $31.95 for years.

I've been happy with them. When I moved, they installed another new system for free. The only thing I would warn you about is the contract. It automatically renews and if you cancel mid term, it will cost you.

[Rick]

A large dog will cost a bit more than the monthly monitoring fee on an alarm system, but you get more.
No Indian call center.
More effective than an alarm system.
Lots of love, wags, doggie kisses

[Oakminster]

Another vote for the large dog. Most burglars will look for an easier target.

[Glory]

Thanks all, we're going to try to find a reputable, well-reviewed local company. I'm not sure about a dog, we both work long hours every day. How long can you leave a dog home alone?

[Ulfreida]

Don't get a dog just to watch the house for you. If you don't want to love, feed, train, exercise, and socialize a dog, you are not going to be happy and the dog will be very unhappy.

You can leave an adult dog alone all day IF you are going to do some major interaction and exercise before and after. And puppies/adolescents are quite a bit more work than adults.

A dog big enough and territorial enough to be a real deterrent is also a dog who is a potential lawsuit if not tragedy, if he happens to not distinguish between an evildoer and, say, a kid trying to retrieve a frisbee from your yard.

I am a Dog Lady and happen to own such a dog right now. He is a heavy responsibility, although no one is ever going to touch me or my stuff if he's around.

[ethelbert]

Did the burglar actually break in, or was there relatively easy access that the burglar took advantage of? I ask this because in my town it appears to me that 98% of the crime is simply a matter of opportunity. When I read the police blotter in the local paper, what I find is doors left open and cars left unlocked (sometimes with the engine running to warm the car up). Most of the criminals seem to spend most of their time looking for opportunities like this. If your home is locked up tight, they move to the next one.

I stopped using those services as soon as the town started to charge for false alarms. One thing that might be useful is a system that tells you that all your doors are locked and your garage door is down (I have occasionally walked out in the morning to discover that my garage was open all night). It is also useful to have motion detector floodlights.

[Glory]

Did the burglar actually break in, or was there relatively easy access that the burglar took advantage of? I ask this because in my town it appears to me that 98% of the crime is simply a matter of opportunity. When I read the police blotter in the local paper, what I find is doors left open and cars left unlocked (sometimes with the engine running to warm the car up). Most of the criminals seem to spend most of their time looking for opportunities like this. If your home is locked up tight, they move to the next one.

I stopped using those services as soon as the town started to charge for false alarms. One thing that might be useful is a system that tells you that all your doors are locked and your garage door is down (I have occasionally walked out in the morning to discover that my garage was open all night). It is also useful to have motion detector floodlights.

All doors/windows were locked. The burglars first attempted to gain access via French doors off our dining room (we found damage to the frame near the lock). After failing to open the door, the burglars forced open a window over the kitchen sink. They used an implement (possibly a crowbar) to force the window open (broke the lock, damaged the window casement and the stucco). I wish we had left it open, then we wouldn't have to pay hundreds of dollars to repair the damages.

I love animals and any dog we got would be a beloved member of the family. I am just unsure about leaving a dog home alone for 12 hours a day.

[Chefguy]

I've had ADT for the last 13 years without issue. I've never had a false alarm, the alarm always sets when I leave, and shuts off when I get home. The company monitors the phone line for problems, and notified me when they couldn't get through (turns out the phone was off the hook). I've never had to have an emergency response, but once when our neighbor was supposed to come in to check the house when we were on vacation, she forgot how to disarm the system. It alerted, and ADT called the home number. She answered and they asked for the code, which she didn't have. She was an old woman with a very quavery voice, and was able to convince them that she really wasn't a burglar.

[caveman]

We have a self-monitored system. There are motion detectors and open/close detectors on all doors and windows, plus a glass-breakage detector, all tied into a base unit with a SIM card attached to our mobile phone account. It sounds an alarm and calls us when it goes off. We can then listen in to the house to hear if anything is actually going on. The only quirks so far are 1) our insurance counts it as unmonitored and 2) if we turn off the living room ceiling fan before we leave, it will set off the nearest motion detector as it slows to a stop. Took a while to figure that one out.

[champkind]

As has previously been said, if possible my No 1 priority would be get a dog. Failing that there are simple things that can deter burglars such as, a beware of the dog sign with a couple of dog toys on the lawn. Also dummy alarm boxes have been known to put burglars off. Obviously if you can afford a real alarm so much the better.

Couple of sites with some good tips



http://www.securityinyourhome.com/6-easy-steps-to-avoid-your-home-being-burgled.html

http://www.kevincoffey.com/home_security/avoiding_home_burglaries_while_traveling.htm

And one from the UK where a burglar explains what he looks for when he is working !
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2066504/How-burgled-Serial-criminal-jailed-5-years-draws-check-list-home-owners.html

[Iggy]

There is a reason that most communities do not allow alarm systems to direct dial emergency services - the extraordinarily high false alarm rate.

A US Department of Justice study on the problem of false alarms noted false alarm rates of 95% and higher. That was of alarms actually reported to emergency services (9-1-1 or police). And that does not count the many alarms that the monitoring centers are able to verify as false alarms by calling the homeowner first.

And that same study showed that alarms did not assist police in catching burglars in the act. Police were actually slightly more likely to catch a burglar red handed in premises without an alarm.


Another vote for getting a dog rather than an alarm.

[tbook]

I use a company called "vivint". In addition to the security system there are two other features I like: a severe weather warning tied into the NWS alert system and an emergency alert button that would allow someone to summon help.

[Jackmannii]

A reminder that home security companies use a business model that involves offering you cut-rate prices for equipment purchase and setup. They make back this money, in spades, on long-term monitoring contracts and add-ons. The other trick to watch out for is selling you equipment that is proprietary - in other words, it is not usable by other companies should the original one turn out to offer bad service.

Another problem is companies whose monitoring employees work out of an office far away (or in another country) and have no knowledge of or relationship with your local law enforcement.

I have given up on the idea of using a home security company in favor of installing my own system. Plus my big dog, Bloodfang. :)

[Musicat]

I have given up on the idea of using a home security company in favor of installing my own system. Plus my big dog, Bloodfang. :)'Fang? Posh! I hear he's a pussycat.

[lieu]

I hate ADT (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=583197) with a passion.

I bought a security camera system last weekend because some idiot kids are vandalizing my property after I turned them in for vandalizing community property. It's a wireless, 2 camera system from Sams and it was only $300. I spent $5500 on the system at my old house but this is much simplier and I can move them around if need be. 3 bones ain't bad for peace of mind.

[Dog80]

I installed an alarm system myself.

The windows and doors are protected with infrared barriers (http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/ghoversecurity/product-detailIqoEeGOvLMYs/China-Alarm-Dual-Beam-Infrared-Barrier-Detector-10m.html) on the outside and there are PIR detectors on the rooms inside. I've also installed a ridiculously loud siren.

I've connected it to a local signal monitoring company. If a typical intrusion alarm is sounded they first call you and ask for the password. If they can't reach you they send the police, but the police does not respond very quickly for burglaries. That's why you need a very loud siren to scare the burglars away.

However in case of a panic (silent) alarm they don't call you, they call the police directly. In that case, the police sends the motorcycle units and they respond really quickly. I have accidentally activated the silent alarm in my office and another time my wife did too at our house. The police were there in seven and nine minutes respectively

[TriPolar]

Another vote for a dog. It doesn't have actually be large, it just has to sound large. I think a motion activated recording of Blackjack barking would keep away any intruders.

[Glory]

Wow, old thread :)

I still miss my grandmother's charm bracelet. We ended up with a nice, local company. We've had one false alarm and the police did come promptly (we were at home but happened to miss the phone calls).

As much as I like dogs, they just don't fit our lifestyle right now. We aren't home enough to be good dog parents.

[Suburban Plankton]

Another vote for "get a dog". It may or may not actually stop a determined burglar, but it will bark at an unknown person on it's turf, and that alone will deter 99 out of every 100 would-be thieves. They'll bypass your 'noisy' house and go next door where it's nice and quiet.

The 100th guy...the one who set out specifically steal your TV/stereo/jewelry...he'll get around whatever security system you put in place anyway, so you might as well leave the door wide open for him.

[TriPolar]

As much as I like dogs, they just don't fit our lifestyle right now. We aren't home enough to be good dog parents.

Too bad about that. But it's the right decision. You shouldn't get a dog only to be a security system.

[Suburban Plankton]

Too bad about that. But it's the right decision. You shouldn't get a dog only to be a security system.

See kids...this is why you should always read all the way to the end of the thread, and then preview before hitting 'Submit'.

Don't be the idiot that recommends a solution in the very next post after the OP tells you why he can't go with the solution you're about to recommend.

:smack::smack::smack::smack::smack:

[TriPolar]

See kids...this is why you should always read all the way to the end of the thread, and then preview before hitting 'Submit'.

Don't be the idiot that recommends a solution in the very next post after the OP tells you why he can't go with the solution you're about to recommend.

:smack::smack::smack::smack::smack:

To be fair, according to the time stamps, you posted before the OP did. Also, to be fair, quote yourself, not me :)

ETA: NM. To be fair you have to be able read times properly. :smack::smack: So yes, in all fairness, you made a dumb mistake :D

[Runs With Scissors]

Wow, not a lot of love for ADT here.

I've had ADT for about 10 years. I've had three break-ins, and each time the alarm scared the burglars off.

Eventually, though, I can imagine myself switching to Comcast so that I can monitor from away more. I guess ADT does this now, but I already have Comcast everything else...they have me by the short hairs.

[drachillix]

She was an old woman with a very quavery voice, and was able to convince them that she really wasn't a burglar.

Epic...alarm company....fail.

If PD was not dispatched on this, I would have come home and sued my alarm company.

[Lust4Life]

The best home defence is a dog.

Dogs aren't fazed by guns.

Dogs know if its a member of the household, or an intruder, even if its pitch dark.

Dogs will fight an intruder to the death, and criminals know it so tend to avoid dog owners houses.

Plus dogs tend not to fail, or give false alarms.

Neighbours may ignore the sound of alarms, but criminals never ignore dogs.

[Lust4Life]

Whoops !didn't read the entire thread.

But the o.p. was asking for an opinion/answer, not looking for a chat.