Crime just seems to be getting worse in my fair city thanks to the Obama economy, Mexican gangs and assorted meth heads. We are thinking of investing in home security system, mostly for when we are not home. When we are there we have dogs, a lot of lighting and guns.
Looking for any pointers on wired v. wireless systems, cool gadgets, cameras, companies to avoid or any other info I should consider. thanks
Great question, I too am interested in the wireless phone option, our co cited 350 to install a wireless phone version that I thought sounded better than just cutting the line. Although I think they monitor for cutting the line (communicate to the system from the monitor center) but I could be wrong. Looking forward to comments!
The cheapest thing to do is put some lights on timers when you are away.
Personally, I have wifi motion detectors with email alerts(I get a nice picture of the cat just about every day!!), and various Insteon remote control switches and motion detectors, all which can be controlled over TCP/IP using my iPhone, o,r an Internet connection.
The Insteon system has worked pretty well with minimal down time.
I also have outdoor lighting, and leave all back, front, and deck lights on at night.
Just be very careful who installs them. Several years ago a friend of mine in NYC was robbed for the first time after he installed a home security system. Turns out the guys who robbed him where affiliated with the guys who installed the system.
I have an audible system that may or may not be monitored. 
I had an individual put it in and it works well, as my daughter found out when I armed it one day and forgot she hadn’t gone to school.
I don’t blame you for thinking of one. It gives me peace of mind when I’m gone. I say do it before anything happens. Whether it is monitored or not, put out signs advising people that you have a security system. I believe they’ll move on to another house rather than risk breaking into one and getting caught. If you have some cameras in plain view, that will reinforce the notion.
Good luck, I feel for you. Your home is your sanctuary and castle.
I am often on the other side of these alarm companies. Mostly I don’t like them and I think they are a racket and often times a nuisance. When I say this, I mean that often times you are paying a good amount of money for your home to automatically call a company that calls 9-1-1. Basically, it puts a middle man in the process. It sounds like this is what you are looking for though.
The information we receive from these systems is generally not very reliable (door entry codes, what sort of alarm is going off, etc.). System malfunctions are extremely common (probably in the 95% range).
Only 1 time in 18 years have I seen a residential fire alarm system work to where we were called and there was a fire. In that case, the family was not home (on vacation). They had a pet iguana that knocked over the heat lamp in the basement. The lamp caught some of the bedding material on fire and it spread. The detectors caught the fire early, we arrived and made a good stop (very little damage).
For crime purposes, I think you would be better served to just invest in better doors and locks. Again, there seem to be a lot of system malfunctions with these. Some communities can fine the homeowner for repeated system malfunctions.
These are my opinions of course. Everything is a matter of your comfort level though. I suspect most people who get these systems are pretty happy with them. I would make sure there is some sort of guarantee against system malfunction.
Me and another guy from work have thought about starting an alarm company that goes directly to the local dispatch center rather than to an alwarm company. I’m not sure why this couldn’t happen. It would seem to be a system that eliminates a useless middle-man.
Bernie
we have an alarm system with a three year monitoring contract. As soon as we can we will cancel it. Here’s my thinking. When the alarm goes off there has been a good 3 minute lag time before the company found a phone number to call us. They worked through a few numbers until they found someone. Had we told them it was an intruder or not responded they would have called 911. But then you’re several minutes from getting an actual officer on the scene, provided that they don’t have anything else to do. As mentioned these are false alarms so often I expect it to be the lowest priority they have. An industrious thief (is there such a thing?) could easily make off with some goodies by then. They just aren’t going to empty the whole house. If you can get the system to sound without paying for monitoring that might scare someone off.
We are going to take the $30 a month and invest in more secure doors and steel reinforcements for the door jambs.
Anyone have experience with these camera systems? Sounds pretty slick. Motion turns on the cameras, control send you a text message. You can observe it on your phone/computer and call cops yourself if needed.
Make sure you have one or more extremely loud sirens both inside and outside of your house and at places where the wires cannot be touched. Pros want zero attention. Amateurs don’t have a clue about what to look for but a loud siren will scare the sh*t of most anyone.
Second, never leave anything of value where it can be easily found. You can’t hide your TV, or dvd player but for other things a safe or the attic is a good option. If you have a PC buy a lock. Yes
its a pain but it will be more of a to have your PC stolen. Also, if you have a gun make sure it’s locked up. The last thing you want is for your weapon to be used in the commission of a crime.
I am often on the other side of these alarm companies. Mostly I don’t like them and I think they are a racket and often times a nuisance. When I say this, I mean that often times you are paying a good amount of money for your home to automatically call a company that calls 9-1-1. Basically, it puts a middle man in the process. It sounds like this is what you are looking for though.
The information we receive from these systems is generally not very reliable (door entry codes, what sort of alarm is going off, etc.). System malfunctions are extremely common (probably in the 95% range).
Only 1 time in 18 years have I seen a residential fire alarm system work to where we were called and there was a fire. In that case, the family was not home (on vacation). They had a pet iguana that knocked over the heat lamp in the basement. The lamp caught some of the bedding material on fire and it spread. The detectors caught the fire early, we arrived and made a good stop (very little damage).
For crime purposes,** I think you would be better served to just invest in better doors and locks**. Again, there seem to be a lot of system malfunctions with these. Some communities can fine the homeowner for repeated system malfunctions.
These are my opinions of course. Everything is a matter of your comfort level though. I suspect most people who get these systems are pretty happy with them. I would make sure there is some sort of guarantee against system malfunction.
Me and another guy from work have thought about starting an alarm company that goes directly to the local dispatch center rather than to an alwarm company. I’m not sure why this couldn’t happen. It would seem to be a system that eliminates a useless middle-man.
Bernie
Several thoughts here, as I have worked in the security industry for many years:
1: A “security system” involves about five layers – information (what’s happening in the neighborhood), physical security (locks), electronic security (alarms, cameras), response (lights, sirens, dispatch calls to police) and policy.
Information is what you know about your neighborhood. Living in a very poor urban neighborhood is very different than living in a surburban weathly neighborhood. You have to be attuned to the local conditions. If your neighbors all have steel screen doors, pit bulls, shotguns and rusty cars, chances are you are more at risk. If you live in a comfy neighborhood, chances are you have good locks and alarms systems and probably don’t use them.
Physical: Good deadbolts, properly installed, with fresh keys, used EVERY TIME, along with light timers, window locks, outdoor PIR motion light sensors, dogs significantly cut down on your chances of a break-in. Make the house look lived in. Mow the grass, shovel the snow, pick up the mail, etc.
Electronic: Wired or wireless really doesn’t matter too much nowadays, but wireless generally allows for a cleaner and faster installation. Pay more than you should. Ask about monitoring but no term-length contracts – the more local and reliable companies can offer better systems for doors, windows, interior trap areas (motion, glass break, etc) than generally the national firms like ADT and others. Not to knock the nationals, some are very good, but their prime motivator is to make money and not make you more secure. An average size house and an $600-1000 installed estimate is money better spent than $99.
Response: Here is what really matters – you always have some response, but just pick what you want. Local means a siren or siren/strobe light at the house only. If you trust your neighbors, and you only want a burglar alarm (no fire), this is often enough. Intruders hate noise and light. Response is immediate. If you want to know what is going on, or have a police response, then it will either / both need to communicate out (IP to your phone) or (IP, Cellular, or land-line phone) to a monitoring station. No police department will take the calls direct anymore. Any many municipalities require “verification” meaning an automated call won’t be responded as it wasn’t verified that there is an actual break-in. Another option is to use a private security patrol service – often this is on a per-response fee rather than annual.
Last is policy; sounds corporate but it applies to the home. Make decisons about what to do IN ADVACE and then stick to them. Lose a house key? Rekey all the doors. Smoke detector beeps? Replace all the batteries in all devices. Leave the house? Lock the door every time. On vacation? Enter a temporary code for a neighbor and delete it from the alarm when you return. Leave the house – turn on the alarm every time. …and so on…
Alarm systems aren’t hard, but there are plenty of inexpensive deals that are cheap in the long run. You decide if an electronic something-or-another is of value to you, spend appropriately, and put your mind at ease.
Anyone have experience with these camera systems? Sounds pretty slick. Motion turns on the cameras, control send you a text message. You can observe it on your phone/computer and call cops yourself if needed.
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Meh, they are not a professional system but often do the trick for homeowners with a “nuisance” problem. The cameras are always sending video feed but it is the recorder that makes the decision to burn the images or discard them. You have to be careful about e-mail “motion” notifications as the motion trigger in the software either sends many many many events or is so turned down (motion field sensitivity turned down) as to miss many events.
A camera system like this is actually better considered for archive or forensic evidence, rather than real-time. But for a house with the neighbor kid and sticky fingers, it does the trick at a good price point. Just don’t expect it to work for 10 years.