NorthStar Alarm Services: Anybody heard of them?

[ddc]

Had a door-to-door guy stop buy my house and ask if I was interested in getting my house alarmed. Free equipment and installation. I'd have to pay the monthly monitoring fee.

They are "NorthStar Alarm Services" based out of Utah.

Has anybody dealt with these guys?

Are they on the up and up?

Thanks!

Link to their web site (http://www.northstaralarm.com/main.html)

[SLCDave]

What package are they offering for free? Did they quote you any rates?

I'm in Utah looking for an alarm system, and never heard of them.

[ddc]

It was a Honeywell based system.

He claimed the normal price would be around $900.

He said the monitoring service would be "about $40 a month"...

He wanted to come in the house to show me where all the sensors would go but I wasn't going to allow a complete stranger to come in and case the joint.

One of the things they want to do is post a fairly prominent "This residence protected by NorthStar Alarms" sign at the street edge of our property.

I'm not sure that's a good idea. I have mixed feelings about those signes. I think to some people they say "move on down the road" and to others they say "there is something here worth stealing"...

We've decided to decline their offer as much for the fact that we really can't afford the $40/month monitoring fee.

[Nio]

...they're scoping you out. The thing to say is, "I already have a monitored alarm system." If they ask any questions, say, "None of your business."

Nio

[Walt Sherrill]

We use a service for home security. For several years I maintained a Radio Shack (non-monitored) system, and it was all hardwired. I prefer the newer, wireless systems as the older hard-wired systems get cranky with age.

Do your homework before you buy -- I guess this question is a step in that direction.

I talked to a number of folks I knew and worked with who had used various services. Nearly all such providers offer comparable security at similar costs, and many use the same equipment -- some with proprietary pieces added. The price you were offered was NOT all that attractive.

The big issue for me was how long I was locked into the service, and whether the hardware was proprietary (i.e., could or could not be used by a subsequent service provider.)

We spent about $1200 getting it installed (older split-level home, about 2300 sq feet) with three doors monitored. Motion detectors in most other places. I added stuff like an alarm on the (4th) door of an attached storage building, and a pricier control unit -- with a second unit near the exit door we use most often.

(I've always been concerned about someone getting into my outside storage area and making off with a big tool box, power tools, a chain saw, etc. While these are not as easily resold as a TV or stereo, it still has value.)

Our system is mix of wired and non-wired sensors -- but its all virtually invisible to anyone visiting the house. We have it set up so that we can move around most of the house with the system armed to the max, or just have the doors monitored, during times when we're there and not asleep.

Our cost is about $20 a month, and the monitoring facility is in another city.

The system has a backup power supply (important), and taps into our phone system (cable modem and cable phone, which also has a backup power system.) When the power's out, you've got to be worried about what works. If power is out for an extended period, ours eventually dies.

The SIGN you're wary of is apparently a good thing -- as folks in a hurry, looking for easy pickings, if they see it, are likely to move on to another house without a sign. I'm thinking about putting one in the back hard, too. <grin>

Of course there's something there worth stealing. That's true in any house, for someone looking for a quick hit. (I think that argument against the sign is poor reasoning, as the neighborhood itself tells the crook all he wants to know.)

Some of your costs will be offset by reductions in home owners insurance. Not enough to cover the monthly fee, but there are reductions. A $40 monintoring fee is quite high -- you're paying for the equipment.

A lot of municipalities are starting to charge big fees for false alarms, so be sure, if you eventually go that route, that you understand how to kill it quickly if there's an inadvertent alarm -- and be sure to call the monitoring unit.

(We triggered it out of ignorance a few times, early in the morning, moving around the house when on full max protection -- but a quick call to the monitoring site kept things under control. They use passwords that you set to know that your claim its a false alarm is a legitimate cancellation.)

We feel more secure at night, now -- not that it was a BIG issue in our part of town, and much more protected when we go out to dinner/are away.

[ddc]

Thanks for the feedback.

As a result of your feedback (and others, ar15.com, etc.) we've decided to pass on this offer.

However our interest in this area has been raised (not the first time my wife had inquired about such issues...) and we are looking into alternatives such as those provided by www.smarthome.com.

Probably should be a new thread but if anybody has had an experience with
http://www.smarthomes.com I'd like to hear about it...

Thanks again.

[parpat]

I am a licensed Alarm systems installer, and have seen these 'freebie' installations, usually one or two doors and maybe a motion detector, anything else is extra.. and that monthly monitor rate of 40 includes the cost of the equipment.. and HOW long is the contract...
We sell the equipment ouright for the home owner, and monitoring/maintenance is s extra cost..
Quality equipment from companies like GE Interlogic and DSC are a plus,
and ask some Police, to which they would recommend, as they know how many false alarms are coming from the cheapie guys ..