gdvan01
Member
"Trespassers will be shot; survivors will be shot twice"
Best Value Home Alarm Systems...
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Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
If you have good neighbors or family members close by willing to check on your house, a self-installed system from a place like http://www.x10.com might be an option for you. It's wireless and easy to install and program. Instead of central monitoring, the system can be programmed to call up to four of your family/friends/neighbors (or your cell phone if you like) and deliver a message that you record on the system. Using X-10 lamp control modules, the central console can flash lights in the house and sound a built-in or external optional siren as well.
Not using motion sensors at all inside the house connected to the alarm system is a good idea IMHO- magnetic reed switches on doors is a better plan. There's no reason you can't alarm interior doors as well, if you're worried about entry through windows etc. going undetected because you don't use motion sensors.
I like having the motion sensors outside, on the lookout for cars or people driving or walking near the house. We use The Reporter from http://www.buy.com/prod/reporter-rwa300r-the-reporter-wireless-alert-system/q/loc/111/90125222.html , with extra sensors (each receiver can handle up to four sensors). It works well.
I like having fences, locked gates and dogs also... multiple layers of protection are better than putting all your eggs in one basket.
lpl/nc
Not using motion sensors at all inside the house connected to the alarm system is a good idea IMHO- magnetic reed switches on doors is a better plan. There's no reason you can't alarm interior doors as well, if you're worried about entry through windows etc. going undetected because you don't use motion sensors.
I like having the motion sensors outside, on the lookout for cars or people driving or walking near the house. We use The Reporter from http://www.buy.com/prod/reporter-rwa300r-the-reporter-wireless-alert-system/q/loc/111/90125222.html , with extra sensors (each receiver can handle up to four sensors). It works well.
I like having fences, locked gates and dogs also... multiple layers of protection are better than putting all your eggs in one basket.
lpl/nc
Rokman
Member
I would say a good dog, but mine has gotten to be pretty expensive with vet bills. A good alarm company doesn't get sick.
A dog is a better alarm than nothing, but he can't call the cops or the fire department when you are not there.
I vote for a good quality electronic system with fire and maybe freeze protection built in, remote monitoring, and cell phone option in case your phone wires are cut ( a common burglar MO these days). panic buttons are also a good idea.
Many local and a couple national alarm companies do a decent monitoring job. The real money for a lot of them is not in the hardware, it is in the monitoring.
I don't think there is any real difference in the security of a local or remote central station, although many alarm companies tout the value of not having a local central station. The logic of their thinking about this never really impressed me much though.
Most small local alarm companies contract the monitoring to someone else anyway. It takes a lot of alarm contracts to make it cost effective to get a UL listed central station built.
I vote for a good quality electronic system with fire and maybe freeze protection built in, remote monitoring, and cell phone option in case your phone wires are cut ( a common burglar MO these days). panic buttons are also a good idea.
Many local and a couple national alarm companies do a decent monitoring job. The real money for a lot of them is not in the hardware, it is in the monitoring.
I don't think there is any real difference in the security of a local or remote central station, although many alarm companies tout the value of not having a local central station. The logic of their thinking about this never really impressed me much though.
Most small local alarm companies contract the monitoring to someone else anyway. It takes a lot of alarm contracts to make it cost effective to get a UL listed central station built.
jdmb03
Member
I had a Guardian alarm installed at my mom's house as a christmas gift. It cost me $800. The price included contacts on all first floor doors and windows, motion sensor, control panel, key fob remote and cellular backup. It's well worth it.
Not so. Providing notice of the presence of a dog with aggressive propensities will tend to lessen liability not increase it. If some one enters your property after receiving such notice they will be increasing their "contributory negligence".
However, in many jurisdiction dog owners are strictly liable for harm inflicted by their dog to invitees. That said, burglars are not construed as invitees in any jurisdiction that I am aware of.
As with any legal matter consult a competent local attorney. Take all Internet legal advice with a few grains of salt.
Ragnar Danneskjold
Member
Alarm systems don't tear anything on the ground into little pieces, or s*** on your carpet.
gunmn74
Member
I have been thinking of getting an alarm myself. I really dont want a
monitored alarm system. I have a safe and everything is heavily
insured. I dont worry about the stuff in the house. I just want an
alarm to sound in the bedroom giving me enough time to grab a gun
when my family and I are home.
My daughter has been asking for a house dog and that might be
all I need. I have a big dog that sleeps in a crate indoors at night
but I dont know how much warning he would give me.
monitored alarm system. I have a safe and everything is heavily
insured. I dont worry about the stuff in the house. I just want an
alarm to sound in the bedroom giving me enough time to grab a gun
when my family and I are home.
My daughter has been asking for a house dog and that might be
all I need. I have a big dog that sleeps in a crate indoors at night
but I dont know how much warning he would give me.
gummn74,
I used to crate my dogs at night, but not anymore. They offer more protection loose in the house. My GSD instinctively does several rounds per night. Sure, a dog won't call the police, but not many burglars will dare break into a house with a big dog waiting on the other side.
I used to crate my dogs at night, but not anymore. They offer more protection loose in the house. My GSD instinctively does several rounds per night. Sure, a dog won't call the police, but not many burglars will dare break into a house with a big dog waiting on the other side.
feedthehogs
Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2003
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- 1,801
For those who think a dog doesn't cut it, divorced neighbor lady had a stalker.
She went and bought a 60lb mut at the pound. Spent a few hundred bucks getting trained to obey commands, not eat from anyone but her, etc.
The guy finaly broke into her house at night. Bed room on other side of house window.
She didn't hear the glass break but the dog did. As the stalker climbed in the window butt first, dog bit. Barking woke up the lady, lady called the cops. They showed up and the dog had a swatch of bloody jean butt in its mouth.
Found the guy a few blocks over nursing his wounds. Had a knife and tape on him.
Even an alarm thats monitored takes time to call the owner to see if everything is okay. If no answer or not the right security code it can still take time for the cops to show up.
She most likely would have been dead with an alarm.
She went and bought a 60lb mut at the pound. Spent a few hundred bucks getting trained to obey commands, not eat from anyone but her, etc.
The guy finaly broke into her house at night. Bed room on other side of house window.
She didn't hear the glass break but the dog did. As the stalker climbed in the window butt first, dog bit. Barking woke up the lady, lady called the cops. They showed up and the dog had a swatch of bloody jean butt in its mouth.
Found the guy a few blocks over nursing his wounds. Had a knife and tape on him.
Even an alarm thats monitored takes time to call the owner to see if everything is okay. If no answer or not the right security code it can still take time for the cops to show up.
She most likely would have been dead with an alarm.
that's like keeping your gun in a safe at night.
LeonCarr
Member
www.petfinder.org
A good dog is the best home security money you can spend, but make it part of a layered approach to home security. Good locks on gates and doors, motion sensors, monitored alarm system, home occupants with firearms and the training to use them.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
A good dog is the best home security money you can spend, but make it part of a layered approach to home security. Good locks on gates and doors, motion sensors, monitored alarm system, home occupants with firearms and the training to use them.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
Bob F.
Member
perimeter patrol:
Semi-rural setting: last fall heard a siren. Realized it was 1/4mi south at the neighbors. 60 seconds later 3 armed neighbors circled the house checking that it was secure.
Another night, SWMBO said there's a truck and trailer in neighbor's drive. Neighbor out of town. Called neighbor's sis: Midnight-should there be a truck n' trailer in sis's drive? No. Called 911, blocked drive w/ F-150 and 870. Turns out grandson had come by to pick something up. Sis called me, I called 911: stand down.
Yeah, need a descent alarm system and a good safe.....one of the days. After the roof and windows, etc.
Stay safe.
Bob
Semi-rural setting: last fall heard a siren. Realized it was 1/4mi south at the neighbors. 60 seconds later 3 armed neighbors circled the house checking that it was secure.
Another night, SWMBO said there's a truck and trailer in neighbor's drive. Neighbor out of town. Called neighbor's sis: Midnight-should there be a truck n' trailer in sis's drive? No. Called 911, blocked drive w/ F-150 and 870. Turns out grandson had come by to pick something up. Sis called me, I called 911: stand down.
Yeah, need a descent alarm system and a good safe.....one of the days. After the roof and windows, etc.
Stay safe.
Bob
Geronimo45
Member
All this time and nobody's mentioned claymores?
Show some imagination, people.
Show some imagination, people.
Buttermilk
Member
Get an alarm system that works when the electricity is turned off. Also, get those emergency lights that automatically come on when the electricity goes off. Wire one of those lights to a front and back door light. Also, remember that there are lights that you can plug into your phone jack and give you light if the electricity is off.
Keep in mind that one of the tactics of burglers is to turn off the electricity to disable an alarm system. Look on the internet for easy to make battery powered door and window alarms.(Battery, buzzer, string, clothes pin & tinfoil pie pan). Lots of good DIY ideas on there.
Keep in mind that one of the tactics of burglers is to turn off the electricity to disable an alarm system. Look on the internet for easy to make battery powered door and window alarms.(Battery, buzzer, string, clothes pin & tinfoil pie pan). Lots of good DIY ideas on there.
Any decent alarm system will have battery backup. I work in the industry. You can go with ADT, or some big box security place with a $99 special, but remember: when you cancel your monitoring w/ them, that stuff is useless (it's proprietary).
Check out www.homesecuritystore.com they have monitoring for like 9 bucks a month (after your initial investment of an alarm system). For a quality system, I recommend a CaddX or Ademco VISTA (both of which are commercial quality panels). You can go addressable and only have to pull one wire daisychained between devices, or you can go zone and have to have a "home run" from every device.
Also both of these panels make wireless adaptors that let you put up wireless devices. Both panels also have battery backup. When designing your system, be sure and have a lot of "notification". Put a couple of weatherproof horn/strobes outside and a couple inside as well. The lights and noise will likely scare off the perp, or at least disorient them.
P95
What do you think of the GE Simon or the Lynx by Ademco? They are not monitored (but could be) but are wireless stand alone systems. Any thoughts you have would be useful. Thanks.
Also, that is a good idea about a strobe. I hate Strobe lights and they are very annoying.
What do you think of the GE Simon or the Lynx by Ademco? They are not monitored (but could be) but are wireless stand alone systems. Any thoughts you have would be useful. Thanks.
Also, that is a good idea about a strobe. I hate Strobe lights and they are very annoying.
mpmarty
Member
Layered security is the correct answer where I live. I'm on 40 acres on top of a mountain. No neighbors close. Half a mile of driveway down the mountain to the road. I've got four sensors set up down the length of the driveway and they produce 1, 2, 3, or 4 loud buzzes depending on which one is triggered. As a person or vehicle drives or walks up the driveway I get progress reports and my dog goes ape**** when the three and four go off. I use the "Reporter" system and both ends are battery powered and the house units incorporate a fifteen amp switch (normally open) that I plug a light into so even if for some reason I don't hear the alarms (running the table saw etc.) I see the lights. Once they get to the top of the driveway ( a climb of nearly 800 feet in half a mile) they find themselves confronted by four 500 watt spotlights and noplace to turn around and no way to see to back down the twisty steep driveway with a sheer drop in each side of sometimes as much as fifty or sixty feet. You'd be amazed at the stupid people who disregard the sign at the bottom of the driveway warning of no access, no trespass, no survivors and wind up staring at the four spotlights and me covering them from the shadows with my AK and my dogs snarling and barking. We've never had a second visit.
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12MANY,
Both of those are good residential options; the GE simon's older version used to be available at Lowe's. I personally have one of these:
http://www.homesecuritystore.com/ezStore123/DTProductZoom.asp?productID=1164
I find it to be a little more "serious" than the simon. It has built in phone line, will let you program it with different entry passcodes with phone notification (so if you have kids, you give them a passcode to disarm the system and when they do after they get home from school, it calls you and tells you). It also has wireless smoke detectors that, when tripped, signal all your horns and strobes. It's extremely easy to install (I installed mine with power wire through the wall in less than a day with several devices). If I had the walls ripped out and could, I would go wired with hidden contacts.
Oh, and there is nothing wrong with using motions inside the house. You program the panel so that the inside motions are only active when the panel is set to "away" when no one is there. This gives you added coverage in the event of a break in. Put contacts on all doors and glassbreaks in all rooms (each glassbreak is ceiling or wall mounted and cover over 20' diameter).
ARK9mm
Member
Lots of crazy and absurd ideas here.
I own/operate a security company in Arkansas. If you want a dog, start a new thread. If you are looking for ideas for a security system read the legit posts. If you have good ideas post them.
There are national organizations that have member companies. Most of those organizations require some sort of integrity. Check those websites out.
www.nesaus.org
www.alarm.org
Don't expect to get the installer code from a legit company. Expect to sign a contract from a legit company.
There are some other great questions to ask yourself and alarm companies already mentioned.
Have a great day!
CH
I own/operate a security company in Arkansas. If you want a dog, start a new thread. If you are looking for ideas for a security system read the legit posts. If you have good ideas post them.
There are national organizations that have member companies. Most of those organizations require some sort of integrity. Check those websites out.
www.nesaus.org
www.alarm.org
Don't expect to get the installer code from a legit company. Expect to sign a contract from a legit company.
There are some other great questions to ask yourself and alarm companies already mentioned.
Have a great day!
CH
I am currently planning on an alarm system consisting of exterior and interior motion detectors connected to various exterior and interior lights plus an inside warning alarm for when I'm home. The lights are intended to warn both intruders and me. The alarm would be for me to decide whether to call 911 by cell or clear the house or both.
With 4 cats and 2 dogs I figure an alarm system is not for me.
Not that the animals will stop anyone when I am not home, its just that they'd probably set the alarm off too often.
I bought a nice big safe and figure anything thats not in the safe they can steal.
Heck, I wish someone would steal my TV's I'd like to get some new flat ones.
At night or when I'm home those dogs will alert me before anyone gets near the house - I don't have or need a doorbell!
Not that the animals will stop anyone when I am not home, its just that they'd probably set the alarm off too often.
I bought a nice big safe and figure anything thats not in the safe they can steal.
Heck, I wish someone would steal my TV's I'd like to get some new flat ones.
At night or when I'm home those dogs will alert me before anyone gets near the house - I don't have or need a doorbell!
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