Home security system recs.

[jr_roosa]

I don't know if this quite fits here, and if the moderator wants to kill it, that's fine with me. I guess it's a strategy question, definitely strategic.

Anyway, we're getting ready to buy a new house, and we're thinking a home security system would be a good idea. What do you all like? Any systems that are not worth the trouble?

Oh, and we're suburban, definitely sub-4-minute PD/FD/EMS response.

BTW, I'm thinking more of an electronic system rather than the 12ga-in-the-closet system (already have that one). I'd like something that works when I'm not home or when I'm asleep.

Thanks for your help.

-J.

 

[PressCheck]

My Security System.

 

[jr_roosa]

Yeah, here's what we have:

She thinks she looks like a doberman, but she's not fooling anybody. She also sleeps like the dead, so yet another strike against as a guard dog.

-J.

 

[dralarms]

That's one cute dog.

Oh and a properly installed security system can serve you for years, Don't forget the smoke detectors in your house can only wake you up (IF you are a light sleeper), the ones put in by an alarm company can wake the dead in addition to calling the fire dept.

 

[rdela29]

I have two jack rusells that fit in the same category. Maybe the intruder's "ahhhh, what a pretty puppy" will be whispered loud enough to rouse you.

 

[ARK9mm]

Go local.

As far as manufacturers go, they basically all offer the same features. DMP, DSC, Honeywell (Ademco), and so on....

I'm not sure where you live, but there is probably a state association of professional security companies. Try www.nesaus.org to find a company that is a member.

Basic System:
Every door contacted and approx one motion detector per thousand square feet. The motions just depend on the floorplan of your home. The system will obviously include the control panel, keypad, siren, power supply, back-up battery and phone line connection.

The motion detector works while you are away but will not while you are home (if programmed correctly). Therefore, for decent detection you will need more equipment for while you are home.

This equipment needs to protect non-door entry points. Window sensors work when the windows are opened. Glassbreak Detectors (duh!?!) detect glass breaking. Glassbreaks will protect multiple windows in one room while window sensors only protect one window each. Therefore, glassbreaks will usually save you some money. IMO, they are also a better protection. If the intruder is on the outside of the house when he breaks the window then you have detected him earlier than if he had raised a window. Also, in order to raise a window he usually has to break glass!

So, for decent detection, expect the basic system and to add some glassbreak detectors. One glassbreak for each room.

Now, if you have a land-line phone then the alarm will work fine. But, think about the possibility (depending on how much the contractor charges) of adding a cellular communicator to the system.

If you have any question, give me a shout. I own an alarm company in NE Arkansas. You will hear a lot of "dogs and guns, who needs more?". You will also save up to 20% on your home owners insurance. It usually pays for the monitoring fees by itself.

Good luck!
CH

 

[tinygnat219]

Actually,
Jack Russell Terriers make great guard dogs. Aside from being loyal, smart, and fearless. They are also LOUD and can buy you that extra 2-3 seconds you need. Think of them as a layer, much like your security alarm signs, locked doors, alarm system, and dogs. Final security should be you your defensive weapon, and a cell phone.

 

[Fred Fuller]

The topic is fine for S&T, actually it comes up pretty regularly. A search of the S&T forum for "security systems" in the "Search This Forum" block will get you several threads, to include the most recent one at http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=34012 .

lpl/nc

 

[primlantah]

many people recommend guard dogs. This is flawed. i will provide 2 cases when i was robbed and the family pet didnt help.

1) Robber cut my dogs throat in the living room. Lost loved family pet and valuables.

2) robber threw poisoned lunch meat to the dog. befriended the burglar for feeding people food.... but died quickly and quietly. again lost loved family pet and valuables.

its not very hard to kill a dog people. Effective guard dogs basically stop at Mr. Burns releasing the hounds... and we all know cartoons arent real. Keep dogs as pets not as alarms.

 

[george29]

home security system

System is the key word here. An alarm / dog / shotgun is just part of a system, each on it's own is a component or deterent but not a system of home defense.

An Alarm system is a system on its own, just not a home defense system when not used in conjunction with other separate components like a weapon, a dog, non-breakable glass, solid front door, lighting, Carbon monoxide alarm etc.

Home security should be something that creates a castle from a home.

Most of the national alarm companies do the same thing equally well, they monitor your home, this in itself will not provide you with security, just a monitoring system.

I am not knocking an alarm, I too have one as a deterent and as a method that tells me of irregularities when not home.

 

[GrizzlyGraves]

I wouldn't rely solely on a security system for my protection, even with monitoring service. I currently work for an alarm response company. We respond to alarms from all the big companies (ADT, Brinks, Protection One etc.) at both business and residential locations. We also perform patrol services and lock-ups for municipalities in the area. Our company policy is to complete our nightly lockups before responding to alarms. That could mean that a home is being burglarized and the residents lives could be in danger but our officers cannot respond until the local park is locked up for the night. Additionally, PD is not called to the scene of an alarm unless our officer requests them. This way the police aren't wasting time at alarms all night long.

This, to me, is an insane policy that would surely enrage the alarm companies and their customers if they knew about it, but that's how we do things.

I will never pay for an alarm service in my own home after working here. I may install some motion lights, glass break sensors, solid core doors and other security devices for my own use, but monitoring service seems worthless to me.

 

[ARK9mm]

That is insane. But, it is a policy put in place because alarm companies would not be responsible enough to fight false alarms on their own. The municipal false alarm ordinance has hurt the alarm industry in your area. However, the alarm industry itself could have prevented the ordinance had they been proactive in fighting false alarms. It's a national trend.

However, the only call made for an alarm is not to the police. When an alarm is tripped, the location is called. If there is no answer then police/guard is dispatched. Then, there is a list of responsible parties called. This could be a neighbor or your cell phone.

Just because your municipality has such a false alarm ordinance in place doesn't mean it's a bad idea nationally. I know of politicians that have lied. That doesn't mean ALL politicians lie.

I know of two legal cases in process at this point where guards didn't respond to California homes per Standard Operating Procedures and there was loss of property.

Burglar alarms detect intrusion and save lives and property every day. I would encourage anyone interested in a security system to contact their local pd to find out about false alarm ordinances in place. A reputable security contractor should know the ordinances as well. Ask the salespeople when they arrive to do your estimate. It's a good guage of their activity in the industry.

Thanks for bringing this up. It's something that I had not talked about in my previous posts.

CH

 

[Sergeant Sabre]

My professional police opinion:

Any systems that are not worth the trouble?

None of the home security systems are worth it. The whole business is a racket. The security company makes you pay for the system to begin with, you pay for them to monitor it, they run it with electricity you pay for, monitor it with a phone line you pay for, and respond to it with a police agency that your taxes pay for. The only expenses incurred are leasing a facility and paying workers.

If the alarm goes haywire and starts calling in false alarms (very common), you have to pay to fix it, and the police will charge you for a false alarm response instead of charging the company because of the junk they installed in your home.

Oh, and we're suburban, definitely sub-4-minute PD/FD/EMS response

You wish. When the alarm goes if it doesn't call the police. It calls the alarm company. Then they screw around and call the house. After a while if they don't get an answer they might send the call to one of the guys like GrizzlyGraves above and there's no telling when he is going to be able to get there. If they do skip the middle-man and call the police, 4 minutes or more have probably gone by before they even make that call.

False alarms are so common that we really don't get in a big yank to get there, anyway. Of the hundreds I've been to only two were real (both at the same business). In each case the bad guys were long gone by the time the security company had gotten through with the process I outlined above.

In my opinion the only security system that is worth anything is one that would monitor all my doors and windows and sound an audible alarm if there was an entry so that I could wake up and take care of it. I'll call 911 myself and it will be faster, anyway. No costly but worthless monitoring by a security company, no middle-men, no delayed 911 call because the alarm company has to screw around with it first.

The only way a security system could ever be worth the money is if it lowered your home owner's insurance enough to pay for itself. That, and if it detects heat / smoke and calls the fire department.

 

[ARK9mm]

I guess that's like saying since I saw a police officer eating doughnuts twice in one shift then all police officers eat doughnuts. That makes them useless for responding to my alarms.

Oh, wait, that thought process doens't make much sense either!

 

[primlantah]

I guess that's like saying since I saw a police officer eating doughnuts twice in one shift then all police officers eat doughnuts. That makes them useless for responding to my alarms.

Oh, wait, that thought process doens't make much sense either!

no, its like buying a $100 commemorative quarter. You ever had your house broken into or had the pleasure of eating a meal with a violent criminal? alarm systems are a joke unless there is someone who really gives a rats ass... and most people don't if its not their house. you ever have a bad day at work and you preform less than usual? people that work at alarm companies can have bad days too.

when i was younger i lived in a suburb with ALOT of police. it took them 15 minutes to respond when called directly. they have to finish witting their ticket, put the radar gun away, or hang up the cell phone before they respond. and what if the cop is having a bad day. or dispatch.

lets face it... criminals do not mind going back to prison. Having ex-cons in my family i fully understand the capacity of prison being an easy way out of responsibility. They don't care if they get caught. and they probably wont. I have been burglarized more times than i care to admit to... not a single break in resulted in an arrest. some involved my dogs cut throat in the living room, some had fingerprints, some we could even identify the person breaking in.

 

[Titan6]

Sounds like you live in a rough neighborhood prim. My puppy also patrols the grounds. Does an excellent job of making certain the rabbits pose no threats. At 160 pounds is he still a puppy?

 

[rrruuunnn]

https://www.attrm.com/

 

[owlhoot]

If you are building, consider wiring in a control panel in the bedroom that will turn on the lights in the rest of the house. And as inexpensive as CCTV cameras are now, you might consider a few cameras inside the house that will let you monitor movement when you are at home and that will record while you are away. Then go with the best commercial system you feel like paying for be sure maintenance is included. On the exterior of the house you will want to provide for several motion lights and a few cameras.

 

[P95loser]

ENOUGHT ALREADY!! I, for one, am tired of an individual asking for advise on an ELECTRONIC alarm system and all they get is pictures of people's pets and guns and everything else under the sun EXCEPT for what they ask for.

JEEEZ... OK, RANT OVER.

I work for a fire alarm/security/access control/CCTV company. My suggestion to you is this: You are at the perfect time to put in a security system. You can rough in the wiring while the house is down to the studs. I would personally go with a CADDX or ADEMCO VISTA. Both are highly expandable, and very reputable panels. A good place for an individual to find one of these in a package is: http://www.homesecuritystore.com.

I would go with door contacts on all the doors, a glass break within 20' from each window, smoke detectors in all sleeping areas and common areas adjacent to sleeping areas, motion sensors in all rooms with a outside point of entry, a keypad at each entrance door, and PLENTY of notification.

Put a horn/strobe combo in each room where a door is, and a weatherproof horn/strobe outside where the neighbors can hear. This, to me, is more important than monitoring. When a burglar busts that door down and hear's 95dBs piercing the silence in all corner's of the house, he doesn't really want to hang around for the party. The best thing about this setup is you actually own the system and components, you are not renting them out. If you want monitoring the website i referenced above sells it for like $9 a month. You can also program your panel with pre-recorded voice messages to call your cell phone instead of monitoring (IE: your panel goes into alarm while your gone, it calls you and plays a message you recorded telling you that). In essence, you become your own monitoring company. I would be glad to give you more advise and any help you need in designing, purchasing, and installing your system. Just PM me if you need anything.