My girl has been stressing me to get a home security system installed in our house recently. I for one do not think they do much good because of what I have read but I could be totally wrong in my assumption. The only companies I know of are Brinks (Broadview) and ADT. Are there any other services you guys would suggest checking out before calling these two? Don't forget I am in Arkansas. Thanks.
Look into this... http://smiththompson.com/smiththompson/ A couple people on the board have them and have been ok (As far as I know) with the service. About half of what you'd pay with ADT/Brinks... Plus no contract... ******Just saw you're in AK. Sorry TX only.
Well then, why don't you ask your fellow AR clutchfans about your local security companies then? **crickets chirping** How do you expect us to give you anything other than ADT or Brinks? Honeywell's a national company; give them a shout out......
DO NOT go with one of the nationwide chains (ADT). Find a good local alarm company in your area. Look them up on the internet for reviews or ask around.
honeywell's a alarm manufacturer... not a monitoring company. pun, i haven't heard anything good about adt's response time (not police) in regards to an emergency. i'd do more research on broadview. local companies are more prone to being bought out by a company like adt or broadview.
Instead of being a smartass you could of suggested looking up local companies like Omega did above. I for one did not know local companies provided home security monitoring.
what exactly have you heard about them? I've done customer service for a local monitoring company, but they monitored homes and businesses nationwide and even in Puerto Rico. A monitoring station can be anywhere in the country really, so you may not find that locally. What you'll find are "dealers", who basically do the selling and installation, but dont monitor. There are some local dealers that do have their own monitoring stations there locally, but i'd advise against these because they often are much smaller and dont have the funds a larger company would have. That could possibly mean bad service. Larger companies have power backups and a lot more employees working for them. You may get more personal service/price from them, but since you're dealing with security i'd go with the large company who's equipment is less likely to fail. Besides, the local stations sometimes just end up selling your account to the ADTs and they dotn always notify you. Better to just start large and stay there. I would google monitoring companies and call them up, ask for their local dealer in your town and make sure to ask for more than one. Some will use the same ones, so expect to be given the same number sometimes. Then just ask for their prices and use that as leverage against them to get the best price. Usually the more you pay for the equipment the less you'll pay for the monthly monitoring. They'll probably try to offer you a basic package pretty much free if you sign like for 3 yrs at $40/mo as their starting point. I think ive seen contracts anywhere from 1 yr to 5, but usually its 3. Monitoring rates range from 20 to 50, again depending on how much you pay initially and contract years. Once you finalize a deal try to get $5 more off your monitoring fee, as they'll usually keep you at $10 over the least they can truly do. I cant guarantee theyll drop it, but there's a chance, if your persuasive enough.
I was going to create this thread earlier today as well. Someone broke into our house around mid morning last week. Thank god no one was home, but we are pretty scared now... So I am interested in seeing what is the best System as well.
I think they all , or the majority, use Honeywell products. Ademco is what is popular, but i believe they're under Honeywell as well.
check out www.dropcam.com not a 'security company', but a security camera which streams live footage to the web/your iphone/your droid
While I think that getting an alarm is a good idea (especially before you get broken into), remember that "home security" is all about "defense in depth". Basically, no ONE thing is going to prevent your house from getting broken into (and nothing will prevent it from getting broken into if someone is determined to break into your particular house). But, if you have several things that make it difficult for a thief to either (or both) get into your house or not be able to do so without attracting attention there is a good chance he/she will just pick another target. So, get an alarm, but also do things like: Get a Dog Get good locks on the exterior doors (these are expensive) Make sure the perimeter is well lighted Use motion sensing lights where appropriate If you travel, use those timers on interior lights If you have a two-story house, don't leave ladders out in the open Get to know your neighbors You can probably google this topic and get a ton more ideas. If you get an alarm, use the "stay" mode when you are at home. Personally I think insurance is the main thing you need for break ins when you are not home. The worst think I can imagine would be someone breaking in when you're there.
She's always wanted a security system in the house but the real reason why she is so bent on it now is because her parent's neighbors recently had their home broken into and were actually held hostage and had money, valuables, and their vehicles stolen while guns were being pointed at them. Luckily, the perps were caught afterward but it has made her even more nervous now.
i tihnk i'd go with a combo of cameras and security monitoring...the basic monitoring packages dont include cameras, so most people just have sensors on door/windows. The advantage to having monitoring is that when the alarm is triggered it cues the monitoring station to call the police, which is huge when it's a life or death situation. Just having a camera won't get you that and chances are the police can get there sooner than you can. 1 or 2 cameras wouldnt hurt though, especially if they're visible, yet not reachable. Thieves are less likely to risk it knowing they cant take it down.
