Home Security (alarms), thoughts

masraum · 01:09 PM

I'm curious, what are your thoughts on alarms for the home?

Do you have (had) one?

Do you think they are worth it?

How much do (did / would) you pay?

Who do you use?

What features do/would you like?

Just curious. I was talking about an article on home security that I read and the wifey mentioned that she'd like one so I figured I'd see what the PPOT brain trust thinks.

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

I travel a lot leaving my wife at home alone. It's piece of mind for her (and me) mostly. ADT. Of course, the biggest deterent is the signs you post saying you have an alarm. We pay $25 per month for monitoring & we have only had one alarm in 10 years when the front door wasn't latched. We got a $75 bill from the local police for the false alarm. We have window & door contacts & sliding glass door breakage detector. With pets, we skipped any motion detectors.

Ian

WilsonTC · 08-15-2009, 01:44 PM

Can't hurt to have one, just don't expect the reaction/response as you see in the TV ads. Most burglars know it will be awhile before the police show up and most desperate nut-whacks don't care. (Why aren't the puzzies in those ads blasting holes in the bad guys instead of cowering in the bedroom with their wives?).

WilsonTC · 08-15-2009, 01:48 PM

stomachmonkey · 08-15-2009, 01:49 PM

It's more than just security.

Wife had a "cooking incident" once.

Most people will try to deal with it themselves before thinking about calling the FD.

Valuable time wasted.

Back in the NE my house also had temperature monitoring.

Good if you are away and lose heat so you don't come home to burst pipes.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Absolutely, positively get one. I wouldn't be caught dead in this city without one. I have an alarm and a surveillance system (cameras). You can get decent ones for well under $1000 now and you don't have to pay a monitoring fee either. Shop around.

lendaddy · 08-15-2009, 03:49 PM

Residential intrusion alarms are 95% false trips, police know this and act accordingly. Not that they are a bad idea....but as mentioned earlier they aren't gonna save your hyde from a rabid intruder.

9dreizig · 08-15-2009, 04:05 PM

Smith and Wesson is the best alarm system

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

That's my fourth line of defense. Actually it's a 12-gauge but close enough for government work.

masraum · 08-15-2009, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9dreizig

Smith and Wesson is the best alarm system

I just bought a Springfield Armory XDM 9mm Alarm system. Not to mention, I've got 2 Canine Bark-o-matic systems. This would mostly be for more piece of mind for my wife. We live in a very safe, quiet neighborhood, but if it makes her feel better...

My mom has an alarm on her house and has had for many years.

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by lendaddy

Residential intrusion alarms are 95% false trips, police know this and act accordingly. Not that they are a bad idea....but as mentioned earlier they aren't gonna save your hyde from a rabid intruder.

Saved me, had a guy painting the exterior of my house and on the last day of the job he broke in after we went to sleep. He was high on something and after the alarm went off he start throwing things around and punching the walls.

About 90 seconds after it went off I had two cars in front of my house. They apprehended the guy, I signed a complaint and was done with it.

Second incident my wife hit the panic button seeing something moving in the garage when she went to get something from the freezer. Again about 90 seconds, but this time it was a sizable raccoon that found his way through the dog door.

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

I was thinking that it would actually be nice to hear about alarms rather than armaments. Didn't the Loaded Gun at Home thread accomplish that sufficiently?

Ian

Dantilla · 08-15-2009, 06:14 PM

It's nice to have a bazillion decibels go off if somebody is in the home who doesn't belong there.

We're a ways out, so unless there happened to be a cop nearby, it would take them quite a while to get this far out.

A couple years back there was a rash of night time break-ins in this area into garages with side doors. Garages are not typically included in the alarmed area, and they were stealing tools and food from freezers. I rigged up one of those obnoxious air horns people blast at football games so that if our back door is opened more than an inch or two, the entire neighborhood would be awake.

Our alarm is monitored, but the big deterrent is the "beeeeeeeeeep" when a window or door is opened, letting the perp know it's going to get deafeningly loud in a few seconds.

Joeaksa · 08-15-2009, 06:42 PM

I have one. Would not be without it.

Now, I let the monitoring guys go a while back and do not mind it, and frankly feel that the siren going off if someone gets in is all it takes 99% of the time.

WilsonTC · 08-15-2009, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imcarthur

I was thinking that it would actually be nice to hear about alarms rather than armaments.

Alarm system = false sense of security

Loaded gun = absolute security

WilsonTC · 08-15-2009, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott R

About 90 seconds after it went off I had two cars in front of my house. ...Again about 90 seconds, but this time it was a sizable raccoon that found his way through the dog door.

Consistent 90 sec. response time by the po-po?

Here's my poll:

A) You live next door to the police station, -or-
B) You live in a tiny town, -or-
C) You live next door to a 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts

I called the police (about 5 yrs. ago) about a burglary and waited about 4 hrs. for them to show up.

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dantilla

It's nice to have a bazillion decibels go off if somebody is in the home who doesn't belong there.

We're a ways out, so unless there happened to be a cop nearby, it would take them quite a while to get this far out.

A couple years back there was a rash of night time break-ins in this area into garages with side doors. Garages are not typically included in the alarmed area, and they were stealing tools and food from freezers. I rigged up one of those obnoxious air horns people blast at football games so that if our back door is opened more than an inch or two, the entire neighborhood would be awake.

Our alarm is monitored, but the big deterrent is the "beeeeeeeeeep" when a window or door is opened, letting the perp know it's going to get deafeningly loud in a few seconds.

I have door sensors in the garage, the alarm company (brinks) was like "huh?" But in my mind if I was a thief I would go in through the doggie door, grab the tools and food from the freezer (yes people are ripping off freezers here in Denver) and then I would leave though the front.

The other thing I do (call me crazy) is I lockup in a small safe all of my prescriptions. I have a condition that requires expensive and highly marketable meds. I had read that thieves like to go straight to the medicine cabinet in most cases.

dewolf · 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WilsonTC

Alarm system = false sense of security

Loaded gun = absolute security

Absolute Bullsh$t. So your loaded gun is going to stop a burglar silently getting into your house and then blowing you away? LOL...yeh right.
My company installs high end security systems amongst other stuff for over 20yrs. A good system with all external windows and doors protected along with internal motion sensors should be your first line of defense. Get a system that will allow you to sleep with it armed. Who cares what a burglar does when you're not there. It's when you're there that matters. You actually need to be awake to fire your loaded gun.

Paul K · Paul K's Garage

I plan to install a surveillance system. Two cameras on the front of the house and a DVR to record 24/7. Not so bothered about an alarm per se, as we have a dog and my wife knows how to shoot.

WilsonTC · 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dewolf

Absolute Bullsh$t. So your loaded gun is going to stop a burglar silently getting into your house and then blowing you away? LOL...yeh right.
My company installs high end security systems amongst other stuff. A good system with all external windows and doors protected along with internal motion sensors should be your first line of defense. Get a system that will allow you to sleep with it armed. Who cares what a burglar does when you're not there. It's when you're there that matters. You actually need to be awake to fire your loaded gun.

Not bullsheet. Simply my opinion. "High end security systems" is marketing bullsheet. I've seen many installed where the alarm company leaves the outside phone line dangling for anyone to cut (and no cellular back-up installed). Also, most of the installer/do-do's have no idea how to hook up an RJ31x properly. Pffft.

I have a system that beeps when the doors/windows are opened. A burglar may get into my house, but once inside, he'll have to break down two locked doors to get into my bedroom.

My point is an alarm system isn't going to make the burglar/whack-nut run for the hills like they show in the TV commercials (with the police showing up in time to save you).