(old) Home alarm advice

[Typ616]

We recently bought an older home not wired for alarms. I don't really want to go drill into doors frames and window sills for this... In your experience, do alarm companies have modern equipment that works in cases like this ? I don't need Ft Knox or remote access to the locks, but simple perimeter protection or some sort of motion sensor insde if that's simple than perimeter.... I can setup my own IP cameras... Any info on how they make that happen, if at all ? Recommendations ? Thx !

[JavaBrewer]

Yes they can install wireless door/window sensors. Quick and easy for them. IMO a pain for the homeowner - the batteries last a couple years and the sensors mount in highly visible manner. If you don't need 24hr automatic response then a DIY kit would work just as well as anything from the likes of ADT.

Or you could just buy some signs & window stickers and call it a day. IMO that alone will deter 95% of the would be thieves.

[Noah930]

There are wireless sensors that mount (either with small screws or you can use double-sided tape) to doors and windows. There are also glass break sensors and motion detectors. All wireless. ADT is probably the most popular in this country. Free equipment, but they charge $100 for installation and $45/month for the monitoring.

There's also another company, Frontpoint, that sends you the equipment and you install yourself. They charge for the equipment but it's only $35/month for the alarm monitoring. Frontpoint is highly rated on Angie's list.

If you don't want the monitoring bit--just the alarm--I'm sure you can just buy the equipment and wire it in yourself. Only the control panel needs to be hard wired. All the sensors are wireless (battery powered).

[peppy]

We did this in our home. I installed a Vista 20p most everything is wireless, except the siren and the control panel. Our main reason was we wanted smoke detectors in all the rooms that would trigger together. The batteries in our pieces are supposed to last 10 years, we'll see.
I also have wireless triggers in the door and motion detectors.

homesecuritystore.com is where we got ours.