[gt350mike]

While I was at work last week I got a call from my neighbor and she told me that someone drove up to my garage, two guys got out; one stood by the vehicle while the other one walked down and went inside my garage. He was only inside long enough to see all of my tools and toys, then they left. Several thoughts are passing through my mind but two are the most obvious; I should have never left the side door unlocked and more importantly, I'm pretty damn lucky that they didn't take anything. The bad side is now the thieves have reconed the contents of my garage and I'm sure their not going to wait too long before they return. I'm also lucky that my neighbor is home most of the time during the day but I cannot rely on them to protect my home while we're away.

My house is about 20 years old and the old security system needs to be replaced ( don't have coverage inside the garage). I called two security companies and received quotes from both, but my initial assessment of the quotes is that both are high ($1500 +/-). They both suggested that I replace all of the hardware (main panel, sensors, etc.) and they also agreed to use the existing wiring. The monthly monitoring ranges in cost from out $25 (my Army buddy gave me a discount on the service) to $45 with the the nationally recognized outfit. `

With all of that said, I like to hear your experiences with security systems and local/national security companies.......good, bad, or coyote ugly.