Home Alarms (to buy, vs, job)

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by Chrisk327

I thought all of us were looking for safe nehborhoods? I'm saying this half jokingly.

whats with everyone getting an alarm?

I guess besides a noisemaker what are the benefits? does it notify the police?

Does it really stop home burgleries?

I guess I've always thought the best way to stop that is to lock the windows and get a decent lock on the door and adequately insure things.

If the system is monitored, yes it does notify the police. It also notifies your fire department if it's the fire sensors that are activated rather than the intrusion one.

I have always lived in very safe neighborhoods but have had an alarm system ever since the early 1970s. What first prompted me to get one was the murder of a housewife about 4 blocks away; a neighbor's son who had recently got out of drug rehab broke into the house on a weekday morning shortly after the lady's husband had left for work. Whether he expected to find her home or not, I don't know, but she ended up dead. This was in a 100% white upper middle class neighborhood in an almost-entirely white community... the type of area where anyone would normally feel entirely safe. It took the police about 2 weeks to solve the case and during that time I was (for the first time in my life) afraid to walk into my own house after being gone for work or for errands, wondering if that same person had somehow got into my house while I was out (or would break into the house in the middle of the night). So I, and many many others in the same area, had alarm systems installed. I am now used to the secure feeling of having a system in place.

All my windows always securely closed, all doors have deadbolt locks, and of course full insurance. But the existence of the monitored alarm system gives me the peace of mind I need.

Being violently allergic to dogs, that alternative is a non-starter for me!

[mikealarm]

You get a safe neighborhood by putting an alarm in, and of course it calls the police, almost all alarms do! And most dogs will lick a burglar rather then rip him apart, There was a TV show about that. And if they want to get in with a dog, they will just shoot him. Your kidding yourself if you think you can stop them.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by mikealarm

And most dogs will lick a burglar rather then rip him apart, There was a TV show about that.

Not mine. Even invited guests that she doesn't know well are watched carefully and followed unless she is told to "stay." When producers choose dogs to be on television, they generally choose ones that will not scare the crap out of them, so I doubt the dogs on that TV show had any real watchdogs represented among them.

Originally Posted by mikealarm

And if they want to get in with a dog, they will just shoot him. Your kidding yourself if you think you can stop them.

Most burglars do not carry guns. It adds significantly to the jail time if they are caught for one thing. Unlike the memorabilia dealer who had OJ Simpson's stolen belongings, I don't have anything I think anyone would want so badly that they would bring a gun to make sure they got it.

However, I am not saying alarms are a bad thing, just because I don't need one. If people want them, by all means, they should get them! Just remember to TURN THEM ON and use them. There are a lot of people who get them and then don't turn them on all the time.

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

If people want them, by all means, they should get them! Just remember to TURN THEM ON and use them. There are a lot of people who get them and then don't turn them on all the time.

Absolutely. It defies logic. I've seen friends not arm their system when we go out, with the comment that "We'll be back in a only a few minutes". To me that's the same "logic" as when people don't buckle up because they're "only driving for a couple of blocks" !

Remember about a year or so ago when all the home invasions were in the news? It boggled my mind to read that so many of the victims had left a first floor window open, or a side or back door unlocked, overnight. What were they thinking??! And then afterwards it's "Oh poor us, our house was invaded and we only just left the back door open, how unfair is that?"

Whatever happened to common sense when it comes to safety and security?????

[mikealarm]

The show where people used their own dogs was (it takes a thief) those were not movie dogs, I have been in the Alarm business for 37 years and I have seen it time & time again that they have killed the dog or diverted it somehow. And most burglars carry guns, they may not use them all the time but they carry. That's an FBI statistic.

[Peter B]

Originally Posted by LiSuffolkgal

I am looking to get a home alarm system , I am thinking about getting a hard wired system.Does anyone know what this procedure is like.Will my walls be knocked down to install wiring or will I be left with a huge mess of large holes in walls. Will I need to get a contractor to fix the mess after the installation.I am looking to get an alarm with Slomins.Any input ???? Thanks so very much

Get a Yorkshire Terrier. Cheaper, more efficient and affectionate. What is probably a better idea, is to get a generic alarm sign and decals from EBay. They are just as effective as a deterrent. That plus you're not on the hook with Slomins for $30+ a month.

http://cgi.ebay.com/YARD-SIGNS-4-BUR...3A1%7C294%3A50

[house.searcher]

Hi oceanjunkie,

I would do a hardwired system. I work with wireless signals (computers, transit radio, police radio) and I know how vulnerable they are to interference. I'd rather put in a little elbow grease to get a less vulnerable system.

Anyways, what companies do you guys suggest for monitoring?

TIA!
-h.s

Originally Posted by oceanjunkie

yes. as long as you have a monitored alarm that includes monitored smoke detectors, you're good. As I mentioned before, if you install your own alarm you could get it monitored for less than $10 a month. You could probably purchase a mostly wireless system, similar to what you would get from ADT/Brinks/etc, for 300-500$ depending on how many sensors you need.

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by house.searcher

I would do a hardwired system. I work with wireless signals (computers, transit radio, police radio) and I know how vulnerable they are to interference. I'd rather put in a little elbow grease to get a less vulnerable system.

I completely agree. Especially with so many homes that are often very close together (your typical 1/4 to 1/3 acre lots) having wireless routers. We don't have one but when my nephew comes over with his laptop he can actually latch onto a wireless internet signal from the neighboring house via his ethernet card!

I personally recommend ADT. My first alarm system, back in the 1970s, was monitored by a small local company and I was not happy with their response at all. Often when I did a 'test' of the system I either did not get the required phonecall from them before proceeding to the 'call cops' stage (cops were not happy about that). I ended up converting to ADT (first system was a Napco) and have been with them ever since, with no monitoring issues whatsoever.

[mikealarm]

Originally Posted by house.searcher

Hi oceanjunkie,

I would do a hardwired system. I work with wireless signals (computers, transit radio, police radio) and I know how vulnerable they are to interference. I'd rather put in a little elbow grease to get a less vulnerable system.

Anyways, what companies do you guys suggest for monitoring?

TIA!
-h.s

Wireless alarms are very sophisticated, so to stop any kind of interference.
They use Spread Spectrum technology, That's why most alarm companies
use them. Go to a company that does not charge you for service calls.

[suziewwf]

Keypad has "Magnum Alert" across the top.

Originally Posted by mikealarm

suziewwf, Do you know who the manufacturer of the alarm is? Or what does it say on the Keypad?