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Are you considering those big names like ADT, CPI etc? If you need to get a security system, I would avoid those. Did you know ADT is not even American?
I would find out the "local" alarm companies in your area and ask them some questions. Usually, they have better customer service, have lower monthly rates, don't have the 3 year contracts like ADT does, and use the SAME central monitoring system.
I had a sales rep come through the neighborhood knocking on everyone's doors trying to sell some special ADT deal. He had US Marines tattooed all over his arms, and snickered when I said the name of my local security company - "Ughh, they're a small local company." I found that interesting.
Forget the dog(s) - they can be bribed. Get a couple of ducks or geese. They even get familiar with your looks and voice and the sound of your running car, and when it's not yours, boy you (and unwanted intruder) know it. LUCK!
You can get alarm monitoring and just pay around $9.00 a month - That is if you "own" your alarm equipment. You can purchase the alarm equipment online. And/or have a local alarm company install it for you. Or maybe pay a local alarm company employee to install the alarm for you in his off hours.
Following is one company which can monitor your alarm. Might want to call them and ask what type of equipment is best for you to purchase - so they can monitor it. That can depend on if you have a land line phone, cell phone, and/or internet connection. Alarm Monitoring Services Only $8.95 per Month from Alarm Relay
You can also have a "local" alarm without ANY monitoring. A siren just goes off outside your home. Again you need to purchase the equipment. The big alarm companies make their money by charging $40 plus a month ($480 a year, $2,400 for 5 years!), so they don't install these systems.
To find the best online stores to purchase alarm equipment, search for the best "motion detector" using the following words, then also look on those web sites for other alarm equipment...
cart dual tech pir
(The word "cart" finds sites which are selling something (shopping cart)). "pir" = Passive InfraRed.
Also you can search google.com for installation/user manuals for equipment you are thinking of purchasing (learn all you can before buying). For example search for the following for one specific brand/model of alarm main control unit...
pdf Honeywell Vista 20p
Using pdf as the first term in a search limits it to manufacturer manuals and sales data sheets.
As for if you need an alarm and what specific devices you should get, ask you local police department what types of burglaries/crime you have in your area. What would be the best security. Maybe bars and a dog would be better? Some areas maybe an armed guard would be best. Other areas nothing is needed. Depends on what the criminals are doing...
Security alarms have a place in protection of a home however in a large number of cases nothing positive comes from them. The bad guy breaks in, the alarm goes off, and he spends less than five minutes inside taking what he wants and then leaves. The police in most cases take 5 minutes or more to get to your address after they are notified of the break-in. The police write up a report and that’s the end of the story because they have little evidence of “who” broke into the house.
If you want evidence of who burglarized your home buy a good security camera system and have some pictures of them for the police to identify and catch otherwise is just another burglary in the neighborhood.
My neighbor had an alarm system installed, months later they were burglarized by two guys. The homeowner’s dogs did nothing but stand outside in the backyard and barked at the two guys where were inside taking small things that they could carry. The alarm system was activated and notified the company control center who then called police (about 15 minutes late). My wife and I heard the dogs barking and I called the police in two minutes after the break-in. The police arrived in about 7 to 10 minutes after my call to them. The bad guys had already left in less than 5 minutes.
I had my security cameras with a DVR that provided the police with a view of the two young men who broke into the home while my neighbors were gone. Video and pictures help police, neighbors help, and alarms to a control center did nothing positive in this case. I notified 911 of burglary in progress and I called the neighbor on his cell phone because he was away from the house. The alarm company notified him of the alarm after I called so what good is an alarm control center?
Security cameras in view from outside the home tell the bad guys that their picture will be taken. Most of them don’t want their picture recorded on a DVR, they would rather go to the next home on the block without one and break in there.
Audible alarms go off on cars in parking lots and in neighborhoods and no one pays attention to them. Security alarms (with or without signs in the yard) are meaningless to the bad guys because they know they have 5 minutes of time before anyone will do anything.
And without an alarm, if they watch you drive off to work and the kids board the school bus, they might have what, 5 hours?
And if they instead break in while you are home asleep ? Well, I suppose a good DVR may help your heirs achieve closure...
I was thinking along the same lines after reading one of the comments above from another poster. No, an alarm doesn't mean no one will ever break into your house, but it will be the difference in the burglar being there 5 minutes versus an hour or more. When an alarm sounds, the burglar will be more likely to raid the medicine cabinet or steal some jewelry and take off. If no alarm sounds, they'll load up their van.
Ya know, alarms go off just about every minute of everyday around us. Ever notice what people do when that happens? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! It's as if it never went off at all!
Now picture this scenario-
Person breaks into your house, you grab a SHOTGUN, "run the action", and roadrunner quick they're gone- its amazing the attention you can get out of someone when they hear a shotgun's action; but do nothing at the sound of an alarm!!!
Can you give a better “idea” of what you are looking for? Are you in an apartment, home, farm, etc.? There are so many different categories of security alarms – how they work, what they can do – who and how to notify if there’s a breach , and “cost” – what price range of you looking at?
Knowing your neighbors and watching out for each other is simple, cheap, and works well if they know how to contact you during an emergency, exchange phone numbers. Keeping an eye out isn't difficult and if there's something out of the ordinary going on in the neighborhood - call the police and have them check it out.
I live in a ranch home with two entry doors and a double garage door. I also have small children so i do not need false alarms going off at night.
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Nobody is saying an alarm is a replacement for cameras, dogs, geese ..
