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One problem I have with the one-man installations, they do not guarantee their work for more than a year. If you are in contract with the larger firms, all equipment etc is covered under a service contract ( you pay 3$ a month additional), but if your sensor malfunctions or stops working, you can get a replacement for free.
The handymen also charge a tidy sum ( a little more for installation than the established firms like Slomins and ADT, but you make up money over the life of the contract).
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Originally Posted by rh71
I use a guy who works for himself doing installations and it ties into a central station, so it's basically the same as any big company can offer you. They call the house first right away about alarms, then if they don't get the right "password" or if they get no answer they call the police. Same as any other service. We've used him for 2 homes and he's very competent. Central station monitoring is only about $12/mo. PM me if you want his contact info.
Its illegal to put up signs if you are not actually in contract with the alarm company. ADT can potentially sue if you they notice.
Just curious - what law/statute is being violated by the placement of an alarm company no longer in contract with?
In my previous house in Chicago, I switched from one company to another and I was too lazy to go around and remove all the stickers from the windows and just left the old ones on there. It didn't actually say "Protected by ABC", but rather just "ABC Security". I figure I was giving them free advertising if anything, and as far as I could tell, I wasn't misrepresenting anything since the stickers don't actually say I'm using them when I wasn't. In either case, I'm not aware of any law or statute that I would have been in violation of even if it did say "Protected by XYZ".
I have experience with ADT and Slomins and never had a problem. Slomins is a bit cheaper and they do the installation for free with a 5 year commitment. What are the issues people had?
If you're handy you could install a system yourself. A simple setup might cost around $350, and you could use wireless sensors so you don't even have to snake wires through your walls. Then if you would like to have it monitored by a central station you can have that done for about $12/month. The guys that give free installs and require a multi year contract usually use the same simple setups (unless you pay extra) and it sounds like the monthly fee for monitoring and service is $30-40/month.
If you want to DIY, there are some great sites online that have forums like this where alarm gurus help walk newbies through all the details, from purchasing to install & monitoring. I've done it twice now, and although it can be tricky it isn't too bad.
If you're handy you could install a system yourself. A simple setup might cost around $350, and you could use wireless sensors so you don't even have to snake wires through your walls. Then if you would like to have it monitored by a central station you can have that done for about $12/month. The guys that give free installs and require a multi year contract usually use the same simple setups (unless you pay extra) and it sounds like the monthly fee for monitoring and service is $30-40/month.
If you want to DIY, there are some great sites online that have forums like this where alarm gurus help walk newbies through all the details, from purchasing to install & monitoring. I've done it twice now, and although it can be tricky it isn't too bad.
I have Slomin's and my 5 years commitment is up soon. Thinking about switching to a cheaper monitoring company. Currently paying $25 per month. Anyone know what is involved with switching over to a different company? Thanks.
they helped me configure my alarm to work with their system.
If you have a pre-existing panel in your house, it may well be locked by the company that installed it. That was the case with mine when I moved into the house I'm in now. I ordered a new panel for around $70 and swapped it out with the old one so that I was able to use the existing sensors. It took me a while to get the new panel programmed, but again, it wasn't too bad. You could probably pay an alarm guy to reprogram your panel....should take someone who knows what they're doing a couple of minutes really.
And some reasons why I think having the alarm monitored is a good idea.....
-if a smoke alarm goes off the FD will be called immediately.
-You get a discount on Homeowners Insurance if you have a monitored alram
-the PD will be called if there's a break in, but I personally think the siren alone is deterrent enough for a burglar
I have Slomin's and my 5 years commitment is up soon. Thinking about switching to a cheaper monitoring company. Currently paying $25 per month. Anyone know what is involved with switching over to a different company? Thanks.
Sloman's uses Napco equipment, so you would need a company that can get past the dealer code so they can reprogram your panel. I know a company that can program your panel, and they never charge for
service calls, their monitoring is also $25.00 a month.
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