Home Security Companies (Hendersonville, Germantown, Henderson: condo, how much, house)

[N.Cal]

Closed on the house yesterday. Any recommendations for a home security company? TIA

[Edgefield D]

I would check out the NCA people. I'm stuck in a contract right now, but whenever it ends....I'm switching. My sister uses NCA and has no complaints. I currently use Monitronics and pay $30/mo....NCA starts at $10/mo.

[groovamos]

It may come down to whether you want to pay say $35/month over the term of a contract with a small install fee say like with ADT, or to pay several hundred for the install and then pay a smaller rate, say $20/month. I was using ADT for years beyond the contract term before I realized I was paying the same high monthly of the original contract without needing to. I became aware of this oversight when they bumped me up to $35 or so, then I found a low cost provider. When you switch providers, they still have to come out and set up the system in a way that is compatible with theirs. Something else to consider is whether to go with a higher cost cellular link which is tamper-proof from the outside of your house, vs. a land line which is not. Suggestion to system owners: put the operation manual inside the metal housing, then put a note on your refrigerator for a month, right above the handle reminding you that it is there. I did the first, but not the second and it cost me $17,000 in burglary losses when I was not able to change the code when a long time acquaintance with a crack habit found out the code. Naturally I had forgotten where to look.

[N.Cal]

Thanks for the replies. It has a the system already built in so a small set up charge from NCA. Next door neighbors have the same and seem happy with it.

Something never thought about in NorCal. I know no one who has a security system there. I had the Mrs. Lum system. Elderly Chinese landlady who kept a sharp eye on everything at all hours.

[Edgefield D]

It's kind of funny NCal.....several people in my neighborhood (the ones that have lived here a really long time) don't have them. I don't think they would even consider getting one. Nothing has ever happened that caused mine to go off (other than my partner and I setting it off). I think a lot of it is psychological. Just something comforting. When I think about how much money we spend on it....it's kind of annoying.

[goldengrain]

I don't know how true this is but someone told me once that in prison, to prepare people for outside work, they teach them trades. One was how to set up a small key duplicating store and another was home alarm systems.

During my long life I did run across a locksmith setup which for some reason was very adamant about wanting my home address - suspiciously so - and a neighbor for a short time who did not know that I knew he had a prison record who was in the home security business.

I also knew someone who said never to give your address to the police if you're going on vacation. This person, employed in a place that he would know, said a list of such people was compiled and regularly given to who knows who and many of those homes were robbed. Sites giving advice used to always say to notify your neighborhood police if you were going on vacation, but they stopped doing this and said to notify your neighbors instead.

So I would stick with well known companies and even ask if they do background checks for convictions on their employees. (Frankly, I think some guys who came into my house from Comcast were sketchy.)

Sorry, if this is not quite what you were looking for. I thought it might help someone.

[vivelafrance]

I never had one in Hendersonville but did get one when I moved to Germantown. I went with ADT because that's what the previous owner had so I didn't have to pay for installation. At the time I never realized I would be relocated to Boston so I went with a 3 year contract. The worst part about ADT is that it was much cheaper to just keep paying after I moved than buying out the contract and they would not consider letting me transfer the payments to the new owners or transfer the service to my new place in Boston that already had ADT installed. Very frustrating...so I would not recommend them.

Fortunately nothing ever happened so I can't comment on how well it worked. Honestly I think the sign in the front yard was the most valuable part.

[CountryGirl2b=]

Yeah, you can just buy the signs on eBay . . . .

My sister bought a condo with ADT already installed but she doesn't use it. I guess they install them free in new housing developments (if you will let them) and of course they sign you up for a contract. Do these systems work if the power goes out?

[vivelafrance]

Originally Posted by CountryGirl2b=

Yeah, you can just buy the signs on eBay . . . .

My sister bought a condo with ADT already installed but she doesn't use it. I guess they install them free in new housing developments (if you will let them) and of course they sign you up for a contract. Do these systems work if the power goes out?

Yes, ADT had battery back-up. The battery will, eventually, go dead though.

[Holly1989]

On the note of security companies, has anyone had any experience at all with Elsten Security in Hendersonville?