Newbie questions on alarms

Not necessarily. What size are the dogs? There are several "pet immune" detectors on the market. It's a matter of "positioning" where they go to minimize the risk of false alarms.

Problem with a wireless PIR in a garage is the lack of heat. It depends on what area of the country you're in whether installing a PIR is even possible. Window bugs, contacts on the windows and doors shouldn't be difficult.

Most security panels are capable of this, however... "Disarming" may not be where you want to go. Consider if someone were to steal your wife's purse. They'd have your home address and the means to disarm your security system.

Modern wireless controls don't present any problems of the nature you're concerned about when set up properly. If you want to go "hard wired", you'll need some specialty bits and other tools to run the wire in the attic. It's not something just any "monkey" can do... :-)

You start of with #6 by saying that "money isn't an issue". The cost of third party monitoring (and the inherent security afforded by modern IP communicators) would ensure your home is safeguarded (even when your cell phone is "off" or "out of the service area").

Good for you. I have no problem with helping someone wire their own home (for security).

This isn't sufficient information to provide a proper recommendation. We'd need to know if the windows are accessible from the ground floor or if they're second story. We'd also need to know something about the layout to properly recommend the best protection for the dollars you want to spend.

I wouldn't suggest X-10 to be the "be all" and "end all" of wireless alarms. Far from it... It's unsupervised crap. I'd go with a "hybrid" system like Ademco's Vista 20 or DSC's "Power" Series.

You're welcome. You can explore some helpful tips at

Yes. What a novel idea.

Beware that some large alarm companies can be larger crooks than the crooks they are protecting you from!

Read EVERY SINGLE WORD of any contract / paperwork they ask you to sign. Don't be pressured into signing anything. Say to leave it and you will read it at your leisure.

Be sure you purchase and own the alarm equipment. Get the key to the control box, the password for programming, and a programming instruction manual. (or no deal!) With this you can reprogram it to use another monitoring service if you so choose.

You can buy your own equipment on the internet as well. Some alarm panels may require a specific keypad for you to be able to program it. Be sure you will be able to do this yourself before purchasing.

Be sure you can get and installation and programming manual before purchasing.

They will try to keep the key and "lock out" the control unit with a password so you can't change to a different monitoring service. Or they will "own" the main control unit and will not allow you to switch to a less expensive monitoring service.

They will try to lock you into paying for monitoring for several years in a contract and this automatically renews. Again read every word!

You can get monitoring at the following link for $8.95 a month...

Then wireless sensors use batteries which need to be replaced every so often. Find out what type batteries these are, then go to the store and see how expensive each one of these batteries are. They are not cheap! In my opinion it is less expensive in the long run to get hard wired sensors. Then you don't need to replace batteries every year.

If I were you, I would find out what is the best equipment to buy and buy it on the internet. Then if you decide to go with a wired system, find a small local company to run the wires for you and connect them. But don't sign any monitoring contracts with that company. Learn how to set that part up yourself and choose your own company. Then you could switch it as you choose.

There is an "art" to running wires in an existing home. These wires and window/door sensors can be totally concealed. Need an experienced installer for that.

They are beagles and they like to eat. I'd say they're about 40 lbs for the one and about 35 for the other dog.

This is good to know. I live in Chicago so in the winter, it can get cold and in the summer, it can get hot. Now that you mention that, I'm thinking of just the window and door contacts.

Another good tip. I didn't even think about this one!!! Thanks!

I've run my own conduit and electrical wire, and it doesn't bother me to make a few dents in the wall and just plaster over them. It's good to know that the wireless stuff is pretty good now. I won't limit myself to wired, but feel better now that I know.

The one thing that I don't want to do is have a 3rd party monitor the alarm system. I could just go with ADT and be done with it, but I do not want to pay a monthly fee. Part of it is that I like doing it myself, the other part that I know how it is setup and configured, the other part is since I'll be doing it, I know where things are hidden, and finally, I do not want my equipment locked to one company. One of my pet peeves is when you buy a piece of equipment and you don't have control of it. You have to call somebody else to come fix it, have to take a day off of work, yadda yadda... I know I can get a "free" system from ADT, but it's just something that I wouldn't want to do.

Ah, yeah, I forgot... All the windows are on the ground floor, along with the doors. I don't have a second story, so all the windows are accessible by somebody.

I'm leaning towards Ademco's Vista 20. It seems like it's what a lot of people recommend.

Thanks for all the responses! mike

I got the impression that Bill either works for or uses Alarm Relay as his service provider. He made some valid points. It is important to read and understand the monitoring contract. Most of them, including Alarm Relay's contract do contain an auto-renewal clause. Alarm Relay says they will notify the client two weeks prior to expiry so he can opt to continue or not. That seems reasonable. Their price also seems reasonable, given they don't have to install the systems -- just monitor them.

As to *some* alarm companies being worse than the thieves against whom they're supposed to guard, there have been numerous threads here which support that argument.

Here's my take on it. Most alarm companies, and most technicians, try to do a good job and try to give fair value for what they are paid. However, there are a few bad apples in this business, Brinks for example, whose business practices make honest alarm installers cringe. Is Bill being fair in his assessment? That depends on whom you ask. Certainly there are plenty of ex-ADT and ex-Brinks clients who would agree with him. I know a few who think pretty poorly of Monitronix, too. Then again, there are clients who seem to think these outfits walk on water.

I have never been a customer of an alarm company. I did at one time work for one of these big alarm companies though. I have also worked for small alarm companies.

I have nothing against the small alarm companies or the technicians who are all pretty much "good honest people". It is certain large companies who give the shaft to their customers (as well as their employees). It is the "big shots" who do this.

And this is not limited to the alarm industry. I've seen many large well known greedy corporations stoop to unbelievably low levels to make an extra buck. Totally dishonest and unethical in my opinion. They don't care!

Also I don't work for nor have any financial interest in any alarm monitoring company. I would imagine that alarm monitoring companies which have low rates would not need to do much advertising. I should think business would seek them out!

Agreed. Most small dealers are just people trying to make a living while offering fair value in return. Most of the large, national firms resort to misleading advertising (like the phone ringing 2 seconds after the thief hits the door) and subscribe to the "@$#% you" school of customer service.

We haven't paid anything for advertising in years, no YP ads, no pay-per-click, nada. I just send data feeds to Google and a few others. I tried PPC for several years and found it was a waste of money.

I would like to buy a gun for protection of my home and family.

Can anyone recommend a good firearm to use, to protect my home and family?

I'm going to get a gun permit and I'm going to keep the gun at my house in the event someone should break in to my home.

Since I'm a do it yourselfer, I'm going to have my wife or kids call me if someone should break into the house while I'm not home, so that I can rush home, get my gun and confront the intruders.

Now ...... since I also have some fear of my children getting access to my gun, I'm going to lock it in a safe. And .... as a matter of fact, also for safety reasons, I'm not going to buy any ammunition either.

My intent is to simply scare the intruder away.

Besides, ammunition is expensive and since I don't intend to actually fire the weapon, I won't have to waste money every month for ammunition, by going to the range to practice.

It's all about "thinking" we're protected and making it "appear" as if we're protected ....... not actually "being" protected.

But, a true DIYer would actually make his own gun and ammo.

He's got ya there, Jim!! :-)

Welllllll ... I don't know about that.

The guy didn't want to "make" his alarm panel.

But I've got an old "100" panel down in the basement that was made by someone. It's got two relays, a keyswitch, powered by an old Brightstar 6 volt battery and two 1 1/2 volt end of line cells and it's all mounted on a wooden board. Annnnnd it still works. Now THAT's what I call ...... do it yourself!!!!!!!!!

Welllllll ... I don't know about that.

The guy didn't want to "make" his alarm panel.

But I've got an old "100" panel down in the basement that was made by someone. It's got two relays, a keyswitch, powered by an old Brightstar 6 volt battery and two 1 1/2 volt end of line cells and it's all mounted on a wooden board. Annnnnd it still works. Now THAT's what I call ...... do it yourself!!!!!!!!!

I heard Jim Rojas has tin cans on a string he pulled off a newlyweds car set up around the perimeter of his garage. Does that qualify as a DIY job?

I've said it here before but there's some people that would say that my first alarm systems consisted of a trip vine tied to a boulder propped over the cave opening. As a matter of fact, they worked fantastic but they were hell to reset and a false trip could be fatal.

Monitoring was done by listening for the screams of the intruder at a cost of only one pelt a month.

Of course there were always the guys who'd install the vine and bolder for nothing and would charge 3 pelts a month and they would kill your wife if you cancelled within 50 moons. Naturally there were some guys who got the alarm installed and didn't pay on purpose.

Those were the days! That's when alarm systems were installed by (almost) men. Besides, today we know that installing an alarm system is so easy a mon ..... errrr a caveman could do it.

I've said it here before but there's some people that would say that my first alarm systems consisted of a trip vine tied to a boulder propped over the cave opening. As a matter of fact, they worked fantastic but they were hell to reset and a false trip could be fatal.

Monitoring was done by listening for the screams of the intruder at a cost of only one pelt a month.

Of course there were always the guys who'd install the vine and bolder for nothing and would charge 3 pelts a month and they would kill your wife if you cancelled within 50 moons. Naturally there were some guys who got the alarm installed and didn't pay on purpose.

Those were the days! That's when alarm systems were installed by (almost) men. Besides, today we know that installing an alarm system is so easy a mon ..... errrr a caveman could do it.

It is my understanding that they had some computer skills as well. Paleontolgists found "Java" man several years ago.

Right next to the first Barista... "Java" woman.

They weren't in the backseat of a 60' Chevy were they?