We are modernizing our home and want a security system. I am not familiar with a monitored system as we have always had just a local alarm in the past. Can I get some honest input from people with such a system as to reliability and response time. This will help me make a decision. I am considering Electrowatchman, A.D.T., and Brinks. Maybe you all know of better ones. Thank you very much !!!
RHC: Wow....that is a VERY loaded question! Most of the members of this group are small business owners and very much dislike the overpriced, "cookie cutter" style response of the larger companies and their monitoring stations. However, there is a lot more to this than the "small guy / big guy" arguments. You may want to take a look at my site where there is a load of information that might help you make a buying decision that is right for you.
Your issue appears to be one of monitoring versus non-monitoring. Except in certain unique situations, a monitored system ensures 24 hr response to your alarm and is clearly superior. However, all companies get their major revenue source from the monitoring, so you want to make sure that you don't get involved in a long term contract at an overpriced rate if you can avoid it (and you most certainly can with a little local shopping). Here is the pricing structure as I have seen it evolve over the last 15 years, at least in our area.
$9.99 per month, month to month contract, pay yearly in advance. This is the domain of the "cream skimmers". Here you will get basic monitoring but no service or warranty. When available, it is subcontracted to local alarm companies in your area who will charge you BIG TIME for their service. Perfect for the DIY'er who can maintain his own system
$10 to $20 monthly, sometimes with a long term contract, warranty and service (important) vary all over the map. This is the domain of a majority of small companies who's service can vary from non existent to superb.
$20 to $30 monthly, usually with a long term contract, often including service or not, plus limited warranty. This is the domain of a lot of medium to large sized companies with higher overheads. System price is often reduced up front though, so contract is needed to cover costs not recovered in the upfront installation costs.
$30 and above, always with a long term contract, service often extra monthly, very limited warranty unless you pay for it in extra monthly. This is the domain of the ADT's and Brink's of the world. Over the longer term, this is usually MUCH more expensive to buy this way unless you know to go shopping elsewhere when the initial term contract is done. This is the also more the domain of the bullshit artists who as salespeople will tell you anything to get your name on an overpriced contract, so never sign on their initial visit. Shop around and make your decision without someone breathing down your neck. Get at least three quotes !
If you do get someone to takeover an existing system, ensure they inspect it and bring it up to professional standards. There is a load of junky systems out there due to poor installation practices which if put on line as is, will cause no end of false alarms (which cost local authorities big time, plus possibly get you a ticket ). If you opt for a new system, check out their reputation with others who have their systems installed. Once poorly installed, it's often very difficult to "repair" due to internal wiring being hidden from view.
I hope my website gives you some other information which will assist. And don't forget the physical security precautions necessary to keep them out to start with, since alarms only warn "after the fact". Remember the cardinal rule in any business...you get what you pay for (and sometimes in our business you have to shop hard to get that at a reasonable price as well....)
Also remember the other rule which seems to apply..."Those who advertise the most often give you the least"....
Regards,
Bob Campbell Home Security Metal Products
Ask your neighbors, ask about the systems at work.
Do NOT go with one of the nation wide companies if there is a local provider. You will be much happier in the long run.
DISCLAIMER: I do work for a small burg company.
technomaNge
Brinks (Broadview)...the worst - you shouldn't even consider them.
ADT is ok if you don't mind being one of millions of clients, paying high monitoring fees and contract that will be enforced. If you get a corporate install you should be ok, but ADT dealer installs are pretty crappy. Also, they're not real flexible in what they can/will sell you.
Never heard of the other company so no comment there.
Brinks and ADT will not sell you a non-monitored system if that is what you're thinking.
Ask friends, neighbors who they use.
As to monitored systems and response time, most home security systems basically pick up the phone, dial a number to an alarm business monitoring station, and transmit your alarm information to the alarm company. Then the alarm company picks up the phone and calls the police.
The problem with this is many alarm monitoring centers are out of town. They will have one large center to serve a regional area. Sometimes the phone lines going out of town can be busy and your alarm system may need to call several times before it finally gets through. This is rare these days, but still happens sometimes.
There are more expensive alarm systems available which are always connected to a separate phone line and instantly notify the alarm company if there is an alarm.
So you get what you pay for, but if you need "for sure" instant notification, it is available.
Then as to response time, in some areas the police get tons of false alarms. Burglar alarms go off, and most of the time it winds up being a malfunction of the alarm system. So the police get to thinking alarms are a waste of their time and take their time responding. Sometimes taking 30 minutes or longer to respond.
But again you get what you pay for and can pay for optional services. Some alarm companies have private armed guards who will respond to your alarm quicker than the police. So you can have a private guard service respond as well as the police and chances are someone will show up sooner than if you had just the police responding.
And the alarm monitoring company has people working there. When an alarm is transmitted to the alarm company, these people can notify anyone you want. Maybe you have a neighbor who is a good friend. The alarm company could notify the police and your neighbor. A neighbor would be able to get there quicker than anyone else. Or call you on your cell phone or call you at work. Whatever you want, mix/match!
Also a monitored alarm system can send different signals or alarms. You can have burglar signal in which case they notify the police, fire signal in which case they notify the fire department, and medical in which they call the paramedics (or whoever you want). And you can have a remote control which you carry with you and this can signal an attack by an intruder, or it could be assigned to a medical alarm and maybe an elderly person in the home would carry it around - press the button if having medical problems.
Or maybe you have a vacation home and the basement is prone to flooding, you could have a water alarm and the alarm company would notify just you for that specific signal. Or you may own a business and there is a lot of refrigerated meat - you could monitor the temperatures in the freezers and have the alarm company notify you (and others if you are not available) that the temperature is above a certain point or the electricity is off or both.
Then you can have silent alarms where only a signal is sent to the alarm company or it could also sound a local siren, bell, etc. And each signal the alarm sends can be set as to if it sounds a local siren/bell or not. You could have a silent burglar alarm and also a fire alarm which has an audible alarm. These different alarms are called "zones" and can be programmed anyway you want.
So you'd have the neighbor go over and get shot by the burglar...before the police arrive...interesting concept.
Everybody lives somewhere. The police live somewhere. Military types live somewhere. Those who work as armed guards live somewhere.
And some people might have one of these persons as a neighbor and good friend. (Get it?)
This is correct, except for the last point. Most central stations call the house before calling the police. From when the siren sounds until the police are finally informed usually takes at least several minutes. In a news expose on the industry several years ago, an experienced (and presumably paroled) burglar entered several homes with monitored security systems. In one cae ADT took over an hour to call the premises. They didn't call the police at all. Systems by several other national alarm companies were also tested with fair to poor (though nowhere near as bad as ADT) response times.
In addition to the slow response, the thief was easily able to completely circumvent the "basic" systems so that no alarm was triggered at all. This was because the protection was extremely limited, consisting of a single motion detector and a couple of door sensors (magnetic switches).
The above is not meant to imply that all monitored systems are useless. There are many companies that provide excellent coverage and that offer fast, efficient response to alarm signals.
If you hire an alarm company, large or small, to do your installation, be sure they put in a proper level of protection. Opinions vary on this, but I prefer to "bug" every external door and window, including both the roll-up garage doors and the door leading from the garage to the house. I like to back that up with glass break detectors, especially around sliding doors or windows that face away from the street. Consider adding a few motion detectors as a second line of defense. You don't usually need motion detection everywhere though. Try placing one at the foot of the stairs (or in thew hallway if your home is a single story) leading to sleeping quarters. Place one in the family room or wherever your entertainment system is. If you have a home office, that's another place you might want to protect as it is a target for thieves. Finally, place a motion detector in the master bedroom since thieves almost invariably go there looking for jewelry and credit cards.
While you're doing the security system, you may wish to consider adding smoke detection. System type smoke detectors are neither better nor worse than interconnected 110V smokes with battery backup (the stuff the electrician puts in). Either type will wake you up and get you out of the house. However, if the alarm system is monitored, smoke detectors connected to the control can cause someone to call the fire department. If a fire builds until a neighbor notices smoke and calls it in, the fire may be far more extensive by the time help arrives, especially if it happens while you're away from the house.
I've heard this argument for years, always from salesmen representing alarm companies with local central stations. However, I make local and long distance calls for myu business dozens of times every day of the week. I can't remember the last time I got an "all lines busy" signal (which sounds like a re-order tone, much faster than a standard busy signal). I have no axe to grind on this matter, since I owned an alarm company with a local central station for many years. IMO, there's no real difference between local and
800-number alarm monitoring. Choose an alarm company that offers real protection rather than the usual "two-doors-and-one-motion-detector" junk the nationals push.If by this the gentleman is referring to leased phone line systems, I disagree. These have not been offered for many years in most US locations. Phone companies don't want to designat an entire circuit to a single subscriber.
The closest thing to instant notification is long range radio monitoring. In most cases, the signal goes from the house to the central monitoring station either directly or via a wireless network. They then call the premises and, if no answer, the police. It's a few seconds faster than dial-up but not instantaneous by any stretch. Long range RF is more secure than dial-up since there's no phone line to cut.
Agreed.
There was a case in CT years ago where an elderly man heard someone breaking in to his house. The alarm company called the police at the same time that the victim took out his rifle and started to investigate it himself.
The thief apparently took off before the police got there. As officers took up positions front and back (standard police procedure in most places), the homeowner opened the front door and emerged carrying his rifle. A policeman shouted to put the gun down. Apparently not realizing it was a policeman, the victim turned to face the officer who immediately shot him.
This was reported in the newspapers and ISTR it was in or around Milford, CT, but I'm not certain of the location. Maybe Tom remembers better since he worked in CT too.
And your policeman, military type and armed guards are bulletproof?
ANYthing can happen ..... and usually does.
It's all only "stuff" in your house. Don't put anyones safety at risk for "stuff". And don't put your stuff's safety entirely under the protection of your alarm system. Security isn't just an alarm system. Take other steps to present obsticles to an intruder. Lighting, good locks. barrier bars. The harder it is and longer it takes an intruder to get your "stuff" the more likely he'll go someplace else. Your neighors good intentions could be the last thing he ever does. It's not worth it.
Similar case in FL probably 15 years ago...local system with false alarm problems (owner didn't keep it in good shape)...alarm went off the old fart from across the street heard the siren and went over and got shot dead by burglar.
I stopped putting in exterior sirens after that (we don't do local installs anyway)....we don't do exterior sirens unless the buyer really really really wants one.
RHC: In our jurisdiction, exterior sirens are illegal (against the noise bylaws). So that makes the decision easy. We can put in an exterior strobe light though, supposedly making it easier for police to find the house.....
Maybe to those who's central station is in someone's spare bedroom however a real central station usually does it in less than a minute
Bullshit!
I can understand that opinion since you've likely never dealt with a decent central station including the one you had in your spare bedroom
Total response time: 17 minutes 30 seconds
we can put them in, but have to limit siren time
we're processing signals within 35-45 seconds...client gets call in under a minute.
API provides the same quick response, as does Counterforce. I hear good things about Acme and Vancouver Alarms (they're both local ULC Listed stations).
RHC: What about cancel codes for the customer's protection. Do you use them? If so, the operators don't even see the alarm if it's turned off by the client within 30 seconds. The downside of this is the client may think his alarm is not working, but it's better than an ADT type dialer delay, and better than "instant" response, although clients may not think so.
I'd be interested in hearing opinions on this point. Is it better to give "instant" response with it's inherent risks for false alarms, or build in a dialer delay, or cancel codes to ensure there is more protection against false dispatches, but with the inherent "risk" the client thinks he's getting poor response from his station.
As usual, you ignore the fact I mentioned that my "opinion" is based in part on news exposes dealing with companies like yours that have royally screwed up handling of alarms for years.
I always had 24-hour staff on premises. Our home used to be a doctor's residence with attached office. It was ideal for our small, central station alarm company. We never intended to go for UL listing since it was a wood-frame building, butr that didn't make any difference to our customers. I rarely lost bids against the only UL-listed central station in Hartford -- Sonitrash.
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