equipment recommendation

Hi Nathan,

You need one zone per wireless transmitter so start with a minimum 8-zone system. Is there's any possibility that you'll want to add something else in the future, such as smoke detectors? ELK Products makes a powerful IP-compatible system called the M1G. I think

still has it. Check first because ELK has declared that they won't warranty systems sold online. They may be OK with Smart Home though. As best I know they're an honest vendor.

Another option is

They offer online monitoring and will sell you the system as well. I don't have enough information to make a recommendation for or against them.

In addition to the monitoring via the Internet, have you considered cellular? That affords a lot more choices for the alarm system itself. It's also a bit more secure since there's no line to cut and it doesn't die with your router during a power outage.

Sounds like Alarm.com might be perfect for this application.

Or use a Honeywell Vista panel with a 7847i-E Internet Communicator and 56xx series Honeywell wireless devices.

I don't know where you get parts from, so I don't know about cost.

BTW... I have a question for you.

I saw your website and you appear to know much about guns. Where are some good gun websites? I know about cheaperthandirt.com -- is there a better place to buy ammunition and accessories online? I need a laser and light combo that will fit on a Sigma S&W .40 rails. Any recommendations? Also, what loads would you get for that weapon for close-up home protection? I was thinking 165g JHP, Federal brand, or I saw some loads with 9 bb's in there (like a buckshot), are they any good?

i recently had a run in with a local fire marshal. see

for details. so long as the FD has totalitarian authority to make up the rules as they go i will not be doing anything fire related again. its just not worth it to me. that said, i did not fail to see your point about future expansion.

thank you, i will research them both.

this application is a rental house (hence the need for wireless) that is located in rural montana. most folks take cell service for granted, but in rural montana you can drive for hours without signal. this particular home didnt even have an outside power source until a few years ago (it used to run on generators and batteries!). internet is provided via satellite, and this is the ONLY option for a connection to monitoring.

Thanks much,

-- Nathan In Montana

thank you, i will research this option.

i have found that

is the best source for gun accessories, but there are MANY others as well. most of my ammunition purchases come from but they will only sell to LE, government, and private security contractors. being in security alarms you may be able to use that licensing to purchase from them; it all depends on the level of your licensing. if your licensing also covers physical security you should be able to purchase from them with no problem. tin fact, id bet that showing them ANY type of security related license would qualify you to purchase from them. hey have some of the best prices i have found anywhere. i also purchase from and even has some good deals time to time. usually has a good supply, but i will not purchase from them anymore because of their blatent gouging during the ammunition shortage last year.

this is a unique issue because the sigma rail is proprietary and S&W doesnt manufacture a laser for it. they do make a light, but no laser. that said, you can see

which will adapt your sigma rail to accept standard picatinny accessories. with this adapter you could use any standard picatinny laser/light combo.

despite the aggressive marketing behind these loads, the frangible and pre-fragmented loads are WORTHLESS because they are typically dependant on bleed-out to be effective. bleed-out gives your attacker up to several minutes to live in which he can continue to attack you if he so chooses. he may turn and run, or he may continue to assault you. a truly effective load must be capable of penetrating (and hopefully expanding) deep enough to reach a vital organ or the CNS and this is best accomplished using a HEAVY, quality JHP of adequate SERVICE caliber. here are several links that i hope you will read:

covers all of the basics. i am currently authoring an advanced carry guide, but it is not yet ready to be published. explains the concept of "GO HEAVY" and is supported pretty well. explains why an effective weapon must be a service caliber.

to directly answer your question, i recommend a quality 180 grain JHP for your sigma. the sigma is a very reliable design that will serve you well should you need it and the 180 grain loads carry more stopping power POTENTIAL than the 165 grain loads do. ignore ANYthing you read about energy as simple energy is absolutely insignificant at handgun velocities. first embrace the concept that nothing less than 180 grains will do. in tens of thousands of rounds tested, the heavy loads ALWAYS penetrate deeper and most often expand larger.

once you decide to go 180 grains, there are many quality ammunition manufacturers to choose from. my first choice is federal HST 180 grains. the HST is the closest ive ever found to the "magic bullet". the penetration and expansion is as good as it gets, and it comes in 50 round boxes making it cost little less than half of the comparable defensive loads that come in 20 round boxes for the same price. federal has restricted sales of the HST to LE/government/private security but again with your security license you should have no problem getting it. it is unregulated and you can often find it for sale to anybody on gunbroker or other sites. the winchester ranger SXT is another good 180 grain JHP, as is the new PDX loads offered by winchester. while i think the concept of a bonded bullet is good, its not nearly as critical as it is marketed to be. if all else fails, get some 180 grain JHP winchester white box (WWB) at walmart. despite being very economical, it is actually really good stuff! i wont hesitate for a second to trust WWB defensive JHP loads.

in addition, feel free to drop by

as you will find MANY more sigma owners there as well.

-- Nathan In Montana

I just placed an ammunition order from gtdist.com via Internet and all I had to do was provide my birth date and acknowledge I was legally allowed to own a firearm.

Thanks for all the links, they are very helpful.

I enjoyed reading the last two topics, and will read the guide later. I will also sign up a forum member. That's a really great informative site you have there, thanks.

So I have my answer now, high quality 180 grain JHP. Thanks again.

just an FYI, dont be surprised if your order is held up awaiting confirmation on your security license status. its happened quite a few times to me over the years. still, they do have some of the best prices youll find anywhere.

-- Nathan In Montana

you are certainly welcome, sir. we do have a very diverse group of members who all share a common goal - promoting responsible carry through education.

-- Nathan In Montana

BTW I purchased some equipment from this guy (Bill) last week and some of his prices are below wholesale:

He said he can offer these prices because he buys excess inventory from alarmcos, and companies going out of business.

I was very pleased with his prices and delivery time. It's best to email him for prices instead of buying from his store IMO to avoid eBay final value fees.

I don't carry, I just keep it at home. I figured if I carry it may lead to more trouble than it's worth. I will bring it if I'm traveling longer distances, but not everyday. In fact, it's illegal to carry while conducting business for my alarm company if I recall correctly. It's been a few years since I read the rules.

we also have a section on securing your home.

would be far worse to not have it and find yourself facing a knife assault.

"illegal" or company policy? most companies have similar policies due to insurance costs.

-- Nathan In Montana

thanks much, ill check it out.

-- Nathan In Montana

You guys must work in some tough places. Over the course 24 years running an alarm compnay I never had to deal with a single client wielding a knife. :^)

it only takes once, and you are dead. risk is unrelated to vulnerability.

this corner

wasnt a "tough place", but all it took was one thug happening through to change that. virginia tech isnt a "tough place" but all it took was one bad guy with a gun to change that. those students had every expectation of being secure, and because nobody had a gun it was easy hunting for the bad guy. ft. hood wasnt a bad place, but again due to the lack of a firearm in the hands of a responsible adult, the bad guy was able to impose his will unresisted.

you havent seen evil in 24 years. youve been lucky. all these places (if youd like i can compile a list that would fill a library) where very bad things have happened survived without seeing evil for much longer than that....and then without warning evil struck. it can happen anywhere at any time. most people will never need to use a gun to defend their lives, but for those who do the absence of a gun can make the difference in going home in a car or going home in a box. we sell security systems despite that most homes/businesses will never be robbed. this is no different.

-- Nathan In Montana

Nathan,

I was kidding around. Folks here know where I stand. I personally don't like guns but I believe in the right to own them. If you can't carry one, what's the point of owning one?

My only concern is limiting access by untrained children. If there are children in the home who have not been properly taugh gun safety, I think all firearms should be locked whenever thy are not under direct control of a responsible adult. Outside that, I couldn't care less if you keep an Uzi under the pillow.

"Robert L Bass" wrote in message news:jumdnUfHdqhPJDLWnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com...

agreed. my carry gun is always with me 100% where legal. when im working its on my side. when im sleeping its on my bed. when im bathing it sits on the toilet right beside my tub. heck, when having sex shes probably banging her head on it. :-) i also keep a carbine (M4 style AR15) in a biometric lock in my bedroom. all other weapons are either in my safe (at home) or in secured storage. by keeping my pistol on my side and my carbine in a biometric lock with all others locked away it prevents unauthorized access by children or anybody else. i dont live in a "bad" or a "tough" place at all. statistically montana is one of the safest places in the country to live...but you never know when evil will appear and evil can come in many forms. i have spoken with a young mother who in '98 was sitting in her typical suburban bmissoula montana backyard watching her 6 year old son riding his tricycle. several cougars jumped the privacy fence and grabbed her son before she could run in the house to retrieve her gun. the cougars then jumped back across the privacy fence with her son in its mouth. he/she hauled him into the woods and ate him. had the mother been armed when the attack started she could have stopped the attack by shooting the cat before he reached her son. its possible she would have missed but the noise would most likely have scared the cat away. its possible that she would have shot her own son even, but its also possible that she could have saved his life. even if she made no difference at all she couldnt have possibly made it worse because her son is dead. had she been properly armed even in her yuppie neighborhood, she could have possibly saved her sons life.

from

September. At least two and possibly three mountain lions attacked and killed 5-year-old Jake Thomas Gardipee of Missoula County, (Evaro) Montana, while he was riding a tricycle behind his home. Trapper, Francis Cahoon said Jake could have been killed by a female lion traveling with cubs or by a pair of yearling siblings. Searchers scared off an adult mountain lion when they found the boy's body. Another 52-pound yearling with blood on its paws and mouth was killed 100 yards away. Cahoon said that all they knew is that the cat killed was not the only cat that attacked Jake.

bottom line, you just never know when evil will appear, or in what form it will come. if you are properly armed (and hopefully trained) you have the means to repel evil regardless of the form it takes.

too bulky. ;-)

-- Nathan In Montana

Why don't you use the Simon with Alarm.com? Not IP but the best addon to a GE panel every made

PJDLWnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com...

Okaayyyy

there are few times when you are as vulnerable as you are when you are in the shower. with water running you cannot hear very well. with steam, you cannot see very well. while washing your attention is focused not on your vulnerabilities but on washing yourself. i can think of few times you are as vulnerable as you are while bathing. in addition, home invaders do not wait until you are done with your shower. in fact:

these are all examples of home invasions while the adult of the home was in the shower. you may feel this is an extreme step to take, and i hope you never find out why i caution you against making yourself so vulnerable. see and pan down near the bottom under "Defensive Mindset" for more.

-- Nathan In Montana