Home Alarm Systems

[trendon]

get contacts for each door on lower level.when a door is opened in the house ,it will set off a beep,so you know it was just opened.

And make sure you draw the map for the installer properly. I drew it incorrectly at my first restaurant and it'd say "SIDE BALCONY-03" when it was a fucking window upstairs that was open. Boy did my boss hate my ass.

[fsupenguin]

Signs are nice, and alarms are ok, they will scare most away. In my time working with 911 I have to say for the most part paying an alarm company is pretty much flushing your money down the toilet. These systems are not setup to catch anyone, you hope they scare someone away, cause it tends to be on 10+ minutes till you will get PD on the scene with how slow some of these companies are to "confirm" the activation. I would take a good dog or two and weapon in my hands, but just lock your doors, most robbers will just go to the next house if you lock up good.

[trendon]

Signs are nice, and alarms are ok, they will scare most away. In my time working with 911 I have to say for the most part paying an alarm company is pretty much flushing your money down the toilet. These systems are not setup to catch anyone, you hope they scare someone away, cause it tends to be on 10+ minutes till you will get PD on the scene with how slow some of these companies are to "confirm" the activation. I would take a good dog or two and weapon in my hands, but just lock your doors, most robbers will just go to the next house if you lock up good.

Yeah, I didn't want to say that because I felt it would look like typical me bagging on the police. Don't rely on them for shit. Their job is not to protect your home, but the municipality. For some companies and jurisdictions, false alarms cost money after a certain point, your HOA might have an issue with it, and, as I said, the police response will be pathetic at best. I've only dealt with alarm systems in businesses but it seems - and I am just making an uninformed guess - that it would actually be more cost effective to beef up your valuable property and/or homeowner insurance and invest in a proper safe. And, if you go with a permanent system, your fucking property tax will go up as they'll consider it a home improvement (like you installed a pool.) Whether that is better than the discount you'll get from your HO insurance is for you to decide.

If and when I own a home? Unmonitored alarm, shotgun, security camera, valuable property insurance if applicable, and a safe. It keeps me safe when I am in the home, provides me with a safety net if I lose a lot, and I don't have to involve a whole bunch of unnecessary (monitoring company) and pain-in-the-ass (cops, fire, and EMTs) people.

[kdog36]

I have an ADT that is no longer in service. They asked to come get it. I said NO. They ask why? I simply said I need it to make the noise when set off.

Mine went off twice and both time ADT responded but UNLESS you have a LEGIT POLICE DEPT. IT IS NOT WORTH IT.
Both time the alarm went off the POLICE DEPT showed up about an HOUR later on both occassions. Also unless you have an exterior speaker to let the neighbors hear it good luck. If it is just the speakers in the house your screwed. It is soley dependent on if the POLICE show up and take it serious.

This is more intimidating than a sound coming out of the house.




I still have the signs also.
and a shotgun.

working on the dog

[trendon]

Yeah, man, I am generally uneasy about going to bed and saying, "Yep, all good! Some computer and the police will save me!" I am a tangible guy and I want all of the things that will save me to be in the fucking house with me, whether it be a dog, a gun, a cruise missile.

[Cnasty]

I'm not worried about the police coming and saving me or them catching who is breaking in if im not home, but more the deterrent.

I want that loud as hell 150 decibel on every window and door going off but I want to keep it going off unless you know the pin, not just when you shut the door it goes off.

When I'm home I need some thing to wake me as I am dead to the world in a deep sleep and they could break down the door and I wouldn't hear it.

[GeorgesGoons]

I get a nice home insurance break thru USAA for having ADT so it's worth it economically speaking and it's a nice peace of mind for when I am in the field or deployed.

[Cnasty]

Does ADT require a home phone or any of these?

I don't have a home phone.

[GeorgesGoons]

Does ADT require a home phone or any of these?

I don't have a home phone.

Nor do I.

They have a wireless system that is an extra 10-15 bucks a month. Just don't pay the 700 bucks for that box they put in the basement. I got mine for free, it's like bargaining a used car salesmen but you can get it all for free.

[Cnasty]

I think I'm safe from the box in the basement deal

Thanks for the info

[The_Niddler]

I always wanted to put a sign in front of my house that says Protected by 7.62x39 mm
But I figured most criminals wouldn't understand what that means.

It is the size of the ammo for my SKS assault rifle. If you are not familiar with an SKS, it is basically the same gun as an AK47, just a little different look.
It looks like this:


And yes, mine has a red dot on it too.

In our bedroom though, I have a Ruger .45 mm handgun.
Just a personal preference for me. My .45 does not have a safety, so I cannot forget to take it off in the heat of the moment.

Lucky for us in Ohio, the castle law was changed about a year or so ago.
Now, I can shoot an intruder running through my yard on the way out of my house. It used to be where you had to shoot them in your house and the body better be in your house when the authorities come.
Now, you just have to prove you were threatened.

[Cnasty]

You are a bad bad man.

[The_Niddler]

You are a bad bad man.

When my wife and I started dating, she was scared shitless of guns.

But I educated her and taught her how to use them and she goes shooting with me now.
And she got to see my friends and I all shooting and she realizes that we are not some hillbillies pointing guns at each other.
We respect them when we have them out.

I only own a few though.

But out of respect, I always kept them in the basement of our home, till 1 night.
Both of us were woken up from a deep sleep. We both here a big crash. So I try to get my 40 pound border collie to go down the stairs first so at least if she starts barking and carrying on, I know someone is in the house.
But the dog won't go. Since all my guns are in the basement, all I had was some swords that I have on the wall in my sports room.
So I grab one of those and go downstairs...nothing.

We could not figure out what it was, but both of us heard it and woke up because of it.

The next morning, I go to get in the shower, it was a big shampoo bottle that fell from the top shelf of a corner shower caddy.
I swear it sounded like someone kicked in our front door. We have glass doors on our shower, so when it hit, it echoed.

Ever since that day, she wanted me to keep a gun in the bedroom.

[ChampDizzle]

so sending the dog first, pussy

[The_Niddler]

so sending the dog first, pussy

Before I had my gun upstairs...damn right!

[shel311]

so sending the dog first, pussy

My wife would have sent me as the buffer between the intruder and her dog.

[Husker698]

I mostly just lurk here, but as I am employed by Trendon's arch nemeis (the police), some things came to mind. In Florida, statute requries the "keyholder" homeowner, renter, etc is contacted first on an alarm before the police are called. Meaning if someone breaks into your house, the alarm company gets the alarm. They call the number you provided, your home number, cell phone, etc. If they don't get a response, they call the police. Depending on the size of your city and how busy the police are, it is a property crime and is low priority. Unless its a panic alarm, response will be slow.

Most burglaries, the guy taking your stuff breaks in grabs what he can get and gets out, with or without an alarm.

I tell most people to get the little contact alarms. I think they sell them for pool safety in case your kid opens the gate to the pool. Put those on your doors and windows. They are cheap and very loud and a burglar isn't going to know the difference between those and a monitored alarm.

As Trendon and some others mentioned, get a shotgun. They are cheap and everyone recognizes the sound of them being racked. If you think someone is coming into your house and that doesn't stop them, then they need to be shot.

Hope this helps.

[Cnasty]

I tell most people to get the little contact alarms. I think they sell them for pool safety in case your kid opens the gate to the pool. Put those on your doors and windows. They are cheap and very loud and a burglar isn't going to know the difference between those and a monitored alarm.

As Trendon and some others mentioned, get a shotgun. They are cheap and everyone recognizes the sound of them being racked. If you think someone is coming into your house and that doesn't stop them, then they need to be shot.

Hope this helps.

These last 2 options have been talked about for a while and coming from a police man and some others Ive talked, seem to be the way to go.

I appreciate the info.