ADT Home Alarm Systems

LowDown Hal · #1 08-17-2010, 10:55 AM

Anybody have any experience with these?
My wife wants one BAD.

Eublet · #2 08-17-2010, 11:18 AM

I was in the resedential alarm business at one point, and I can offer some tips. First, the business itself is DIRTY. Not necessarily ADT in general, but sales and installation in general is very much a contracted thing. Some random company sales you the system, installs it, and then sells the contract to ADT or some other company.

They emphasize the value of the equipment ($1500) that you can have installed for only $99 under the current promotion, which is always the same. Of course, you have to sign a contract to pay $40 a month for monitoring for 2-3 years, which is absolutely outrageous. If you already own your alarm system, you can typically find a company to monitor for $10 or $15 a month. So really you are financing the alarm when you sign the contract. They'll run a credit check to do so most likely, or require that you give them your checking account or visa card for automatic payments.

Personally, the monitoring to me is worthless if you family is all able-bodied. If you have a feeble loved one in the house, then knowing that the system will automatically call the alarm company if there is an issue might be worth the peace of mind. The alarm company will call you if there's a problem, and you'll have to have a secret word so that they don't call the police. Of course this takes time, so in the event of a real issue, many many minutes will go by before the police actually show up. Having an alarm installed without monitoring will provide an audible alarm to scare of burglars once they enter the house. Usually that's enough, but finding a company that will affordably sell you an alarm and install it without a monthly contract is difficult. They make a lot of money on the monthly payments.

Another thing is that most of these installs only protect doors with sensors, and they put in a motion detector to cover the rest of the house. That works okay when everyone is gone, but when you arm the system while at home, you of course have to bypass the motion detector. That means that if someone breaks in through a window, they can roam around the house and never trip the alarm until a door is opened. Most companies will charge you extra to wire windows, or they'll sell you wireless sensors for windows and hard-to-reach doors. Wireless sensors require maintenance and battery replacement. The system will warn you when batteries are getting low, but it's another hassle. And you'll be charged more money for added wireless gear and installation. The costs can rise dramatically if you really want to protect your home properly. If you house was wired for an alarm when it was built, then this can help offset the costs.

ADT is definitely the most reputable company out there, and that's what I'd choose if I were you and didn't have any other options. If you can, try to find someone who can install the system for you, or wire your house entirely. It'll cost more money this way. After that, you can buy alarm kits on ebay, and if you spend some time working through it you could install it yourself. It would be a bit dauting, but it's doable. Then you don't have a monthly contract.

By the way, most all alarm companies use equipment from a handful of manufacturers, usually Ademco or DSC for resedential use. The systems themselves are all the same, so shop for the best deal. Call Brinks, Protection One, and ADT. These three are estabilshed enough that you might be able to get a bit of a price war going, so even if you do sign a contract, you could get some freebies thrown in to sweeten the deal (extra windows, doors, motions, fire/smoke, etc), and perhaps get the smallest installation price with the shortest contract.

Lastly, make SURE you keep up with when your contract expires so that you can call and threaten to end your monthly payments if they don't reduce your rate. Otherwise, they'll keep billing you at the high $40 rate forever and make even more money. They'll be glad to give you a bid discount if you tell them you are going to take your monitoring to another company.

Hope all this helps. I think they're nice to have for peace of mind, particularly for the lady of the house. It also helps me sleep better when I'm out of town with the wife and kids back home.

Jim Campbell · #3 08-17-2010, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

Anybody have any experience with these?
My wife wants one BAD.

here alarm companies like to sell packages that usually include some kind of monitoring......in practical terms that means that a half hour after someone breaks in a guy will come to the house and secure the door that's lying in your vestibule etc....

i would talk to a guy that can set you up with a good quality alarm with components that can accept expansion,with enough zones to isolate every window and door,garage,shed,with breaker contacts,integrate motion sensors,and even be compatible with cameras,smoke,co2 alarms etc,and into your computer if you go that route.....

these days you can monitor your whole property by i phone .....

the other thing i would insist on is multiple sirens that are loud enough to wake the dead and deter the smash and grab clowns,and shut off after a minute......no sense angering the neighbors....

Johnny Crab · #4 08-17-2010, 11:30 AM

DIY.
http://www.x10.com/homepage.htm

Have your home call you, video the event, and let you watch from anywhere in the world.

Why does she/you want this?
An alarm system does NOT fight off invaders.
Is this to protect valuables while no one is home or a heads up that bad guys are inside?
Learning self-defense and obtaining the correct tools(including lead delivery systems by Mossberg, Remmington, or Glock) for protecting oneself against armed invaders is far better than believing noise will make them leave.
PS: Any alarm can be defeated. Have Plans B and C in case one is.

MatticusMania · #5 08-17-2010, 11:45 AM

For room & board and a $100 weekly balance I'll secure the perimeter of your home with a Louisville Slugger.

Marco A. Mayer · #6 08-17-2010, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

For room & board and a $100 weekly balance I'll secure the perimeter of your home with a Louisville Slugger.

SIGGED

buzzbass · #7 08-17-2010, 12:03 PM

we've had very good luck and service from our Slomin's system. 1-800-ALARM-ME. We've been customers for 15yrs now.

MatticusMania · #8 08-17-2010, 12:04 PM

Man, I must be on a roll... three sigs this morning alone! And I didnt even get laid last night!

LowDown Hal · #9 08-17-2010, 12:18 PM

Her concern is more for when we are not at home.

Jim Campbell · #10 08-17-2010, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Crab

DIY.
http://www.x10.com/homepage.htm

Have your home call you, video the event, and let you watch from anywhere in the world.

Why does she/you want this?
An alarm system does NOT fight off invaders.
Is this to protect valuables while no one is home or a heads up that bad guys are inside?
Learning self-defense and obtaining the correct tools(including lead delivery systems by Mossberg, Remmington, or Glock) for protecting oneself against armed invaders is far better than believing noise will make them leave.
PS: Any alarm can be defeated. Have Plans B and C in case one is.

isolating door and window zones from motion sensors while they are at home, allows perimeter warning and affords more time to enable one of the aforementioned lead delivery devices,that are part of any well balanced security system.....

blendermassacre · #11 08-17-2010, 12:54 PM

From clicking on the x10 website, I found this pretty quickly:http://www.x10.com/promotions/ds7000_bonus_si.html

Eublet · #12 08-17-2010, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

Her concern is more for when we are not at home.

Well, I would ask the question why? That's why you have insurance IMHO. It would suck to have to deal with it, but the likelihood of an alarm deterring a break-in when you are away is pretty slim. Statistics prove it over and over. Putting a sign in your front yard is more deterring than the alarm itself. Most criminals know that they have time to do their business when they intrude in spite of an alarm. That's why they're only useful for me when someone is home, so that I have a warning, and can prepare to put a bullet through someone's head.

However, the smoke alerting could help if it were to notify authorities of a fire in your absence. I wouldn't count on that either though. By the time the alert actually brought the fire department to your house, it's debatable as to what could be salvaged by them putting the fire out.

If you could put an alarm in your house, protecting all doors and windows, for say $500, and then pay $10 a month for monitoring, then it might be worth it. But paying a few hundred bucks up front for this, and then having to sign a 3 year contract at $40 a month is not worth it IMHO. It's just a rip off.

LowDown Hal · #13 08-17-2010, 01:59 PM

The up front cost, while not minimal, isn't my biggest concern. But that 3yr. monthly commitment to $42.99 (I think) sounds like a rip-off.

But I'm in a hard place. My wife is convinced it's something "we" need.

LowDown Hal · #14 08-17-2010, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

isolating door and window zones from motion sensors while they are at home, allows perimeter warning and affords more time to enable one of the aforementioned lead delivery devices,that are part of any well balanced security system.....

The system does have that feature.

Unrepresented · #15 08-17-2010, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

The up front cost, while not minimal, isn't my biggest concern. But that 3yr. monthly commitment to $42.99 (I think) sounds like a rip-off.

But I'm in a hard place. My wife is convinced it's something "we" need.

I would much rather invest that same $42/month in basic self defense classes that will improve your health, confidence, and ability to survive an attack.

Also, neighborhood watch programs are:

a) free.

b) a good way to strengthen relationships with your neighbors

c) probably more effective

bongomania · #16 08-17-2010, 02:17 PM

I recently got a system installed, on my fiance's insistence. I don't actually believe it will do that much good, but she says she feels a lot safer now that we have it, so essentially that's what we are paying for. She's the breadwinner of the family right now anyway, so if she wants to spend $43 a month on her own peace of mind, I'm not going to argue.

Bongolation · #17 08-17-2010, 02:20 PM

Monitoring is and always has been the racket.

The alarm company farms this out for $2-$3 a month and pockets the rest, though ADT has their own central stations.

Also note that in many localities (like mine) you must buy a permit from your local government to have an alarm system, with a yearly fee thereafter.

beggar98 · #18 08-17-2010, 02:44 PM

My apartment was broken into about a year ago. They took a lap top, digital camera, ipod and half a bottle of Maker's Mark. Cops said it was probably professional, as there were no prints and they didn't take anything they couldn't easily carry in a backpack (including all my bass stuff).

Anyway, my wife immediately insisted on a security system, and we went with ADT. We have a small apartment, basically a large living/dining room and a one bedroom. The system came with two wireless sensors, one we put on the front door and another on the only window in the bedroom, and the motion sensor which covers most of the large front room.

The installation was sloppily done. The guy said he couldn't wire the control panel to my phone jack because it was too far away, so he tried to upsell me on a dedicated cellular line. I can't remember what the extra cost was, but it seemed ludicrous. I said absolutely not, so rather than lose the sale he gave me a free wireless transmitter that sits on under the control panel and a receiver that is by the phone jack. The next problem I didn't discover until later. Being that my building is pretty old, the front door doesn't fit very tightly in the frame. This wasn't a problem during the summer, when the heat swells the door, but in the winter when the door shrank back down the sensor no longer made good contact and we would get alarm calls anytime there was a decent bit of wind moving the door. It was a relatively easy fix (just had to adjust the placement of the sensor) but doing so required coordinating with ADT because the sensors are set to trigger if they are moved.

In the beginning, we used it constantly. The break-in happened while we were running to the grocery store (another reason the cops thought it was a pro- they were probably watching us), so anytime we left the house we set the alarm, and we set the door & window sensors when we went to bed, but not the motion. Now, we only set it when we leave for a long stretch, like for work for the day or if we're going out for the night. The false alarms and dealing with the call center became too much of a hassle.

All in all, it served it purpose- made us feel safe again in our home. However, I'm not sure it's worth the $35/month. Though, to stop your wife from nagging, its probably a small expense!

syciprider · #19 08-17-2010, 04:51 PM

Dogs provide security and affection.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #20 08-17-2010, 09:27 PM

We use ADT and have for 12 years. I like going to bed knowing that if anyone gets to where the motion sensors are, I'll get enough warning to grab my weapon of choice and be at least half awake by the time they get up the stairs. Or knowing that if I can tell that there's an actual intruder, I can hit the "police" button and they will be sent no matter what is going on in the meantime. I like it that any intruders will know that the occupants of the house are aware of them, and that the neighbors are, too. I like knowing that if anyone breaks into the garage, I'll hear about it before it's all over. I like knowing that if we're on a trip and we don't get a phone call from ADT, our house hasn't been broken into. I like being able to play out of town gigs and know that I'm not leaving my wife and kid completely alone in terms of safety by doing so. I like the fire alarms and the automatic call to the fire dept., who have been here twice on false alarms when we were remodeling and plaster dust junked up the smoke detectors.

Sure, it's an expense. But in our neighborhood (basically downtown), the peace of mind is worth it.