PDA

View Full Version : Wireless home security



Michael Weber
09-12-2016, 2:11 PM
Search turned up a few providers of these systems. Simplesafe, Smartthings from Samsung and Fortress Security are some. Anyone have experience with these or other providers? Recommendations of one system over another? They all seem to work about the same but some offer more sensors and in the case of the Samsung, work with wireless devices from other manufacturers ( thermostats, digital door locks, etc.) Good or bad experiences with this technology? Undecided if I want monitoring other than cellular notification although it's pretty reasonable and companies that offer it are mostly upfront about the pricing. I do know that jamming is possible but highly unlikely for anyone unsophisticated enough to want to break into my home:rolleyes: any pro or cons about particular providers of the technology in general is appreciated. Thanks

Matt Meiser
09-12-2016, 3:15 PM
We have a Honeywell-based system installed by a local alarm company. Some areas that were easy are hardwired but several use wireless sensors. Its been flawless after 2 years. We don't have a landline so we do have cell notification. Separately I have a Honeywell thermostat that requires a separate app for remote control, and separately I use Insteon for some lighting and water leak detection. I do wish these were more integrated. A family member has a completely wireless Honeywell system from an alarm company that is about 6 months old...the main unit quit at about 1 week, so probably a fluke early failure. Other than that its been flawless as well.

Shop around. Not all alarm companies are as expensive as the big names. We pay about $28 a month IIRC. Our guy is a 1-man operation but uses a national monitoring provider so he basically is doing sales, installation, and any maintenance. My only complaint with him is that he's very busy so it can take a couple days to get something done. With a 2 year commitment I think we paid a few hundred to have the system installed and that included 2 smoke detectors, a few extra sensor, and the cell unit which aren't part of the $49.99 advertised package. We get a decent discount on our homeowners for having a monitored fire and burglar alarm--enough to pay for the smoke detectors over a couple years.

Supposedly one of the most effective parts of the system are the signs in the front yard and on the windows.

Malcolm McLeod
09-12-2016, 3:21 PM
Most of these devices are web-aware, and so fall into the IoT (internet of Things) category. Many of them are built with open-source software and generic hardware. Many come from China. And I hate to portray that the sky is falling, but be careful of the 'bleeding-edge' stage of development where some of these systems exist.

It may be OK as a security system, but it may give a your home a vastly increased web footprint that is very enticing to hackers. Some call it "hack-able surface area." They may not want to break into the house, but they can potentially hack into your PCs or 'eavesdrop' on electronic banking transactions as a prelude to ID theft.

(There is (or was) a wireless, web-aware, Chinese-built clothing iron available. ...Why?)

Chris Padilla
09-12-2016, 4:55 PM
If you have access to a Costco, they carry a brand called Lorex. I picked one up for $500 that includes the harddrive (records all the video) and 4 cameras. It is NOT wireless (which can be painful) but thus far, I do like it a lot and it came in handy with a quick set-up before we went on vacation. You may wish to compile a list of the pros and cons in regards to wired vs. wireless.

Greg R Bradley
09-12-2016, 6:39 PM
Wireless equals NOT secure security. If you only want to protect against morons and pre-teens then it's OK.

Michael Weber
09-12-2016, 6:41 PM
(There is (or was) a wireless, web-aware, Chinese-built clothing iron available. ...Why?)
my only guess is so a person could access it remotely to see if they had forgotten and left it on.

glenn bradley
09-12-2016, 7:54 PM
I haven't read anything since the article that found the top 5 most sold brands failed to pass the three first requirements of a secure public wireless device. Things like being unable to control transmission power, SSID broadcasting and lack of intelligent filtering all fell short before they even got to authentication and encryption methods and all the other stuff we all do for our home wireless networks.