ADT alarms

[Al Willits]

Wife just informed me she wants to spend $1600 for three years of ADT alarm service....any thoughts??

tia

Going broke Al

[Mark Berenbrok]

We pay about $23/month for our service from ADT. The installation of the hardware when we built the house 14 years ago was about $800. If your estimate includes the hardware, it might be in the ballpark.

[skip coyne]

the money is in the monitoring equipment should be free to cheap .

I would look for a local company ,

[Frank Hagan]

Alarm companies are heavy on the sales side, so check around. ADT has a name, but all the alarm companies do about the same thing. ADT expects you to pay a lot for that name.

ADT was the most expensive when our company moved, and their equipment was already in the building. To continue the service with their equipment was 25% more than a local company's new equipment, including installation.

I would never opt for the 'monitoring' service in my home unless I lived in a very bad area. When I traveled a lot and had young children at home, I did have an alarm installed, but didn't pay for a monitoring service. It gave my family the "peace of mind" they wanted without an expensive long term commitment.

[Tyler Howell]

I just did it. Probably the same door to door company.
Free install and equipment. 3 year contract.
$39.00 a month.
The biggest deterent is the little signs.

It works. Feel a little better when I travel

[Joe Pelonio]

It depends on where you live, the crime rate and kinds of crime. Where we live people still leave their doors unlocked and no one has an alarm probably stupid, but if you read the crime reports, we have a few car break-ins, stuff stolen from open garages, but the vast majority is identity theft, and the alarm doesn't help with that. The victims more often than not are attacked by hackers or mail theft. We do have more and more locking mailboxes turning up. Also, here at the shop I am often making fake security system signs for people, a lot cheaper than actual alarm systems.

At the shop I do have an ADT system, $39/month. Over 9 years never had a breaking. It did come in handy catching an employee closing early, and gave me documentation when I fired her.

[rick fulton]

Al -
Call your home-owners insurance agent. We got a fairly significant discount on our insurance after getting an alarm and monitor service.
Your agent may also have some input on which vendor is preferable.
rick

[Matt Meiser]

I ended up doing a self installed system using professional equipment. I use a nationwide monitoring service that runs about $11/mo when paid for the whole year. Prior to that I got quotes from two local companies which would have been a significantly lower investment than ADT. With a local company, you'll probably get standard equipment that anyone can monitor. ADT may lock out the panel so only they can program it, which means you'll have to buy new equipment if you decided to switch monitoring companies.

Along the lines of what Rick said, we got a 10% discount once our system was installed and we got a letter from the monitoring company stating that we had a monitored burlar and fire alarm system.

[Al Willits]

Thanks all, just seems a three year contract for that much money ($1600 total) is a bit much, I'd probably have gone with a one year, but maybe not with ADT.

Tyler, I bet it was the same people, they tell you your front lawn looked so good they could offer ya a special deal that included putting their sign out front? :)

Guess I'm a little miffed the old shebeast signed this with out looking into it, she's normally pretty good about it.
We're gonna try and cancel out as I believe Minn has a three day grace period.

Once again, thanks for your suggestions and comments.

Al who didn't think his lawn was all that special....:D

[Jim Becker]

Check out local alarm companies and what they offer...ADT and similar make it seem like you are getting a great deal with things like "free equipment" (usually minimal and not enough to cover the house) but then get you for very expensive monthly monitoring. Local firms are very often much more reasonable on the recurring costs. Yes, the system may cost a little more up front, but that's a fixed cost that needs to be amortized over years. The monitoring, however...comes every month...and the cost differences can be tens of dollars per month.

[Don Baer]

We installed an alarm system several years ago. Rather then go with a National company we opted for a smaller local company. They charged us for the equiptment but the monthly charges was significanly less. I think we pay around $20/ month and that includes full onsite service. Since the system is wireless all of the sensors have batteries which need to be replaced on occasion. The smoke detectors need the batteries replaced annualy which they do. I even broke one of the transmitters when I replced a slidding door and they came out and installed a new one at no additional charges.

[Dan Oelke]

Not sure what area of Minneapolis you are in - but look up Wright-Hennepin Cooperative. http://www.whe.org - they are who we use and are MUCH more reasonable than that.

[rick fulton]

Al -

A security system is not just a “peace of mind” issue for wife.

Just think about those poor vulnerable and defenseless tools waiting for you to get home from a business trip. You will sleep better knowing your router and favorite plane won’t be kidnapped in the middle of the night.

rick

[Lamar Horton]

I used to work for a division of TYCO (they also own ADT) and I can tell you that the small local companies can do as good or better than the big national companies as far as customer service and pricing. If you are leaning toward ADT then tell them you will not pay that much, they will negotiate with you, they just don't like to.

[Rob Littleton]

Best $1800 I spent last year.

I had an alarm system when I lived in CA (Hoffman Security) and the final straw was one night, the alarm went off and I never got a call. The alarm went off at 11pm, I got a call from them at 4am saying sorry about the delay, there was a shift change. Oh it's OK honey, my wife and kids are cold now from being shot 5 hours ago. USELESS!!!!!!!!!!!

I moved to AZ and got ADT. These guys wrote me just recently telling me my system battery is low. That is service to me. They call after 30 seconds of the alarm sounding. If they see an activity and the alarm was cancelled in 30 seconds, they leave you alone. I love their service.

I have fire alarms and carbon monoxide in the house and in the shop. Totally wireless. If I sleep with the windows open, I dont set the alarm but set the chime, just as loud and tells me when a contact is broke.

Again, the windows and dorrs in the shop are all alarmed. I think I have around 20 zones.

They don't pay for the .45 you carry when the alarm sounds but they do the rest. :-)

02 cents worth

[Al Willits]

""""""""""
They don't pay for the .45 you carry when the alarm sounds but they do the rest. :-)
"""""""""

How'd you know it was a .45? :)

Well, wife has sent the cancellation letter and in the letter she says she thought it was to basic a system for a three commitment especially for the price they wanted.
We'll see if they come down or sweeten the pot, still don't like a three year contract though.

Now we just wait to see what ADT does, thanks all, and hopefully we'll end up with a decent system, but for less money.

Al

[Rob Littleton]

[quote=Al Willits]""""""""""
They don't pay for the .45 you carry when the alarm sounds but they do the rest. :-)
"""""""""

How'd you know it was a .45? :)

It was in my hand pointing at the intruder. :-)

[Don Baer]

These guys wrote me just recently telling me my system battery is low. That is service to me.

My alarm company will call me and schedule a tech whenever any of the batteries are showing low.

I prefer a 12 gage pump myself. I don't have to aim as well...:D

[duke bryant]

I would agree on the shotgun over the .45 just for the lower likelyhood of penetrating a wall and hitting someone on the other side, but the sound of the action on a pump shotgun of any guage is enough to cause most folks a great deal of stress.

Kind of reminds me of the old joke about the Quaker guy who awakens to find someone has broken into his house.

He gets his shotgun, and then tells the intruder
"you know that I do not believe in violence, but your standing where I am about to shoot"

Duke

In sunny hot Kuwait