Home Security Alarm Systems

[PhilA]

OK, first--to make this thread relevant--I assume many of you have home security systems to minimize the chance that someone will break into your home, thereby also minimizing the chance you'll have to use a firearm for self defense.

I have a few quotes on the table from a few of the top companies, and I'm trying to narrow it down. Price is pretty comparable, so I'd like to hear from anyone on the list who uses either Brinks or Slomin's.

I'm MOST interested in hearing from anyone who's had an alarm event with either of these two companies, and how long it took for police/fire/ambulance to arrive.

Thanks in advance. I looked around for other, more relevant forums on this topic but there don't seem to be any. I read PFOA a ton, and have found the membership here to be very helpful on a number of issues.

[lethal93ta]

I know around here its up to the fire/police times (witch are a joke) I dialed 911 the other week for an ambulance for my wife, she passed out and I couldnt get her to come to. it took almost 30 min for them to get here, security systems work fine if you have people around you to respond. around me the only cops on duty are over 20 miles away most of the time, they come from hamburg state police station for most calls.

[nra-life-member]

I have used a local firm out of your county for years. $ 20 a month to monitor. If you want contact information, just send a PM

[Longshot]

I was under the impression response times depend on Police/fire ect.. We use 2 different alarm company's, vector, and Royal.(one for home one for buisness property) Both very good but I am not sure of there availablitly in your area. But sense I don't use Brinks or Slomins I should just shut my mouth.

[Frenchy]

I work for a central station, the only thing I will say is ask who will be monitoring you, what THEIR security is. Slomin I had to look up, never heard of them, Vector has their own central, Guardian where I presently work has their own central, ADT has their own central stations… many other services are just that, services, you contract them to install your system, and then they throw you to any monitoring central.

Ask about average response times, if they answer anything above 2 minutes, look elsewhere, if they say seconds only, look elsewhere…

Next weak link in the chain is the PD, FD, EMT or 911 groups in your area. Ask people around where you live what their experiences are. Pending where you are, you might find a runner group faster then PD.

I often tell people who live in remote areas they should join their area neighborhood safe watch. Often faster then Police and less expensive in the long run. (If you think the police are free, ask about false alarm reviews)

Look at what your needs are, don’t let a salesman tell you what you need. Many sales people will not listen to you and sell you things that wind up being costly to you, in the long run, you might get much better a deal from a salesman who listens to you and understands your needs. Yada, yada yada and then you get 3 door/window sensort… one fire one entry fob, main panel, keypad…. Extra for motions extra glass break…

Look for one fire sensor per floor, if you have a sealed room, it should have its own detector.
Look for main door sensors, windows can be covered by motion but window + glass break is better then motion and less probably to false alarm.

Look into a 24/7 safe door monitoring where you have to call and place the safe/safe room, on test before opening.
Look into a maintenance plan with co-pay, In the long run it will cost you less then paying the full costs of repairs. (Think of your alarm system like a car, IT does need maintenance also)
If offered radio backup, look at your cell phone, does it regularly lose calls when at home? If so Radio backup is not for you.
Internet type systems are new, seem to work great for now, but is your ISP reliable, this could cause your system to drop offline..
Ask what the charges will be on monitoring, some centrals charge you per call over and above the regular monitoring…

Over all, you are better off with a big box company for reliability, small companies may seem less expensive, but many of these have answering services to monitor your alarm.

Call your insurance company, ask what they know of the alarm system you are being offered, what are the insurance discounts you would get based on who you choose.

One last thing, and I cant seem to tell people this enough, make sure your contact list is up to date on a regular basis, people change phone numbers, change jobs, but they expect the central station to know it without being told.

I was under the impression response times depend on Police/fire ect.. We use 2 different alarm company's, vector, and Royal.(one for home one for buisness property) Both very good but I am not sure of there availablitly in your area. But sense I don't use Brinks or Slomins I should just shut my mouth.

Used to work at Vector, they have a good system, (mind you most companiesuse the same hardware) I worked for commercial accounts, seeing an alarm 10 minutes old was not a big deal pending on weather.

P.S. Vector Security and Guardian protection are both PA bassed opperations.

[stang1911]

I bought a system off of Homesecuritystore.com. Its a GE Concord 4 and it works great.
But.. since it will take State Troopers about 30min to get to my house I do not have it monitored. Its only around to wake me up in case someone does break into my house when i'm home. If i ever feel the need to have it monitored all i have to do is find a company to monitor it.

Could be a solution if you live far enough away that calling the police will do no good.

[Frenchy]

I bought a system off of Homesecuritystore.com. Its a GE Concord 4 and it works great.
But.. since it will take State Troopers about 30min to get to my house I do not have it monitored. Its only around to wake me up in case someone does break into my house when i'm home. If i ever feel the need to have it monitored all i have to do is find a company to monitor it.

Could be a solution if you live far enough away that calling the police will do no good.

If it has a dialler on it, and it should, hav eit dial your pager/cell phone, this way you can monitor when away from home.

[stang1911]

I would but we do not have a land line (I know,dont flame me). GE makes plug in modules for this reason but they are a little pricey. I really just wanted it for personal safety.

[ShakeyDad]

A couple of Rottwielers do just fine for me....(for the security issues, anyway).

[chesire17201]

A couple of Rottwielers do just fine for me....(for the security issues, anyway).

was my thinking too, I can't think of a better home security system then those four legged constant surveilance ones......especially if they have a loud "alarm"(bark)........and in most case their reaction time is only a few seconds .......