What do you have? How do you like it? What seems to be a waste? how much do you pay?
When my daughter moved into her apartment we paid for Frontpoint Security: the equipment and maybe the first month or two. Found the company easy to work with and without a sales push on items daughter didn’t need. My daughter pays the monthly charge now. She’s happy with the set-up. She can lock and unlock with her cell phone, turn on a light if she’s late coming home, and otherwise monitor everything. The security signs on her doors may be a deterrent in themselves. Best thing is that she can take the components and reset up when she moves. (Apt. maintenance has their own code when they need to enter.)
https://www.frontpointsecurity.com
We decided the system was worth looking into after one of her coworker’s apt. was burglarized.
*We have an older home security system (not wireless) but I like my daughter’s better.
Thanks!
We were considering the SimpliSafe system, which was generally well-reviewed, until this: http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/02/hopelessly-broken-wireless-burglar-alarm-lets-intruders-go-undetected/
We had ADT for many years, and for most of those did not ever arm it… until we were broken into in the middle of the night when we were at home. Not only did we start using it, we upgraded and added lots of equipment. We had the alarm system, window opening detectors on the first floor, glass break detectors on first floor, motion sensors in basement near window wells, camera at front door, rear patio door and one covering main living area on first floor. We had keypad locks on the front door and garage door (door from garage into the house). And about a year ago I added a feature that allowed me to open and close our outside garage door remotely. Then we had the typical fire and carbon monoxide detectors as well as a water sensor near the sump pump in the basement. We used everything religiously, setting the alarm every night. We also had some lights, both in and out, on remote control, so we could set them to come on and go off at certain times of the day. The inside lights could be set to random when we were away so there would be no predictable pattern if anyone was watching the house. We could control all of this stuff with the app on our phone, and it did come in handy many times (check to see when people came and went in our house, such as contract workers, housekeeper, etc.). When our house was on the market this last fall, we could tell when they came and left by monitoring their movement in/out our front door camera. So if someone was due to see the house from 2-2:30, but they arrived at 2 and left at 2:15, we’d know from watching our phones it was OK to go home early.
We also had a backup for the system for times when we lost power, so it still worked then. I want to say by the end of our contract, we were paying around $75/month for monitoring.
However, ADT nailed us - when we added a lot of equipment a year and a half ago (after the burglary), our new contract was for three years, until August 2017. When I called to tell them that we wanted to cancel our contract because we were moving, they said we were still accountable for the contract, even though I told them we felt we no longer needed a security system in a locked condo building. So we have to pay 75% of our remaining contract, which I was enormously unhappy with. I can see if we were moving to another single-family home, but a locked condo building? And on a second floor? We didn’t realize they would do this, and included all the security equipment in the contract to the buyers of our home. They did offer a credit toward start up of a new security system at our new place, but again, we don’t need all the stuff we had at the old place and I don’t know how they determine the difference between what we had there and what we might be willing to do here (carbon monoxide detector, and maybe keypad on front door). I told them I was so upset with their unwillingness to cancel our contract due to the move that if I ever were in need of security system again, I would not be using them. It’s not like we moved, then chose another security system. We’re just choosing not to have one anymore - no longer feel the need in a second floor condo.
My DH absolutely hate the thought of being locked into a 3 year contract. Thanks for telling your story.
We also bought FrontPoint for our D’s little cottage. We had an excellent experience.
We did have to sign a 3 year contract. BUT: You can take the equipment wherever you move, since you buy it.
We have just the little cottage under contract. The buyer wants to buy the equipment, and Frontpoint will allow a transfer of the contract over to the new buyer, for a one time fee of $69. We are very satisfied.
We have ADT - I don’t think we ever had to sign a lengthy contract - just month to month. They did say since our equipment is all wireless that we could take it with us if we moved.
We have dogs. Loud, loud dogs :).
I like it a lot, except when the neighbor kids play ding dong ditch at 1:30 in the morning and the dogs go ape at the doorbell.
Seriously, though, this house is wired for a security system and has CO detectors and hardwired smoke alarms. I have it set that when a door or window is opened or closed it beeps. We don’t use a security company, though. I can arm it if I want to, but this neighborhood is very close in terms of people knowing each other and literally having homes very close together-we notice when something’s not right at each other’s houses.
If the girls ever have their own apartments I’ll get security systems for them-probably the Nest or the Netgear Arlo. I want them to be able to see inside their home when they’re not home.
I have ADT. I got it around the time of my divorce fearing that a single woman with a young child might appear to be an easy mark. That was almost 20 years ago. I have not upgraded. I use it ALL the time. It’s armed when I’m inside and armed when I leave. I live in the boonies, so it’s hardly a high crime area (though there was a horrific home invasion in one of the similarly-sleepy neighboring towns a few years back.) I pay ~$40/month. I consider it well worth it for the peace of mind. I understand that if a professional thief really wants to get in, they’ll find a way, but they’re the ones who’ll do it when I’m not home. I’m hoping the garden variety dishonest whatever will either be deterred by the stickers or frightened off by the alarm.
I’m not keen on giving my cell phone control of locking/unlocking my house. It would be nice, however, if I could turn on lights before I arrived. But I plan to downsize within the next year or two, so I’ll probably investigate security systems and their various options then.
We had one, but let the membership lapse since we never used it. I have an irrational fear of alarms
( maybe because I have set them off more than once in our businesses ) The sign remains saying we are covered
We have a basic ADT system that came with our house, so it’s probably pretty old technology as our home was built in the mid 80’s. It has a home setting and an away setting - home meaning you can move about freely but just can’t open doors, and away meaning that the motion detectors on the first floor are additionally activated. When we go to bed, we put it on away since none of us are really the type to get out of bed and go downstairs during the night. Honestly, though, we sometimes forget or neglect to activate it when we leave or when we go to bed.
We have an ADT system. I activate it every night.
Added bonus- when the kids were home (or when they visit), they knew to set the alarm when they get home. So I always knew what time they got in!
Is everyone’s just an alarm, or does activation go to the police?
Alarm + activation. Hey, you’re not trying to break into my house are you???!!! 
Alarm plus activation that goes to the police.
Haha! I’m going to start researching these companies. I hate getting into yet another fixed yearly exoense. I’m going to look into the wireless also…but sometimes the Internet is interrupted, but not usually. I’ve just thought what is the purpose of it not going to the police? DH thinks it’s false security, but I think that’s not true. It IS security. Yes, a big guard dog is the best, but I don’t want to take care of a dog.
I watched a show on Oprah years ago and she had a professional thief on the show who works with law inforcement. He said the biggest deterrents were dogs and security systems. 95% of breaking were through the front door!
We had adt when we first moved in. But it terrified my daughter when someone would inadvertently open the door to let the dog out and forget to turn it off.
The real issue though is if the alarm goes off it goes to adt, then they call on the phone, then they call the police. I had it at my office and it took the police 20 minutes to make it to my office. In 20 minutes someone could do a pretty good job at cleaning you out.
Our break-in happened through the back door (either the lock didn’t ‘catch’ the last time we closed it for the night, or H forgot to lock it - we didn’t have a chance to ask the thief!). Anyway, the police told us the majority of daytime break-ins happen during the day, but at night, they just go around from backyard door to backyard door, trying back doors until they find one open.