[sdbob]

Since I'm alone now and live out in the country, I'm thinking seriously about security systems. When I'm away from home after dark.A friend recommended Ring(he lives in Latrobe with homes close). It has worked for him already. I live in a 1200 sq. ft. brick ranch on an acre of land with 2 detached garages. ADT was recommended on best security systems by this old house. Any help? Thanks Bob.

[tom s]

I dont have a security system as ADT.We got robbed Dec 2019 when we were out of town.I had 10 cameras on my property so I could go back and watch him carry my stuff out and put it in the bed of my truck and drive away.After I put a real alarm system on my 2 garages for when we are out of town and put a ring type system on my front door and on my back gate which covers most of my yard.It pings my phone which I leave on 24-7.It will ping on a cat,skunk etc.About a month or so ago at 3 AM I get pinged by the front door cam.There was a guy on my porch just looking around.I called 911 and reported it.The guy took a leak in the flower bed,went over pulled the hose and washed it off?Pitch dark but I could watch him on the camera.After about 15 min I had enough and turned the porch light on and he left.The house is not alarmed as I know my wife will either not set it or would forget and they would send the cops.Im sure ADT can set you up with a system you will like.Bye the way no police came to my door!Tom

[markpj23]

We used SImpli Safe for several years and it was a great system. Requires a monthly monitoring fee but you can cancel any time - no contract. Cameras can be viewed from your smartphone any time you want, alerts always came through immediately.

For less than $500 you could have a great system with all the bells & whistles you like. Bought the base system at Sam's for less than $200 as I recall. Was $25 per month for monitoring when we last used it. Sold the house is the only reason we don't use it now.

[Stuart]

I have a system that's monitored by a local company (in fact, their office is only about four blocks away) - I don't know if it makes a difference but I like the idea they're familiar with the neighborhood, while the big companies like ADT use a central monitoring site that's in some other state.

Video cameras are nice, but as pointed out above it basically lets you watch after the fact as they take your stuff. Door and window sensors are important too, to set off an alarm when they break in. Besides monitoring, include a LOUD siren in the house (as well as inside your garage or any other separate structures, which should also be tied into the alarm system.) Depending on your house's configuration and layout you may want strategically located motion detectors and maybe glass break detectors as well.

Besides monitoring for break-ins, the system should also include smoke and CO detectors, and other features like a floor flood sensor (in case the clothes washer hoses rupture) and a low temperature sensor (in case the furnace goes out) are nice to have too. In the garage, instead of a smoke detector use a rate-of-rise heat detector, since the dust and fumes you can expect in a garage can cause false alarms.

People will argue that a monitored system isn't necessary and you can have it just go to your cell phone, but if you're on vacation somewhere far away that won't help. It's actually more important in the event of a fire, since the smoke can incapacitate people who are sleeping.

[dataway]

Wondering, for those of you that have burglarized, are your houses visible from the road? Or could people load up your stuff relatively unseen from the road?

My house is 25' from the road, completely visible, although someone could drive around back of the house and load up there. I'm in full view of a couple neighbors across the street (whom I ask to watch the house while I am gone, as well as reporting our vacation times to the Sheriff). I leave porch lights on front and back of the house 24/7/365.

Always wondered if it's better to be close to the road in full view, or hidden down a driveway. I just have cameras I can view from my phone, when we are on vacation all my calls forward to wherever in the world I am.

[elefantrider]

Your building in direct view of your neighbors or the road is usually better than hidden, IMO.
Landlocked-in or on a cul de sac with only one access point is probably best.
Motion detection lights with PIR sensor are good. Blinking lights on camera is good also.
Perimiter dual beam motion sensors are best, as they avoid false alarms (due to sun, animals, etc).
Perimiter security when choosing which property to buy is one of my top criteria.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by dataway

Wondering, for those of you that have burglarized, are your houses visible from the road? Or could people load up your stuff relatively unseen from the road?

My house is 25' from the road, completely visible, although someone could drive around back of the house and load up there. I'm in full view of a couple neighbors across the street (whom I ask to watch the house while I am gone, as well as reporting our vacation times to the Sheriff). I leave porch lights on front and back of the house 24/7/365.

Are your neighbors home during the day? In my experience most burglaries occur during the daytime, when people are at work. I live in the city, in full view on a typical residential block; I haven't had any issues for 30 years, but when I did have break-ins they occurred in the daytime when there wasn't anyone around to see them.

[MidnightAuto]

X2 on simplisafe. Way better deal/service than adt last I checked.

[sdbob]

Thanks guys. I'll ck Monday.

[dataway]

Stuart ... I'd say 80% of the time one of my neighbors are home during the day, they are also frequently outside types. We always kind of monitor each others homes ... also snow blow each others drives etc depending on when it snows, mow each other's lawns if they are away. When we are away for a couple of weeks we leave keys with the neighbors to check on things if need be, or even go in my shop and use something if they need to.

Reason I ask is I'll be moving in the next couple of years ... wondering what kind of "lay of the land" or arrangement I might want to create for security going forward. Most likely it would be a large lot .. 20+ acres something like that. I'm hoping for visible, but far off the road (like a small hill), with secure driveway gate at the road.

[Aluminum Chief]

I use ADT and also have 3 Arlo camera's that can be viewed on my cell.

[tom s]

All 12 of my cameras can be viewed on my phone.Because I live with a alley behind my garage I have a license plate camera like is used in parking garages.At night it centers on and reads the license plate.Came in handy when my neighbor behind me was robbed and we had not only the perp on camera but had his license plate.Police caught the guy at a 7-11.Did get a convection on him.Tom

[JSchmitz]

We have a pretty comprehensive Simplisafe system. Have been very please with it. Easy to install. Support is great.

[vertigto]

If you want to monitor yourself, consider Eufy. You get notifications (also when you are away/out of state) and can notify authorities. Local storage and no fees.

[JSchmitz]

We get a break on our homeowner's insurance because it's monitored for security and fire.

[West Coast GTO]

Have used ADT on two previous homes... good service on both but pricey. Present home has an extensive Simply Safe system with camera, 13 window/ door sensors, two motion sensors and fire/ carbon monoxide detectors. $15 per month monitoring to your phone and local sheriffs office. You don't have to have the system monitored if you don't want to. Works great!

[JSchmitz]

We had two accidental alarms early after installation. The cops were there in a couple of minutes. Amazing!

[John Milner]

I use Simplisafe on my house and shop. It seems to work well and is cheap. You can view your cameras from your phone and set/turn off your alarm with your phone. All you need is a good internet source for the system. The only complaint I have is that the motion detector is sometimes a little too sensitive and will set off the alarm sometimes. Not a big deal though.

[sdbob]

Lady across the road has ADT.Her husband passed before my wife(cancer). So a rep is coming to evaluate my home and 2 detached garages and give me a quote. I do not want problems after I install the system. I'll then see their price and go from there. Thank you guys.

[sdbob]

The co I've used for heating and cooling recommended Guardian so they also are coming to evaluate my needs and give me a price. My homeowners insurance will give me a discount but they want a certificate and monitoring. I cannot do it myself.Thanks again guys for all the info