Posted on 10/13/2012 9:21:32 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
There has been a big wave of home burglaries in our town and area lately, so we are finally going to get a home alarm system. I'm thinking of going with a local guy who does old-fashioned wired systems and uses Napco equipment. Mrs. POF thinks alarms are a nuisance and, after talking with friends, thinks that we'll use if a few weeks and then stop using it. I'm used to arming and disarming the alarm at our small business office (her, too, at a different office), so I think we'll have the discipline to use it all the time.
What are your experiences with home alarms? Too many false alarms? Too many payments to the PD for false alarms? Do you use it all the time? Or did you stop using it? Has it foiled burglars? Do you use wired or wireless? Do you use a monitoring service?
All thoughts and info greatly appreciated.
POF
Sounds like we subscribe to the same school of thought on homeland security!
Yea more or less. My dad and I once built our own system though. A very basic and very reliable burgular alarm with a motor driven siren. We built it when I was about 14 years old out of some discarded relays he got from work.
The codes on my door aren't for the crooks benifit although it would make them stop and think LOL. It simply informs a cop, fireman, or parimedic, that in the event of a medical or fire emergency someone may be in the front bedroom and to do a welfare check. It's so they can get my wife out of the house. It also has two phone numbers one is my cell always with me. On the other hand if I had put up a wheelchair symbol outside that leaves her more vunerable. The codes only tell those who need to know what they need to know. Oh and she can single action a 38 SP I leave her with. When I'm home the 357's go back in. :>}
!
(AWW! just realized I didn’t get a Never Mind The Dog, Beware of Wife sign for our anniversary :-/)
Have you considered the travel kind? Several people on 2 other forums I belong to have recommended them in the past. My experiences with alarms & security companies have been less than stellar. My experience with car alarms in the 80s was a nightmare. Although 2 of my boys & one of my girls are dangerous, uncrated, to anyone who came in unexpectedly (or otherwise), I actually got armed to protect the dogs.
I’m assuming you want an alarm for the warning value, rather than a help-is-on-the-way.
The whole idea is to make your house look more difficult than the neighbors. Alarms work as do dogs but it depends on local conditions the dogs and you.
We’ve had an alarm for 14 years and recently had a breakin. We think its because the bushes had overgrown the sign. They weren’t in the house long probably due to the alarm. Internal measures also help by making it difficult to find valuables. They did take the $20 I left in a top drawer as a distraction but left the .45 sitting next to it. They also dropped my brand new HDTV in the driveway.
Cops responded quickly and cleared the house then left fingerprint powder everywhere. Then there’s the “how many guns do you have sir?” questions.
The best has chemical detection down to ppm single digits! And motion detection to pretty low levels. Mobile and hides in the shadows. At 105 lbs he is a bit large but he comes with significant, shall we say “offensive” capabilities, that are deterrent. Of course he eats quite a bit and one has to clean up poop. His name is Ryder. He is a Doberman.
“What are your experiences with home alarms?” Have used them since 2001.
“Too many false alarms? Too many payments to the PD for false alarms?” Never happened with us.
“Do you use it all the time? Or did you stop using it?” We arm all the time when leaving the house, and at night before bed. When DH travels and I’m home alone, I arm when inside.
“Has it foiled burglars?” Not sure; perhaps the signs have deterred potential burglars.
Do you use wired or wireless? We used wired because of our remote location; celluar isn’t dependable for the provider most security companise use.
“Do you use a monitoring service?” Yes.
Also, we have guns. In Tennessee, it seems that almost every home has guns. Just that knowledge alone should deter burglars, but there are areas were drugged out meth cookers don’t think logically and continue to rob homes.
Have ADT monitored as a deterrent. Have guns and ammo as a solution.
The only alarm systems I see advertised are good for white criminals who run away as soon as the alarm goes off.
I haven’t seen any advertised as good for black criminals who will rape, kill and rob you before the police show up.
About a year ago I read an article about how criminals love to break into houses with ADT signs in the yard.
The reason was that they could break into the house and it would take about 15 minutes before anyone came to investigate why the alarm went off.
It takes only 5 minutes to go to the master bedroom, get all of the goodies and leave.
I have a vicious mini-dachshund that is the best alarm one could have....and signs on my doors and windows stating that a break-in will result in death.
The alarm has run off burglars twice when we were on vacation. Ours ties into our Internet connection as well as the phone. Also cutting the line does not disarm the alarm.
The noise will be the deterrent. Response time is usually 15 minutes (from experience as a real estate agent showing homes where the alarm was supposed to be off). Burglars want quiet, no notice.
If it stops one burglary, it hasaid for itself many times over
Thanks, everybody, for all the great input and fun humor on a Sunday morning!
My alarm is also programmed to my cell phone, I told my 18 year old that I was called every time the alarm was tripped, which actually I am... but he still managed to have a one hour party, we were on a boat and the old deaf dog was with us!
Little Bastard!
Gotta say tho, I admired his iginuity!
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