Poll: Home security System

[DB is Here]

My home security system is 7 years old and covers just the bare minimums such as doors but no windows.

Curious what others are using and would you recommend it and why?

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[Oregonhunter5]

I heard vivint is pretty good. Or this.

 

[ron]

Simplisafe we have had for 4 years. No issues great easy system to install. I
install one for a friend. Motion sensors, door/window sensors and smoke detectors.
Monitoring system uses cell phone. If you live in a cell phone dead zone it will not work.

 

[DB is Here]

Simplisafe we have had for 4 years. No issues great easy system to install. I
install one for a friend. Motion sensors, door/window sensors and smoke detectors.
Monitoring system uses cell phone. If you live in a cell phone dead zone it will not work.

It uses your cell carrier, for instance I have AT&T? Curious about this.

 

[ron]

No it uses it's own cell connection.

 

[DB is Here]

No it uses it's own cell connection.

Gotcha, I'll read up on that. Thank you.

 

[Alexx1401]

My home security system is 7 years old and covers just the bare minimums such as doors but no windows.

Curious what others are using and would you recommend it and why?

Simplisafe. Everyone I have gotten to try it loves it. Simple to set up, simple to use, best part is it works for people who rent or own. You can turn the service off any time, back on again. Move? You just take it with you. The guy who came up with the idea really hit on a great idea.

 

[DB is Here]

Simplisafe. Everyone I have gotten to try it loves it. Simple to set up, simple to use, best part is it works for people who rent or own. You can turn the service off any time, back on again. Move? You just take it with you. The guy who came up with the idea really hit on a great idea.

I've been leaning that way too, appreciate the feedback.

 

[Joe13]

I was an installer for years and this is my take on the new systems...

They want your monthly fee and they are expensive for large coverage. Just my 2¢.


IF you have internet and a smart phone then this is the way I went and have set others up with:

Buy a camera system with a DVR (Costco sells them down to the $250 range and they are good).

I'll use my house as an example of how to set it up and use it:

1 camera covers the front door and windows (during set up you get a grid like graphing paper and select the places you want covered and exclude places you don't)

1 camera covers the basement door, back door and windows

1 camera covers the entire basement

1 camera covers the outside front door and driveway

Plug it into the internet.

Turn all notifications on your phone off.

Turn the notifications from your camera system on and make the ring tone something that will wake you up at night or you can hear in a loud environment.

Now you have a no reoccurring fee, security system with cameras so you can see what's going on with your phone and you make the call to police if needed. It also gives you video you can use in court (as long as it's time stamped but that's the norm). It will also work with a tablet, laptop or computer (you can even connect a cheap PC to your big screen TV).

You can also give the code to a close neighbor or friend for when your out of town. All a monitoring service does is collect a check and call the police/fire department etc. You get billed if it's a false alarm. In most places a "security" system has to have a yearly permit to help offset the amount of false alarms that are the norm with those systems. A camera system is not technically a security system the way they define them.


***Things this won't work with:

Animals that roam the house.

Young kids that roam the house.

Anyone in your home that doesn't have a smart phone and would need to turn the alerts on and off (this could be worked with if you set things up correctly).




I tried to simplify the above but it really isn't all that hard to use or install. I'd be happy to help you if you want to PM me any questions or even send me a sketch of your floor plan and we could go over it on the phone in 30 min or less.

 

[DB is Here]

***Things this won't work with:

Animals that roam the house.

Interesting idea, but I do have a dog. I've also had someone come into my home at 3am armed as I slept...so a loud alarm would help me sleep a bit better.

 

[Alexx1401]

I've been leaning that way too, appreciate the feedback.

As mentioned the one place it has problems is if there is no cell service for it but that's getting rare now days. Like all "Tech" this stuff has come light years in a matter of just a few years. Damn things are so cheap and so good now, and so easy to use. I well remember not long ago when it was a HUGE PITA to get the system, have it installed,then teach everyone how to use it, and of course a contract. Now you get one of these, put it in, and set it up. We have the camera's too that we can set to contact us when motion is detected. Damn things were around $100 for 4 camera's. When we are not at home we can look in and even talk to the animals from anyplace that has cell service. Amazing how well it works and how cheap it is.

 

[Alexx1401]

Interesting idea, but I do have a dog. I've also had someone come into my home at 3am armed as I slept...so a loud alarm would help me sleep a bit better.

Damn! All kinds of motion detectors you can get cheap now to use when you are home. Of course you have to make sure the other half remembers to not set them off if they get up in the night for a snack or such

 

[TDH]

I have an Abode system, goabode.com - three different monitoring options. Self install, easy to setup, add new items when needed, and I have it do automation stuff as well.

 

[DB is Here]

I have an Abode system, goabode.com - three different monitoring options. Self install, easy to setup, add new items when needed, and I have it do automation stuff as well.

So a direct competitor to Simplisafe? I'll check it out.

 

[pdxparabellum]

Can speak to only the video surveillance on the product and vendor level: These products in the poll are all great when it comes to actual hardware and GUI...but is that what keeps you safe at the end of the day? Your data should be your main concern here - and where you store it. Regarding the hardware - there are tons of high-quality alternatives out there. Most are really no more difficult to configure than the ones that are mentioned in the poll. It is worth hiring a security professional if you cannot install it yourself - this is your safety which should have no price tag.

I strongly recommend ADT, cannot speak to Comcast other than the technology is cool. Comcast is a media company. ADT is a dedicated security company with decades of experience. Customer service with them is fantastic. (I don't have them, but working in the security field interacting with them has been excellent.) You will have 24/7 access to your data (even in a legal situation) as you will most likely have a redundant local and clouded storage.

In regards to using other manufacturer's data storage (mentioned in the poll) - definitely do NOT. You're surrendering your data and possibly the access to it - to storage not solely controlled by you. Point it to secure storage - or better yet buy a generic high resolution camera that suits your needs (PTZ, IP, etc.) For a small home, Amcrest cameras with every service and port turned off other than MAC address filtering (to only let you in) pointed to cloud storage you know is secure and accessible - does the job. There are tons of guaranteed-accsess, always secure cloud data out there. Camera manufacturers are definitely not one of them.

Do not cloud your video stream to manufacturer locations unless they are a dedicated security company, not a camera seller or popular hardware brand name. We have no idea how secure those servers are, and how accessible it makes your now front-facing video stream.

My last piece of advice is - try to use local storage that is securely installed. When this is done correctly it is the safest measure you can take while utilizing video surveillance. NVRs (Network Video Recorder) and hard drives are getting smaller and smaller these days, so physically securing them is becoming easier.

 

[uberguy]

Another vote for Simplisafe (former ADT subscriber). Have 2, primary and secondary homes, bought one for my son in Seattle too. 3-4 yrs at primary location, 2 yrs at secondary. Would never go back to ADT.

 

[bgdawgrr]

I have a different system at home, but my vote is for Simply Safe. Used them when I flipped houses. System is mobile if that matters, and very customizable. Also on cellular, so outlining areas can still be covered.
I'm pretty over the top when it comes to security. I'd rather have no system than an incomplete one. Don't like false sense of security. Because of that, being able to add sensors on my own is important. Every slider gets one and every door. I want to be able to add them myself. Also don't like to depend on motion sensors.

 

[cigars]

so a loud alarm would help me sleep a bit better.

Wouldn't a loud alarm keep you up?

 

[DB is Here]

Wouldn't a loud alarm keep you up?

Damn...Where you been Capt Obvious?

 

[CountryGent]

Our alarm system (entry and fire) is through ADT. Had it for about six years and no major complaints. Camera system is one we installed ourselves, but on the list is to upgrade to one ADT offers.