Home Alarm System Question

[sixmilefalls]

I just renovated my home, and in the process I tore out the old Nutone security alarm system that was installed back in the early 1980s when the house was built.

I have been searching the internet for ideas and prices on a new system, and I have just about made up my mind to go with a company called Guardcom. Has anyone else purchased an alarm from this company? I found them at

and I also saw a less expensive at which is my second choice. I am leaning toward the guardcom system because I don't want to get trapped into a

3 year contract, but I cannot find any feed back on their service. Looking for any good or bad experiences.

JW

[Edwin Pawlowski]

The Guardcom system looks nice, but has some possible shortcomings. With motion detectors, how do you set the alarm at night while you are in the house? Can the panic mode be activated from other locations in the house? How well does the radio option work if you are some distance from the receiver? Will you maintain and replace the batteries in a timely manner? I do like the idea of no contract though.

The ADT system has had many complaints from customers over the years, mostly contract issues, but do some research. Check the BBB for complaints and types of complaints.

Do you have a local alarm service? We have on where I work and they monitor our business alarms as well as some of the homes of our employees. Look around before you jump into one of these systems.

[mm]

AIUI if you are going to have monitoring you should arrange with a monitoring company first, and I don't understand all that but maybe you have to go through a burglar alarm company to do this. At least, you have to find a monitoring company that won't insist that you do.

And my friend with a burglar alarm company gradually replaces all the burglar alarm central units with the same brand so that he only has to know the software for one company, and maybe only 1, 2, or 3 models althought I'm sure the company keeps all the models almost identical.

This means he can make simple and complicated changes without leaving his office, which of course means it's a lot quicker and cheaper (free in most cases) for the customer or he's a lot more willing to do it. Before phone commincation, hed have to come out and he'd charge for a service call much of hte time.

Of course you could do all the maintenance yourself, deciding on zones, letting the timer turn off the false alarms, or the monitor company call the police.

Have you thought about this. I'm curious how one does it with the montoring.

[RickH]

Most systems have 3 levels of passcode, user, installer, and master. The master, if they get into your system can do anything they want. The installer passcode can only do stuff needed to install and program the system set zones, etc. (but a dishonest installer can still come back and do damage if the master does not change the installer passcode later). User level gets the least abilities, and that password is given to the homeowner... Of couse if you install the hardware yourself then you can know all 3 pass codes, alarm company installed systems will not disclose your own installer and master passcodes to you, and should ensure that your installer cannot come back knowing the installer passcode. Any homeowner can have a user- installed system monitored by going direct to the same mega-call- centers that the big guys use, there are alarm monitoring services for do-it-yourselfer installed systems.