Home Workshops and Alarm Systems

I have just built a new home with a large basement where I have my shop. I had an alarm system installed and have magnetic detectors on my basement windows in addition to an alarm on my sump pump. I also have a motion detector upstairs in addition to the doors and windows covered and a radio control unit incase the power goes out. The system cost $1800 installed and a $22.50 monitoring fee per month.

My shop is 1/3 of the 3 car garage. I have a full monitored alarm system for the garage. it is part of the system that protects the house but is on a separate "domain", that allows me to arm or disarm it separately from the house. Front door to the shop, rear door to the garage and the sliding door between the garage and shop have contact switches, there is a motion detector in the shop to cover window entry. Alarm company was ADT but is now CPI. Also have heat detector in the shop (dust affects smoke detectors), smoke detector in the garage and in the 2nd floor craft room. these are all part of the same system and monitored.

I sleep better at night and I don't worry about the shop when I am away. In 9 years we have had 2 false alarms and the police response time was under 8 minutes both times.

BRuce

Upscale wrote:

Upscale asks:

Small dog in the house, shop 75' from bedroom window, #6 shot.

Charlie Self "Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching." Satchel Paige

In VA can you shoot them if they are not moving towards you?

BRuce

Charlie Self wrote:

\ / \ / |-------------#--| | | | FRONT | | | |----------------| / \ / \ Dave in Fairfax

BRuce responds:

Probably not. But if you yell at a guy and he turns towards you, how is anyone going to know he wasn't coming for you?

In truth, break-in type theft around occupied homes is a tiny problem in that area, though the shurf would have us think otherwise when he's up for re-election or when budget time dawns. Lots of dumbasses breaking into stores, stealing butts, beer and bucks and getting caught the next day, though.

Charlie Self "Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching." Satchel Paige

understood, works about the same way here in NC. We did have a big case a few years ago where a guy found a group of teens stealing stuff from his garage and shot one of them in the back. Case went to court and he was found guilty because they did not pose a threat to him but judge gave him a suspended sentence due to circumstances. I wouldn't want the aggravation of a court appearance so i would probably wait for them to com back for "seconds" and shoot them on the way in. :-)

BRuce

Charlie Self wrote:

Shop is set up with motion detectors, that set lights, horn and video. I'm in a rural setting where response time, might be hours.

Smile.....for the camera....and hope the fuzz find you, before I do.....

Cheers,

Andy

While this house was being built, I had the shop wide open out of necessity almost every day while working on cabinets, with all manner of characters on the building crews constantly walking by the shop and dog eying my tools. The "professional installation" quote from a local alarm company that was supposed to allow me to sleep at night was $1800+ for just two points of entry. Long story short, bought the parts and installed the system myself for around $350. I got a siren for the thing that would deafen a dead man ... and I made damn sure it went off 'accidentally a couple of times whenever a new crew showed up on site.

I USE BENCH DOGS!!!!

So did I.

Another point, monitoring is completely negotiable!

I have a major company that tries to raise my fee every quarter. I call them and tell them to close the account. Bingo! Back down to $17 a month again! My neighbors are paying $28 to the same company.

Remember, monitoring an alarm costs almost nothing, my $17 is better than zero, or at least _they_ think so!

Barry

I'm watching this thread with interest because I am just about to move from relatively safe VA (unless charlie's shootin at ya) to San Antonio where bars on the window are the norm.

This is obviously for protection against intruders coming in through the drain tile or storm sewer laterals.

Joe

Sounds like AT&T when I cancelled my cell phone account. They wouldn't give me what I wanted as a roaming area, so I dropped it. After I dropped it, they offered what I wanted, but by that time I realized I had just gotten rid of one more electronic PITA that I had no real need for.

Charlie Self "Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching." Satchel Paige

Don't kid yourself. A basement full of water is less fun than a swimming pool. And a problem with a sump pump can create great expense. We had a basement fire started by a fault sump pump this summer. I think the insurance company's total payout had to reach at least $40,000 for cleaning, repair, replacement.

Charlie Self "Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching." Satchel Paige

Keep in mind that cellular and landline phone companies, CATV, etc... have definite costs associated with each subscriber, like feature licenses, programming fees, cable, transmission, and switching equipment maintenance, contracts with out of area providers, all depending on the individual business.

My alarm system uses a circuit maintained by the phone company connected to equipment that is out of warranty. If I don't bring an alarm in, which I very rarely do, I'm literally just a database entry. The most expensive cost of doing business is probably mailing the bill! Plus, I'll bet these guys actually make money on an out of warranty service call.

Barry

Might look for game cameras on the web. They are digital cameras of varying cost hooked up to a motion sensor. If tucked away in a shop, they probably wouldn't be noticed. You might loose your stuff but you would have nice high res. photos of the bad guys.

A corollary to monitoring for theft is the potential for fire. My shop is in walled off section of a finished basement so, to me, fire is more of a concern then theft. I understand that fire/smoke monitors work my measuring the opacity of the air. I would expect these alarms would go off all the time because of the saw dust floating in the air. Do they have special monitors that can deal with the saw dust laden air?