House Alarms

ToeJam · December 5, 2003

My neighbor next door got broken into today. I was hoping not to have to get a house alarm, but now I'm thinking a little bit of extra security might be good.

What do people have and recommend? I know these security places are bigger clowns than auto dealers, so what should I watch out for? A good friend of mine got his house alarm installed (perimeter only) for free as long has he signed up for two years of service (something like $29 per month).

bigdogs · December 5, 2003

My alarm is 2 mastiffs...

chevy4x4trucks · December 5, 2003

Depending upon what you get you'll be paying a minimum of 30 bucks a month.

When my old office got wired up (residential neighborhood and got residential rates) it was 35 bucks a month and we got a free install by haggling with the guy. It was a good deal since they took the whole day to install it.

But, it consisted of one entry pad at the back door, three door sensors, one motion detector in the basement and one in the main hall, and three smoke alarms.

I wouldn't pay more than 100.00 for the install and most places will waive that. But, you can expect to pay about 30 a month for monitory.

Look into the big nationwide chains like ADT and Brinks Home Security. Talk to a rep. Most places won't give you a quote w/o seeing the house.

Like you said, they are like a used car salesman so don't be scared to haggle with them and get some added perks.