Thinking about an alarm system for our house - cost? recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Hi there,
We're moving to a new neighborhood and though we've never had an alarm before, I am thinking about having one installed at our new house.

Can anyone give me a ballpark sense of what they cost? Also, other than ADT, who else should we call? (or not call!) Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Brinks is one.

I haven't had one in almost 10 years now, but one thing I would do if I were to get one again is to call the local police department and ask them which company has the fewest false alarms. You get charged for them in MoCo if the police respond to more than one false alarm I think.

I'd also go with the cheapest package they offer unless you are moving to a truly high-crime area. The presense of an alarm system, and most of all the signs you post on your windows and property, are a huge deterrent in themselves.

[Anonymous]

We just got an alarm system after a burglary. Definitely do it - I don't know why we never gave it much thought until after our break-in. We ended up going with ADT - my husband was very big on having a system with pressure sensors on the windows and doors so that the alarm would go off before someone was actually in the house. I think this is overkill, but nothing like a burglary (while you're at home, in our case) to make you completely crazy. The nice part is that they can and will customize the settings to your preferences - we've stuck with what they proposed but it's a pretty nifty digital system that can be tweaked in all kinds of ways. We paid about $2k for installation and monthly fees somewhere under $100/month (I just don't remember the exact rate.)

BTW Brinks is now called Broadview. There are a lot of other firms that people seem happy with, but when I posted here I mostly received recommendations (mostly good, a few bad) for ADT. Drive around your new neighborhood and look for signs for other firms. We got three quotes but went with ADT.

[Anonymous]

I got an ADT system, alarmed about 8 windows, 2 doors, plus one motion sensor, paid about $1125 for the system and about $30 a month. I sleep so great now! Totally worth it.

[Anonymous]

We also love our ADT system.

The one warning - they quoted us a price for basic installation, but when they come to install, they will then offer you extras which jack up the price. We did want a few of the extras, including having the sensors on windows.

But I still think it is a fair price. Once you get the installation which other people have quoted, it is a reasonable amount every month.

[Anonymous]

Some folks in our neighborhood use Vector Security

[Anonymous]

We have been happy with ADT. We put sensors on all the doors and windows on the basement and 1st level and a few upstairs windows (above the porch roof) and had a few motion sensors installed. It was maybe $1600, which they broke up into three monthly payments. Monitoring is $32 (incl. tax) per month, which includes the warranty. Without the warranty, I think it was $24/ month. We get a discount through USAA.

I regularly see specials on installation for ADT in those flyers you get in the mail.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks! I searched the archives and it looked like ADT was the one to avoid...so maybe times have changed. Interesting!

[Anonymous]

Some VERY bad press out there about ADT, including right now. See if you can find recent article about ADT system alleged to have been improperly installed, didn't work as expected, and mom and boyfriend were murdered by the guy she'd bought the security system to protect against. Lawsuit currently pending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have been happy with ADT. We put sensors on all the doors and windows on the basement and 1st level and a few upstairs windows (above the porch roof) and had a few motion sensors installed. It was maybe $1600, which they broke up into three monthly payments. Monitoring is $32 (incl. tax) per month, which includes the warranty. Without the warranty, I think it was $24/ month. We get a discount through USAA.

I regularly see specials on installation for ADT in those flyers you get in the mail.

Another thought...if ADT is so awesome, why all the hard work advertising and "specials" all the time? A good system should need less advertising because it would have better word of mouth reputation (one would think).

[Anonymous]

Anyone with experience using Brinks/Broadview? We're interested in an alarm system as well, and have had good experience with Brinks, but in another state.

[Anonymous]

Would love to hear more opinions about non-ADT companies. We used to have ADT but after we moved they kept taking the money from my credit card account - if took me over a dozen phone calls to get them to stop taking the money and a few more to get the money refunded. In the end, when I told them this was the last phone call and I would put a claim in through my credit card, then like magic I was refunded the next day! I will never use them again, it was such an unpleasant customer service experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brinks is one.

I haven't had one in almost 10 years now, but one thing I would do if I were to get one again is to call the local police department and ask them which company has the fewest false alarms. You get charged for them in MoCo if the police respond to more than one false alarm I think.

I'd also go with the cheapest package they offer unless you are moving to a truly high-crime area. The presense of an alarm system, and most of all the signs you post on your windows and property, are a huge deterrent in themselves.

This is a totally excellent suggestion. We're planning on one ourselves and I was worried about this very issue. THANKS!

[Anonymous]

We've been happy with Crimpco. It came with the house, so I don't know about installation costs, but we pay about $63 quarterly for monitoring, etc. They've always been responsive, and we have peace of mind.

[Anonymous]

Is there a difference for those living in the district vs Maryland or VA?