# alarm system unmonitored recommendations



## ryanb4614

Hello. I will be starting a new job where I will be on call. I will be leaving in the middle of the night a lot. U want to secure the house with a little extra security for piece of mind while I'm not home and my wife and kids are home. Is there any alarms out there I can install wireless, monitor from smart phones? Be notified if a sensor goes off?


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## ryanb4614

Also have a dog that sleeps with us and is in a room by itself during the work day. Cat has full access to the house


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## user1007

I think this got lost. There are a number of smartphone and otherwise wireless alarm and home control systems out there now so shop around. Even Best Buy has some. Locksmiths may have brands they can recommend or explore online. Ask your local police department if they have a list of systems. 

Obviously motion detectors will be troublesome with pets moving around but you can still put in a nice barrier system with door and window sensors fairly inexpensively. 

A loud local siren is still a great feature. Nothing beats having motion controlled lights outside too. Trim away hedges that provide hiding places. Pin windows so they only open so far, etc. You know those drills I am sure. 

Something like a simple x-10 controller where lights can be flipped on all over the house is a great thing to think about too.


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## gregzoll

Let the dog have the whole house. Best insurance money can buy. You can also if you wish, invest in security cameras, that alert you of any motion. Personally if you live in a bad neighborhood or rental building that people are watching your comings and goings, your best thing to do is the following:

1) Let the dog have the roam of the house.

2) Install 3" screws one per hinge, also install 3" screws in the latch plate and dead bolt plate, to help secure from someone trying to kick in the door.

3) Do not post on Facebook or Twitter when you are leaving, or what you are doing, especially if you have not secured those accounts, to friends only.

4) Do not go around talking that you leave at a moments notice, especially that you are on call. No one needs to know that. If they need to get a hold of you, that is what your cellphone is for, or text message.

5) Work with neighbors to keep an eye out on each others properties. Get to know who lives around you, by walking around and when you see someone out in their yard, go introduce yourself and make small talk, to see what goes on around the neighborhood, and also to find out who the nosy neighbors are, who are home during the day, which actually work in your favor. Also find out who the night owls are, that also can come into your best interest, in keeping an eye out on the neighborhood.

6) Never go around at work, or the neighborhood bragging what you do or what you have in the house. No one but you needs to know this. Same goes with how much you make.

The less you throw out items of interest, the less chance you have of the wrong people finding out. Same goes with having someone watching out for you, when you are gone (ie your dog), and the IP cameras do help, especially if you just want to check in on the pets, while gone.


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## Red Squirrel

I got randomly picked to get a free GE Simon XT security system through Protectron and I pay around 45/mo for monitoring. I was thinking of a DIY system before they came, and thinking back I probably would have ended up going that route, but having a full monitoring centre does give you better piece of mind as you wont always be by your phone (ex: if you go on vacation) so in a way I would recommend a monitoring solution. Also, I'm not sure how police handle a situation where you call and you are not home. They may see it as you not being in danger and it wont be treated as high priority but if a monitoring company calls they're more obligated to... I could be wrong on this, but something to think about. 

Try to find a local company and not the super well known ones like ADT. I'm sure they are good and all, but the really good crooks probably know those systems inside out and know how to bypass them. If you have an oddball system that nobody has there's less chance of them being able to, though that's also security through obscurity so you don't want to actually depend on that fact.. make sure the system still works good. Test it now and then, and consider all the scenarios, when picking where to place sensors. I'm a fan of motion sensors placed in key areas, vs relying only on door/glass sensors. Glass break sensors can be bypassed by prying the window open or using a glass cutter, latch sensors can be bypassed by using a glass cutter or breaking the window. Pretty hard to defeat a motion sensor. So have latch sensors on doors AND motion sensors. Some alarm systems will also monitor fire, CO2 and water.


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## raylo32

Lots of ways to do this but you should reconsider monitoring. I DIY'ed a full Ademco system about 15 years ago and had a local company monitor. But about 2 years ago I switched the monitoring to AlarmRelay that costs only about $10 per month. This works over our Internet connection with a specifically provisioned VoIP box they give you. The service is outstanding and rapid as you will discover if you accidently trip your alarm.

There are many consumer friendly alarm systems out there like GE Simon and Honeywell that you can DIY and set up to be monitored by AlarmRelay or somesuch. I would stay away from the full proprietary setups like Red has because the monitoring is very $$. Also the ADTs and such lock you into very expensive monitoring. That is the easiest way to go for most folks but understand the long term costs. I am pretty sure you can also set up the Honeywell to be monitored personally with text and/or e-mail messages. But there are time when you may not be in a position to receive them, so to me a less than ideal setup. 

Cameras are another good add-on. IP cams can be set up on your network and will send text messages and pictures upon motion detection. Also easy to set up to record for post-event forensics. I have mine on a 2 week retention cycle.


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## raylo32

Oh, and most alarms systems can be had with pet immune motion detectors. They have settings that allow them to ignore up to say 50 pounds or whatever. So unless you are to be burgled by little people they should work fine.

Here is the system I installed for my GF. It can be set up to be monitored via a phone line or has an optional wifi communicator. Either way can work with AlarmRelay. And I believe you can set it up for self monitoring if you want but you'd need to look at the manual to be sure.

http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-...source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla


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## md2lgyk

I have had security systems, monitored and unmonitored, in five or six of my houses over the years. Trust me, they are far more trouble than they are worth. Never once in 30+ years of having the things was there a real - every single one was accidental. Every person living in the house, kids included, needs to know how to set and reset the system, and exactly what to say when the monitoring company calls after it's gone off. If there's no answer, or whoever they're talking to doesn't know the pass code, that guarantees a visit from the police. Maybe EMS too.

Another thing to consider is response time. I live in a very rural area. Reasonal police response is on the order of 30-45 minutes. If it's normal working hours, EMS response could be even longer since all the local fire departments are volunteer units and their members have day jobs.

The dog idea is a reasonble one if you happen to like dogs. I don't. In fact, I can't stand to be around them, any of them. If I'm away from home (rare now that I'm retired) I don't worry too much about the wife and break-ins or undesirables roaming about. We have numerous firearms (some hers) and she's quite adept at using them. She has, more than once, confronted a trespasser and tactfully suggested (not) that they leave the area. Thus far, thank God, the only thing she's had to actually shoot was a vicious dog. This solution is most certainly not for everyone, as there are moral, legal, and practical considerations to take into account whenever anyone makes the decision to own firearms. Just saying it's an option.


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## christopherbrit

I see what your problem is, You can use Honeywell Lynx Touch L5100, Here is a youtube video review to give you insights about it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FabqPS6ZBgE


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