Home Security

[slkHORN]

So... im moving once again, staying in houston but into a new town home and this time around, since i'm buying, i wanted to install a home security system. Not me personally, but have one installed. Anyway, i know there are the standard service, ADT, Brinks, etc etc, but i was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions. Thanks!

 

[midtown]

Here is my home security system.

 

[slkHORN]

haha, yeah i thought about that but i really don't care for dogs. Too much work, and in the long run I think they end up costing more.

 

[Campus Loop(y)]

I use ADT and am happy with it. I would suggest using the cell phone type dialing system. It basically does not rely on a land line. Technically a would be thief can snip your phone line and it won't dial out. But it will still sound the very loud siren meaning that a neighbor or passer by would. So they would have to know your house very well and know that there will likely be witnesses to their leaving if not cops.

The cell phone avoids this. Bottom line is if somebody wants something you have bad enough and are talented enough, they will get it. But the chances of a thief of this level going after you are pretty slim. Not enough to risk it, no offense and just assuming.

There are measures you can take to also make it harder to even get to the point of triggering the alarm. Things like proper lighting, secure windows, thorn bushes or items in front of easy access or low visibility windows, stuff like that.

For me ADT is a great peace of mind in that the fire alarm system is awesome. It detects the heat before the smoke detector would go off. This contacts the fire department long before they would otherwise by neighbors. This feature alone makes it worth it to me. The security system is bonus as far as I am concerned.

Find somebody in Houston who has ADT and let them be the ones who referred you (maybe others out of town can do it too) so they get their free month of service.

Let us know what you decide on, why and the cost so that others can have something to go on for future questions. Good luck.

 

[EuroHorn]

I use Brinks but I have the land line version. I am not sure if they have a cell phone monitoring like Loopy describes but that would be the way to go. The only reason I have a regular phone is because of Brinks monitoring. Also, if you use a land line for monitoring and you have DSL, then you may need some type of filter, otherwise the two can interfere with each other.

 

[wolfman]

I have Brinks and a big dog and have not been robbed in the 8 years that I have been in my house while 4 other close neighbors have been robbed in that time. Maybe Im just lucky, but none of those 4 homes had an alarm or a dog. Whatever alarm system you get, advertize that you have it. Brinks gives out decals and Im sure that most others do too. Let a thief know that there is an alarm to be dealt with. Im sure he would rather deal wiht a house that does not have an alarm at all so that he can take his time.

Also you will want to look at hardening your house. Making it less inviting to burglers. You should do things like putting easily removable window locks(not key locks in case of fire), sliding door jambs, trimming the hedges back from your windows and putting in some outdoor lighting to make you house more viable at night. You may want to talk to the police for some advice too. In my city the police will do free security audits to help you see the things that you need to do to improve home security.