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off topic, Home security systems

Nevada carrier

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Messages
1,293
Location
The Epicenter of Freedom
I'm finalizing the purchase of my first home soon and I'm considering various home security service providers. One thing that I'm noticing is they all want to bump me up to systems with all the bells and whistles, at "no charge" in exchange for signing a contract for 36 months. granted they are giving me a lot of equipment, as much as I wish I could get a shorter contract it just doesn't look like any of them will budge on that. This isn't what really made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. When speaking to a rep from CRS, I asked how they confirm an alarm activation in order to request a police response. He replied that they don't dispatch a guard to respond and confirm a break in before calling police, instead he said "our monitoring center will activate the microphones in the control pads and attempt to hear if there is a burglary in progress.

This really bugged the **** out of me because I can't imagine that someone working in the monitoring facility isn't going to get bored and decide to listen in on the goings on inside peoples homes. Much worse, my inner conspiracy theorist is asking, how do I know the government isn't using these systems to get homeowners to bug their own homes for them?

Does anyone else share my concerns? recommendations? I'm almost tempted to just offer the ADT guy $20 to leave me some window decals and a yard sign and leave it at that.
 

twoskinsonemanns

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Messages
2,326
Location
WV
Hey I don't think your paranoid for a second. But I think a very basic system is a great plus.
Something without the direct intercom.... That's a little creepy. Get a setup where if there is an alarm they try to contact you. If they can't, they send the cops, that's the deal.

I mean what, if they activate the mics and don't hear anything convincing they forget it?
Get what you want, not what they want you to have.
 

Frantic84

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2012
Messages
183
Location
Las Vegas, NV
you can get all the signs you need at your local hardware store or gun shop. you could buy and independent system and wire it into your land line to send you a text when your system gets an alert.

they also run a background/credit check when you sign your contract.
 

Merlin

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
487
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Before you let any company in your door, make sure you do some serious internet searches for the company and the individual persons names. A friend just recently had a system installed, and it turns out the sales guy is a felon, and the owner of the company recently bailed him out of jail. I'll get the names and post here.



Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2
 

Nevada carrier

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Messages
1,293
Location
The Epicenter of Freedom
One thing I checked before any rep walked into my home was their sheriff's card. All of them had one. No card, no entry. One other step I'm taking is to have things like blinds, appliances and security installed prior to actually moving in so no one can case my belongings. This is also one of those times when I do not divulge that I own firearms and CC during these consultations. If they pass on what they learn about me and my belongings to a second story crew and they know I own and carry a gun, they'll likely be armed or be targeting my firearms during a burglary.

Logically, this is the time when I feel most vulnerable to being cased. I'll have a lot of different people in and out of my home for one reason or another, any of them could be corrupted or corruptible; movers, deliverymen, installers, etc. You better believe my AR will be near me at all times during the first month or so.
 

The Big Guy

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
1,966
Location
Waco, TX
In my opinion the best home alarm system is a big ugly dog followed by an even bigger uglier shotgun...

TBG
 

Nevada carrier

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Messages
1,293
Location
The Epicenter of Freedom
New technology, as much as it makes life better, easier and more convenient also tends to make us more vulnerable. The sales guy wants me to sign a 3 year contract for monitoring that will cost me $1800 in monthly service charges. In return, they're willing to give me (at no cost) a $5000 system. The system features the a for mentioned two way voice, cellular redundant communication link, and the ability to arm and disarm my system from my iPhone.

First, I f the system costs $5000 retail to buy outright, who's picking up the $3200 difference? Makes me suspect that there may be interested third parties that would really love to have me willingly bug my own home for them; any one of the alphabet soup of government departments, DHS, FBI, NSA, DEA, CIA and IRS are all likely candidates. The idea that some bored operator in a monitoring center on the graveyard shift with a fetish for listening in on people doing what people do in their homes is really the least of my concerns.

The ability to use a cell phone to control my security system, while cool, leaves open the possibility that the phone could be spoofed. Not at all hard to do if you know what you're doing. So a clevar thief with some tech savey could easily unlock my doors and walk right in. Not to mention installers and sales people who know how to rig the system to be circumvented when they ore those they sell their information to decide to come back.

The more and more I think about it, It makes me feel as though a security system could be more of a security risk than it's worth.
 

jpa

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2009
Messages
58
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
I have a friend who works for ADT and another who owns a franchise of one of the independent alarm install companies. From the info I've heard from them, the alarm system is pretty much only to 1) scare the casual burglar off 2) wake up your neighbors or 3) alert you to a break-in when you're home, in addition to the homeowners insurance discount. Part of the reason they're offering such a large discount when you sign the contract is that they're not expecting you to keep the system for 36 months and cancel. They're expecting you to continue service after the contract is satisfied, which is more money in their pockets. They expect you to be used to paying $50/mo for the service and continue doing so, since the system is probably proprietary and useless without their service. The $3200 difference will be made up in another 5 years of service.

Most use a contracted security company like Veterans Security or Green Valley or Securitas to respond. ADT is the only one with their own guards, but they have an extremely small staff for the area they cover so expect a very delayed response time. I've heard some of the companies will charge you for false alarms or for dispatching a guard to check the alarm. Read the fine print on any contracts.
 
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