zuesel

don't go with apc. they don't have their own alarm center. they contract out to a 3rd party company which also monitors for other companies as well. their service is poor and not consistant.

zuesel

Acche

go with the better companies like ADT la
having an alarm at home is good ga. also chk w/ your insurance co what percentage you can get discount on your house insurance.

zuesel

acche. $24.95 is avg. That hasn't changed for years! What makes a difference is the install fee. Also, Achee, pls find out how many zones they monitor, how many contacts included? eg: 3 windows + 2 doors. Do they include fire alarm? what are the warrenty conditions, how much are replacement contacts? Including hold-up/panic function? What kind of panels to choose from and their costs. User-friendiness? What kind of procedure they will take for different types of alarms and their guarenteed action time. Do they take special instructions from you? eg. call your cell # also home # if it's fire alarm. Also, check with your phn and alarm co if they are compatible with each other (alarm utilizes your phone line to operate. Check the back up battery life if there's power outtage. You also want to check how much false alarms cost.

I worked in alarm industry for over 10 yrs and 4 different companies.

zuesel

I'd say if you really want good protection, choose good company. ie: own monitor center, not 3rd party. maybe a bit more expensive but won't not be over $10/mth extra. but seriously, if you just want it to siren, go to homedepo to get sirens only alarm to scare off intruders. That way, it's free.

zuesel

My hubby's 2 individual frds both had 2 break ins. It was always the same person going back to the house. According to the police, the first time is to take little things and check out what you have, return 2nd time to take more heavy items, etc. One of the guy actually was instructed by the police to put a note by the window that says: "Peter, we know who you are, so don't come back!". The police got his finger prints.

The police won't do much is correct. But you are hoping that the siren will scare them away or alert the neighbours to if not check, to withness for you. Through the years I've worked in the industry, I've encountered realy attempt break-in incidents where woman and kid alone in house and hears strange noises. They press the panic button to alert the call center to contact the police. (panic is considered a priority alarm and gets treated first along with fire). This is good for if you can't call the police yourself. I've seen incidents where someone got killed because the alarm company fails to act on alarms on time too! Also, it's useful for if you go on vacation. The police after being dispatched, will board your house for you to prevent reoccuring break-ins. You could leave msg to your monitoring company the time-frame you are away or on vacation and what special instruction you want, ie: Call your relative's contact # or call you overseas.

I'd say it's got good use depending on situation which you hope will never come across. No guarentees but you don't want to ask yourself after something happened if it could help or be avoided if you had installed an alarm system. Oh, don't forget to chk for discount on house insurance.

[ 本帖最後由 zuesel 於 2008-11-7 14:19 編輯 ]

zuesel

原帖由 MyOMy 於 2008-11-7 15:09 發表
Zue, 鄰居及朋友都有過連續 break-in 的經驗, 如你所述一樣。 但RCMP会套指模是旱見中的旱見, 凡財物捐失, 都是問你有否買保險, 備案, 開溜。

Yeah, that's rare. What happened is when the guy tried to break in the 2nd time, there was someone actually inside the house. the theif was in the process of taking something and got scared, dropped the dvd player and fled. So the rcmp came and got finger prints lor.

Oh, another incident. One of our relatives didn't have an alarm sys. So a theif just broke in while they are sleeping. Then they heard some noise and woke up finding a man in their living room! Should they have an alarm sys, the siren would've scared him away before he walked right inside the door! I wonder if he will return knowing it has no alarm and try to break in again since they are old folks and no fighting power.

My own house got broken into 2x too. They must've watched us and know our schedule. The first time it was successful, the 2nd time, the neighbours dog barked and they got scared away.

Imagine feeling insecure even in your own home!