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All, I am in the process of shopping for a monitored security system, and I wanted to get the input of forum members here as to which features they find are important and which are not. I have never had a monitored alarm, so I'm definitely new to this arena. Any advice would be appreciated.

CodeJockey wrote:All, I am in the process of shopping for a monitored security system, and I wanted to get the input of forum members here as to which features they find are important and which are not. I have never had a monitored alarm, so I'm definitely new to this arena. Any advice would be appreciated.

Here are a few thoughts to get you started:

1. The primary object is protection of life. That means protection should be provided for all perimeter openings (doors and windows). Concealed (preferably) magnetic contacts on all doors, concealed magnetic contacts and glass break detectors (or full coverage alarm screens on the outside) for all movable windows. Glass break detectors for all fixed windows. These are activated at night, when leaving the house, and other times by choice - e.g., taking a nap, a shower, or simply when there's no need to open outside doors and windows for a time.

2. Dual technology (passive infrared and microwave) motion detectors in the master bedroom and major common areas of the house (main hallways, great rooms, etc.). These are used when the house is not occupied. They serve as backups to the perimeter devices in the event that those are compromised or fail. A big advantage is that they will reset automatically and detect a subsequent intrusion. Adestroyed perimeter device will not reset, and will disable every other device on that entire protection zone.

3. Keypad controls should be located at the front door, the door from the garage to the house, and the master bedroom. At least the one in the master bedroom should be of the custom LCD type that reads out zone identifiers in English - e.g., Front Door instead of Zone 1. This gives you critical information on the location of an intrusion in a format you can understand at 03:00 AM.

4. Loud interior AND exterior sirens installed well out of reach from the ground. Burglars know that interior sirens can't be heard from outside, and the call transmission / verification / 911 call and police response sequence won't happen in less than 7 or so minutes, and they feel free to work that long if they know that there's nothing to attract attention outside during that time. They are skilled at locating and removing cash, jewelry, silverware, and guns that are not heavily secured and getting away from the scene in that time window. Exterior sirens make them really antsy. Also, if an alarm with an exterior siren is triggered as they make the breach at the entry point, they're very likely to abandon the effort due to the increased risk. If they get in with no outside alert, even if they've triggered the alarm and the interior siren is sounding, they'll complete the crime because they know no one in the immediate area can hear it.

5. A high output strobe light mounted high and facing the street to visually indicate the location of the alarm. Siren sounds bounce off of buildings, walls, and other objects and can make it difficult to figure out which of 3 or 4 houses is the correct location (unless responding units have already received the address from the alarm dispatcher.)

6. Concealment and / or physical protection for the phone line that your alarm transmissions will depend on where it is exposed outside the house. (You can get systems that use the cellular phone system to eliminate this vulnerability at somewhat higher cost).

7. Alarm signs posted conspicuously in the front and rear of the house. They won't deter all, but they will some - a no lose proposition.

I hope this helps.

Thanks a lot for that list. Some of those items I had considered, but many I had not. That really helps clarify the needs. I appreciate your advice!

CodeJockey wrote:Thanks a lot for that list. Some of those items I had considered, but many I had not. That really helps clarify the needs. I appreciate your advice!

My pleasure.

One note of caution:

When dealing with alarm company representatives, be aware that many folks in the sales end of the alarm business know a lot more about sales and equipment features than they do about burglaries and home invasions. If you have concerns about some of the things they tell you, don't hesitate to ask how they acquired their knowledge. A good place to start is asking how many burglaries and home invasions they've investigated and in what capacity, and how many burglars and home invaders they have interviewed face to face. That background should help you establish the proper level of confidence about their ability to advise you on protective strategies.

There are some fine folks who have been around the industry quite a while and have been to quite a few incident scenes a day or two after the event. These folks can often share valuable knowledge about how crimes are committed in your area, and they should be able to provide specific examples if asked. The guys who got all their "knowledge" from attending the company's 1 week sales training course should be taken with a grain (or a shakerfull) of salt. Consulting them for strategic advice on how criminals operate is akin to asking your cardiologist's landscaper for advice on heart surgery.

LOL, great metaphor! I'll have to remember that one. I definitely appreciate it the advice.

Long ago I gave up on the "big" alarm companies (you know, the ones with big advertising budgets) and their proprietary, locked-down systems. I've installed top-of-the-line systems in both my residence and business, and have both monitored by the largest central monitoring station in the country (the same one that monitors the "big boys") for about $9/month. The advantages of doing it yourself are tremendous: You don't have to disclose the details of your installation to anyone on the outside (yes, there have been crimes committed by alarm installers based upon inside knowledge); you have full control over every aspect of your system; you can modify your system the way you want it, rather than the restricted setup most alarm companies push on their customers. And the best thing about this is that the same equipment available to alarm installers is available to DIYers. (In fact, there is a great DIY alarm forum with an incredible amount of information about setting up alarm systems, moderated by people in the business.)

Once I left a certain 3-letter company, I never looked back. Be careful: Some less-than-honest alarm companies will try to tell you that the equipment is theirs, and that you must either return their equipment or pay them some outrageously inflated cost equivalent. You'll need to read your existing contract to determine if you own or lease your equipment.

Feel free to PM me for some links.

CodeJockey, you have a PM from me in response to this thread.

kahrfreak wrote:Long ago I gave up on the "big" alarm companies (you know, the ones with big advertising budgets) and their proprietary, locked-down systems. I've installed top-of-the-line systems in both my residence and business, and have both monitored by the largest central monitoring station in the country (the same one that monitors the "big boys") for about $9/month. The advantages of doing it yourself are tremendous: You don't have to disclose the details of your installation to anyone on the outside (yes, there have been crimes committed by alarm installers based upon inside knowledge); you have full control over every aspect of your system; you can modify your system the way you want it, rather than the restricted setup most alarm companies push on their customers. And the best thing about this is that the same equipment available to alarm installers is available to DIYers. (In fact, there is a great DIY alarm forum with an incredible amount of information about setting up alarm systems, moderated by people in the business.)

Once I left a certain 3-letter company, I never looked back. Be careful: Some less-than-honest alarm companies will try to tell you that the equipment is theirs, and that you must either return their equipment or pay them some outrageously inflated cost equivalent. You'll need to read your existing contract to determine if you own or lease your equipment.

Feel free to PM me for some links.

If you have experience with electrical wiring and device programming, and are willing to spend some time learning about the sensor technologies and how to deploy them properly, this is certainly an option. I did all except two of the 7 homes I've owned myself. However, if you're not a pretty handy type with a lot of tools in your garage, or if you're DVR is till blinking 12:00, you'll probably save both time and aggravation by finding a good local vendor to do the work.

Excaliber wrote: If you have experience with electrical wiring and device programming, and are willing to spend some time learning about the sensor technologies and how to deploy them properly, this is certainly an option. I did all except two of the 7 homes I've owned myself. However, if you're not a pretty handy type with a lot of tools in your garage, or if you're DVR is till blinking 12:00, you'll probably save both time and aggravation by finding a good local vendor to do the work.

I definitely agree! If you've never replaced an electrical outlet, or snaked a wire through a top plate and down an interior wall, then you probably have no business trying to install an alarm system from scratch.

That said, replacing a pre-existing system might not require any type of heavy-duty wiring work. I've installed 3 systems, one from scratch in an empty warehouse and 2 to replace pre-existing systems. By far, the scratch install was the most labor-intensive, requiring a lot of wire pulls, sensor wiring, and some phone line work (and having access to a butt set, electrical test equipment and wiring tools is definitely helpful). In any event, programming these systems requires an attention to detail and a lot of time and patience to get right. But it can be done, and done well if you're willing to read through the programming manuals.

kahrfreak wrote:

Excaliber wrote: If you have experience with electrical wiring and device programming, and are willing to spend some time learning about the sensor technologies and how to deploy them properly, this is certainly an option. I did all except two of the 7 homes I've owned myself. However, if you're not a pretty handy type with a lot of tools in your garage, or if you're DVR is till blinking 12:00, you'll probably save both time and aggravation by finding a good local vendor to do the work.

I definitely agree! If you've never replaced an electrical outlet, or snaked a wire through a top plate and down an interior wall, then you probably have no business trying to install an alarm system from scratch.

That said, replacing a pre-existing system might not require any type of heavy-duty wiring work. I've installed 3 systems, one from scratch in an empty warehouse and 2 to replace pre-existing systems. By far, the scratch install was the most labor-intensive, requiring a lot of wire pulls, sensor wiring, and some phone line work (and having access to a butt set, electrical test equipment and wiring tools is definitely helpful). In any event, programming these systems requires an attention to detail and a lot of time and patience to get right. But it can be done, and done well if you're willing to read through the programming manuals.

I had a vendor install the system in my current home, and some of the things I told him I wanted he thought couldn't be done. I got a hold of the programming manual and showed him how to do it. He learned a couple of things, and I got exactly the system performance I wanted.

The wireless equipment available today also presents some very viable options for areas where hard wiring would be a real bear, and for folks who just don't want to fool with 5 foot long flexible drill bits and wiring snakes.