Home Security Systems

[mrwicked]

I'm looking to get a security setup for my place - anyone have experience with these?

 

I want normal motion alarms, glass alarms, etc but also camera that record video to a DVR. I have heard good and bad about ADT.

 

The techier the better (i.e. preferably has an ipad/iphone app). But I want it to be solid. Not sure about monitoring.

 

I'd also like to get a video intercom but I think that's orthagonal to overall security setup. I know I can throw in an aiphone vide intercom and be done with it.

Edited November 24, 2015 by mrwicked

[mp170.6]

Go for middle ground instead of extreme high tech.  More complexity = higher chance of false positives.

 

Motion detectors have improved but are hardly perfect.  It all depends on mounting the infrared sensors in the right location.  They can be trouble if your AC / furnace kicks on, or sometimes direct sunlight at just the right angle can fool them.  I think some sensors can ignore dogs and cats but that comes at a cost in sensitivity. 

 

Remote monitoring is a joke IMHO unless you're willing to pay extra for a cell carrier modem.

[mrwicked]

Thanks for the input!

That sounds smart - I don't need it to be insane high tech or complicated, but I like if things come with ipad/iphone apps aside from whatever control panels. Mostly I just want an alarm if someone breaks in, and video recording for entrance doors and my portico. So that if someone does happen, I can have footage. I know some of them you can even watch remotely whenever you want on your phone, that seems unnecessary to me. 

 

Monitoring does seem lame - and I know even like ADT isn't an insurance company. They are just deterrents. So if someone breaks in and the system fails, oops, out of luck.

I don't want wacky or over the top or big brother, I just want something solid.

 

For video intercom - my place already has an aiphone intercom so I think I can just update that with the video camera model. This is a penthouse in SF, so you can't see whose at your door unless you walk all the way down. 

 

Have you used the video doorbells like aiphone or Ring or Skybell?

Edited November 24, 2015 by mrwicked

[IEAngelsfan]

Or you can simply hire this guy.

 

[mp170.6]

Remote monitoring by the alarm companies is kind of creepy.  Think about it.  They have thousands of employees.  Let's just pull numbers out of the air and say 0.1% are criminals looking for ways to defeat the system.  That's dozens of people who probably know (1) when you're away from home, and (2) how to disable your home's alarm notifications.  Worse are the alarm systems that use your home's internet connection for remote monitoring -- you're giving strangers access to your LAN.  Of course they'll claim it's "unhackable" but in reality, we know that's BS. 

 

I'm not paranoid about being the victim of rogue alarm company employees, it's just the principle that makes no sense to me.  Why pay $500+ per year for remote monitoring when it makes you vulnerable in other ways?

 

So I think your best bet is a custom system designed and tested by you.  That way, nobody except you (and those you tell) will know what it's capable of detecting and how it responds.  A few years ago when I looked into these systems, the level of user customization available was off the charts.  You can configure custom systems to do pretty much anything you want...play sounds, send SMS via internet, make calls via VOIP or landline, activate sirens, activate cameras, turn lights on, etc. 

[Tank]

my brother has the at&t home security system. he likes it quite a bit so far, but i couldn't tell you much about the details.

 

btw, the ads on this page for me are from simple-safe about home security.

[mrwicked]

Back to this.

I have some security companies coming out next week to talk shop (ADT, Frontpoint, etc).

 

In the meantime I picked up one of of those wifi video doorbells from Ring. Seems pretty sweet so far. It will notify your phone when someone is at the door, vs having to go all the way down and physically look.

 

Now I think I have enough home automation apps that I want to install a flush mounted iPad in the wall.

Right now I have apps for Sonos (whole home audio), Lutron+ (lights and shutters), Ring (doorbell), Nest (HVAC and a camera), whatever ADT or security company provides for alarms and security cameras, etc.

Anyone do this?

Perfect world is a controller app/skin that talks to all the apps, but I don't think we're there yet with home automation.

 

I can probably do control4 or savant but that seems unnecessarily expensive.

[Adam]

I bought a First Alert sign on amazon for $8

 

It has worked great!

[halobob]

I bought a First Alert sign on amazon for $8

 

It has worked great!

I think it's the whole living in South Orange County that's working great.

[mrwicked]

is there an iPad app for that $8 sign?

[Adam]

I think it's the whole living in South Orange County that's working great.

 

I barely live in South OC (MV) and I live in an older neighborhood pretty close to the freeway. I think last week there were three minorities in my neighborhood. So...

[mrwicked]

Anyone use ADT Pulse?

Had a local security company out this weekend, who is the top ADT reseller in CA.

Will likely end up going with ADT Pulse through them.

Seems pretty awesome, security system plus home controls.

I don't want to roll my own security system and home-automation controller.

[Adam]

You got some dough, why not just hire black guy?

[Tank]

my brother has AT&T one life (or whatever it's called). he likes it a lot so far but i couldn't tell you any of the details about what it does.

 

 

 

 

hope that was enormously helpful.

[mrwicked]

actually i think your response sufficiently answers all of my life's questions.

so thank you.

[Tank]

You're welcome.

Never forget that I'm here to help you in any way I can.