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Home Alarm system advice? (1 Viewer)

My original contract with the expensive provider is up;

does anyone use a reasonably priced monitoring service that you can recommend?

 
My original contract with the expensive provider is up;

does anyone use a reasonably priced monitoring service that you can recommend?
Alarmrelay.com

$8.95/month.

One of the only companies I've ever dealt with that I have ZERO complaints about.  They're really fantastic

  • Super cheap
  • They provide you with the certificate for home insurance discounts, etc.
  • Fantastic customer service via phone or e-mail for changing your notification orders, or letting them know of vacations.
  • Obviously the basics of fast response time to call on alarms, etc.
  • Rates haven't gone up for the 5 years I've had them.
If you're interested in signing up, PM me and I'll give you my name and account and they'll give us both a sign-on discount I believe. 

 
Bumping this thread as im looking at alarm system.  So are folks moving away from the ADTs these days?  Seems simpli safe is highly recommended?

Im looking for something to monitor motion(when away) and the doors and windows.  I would like to have the ability to get an alert with recorded video(or picture at the very least) when say a door opens or there is motion.  Will simplisafe accomplish this? 

 
I have Vivint which is similar to ADT but better tech.  My wife wanted a system when we moved from an apartment to a house given we are in the city.  Have door sensors as well as a camera in the front and system that can alert if they smash front windows (given it is a brownstone only have three windows to worry about as very hard to get to my backyard as I am midbock and no alleys).  No compliants on it and system was much better than ADT as we compared them both.  

 
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From what i can see i think my decision is between vivint and frontpoint. 

I know both have their own smoke/co2 detectors.  Will either work with my nest smoke/co2 detectors?

 
Vivent just came through our neighborhood a few weeks ago and several of my neighbors bought it.  I'll agree that the tech looks good, but I searched up some reviews and it seems to get panned quite a bit.

 
I would also submit that layers of multiple redundant or slightly different options are very attainable these days.  I started with just Simplisafe, then added Nest cams (dropcam), then added Smartthings, and then Blink cams.  The Simplisafe is the primary security system but the cams also give me motion alerts and upload clips to the cloud instantly, and Smartthings can tell me where motion has been activated in various rooms.  I no longer have the Nest cams on the cloud service since the Blinks have been so good but they served the same purpose. Redundant motion sensors with video confirmation.

I've had a couple instances of false alarms caused by lizards or what not and when the dispatcher from Simplisafe calls my cell phone to see if we want the police sent I can ask them to hold (they will for up to 60 seconds), flip over to the cams and or Smartthings and see if I see any activity.  Saves false calls and if there is a confirmed intruder escalates the call.  I've had this scenario occur once while we were upstairs asleep and once when we were traveling (false alarms, not confirmed intruders).  Very nervewracking but good to have the systems.  Also used this system extensively to monitor the hurricane as it was coming in this fall and when we lost/regained power. Obviously after the Hurricane for a few hours while we had no power the entire system was down but the whole town was under curfew with heavy patrols so no big deal.

Warts and all, highly recommend them all, but look at multiple layers.
Something ironic about a user named Ron Swanson talking about cloud security systems and cameras 

 
I ended up with the Blink XT system for ~320 - it includes the base unit and 3 external cameras (I also added 3 white covers for ~25)... the motion sensing cameras are wireless and at this price point it seemed too good to pass up.  Battery life for the camera is supposed to be 2 years with the default settings on the cameras, but the cameras are individually configurable (length of recording when motion is detected, length of time between recordings, etc.).  The biggest drawback is that the entire system is either armed or disarmed (you can't turn on/off individual cameras), also uses your home network which could be a drawback for some.  Biggest benefit is you don't pay any monthly fees at all, no cloud storage fees for your videos because Blink is an Amazon company.  There is no monitoring or anything like that either, just a basic system that was easy to install to provide video surveillance for the perimeter of my home.

 
A lot has happened, I'm sure, in this area in the past couple years since this thread last got bumped. What are the current top options out there for a basic system with motion-sensor external cameras?

 
I ended up with the Blink XT system for ~320 - it includes the base unit and 3 external cameras (I also added 3 white covers for ~25)... the motion sensing cameras are wireless and at this price point it seemed too good to pass up.  Battery life for the camera is supposed to be 2 years with the default settings on the cameras, but the cameras are individually configurable (length of recording when motion is detected, length of time between recordings, etc.).  The biggest drawback is that the entire system is either armed or disarmed (you can't turn on/off individual cameras), also uses your home network which could be a drawback for some.  Biggest benefit is you don't pay any monthly fees at all, no cloud storage fees for your videos because Blink is an Amazon company.  There is no monitoring or anything like that either, just a basic system that was easy to install to provide video surveillance for the perimeter of my home.
Still using this? Happy with it? Pros/cons?

 
Still using this? Happy with it? Pros/cons?
I'm still using this system and added three additional cameras for a total of six.  All the pros and cons I mentioned before still hold true.  One additional drawback that I didn't mention before is that the default settings of the camera almost certainly need to be tweaked.  I don't remember the specifics, but the default settings start to record something when motion is detected, then stop after X seconds (I can't remember the exact times), then it actually pauses for X seconds before resuming the recording if it is still detecting motion.  The default settings is how they can say the battery lasts for 2 years.  Changing these settings to get better coverage reduces battery life but it's something that needs to be done.

It's not a high end security system by any means, it's an inexpensive system that works well if you can live with the cons. 

 
I'm still using this system and added three additional cameras for a total of six.  All the pros and cons I mentioned before still hold true.  One additional drawback that I didn't mention before is that the default settings of the camera almost certainly need to be tweaked.  I don't remember the specifics, but the default settings start to record something when motion is detected, then stop after X seconds (I can't remember the exact times), then it actually pauses for X seconds before resuming the recording if it is still detecting motion.  The default settings is how they can say the battery lasts for 2 years.  Changing these settings to get better coverage reduces battery life but it's something that needs to be done.

It's not a high end security system by any means, it's an inexpensive system that works well if you can live with the cons. 
When I look them up on Amazon, it does refer to a service with a monthly fee of like $10 a month: "Store video clips and photos in the cloud with the Blink Subscription Plan and save events locally to the Blink Sync Module 2 via a USB flash drive (sold separately)."

 
I have several Blinks but I prefer my Wyze cameras, especially the new rechargeable outdoor model. Lots more flexibility and cheap cloud storage with Wyze.

 
When I look them up on Amazon, it does refer to a service with a monthly fee of like $10 a month: "Store video clips and photos in the cloud with the Blink Subscription Plan and save events locally to the Blink Sync Module 2 via a USB flash drive (sold separately)."
Maybe they changed things, but I don't pay a monthly subscription for anything.  My videos are stored for up to 30 days unless I save them.

 
Anyone using the Ring Alarm system. I already have Ring cameras (doorbell, over garage and in backyard), and with the Prime Day deal, they have a 14 unit option for $199 which includes the main base and a range extender, 2 motion detectors, 2 keypads and 8 sensors for doors/windows. Additional sensors are $20.

I'm not necessarily looking for anything to be monitored (though Ring has a $10/month monitoring option), just want notifications for doors being opened and windows, etc. usually to track for when the kids are coming/going and to make sure nothing was left open.

Curious as to any first hand experience with it.

 
Anyone using the Ring Alarm system. I already have Ring cameras (doorbell, over garage and in backyard), and with the Prime Day deal, they have a 14 unit option for $199 which includes the main base and a range extender, 2 motion detectors, 2 keypads and 8 sensors for doors/windows. Additional sensors are $20.

I'm not necessarily looking for anything to be monitored (though Ring has a $10/month monitoring option), just want notifications for doors being opened and windows, etc. usually to track for when the kids are coming/going and to make sure nothing was left open.

Curious as to any first hand experience with it.
I've been using Ring Alarm since the spring and I've been very happy with it.  We're monitoring about 10 doors/windows, 2 motion sensors, 2 keypads, plus our Ring Doorbell.  We use the $10/month monitoring which is incredibly cheap compared to pretty much any other monitoring company.  The discount we get on our home insurance for having an alarm system more than covers the cost.  No issues whatsoever so far.  The install was super easy and the mobile app is great.  I plan to add fire/smoke and water detections sensors at some point as well.

 
I've been using Ring Alarm since the spring and I've been very happy with it.  We're monitoring about 10 doors/windows, 2 motion sensors, 2 keypads, plus our Ring Doorbell.  We use the $10/month monitoring which is incredibly cheap compared to pretty much any other monitoring company.  The discount we get on our home insurance for having an alarm system more than covers the cost.  No issues whatsoever so far.  The install was super easy and the mobile app is great.  I plan to add fire/smoke and water detections sensors at some point as well.
Thanks for the input.

Couple questions that I just want to clear up for my research:

From what I see, there are 3 modes - disarmed, Home and Away. Can you give some insight on those. I am guessing that I'd use disarmed during the day when I am home working and the kids could be in and out, etc. - does it give a chime when a door is opened?   I am assuming Home is for when we are home and settled in for the night? And Away is for when we are not home at all.  Does it work "Home" and even "Away" if I want to leave a few windows open?

How is the app? I had read some reviews that said the interface was a bit iffy as far as arming/disarming from the app as opposed to the keypad, curious to your experience.

In regards to monitoring, am I correct that if I am disarmed, they basically are not going to be checking on every time a door is opened, if I am "Home" they will call if a door is opened but the passcode is not entered in time? Just trying to determine if the monitoring is worth it for us, and what it truly entails.

Like you, I would also likely add smoke/CO sensors as well down the road. I've had to replace a few in our house recently as the ones we have from First Alert generally last about 7-8 years before the power supply goes bad, eventually will replace all with the smarter Smoke/CO2 sensors.

I think for the $200 deal for the basic kit I am inclined to go for it, just trying to clear up some details before making the plunge.

 
acarey50 said:
Thanks for the input.

Couple questions that I just want to clear up for my research:

From what I see, there are 3 modes - disarmed, Home and Away. Can you give some insight on those. I am guessing that I'd use disarmed during the day when I am home working and the kids could be in and out, etc. - does it give a chime when a door is opened?   I am assuming Home is for when we are home and settled in for the night? And Away is for when we are not home at all.  Does it work "Home" and even "Away" if I want to leave a few windows open?

How is the app? I had read some reviews that said the interface was a bit iffy as far as arming/disarming from the app as opposed to the keypad, curious to your experience.

In regards to monitoring, am I correct that if I am disarmed, they basically are not going to be checking on every time a door is opened, if I am "Home" they will call if a door is opened but the passcode is not entered in time? Just trying to determine if the monitoring is worth it for us, and what it truly entails.

Like you, I would also likely add smoke/CO sensors as well down the road. I've had to replace a few in our house recently as the ones we have from First Alert generally last about 7-8 years before the power supply goes bad, eventually will replace all with the smarter Smoke/CO2 sensors.

I think for the $200 deal for the basic kit I am inclined to go for it, just trying to clear up some details before making the plunge.
Disarmed, Home, and Away is just what you describe.  TBH I’ve never used Home.  We travel a lot so I use Away when we’re gone so we have that monitored.  For the chimes, it’s totally up to how you set it.  We have the base unit and the keypads set to chime when any of the contact sensors are tripped so we know when family is coming and going.  I haven’t had any issues with the app in the 6 months we’ve had it.  I love the fact that we can arm and disarm  the system from anywhere.

Also, I highly suspect there is way to temporarily disable one of the sensors so you can leave windows open while arming but we haven’t done that yet either.

Good luck!

 
Disarmed, Home, and Away is just what you describe.  TBH I’ve never used Home.  We travel a lot so I use Away when we’re gone so we have that monitored.  For the chimes, it’s totally up to how you set it.  We have the base unit and the keypads set to chime when any of the contact sensors are tripped so we know when family is coming and going.  I haven’t had any issues with the app in the 6 months we’ve had it.  I love the fact that we can arm and disarm  the system from anywhere.

Also, I highly suspect there is way to temporarily disable one of the sensors so you can leave windows open while arming but we haven’t done that yet either.

Good luck!
I went ahead and ordered it, figure they are very good with returns if it ends up not working for what we need

 - I hadn't considered that we have the trim around a lot of the doors, etc., but some researching showed that there are ways to work around this.

 
I went ahead and ordered it, figure they are very good with returns if it ends up not working for what we need

 - I hadn't considered that we have the trim around a lot of the doors, etc., but some researching showed that there are ways to work around this.
I was concerned about the trim too when I started installing the contact sensors, but the magnets seem to work even about an inch away from each other so I didn’t have any issues.

Good luck!

 
You guys convinced me, I went and bought the Ring alarm system for a second home we just bought.  It already has the old school alarm and monitoring installed, but the ring monitoring looks to be like half the price, and more importantly to me, I like that all the ring stuff interacts with my app and I can see it all on my phone at any time.  Big plus.  Should have it in a week and will install after that. 

 
Otis said:
You guys convinced me, I went and bought the Ring alarm system for a second home we just bought.  It already has the old school alarm and monitoring installed, but the ring monitoring looks to be like half the price, and more importantly to me, I like that all the ring stuff interacts with my app and I can see it all on my phone at any time.  Big plus.  Should have it in a week and will install after that. 
You should buy a 3rd home and try a different alarm system to compare the pros and cons. 

 
What is the best system for wireless outdoor cameras?  I currently have a blink system which was a breeze to setup and the mobile app is great.  However, the cameras have a limit on how long they will record and also have a 10 second pause between recordings.  For example, the camera will record for up to 60 seconds, then pause for 10 seconds, then start recording again if it still senses motion. The 10 second pause is why I'm considering changing systems but I'm not sure other systems are better in this regard. 

I'm considering a change to Simply Safe but I can't find these details about camera record times, etc.  Anyone have any feedback about Simply Safe camera record times?  Or general pros/cons about the Simply Safe system?

 
What is the best system for wireless outdoor cameras?  I currently have a blink system which was a breeze to setup and the mobile app is great.  However, the cameras have a limit on how long they will record and also have a 10 second pause between recordings.  For example, the camera will record for up to 60 seconds, then pause for 10 seconds, then start recording again if it still senses motion. The 10 second pause is why I'm considering changing systems but I'm not sure other systems are better in this regard. 

I'm considering a change to Simply Safe but I can't find these details about camera record times, etc.  Anyone have any feedback about Simply Safe camera record times?  Or general pros/cons about the Simply Safe system?
Good question. I was wondering the same thing. I've been considering Simply Safe and Cove. But everything I see about Cove says their app sucks. And since it's for a second/seasonal (eventual retirement) home, having a crappy app is pretty much a non-starter.

 
I'm a big fan of Simplisafe and have had their system for a long time.  I'm now on my 2nd generation of hardware and it all works great and is very simple, including the cams.  I'm also a big fan of the Wyze systems but I have never used their monitoring other than camera cloud recording.

 

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