Home Alarm System Question
 

I just renovated my home, and in the process I tore out the old Nutone
security alarm system that was installed back in the early 1980s when
the house was built.

I have been searching the internet for ideas and prices on a new
system, and I have just about made up my mind to go with a company
called Guardcom. Has anyone else purchased an alarm from this
company? I found them at www.guardcom.net and I also saw a less
expensive at www.ADT.com which is my second choice. I am leaning
toward the guardcom system because I don't want to get trapped into a
3 year contract, but I cannot find any feed back on their service.
Looking for any good or bad experiences.

JW

Home Alarm System Question
 

On Aug 19, 9:59 am, wrote:
I just renovated my home, and in the process I tore out the old Nutone
security alarm system that was installed back in the early 1980s when
the house was built.

I have been searching the internet for ideas and prices on a new
system, and I have just about made up my mind to go with a company
called Guardcom. Has anyone else purchased an alarm from this
company? I found them atwww.guardcom.netand I also saw a less
expensive atwww.ADT.comwhich is my second choice. I am leaning
toward the guardcom system because I don't want to get trapped into a
3 year contract, but I cannot find any feed back on their service.
Looking for any good or bad experiences.

JW

ADT is good. That is what we use.

Ken


Opportunities are never lost. The other fellow takes those you miss.


| Torrey Hills Technologies, LLC |
| www.threerollmill.com |
| www.torreyhillstech.com |

Home Alarm System Question
 

wrote in message
I have been searching the internet for ideas and prices on a new
system, and I have just about made up my mind to go with a company
called Guardcom. Has anyone else purchased an alarm from this
company? I found them at www.guardcom.net and I also saw a less
expensive at www.ADT.com which is my second choice. I am leaning
toward the guardcom system because I don't want to get trapped into a
3 year contract, but I cannot find any feed back on their service.
Looking for any good or bad experiences.

JW


The Guardcom system looks nice, but has some possible shortcomings. With
motion detectors, how do you set the alarm at night while you are in the
house? Can the panic mode be activated from other locations in the house?
How well does the radio option work if you are some distance from the
receiver? Will you maintain and replace the batteries in a timely manner?
I do like the idea of no contract though.

The ADT system has had many complaints from customers over the years, mostly
contract issues, but do some research. Check the BBB for complaints and
types of complaints.

Do you have a local alarm service? We have on where I work and they monitor
our business alarms as well as some of the homes of our employees. Look
around before you jump into one of these systems.

Home Alarm System Question
 

On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:59:26 -0000, wrote:

I just renovated my home, and in the process I tore out the old Nutone
security alarm system that was installed back in the early 1980s when
the house was built.

I have been searching the internet for ideas and prices on a new
system, and I have just about made up my mind to go with a company
called Guardcom. Has anyone else purchased an alarm from this
company? I found them at www.guardcom.net and I also saw a less
expensive at www.ADT.com which is my second choice. I am leaning
toward the guardcom system because I don't want to get trapped into a
3 year contract, but I cannot find any feed back on their service.
Looking for any good or bad experiences.

AIUI if you are going to have monitoring you should arrange with a
monitoring company first, and I don't understand all that but maybe
you have to go through a burglar alarm company to do this. At least,
you have to find a monitoring company that won't insist that you do.

And my friend with a burglar alarm company gradually replaces all the
burglar alarm central units with the same brand so that he only has to
know the software for one company, and maybe only 1, 2, or 3 models
althought I'm sure the company keeps all the models almost identical.

This means he can make simple and complicated changes without leaving
his office, which of course means it's a lot quicker and cheaper (free
in most cases) for the customer or he's a lot more willing to do it.
Before phone commincation, hed have to come out and he'd charge for a
service call much of hte time.

Of course you could do all the maintenance yourself, deciding on
zones, letting the timer turn off the false alarms, or the monitor
company call the police.

Have you thought about this. I'm curious how one does it with the
montoring.

JW

Home Alarm System Question
 

On Aug 19, 11:59 am, wrote:
I just renovated my home, and in the process I tore out the old Nutone
security alarm system that was installed back in the early 1980s when
the house was built.

I have been searching the internet for ideas and prices on a new
system, and I have just about made up my mind to go with a company
called Guardcom. Has anyone else purchased an alarm from this
company? I found them atwww.guardcom.netand I also saw a less
expensive atwww.ADT.comwhich is my second choice. I am leaning
toward the guardcom system because I don't want to get trapped into a
3 year contract, but I cannot find any feed back on their service.
Looking for any good or bad experiences.

JW

The dirty little secret of alarm monitoring is that they all contract
their work to a few mega-call-centers, so you will have ADT, Brinks,
Guardsman, etc all being handled by the same call center. The call
centers themselves are set up to handle to unique communication
protocols of all the different hardware, DSC, ELK, etc. So just get
the up-front deal you are most comfortable with, the real monitoring
is being handled pretty much the same way for all of them.

Home Alarm System Question
 

On Aug 19, 6:26 pm, mm wrote:
On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:59:26 -0000, wrote:
I just renovated my home, and in the process I tore out the old Nutone
security alarm system that was installed back in the early 1980s when
the house was built.

I have been searching the internet for ideas and prices on a new
system, and I have just about made up my mind to go with a company
called Guardcom. Has anyone else purchased an alarm from this
company? I found them atwww.guardcom.netand I also saw a less
expensive atwww.ADT.comwhich is my second choice. I am leaning
toward the guardcom system because I don't want to get trapped into a
3 year contract, but I cannot find any feed back on their service.
Looking for any good or bad experiences.

AIUI if you are going to have monitoring you should arrange with a
monitoring company first, and I don't understand all that but maybe
you have to go through a burglar alarm company to do this. At least,
you have to find a monitoring company that won't insist that you do.

And my friend with a burglar alarm company gradually replaces all the
burglar alarm central units with the same brand so that he only has to
know the software for one company, and maybe only 1, 2, or 3 models
althought I'm sure the company keeps all the models almost identical.

This means he can make simple and complicated changes without leaving
his office, which of course means it's a lot quicker and cheaper (free
in most cases) for the customer or he's a lot more willing to do it.
Before phone commincation, hed have to come out and he'd charge for a
service call much of hte time.

Of course you could do all the maintenance yourself, deciding on
zones, letting the timer turn off the false alarms, or the monitor
company call the police.

Have you thought about this. I'm curious how one does it with the
montoring.



JW- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Most systems have 3 levels of passcode, user, installer, and master.
The master, if they get into your system can do anything they want.
The installer passcode can only do stuff needed to install and program
the system set zones, etc. (but a dishonest installer can still come
back and do damage if the master does not change the installer
passcode later). User level gets the least abilities, and that
password is given to the homeowner... Of couse if you install the
hardware yourself then you can know all 3 pass codes, alarm company
installed systems will not disclose your own installer and master
passcodes to you, and should ensure that your installer cannot come
back knowing the installer passcode. Any homeowner can have a user-
installed system monitored by going direct to the same mega-call-
centers that the big guys use, there are alarm monitoring services for
do-it-yourselfer installed systems.