Alternative to ADT

[DesiPower]

I have been with ADT for about 10 years, paying $50+ tax per month for just basic security system + monitoring. It works pretty well, I like it but its time for change.

I have the basic network for wireless sensors around the house, I need them monitored by cell network.

I have heard that there are some DIY kits and option to get the monitoring for like $15 a month. Does anyone here tried something like that? Any suggestions?

NOTE: Why I need it? Is there crime in the area, etc is not up for discussion. And no, I dont need an army of dogs or a battery of glocks.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'd be curious about those options too. I was with Protectron, but they got bought out by ADT. Ironicly, my price went down, I think I pay 40ish now? I'd have to check my bank statement. But imo that still is a lot for a rather simple service so I may look at switching at some point. I kinda want to do a DIY solution at some point though, while this system has been nice, it is proprietary and it's harder to add anything extra to it if I wanted to.

 

[RossMAN]

I think http://simplisafe.com is the most popular, there may be 1-2 others. There have been at least a dozen threads about this on ATOT, search for SimpliSafe and you'll find them.

Do you or your SO/spouse have an Amex credit card? If you do, you might have a $100 off $400 Amex offer:
https://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1584401

http://www.hustlermoneyblog.com/amex-offers-simplisafe-home-security-promotion/

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/top-diy-alarm-companies.2379406/#post-36286505

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/smart-home-security-discussion.2467636/

https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...-with-no-landline-and-no-monthly-fee.2298964/

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/best-home-security-system-monitoring.2388435/#post-36471991

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/home-security-system-options.2379325/

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I have been with ADT for about 10 years, paying $50+ tax per month for just basic security system + monitoring. It works pretty well, I like it but its time for change.

I have the basic network for wireless sensors around the house, I need them monitored by cell network.

I have heard that there are some DIY kits and option to get the monitoring for like $15 a month. Does anyone here tried something like that? Any suggestions?

NOTE: Why I need it? Is there crime in the area, etc is not up for discussion. And no, I dont need an army of dogs or a battery of glocks.

$50/m for 10+ years and you're just now looking into this? Da Fuq is wrong with you?

There are only 2 options to this:

1) Smith Thompson. $16.99/m for alarm service, no bullshit. no contracts. no nothing. Simple as it gets. Only thing I think is $100 or something for the system they install - which is to connect to cell-towers - so no home-phone is needed.

2) Self-setup system. But this requires a lot of up-front costs I suspect (cameras, cell phone apps, etc...) and it is dependent upon you calling the authorities ultimately. Personally, I prefer to wait until this market is more developed.

 

[RossMAN]

$50/m for 10+ years and you're just now looking into this? Da Fuq is wrong with you?

$6,000 ouch

I've been intrigued by the Arlo Go but I don't think they offer professional monitoring but it's 100% wire/cordless (batteries + cell data).
https://www.arlo.com/en-us/products/arlo-go/default.aspx

 

[lxskllr]

Some peacocks and a donkey.

 

[boomerang]

Nobody is really going to be able to give you a definitive answer IMO. ADT used to use hardware that was proprietary to varying degrees and whether a cellular means of communication can be glommed onto your existing system is the big question.

We just had a new home built and an alarm system was built into the package. It's got ADT plastered on the keypad and panel but it's all DSC components. In fact I have components on order to allow for me to self-monitor over the Internet. Not the most secure method I know, but it will allow for a level of security that will make me happy.

Plus, I get a fun project to keep me occupied.

 

[highland145]

Nobody is really going to be able to give you a definitive answer IMO. ADT used to use hardware that was proprietary to varying degrees and whether a cellular means of communication can be glommed onto your existing system is the big question.

We just had a new home built and an alarm system was built into the package. It's got ADT plastered on the keypad and panel but it's all DSC components. In fact I have components on order to allow for me to self-monitor over the Internet. Not the most secure method I know, but it will allow for a level of security that will make me happy.

Plus, I get a fun project to keep my occupied.

Even your geriatric response will be significantly better than the local police.

 

[spacejamz]

$50/m for 10+ years and you're just now looking into this? Da Fuq is wrong with you?

There are only 2 options to this:

1) Smith Thompson. $16.99/m for alarm service, no bullshit. no contracts. no nothing. Simple as it gets. Only thing I think is $100 or something for the system they install - which is to connect to cell-towers - so no home-phone is needed.

Not sure if Smith Thompson only provides service to Texas or not...

At the top of their web page, it says Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio...

I have been using them for 5 years and have had no issues with them...if I accidentally trigger my alarm, they call me within 2 minutes...

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Not sure if Smith Thompson only provides service to Texas or not...

At the top of their web page, it says Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio...

I have been using them for 5 years and have had no issues with them...if I accidentally trigger my alarm, they call me within 2 minutes...

Yeah I would personally switch to them as well, but we had a previous contract a long time back that is now expired, and our monthly payment is ~$22/month. That's a mere $5 difference from Smith-Thompson and it means that it would take me ~2 years just to break-even from their equipment cost ($100). Tried to get them to haggle on it but they wouldn't budge... so I'm sticking to my original.

 

[spacejamz]

Even your geriatric response will be significantly better than the local police.

I would rather take my chances with my alarm monitoring company calling the police if my alarm is triggered...what happens if your phone is dead, no signal, at the movies, you are in a meeting, etc?? I am lucky I live in a small city where the police response time is very good...

I have read recent horror stories where the Dallas Police took several hours to respond to 911 burglary calls they are so short staffed...

 

[boomerang]

I would rather take my chances with my alarm monitoring company calling the police if my alarm is triggered...what happens if your phone is dead, no signal, at the movies, you are in a meeting, etc?? I am lucky I live in a small city where the police response time is very good...

I have read recent horror stories where the Dallas Police took several hours to respond to 911 burglary calls they are so short staffed...

Where we used to live the state police covered three townships with only two patrolmen on duty at any time. It typically was many hours for a response. The monitoring company would call me first and if I gave them the go ahead they would then call the police. We didn't get false alarms although I did have a mouse trigger a motion detector once. We discovered the little ah heck was in the house just prior to leaving for a number of hours. The trap was on the kitchen counter where he was spending some time but before he got done in by way of the allure of peanut butter he set off the alarm.

We were allowed three false alarms in a 12 month period and then we got billed for the response regardless of how many hours it took.

What I did like about the alarm system was that if the smoke detector or rate of rise heat detector went off the fire department was called. No idea on their response time but if they took the call seriously I imagine it would be pretty quick.

The truth be known, I think fire response is the only true value of an alarm system. If a break-in occurs, those guys can be in and out long before the police show up.

 

[Thebobo]

I've disconnected my home alarm system and de-registered from the Neighborhood Watch. I've got two Pakistani flags raised in the front yard, one at each corner, and the black flag of ISIS in the center. The local police, sheriff, FBI, CIA, NSA, Homeland Security, Secret Service and other agencies are all watching the house 24/7. I've never felt safer and I am saving $49.95 a month.



True story.

 

[mooncancook]

@Thebobo I can think of a major drawback to it though, it's that it would be a pita if you want to travel abroad for vacation or business trip.

As for myself, three Arlo camera is good enough. Its real time motion detection and alert is quite reliable with some acceptable false alarm.

 

[spacejamz]

@Thebobo I can think of a major drawback to it though, it's that it would be a pita if you want to travel abroad for vacation or business trip.

As for myself, three Arlo camera is good enough. Its real time motion detection and alert is quite reliable with some acceptable false alarm.

Another potential drawback is if you have neighbors who don't appreciate that flag and might do something to your property when the sun goes down...

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

A decent 50-100lb dog > any alarm... both in terms of security and costs.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Mine is setup to call FD too. That is worth a lot, a smoke detector on it's own won't do anything if you're not home. Going through a house fire is not something anyone wants to go through, what a pain. My parents went through it, they didn't lose the house but there was enough damage to practically need to gut it, due to smoke and water. Had they not been home when the fire started it would have been a different story. Though in their case even an alarm would not have helped, fire originated outside and then the attic. Made me think, attics should probably have smoke detectors too that notify you inside.

I eventually want to link all my smoke detectors to my home monitoring system (DIY version) so I can monitor it myself too, and I'll have a single dry contact going to the alarm company.

One thing I'd really like to figure out is how to programatically send a text message, would be neat to setup the system to do that. Only thing I've found is that there are carrier specific email addresses you can send to and it translates to text but never actually gotten that to work. Could use another cell phone but then you have to pay for another plan, which is going to be more expensive than alarm monitoring.

 

[highland145]

A decent 50-100lb dog > any alarm... both in terms of security and costs.

Security, most likely. My parents always had big dogs. German Shepherds, Dobermans, Rots, As their neighborhood of 40 years declined into just a hood, they never had a single incident. Costs, Dad spent $4K on the Rot during it's last 6 months on an autoimmune issue.

 

[boomerang]

One thing I'd really like to figure out is how to programatically send a text message, would be neat to setup the system to do that. Only thing I've found is that there are carrier specific email addresses you can send to and it translates to text but never actually gotten that to work. Could use another cell phone but then you have to pay for another plan, which is going to be more expensive than alarm monitoring.

Should you choose to replace your system, get one from DSC or Honeywell and add the component in the link.

http://www.eyezon.com/?page_id=176

Eyezon is the middleman but there are no ongoing charges associated with their service. I installed one at my previous residence and have one on the way for here. It will text you or even multiple people if you set it up that way.

The pretty much failsafe setup is an alarm panel that communicates through the cell phone network. No concerns about wires being cut, either phone or cable. And we all have to do what makes us the most comfortable. Whether that's a cell communication method with another cell backup or self monitoring, no alarm, dogs or total and complete trust in our fellow man.

Myself, I am satisfied with self monitoring. I can call the authorities as easily as any central station can. But I am not always available 24/7/365 either.

 

[spacejamz]

A decent 50-100lb dog > any alarm... both in terms of security and costs.

Security, most likely. My parents always had big dogs. German Shepherds, Dobermans, Rots, As their neighborhood of 40 years declined into just a hood, they never had a single incident. Costs, Dad spent $4K on the Rot during it's last 6 months on an autoimmune issue.

Cost can be more than just $$....For a dog person, wanting to spend QUALITY time (playing, daily walks, dog parks, etc) with their pet is not a problem...for someone who is never home or isn't a dog person and cannot give the dog the attention it needs/deserves, that person would probably consider their time with a dog as an opportunity cost as they would probably rather be doing something else....

 

[highland145]

Cost can be more than just $$....For a dog person, wanting to spend QUALITY time (playing, daily walks, dog parks, etc) with their pet is not a problem...for someone who is never home or isn't a dog person and cannot give the dog the attention it needs/deserves, that person would probably consider their time with a dog as an opportunity cost as they would probably rather be doing something else....

True. I love dogs. Other peoples....as long as they're not shitting in my yard. Neighbors just got a labradoodle puppy. Quite entertaining.

 

[DesiPower]

Quick update guys...

After much research and thought I decided to go with Livewatch, they had a special and I was going to be locked in at $20 a month. So I signed up, followed their instructions and hooked up all my sensors to their system and it worked pretty well! they actually piggy back on alarm.com for their online account management and alarm.com can be added to smartthings and in turn to google home and everything's working like a charm!

Only issue is that their keypad IS their main and only system, its huge and ugly and sticking to next to front door is an eyesore. Also I had a few wired sensors too which could not be hooked and I would have to spend close to $200 to add wireless sensors.

Then ADT started calling me back, asked me why I disconnected and I said that it's the price, I mean $50 to $20, a nobrainer right? I mean you did offer me $35 a month, but still why would I pay more... And the guy said how does $16.99 locked in for life as long as you don't make changes to the system sound? I caved in, and so now I am back with ADT...

 

[dullard]

$6,000 ouch

Ditto. I don't think that if someone robbed me of every single item in my house that the used value of my stuff would even reach $6000. Replacement value is different, but I wouldn't be replacing 15 year old mattresses with other 15 year old mattresses either.

Seems like the bigger fear should be ADT (guaranteed large loss of money), not the robbers (small chance of small loss). Is there a device that prevents me from this loss of money to ADT?

 

[DesiPower]

Security is peace of mind. If my home was broken into, even if nothing was taken, it would me a nightmare. Besides, my living room entertainment system + games is worth way more than the amount in question above. not to mention the laptops desktops and tables around the house...

 

[Red Squirrel]

Ditto. I don't think that if someone robbed me of every single item in my house that the used value of my stuff would even reach $6000. Replacement value is different, but I wouldn't be replacing 15 year old mattresses with other 15 year old mattresses either.

Seems like the bigger fear should be ADT (guaranteed large loss of money), not the robbers (small chance of small loss). Is there a device that prevents me from this loss of money to ADT?

Lol I have more than 6k in my server rack alone. Not to mention the actual data, if they take that and the backups. You can't put a price on that. But even if they don't take the backups it would be devistating having to rebuild everything.

It's not just about the items though but the house itself. Robbers will tend to do a lot of damage to the house, spray paint everything, trash everything, maybe even fire bomb it, then there is your pets, they will most likely harm them as well. They are there to cause terror and they will only take what they want after they are done trashing the place. You do get the quick crash and grabs, but a lot are just there to do as much damage in as little time as they can.

Of course an alarm system won't 100% stop them as they can still break in, trash the place and leave within like 5 minutes if they really want to, but it will probably still deter them.

I've been kind of debating myself on if I cancel the service and just set it up to self monitor. I would still keep the ADT signs and stickers. That alone is a pretty good defense.