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+--- Thread: "home false sense of security" :P (/showthread.php?tid=10761)
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Beej - 10-12-2015
To mention an alternative, check out Simplisafe. Still wireless and cellular, battery backup, no contract, and as cheap as $15/mo (I went for the $25/mo plan so I can set it from my phone, get texts, etc). I dunno if the other ones have fancier features, but it's got everything I want in a security system.
They usually have a few refurbished systems that are a bit cheaper than the new ones. Been a couple years and I think all I've done is replace the batteries on the keypad once and on the siren once.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Jewels - 10-12-2015
Thanks guys. I'll check them both out. I'm in a townhouse, so there aren't a ton of entry points. I really appreciate the feedback. I gotta be honest, this is the first time in my life that I've had to do the research on these kinds of things. I realized that my entire married life, I depended on Rex to do the research and tell me about it. This has been good for me, because I had to step out of my comfort zone. Its been bad, cause I'm lazy. So I appreciate you help point me in the right direction. I feel like all adult decisions should be in a Explain it like I'm 5 thread on Reddit, for me.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - WRXtranceformed - 10-13-2015
There are basically two choices with home security, contractor installed or self-installed. I chose the self-installed route because I didn't want a contractor in my home with knowledge to our master password, or potentially scoping out our house (which does happen). From there, it's basically just price and feature shopping like any other purchase, check out the reviews / ratings sites to make sure the company has good customer service and fast response times. Most companies use apps and the cool technology now, you just have to see where they are making their money (long term contracts, leased equipment, etc.). As far as the actual installation, Frontpoint was about as easy as it gets. If you can pull stickers off of sticky strips and make a phone call, you've pretty much got it!
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - JustinG - 10-13-2015
good timing....I have ADT/Brinks/whomever bought it out this week.
I just got a letter saying my cell attachment is being phased out, and I know they are going to make me upgrade, and then realize I am paying way too little, $26/month, and jack up my rate. So I may as well get something snazzy that I can take with me when we move.
Does anything integrate with Nest products?
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 10-13-2015
Frontpoint uses z-wave, which google tells me includes Nest.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - WRXtranceformed - 10-30-2015
How did the install go? First impressions?
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 10-31-2015
Glad you asked - I was just thinking I needed to post an update.
Set up was super simple, although it's definitely much easier with two people to work out the bugs.
I think the menu system on the basic panel needs work and it only ships with a short user guide; I'd prefer a full on detailed description of everything. There was one setting I wanted to change and couldn't fit in anywhere, including all the materials on their site. I posted on their Facebook page about it and they called me a few hours later. They couldn't get a hold of me or the wife, so they just changed the setting remotely. I really appreciate how quickly they resolved the issue, but it's a bit assumptive (and creepy) to change it remotely based on a Facebook post... given I didn't actually ask them to. It took a phone call to get them to email me a full user manual; one I couldn't find in 10 min of searching on their website. I'll take service like this every day of the week over most companies, but it was a weird experience.
The system got its first real test when we were out of town over the last week. I went through every setting on their website and customized it. My favorite setting is the geofences, by far. I have the system set to notify my wife and I via text if the system is armed/disarmed and we're both more than five miles from the house. This resulted in us getting notifications when our pet sitters entered the house (via their own code). I trust them, or I wouldn't give them access to our house, but it's nice to know when/if they're entering the house. I also set it to you notify us immediately is there's a glass break, regardless of system status. We accidentally confirmed this worked when my wife slammed the front door.
Lastly, the history section of the app is GREATLY appreciated. We arrived home from the airport at 2 am to find the (barred) portal hole on our front door ajar and strange lights on in the house. This caused some alarm, even though I figured it was our pet sitters leaving lights on and the portal swinging open when they slammed the door shut. Before my key entered the lock, I pulled up the app and confirmed there were no "events" since our pet sitters entered the house two days earlier. This allayed most of my concern and I entered what was... thankfully... an empty and untouched house.
I think their monthly fee is pretty high, but my frame of reference was basic ADT service five years ago. After my experiences to date, I'm happy to pay it. Next time we get a electrician or handyman in the house, I'm thinking about running a line to install a camera at the front door, and maybe back. I like the idea of the wife being able to see who's at the door from the bedroom when I'm out of town. That'll push the monthly fee up $5, but I can then add a thermostat for just the price of the equipment (e.g. Nest).
...and no, I'm not worried about randos seeing my details. IMO, it's even better insurance than putting the decals on my windows.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - WRXtranceformed - 11-01-2015
Nice! Great to hear the positive experience so far...we have had much of the same. Curious what your cost per month is? I think ours is like 44.99 or something, at the time it was <= most other services out there. Maybe rates across the board have dropped since then though.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 11-01-2015
It's $45. Back in the day, we were paying $30ish with ADT.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - WRXtranceformed - 11-03-2015
Apoc Wrote:It's $45. Back in the day, we were paying $30ish with ADT.:thumbup:
I guess mine is actually $42.99, just saw the ACH this morning
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - WRXtranceformed - 11-19-2015
Got a text notification this morning that power was cut and restored to the control panel! Our power was knocked out for a bit by a storm last night. The panel has a battery backup so the alarm never went inactive but I thought that was pretty cool! It's not the most fancy security system but it has definitely exceeded what I was expecting from it.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 11-19-2015
I set that up too, so I can be notified if we lose power (e.g. pipes freezing) while away.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - davej - 12-07-2015
Anyone have experience/suggestions for a non-monitored camera system? Been interested in putting something in at the school to cover entrances and such. I should have pretty good access under the eves to run cable, so it wouldn't need to be wireless.
Haven't gotten serious about it yet, but one of these in Costco got me thinking, and if stuff will be on sale around Christmas, no time like the present.
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I like the PoE to save on power runs. The cameras that come with it don't PTZ, but it looks like I could buy those if they needed that later.
I wish the companies would have a live demo of their cloud feeds so you can see what those interfaces looked like.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - rherold9 - 12-07-2015
I don't have personal experiences with camera systems but just did a group case study on public recordings. I would recommend for legality wise if you implement a system like that to have signs that make people aware they are recorded.
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Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Kaan - 12-07-2015
there will be no signs like that at my house!
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - rherold9 - 12-08-2015
Kaan Wrote:there will be no signs like that at my house!Well that is your private property that's a little different
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Re: - JustinG - 12-08-2015
rherold9 Wrote:Kaan Wrote:there will be no signs like that at my house!Well that is your private property that's a little different
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"Video recorders on premises, by entering you acknowledge that stupid shit you do may be posted to Youtube, Facebook, instagram, Vine, or any other form of social media"
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 12-08-2015
Video is generally legal with or without consent. It's the audio that's the problem.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - rherold9 - 12-08-2015
Apoc Wrote:Video is generally legal with or without consent. It's the audio that's the problem.Yeah no audio. Video depends on state laws.
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Re: "home false sense of security" :P - davej - 12-08-2015
Well, let me pick a state at random...how about Virginia?