"home false sense of security" :P

[WRXtranceformed]

and never shoot someone until they are an *immediate* threat to you and/or your family's safety or health.
Your 'stuff' is insured and not worth taking a human life over even if it wasnt (or more importantly, not worth risking a mistake like above)

the problem with owning a gun is most people are a little too eager to use it.

This is important to note in NC, that if you walk in on someone stealing your TV it doesn't remove you from all legal or liability issues if you just pop them. They have to have threatened you or made you fear for your life. Obviously that is a huge grey area but it is definitely part of the CC training here.

Across the border in SC things are a little different. You are definitely taking your life into your hands even more if you break into a house down there.

[BLINGMW]

If it goes off, don't forget to identify the target before shooting.

Glad she's ok, but um... put that cop behind a desk please. Can neither handle a gun nor a car in a stressful situation. :|

This is important to note in NC

Same in VA AFAIK. And legal grey area or not, whatever state you live in, it's not a good idea to try to go seeking the intruder out to protect your stuff.

[Steve85]

And yeah Steve, I would like to think that I would make an attempt to identify the threat before I pulled the trigger. I've got a mag light next to the bed (and a flashlight / strobe on my home defense weapon as a backup) that would hopefully help clear up what's going on during a break in

Just in case Lee, the post wasn't directed at you, just a timing thing.

I know you all get the firearms training and know the laws, and I'm sure this guy did too, and it wasn't enough in the heat of the moment. Although, being an officer probably conflicted with the "don't hunt the intruder" part.

[Apoc]

I like that this thread started as part of the firearms thread, was broken out, and now we're talking about gun safety.

Circle of life.

[BLINGMW]

I guess we could have just retitled it all as "home security"

[WRXtranceformed]

Oh yeah dude no worries I know that wasn't directed at me

Yeah anything can happen when your adrenaline is pumping. I have no desire to take someone's life but I hope and pray that it never comes to that last resort. That was a big reason why we ended up with a security system, it's a very good deterrent and first line of defense. Even just having a yard sign and window stickers really helps if you aren't willing to go through with the hardwire / monitoring.

[Evan]

I guess we could have just retitled it all as "home security"

or "home false sense of security"

[davej]

whatever Evan Almighty commands

[Evan]

whatever Evan Almighty commands

hey I liked the last title! :p

[WRXtranceformed]

New base unit arrived in 24 hours as promised, a quick 5 minute setup and test call and all is well. Best money I have spent in a long time

[Evan]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/505428730/blink-wire-free-hd-home-monitoring-and-alert-syste?ref=discovery">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/50 ... =discovery</a><!-- m -->

pretty cool, just wish it integrated with existing protocols. i may pick one up (even though i swore off kickstarter)

[Apoc]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/505...=discovery

pretty cool, just wish it integrated with existing protocols. i may pick one up (even though i swore off kickstarter)

Did you get in on this? Seems like there's always a half dozen home monitoring solutions on Kickstarter.

[Evan]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/505...=discovery

pretty cool, just wish it integrated with existing protocols. i may pick one up (even though i swore off kickstarter)

Did you get in on this? Seems like there's always a half dozen home monitoring solutions on Kickstarter.

no. idea seemed way too ambitious and unrealistic. I dont think they will be able to achieve that kind of battery life


btw, if youre looking to get into home automation, staples has the new (and very good) Dlink HA hub for free when you buy 2 sensors. all open standards, no proprietary stuff.
My almond+ (from kickstarter......) isnt panning out like I had hoped, so Ill probably pick up the Dlink soon.

[Apoc]

Very, very pleased with the FrontPoint system so far. Installation took me maybe 30 minutes, with the last 10 minutes being spent trying to figure out the best spot to place the motion detector. Called FP to set it up and got an activation code to the online portal and app. It is crazy how much you can customize with these systems, including push notifications for basically any event or situation you can imagine. The only hiccup so far was that the base unit wiring for the battery backup was a little finicky and two of the buttons weren't labeled on it, so no questions asked they are next day airing me a new one.

The app is pretty sweet, I can see at any point in the day who is coming in and out of my house, arm / disarm remotely, etc. Pretty stoked to add some additional stuff to the system in the near future; because it is wireless I could even add a contact to the rifle safe.

Any updated thoughts?

[Apoc]

I ordered one. Wanted the external camera, but it's $400 and I wasn't ready to hire an electrician to run power. I'm told I can add it at any time.

Lee, you'll be getting a free month of service after my 30 day trial expires.

[WRXtranceformed]

Whoa that is sweet! Thanks dude!

We have been really pleased, Frontpoint goes over the top with their customer service. The only other hiccup we had was with the app, when you were leaving the house and transitioning between WIFI and 4G, sometimes it got a little wonky and would't recognize commands. That was related to the Alarm.com app though and they updated it a while back to fix the issue. For what we need it for its perfect, you can add stuff on any time you want without extra monthly monitoring charges and when we eventually leave this house we can just take everything with us.

A buddy of mine just got CPI and it looks like they significantly dropped their rates, it must have been for a neighborhood promotion since their community is brand new. They even sent canvassers around knocking doors to get people to sign up. They are either struggling from companies like FP or just trying to get in and lock people into 4 year deals while they can. Another buddy also just went CPI and put their highest end stuff in his new house, but his house is really really nice. If we move into a bigger / nicer home at some point I would consider doing the touch screen / video front door bell conferencing stuff but this system still does what we need it to do! Don't forget to register it with your local police dept., there are probably some requirements there for that too.

[Apoc]

Did you mount your control panel on a wall? Can you hardwire it?

[WRXtranceformed]

No I didn't, but I think you could...I'm not 100% sure. I just have it sitting on a piece of furniture in our foyer.

[Jewels]

So.... can somebody walk me through all of this sometime soon, by email or chat. Its just me and Diesel in the house 100% of the time, and Hannah 50% of the time. Currently, my gun is in Rex's safe because I have no place to keep it out of Hannah's reach and it still be useful for me. Now, my neighborhood is like super new, so that's a plus side. The downside is, there are workers outside all the time, and you can't trust everybody. Diesel is a great alarm system if I am home, but he's never met a stranger so the chances of him being threatening are slim to none, and he doesn't bark really, so that's not a deterrent. I just would feel a lot better if I had the piece of mind especially when Hannah is here.

[Apoc]

Julie, give FrontPoint a call. Their customer service is pretty good and they will walk you through everything. They can recommend products for your use case and everything is wireless (cellular), so it's 30 min of your own time to install. The control panel just uses an AC plug and has a battery backup.

My up front was $250ish for a 1900 sq ft house and monitoring will be $45/month. That monthly is the same regardless of equipment, unless you want a camera or smart home type stuff. If you do, it's $5 more/month. I'm happy to post about my experience in a few weeks.