Home Security Systems

No phone line? App control on a smartphone? Wireless hardware? Cheap monthly fee with no contract? Install costs?

Learn me. I know nothing other than I'm cheap, don't want to poke holes in my walls, and don't want a land line if I don't have to.

Hands down, simplisafe.
No phone line needed..check
Wireless install..check Cheep monthly fee no contract.. check (I pay ~$15/month)
I bought a refurbished unit with a keypad, motion sensor, 2 door/window sensors, and remote for the keychain and the first months service for around $181.
The wire you see coming from the base station is to a power outlet. However it has a battery in it so even without power, you are still secure.
The app and stuff cost more per month, but just check out the ADT prices and you are still saving money.

I was just going to suggest the same, or convince old and nosey people to move in around you

This is relevant to my interests. Subscribed.

If you were to zoom out my photos you would see that there was an existing wired system already installed. It was far cheaper to buy and self install the simplisafe system than to get a service call to replace the battery and turn on the old system.
Positives: The key fob. Setting your alarm is just like it is on a car, I haven't figured out how to make the lights blink...yet.
The install, you pull the keyfob cap off and its a usb drive, everything needed to install is there.
Its all wireless, wifi to from sensors to the basestation, cellular from the basestation to the service.
But what if I run short on money and need to save $15 bucks a month? No problem, turn off the service and the system will act like an old school alarm and make noise.
You can also add TONS of other sensors (water, fire, monoxide, multiple motion, door, glass breaking, etc)
The self install is voice guided and it rocks. You can have multiple PIN numbers for different folks and then use the log to see who accessed.
Negatives: Every 10 years you have to replace the batteries in the sensors? It costs an extra $10/month for the webstuff. I am cheap right now so I just do all my changes and configurations with the laptop.
There has to be some sort of downside, but in 4 months I haven't found it yet.
FINAL NOTE: Lets say that you move, remove all sensors (they are stuck on with the same 3m Wall sticky stuff you get at local stores) buy more 3M wall sticky stuff at walmart and setup in new location. That's it, buy now, use whatever level of service you like and move it whenever you want.

asoduk wrote: I was just going to suggest the same, or convince old and nosey people to move in around you

This. My 'hood is full of retirees, they are the best alarm system on the planet.

My existing system (which came with the house) is all interior meaning I have interior motion detector, glass breaking, door, window, fire etc.
What I did/do not have was video on the exterior.
What I added was 7 of these from Foscam.
See my reviews.

I feel that $100 achieved what would otherwise require multiple thousands.
My goals were to keep the windows, doors, cars from being broken. Sure, if you break my door/window, the alarm goes off but that still means I have a broken door/window. I wanted a visual deterrent before it actually happens. In a nutshell, my goal is to make someone else's house look more appealing to a criminal than mine; before they try.

The blue sign at the front door is pretty powerful too so source a real one of those if you can.

As you approach the front door.

Close up:

As you approach the garage/cars/enter driveway:

Around back and other low light areas I have some bullet style too:

Simple…just drive over to the nice part of town late at night and pull a bunch of security system signs out of rich people’s lawns and stick them in your yard.

Ours has two communication channels internet or cellular, this adds about 15 more per month. I have all hard wired sensors only benefits are no battery's and all my sensor are hidden inside of the windows and door jams. Don't forget the battery backup!

Simplisafe system ordered. Will report back.

Let the hive know when it's installed and we can set up a covert op to test effectiveness for you...

I've been looking for a system similar to Scout Security or Iris. Mainly something that will link to my phone if there's a problem so I can make the decision to call the police myself.

That's my biggest issue with Simplisafe. If you don't pay for monitoring all it does is make noise until you get home.

Catch thief in the act. Mount head on pike in the front yard as warning to others. Repeat when head gets too ripe.

But honestly, I never had an alarm system. One day the ADT guy came to my door to sell me his system. My dogs "informed" me of his presence..... He apologized for wasting my time and told me I had the best security system in the world. Two 70 lb dogs :-)

And such good boys they were!!

We'll any alarm is just going to make noise unless you pay for monitoring. I will get an app to control it via phone for $25 per month. That's cheapest than most.

The0retical wrote: I've been looking for a system similar to Scout Security or Iris. Mainly something that will link to my phone if there's a problem so I can make the decision to call the police myself. That's my biggest issue with Simplisafe. If you don't pay for monitoring all it does is make noise until you get home.

In reply to KyAllroad:

We had two dogs but right now allergies are preventing that solution.

In reply to secretariata:

Don't do a surprise test. Gaston Glock gets called before the police and he always gets there first.

In reply to Datsun1500:

No security cameras on the system, just door/window alarms.

We live in Greer, SC. About average for crime, really. We have no dogs, there have been other break-ins in the area, I sleep too solidly, and I have other politically-motivated reasons for thinking there will be an uptick in crime that I'd rather not ruin this thread with. Since our dogs are gone, my wife has been skittish, especially when I am away late at night. She just has a different threshold of risk than some of us do, no big deal, I can dig.

I'm a little surprised no one has posted big pictures of their guns and dogs yet...that always happens when security systems discussions come up. Also, remember that neither one of them will do any good if you're not home and you brought your dog with you.

Besides simply monitoring doors and windows, I highly recommend adding smoke detectors to the system. If anything, they're more important; if someone breaks in and steals your TV set it's a minor inconvenience, if there's a fire in the middle of the night when you're sleeping they could save your life.

You can also include CO detectors, low temp alarms (good if you're in a cold part of the country and your furnace goes out while you're on vacation) and floor flooding alarms (in case the hoses on your washing machine break.)

stuart in mn wrote: I'm a little surprised no one has posted big pictures of their guns and dogs yet...that always happens when security systems discussions come up. Also, remember that neither one of them will do any good if you're not home and you brought your dog with you. Besides simply monitoring doors and windows, I highly recommend adding smoke detectors to the system. If anything, they're more important; if someone breaks in and steals your TV set it's a minor inconvenience, if there's a fire in the middle of the night when you're sleeping they could save your life. You can also include CO detectors, low temp alarms (good if you're in a cold part of the country and your furnace goes out while you're on vacation) and floor flooding alarms (in case the hoses on your washing machine break.)

I considered those and here is my thought process:

Smoke alarms are great. I've got a bunch of them. They're hard wired with battery backup. The only reason I can think of to buy all new ones (at great expense) is to call the fire department when we're not home. I figure the chances are not great.

CO alarms are even less likely to need to be connected to the alarm system. I have two CO alarms in the house. If they go off, we get out. If nobody is home, CO isn't that big of a deal, unless the CO alarms go off and exhaust their batteries by the time we get back, which I also figure is unlikely.

Low temp alarms are not very useful around here. I gets below freezing for a few weeks. We have two furnaces. It would be unlikely.

Plus, the three things above are like $150 in sensors, and can all be purchased later if necessary.

tuna55 wrote: Smoke alarms are great. I've got a bunch of them. They're hard wired with battery backup. The only reason I can think of to buy all new ones (at great expense) is to call the fire department when we're not home. I figure the chances are not great.

Something to consider is that a person can be overcome by smoke inhalation fairly quickly, the noise of the alarm may or may not be enough to wake them up and get them outside in time. My sister and her husband died in a house fire some years back so I think about this stuff; it's easy to speculate about it now, but maybe if their smoke detector had been connected to a central monitoring system, things would have been different.

edit: I checked the Simplisafe website, and they have smoke detectors for $30/ea.

stuart in mn wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Smoke alarms are great. I've got a bunch of them. They're hard wired with battery backup. The only reason I can think of to buy all new ones (at great expense) is to call the fire department when we're not home. I figure the chances are not great.

Something to consider is that a person can be overcome by smoke inhalation fairly quickly, the noise of the alarm may or may not be enough to wake them up and get them outside in time. My sister and her husband died in a house fire some years back so I think about this stuff; it's easy to speculate about it now, but maybe if their smoke detector had been connected to a central monitoring system, things would have been different. edit: I checked the Simplisafe website, and they have smoke detectors for $30/ea.

Thanks for the advice. I'll consider it.

I'd need something like 8 of them.

Installed.

Seems to work well, although I am not sure the alarm is loud enough or that the motion sensor is sensitive enough. It all works, and was easy to set up. We get instant text messages when the alarm goes off or is turned off, and that's cool. There is also an app so you can arm or disarm the system in the driveway which will come in handy when carrying armfuls of kids and groceries.

I keep expecting CWH to chime in here, as I think that this is his area of expertise.

tuna55 wrote: Installed. Seems to work well, although I am not sure the alarm is loud enough or that the motion sensor is sensitive enough. It all works, and was easy to set up. We get instant text messages when the alarm goes off or is turned off, and that's cool. There is also an app so you can arm or disarm the system in the driveway which will come in handy when carrying armfuls of kids and groceries.

Nice. Last time I looked at that system it didn't have the IOT integration that I wanted, that was kind if my poorly stated point in the last post. I might have to reconsider now.

The0retical wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Installed. Seems to work well, although I am not sure the alarm is loud enough or that the motion sensor is sensitive enough. It all works, and was easy to set up. We get instant text messages when the alarm goes off or is turned off, and that's cool. There is also an app so you can arm or disarm the system in the driveway which will come in handy when carrying armfuls of kids and groceries.

Nice. Last time I looked at that system it didn't have the IOT integration that I wanted, that was kind if my poorly stated point in the last post. I might have to reconsider now.

I do not understand what IOT integration means