Necessity of having a security system in the home?

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Joya

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Hello CAF Friends,

I would really appreciate some (name removed by moderator)ut on the subject of home alarm systems. I am in a dilemma over whether we should keep the service or not.

We bought a new home in a new development in 2002. We had an alarm system installed almost immediately, basically out of fear that the house would be broken into. It’s not like we’re in an affluent neighborhood; it’s actually modest and we don’t have anything worth stealing anyway. But apprehension and fear have an effect on me. I don’t think any neigbors’ homes have been robbed, but some stuff from cars parked in driveways and on the streets have.

The monthly monitoring fee started out around $30 per month when we got the system back in 2002. Now the fees have increased to $35 per month and I am wondering if it’s worth the expense. If the alarm should go off, the company receives a signal and then notifies the police.

The alarm has never gone off for a legitimate reason, only for false alarms, and the police did come out once when that happened. Still I have to wonder if those nifty little alarm stickers we have posted on our windows have deterred some criminals from actually breaking in?

What do you guys suggest? Are we wasting our money? Sometimes I think so. Should I call the police dept. and see what they think? Where can I get statistics on break-ins? Are they available? When/where are robbers most likely to try to break-in?

The way I understand our set up is that if we cancel the service, we will still have the system, but it just won’t be connected to the monitoring center.

A colleague I once worked with thought home alarm systems were a gimmick that really provided no protection and were ignored by criminals anyway. At the time I didn’t believe him and wasn’t considering canceling the service. Now that expenses are tight, I am wondering if this is one we truly need.

Any advice, suggestions, personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!
 
It’s a waste of money until the one time where you actually need it. Kinda like insurance. If I were you, I would weigh everything up… like is your husband away a lot? Are there children in the home? Does the neighborhood have alert neighbors that look out for one another? What is the crime rate in the neighborhood? Do you already own a large dog? etc. There was a time when I was away from home a lot, leaving behind a wife and 3 young children. During that era, we had an alarm system (service). When I stopped traveling so much, we cancelled it.
Best of luck and God bless.
 
I live in a small southern town and during the hot summer months I keep my front door open at night. There has Never been an issue concerning our safety.

Having four dogs can’t hurt either/😃
 
Personally, I don’t see the reason to have one, even though I am now divorced. Most break ins happen during the day, and a lot of those are just the neighborhood kid types of things. I used to work at a continuation school where a lot of the kids had records for that type of thing. They said they would basically just try doors to see which ones were unlocked. I think as long as you are locking your doors and windows, and not leaving any invitations (ie open gate or garage door) to target your home, odds are definitely in your favor.

Also, if you carry homeowners insurance, I am sure that the amount you are paying in alarm fees adds up to a lot more than the deductible.
 
your homeowners might give a rebate if you have an alarm system, check into it.
all the homes in this development came with systems installed, but to activate them requires a hefty fee (far more than $30) and since we have found from experience police seldom respond to even legitimate calls way out here, seems a waste of money to us. we rely on private security provided by the developer and the golf course.
 
You could shop around to see if another alarm company offers a better price.

They probably will come out to adjust the equipment that you already have.

Also, if the company that you are using thinks that they might lose your business, hey might offer you a better price.

As for not having anything valuable, you really don’t want strangers looking at your things and knowing the layout of your home.
 
It depends on your town and neighborhood…

When I was in college I insisted on an alarm system!
(Remember Danny Rollings and the murders in Gainesville, FL? Yeah, that’ll put fear in your mind!:eek: )

But now where we currently live I don’t see a need at all. My parents and my MIL both live in nearby neighborhoods and have never had a problem (no security systems at either house)…
And we live in a gated neighborhood, so we have one level of security already in place.

I guess it just depends on the statistics in your area! Honestly, I would call the local police department and get their opinion!
 
Thanks for the replies so far, everyone!

I felt secure having the service when my husband and I both worked full-time before we had kids and were gone for most of the day. Now that I am a stay-at-home mom and almost never leave the house except for errands, I am really questioning if we need to be paying the monthly service.

Puzzleannie, yes, we do get a small discount on our homeowner’s insurance for having the alarm.
 
Someone mentioned a large dog. A small yappy dog also helps. You want an alarm and 911.
 
I dunno. We have one, with a motion detector…came with the house we’re renting, until we decide if we want to buy this or move to another home at the end of the lease. I think that the monthly fee gives you a peace of mind.
 
I hate paying for my system but it’s been worth it. Coincidentally, I pay $90 quarterly for ADT. We had a car broken into in our driveway a couple of years ago and got a nice, friendly German Shepard/Pitt Bull mix. She only barks when someone unfamiliar is around. She has certainly helped a lot, but consider what you pay yearly for a dog if you keep up shots, flea/tick meds, heartworm meds, and food. It is much cheaper to pay for alarm monitoring.

We had ours go off this weekend while we were away. My neighbor said it went off for 3 minutes at which time the police arrived. They inspected all doors and windows then left. We received calls from ADT on our home and cell phones. The apparent culprit was my flimsy shop door which is no longer making good contact with the alarm sensor. It got jiggled open during a thunderstorm. False alert but it was good to see we got a good response time. IMHO, the peace of mind is worth it.
 
Brian_C said:
I hate paying for my system but it’s been worth it. Coincidentally, I pay $90 quarterly for ADT. We had a car broken into in our driveway a couple of years ago and got a nice, friendly German Shepard/Pitt Bull mix. She only barks when someone unfamiliar is around. She has certainly helped a lot, but consider what you pay yearly for a dog if you keep up shots, flea/tick meds, heartworm meds, and food. It is much cheaper to pay for alarm monitoring.

We had ours go off this weekend while we were away. My neighbor said it went off for 3 minutes at which time the police arrived. They inspected all doors and windows then left. We received calls from ADT on our home and cell phones. The apparent culprit was my flimsy shop door which is no longer making good contact with the alarm sensor. It got jiggled open during a thunderstorm. False alert but it was good to see we got a good response time. IMHO, the peace of mind is worth it.
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Thank you for your valuable advice. Good point that the upkeep of a dog is more expensive than the monthly fee. Btw, we have ADT, too.
 
Our main reason for having one is personal protection. Someone breaking in while we’re not home isn’t near as scarry as them breaking in while we are home. The alarm sends the police even if you cannot make it to the phone. I think the peace of mind is worth the expense. Like a previous poster said, you don’t think you need it until you need it and then your sure glad you had it.
 
We live in a large city, and I want a system. Plus, I’d like to have a panic button installed, which I believe dials 911 immediately. The panic buttons have been described to me as a key fob type of device, something you might put on your nightstand at night or wear around your neck. A friend had her home broken into one morning when her 12 y/o daughter was home alone. The thieves saw their plasma TV through the patio window. they knocked first, but the daughter did not answer the door, as she had been instructed not to when she was home alone. Thinking that the no one was home, these guys broke down the back door and began robbinig the house. When she heard the crashing glass, the girl hid. Shortly after, the thieves found the daughter hiding under her bed, threatened her life, yelled at her, etc. but, thank God, did no harm. And this family had a security system in place. It just wasn’t on at the time. Egads!
 
Home security systems are good as are panic buttons, but IMO, weapons, esp. firearms are much better. One doesn’t have to play Rambo at all in the event of a break-in; just collect the family and barricade yourself in a room. But if the people breaking into your house mean to do you or your family serious harm, a pistol or shotgun is miles better than a panic button.
 
Odds are the prominently placed stickers alone will stop potential burglers from picking your house.

You can probably keep the alarm active without having the monitering. In other words you set the alarm and if tripped the horn will go off. I would think any intruder would not stick around trying to decide if the police have been alerted or not. Can’t you have the system without monitering without paying a monthly fee???

Also, buy a gun. A simple shotgun or handgun will work well. Keep it in your bedroom with a simple combo lock that you can do in the dark. Guns save lives.
 
I didn’t know that alarm systems were so inexpensive. I will definitely talk to my hubby about getting one myself.

For our family a gun would be dangerous due to the fact that I sleep walk. I do all types of crazy things in my sleep including jumping off the bed-don’t ask. I would be terrified that I would shot someone in my sleep.😦

Just yesterday, my friendly dog started to bark at my bedroom window. I heard footsteps running away. Because it was early in the evening I assumed that it was the neighbor boys getting some of their toys. THey play in our yard sometimes. Today I asked my neighbor about this and she informed me that her entire family had been at church during that time.
 
deb1 said:
For our family a gun would be dangerous due to the fact that I sleep walk. I do all types of crazy things in my sleep including jumping off the bed-don’t ask. I would be terrified that I would shot someone in my sleep.😦
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Dogs first, alarm second, guns last. This is my philosophy about home protection.

My other secret is to have the most raggedy looking car in the neighborhood and the grass a little bit longer than the others.

I would also suggest a broken refrigerator on the front lawn but the guy next door would hate me for that.😃
 
This is a good idea – an alarm system without monitoring service costs nothing to maintain. Maybe I should do this (given the police response time in my neighborhood, the police have no hope of catching the intruders anyway…)
Sure said:
You can probably keep the alarm active without having the monitering. In other words you set the alarm and if tripped the horn will go off. I would think any intruder would not stick around trying to decide if the police have been alerted or not. Can’t you have the system without monitering without paying a monthly fee???
Click to expand...
 
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