My mind is overwhelmed by all the options - choices - endless good reviews - bad reviews dos and don'ts

Rarely have I ventured into something that has left me as befuddled as this

I need a good starting point.

I prefer a wireless self installed system w/o monthly fees for monitoring.

If I did choose a monitoring company / install ... who is best ? I swear I have researched this for the past 36-48 hours and I feel like I have been Jedi mind fucked everywhich way possible.

We are on the same page. Ultimately I decided on a non monitored system w/ POE cameras and an NVR, so I could view them remotely if I wanted.



I manage a larger 7000 sq. ft. property and we decided to go with ADT for our system. Primarily because while I was meeting with different salesmen, the ADT rep talked about his previous experience and explained which equipment they could sell to me, and gave me a referral to a local low voltage electrician who specialized in integrating with our Crestron control processor. Since it wasn't coming from my pocket I went with that system, and sold it to the owners because "I" could connect it with their current system and they can view feeds through their in-wall LCD's or remotely.



I was happy with ADT monitoring though. On my honeymoon I got a call that the alarm was going off and they dispatched the police. I called the local dept. to make sure it was being responded to and the responding officer called me back about 5 minutes later. Not sure why he would do it, but I appreciated it. He walked through the house and determined that one of the garages had opened with a power surge (guessing) which set the alarm off. ADT called about 10 minutes after the officer left and gave me the same info I was already given.

I had ADT for a while, but they are really expensive and purposefully make it expensive to modify your setup. I went with them originally because of the all included service, just call and ask for service and it was setup the next day. Wanted speed and ease over cost.

I researched and switched to simplisafe and have been happy. Wireless, easy to install + expand, and various plan levels that are easy to switch between.

I went with Simplisafe also.  Affordable, super easy to set up, and expandable. I like the fact I can move, adjust a sensor, or add an additional sensor without having to call a technician and have to pay a service fee.  I also like the fact I'm not locked into a 3 year contract.  The basic monitoring plan is $14.00 per month and the interactive plan is $24.00 a month.  You can switch between the two or cancel at any time.  I would recommend the interactive plan as you can get alerts from your smart phone, and you can also activate or deactivate from your phone also. It might not be the most "high tech" alarm system but it suits my needs as I only have a 1500 square foot house.  The only drawback to this system is that with the right equipment and a little computer knowledge, the system can be "hacked", although Simplisafe is supposed to be working on a fix to this.   They are also supposed to be coming out with integrated cameras which are currently in beta testing.

OP can you pull wire to sensor locations? Can you run a wire for a horn or horn/strobe to soffit? A Vista panel, cell communicator,etc and you can build your own system.

I do not have a home system yet...

that said , if you go with a local/national monitored system, call your local PD/SO and see what their response policy is first / do they respond to unverified alarms, audible or silent alarms?  do they respond only based on call volume?  do you need an alarm permit?  are you fined for x # of false alarms? will they do a protective sweep if its found unsecured but no sign of forced entry?  

I too am a simplisafe customer.  Its a solid system.  I'll have to admit it does get expensive adding a lot of components.  An awesome feature is a quiet alert function that can be had with the interactive monitoring.  I use an entry sensor to alert me when someone opens my gun room.  You can set it for other sensors as well, e.g. motion, to alert you if there is a trigger.  This can be done without setting off the alarm itself. Useful if your as crazy as me.  It will notify you via text if the sensor is tripped.  I could have gone without as many sensors by using just motions, but my dog would set them off.  I also have smoke and flood sensors.  Great system.

R

I switched from ADT to simplisafe. The only thing that kept me from switching earlier was that all my doors and windows are hardwired and ADT had them set up in 6 zones.


I found instructions on the internet about how to connect simplisafe sensors to hardwired systems.




It works great and I only had to buy 6 simplisafe door and window sensors to cover my 26 windows and doors.


 

There are companies that will monitor your self-installed system. Check out Geoarm. The site looks straight out of 1998 but they're legit. The monitoring is just as good as when I stupidly signed a multi-year contract with ADT for less than half the price and no contract. And if I add a sensor, it's just a simple call to have my system's records updated.

And they made a press release saying they don't see this as an issue with no plan to fix it.
http://blog.ioactive.com/2016/02/remotely-disabling-wireless-burglar.html





Better off with a Honeywell Lynx its not as proprietary and a lot more expansion options.





 

I knew about the Simplisafe hack, but it's an unlikely event to have happen. A thief sophisticated enough to know how to do it won't be robbing my little house.

Thanks for the Honeywell Lynx recommendation. It looks rather interesting. I'm trying to figure out what sensors work with the different control panels. It looks like it might actually be a better option.

Are you using a Honeywell Lynx or know anyone that is? Are they sold to the general public or only certified installers? Looks interesting, I'd be curious to hear about end-user experiences.

Checkout alarm grid, the guys there are great and offer tons of support.
They
also have monitoring plans that are reasonably priced, you can even
choose to do 'self monitoring'.  Where its a cellular link to a
monitoring station, but you will get the alerts on a phone app of the
sensors that are being triggered etc, and you can decide to call the
police if need be,
On their youtube channel they have detailed videos of almost all their products being setup.
Wireless Systems: https://www.alarmgrid.com/browse/wireless-security-systems



Many plan options: https://www.alarmgrid.com/monitoring
 

After telc's first post about the Honeywell Lynx, I set off to learn more. It appears that the system is primarily geared toward professional installers and distribution channels. However, it looks like most, if not all, of the various modules are available on Amazon and elsewhere.

I watched a number of AlarmGrid's YouTube videos, but then I found Geoarm's YouTube playlist on the Honeywell Lynx 7000 (7" touchscreen, top-of-the-line Honeywell residential control panel). They were very informative and useful.  Geoarm also looks to have cheaper monitoring options than AlarmGrid does.

So far, I'm quite intrigued by the Honeywell Lynx. It looks like basic packages range from $300 - $500 on Amazon and the sensors seem to be similar in price to what Simplisafe charges for extra sensors.

ETA: I just stumbled across the Honeywell Lyric controller on AlarmGrid's website. It supports all of the same sensors as the Honeywell Lynx, but includes support for Honeywell's SiX encrypted sensors and has built-in Wifi and Z-Wave capability (where as the Lynx controllers require add-on modules to be installed for Wifi and Z-Wave). Now it's time to research sensor prices for Lynx (5800 series sensors) vs. Lyric (5800 series or the encrypted SiX line).

Lots of good info ... please keep it coming

Do either of the Honeywell panels work without a monthly monitoring fee? It seems like a lot of the features require a monitoring company? Why?

 
With a Vista panel and the proper keypad, you can get their wireless sensors which have been reliable for me. Even the siren can be had wirelessly.

I checked out SimpliSafe when I was looking and ending up going with LiveWatch. I got more sensors for less and supposedly they have more call centers than SimpliSafe. They also were one of the few that offers a Windows Phone App.

I live in CA. Non monitored (I get notifications not the police) self install.

I want to be able to secure my remaining firearms BEFORE any police come in to my house.

Edit: I have insteon. technically not a security system but I got it for cheap and also got some cheap add-on window/door sensors. I get alerts when something opens or there is motion detection. I also have a few cameras, the DVR sends pictures to my email where there is motion/tamper detection. I have a few other deterrents in place, but my main goal is to see if my house got robbed from the other side of the world so I can come back and fix what needs fixed, file report, make insurance claim. Don't trust CA cops to go in my house while I have guns and reloading supplies in there.

As far as I can tell, they do not work with the cell phone app without a monitoring fee. However, I believe they still work as a stand-alone alarm and will provide notifications on the panel.

 
Correct. At least on the Vista, and I assume other models as well.

www.alarmrelay.com is ~$8/month for internet monitoring and another ~$10/month for cellular monitoring if you want it (they provide the cellular interface).  You can use a number of different alarm panels (like a Honeywell Vista) and provide your own sensors (wireless or otherwise).  Much nicer arrangement than others, where you're locked into their equipment (simplisafe) or have a crazy monthly fee (ADT).

I got lost in shopping as well and the defaulted with SimpliSafe.
It's been a good system for the price.
I have two homes and one has a basement that floods on occasion and having them call me the moment any water show's up has saved me a lot of aggravation.

the only 2 reasons i want an alarm is so my dog doesnt get stolen and my guns dont get stolen.  Id rather have an active monitored alarm because in both cases of the things i want protected id rather have something more than just a video.   alarm and reactive police when im not close to there is more important.  Im sure you can put in your own alarm that deters in the first place.  I here better things about vivent than adt.

don't laugh - I have a canary. No monitored, plug it into the wall add it to your wifi, sync with your phone and you're off....it has very good video including "night vision". Set it on the shelf - it looks like a small speaker and it monitors your home temperature and humidity (I guess that's in case of a fire?) It has motion sensor and audio...it will alert you when you're away from home if it detects any movement or if the temps go outside of range. You get a text and then you have the option to view the video it started to record and uploaded to the cloud. You can also just peek in anytime you want....you set the sensitivities right from your phone.

Link?

https://www.amazon.com/Canary-All---One-Security-Device/dp/B00NW31YSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1473099076&sr=1-1&keywords=canary+home+security

That's really unfortunate. Monitoring fees add up to quite a lot of money over the couple years I expect a system to last.
I suppose that company with $8/month service could work, not wallet rape like ADT wants.

If you use a Vista panel, you can use a network appliance like http://www.alarmdecoder.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/39.  It can be configured to send internet alarm/status notifications.  

Cool!
That looks like a good backup system do to the simplicity.

The truth is, Honeywell and SinplySafe's systems can and do get defeated by crooks with know how. The tech to defeat these has become all to available and more Importantly, affordable. For that reason I just upgraded part of my system to Honeywell's new Lyric controller. It can not be jammed and uses bi-directional encrypted sensors. It's very nice..I hear that 2gig's newest system will also be capable of two way communication but they have not released the sensors as of now. The Honeywell lyric will happily accept the 5800 seris sensors as well so I use those still for economy and augment the system where appropriate with the new sensors..Kinda of a hybrid if you will.

I install everything myself ALWAYS and I use the full suite of Total connect, including cams. I used to use AlarmGrid and Sterling and Frank are very nice guys. As a matter of fact, I still use them for the intital equipment purchase. However, I use Advanced Security out of Indiana for the actual monitoring.   Victor is an awesome guy and will go out of his way to get you setup at a fantastic price. Also, they use Avantguard for their central station and they are the fastest calling company I have ever been with. Seriously, they are fantastic!

What is he charging you per month for monitoring ?

I was thinking of getting a couple of these in addition to my Simplisafe system.  This way if my alarm trips, I could pull up the video footage to see what is going on, plus like someone else said its a good back up system.

Depends on your setup, but I pay in the 30-40 range for full Total Connect.  I apologize for being vague but I kinda got a special deal because I was his first customer with a Lyric Controller.Either way, his pricing is still the best I have found and I have searched high and low..Give him a call and I am sure he will hook you up.

I'll have to pick one of these up.

I think I want to upgrade to something like the Honeywell Lyric system.  Right now I have a wired system with 6 zones.  From the reading I've done, it looks like the Lyric only supports 2 wired zones, plus I do want to add a few wireless sensors to what I have (and add cellular, wifi, etc.)  Is there any solution available to add more wired zones to the Lyric?

The week before labor day I chose the SIMPLISAFE option.  My son who is a Marine was granted 96 hours of liberty for the Labor Day weekend so we all decided to go to Vegas.

I was going to have some workers around the house removing trees, so I decided last minute to go with SIMPLISAFE for peace of mind.

I did order the REFURBISHED 18 piece system, with the labor day 10% and opted for the 2 day shipping so that we could get it installed before leaving to Vegas.

I ordered on Monday evening and it arrived Thursday afternoon, I was tired after work on Thursday so I opted to install it Friday morning.

I plugged in the base unit and NOTHING happened.

I changed outlets.  NOTHING.

I called customer service and the customer service rep said that I had to just let the unit sit and do its thing for a bit before it activated.

I asked NO LESS than THREE TIMES if the unit is supposed to do SOMETHING on plugging in.

"Nope.  Thats the way it works...  Go ahead and install the alarm sensors and siren throughout the house."

About 45 minutes later, still NOTHING.  I call customer service back, thankfully I get a different rep.

He has me take the batteries out of the BASE STATION and try different outlets.  NOTHING.

So he looks up the serial number of the Base Station:  IT WAS RETURNED PREVIOUSLY FOR BEING DEAD.



Yep.  I am upset!  He says that he is going to rush ship out another base station.  2 BUSINESS DAYS.  Its FRIDAY morning, going into a long weekend...

Forget that crap!  Its useless to me for security this weekend.

I went to Home Depot, and got a three-pack of NEST cameras: 20 minutes later I have 3 zones of my house covered with cameras and audio able to access via my smart phone.

SUMMARY: I bought SimpliSafe for peace of mind while on vacation.  It failed.  It failed MISERABLY.  Their customer service was 50/50 on troubleshooting.  Their Quality Control for "REFURBISHED" systems is TERRIBLE.  I HAVE ZERO CONFIDENCE IN SIMPLISAFE.

Does their 3 year warranty cover my house & my stuff if their alarm goes out?  NO IT DOES NOT.

When in Vegas it was nice to get the alerts from shadows, and I did position one of the cameras near the front door and got alerts when the work men rang the door bell!

When we arrived back from Vegas, on the next business day after the 'new' base station arrived, with a return label.  It all got shipped back.

And I got a nice reward for my endeavor: The sensors sticky tape removed paint, and I have to patch & paint the screw holes: UPSET WIFE.

SIMPLISAFE.  Your lack of Quality Control & crappy customer service has cost you a potential customer and possibly other customers.

For now NEST works for me.  I will be exploring another DIY security sensor package & options for the house.

~Will

FWIW, check with your homeowner's insurance. I get a $273 discount on my homeowners insurance for having a monitored alarm; no discount for non-monitored systems. IMHO $273 discount can pay for a lot of monitoring... and that way you have the advantage of having a monitored alarm system...

Still in the research mode

have gotten approx. 6-7 diff bids on the job by local contractors / sec sys companies

Looking like I will be spending approx. $2500 to get the camera and sec system I want with door / window sensors motion sensors and monitoring with cell phone access of the cameras. Looks like monitoring is an industry standard of the $40 mo range ( give or take )

a lot of $$$ but I can afford it and think its over due.

If you can install a panel and a few keypads and a few new hardwired sensors go with a Vista or similar system. Zone it the way you want. Wireless should be no problem. Local monitoring here is $19.99/month with phone app.

A DVR system from Nelly's with H band cameras and your all set. DIY alarms is easy if you can pull wires and read the programming manual.

Though I haven't set it up yet, I went through similar research recently.

I decided to do the "roll your own" approach.  

Almost everything I install will be hard wired.  My project is new construction, so it is a lot easier for me.  Between security, data, and audio, I'm running over 2.5 miles of cable.  (much of it is really long runs outdoors to outbuildings etc.)
I don't care for any monitoring service.  The way everything is fed to your smart phone these days, self monitoring is pretty easy and doesn't cost a dime.  Many police departments won't automatically respond to your alarm going off anyway, because most are false alarms.


The heart of my security system is the Elk M1 Gold.  It is supposedly very reliable, compatible and expandable.  My system will have 66 zones, so I needed something expandable.
It will be connected to a landline.  I wouldn't otherwise pay for a landline, so the monthly fee for that can be considered a monitoring cost.  If I lose power, I lose internet, so I need something more reliable that functions without outside power (has battery backup) or internet.

I am using HomeSeer as a home automation hub.  I won't have a lot of home automation, but it is a great interface to manage the security system as well as utilities and distributed audio etc.  It is compatible with almost everything.
HomeSeer works locally and does not require an internet connection (unless you are using it remotely).  Most HA systems work through a cloud server.  If you lose internet access, you are SOL.  It can, of course, utilize cloud backup, but doesn't require it.

The security system will run independent of the automation system, but can still be controlled through a common HA interface.  Some of the security sensors will also play into automation events.

Not sure if anyone on here has Brighthouse for their home security needs but i am getting ready to close on a house and they state they can takeover a system.  the house uses ADT right now but looking at Brighthouse and was looking for some input.

The new 2 gig is the way to go. Can monitor everything from cameras and sensors, to integrate with lights, door locks, thermostat, etc. I sell these for a living, and 2 gig by far is the nicest setup. Definitely want monitored with cellular, as a phone line isn't that hard to clip. We charge $30 a month in monitoring with cell service through Verizon.

ADT panels are proprietary, so no brighthouse can not take them over.

So is 2Gig more secure than Simplisafe? And can it be monitored by any monitoring service?

Anyone?

Old thread but 2Gig is supposed to have encrypted sensors coming out based on my research that can't be jammed.

Also tagged for interest.

Tagged, also looking for a system that's good to go. Liking the Honeywell Lyric at the moment but still a rookie.

Tag for later.

I just installed a full Honeywell Lyric system in my house. First system I've ever installed and a rookie to all of it. It was incredibly simple. Beyond easy and any questions are easily covered in YouTube videos. It took me a total of a few hours to do over a few days but I have a pretty extensive set up with lots of motions and glass breaks, etc. the system is pretty nice, more features than I will ever use and looks good, which was a plus for my wife.

I did all my setup through Alarmgrid.com. Zero issues and good company for me so far. Starting to expand and use some of the automation and thermostat. Nice features if that is of interest to you too.

I looked at simplisafe but glad I went with this over it. Seems like a much more robust and legit security system vs a system like simplisafe.