Home alarm system question

MississippiBoy

Our house, when we bought it, had (most of) a security system already in it. There's motion detectors in several corners of different rooms, a control unit/box/panel mounted high on the wall of the laundry room, and a poorly patched hole in the wall of the laundry room by the garage door where the keypad used to be. So, to get this thing up and running, what information on the existing equipment would you experts (or CPJ.....whoever answers first) need to give me a place to start? There's a name and model number on the control unit that I can't remember right now, I can look on the motion detectors to get information on them, if need be, and I ain't skeered to make holes in walls.....my wife wants me to paint :vomit:, anyway.
How can I help you help me?

DoctorWho

No expert here, however, I have different expectations from an alarm system I want.

I may be wrong, but in my own stupid worthless opinion, motion detectors inside the home are worthless to me... a good dog is better.... like I need false alerts, the cat, a guest......

If an alarm goes off once the criminals are inside the home, IMHO, the alarm system is a failure, a good dog is a better option !
I want an alarm that alerts me to somone outside the home, walking up the walkway, messing with screens, opening porch screen doors, I want alerts before they are actually breaking in.

timc

We have had ADT for 16 years now, Just did a complete upgrade last year to modernize the equipment; motion sensors, cameras the works. I'm very pleased with the service and the system. As a side note they will negotiate on the price if you push.

bullsi1911

If ADT screws up for us one more time, I'm going SimpiSafe and never looking back.

NN

ADT works very well for us as well.

Teach

When I had problems with cars getting vandalized in the fenced-in parking area at the high school auto shop where I taught, I rigged one car with a little surprise. A piece of 1" PVC pipe, a bungee cord, a broomstick and 3 cans of ground cayenne pepper was involved. I duct taped the pipe to the steering wheel, pulled the broomstick tight against the bungee cord, and filled the pipe with pepper. A cotter pin and a piece of fishing line completed the setup. When the driver's door opened a certain distance, the pin got pulled by the fishing line, and the broomstick launched a faceful of pepper.

The kid I suspected of the vandalism skipped school for 3 days. His eyes looked a little red when he finally came back, and I never had another car vandalized!
Jerry

kansashunter

I installed a siplisafe system and had a lot of trouble. It took me quite a while to get the bugs worked out and had to replace almost all of the sensors. After several months and false alarms it seems to be working now. Another thing I like about an alarm system is the smoke alarm. I like not having neighbors but if the house ever caught on fire and we weren't home it would burn down before the fire dept. could get here. With the alarm they at least have a chance. If ss can improve the quality of their sensors they will be great.

Fisheadgib

cpj wrote: »

However, we live in opposite worlds. $2000 in my part of the world is a crap load of money. Our average system install price was around $300. $2000 was RARE.
The monthly fee is what's gonna turn a lot of folks away.

Two grand for an alarm system is a bit of money for most folks outside of Wambli's demographic. Most of the alarm companies around here will install a basic system for free if you sign a contract for a couple of years of monitoring.

BigDanS

Fisheadgib wrote: »

Two grand for an alarm system is a bit of money for most folks outside of Wambli's demographic. Most of the alarm companies around here will install a basic system for free if you sign a contract for a couple of years of monitoring.

" Monitoring fee" is just an industry term for financing and profit. Like CPJ said, they pay $3 per month for monitoring at "Central Station ". So the $29.95 a month fee is $27 of gross profit, or $324 a year. We have used our alarm company for 10 years so far.

D

Buford

On a side note the more complex the system with all the fancy electronic do dads makes it more susceptible to being hacked.
[h=1][/h]

Fisheadgib

Wambli Ska wrote: »

NOTHING is free. You are being charged for all the equipment at a huge premium plus a massive finance charge. You can buy all the stuff they install in your house in a basic package for about $50 on eBay.

I realize all of that as I had an ex brother in law that installed those systems. My point is how the public percieves it determines how it sells and most folks around here really think they're getting tons of stuff for free and aren't going to do the math to determine if it is.

bullsi1911

P

Wambli Ska wrote: »

Ok, listen closely, at that price point it is not an alarm system. It is full house automation, the kind that will allow you to see the UPS guy at the door from your office so you can open the front or garage door and let him in to put your package inside the house so it does not get stolen WHILE you watch him, and speak with him, on your cameras. At this level your coffee maker turns on when you step out of your bed. They have (or will have soon) monitors that will send alarms to your local 911 if you or your child stops breathing in your sleep.

A simple regular security system from them is just a few hundred dollars but my point is that it's all modular and INTELLIGENT and you can add automation as you go along and can afford it as opposed to a dumb system like ADT. PLUS unlike the dumb security systems, AT&T has a roadmap of technology and a huge development budget that can't be matched by the other services. There is a reason why they are creating a new industry segment that has security as just a SMALL aspect of it.

Again at this level you have capabilities that just a few years ago cost millions and today they are affordable. This is not just a loud horn and a dumb call from a box to an operator in India (I visited one of AT&Ts call centers in GA). Todays security is not what we normally think about. My cleaning lady was a bit shocked when I called her and asked her what she was doing in my house on the wrong day when my cell phone let me know I had someone in my gun room while my wife and I were out of town. Turns out she was just shuffling schedules (and she is a friend of the family and I trust her implicitly) and we all got a good laugh about it. But if it was someone else the police would have been to my house before the BG had a chance to get to my stuff and if by some chance he got away I would have had HD video of him roaming about.

How much would that cost from ADT?

Maybe I have consumed too much "ghost in the machine" and libertarian fiction, but stuff like that scares the stuffing out of me. At some point it just gets too "big brother" for me.

Big Chief

Buford wrote: »

On a side note the more complex the system with all the fancy electronic do dads makes it more susceptible to being hacked.
[h=1][/h]

That was all over the news a couple weeks ago, about how easy SOME of that stuff can be hacked.

Y'all see that new doorbell thingy that is a camera and and you can watch who is ringing your bell or see who is at your door/entrance way anytime, I reckon from your smart phone. Pretty cool stuff is out there these days.

Jermanator

Quite frankly, I've got more important things to think about besides when my lights turn on and off and monitoring what goes on in every room when I am not home. I don't have a cleaning lady, and I have needed a refrigerator repair man exactly once in my adult life. It seems to me that the automation is a bigger pain in the ass to use than living without it-- an unnecessary complication in my already over complicated life.

Varmintmist

IMHO

In general I think people are getting to a "tech saturation" point.

I find it amazing how many people I talk to that have or are in the process of cutting the cables, all of them and gone to a smart phone and a antenna. Finding out that they dont need 40M internet to do anything that they ever do on line. You will always have the tech heads and people with more money than sense, but with the economy they way it has been, and the future outlook for mass jobs, people are starting to review what they need and what they dont. If they are dropping the NFL network, they are not going to drop 2K + monthly fees so their house can talk to them.

However, companies will forge ahead because they have been riding a wave for 7 years. Utopian Turtletop again and again.

Jermanator

I cut my cable a few years ago. We have Roku to watch a movie on occasion or binge watch a TV series. Other than that, we don't watch television. I watch the debates and watched the Superbowl online. I like my surveillance cameras because the monitor is in my bedroom upstairs in the rear of the house and I can see what is going on in my driveway and front porch that way.

I have a dusk to dawn sensor on my porch light and motion sensors on strategic outdoor lights-- but that is dumb technology that doesn't cost me monthly fees and has been around for decades.

Varmintmist

Wambli Ska wrote: »

All voice calls regardless of source are routed over a VOIP backbone. It's the most efficient way to manage band width.

Digital yes, voip no.

Big Chief

https://ring.com/

Anyone have one?

MississippiBoy

Ok, so after all of this discussion, and me forgetting to get the numbers or a photo of the box until last night......can we get back to the original question?
The control box is labeled DSC Power632, and it also says PC1555MX off to the right. Then there's FCC regulation numbers and all that jazz, then at the far bottom right, it says 18007710R001.
Looks like PC1555MX is the important part.... http://www.smarthome.com/dcs-pc1555mx-6-x-32-wireless-ready-alarm-kit.html

MississippiBoy

cpj wrote: »

You're potentialy hosed without the "programming code". Some (smart) dealers set the panel so you can't back door into programming to make changes. That's one of the (many) things I despise about DSC.

Yeah, I stumbled across that information when I Googled the model number. So even if I get a new keypad, I may not be able to program anything because I don't have the right access codes. In which case, I'll need to get a whole new main panel and start from scratch.
Good news is, it'll only be about $125 to do that.

sarg1c

About 25years ago I installed alarmes in factories,schools and business's. I sold commercial systems inn these and many homes, mine included. These were not monitored then but had sirens and called 6 numbers. they were controlled by programed PROMs . my unit was wireless and living close to neighbors, sirens were faster reaction than being monited Even my smoke alarms were connected to the sirens and would alert you if outside the home. The control panel was the only wired unit and by using a code could elect if you were at home and only the perimitor was armed. you could even set a visitor a code good for two weeks. If you have a remote keypad your unit may still work for you The sirens sometimes scare an intruder away before the law could be notified, let alone travel to your house.. the panic button could call fire and police services immediately. The units were ADEMCO which could be ADT now not sure.Some times I would give my neighbore a key and program him a code in case of a false alarm. Had to take my pet to the vet to board because of the motion alarms. Check for the remote keypad may still work for you.

Big Chief

I read where the new Simpli Safe will not trigger on pets less than 50 pounds..........good idy.

So is it still a good DIY choice compared to other DIY systems like Livewatch?




http://security.livewatch.com/services/compare-simplisafe-to-livewatch?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=599043&utm_campaign=google&infinity=gaw~Competitor%2BUS%2BENG%2BSM%2BSPART_BBM~PHRASE%2BGENRC%2BLiveWatch~80738985790~simplisafe%20security~p&gclid=CN3R77ifsMsCFZI9gQodUoAEgA#!

http://simplisafe.com/