Home security. TnT or Advance alarms??

[landman873]

I always like on the commercials when someone kick in the house and the phone rings and they answer hello? I'm not sure i would be that worried about answering my phone if i just heard or saw someone kick in my door. Also who sets there alarm while at home just chillin at the house. I know i would forget and run outside for whatever and set it off.

 

[alank2]

Hi,

What does a cellular backup type setup cost? I have an existing system, but it is wired and I'd prefer the cellular backup.

This may be an out there type of question, but is there a way the cellular can be jammed?

Thanks,

Alan

 

[MarkV]

+1 for TNT.

They are even coming out tonight to fix my phone line that Cox screwed up at no charge.

Did I already say +1?

 

[cueball]

+1 for TNT. I've had their service for about six years now and have not had a problem at all. They are locally owned and monitored.

 

[PUMPKIN]

The owner of TNT kidnapped himself a few years ago, if that tells you anything about the integrity of the company.

Advance has a good reputation and is locally owned and self monitored.

All in all, it just depends on who you want to send your money to. The instant call you see on TV takes 30-90 seconds to receive.

i heard that same story.

 

[rhodesbe]

GSM (cellular dialer) modules for alarm panels are becoming more mainstream since most younger folks don't buy landlines. GSM modules are very dependable and stable, but if 100% uptime is a concern, then buy redundancy.

I work for a commercial/government/institutional security systems integrator, and I will say with no hesitation that many home security companies are dirtbags.

Don't buy into the whole 'free system' garbage when they sign you up for 4 year auto-renewing contracts at $49.99+ month. Wholesale cost on that 24/7/365 monitoring package is less that $10 month, don't let them lie to you. Make sure you have original notarized copies every monitoring contract you sign. Terms and fees get changed all the time via supposed 'customer initialed changes'. Understand the fees you owe if you terminate the contract early for any reason. Make sure the installer gives you the lock-out code for your panel when you buy the system. Simply do not sign contracts that renew everytime you make a service call or re-up automatically on a certain calendar date every year.

There are some great local companies, but there are more dirtbags. Be very care who you use, regardless of national marketshare or promotional appeal.

 

[Shootin 4 Fun]

i heard that same story.

I posted a link to the newspaper article in one of these security company threads awhile back.

 

[trickormate]

GSM (cellular dialer) modules for alarm panels are becoming more mainstream since most younger folks don't buy landlines. GSM modules are very dependable and stable, but if 100% uptime is a concern, then buy redundancy.

I work for a commercial/government/institutional security systems integrator, and I will say with no hesitation that many home security companies are dirtbags.

Don't buy into the whole 'free system' garbage when they sign you up for 4 year auto-renewing contracts at $49.99+ month. Wholesale cost on that 24/7/365 monitoring package is less that $10 month, don't let them lie to you. Make sure you have original notarized copies every monitoring contract you sign. Terms and fees get changed all the time via supposed 'customer initialed changes'. Understand the fees you owe if you terminate the contract early for any reason. Make sure the installer gives you the lock-out code for your panel when you buy the system. Simply do not sign contracts that renew everytime you make a service call or re-up automatically on a certain calendar date every year.

There are some great local companies, but there are more dirtbags. Be very care who you use, regardless of national marketshare or promotional appeal.

Guardian's contracts renew automatic.

 

[doctorjj]

I had been happy with Advance until a few months ago when our system started acting up. Found out the cellular had been dead for a while, but we got no refund for all those months we had been paying for it.

Then the guy that came out to fix it, screwed it up and it went off in the middle of the night, scaring the heck out of us.

Then a few weeks later, I get a call in the middle of the night from an unknown number, I don't answer, they leave a voicemail. I check it and it's Advance calling me to tell me they are sending the cops because someone compromised my bedroom window. All the while, I'm laying there in bed and my alarm had never even went off. Clearly no one had broken into the bedroom window.

A few weeks after that, the alarm goes off again in the middle of the night saying someone was tampering with the cellular. It's in my bedroom closet. No one was in there tampering with anything.

And then again just a few nights ago, I get another call telling me that they are sending the cops because my alarm is going off. Again, lying in bed with the alarm set and it hadn't gone off at all.

I'm getting a little tired of it. And why does it always have to malfunction between 2:30-4:30 am???

 

[CODE_3]

TNT they are great