OLDFED
Member
I'm looking for advice based on your experience for a basic home security system to include monitoring. What do you have and your recommendations please. thanks!
I'm looking for advice based on your experience for a basic home security system to include monitoring. What do you have and your recommendations please. thanks!
I've said this before, home security must be layered and a complete package. Some put WAY too much faith in alarms and video. IMHO, they aren't enough of a deterance nowdays.
I absolutely agree. Though the OP specifically asked about security systems, that is only one part of a security plan.
...I have the best deadbolts money can buy. Properly installed...
I used to work in the field of fire & security systems full time, mostly large commercial systems. When I built my house several years ago I put my own system in (a MOOSE Z1100, though I'm not necessarily recommending that to you) and wanted something effective yet simple. Most nusiance alarms are caused by operator error and not system malfunctions. Keep it simple. Here are a few pointers about what I did;
My house is two levels at about 3100 square feet. I zoned it so I could seperate the system into two areas, perimeter and interior. When no one is home I arm the whole thing. When I'm out of town my wife can arm the perimeter only, which allows her and the kids to move around the house without setting anything off.
Every door and window has a switch and are included in the perimeter zoning. I have several IR motion detectors on the interior zones that mostly have crossing fields of coverage.
I live out in a rural farm area (i.e., boonies) and do not have my system monitored. Waste of money in my opinion. Instead, I have two high dB sirens, one each installed in the highest peaks of my roof pointing east and west. They will wake up the dead at half a mile. I also have two internal piezo audible alarms inside, one in the basement and one on the main floor. I've set my system up so it's very easy for my family to arm and disarm the system and it has never, ever had a false alarm. I have talked to my rural neighbors and they know if they hear my system to call 911.
I also have two hi-viz strobes mounted under the eaves on each end in the front of the house that can be seen from the road for two reasons; 1) If my family comes home and sees them flashing, they know not to come up the driveway, and 2) to help the sheriff's deputy to locate the house quickly when he's responding to a 911 call a my house. The sirens are programmed to operate for 10 minutes then reset, the strobes will flash until manually deactivated at one of the keypads.
With flashing strobes and sirens you'd have to have some sizable cohonies to hang around my place with the system activated. I've never had the opportunity for mine to be used in action, but I have seen several similar systems that have and in each case once the system activated the perpertrator left the scene immediately.
I would assume that installing an alarm system would be much easier and more comprehensive in a "new" build as opposed to an existing house. How do the wireless systems work?
Interesting post. Can you please give more advise about these deadbolts?