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My wife and I recently sold our house and will be closing on our new house when its ready mid-March. There's such a variety of equipment that I'm not really sure what way to go. - professionally monitored vs unmonitored/self-monitored - professionally installed vs self-installed - CCTV w/DVR vs a traditional system with sensors, etc. - buy a system up front or lease/rent from the monitoring service I'd like something with cameras, modern equipment (I've read ADT stuff is really dated and clunky), and a bonus if its compatible with Amazon Echo. I don't have an issue with self-install, but so far most reviews I've read for SimpliSafe and similar are middling at best. However, I will say that being my first time researching this stuff I was surprised to find out that I might as well have been researching dick pills or weight loss remedies with all the fake/planted reviews or supposedly independent reviews that sound like paid advertisements. So goons, what do you recommend?
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Mar 3, 2017 06:14
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 23:28 |
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If you're remotely handy, I'd recommend self install for as much as you can do. Most of this equipment is designed to be pretty easy to install these days, and you're going to want to know where things are and how things work because there WILL be maintenance involved. Monitoring is generally not terribly useful. It's pretty simple to configure an alarm system to automatically notify your cell with any activity. Paying for monitoring means you can have them dispatch the police for you (who would otherwise tell you to go check out your own drat alarm and call back if you find a crime), but 19 times out of 20 they just show up and give you a bill for a false alarm and that last time out of 20 they show up an hour later so you can file a report for your missing TV. If you do spring for monitoring, you might as well go with the cheapest local guys you can find.
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Mar 3, 2017 06:40
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We got a wireless arlo system and absolutely love it. You can move the cameras wherever and whenever you want and set them to record how long you need when motion is detected. The batteries last 4-6 months before needing a two hour recharge. Excellent video with adjustable settings that even in the crappiest quality setting look good.
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Mar 3, 2017 12:11
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Straight White Shark posted:Monitoring is generally not terribly useful. It's pretty simple to configure an alarm system to automatically notify your cell with any activity. Paying for monitoring means you can have them dispatch the police for you (who would otherwise tell you to go check out your own drat alarm and call back if you find a crime), but 19 times out of 20 they just show up and give you a bill for a false alarm and that last time out of 20 they show up an hour later so you can file a report for your missing TV. If you do spring for monitoring, you might as well go with the cheapest local guys you can find. This is startlingly bad advice. Not only do you get a discount that will typical more than pay for the cost of professional monitoring on your homeowner's policy, the great reduction in catastrophic house losses due to fire has been largely attributed to faster response times due to automatic alarm systems (every security system should be tied in with or include fire detection).
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Mar 3, 2017 18:21
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Motronic posted:Not only do you get a discount that will typical more than pay for the cost of professional monitoring on your homeowner's policy, Note that in pretty much all cases, in order to qualify for this discount the monitoring of the security system has to be performed by a UL-certified Central Station. UL certification for Central Stations is a significant investment, which is why the "cheapest local guys" won't have it; and odds are pretty good that the "not-so-cheap local guys" are really just dealers for some larger monitoring company (or at the very least contract out their back end to a larger central station) whether you know it or not. I worked significantly on UL-certified Central Station automation software for close to a decade; and based on what I saw during that time, I can say that if you're going to go the professionally monitored route, bigger operations tend to be better. There's a lot of corner-cutting in the smaller central stations and you really don't end up paying that much less.
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Mar 3, 2017 20:02
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Nest with nest protects will tie with Alexa. Then you have fire coverage too. Plus the thermostat can get you a rebate on your energy. If you go arlo, go with the pro. The standard chews through batteries. Plus the pro withstands colder temps. Dr Jankenstein fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Mar 4, 2017 |
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Mar 4, 2017 04:32
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I think the best bet is a traditional home alarm with monitoring and then a cctv with dvr. You say you are willing to install yourself but remember it's not that's it's hard it's just that it's a bitch to get in the attic and do all the cabling, if it's a one story house it's not terribly bad but a two story house is going to be a headache.
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Mar 4, 2017 08:01
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biznatchio posted:Note that in pretty much all cases, in order to qualify for this discount the monitoring of the security system has to be performed by a UL-certified Central Station. UL certification for Central Stations is a significant investment, which is why the "cheapest local guys" won't have it; and odds are pretty good that the "not-so-cheap local guys" are really just dealers for some larger monitoring company (or at the very least contract out their back end to a larger central station) whether you know it or not. I wasn't aware any local was still trying to be their own central station. That pretty much entirely ended around here when you on longer needed dry loops from the monitored premise to the central station. Even the "big local" around here has been contracting out for about a decade.
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Mar 4, 2017 16:38
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Motronic posted:This is startlingly bad advice. Fire detection is a whole different ballgame and is 100% worth it, but the takeaway here is that security monitoring is an add-on of dubious value compared to fire monitoring. The discount line is pure ad copy from alarm companies, though. 10% is a pretty standard insurance discount and monitoring will usually run you 2-3x that. If you've got an expensive house and live in disaster central you might break even, but the average person is still going to be paying a hundred or so a year out of pocket.
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Mar 4, 2017 18:22
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Straight White Shark posted:Fire detection is a whole different ballgame and is 100% worth it, but the takeaway here is that security monitoring is an add-on of dubious value compared to fire monitoring. Fire detection is easily tied in to any security system, and I don't know how much your insurance costs you, but the 8-12% (I forget exactly, it's been a while) discount more than pays for the monitoring fees. Also, you can get UL certified central station monitoring for like $120 a year. Stop using ADT people, it's a scam.
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Mar 5, 2017 17:43
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Stay away from ADT. They are scum. I have worked with Protection 1 in the past and they did a good job, so that's who I would recommend. If you want to get really goony and nerdy about everything read "The Alarm Science Manual."
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Mar 5, 2017 18:31
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I wish someone with real expertise would start a good effort thread on this subject. Every time it comes up the discussion is always this same schizophrenic "all options are good/worthless" and I can never figure out which cameras to buy.
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Mar 5, 2017 18:58
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Pryor on Fire posted:I wish someone with real expertise would start a good effort thread on this subject. Every time it comes up the discussion is always this same schizophrenic "all options are good/worthless" and I can never figure out which cameras to buy. What do you want to know?
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Mar 5, 2017 19:13
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Pryor on Fire posted:I wish someone with real expertise would start a good effort thread on this subject. Every time it comes up the discussion is always this same schizophrenic "all options are good/worthless" and I can never figure out which cameras to buy. Camera selection tends to vary based on what your objective is with camera placement, and the environmental conditions. For instance if I'm placing a camera that is looking at a door opening or closing, I may want strong WDR in the camera. If I'm looking to capture a face, then I want my PPF to be in the 60 to 80 range depending on lighting. So I may select a camera with a certain lens to achieve that goal. Where as a camera I am using for general overview will likely have a much wider field of view. And budget is going to be a huge factor as well. There is no one camera to rule them all.
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Mar 6, 2017 01:22
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Pretty sure KillHour's post has been archived at this point, so I'm going to ask here (Unless it'll benefit elsewhere). Looking to set up a pretty basic monitoring system with a few decent IP cameras and an NVR. - I have network cable so POE would be best - I have a Ubiquiti system so I can segregate my networks and have the cameras on a separate network - I don't need 4k or anything, 1080p should be fine, with good night vision. - I have a server that I am going to end up with Linux and Samba, I can throw another drive in dedicated to the NVR storage. - I would prefer something I can put together piece by piece if necessary. If a straight NVR would be better, are there decent ones? I remember all sub-$300 cameras were complete poo poo (Is that shirt black, purple or blue?), but it looks like Amazon has been flooded with them. Has the quality risen on them as a general rule? Are there good brands to watch for? I want two, basically to monitor my front and back doors for now (Possibly more down the road). No more than 50ft. Would like outdoor with mixed lighting. Any suggestions?
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Apr 1, 2017 00:53
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https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3635963&pagenumber=24&perpage=40
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Apr 1, 2017 01:02
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DangerZoneDelux posted:https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3635963&pagenumber=24&perpage=40 Thanks, heading over there now.
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Apr 1, 2017 01:25
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 23:28 |
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frontpoint has been awesome for us. I highly suggest them.
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Apr 3, 2017 15:37
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