TDean Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Brinks is cheaper than ADT monthly, but they'd have to come in and install "their" equipment. ADT is more expensive but they won't budge even when confronted with their $8/month price difference. Any words of wisdom or experiences when it comes to either company's track record? Who's better? TD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 ADT is a Tyco subsidiary. Dealing with either is nothing short of hell on earth. My billing was screwed up for MONTHS. The system was never installed right. Their customer service people (and I use "people" in the loosest technical sense - I should really call them "customer service hominids") were morons. No one was responsible for anything..... Don't ask me if Brinks is any better, but I don't know how they could be worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 We've had Brinks at our home since we moved in. No troubles at all. Oh, and BTW, if you ever want to really wake up in the morning, go let the dogs out the back door before you disarm the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 I've had ADT for over 5 years now with no problems whatsoever. I'd buy from them again in a New York Minute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerT Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Have had ADT for about 5 years, and once they got the bugs worked out of my system, it has been great. When they first installed the sensors on the doors, they didn't allow for expansion and contraction in the wood doors. OOOPPS!! Service people themselves were good, and I have had good luck with their local office. About a 7 out of 10 on the satisfaction scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malfunction Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 ADT sucks ! Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDean Posted May 20, 2004 Author Share Posted May 20, 2004 Hmmm... Maybe I should get a poll going? Thanks for the responses guys. Eric, LOL! The current system is ADT. If I were to go with Brinks and they "installed their new equipment" would that be asking for new issues (technical problems)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 How 'bout a good .45? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Tom, If you're willing to deal with ADT, you might be able to get more equipment out of them than you would out of Brinks. When we bought our house it came with a Slomin's alarm system --- when we shopped around the other companies were willing to replace what was there with their own stuff; Slomin's offered us a package of stuff we didn't have --- like a fire/smoke detector that is wired into their system, and a few other odds and ends ---- so we wound up with a more comprehensive system than we could have gotten from the other guys for the same money..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 tdean, i have protection one. so i can't comment on brinks or adt. however, make sure you have the signs up around the house. the dog in the back yard helps, and of course the safe. but you probably already knew that. lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 If the alarm system doesn't scare 'em away, the .45 (or caliber of your choice) puts them away. We've had ADT for a few years now... no problems. The guy that installed it was also the guy that sold it to us (new community... tons of these guys driving around trying to sell you stuff), so there seemed to be a bit more motivation to do things right. AFA Brinks, they seem to do a decent job with money, so I don't think you can go wrong. However, I'd look for a special where you don't have to pay any installation, equipment, or sign-up fees. If they want to give you the equipment free, fine, but otherwise screw 'em. My guess is that the only thing they'll do is swap out the keypads and the brain. Sensors (window, door, motion) will most likely be left alone unless you ask them to change 'em out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 The current system is ADT. If I were to go with Brinks and they "installed their new equipment" would that be asking for new issues (technical problems)? Yeah, they'll tell you that, but it isn't usually true. Virtually all of the alarm systems get made by the same company: Siemens. The real issue is what model of alarm to get. I had one where the brains were in a separate box from the user interface. I really think that's the way to go. The brain box was locked in my closet where the bad guys would have to hunt for it, while the UI was in a separate location. They're making some really really cheap systems now that have everything integrated into the UI. For obvious reasons I think that's a bad deal. A good feature to consider if you're rural: the external alarm loudspeaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 I have a large dog who stays in the house to guard the guns while I'm out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDean Posted May 21, 2004 Author Share Posted May 21, 2004 All good stuff, thanks gentlemen! I'll go with Brinks and watch him like a hawk during "install". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 Save the money and buy a good safe. The alarm companies are staffed by complete F'ing idiots. You pay them to have a $6.00/hr HS drop out monitor it. Then they try to call the right PD that covers your house. Sometimes they even get it right. 75% of the time they don't have directions or the directions are so FUBAR that it takes an hour to find the place. (unless you live in the city where everything is numbered). By the time the house is found the burglar is already loooong gone. In 15 years on the job I have yet seen a alarm system be of any use. Most of them just go off in a storm or the family pet sets it off. The home owners are always real happy when it goes off 3 times in 6 months and they get cited and fork over another 300 bucks . Spend the money on the safe and good insurance policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 TDean, pay closer attention if your system is being hard wired, as opposed to them using remote sensors. The former will require much drilling and caulking/gluing the wires in place, which can be sloppy looking when done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerT Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 First off, I agree with Ken, the wirless in my house seems to work well. I just thought of this morning that one thing to make sure of is that if you have a dog or cat, don't waste your money on motion detectors. I spent the extra $ for motion detectors in many of the rooms in my house, only to have my wife bring home a stray cat and dog within the following year. Alarm wakes up the dog, dog wakes up the owner, owner stokes up the AR-15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 I pretty much totally agree with Chriss as far as security systems effectiveness in deterring theft. At least where I used to live, they shine in one area: personal security. There is something known as a "Duress" code that you can have on your system. It basically silently alerts authorities that you are being held against your will and activates a silent alarm. The key fobs are also very handy. Get two. For people with personal security issues (stalkers, etc.) there's some merit to an alarm system. I think there's a genuine practical application and a effective deterrent value. It's also good to be just the toughest house on the block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDH Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Two other things to consider...... 1) Take a look at the telephone entry wiring outside your house, and make sure it is protected. My brother-in-laws house was broken into during the day while both were at work. The burglar dudes simply walked up, cut the phone line, then broke in, and had as much time as they wanted because the alarm could not call out. Two options are to either use a cellular backup to the land line, or to bury the telephone line coming into the house so they can not easily get to it. 2) Make sure you let the alarm company know if you are running DSL service at your house. Depending on how the DSL is configured (does it run just to one jack, or is the whole house lit up). If it is the latter, I think the issue is that ADT told me about was that the DSL signal can interfere with the alarm system when it tries to seize the phone line to call out. The suggested solution from my local phone company was for them to install a special DSL filter that kept the DSL signal off the line that went to the alarm system. BTW, I use ADT and have had no problems.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffro Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 A word of advice........... whomever you choose, BEFORE you sign on, demand that they give you a key to the system box that contains the battery. One of their biggest rackets is when the battery goes bad, they have to send a "technician" to replace it............. They will give you a bunch of crap about it being a "special" battery needed, etc........ that is B.S. They will then charge you an outrageous sum for the battery (usually $40 or $50) PLUS the service call. If you don't have a key to the box, you are trapped by them for eternity. I have a key to the box in my home and office, and the battery costs $7.00 at Radio Shack. Takes about 2 minutes to change, but you MUST have the key to the box!! Don't forget to call the monitoring station BEFORE you open the box and change the battery to tell them to put you on "test mode". As far as which company you choose, it really matters little. the big security companies just go around the country buying out the little ones and keep the employees that are there. they pay a minimum, and only sometimes get what they pay for. It really is luck of the draw as to what kind of service you get after the sale, but don't expect anything great from any of them. Good luck, Jeffro (Jeff) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerT Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Damn Good Advice Jeffro! I had to change the battery on my alarm at work, and since the box was open, no big deal, but I can see what you mean about them charging you for a service call. Really good tip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMinzghor Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Hi Tom, this is Nick Minzghor.....just get an audible alarm and don't pay the fees to have it monitored. I have never been to a good residential audible in 16 yrs. I use Homeguard through PSE. They just let me make payments on my gas bill and I don't have it monitored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyB Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 OK, FWIW If you change the battery yourself on your system and it then causes false activations, what happens to your warranty? If someone gets an electric shock from the inside of panel, who carries liability? If you static discharge and fry the PCB, who pays for the repair? Wired and wireless sensors each have their own specific advantages and disadvantages. If you go wireless, ensure that it has diversity receivers and anti jamming built in. Pet sensors are available on the market, with varying degrees of rejection, depending on the weight of the animal, however these are not infalible. ANY alarm system that goes off during a storm is badly installed, or has inferior parts, get a commitment from the sales guy that it won't do it, then you have some come back. It's like buying a car where the windscreen wipers don't work when it's raining. ADT? Wouldn't like to comment on that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Very interesting. I have a system and hope I never need it. All the writers seem to agree on the list of things to have, in order: Dogs, motion lights, peep hole and or cameras to your doors, alarms, cell phone, safe room, firearms, a good flashlight. Hope I never need this stuff but I am prepared. Don't really have anything to break in for . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDean Posted June 23, 2004 Author Share Posted June 23, 2004 All good stuff here! Thanks for the info guys. Hey Nick! That's a good tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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