Trying to talk the wife into getting rid of the land line phone and was wondering if anyone had experience with using an alarm system that would work with your cell phone instead of a land line.
OT: Home Security Using Cell Phone Instead of Land Line
- Thread starter businessdawg
- Start date
Fortunately my control panel for my alarm is in a closet with my wireless router and just run an ethernet cable from my router to the alarm panel. I think it was about $100 for the card to use web and the guy set it up in no time. Supposedly more reliable and quicker than the cell phone and you don't have to pay extra for the monthly cell phone access.
I have it through ADT. You'll have to pay for the cell phone box, and pay more a month. One benefit over phone or even internet, is that if someone cuts the phone and/or cable into your house they can effectively prevent the alarm from calling out. They can't do this with the cellular box. Not that most home invaders are smart enough to figure that out...
So I assume my best option is to contact my security provider and find out what the cost is for the box and monthly charges? I do like the internet option. Might need to look into that. We have everything bundled through Comcast and I am thinking of getting rid of Comcast TV and phone. Their customer service sucks and the picture really isn't that good.
From talking with my local police and my own experience, it is not worth the money to have it monitored.
If it is a business, that is a different animal but monitoring your home, in my opinion does not do much.
Placing the stickers on your windows, the motion detectors and the audible alert will send someone running just as fast.
Hell, I moved onto my street about 5 years ago. At least, twice a week one of my neighbors house alarms go off. When we first moved in I would run outside and see if someone was breaking in, I would walk through their back yards and check to see if any windows were broken or doors ajar. Then I would stand in the street until the police showed up 15 minutes later. I live in a town where the police are awesome and that is their reaction time. If you live in a place like Jackson, I can only imagine what the reaction time, if they showed at all, would be.
My point being that 90% of house alarms are false alarms and neighbors and police know it and react like it is a false alarm.
If you are having it monitored for fire, that is a different thing entirely but to pay to have it monitored strictly against break ins is not worth the money.
If it is a business, that is a different animal but monitoring your home, in my opinion does not do much.
Placing the stickers on your windows, the motion detectors and the audible alert will send someone running just as fast.
Hell, I moved onto my street about 5 years ago. At least, twice a week one of my neighbors house alarms go off. When we first moved in I would run outside and see if someone was breaking in, I would walk through their back yards and check to see if any windows were broken or doors ajar. Then I would stand in the street until the police showed up 15 minutes later. I live in a town where the police are awesome and that is their reaction time. If you live in a place like Jackson, I can only imagine what the reaction time, if they showed at all, would be.
My point being that 90% of house alarms are false alarms and neighbors and police know it and react like it is a false alarm.
If you are having it monitored for fire, that is a different thing entirely but to pay to have it monitored strictly against break ins is not worth the money.
G
Goat Still Grindin
Guest
Don't really ever turn it on while I'm home. The audible alerts, and my guns, take care of things when I'm there.
monitored should be saving you more on homeowner insurance than your monthly cost of the alarm. If its not, your insurance company is screwing you.
I got more annoyed with it going off with false alarms, kids setting it off and pets setting it off.
I have had one in 4 different houses and we finally just stopped paying for it and to be honest, never even turn the dang thing on anymore.
My wife used to like to have it monitored so when I traveled for work she could turn it on at night and it gave her some security. Then she asked me to teach her how to shoot a pistol and she quit worrying about the alarm.
I have had one in 4 different houses and we finally just stopped paying for it and to be honest, never even turn the dang thing on anymore.
My wife used to like to have it monitored so when I traveled for work she could turn it on at night and it gave her some security. Then she asked me to teach her how to shoot a pistol and she quit worrying about the alarm.
take it from somebody who lost thousands on a house fire and seeing how minutes made a difference in it being thousands versus tens of thousands it convinced me to put smoke detectors in every room and heat detectors in 3 places in the attic. And no, you never come out on insurance claims no matter how much you try to inflate it.
Transfer your number to Vonage and sign up for the cheapest plan which should run you under $20/mo after taxes and fees. Just did this and couldn't be happier with the service.