those with home alarm systems- who is your alarm company?

[The King]

Be careful. ADT likes to lock down the ROMS in their alarm system. Might want to google your specific system, and see if you can find a way to reflash/reset the system before you go and cancel. Otherwise you'll be out of pocket for a new alarm system. Smith Thompson (as far as I know anyways) doesn't offer a free system like Brinks and ADT do. But they also don't make up the cost of that 'free system' by charging you $42/mo.

Smith Thompson does charge up front for whatever they install, but in many cases they can use the system keypads/sensors you already have.

[EW]

Smith-Thompson w/cellular.

[bcoop]

Smith Thompson does charge up front for whatever they install, but in many cases they can use the system keypads/sensors you already have.

I thought I had read somewhere on the old board, that some of the systems ADT and Brinks used can't be 'unlocked'. I think Mikeb was the one that had trouble, or knew someone that had trouble and had to get a whole new system.


I'll be using Smith Thompson myself, if I ever get around to buying and installing a system.

[mstng86]

This is in a rent house that had brinks before I moved in. I just had the service transfered over. I really don't care what happens after I cancel. I won't be staying here long enough to worry about a future system.

[ELVIS]

This is in a rent house that had brinks before I moved in. I just had the service transfered over. I really don't care what happens after I cancel. I won't be staying here long enough to worry about a future system.

Well we're movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.


Fish don't fry in the kitchen;
Beans don't burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin',
Just to get up that hill.
Now we're up in the big leagues,
Gettin' our turn at bat.
As long as we live, it's you and me baby,
There ain't nothin wrong with that.


Well we're movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.

god bless.

[mstng86]

god bless.

I am already on the eastside. Was thinking more north of the eastside though.

[TX_92_Notch]

I just called my monitoring company, Monitronics, and they do offer the wireless service, but they charge an extra $5 per month on top of the $36 I'm already paying. Plus they charge $350 for initial installation of the cellular unit.

I told him I found the same service elsewhere for $16.95 with an $89 inital charge and he said he could a 36 month contract, waive the extra $5 monthly fee and drop the initial charge to $75. I laughed and told him I wasn't interested so he proceeded to tell me that "you get what you pay for" and I should "really be cautious of the internet companies".

I told him thanks and hung up.

Now I just need to call Smith Thompson so I can dump this land line we never use and dump overpriced Monitronics.

Luckily for me, my brother-in-law can install alarm systems. So if I have any problems with my equipment, he can take care of that for me.

[The King]

I think we had Monitronics before Smith Thompson, and S T was able to use all of the existing equipment we had.

[SMKR]

thanks guys, I just called Smith Thompson and they are installing/activating Saturday

[TX_92_Notch]

thanks guys, I just called Smith Thompson and they are installing/activating Saturday

Dammit. They told me the earliest they could come out is Tuesday... between 3-5. At least it's not a 6 hour service window like most places.

[EW]

Yep, no contract on S-T.

[78X]

X4 on smith Thompson

[blue5spd]

Does anyone on the board sell alarms? I have a customer that we are potentially looking at getting a new vendor for the alarm. We have a current system then I am less than impressed with. Do they have any system that allow you to view and do things through the web browser? This type of system would be ideal..

[mikeb]

I thought I had read somewhere on the old board, that some of the systems ADT and Brinks used can't be 'unlocked'. I think Mikeb was the one that had trouble, or knew someone that had trouble and had to get a whole new system.

Yep. I own my own alarm and had ADT monitoring it. I was trimming my budget and the $40/month i was sending to ADT looked like a likely target.

ADT would NOT tell me the installer code that they had put into my alarm when they programmed it - bastards. You need the installer code to be able to access the good stuff - the phone number that the alarm is to call and so on.

Luckily my alarm is old, and the ROM was not locked down. I moved a jumper on the circuit board to erase the ADT programming and reset the alarm to the default values, found the installer manual for it online, and then worked with my new monitoring company to get it programmed.

Some alarms cannot be erased in this way and you are stuck with the ADT programming. However, there exists a box that sits in between the alarm and the phone line and it redirects the phone call to the alarm company instead of ADT to get around this.

IMO someone needs to go after ADT for monopolistic business practices.

I'm using a company called watchlight for basic monitoring. They are cheap and have responded immediately whenever my alarm has been tripped.

http://www.watchlight.com/

[bcoop]

While on the subject, what is recommended as far as alarm systems go? I'll likely be buying/installing myself, then have Smith Thompson do the monitoring. I know this topic was discussed on the old board, but I'm banned and can't do a search over there.


I want glass sensors, but I'd also like sensors that would tell me when a window is opened, not just broken. Motion sensor is a plus, but I must have the ability to turn it off due to the dog.