Do you have a home security system?I dont know what I would do if anything happened to my house.Fire, robbery.My poor doggie, I dont want someone to hurt him.There are 3 bikes in my living room now and I am afraid that a robber will see a high dollar robbery and go for it.PLUS- I am a total worryer!
But seriously, I am intrested in a security system, what is your experiance with them?

I have a system made by DSC.
It works well, but if you need any customer support they are nothing but a bunch of arrogant asses.
I will never buy anything else made by them.

I am interested to know myself. I have always thought of them as car alarms, nothing but an annoyance when they go off. But then I start thinking about the monitoring and wonder if it would be worth it. There was just break in/shooting resulting in the death of one of the scumbags, it happened in the community right behind my house. The wife came home from work, she was greeted by 2 guys who started assaulting her. Her husband was asleep upstairs and woke up from the noise (don't know how he slept through the break-in)... anyway, he grabbed his gun, headed downstairs, and a shootout started, one burglar got away, the other was shot and died before he made it out of the backyard (serves the SOB right).

Anyway, it got me thinking of doing one of two things, or both. Buy a Glock 22c or get hooked up for a security system. My house is already pre-wired, so it shouldn't take much, and they say it can decrease you home owners insurance by up to 20%

I have been in the business for almost 20 years, the most solid advise that can be given by anyone. Go visit your neighbors, see who they all use. Get feedback from them on price , and service. Every company can do "weekly specials" , very few offer decent to good service in a timely manner. If all else fails, look for local mom and pop run companies. Bad service will put us out of business, we have to work hard to keep you happy. Checking with your local police departments crime prevention division, may yield some good prospects as well. Don't go with the first company that sounds right, get 4-5 proposals from LICENSED and INSURED companies. Take into consideration, most monitoring contracts are for 3-5 years now days. Most big companies are 5 year, the contracts are solid and costly to break. A local smaller company will work with you if you sell your home, or fall on tough times. Feel free to contact me if you need further info or any questions. :)

My security system consists of a Glock 22 .40 cal with 180 grain hp's.

Seriously though I was just talking about getting a real security system the other day, shopping a couple different places. Some of the monitoring fees can get pretty pricey

That is why I have insurance.

[.There are 3 bikes in my living room now and I am afraid that a robber will see a high dollar robbery and go for it.PLUS- I am a total worryer!

Too many bikes in the living room.
You are harming yourself by breathhing all the fumes from the bike and risking fire too, unless you empty the tanks when you park them in there.

Keep anything with gas out of your living area. Just an advice.

Cameron, 05 XL 883 SS (standard stock)

PS: everything is replaceable, just toys.

If you cannot afford a monitored security system and know someone who is hooked up you could ask them for their security sign and post it in front of your place. The company will give them another one and he or she could get you some security window stickers. A thief would rather bypass a home with the security sign and look for an easier target. You also could buy an alarm system at a place like Lowes. Some have motion detectors or heat sensors along with door and window sensors.

Iwas in the business, listen to tneff. Having a gun is good when you are there, when you're not it's a bonus for the guy breaking into your home. Monitored systems are good but you do sign a long term contract that is almost impossible to get out of. If you p[lan to be there three years sign on then it (evergreens) rolls over to an annual committment.

I have had Brinks systems in the last three homes I have owned and I am very happy with their service. We spend months away at a time and there is a degree of peace-of-mind knowing our home is being monitered for fire and flooding while we are away. Not only do I have smoke detectors I have water monitering in the basement near the water heater. It hasn't happened to me but a friend was gone from home for a couple of months and sprung a leak in his water heater and flooded the basement. His insurance covered the damage but he still had the mess to deal with when he returned.

Hang in there :tour

I've got ADT home security system.
Has all that..... fire, smoke, gas, intrusion.
Pretty cheep too.
They come out and set the whole place up in just a few hours.

Mostly a waste of money after all is said and done. The monitoring is costly and the major players in the industry are out to provide as little as possible to the customer. All works well until there is a problem. The monitoring for all of the companies is sub par. The best you can hope for is that they will call the police for you. There are lots of cost effective ways to protect your belongs that work better.


Also your insurance co might not pay for a fire if you are storing motocycles in the house.

Double barrel 12 gauge with 00 buck, 20 gauge with #6 shot and my back up 44 smith & wesson, if I can't stop'em with that they can have it all

Check these guys out www.x10.com they have everything you need for cheap prices and you can monitor the system yourself or go with a quality company, your choice. I have a professional system installed and monitored but I also have some of the X10 cameras and motion stuff. Check it out!

By the way my alarm installer told me this....a very loud horn inside the house is more effective then one outside (I have both). He said is scares the sh*$ out of criminals and they leave quickly. However, I have a by pass switch for the horn inside so at night I dont crap my pants if it goes off. Had it go off one night cuz the cats slipped through the cat door and the door was not shut all the way. The alarm panel said "garage door" and the inside horn was on and I jumped clean out of bed and hit the floor standing within one second naked. Grabbed my gun and made it to the door and found it half way open. Expected to find the bastard in the house but instead, just a cat. If a robber would have seen me naked with a gun I am sure that alone would have scared him away.

Get a Pit Bull :) .........alarms are no good.....the pros can get in and get out with everything they want by the time any cops show up.

I have one in my home. It's gone off a few times...one time because a parrot got out of his cage and took apart the piece attached to the windows.

When they call you, there isn't much you can do...but it makes me feel better knowing if they break in while I'm home I'll know. Or, possibly scare them off once they open the door.

My security system is a Smith & Wesson 916A 12 ga. Shotgun with the plug removed and a full complement of 3" Magnums.

Get a Pit Bull :) .........alarms are no good.....the pros can get in and get out with everything they want by the time any cops show up.

and when they get in you might as well have a nice dog to greet them at the door...

seriously unless you train the dog to be a guard dog then you won't be any better off. If you train it to be a proper guard dog then you run some risks of the dog being violent.

If you are really concerned either a monitored solution like ADT or a hidden camera system are your best bet. The former gives you a better chance of catching them at the time and the camera system gives you a better chance of catching them later.

I had a break in last Mar. They obviously heard the alarm but they still had time to get some valuables and they did some damage on the way in, but the alarm kept them from clearing the place out. I'm looking at putting up some X-10 style cameras and a DVR system to record them as a back up at all the entry points.

MotoGP has the right idea. Just having a sign placed in the yard and maybe some window stickers is the deterrent to a break-in. The burgler can only assume that there actually is a working alarm system in the house. Also, if you have kids or are otherwise apt to set off your own alarm system, most police departments will charge you a bill if they have to answer calls for false alarms. Another option is to have an alarm system, but don't have it monitored. This is next to impossible with a new system, as there's the pesky contract as part of the installation. But if you have a house with an existing alarm system, just keep it running with no monitoring and save some money.

Well I know the answer to "What if it happened to me?!"... You'd freaking hate it! You'd cry, yell, wanna kill the neighbor. All sorts of stuff that won't help a bit.

An alarm isn't the only protection you should have... Carry home owners or renters insurance. If you can afford a video system, to show WHO came in - that would help too... Lots of times the alarm goes off, ADT calls you, but the robbers are gone... Also a lot of the time its someone you know or could identify from the neighborhood...

I personally do EVERYTHING possible to help protect my family and assets.

You can install one yourself for less money.

My security system cost about $20, a series of little battey-powered alarms on all the windows and doors. For $300 you can get a pretty darn nice system that will call the service for a monthly fee. If you can use a hand drill, consider doing some shopping and following the instructions.

ADT is for old people who just want it done immediately and can pay.


Get a no solicitor sign. Those people are usually casing neighborhoods for easy marks and looking in your living room to see what you have inside.

There are other measures as well. Trim bushes, install yard lighting and/or motion detectors, put signs in trouble spots (my father had a warning:you are being recorded sign BEHIND his garage, which would have been a staging area for burglars given the layout. Neighbors and passers wouldn't see the sign, only trespassers).

You can find a home security for dummies book for $10 and get some great ideas. Or just go to borders and read it over a few cups of coffee.

Some people put police union stickers on their window, not sure if this helps, but it would make me think twice.

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