Best home alarm system with response?
We are thinking of securing our home better owing to recent circumstances. We are thinking about getting an alarm system with police response for peace of mind.
The only brand I can think of is ADT. Also, Chubb but I don't think they cater for consumers.
Googling around brings up mixed results. Just wondered if anyone had a system like this and if they had any recommendations?
ADT seems to fit the bill, but they do have some icky reviews online.
Appreciate anyones thoughts
The only brand I can think of is ADT. Also, Chubb but I don't think they cater for consumers.
Googling around brings up mixed results. Just wondered if anyone had a system like this and if they had any recommendations?
ADT seems to fit the bill, but they do have some icky reviews online.
Appreciate anyones thoughts
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Comments
So far so good...
VERY true - and if they actually do come out, it's often not very fast. Then when/if they do they won't enter the premises until you have checked and cleared them - this from personal experience at work, and from a friend who ran a small shop.
The friend got a call from the Police that the alarm was triggered at her premises, she's a small 'middle aged' lady - and has a large Alsatian - so took it with her.
She opened the shop for the Police and gestured for them to enter - they refused, and said she had to go in and check the premises were clear first. She wasn't happy about this (fairly obviously) so went to her car to get the dog, the Police then told her she wasn't allowed to take the dog in, in case it bit any intruders.
Needless to say she told the Police where to stick it, and what pointy shapes to use
I would assume that you or a neighbour have been broken into. We were broken into 3 yrs ago and SWMBO was very upset by it all. We fitted an alarm to start with but it tripped occasionally usually in the middle of the night when we are away. This upset the neighbours who would get up and check no one was around.
We then invested in shutters and this has made us feel very secure. We don't have the dreaded feeling now when we come home thinking we may find the patio door forced open. We always use them even at night. One switch and they all come down. Brilliant .
All you can do now days is look after yourself. You make sure your house is more difficult to get into and less appealing to the low life that walk the streets night after night looking for opportunities.
We also have 2" x 1" timber on top of the fences with 3" screws sticking through. This is to stop birds and cats sitting on the fence ;-)
What on earth is SWIMBO?!!
She Who Must Be Obeyed
No. They just turn off the monitoring at the control centre.
However when I sold my house I left the alarm for the buyers so it was still usable, just didn't have a contract or monitoring.
Is that some mumsnetter abbreviation?!
No, it was certainly around long before Mumsnet (here's a 1998 discussion about it on Usenet), possibly even predates the Web.
It comes from Rumpole of the Bailey (who took it from the 1886 novel She) first shown in 1978. It was certainly in widespread use by the time I left school in the mid 1980s.
You can hook it up with an audible alarm which you can remotely trigger if need be. You can give userid and password to several people if you are going to be outside the country or something.
A basic internal system with a couple of basic wireless webcams can be setup for less then 100 quid though the software will require a PC to be running all the time.
I like the idea of IP cameras though. Now looking at getting a Synology NAS and IP camera with email / Android push functionality so that we can see if there is any movement when we are out and about.
Looks like that is a more sensible approach.
maybe instead of synology get a HP microserver. Gives you much more flexibility on which O/S you can run. Don't forget a UPS for server and router. Thief are known to kill the power if they see CCTV.
IF this was the case the person in question should have made a complaint. This is not the norm.
The alarm will notify the call centre, they will consider if they need to call the police or not. If they decide to call the police they will use the same method to call the police as every other person in this country, there's no special hotline or bat phone. At this point the call handler will take the details and assess it like any other call to the police, it will then be decided if the police should attend and if they should, the job will be graded. The grades can be immediate, prompt, within several hours or via appointment. Obviously immediate sees the police on blues getting there as quickly as possible, but this is the choice of the police to assess the necessity of the response and also prioritise it against other calls at the same time. Once this is done it's passed to a radio operator and allocated to a patrol.
So with monitored alarms you are paying for someone to call 999 for you.
To me it's a lot of money for someone to call the cops on your behalf. I prefer to use my neighbours as we all look out for each other and so far it's worked fine. I accept that one day it may not, but that's life and I'm insured and I secure my property as best I can. The money I save by not having a monitored system goes on other things.
In terms of commercial premises such alarms aren't always worth the money either. Often the police will turn up to an alarm activation and be unable to get in to the premises to check them. A key holder will be requested but many companies have one or two people covering huge areas to save money. When the key holder is being called out from many miles away at 0300 in the morning it can take an hour or so to get the premises accessed by which time the immediate response time has been wasted waiting for the private key holder company - this is very common from personal experience! The police will turn up quickly but have to come back later when a key holder finally turns up to let them in. Unlike the person posting above, I have yet to see a situation where the police don't check the address first before allowing anyone else in. I still have my suspicions about the above post to be honest...
The best thing in my own personal view is covert cameras. Huge cameras are pointless. They're visible, they don't deter people, they just remind people to hood up. You'll have lovely footage of someone in your house but it's useless without facial features. Instead go for the smallest more unnoticeable cameras going. If you can't see them that's great. People will look at the windows etc. to see if you're in - BAM! You've got their face and the chances are the burglar is known to the local cops and can be caught.
One HUGE problem with home CCTV systems is that many people buy cheap. Often from eBay or local DIY stores. They think they've got a great system as they get multiple cameras, can log in remotely and it has motion sensors, night vision - the works. Sadly what they've bought isn't up to the job because the footage it actually records is useless. If YOU can't make out a decent face from the footage how will anyone else? There are no CSI magic machines that blow footage up or clear it, if it's crap blurry footage it's crap blurry footage - you just wasted your money.
So for my money I'd get the smallest most invisible cameras going that record outstanding picture quality. On top of that I'd get insured, with a decent provider who won't mess you about if you need to claim. Make friends with the neighbours and swap numbers. Keep an eye out for each other, you'll be surprised what people see and how working together makes your street more secure.
Also look at your house. How easy is it to break in? If you've got double glazed windows more than a few years old chances are you have the easy to break in type. Have them checked. Some are so easy to break in that I myself can pop a window out within about 2 minutes without breaking the glass and without making too much noise. If I can do it then a burglar who makes his / her living that way certainly can.
UPVC doors aren't always as secure as you think either. Check the panels. Many can simply be kicked straight through in a whole panel. Locks also need checking too. Many barrels out there have a design fault that can be snapped from the outside in a very short amount of time that took me about an hour to learn myself for legit purposes. Again if I can do it, a dishonest person can and will. Once this is snapped your house is open.
Patio doors are a huge favourite. Shovels or other garden tools from your shed or left in the garden can be used in no time at all to prise the cheaper doors open in minutes.
Also look at your daily routine. Do you leave lights on when out? Do you have a timer? Do you leave windows open?
In the summer the amount of houses where someone leaves a window open and has someone sneak in while they sleep is scary. I've seen it many, many times. If you can avoid leaving the window open, do so, if not look at ways to prevent someone coming in while you sleep.
So for me, monitored alarm in the home? Probably not no. Other ways to secure the house, yep. I've been burgled myself in the past and I've helped many people who've been burgled. It's not nice but it's often preventable with a few minutes thought and common sense.
We had just the same at work, the Police won't enter the premises until the keyholder has cleared the premises and confirmed there are no intruders present.
It is worth getting quotes from local independant alarm companies that are NSI/NACOSS or SSAIB registered who will be able to talk you through the many options that are available without being tied into an off the shelf system.
There are products that include a guaranteed response form the police but they are very expensive and you have to pay a charge to the police/fire service for every false alarm callout and it's something that is only really suitable for high risk commercial premised.
Basic monitoring lack the guarantee but most police forces will still respond to a first time call out - however they do record false alarms and will typically stop responding if they get more than a (very low) threshold.
Camera systems can be worth considering if you have the cash, with these when the alarm activates the cameras also active and the monitoring centre can use them to view what is going and and decide if they should call the police, this reduces false call outs, and you can also guarantee that the police will attend immediately if the monitoring centre tells them that suspects are confirmed on the premises.
Interesting thoughts. I am looking at setting up some sort of CCTV. I would have thought that visible cameras are more of a deterrent, on the outside of the house at least. On the flip side does it say that I have something worth stealing ?
Which force?
And did you complain?
Only the other night I went to a burglary at a large commercial premises.
We had to wait a while for the key holder to arrive but kept the place surrounded as he wasn't that far away for a change. When he arrived he opened up. I had to shout to him to stop going any further as we suspected there was still someone inside and there was no way he was going in first. This is how we do things my way, we go in first, then the owner of key holder.
I can't believe there are forces refusing to send in officers first and I'd be keen to know which force you claim is doing this and if you've complained. If you've not complained I certainly would do.
No company can guarantee a response from the police. To respond or not is decided by the force.
You need to move away from the idea of a guarantee.
I've known many occasions where a security officer is sat several cities away from a site and will call in alarm stating that intruders are confirmed. You get there and find a door blown open by the wind. Doesn't happen every time, but camera assisted alarms still do not guarantee a response.
In an ideal world every call would guarantee a response, but the high number of false alarms on all systems makes this impossible.
For large sites nothing beats on site security. For homes, self remote monitored are good but nosy neighbours watching out for each other and minute high quality cameras for the aftermath are best.
In my experience, visible external cameras do not act as a deterrent. This is often used by sales people, but in truth it's rubbish. All externally visible cameras do is remind the offender to cover their face up before they get to your property, instantly rendering a camera system - expensive or cheap - useless.
You have to remember that you are fighting against people who make burglary their way of life. Many of these people are forensically aware. The know about fingerprints, DNA, footprints and other tools of the trade for detection. Although often not the brightest bunch academically, they quickly learn their trade in terms of getting in to places and avoiding being caught after.
Visible cameras in my view are useless 99% of the time. If someone wants to get in your property they will, they'll just do it covered over or damage your camera. Another thing that I've seen on the increase recently is theft of the external cameras themselves.
Tiny, hidden cameras that record very high quality day and night are the way forward. Still no guarantee they won't cover up but I've had some excellent results where such systems have been used after break ins. There's nothing better than when an offender gets a full face shot on one of these and a local bobby or PCSO recognises them. Within a short time later we see how they like their door going in and their house being rifled through
So in my view, big or visible cameras are a waste of time. They deter nobody. Hidden cameras, definitely for me, every time.
As above.
Also:-
Powerful outdoor security lighting and a couple of dogs work wonders as they forewarn you giving you time to react.