Right now, we have CenturyLink Security, which just changed names to something else. Talking to a human there is almost impossible. I had them, I thought, scheduled to come out today and update and repair our system. I called to ask if they were still coming out, and after a time on ignore they had no idea what I was talking about. I told them that I could no longer work with them and their pitiful customer service. So…it’s replacement time.

What home security companies do you folks use, other than Smith&Wesson? Are you happy with them? I’m going to call ADT first.

We use Trans-American Security Corp (TASCO). It's run by a father and son, they wired the security system in our house when it was built in 1985 and still provide servicing. Monitoring is 3rd party but based in Texas. We pay $35 a month for monitoring.

What kind of insurance reduction do you get with a monitored system?

Probably going to be a few people left out to dry when 3 g is gone.

I see no point in monitoring when you can put cameras up and set up alerts for yourself

SimpliSafe at the office

Very little. Having a central station monitored combination fire & burglar alarm is becoming more and more of a requirement when insuring homes in excess of $800,000 and we insure a lot of 'em. Belief mine, the fire portion is more important than the burglar portion. People can often get pissy on this subject and will provide resistance. We have found the Simpli-Safe system to be the most flexible, cost effective and all in all, very well may be the best punch.

Thank you for that.

Good info! Thanks. I’m talking to ADT and will call SimpiSafe.

Google Simpli-Safe.

Please let us know the results.

We use the DEW's system.

You're NOT getting past that undetected.

Dachshund Early Warning system.

I have two because I like redundancies when it comes to safety.




Ready to hit the Lake:

Ok, that’s funny, but can they call the fire department?

And what happens when you go out of town?

This ^...100%

So easy a caveman can do it.

Jimbo, if I’m out of town and the alarm goes off, they’ll call the house. If nobody answers they call the sheriff’s dept and/or the fire department. Probably your DEW system and a normal security system are about equal in worth, except that I’ll have video. Now, if you put a Go Pro on your pups…

And, of course, my electronics won’t pee on the floor, or worse, when your robo vac starts up and spreads the joy.

I have put SimpliSafe in a couple offices. Been happy with it.

You can get phone alerts on SimpliSafe. I added the water monitor, nice feature.

Was talking about the dogs being the alarm system. If you take them on your trip...then what?

Cute pups! I have the same system but mine give false alerts daily!

We had a black and cream long haired male and a blond long haired female. Ollie and Greta. Miss them both so much!

Sorry Jimbo, it was flintknapper that had the DEW system. We don’t have dogs, but do have the mighty Sunny the cat, at 28 pounds of fighting fury.

That's a big kitty. We had a Chinchilla Persian named Smokey about that size growing up. I made him mean when he was a kitten and later he would attack me as I was sneaking in the door in the middle of the night.

ADT for me

Is there any true value-add in having a monitored system? It's my understanding you can no longer have a residential system that's monitored by law enforcement, that it takes your security company to inform them of an alert.

We've been happy with our Blink system from Amazon. Very inexpensive, easy to install, no monthly charge, and motion alerts and video recordings sent to your smartphone via the app.

I have made my security system at home. I have bought all the necessary equipment from vivint.com. I have installed movement sensors around the whole perimeter of the house, so when I turn on the security system, it will turn on the alarms and call the police automatically. Also, I have installed some cameras on my territory. I know that someone can say that it is too much, but I live in a dangerous neighborhood, so it is better to transform your house into a fortress to sleep calmly without worrying for my family.