Quote:
Originally Posted by ute4ever
UteStar, with my job where I go to a hundred homes every month, I've found the two most common systems are ADT and Brinks. I don't know about prices, but assume those are the most affordable all-around.
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Maybe they have the best marketing -- those $99 systems that you end up paying for with a 3-year contract.
We have a wired NAPCO system that was installed by the previous owner. Its pretty easy to turn off-on, though I might have selected another location (or additional) for the keypad had I spec'ed it myself. Just a habit to get into when you leave and re-enter. You can shop around for monitoring and beat ADT and Brinks, if you choose. I believe the greatest deterrence is having some sound go off inside (not necessarily ultra loud), plus lights outside and stickers. Our town requires a registration sticker that is renewed annually. This is good, too, so the police/fire have your cell, etc, in case something should happen while you're away from home.
One other thing if your smoke alarm goes off and you don't know why (not an obvious false alarm from steam or cooking or somesuch), don't assume its an alarm glitch. This happened recently to my sister. Turns out there was a fire inside a wall of her house. Another 10 mins went by before more detectors went off and she could then see herself some smoke coming out of vents.