Question: I'm interesting in getting affordable security alarm, with 24 hour monitoring,
for a home. I live in Northern California. The Three major companies
I've been looking at "ADT". Is it the Best ? what should I avoid?
Answer:I live in Northern California and have ADT. As far as monitoring and
service goes, they have been just fine. They have always responded to
alarms as they should. Last year they replaced the obsolete control in my
owned system at no cost when they made central office changes necessitating
the change. My guess is that that Brinks and Protection One would be just
as good.
I would take the comments about the big guys on alt.security.alarms with a
grain of salt. Much of it seem like a lot of smoke generated by people who
sell other systems. IMHO what you should avoid is a dealer who talks down
his competitors. The product should be able to speak for itself.
Be advised that the cheap entry level systems most companies advertise only
give basic protection. There is nothing wrong with them. It is just that
you probably need more than they provide for good premise protection. I
suggest you get quotes from several dealers on a system that provides good
protection. It won't be cheap but is worth the investment.
If all you really need is something to let your mother call for help, a
basic monitored system with a panic button or pendant may be all you need.
You may want to check out something like http://www.lifealert.com/. My
neighbor has something like it. She wears a bracelet with a button. She
can summon help even if she cannot get to a phone.
