Short Version: What sort of home security/monitoring system do people on here use, if any? And what sort of products does that entail (cameras, sensors, video doorbells, smart locks, etc.)? What has your experience been like? Long Version: HO-LEE-SHIT. I just spent like, 2 hours trying to purchase products from Ring, and my god, what a shit show. They list on their website that with the purchase of their "Plus" plan, you can receive a 10% discount on ring products. That sounds great for a guy ready to purchase $500+ worth of Ring products, as well as the Plus plan. Turns out I can't purchase the "Plus" plan unless I already have a device set up. So, in order to get the discount on devices, I have to buy the plan, but in order to buy the plan, I have to already have a set up device. It's the biggest load of circular nonsense I've ever heard. Unbelievable that they can't allow you to purchase the plan at the same time as your devices, then activate the plan at a later date. Oh, and that 10% discount... once you click through 1-2 additional links, you find out it only applies to specific products. I honestly can't believe they are in business with how stupid their buying process is. What should have been 15 minutes to spend $600 on their website instead turned into a 2 hour phone call with 4 different customer service reps, no products purchased, and me almost certainly purchasing from a competitor, just on principle alone.
Simplisafe Great customer service and easy to use and setup, unless you are a complete moron. Never have any issues.
2 dogs who know if anybody, animal or car gets near the house. I've actually never had an alarm system. Have had neighbors and others we know get broken into as thieves learn their daily routines. Seems they never have dogs that will bark and draw attention.
My wife’s grandmother sees everything that goes on out here. Definitely take my mistresses to the other house
I bought my system through a local dealer outright then pay $180 a year for it to be monitored. Was more upfront (about $1200 for the whole system), but after 2.5 years it paid for itself vs going with ADT or the like at $50/month for monitoring with the "free" system.
I've always wanted to do that too. And a picture of a huge machine gun on a couple windows. Between the sign, gun stickers and barking dogs I'm feeling safe af.
I have a pistol in every room, some more than one. And a bull-pup 12 gauge by the bed. I have a golden doodle that will semi bark, think cough, if he hears anyone enter the house. Why would I need a camera?
To film the upcoming Bourne scene when some fools roll up. Bourne Semihard. NYY wakes up in bed with another man but doesn't know who he is or where he is or where his clothes are, but intruders are about to find out things aren't as they seem.
I have no security system. I put in a ring doorbell that was a gift, but I got tired of the notifications, and I wasn't going to buy a plan, because that's stupid, so...
I have a blink camera system (sucks [penis] but is simple and easy). I also have a Samsung smartthings hub that I connected several door and window monitors to and it ran off routines for arming/disarming when I left or arrived or when it was time for bed/work. Also had a loud alarm connected to it if the doors or windows. had been breached but it was local only. Never connected it to a service. I had a motion device with it as well but it was extremely flaky so would set off if the light changed a bit. Overall the system was a hassle and had so many times it would randomly go off and scare the shit out of me or their app would go down and I wouldn’t be able to deactivate my system. I like it for the smart devices (lights/switches/door locks) but I think I would rather have a professional system next time around for the security side.
We planned to go with Simplisafe at one point, but we discovered they were lacking a specific feature that was a deal breaker for us. Don't remember what it is at this point.
ADT was telling us it'd be $20/month for the monitoring with a custom system we'd purchase to match our situation. Ring's monitoring is $10/month. Do you save anything on your home insurance for having the monitoring?
I own no firearms. I've talked about getting one, though the lady is definitely against it. Not sure it's worth the fight. Also not really sure I want to shoot an intruder, should one enter my home. Would do it if I had to, but would prefer the intruder just get scared away from some sort of alarm.
We live in Baltimore City. We feel relatively safe where we are, and compared to most parts of the city, our neighborhood is pretty safe. But statistically speaking, it's a lot less safe than most other places in the country. Just last month, someone dug up our neighbor's spare key from a planter she buried it in in the front of her house. They couldn't get in, apparently, because she has a smart lock that required a code to enter, even with the key. Thus, the consideration of the alarm system. We definitely want a smart lock at a minimum, if for no other reason, than for convenience. Would be nice to be able to leave the house to walk the dog without taking a key, to lock the door through an app if we have left for a day or two and can't remember if we locked the door, etc. The question is what else we want beyond that. We could do the video doorbell, but I'm not really sure what purpose it serves. We could check on things that might have happened after the fact, and maybe it deters people. But is it negatively impacting someone's desire to break into our home? Likely not. And we live in a busy area right off a sidewalk, so tons of people walk by daily. Feels like it could easily notify us a million times a day. And then there's the alarm system/monitoring. I haven't really cared to have it, but when I saw it was just $10/month for Ring, it made sense to get it. I could save $20 (out of $120) for purchasing a year up front, an additional $50 off the devices I'd purchase via a 10% discount, and then an unknown savings on my homeowner's insurance for having professional monitoring. So it was a no brainer. We may just buy the smart lock and be done with it.
