We only use it when we're not home. The most important reason is that we don't want to walk in on any surprise visitors, and for preventing burglary.

We got ours cause it makes me feel better. :-) Has been great for the kids though, it beeps when ever the front door/sliding door opens. Comes in handing when they first figure out how to open them!

I've noticed the added benefit of the door beeping when it's opened at a family member's house too. Great way to keep track of the coming and going of kids!

We had one installed about 7 years ago. A few days after we got it, I inadvertantly forgot to set it when I walked to the end of the street to mail something. The monitoring company called my elderly mother-in-law who was the emergency contact wanting her to tell them that everything was fine! How would she know? She's in her 80s and doesn't know what's going on with us on a daily basis.

Then, after the recession hit we decided to cancel the contract to save a few bucks. Unfortunately we didn't contact the company in time so we couldn't get out of the contract for another year. I pursued this with the Attorney General's office only to be told that the Evergreen Clause these companies have where the contract automatically rolls over each year is legal so we had to wait until the renewal date the following year to get out of it. I send the company a certified letter several months ahead of the renewal date telling them we would be cancelling our contract with them, and we finally got out of it.

People don't realize how tough these things are to get out of so if you have a contract, you should read it very carefully so you aren't stuck if you decide to cancel like we were. BTW, I googled our monitoring company and found dozens of similar stories.

We live on a farm so security is a different "animal" for us. We have a driveway alarm and a nice pair of obedience trained Rottweilers.

Two australian shepherds who bark like maniacs if anyone gets near the house seem to do the trick.

Alarm systems may do so much more these days. Video surveillance, door lock operation and temperature control all from your smartphone app. It's now off the shelf stuff at big box home centers. Need assistance on where to start? We can help! Whats going on at your home today?

Yes, installing an alarm system in my house has benefited me a lot. Its the best way to keep your family and your property safe from any type of burglary. http://security.chubb.co.nz/products/security-alarm-systems for

We don't even lock our front door when we leave for the day!

Clear Lighting - are the wireless systems like SimpliSafe good?

fluckycharm - my sister doesn't either. She has the suburban drug dealers across the street (Breaking Bad style) so nobody bothers them.

I have several 4-legged alarm systems.

I live down the street from my mom. Her two worst fears were losing a limb to diabetes and being burglarized. Sadly, they both happened on the same day. While we were waiting for her in recovery, we got a phone call that her house and her neighbors was broken into. Instead of being there with her when she woke, I had to rush to meet the police. Not only did they take all her jewelry and her wallet, they used her car as the getaway vehicle. After dad died she had the best, solid, outside door installed to her basement and they broke through that like butter. Beings she had keys to my house, which were gone, I had to think about my house in addition to everything else. Therefore, many of us in our neighborhood had systems installed after that. Good enough reason?

We never leave home without setting the alarm.

My new condo came with one. Have not yet figured out how to use it. Hope burglars stay out til I learn about it.

We have one. I just feel better when it's armed. At least the scum will think twice before breaking into my house, it's a deterrent more than anything else. They will go to the house with no alarm, most of the time. If they break in with us home, I have a couple shotguns and wouldn't hesitate to use them.

Nope....

I have door motion sensors & my .9mm Taurus.

If I'm not home, everything there is insured. If I AM home, no alarm is gonna save me from a big dude! I'm 5'0 & 106 lbs. I need to save my own self.

Oh...I have the ADT stickers & signs as a deterrent as well.

@kylen2350...learn it now! Trust me, no one is going to wait. Keep your cell with ya when you go to bed. Alarm co might call local cops, but YOU calling 911 is gonna be far quicker & more effective!

I had a system installed after someone tried to break in one day when I was out. My dog was a puppy at the time. Now that he's big, he sets off false alarms with the "petproof" motion sensors so I had to have them disabled. But the doors are still wired, and I have the all-important sign!

Leaving the leg lamp on display seems to be quite an effective deterent;)

As a 56-year old Italian man lives in South Carolina, I research all products and services before I make a purchase. I spent six months researching various security companies and home alarm systems before I selected Low voltage Supply. I liked the wireless monitoring system, the fact my wife and I decided what options we needed in our home and not a salesman, and the outstanding reviews I found online about Lowvoltagesupply.com. We easily installed and activated our system. After a few weeks, we decided to add a glass break monitor, and it was simple to add to our system. The customer service is unbelievably responsive and helpful. We could not be more pleased, and highly recommend this new company to anyone who wants a reasonably priced and customer oriented security system for their home..

My home alarm system also doubles as a nanny cam. #BeSeenBeSafe

@Giansiro - are you sure you aren't an employee or owner? :-)

I had a very good experience with this company that's all,

Not sure if I should tell the world if I have an alarm or not, but just in case, I have many heavy accessories to throw at intruders. lol :) I do not, but would love for houzzers to speak up about it. Knowledge is a good thing. :)

Giansiro - I was absolutely kidding!! It's nice to hear that someone found a company with good customer service!

I just want to add a little to this stream, and I know I'm late to the party.

We have a alarm system in our home and business. Matter of fact, the picture the author used is ours. So yes, I'm a dealer and user. The statements that people have made here about their dogs being the alarm I love. We love puppies. I used to believe that the dogs would protect the home as well, mater of fact i talked a friend of ours out of installing an alarm in their home when we put their audio system in. 6 months later their home was broken into, the burger did 17k dollars of damage to the home. The german shepherd, followed them around the home an watched. We have since installed an alarm, with large dog motion detectors in place so the puppy doesn't set the system off.

Clear lighting is right, the new systems are much more then just break in security. Most of our systems that we install now we are installing smoke and CO2 sensors, as well as the burg sensors. We will also add lighting control to most of our systems, it's no fun coming home to a dark house.

As for the alarm.com or any other online companies, I will add to that as well. I know there is a big push for DIY and the TV shows and press are really pushing how good it is to do yourself. Thats fine for some. What we have found is the growth of these companies is making it very dangerous for home security system. The installation of sensors and devices is not always just pull them out and stick the to whatever is trying to be protected. Some are sensitive and cannot just be installed haphazardly. We had a customer who's system failed to detect the door was kicked in because the cheep online detector was never installed properly. The biggest problem is they have no way to do onsite support. Most of them are call or email and wait for a return. Not what you want in a security system.

As for the long term contracts. Most big alarm companies have a cut and dry policy that they stick to. If you are a consumer really looking for service look to your local installer. Most of us are human and will work with you. We don't charge as much monthly because most of us are offering monitoring as a service to our customers not supporting the 75 little trucks with 2 guys rolling around. We can make a plan that works for the household and in our case we have let people out of their contracts early if it is just not working for the home owner.

Thanks for the great topic,

Architectural Audio Integrators

Minneapolis MN

I have been reading all I can as we approach our build. I know what I want...programmable, accessible anywhere on smart phone, cameras as well as motion, fire, smoke...all that. But my worries are a few. One, Im on Centurylink for internet and the system regularly goes down and to reset the modem you have to unplug it and replug...impossible if on vacation in Italy...How do we approach that issue. Second is security of the home security. How hacker proof are the new wifi designs and how do we make sure its not accessible to someone with a smartphone?

First Roger, work with a low voltage contractor and you will find that the newest systems are not hooked up to the internet and instead have a cell system in them. Think of it as they have their own smart phone built in. The ones the cable companies and some of the big national guys are using rely on the internet connection and like you said, that can go down at any time. Second, as far as hacking goes, the systems are much more secure then the old dial-up system. All someone had to do was cut the demarc box on the outside of the house and they no longer had a connection. With the cell systems the check and double check built into the systems make them very very secure and hacking into the encryption is not as easy as Hollywood makes it seem.

Thank you. Ill have to add that to the list. Google is great but sometimes its just to broad and full of bunny trails to no where. If you know of a source I can read on, please let me know.

Honestly, we believe this is not a "I read it on the internet" topic. Call some low voltage contractors. Interview them! Interview lots of them. Find one you are comfortable with, and can have in your life for a while. There is a difference with your low voltage company that I don't think most people think about. Your plumber, electrician, painter, dry waller, for that mater even your builder is kind of out of your life the day you close on your new home. They hand you the keys this the last day one their job. You low voltage company, that's the first day of theirs. You need someone you can call, take care of the updates, change the systems to fit the changing lifestyles of the modern home. It is important to get someone you can trust. That is not a list on the internet.

We live on a fairly secluded road, and did have a housebreak once, during the day while we were at work. Soon after that, we were doing some renovations and did install an alarm system at the time. Just window and door sensors, no cameras or anything. Very simple to use, and just a nice reassurance to know there is a deterrent in place when you are not home.
Now, almost 20 years later, we renovated again, and replaced that with a newer but very similar system. With a very few exceptions, we were able to have the door and window sensors wired in during the renovation work. haven't had any problems with those, or with the two wireless sensors either.

I don't have an alarm.. Never had one growing up & don't see the potential benefits as something that is worth the cost..

I don't really have anything that would be of much value to a burglar, and it is relatively evident when looking in the windows (just upgraded from a 500ft2 apt to a 1500ft2 house, so its rather empty inside)..

The previous owners of the house left some security system stickers on the windows though.. I left them on.

Have had one for years, in this house and previous house. Decent neighborhood but we have had break-ins, including a smash and grab at a neighbor's while the family (including 2 young children) were home and upstairs. Scary stuff. Had bike stolen from my garage 18 yrs ago, I'd left garage door open for maybe 30 minutes as I had just unloaded groceries and was going back out in half an hour to pick my daughter up at preschool. Scary to know someone was in my garage while I was in my kitchen steps away, and they could've easily opened the door to the house which was unlocked for those 30 minutes and come in. We use it primarily at night and when we are not home, but also if I'm home for extended times alone like today when I am working from home. Gives me piece of mind, especially if home alone or years ago when home alone with kids and husband was traveling. It's a monitored system monitor is a local company as the larger national ones like ADT we did not have great luck with (not as repsonsive). No motion detectors because of the dog, but all windows/doors wired. I never thought I'd want one, it was hubby's idea and I have to admit, a good one. We are very close to a medium sized city with some rough neighborhoods nearby and I think we get spillover sometimes because we are on a beautiful street that looks like a tempting target. I think there is value to just having the sign out front that we are alarmed. We also keep our outside lights on all night on a timer, some on motion detector, which is a nice low cost way to increase safety.

We have one, but mainly for the hardwired smoke/heat detectors. I'm much more concerned about a fire than I am about a burglary. We only arm the system when we're away overnight.

bman, I assure you that you do have things that would be of value to a burglar ... like quick smash'n'grab items like smartphones and laptops. Everyone should try not to leave such items in view from a window - that's what led to a smash-n-grab down the street, while the family was home (upstairs) including 2 small kids - lots of nightmares after that. You don't have to have expensive jewels, large amounts of cash, or fancy entertainment systems to make your house a target - my guess is easily grabbed items like smartphones and laptops are the most often stolen items these days.

Its a very confusing subject. The information I read is interesting and informative about what to look for and what to avoid. But the specifics get very muddled. One online source said ADT was a good fit. But then you read reviews and its like wow! As bad as a Cellular company for bad reviews. Then there is one called Vivint something and again reviews are horrible and all you can get is the salesmen will come by...sorry. Honeywell seems to be a major player on the control side. But isolating to a local company looks like that will take a bunch of research.

We have ADT....they do what we pay them to do. When the alarm goes off, they call us, and call the police, if need be. The biggest problem we have in our area, would be getting the sheriff to respond. My husband called them because I accidentally set the alarm off when I left the house to go to a neighbor's, he couldn't get ahold of me and he thought something had happened to me. It took over a hour for the sheriff to show up. THIS is the problem.

Rodger, email me at shop@aai-sound.com. I can have one of my staff help find a few local companies to talk to in your area.

Shars I am glad ADT is working out for you. Not for us. They have an override in their system that if you turn the alarm off quickly they assume it is a false alarm and don't call to check. We told them we wanted the call every time no matter how quickly we turned alarm off. They could not do this for us - I think they said they would but it never happened. We eventually switched to local monitoring company who have been able to accommodate us, are much more user friendly to work with, and cost less to boot. They used the ADT installed system so no extra up front cost.

We had Ackerman at our previous home, which was in a fairly nice/safe neighborhood in Atlanta (but still a fair number of break-ins). We weren't impressed with their service or the equipment - random beeping in the middle of the night, other random times and they were never willing to come look at it. We were going to go the DIY route with cameras before we moved. Our new neighborhood is far more residential, quieter and feels even safer. We definitely won't go with a monitored system after our previous experience and the expense. We may install some cameras, as much for the benefit of checking in on the dogs, seeing when packages arrive, etc. as for security.

Two australian shepherds who bark like maniacs if anyone gets near the house seem to do the trick.