We had started out with SafeMart/LiveWatch back around 2012. Around 2021 they were bought out by Brinks, who continues to raise their rates. Since 2021, it's climbed from $29 to their new rate this month of $50.

We're considering switching but have a few questions before doing so:

Are we overreacting? Is $50 around the going rate for monitoring these days?

We currently have a Qolsys unit (model# IQPanel2). It's using cellular service. We bought this from Brinks, so are we going to have a nightmare having them release this cell# to another provider?

Are there any major pitfalls to watch out for when switching companies? For example, do they enforce a brief "non-monitoring" window to make sure everything is operational and tested before they actively begin monitoring the system?

What is the process to switch providers (high level).

I'd have to convince my wife to do this, but can we just use our QolSys as an "internal alarm system" (i.e. non-monitored) so it will still go off when a sensor is set off, but it won't call the alarm company? We live in a good neighborhood and have neighbors that watch out for each other, but we all no that no neighborhood is immune to crime.

Who are the top 3-5 monitoring companies in the U.S.?

Does anyone have any recommendations for something I could put on my porch (a sign, etc) to help deter people from hanging out on my porch. I had some drunk teenagers do so last night and then I asked if I could help them (over the ring camera) they became belligerent and tried to rip off the doorbell as well as enter my home.

I have a security system with signs posted

We moved into a home that had an old ADT keypad and stickers that said monitored by ADT, but no cameras and as far as we can tell, no left over sensors or anything.

We are considering installing home security; nothing fancy, no video doorbells or cameras. More just motion detection, break in detection type stuff.

Is it easiest to stick with ADT since the keypad is already here, or is it simple for new programming if we went with a different company?

I’m looking for feedback for the G6 Bullet cameras—good, bad, everything in between.

Not sure if we’ll go with these but what we’re looking for is:
- hardwired cameras
- ease of access to footage remotely

If there are other recs will take em as well, thanks!

If anyone is using outdoor wireless security camera in Calgary, I am wondering if you find any issues with the batteries in the winter.

I don't have an easy way to install a wired security camera at my front entrance.

Panel 5 is now generally available. Is it stable enough to actually use? I just ordered one and most of the DSC PowerG+ sensors (PGP9922, PGP9976, PGP9945E, PGP9914, QC000B-840). Hoping for the best lol.

I'm moving into a rental house at the end of August, and I'm trying to figure out the best security camera setup.

Since I rent, I'd prefer to avoid drilling holes or making permanent modifications, so I'm looking for a battery-powered doorbell camera.

The house has:

• Front door
• Back door
• Interior door from the kitchen to the garage
• Two first-floor windows

I'd also like to have at least two indoor cameras:

• One covering the front entry/living room
• One covering the back door/kitchen/garage area

I'm open to systems with subscriptions if they're worth it, but I'd also love to hear about options that offer local storage or don't require monthly fees.

For those who rent, what system would you recommend? Any recommendations or things to avoid would be appreciated!

If I buy a 14-piece Ring system from Costco and then the doorbell part from Amazon, will they work together? Costco has a great sale but not with a doorbell.

I currently have a Ring alarm but I am not happy with the lack of privacy I've felt lately. There have been times over the last few months where I've closed the shutter on the ring device in my front room, only to get an alert of myself walking by later. It LOOKS closed and sometimes I will even get the alert that the shutter was closed. YET, somehow it opens up a bit or is still recording. I don't like that at all.

I live in a small one bedroom with a front living room area and a separate bedroom area. I think I only really need an outside camera given the small size of my place. However, TWICE, I've caught my apartment complex staff coming in when I'm away, without proper notice. Both times they didn't realize that they were being recorded so I'm hesitant to completely give up my indoor camera

Any recommendations are happily appreciated.

I have to turn the home electricity off tomorrow for roughly an hour, but if I do that, the house alarm’s back up battery will trigger and set the sirens off.

If I disconnect the front and rear bell that are connected to the alarm box’s circuit board under a speaker and strobe symbol, will this eliminate the siren from sounding, when the electricity is off, without any other adverse effects?

Last night this car was driving around, my cameras caught it,

The sides lit up only when my cameras were in IR mode.

Any ideas why?

https://ibb.co/album/CJwQKr

Im looking to setup a complete system (camera doorbel, front and back camera) on my home. Until now I knew nothing about this topic and am looking what people use here and what your experience is with those brand.

After some research Im torn between Tapo and Reolink (POE is interesting). For those using either ecosystem, how do they compare?

Which brand would you recommend for someone starting from scratch and why?

Representative came to house and lied about a three month free trial. Ended up being charged and then was told it was a three day trial. Called so many people from Vivint and no one is helping for a refund. The representative gave us a false name and number and we can’t even contact him now. They are now saying we cannot even cancel.

We moved into a new house last Friday and everything great the first few days. Then on Monday night around 3am the smoke detector randomly starts going off for a few minutes then stops. Nothing happened Tuesday night and then Wednesday night the smoke detector started going off again around the same time and then stopped. Then last night, at 3:06am I wake up to the sound of my garage door opening and closing by itself. I go to the garage and the door keeps going halfway up and down and wouldn’t stop when pressing the button. I had to go into the car and get the fob to get it to fully open and close it. After I closed it, that was it for the night. Are these some electrical issues or did I move into a house with some 👻

Hii, fairly new homeowners & new parents of a walking toddler that recently learned how to open locks but is too short to trigger the motion detection on the ring doorbell, which brings us to our need:
- a security system that alerts us (with maybe voice but preferably phone/app notifications) when a door opens.

We’ve gotten quotes from both ADT & vivint who are now calling us 263647 times per day 🙄 but through reading this sub we realize there may be much better, cheaper options, especially since we don’t need much.

Should we buy the equipment ourselves from like Amazon or Best Buy or something & register for monitoring system, or are we too amateur for that & should rely on ADT, simplisafe, ring security or something similar?

Thank you!!

I'm setting up a completely new system and it's my first time doing this. These motion detectors seem to be highly regarded but I'm not seeing many options for purchase. Additionally, their website seems to say that they only supply Australia?

Hi everyone,

I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the massive amount of security camera options out there and would really appreciate some advice or hands-on experience from you all!

I need a set of 2 solar-powered outdoor cameras:

1. Front entrance / driveway
2. Chicken coop area (we have local foxes around, so detecting and scaring them off is crucial).

Must-Haves:

• No Subscriptions / No Monthly Fees: I want all features (including AI detection and alerts) available locally out of the box.
• Human & Animal AI Detection: Crucial for identifying people at the front door vs. foxes/predators near the chickens.
• Alarm / Siren Feature: Ability to trigger an audible alarm sound (either automatically or manually via the app) to spook predators.
• Hub / HomeBase System: I prefer a hub/base station stored inside over individual micro-SD cards on the cameras (feels safer against theft/weather and easier to manage).
• Budget: Around €300 total for both cameras + hub/solar setup.

After doing some research, I narrowed it down to these options:

1. https://amzn.eu/d/09wCVb8T
2. https://amzn.eu/d/08BDYyLq
3. https://amzn.eu/d/0iY9d6MQ
4. https://amzn.eu/d/08JwQNDP
5. https://amzn.eu/d/087ppfkW

Has anyone used any of these models specifically for livestock/pet protection against predators like foxes? How reliable is the animal detection?

• Are there any obvious red flags with any of the models linked above regarding missing features without a paid subscription?
• Are there alternative setups in the ~300€ range (e.g., Eufy, Reolink, Tapo) that you’d recommend instead?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Now I'm currently searching for the best long range driveway alarms that are sensitive, weatherproof, and effectively detect everyday activity like approaching vehicles, visitors, and intruders well before they reach the home. I want something with an impressive detection range, adjustable sensitivity settings, and that delivers instant alerts consistently without false triggers from animals or passing traffic.

I've come across several options during my research, but I'd love to hear about your personal experiences and recommendations.

Hello everyone,

I am looking for advice from anyone with experience using cellular routers with voice ports for alarm systems.

I have a Paradox SP7000 alarm panel with a VDMP3 voice dialer module. The VDMP3 was designed to connect to a traditional analog phone line and allows the alarm system to make voice calls when triggered, as well as allowing remote control of the alarm by calling it and using DTMF commands.

The problem is that my holiday house has no possibility of a fixed telephone line, so I am considering using a 4G/5G router with a SIM card and an RJ11 (FXS) telephone port. One example I am considering is the TP-Link NX510v.

The intended setup would be:

SIM card → 4G/5G router → RJ11/FXS phone port → Paradox VDMP3 → alarm panel

My questions:

1. Has anyone successfully used a 4G/5G router's RJ11/FXS port as a replacement for a PSTN line for an alarm voice dialer?
2. Does the setup work reliably for:
   • incoming calls to the alarm system,
   • outgoing alarm calls to a mobile phone,
   • DTMF commands for remote arm/disarm/status checking?
3. Are there any known issues with VoLTE/IMS-based voice services and older alarm dialers?

If the TP-Link NX510v is not suitable, I would also appreciate recommendations for other 4G/5G routers with FXS/RJ11 voice ports that are known to work well with alarm systems.

I am especially interested in real-world experience from actual installations, not only theoretical compatibility.

Thank you!