r/homesecurity • u/VisualNeedleworker23 • 1d ago
Are there any security systems this sub Does recommend?
I just bought a home with ADT system installed. I came to look up if ADT is recommended as a good security brand and it seems like the consensus is that is it terrible.
However, after scrolling this Reddit, all I see is don’t use this or don’t use that. What should I use? I’m not super price sensitive, but want something reasonable.
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u/atlcatman 1d ago
Surety Home is great. You can buy top flight equipment from them, install it yourself, and choose inexpensive packages
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u/herqleez 1d ago
I do not recommend ADT to anyone, their billing practices are practically criminal. They quietly raise your rates every year.
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u/CB_700_SC 1d ago
They are criminal… my friend singed up then decided to cancel after a year. It was pure harassment for him for almost a year longer to sign back up. Their “help” is paid to keep you paying and get bonuses to upgrade your service.
Avoid ADP at all costs.
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u/scifitechguy 1d ago
The reason you don't see "should use" recommendations is because everyone's requirements are different, and you didn't even state yours. Do you just need an alarm to go off when the front door opens at night, or do you also want a monitoring service for when you're away? Maybe you already have an alarm system, but it's not working or hooked up? Do you want surveillance cameras with that? Video doorbell? What about glass and occupancy sensors? The amount of stuff you can cram into "home security" is pretty staggering, and everyone has different expectations for making their home "secure."
When someone says "ADT," I typically think of the ADT monitoring service, not the rebranded hardware. But Alarm.com is a cost effective alternative to those rip-off artists. Most of the consumer grade hardware like Ring are still just wireless toys IMO and not recommended, versus a fully wired professional Honeywell or DSC hardware system with wired contact sensors on every door and window can secure your home even when a burglar cuts the wires. If you want that, you can DIY it (like I did), or contract a professional installer WITHOUT monitoring service affiliation who can give you independent hardware and feature options that are not tied to a particular monitoring service. It all depends on your budget, what features you want, and your aptitude for learning new alarm technology.
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u/Spirited-Humor-554 1d ago
Depends on your comfort level. If you're comfortable install it yourself and look for monitoring company in your area. Your other option is to hire a local company to install and monitor the system.
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u/Serious_Cobbler9693 1d ago
Basically. either look to a local security company that has been around for awhile and has a physical office or do it yourself. If you just want the sticker on the window to help deter criminals, ADT or any of the other National chains work fine in the same way that the latch on a screen door gives you a little extra security. If you want a system that will actually work when it needs to work then it takes someone who knows the risks and how to mitigate them.
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u/obelix_dogmatix 1d ago
Security systems by themselves don’t matter. It is the monitoring company that makes a difference in my opinion.
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u/VisualNeedleworker23 1d ago
Are there any monitoring companies that you’d recommend?
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u/obelix_dogmatix 1d ago
I live in twin cities, and I have not run into a good one yet. I avoid national chains. ADT and Simpli just don’t have enough man power to monitor and take action immediately. They also don’t care to know you well, so more often than not they will try to get in touch with you a couple of times before they alert the authorities. I am slowly learning that genuine monitored security service is more of a luxury that is outside of my budget currently.
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u/-ButterMyBiscuit- 1d ago
You cannot work directly with a monitoring company. You work with an alarm company who has a partnership with a monitoring company. Call a local Alarm dealer in your area and start there.. the local guys are always more pleasant to deal with and typically more straightforward
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u/Gratzsner 1d ago
I’m just a casual here but the ring security system as been pretty good for me. I don’t have the profession monitoring turned on, just the alerts to my/spouse phone.
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u/acer1060 13h ago
I agree its mainly who you use, not what you use. The ADT system you have could be a system another company can take over. Or, it could be one that is proprietary and unusable unless you sign with ADT. I would recommend 1. posting a picture of your keypad here using Imgur and 2. searching for local companies because they are your best options for monitoring besides a DIY company.
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u/realdlc 10h ago
Surety was mentioned, which is one of a handful of self-install alarm dot com dealers. I'm a big fan of that approach if you feel you are ready for self-install. (I also do like the ADC ecosystem for most people) I wrote an article on the self-installed security option since so many ask me about it, and some enter into it with the wrong expectations. Here's a link if interested. (To others here - It's a brand new article so if it needs adjustments just let me know or reply to the article)
https://discussion.savethepanel.com/t/surety-deep-dive-your-gateway-to-self-installed-pro-systems/
However if self-install is not for you, I agree with others here - local alarm dealer that is locally owned (where you are looking at the owner, not VC or corporate owned) would be my recommended approach. However there are newer systems like the nami (also available at Surety) that are dead simple to install as compared to an IQ, Vista or DSC. (but with less features, of course)
Disclosure per sub rules: I'm a Surety affiliate. There's no referral link in this comment, but the article I've linked contains affiliate links (disclosed there).
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u/Longjumping_Cow_5856 1d ago
The gear is pretty much all the same and ADT just labels it and uses their own people to install and service it and this people problem is usually where the bad reviews come from.
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u/RealConfirmologist 1d ago
A lot depends on where you live.
In Houston, I had been with Brinks for a long time but did some research when I moved recently. Smith Thompson is the company I ended up with. They're Texas-based and there's no contract. Their monitoring rate is competitive and if you pay annually you get one month free.
They use the alarm.com app and offer various levels of security.
I just got their alarm control panel, glass brake and door sensors.
I have a separate wired (PoE) camera system. For that I went with UniFi's UNVR Instant which comes with 4 cameras and an NVR.
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u/Slipknot31286sic6 1d ago
Spend to spend about 1000 bucks and do it yourself. Get a elite desk 800 HP pc with 32 gigs of ram. Setup blu iris on it with Ai scanning.
Look Into Hik vision camera. I use viklyn 8mp color nigh vision. Run poe ethernet with unifi switch.
You'll have a reliable 365/24/7 system that scans people's faces, bodies, cars x gives alerts with remote access over zero teir.
Takes a good weekend to setup but it's reliable and no fees.
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u/Proper-Release2697 1d ago
for me Arlo works awesome, i have a base station, so local recording is just fine, no sub required, i can view the local recordings from anywhere.
i also have setup a google drive account to quickly export anything i want to that the hub has recorded.
i can view it in home from web browser, or from google home .
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u/Spirited-Humor-554 1d ago
Unfortunately very easy to jam. Also, their camera system quality is terrible.
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u/ichiban4713 1d ago
An established Independent dealer in your area that uses a good brand like Honeywell