Home Alarm Systems

[sly_wolf 199]

Something to also consider is a home video monitor. It can trigger an e-mail or phone call if it detects motion in your house plus you can also look in if needed.

[derekkj 0]

Neither D nor I have ever been in a home with an alarm system. But he really wants to get one for the new house. I don't see the need - the neighboorhood is pretty safe and our house so small that if anyone breaks in, they will have plenty of time to steal what little we have and be long gone before the police arrive!

[CDAgirlMI 51]

"A barking dog, whether inside the house or in the yard is proven as the best deterrent to burglars.

It doesn't have to be a 250 - pound Rottweiler named Spike, even a smaller yappy dog serves as an early warning system. Not only does the intruder risk a bite, but the barking attracts attention. And there is no such thing as a stranger intimidating a dog into silence.

The truth is a dog, even a small dog, inside a house is not something a burglar wants to to deal with. Getting bit is not fun".

From this web site with other ideas:

http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/homesecurity.html

[Hugglebuggles 60]

One thing if you are looking into an alarm is that some house insurance places give discounts if you have a system, so it might not be as much extra money as you thought. Might want to take a look into what kind of discount you can get for having a system.

I just did that, and its 2-5% depending on the system we install. We only pay like $700 a year for homeowners insurance, so the savings on insurance definitely wouldn't offset the costs of maintain the system. So far the best deal we have been offered is $42 a month for the monitoring. It seems a little steep to me, for what they do.

Huggles I had a very different experience in Welland. In our second home we installed an alarm system and almost everyone on our court had one as well. When I was on my own, prior to moving to the US, I did not have one but again most of the other homes on our court had one. Having lived with and without one I prefer not to have one. My husband offered to put one in here but I am actually more nervous in the house with one. I was always on edge wondering if it was going to go off, watching the lights on the console if I was alone. God forbid if we forgot and left a window open, the breeze on the curtains would set it off!

Wow really OBX? I just don't really remember anyone having a home alarm system in Welland that I knew of. I'm sure there were people who did, but I didn't really know anyone. I guess its something that doesn't often come up in casual conversation... We didn't live in the best part of town by any means, but I never had a reason to feel unsafe. The scariest thing I encountered was a Raccoon with 3 legs who liked to sleep in my window sill...

So, I was just looking at the Canaliens map, and where you put your marker... is that really where you lived? Because if so, we lived like 2 minutes apart, that's hilarious

The other thing I would consider.. if you have a nice car in the driveway, I'd probably get one. I think that might be a signal to people that you have nice/expensive stuff inside.

Yeah... that's a good point. Bill's car is pretty nice, he takes really good care of it and keeps it waxed, but its not like he drives a Ferrari or something, its a Pontiac. But, we do have nice stuff. We're spent the last few months buying new things for our eventual new house, meaning everything is pretty new.

The dog idea is a good one, but I have an allergy to dogs, unfortunately! I still want one, but it would probably need to be little and allergy friendly. On the other hand, our neighbors have this giant but gorgeous labradoodle. With that thing running around in the yard, I don't think they would bother us either. We don't have a fence up yet...

Soo, as you can see I'm still on the fence about it! We have someone coming here tonight to talk about our options, so we'll see how that goes. After reading everyone's comments I'm actually leaning towards saying no. I'm really never here alone at night, and if someone wants to steal stuff our insurance covers it. They provide extra security but they're annoying... and I'd rather take that money and buy a new couch or something

Edited March 5, 2010 by Hugglebuggles

[ashenflowers 5]

I like how you talked about not having a fence in the yard, then mentioned that you were still on the fence about your decision. Nice segue.

[OBX 51]

So, I was just looking at the Canaliens map, and where you put your marker... is that really where you lived? Because if so, we lived like 2 minutes apart, that's hilarious

Silly me I didn't realize you could zoom to street level on the map when I placed my pin! I am now located properly.

[Hugglebuggles 60]

Ashen. I didn't even think about that when I was typing either...

Ah, you lived over by the college OBX. Not quite as close as I thought, but still not to far from me. I always thought of that area as being pretty safe and quiet!