Home alarm / surveillance recommendations

[Clay]

My Mom lives alone and recently had a break in so I'm trying to figure out a good solution for a home alarm system for her.

I'm not really sure the 'install yourself' systems will be ideal for her, even though I could install it, BUT I have zero experience with any of them so maybe they are as good as an ADT type system. Ideally I would like something with multiple sensors for doors, windows, glass break, smoke detector, motion, etc, but then I would also like some exterior and interior cameras.

What do you guys recommend or have experience with?

Thanks!!
Clay

 

[MCgrease08]

I don't have experience with it, but from what I hear it doesn't get much easier than Simply Safe.

 

[jhparsons78]

Another one for Simplisafe. Easy to install, easy to use. The app is easy- so you can put it on your phone and look in on the cameras at any time.

 

[***Ironhead***]

I had ADT put in my Moms house and it has been alright but expensive. If I had to do it over I would probably go with simplesafe.

 

[ws6guy]

Just picked up Simplisafe last month. It's very easy to setup and use. There are videos and articles that show it might be easy to for someone to block the signal from the sensors to the base station. But that's probably the case with any system that uses wireless sensors. So it's likely not the most secure system out there but your also not paying a premium price either. For my needs it works for me. I had a old hard wired system that was starting to crap out and it was going to be close to a grand to update it. Spent less than half that on Simplisafe. I plan on buying ADT stickers or sign to put on the house, I don't want to advertise what system I have.

 

[BE Mike]

I'm following this with interest as we have been thinking of going with ADT. One thing I'll say is that my SIL lives alone. She contracted COVID-19 and had a related stroke on Christmas Day. If my daughter hadn't gone over to check on her for not answering her phone, things could have gone farther south, quickly. My daughter found her on the floor of her bedroom, paralyzed on her left side. My point is that people living alone, especially the elderly, would benefit from a "Life Alert" type device.

 

[Brandon]

Let me tell you about simply safe.

Easy to customize your own system for your(her) needs. Easy to install once it arrives, it takes a minute... or a month pre covid.

Easy to set up. Edited to add the base station has a battery back up and a sim card to send a signal in case wifi and or power go out. Also sents alerts to your phone and if you have cameras, logs everytime it is armed and disarmed as well as any events.

Now to monitoring. They might be to good. My dumb butt this past Christmas morning was making pork chops with brown sugar when I got distracted and created some smoke (anything is a smoke machine after it heats up enough!). Alarm went off, they called before i could get to the keypad. Told them everything was fine and no need to call the fire dept.

I guess smoke triggered a second detector a moment later and i didnt hear the phone. A couple minutes later we hear sirens and then our home was lit up with some really impressive lights on the side of IFDs fire trucks. Pretty sure they could see through the brick. After i let them know what happened i saw simply safe called saying the second alarm had gone off and since we didn't answer they were sending ifd.

Ive had adt and vivant... no thank you. They do not compare.

 

[cburnworth]

I am not a fan of ring, but something similar for the front door motion. You can have that account on your phone also so you can see who is at the door. Obvious drawback to simply safe is having to change batteries. Layer your systems and try to keep them as simple as possible. If she is on comcast they offer a decent system & I think they have cameras also. I suggest hardwire as much as you can. Another suggestion would be look @ water sensors. leaks or floods will be detected & notified.

 

[Brandon]

I am not a fan of ring, but something similar for the front door motion. You can have that account on your phone also so you can see who is at the door. Obvious drawback to simply safe is having to change batteries. Layer your systems and try to keep them as simple as possible. If she is on comcast they offer a decent system & I think they have cameras also. I suggest hardwire as much as you can. Another suggestion would be look @ water sensors. leaks or floods will be detected & notified.

Good luck getting a wired system anymore. Simply safe monitors the battery strenght and lets you know when it is getting weak long before it is dead.

 

[***Ironhead***]

I am not a fan of ring, but something similar for the front door motion. You can have that account on your phone also so you can see who is at the door. Obvious drawback to simply safe is having to change batteries. Layer your systems and try to keep them as simple as possible. If she is on comcast they offer a decent system & I think they have cameras also. I suggest hardwire as much as you can. Another suggestion would be look @ water sensors. leaks or floods will be detected & notified.

My ADT batteries last roughly 3 years. I just figured simplysafe would be close to the same.

 

[***Ironhead***]

I'm following this with interest as we have been thinking of going with ADT. One thing I'll say is that my SIL lives alone. She contracted COVID-19 and had a related stroke on Christmas Day. If my daughter hadn't gone over to check on her for not answering her phone, things could have gone farther south, quickly. My daughter found her on the floor of her bedroom, paralyzed on her left side. My point is that people living alone, especially the elderly, would benefit from a "Life Alert" type device.

Agreed! If you go the ADT route stay away from the window sensors and go with the glass breaks. My Mom has large windows and they vibrate in thunderstorms and give false alarms. Also they will try and screw you at installation time. We were able to get 40% off the original installation quote. Their monitoring seems to be good to me which is key.

 

[Butch627]

I recently had Ring installed to keep an eye on my elderly mom inside and cameras outside of the house. Also has door sensors, motion sensors, smoke alarm and a lot of other options. There are many different mode settings for the cameras to taylor the system to your needs. The installation could be done by a handy person but I needed it installed quickly. I did have to increase my internet speed as the old wouldn't transmit live feed to my phone. I don't know if it is better or worse than any other systems but as I am getting used to it I am very happy with it and have added a lot more doodads such as garage door opener. FWIW I have observed a few unknown vehicles enter and leave my driveway after they clearly saw the Ring sign in my driveway. You can just buy the solar powered sign for 49 bucks lol

 

[Doug]

I have SimpliSafe. I think it's the best.
Yes, I suppose the CIA or the KGB might be able to interfere with the system; I doubt they are after me or your mom.
Batteries last a long time and the keypad tells you when one is low. The easy answer is change all sensor batteries on your birthday on even numbered years.
Every key fob that activates or turns off the system has a panic button. If you've fallen and can't get up, the panic button will bring the police; just keep the fob with you.
Also, you can arrange for multiple numbers to be called. Mine is set up to call the house phone first. If I don't answer, they call my cell. If I don't answer that, they send the police and notify my son that the police have been dispatched.
The system has been versatile and reliable. I have the first generation system; the new one looks like it's even better.

Oh yeah, installation. If you can hang a picture, you can install the system. They use the 3M Command strips to stick things up. I recently moved and took my system with me. I removed every sensor without damage to the drywall or paint.

 

[jspy5]

I also have the simplisafe, been using it for abut 4-5 yrs and am satisfied with it. I would like to add some cameras to my system but am curious if my older system will support the newer cameras.

 

[Brandon]

Another with the simply safe, you can customize the time delays for when the alarm goes off. So you can have away and home modes for different exit and enter time delays... you can also set the delay to instant (for home mode) so if it is you or a bad guy, it goes off instantly. We have an add on siren so it is really really loud.

 

[BE Mike]

Do either the SimpliSafe or ADT systems come with a high resolution camera that monitors the outside of the residence? If so, how worthwhile is it? My front door is recessed, so a Ring type doorbell wouldn't pick up any activity except directly in front of the front door.

 

[Doug]

SimpliSafe has a camera.

Wireless Security Camera System | SimpliSafe Indoor Security Camera

Meet SimpliCam, the award-winning, 24/7 HD Indoor Wireless Security Camera with intruder and motion alerts. Engineered to protect by SimpliSafe.

simplisafe.com

It's for indoor use, but they have a cover to protect it for outdoor use. They say they're coming out with a new camera in 2021.

I've been considering a game camera to cover the backyard and driveway. Anybody have any experience or suggestions?

 

[dudley0]

I have a Spypoint game cam that sends pics and alerts to my phone. It is nice, mobile and can get 100 pics a month free. I paid for the yearly subscription as I have it set in a place with a lot of traffic.

As far as systems go, I have ADT. Tried to get a different company to come in but they kept me waiting for a very long time. ADT is costly, but it gets the job done. Considering dropping them when my contract is up tho, and going with something a little more economical. Has been nice having it at the new house, especially since nobody lives there yet. Any problems I have had they took care of. Tried to charge me a trip fee once, but I said nope.

 

[SheepDog4Life]

I have SimpliSafe. I think it's the best.
Yes, I suppose the CIA or the KGB might be able to interfere with the system; I doubt they are after me or your mom.
Batteries last a long time and the keypad tells you when one is low. The easy answer is change all sensor batteries on your birthday on even numbered years.
Every key fob that activates or turns off the system has a panic button. If you've fallen and can't get up, the panic button will bring the police; just keep the fob with you.
Also, you can arrange for multiple numbers to be called. Mine is set up to call the house phone first. If I don't answer, they call my cell. If I don't answer that, they send the police and notify my son that the police have been dispatched.
The system has been versatile and reliable. I have the first generation system; the new one looks like it's even better.

Oh yeah, installation. If you can hang a picture, you can install the system. They use the 3M Command strips to stick things up. I recently moved and took my system with me. I removed every sensor without damage to the drywall or paint.

Thanks Doug... I like the way you've set your system up. I've a similar mindset.

Tagging this to follow with interest.

 

[J Galt]

Arlo Ultra 4k is a good system but it is more expensive. The main thing I like about the 4k is that it actually provides useful info. The 4k allows you to read a license plate or identify a person's face. The other systems are good if you just want to know "someone" was there or there was "a vehicle" on the property.