What has been you guys experience with home alarm systems. I'm a DIY type of person and notice they sell kits?

Essentially I live in a small townhome and a rash of buglarys have started to happen. The neighbor at the end of my street house was broken into. He now has gotten a buglary alarm from sloman's sheid with all the services. I am kind of under the impression based on what I've heard that the police kind of come real late anyway. I notice you can purchase the diy type of kits. The home monitoring services are real cheap some are 8.95 a month. I was also curious about just doing a camera setup get like 5 cameras and put them all over the place outside and record with a DVR (digital video recorder) in the attic. The cameras are real cheap on ebay. Anybody had any experience with these systems..... Really is it all worth it....

Your camera idea is a good one except for the location of the DVR in the Attic. It gets really hot up there in the summer and I'm not sure it would handle those tempretures.

As far as the DIY alarm kits....go for it. When I built my home I installed an FBI sysytem (Fire Burglar Inc). 2 heat sensors for fire, 2 smoke sensors, 8 window sensors, 4 door sensors, 3 motion detectors, bypass, instant, remote and all kinds of goodies. You can even tie in video cameras. I think it cost me $80 for the whole system excluding the high temp cable to the fire sensors (wow high $$ cable). Then I got to choose what monitoring company. Cause ADT, Brinks and others will practically give you the hardware ( not much cost to begin with ) so you will sign a contract to have it monitored for so many years at a high price. They are also monitored in another state usually.

IMHO I would buy the DIY alarm and add a couple of cameras. Then you choose you own local monitoring company. You will save big and have a better system than what the ADT's offer.

Hope this helps :)

We recently moved into a new area (new state really) and we put in a ADT monitored system. We actually went through a distributor of ADT. The system is monitored by ADT but the corporate office we did not purchase the system through. It cost me like $35.00 a month to be monitored and it was I think about 200 to 300 for the system. I have 2 glass breakage alarms, one in each child's room, 3 door alarms, a fire alarm, a remote control key chain with arm, disarm,and panic and a motion detection. I do like my system but I do not understand how they monitor. One time my kids will set the alarm off and they will instantly call us and the next time they never call. I say if the diy system is cheap enough find out about the monitoring company. My disappointment is with that not with my system. Good luck and stay safe. Wendy in S.C.

Check with your local P.D. Public Relation Officer they have all the statistics you will need to make a decision on what type of system to either install yourself, or have installed. Most alarm companies will install the system and all devices for next to nothing if you have them monitor the system.

Go with slomins I had them for 10 years and you can't beat the system. It is installed for free and the monitoring is 20 or so a month. they cover the doors hard wired and the rest of the hous with motion detectors. You need the monitoring or else no one will call the police.