Home Security Systems: ADT Pulse?

[zip95864]

Not sure if this is the right section, but I'm looking into getting the ADT Pulse security system and did a search and found nothing.

Anyone have any experience? I like the idea of the ADT Pulse because I can monitor my home from my iPhone.

Thank you

 

[Mad40er]

We just bought a new house down in San Jose, and had a ADT consultant come out to quote us on a security system, we were told that these smart systems were not yet available to the consumer in northern California. I was annoyed after all the advertising they have been doing.

 

[zip95864]

I called ADT and they are supposed to come out to give me a quote tomorrow afternoon. I told them I want the Pulse system and they didnt flinch, I'll update what happens tomorrow.

I have an appt with an authorized installer to install the basic ADT system on Saturday. 3 door coverage with 1 motion with cell uplink will be $45 a month. If the Pulse is the same price or $5 more a month, I'll go with it.

 

[Sunstealer73]

I installed the system from Lifeshield and am very happy with it. It connects to Internet, phone and cell (optional) and has multiple controllers. It would be very hard to completely disable. Everything is wireless too, which makes for a quick and neat install. Web and phone control is standard too.

 

[canuckian]

I have ADT - 4 doors, 4 motion (one is wireless in the detached garage), 2 panels for 30-something a month and as I remember, they only charged us $50 extra for 2 extra motions. Thinking on adding the module that uses a cell signal to notify ADT. not hard to cut phone wires before breaking into a house! they'd still have to find the siren or the panel to make it stop screaming at them and the neighbors though!!

never heard of the pulse system. Maybe it's a US only thing?

 

[zip95864]

Okay so the guy came out tonight and I signed the contract for the ADT Pulse.

I'm getting:
2 doors covered
1 motion sensor
wireless smoke detector

For $504 upfront for the hardware/install and $48 a month.

The Pulse system is wireless (has its own radio built in) and is $3 more a month than the ADT standard system which does not have a smoke alarm capability. Each additional motion sensor would be $170 and they are wireless and can be installed at a later date as well.

 

[nate379]

Ouch!

I have Vivint, got it a couple months ago.

All wireless system and don't need a land line (cell based). Interfaces with my iphone too.
Cost me $200 all said and done and it's $40/month. The basic system is free, just I got a few extras. Give them a call, they have awesome customer service.

Door sensors on 2 outside doors, motion in house and garage, fire/freeze alarm in house, temp rise (for fire)/freeze in garage. Glass break in house as well. Oh, and 2 key fobs as well.

Check into it.

Can do a camera system as well but it's about $60/month I believe.

 

[MoToys]

Yea adt really knows how to stick it to you.
Unless you are stuck on the pulse system, I would call a local company that uses napco or dsc eqipment.

 

[skinny1]

Wow, ADT cost an arm and a leg. I have a part wireless system and part hardwired. I have 8 glass breakage detectors, two motion, 4 entry doors, 4 keypads, two smoke detectors, and a siren inside and out. Was 300.00 install, 19.95 a month. It's been three yeas now and I love it.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Amen MoToys. I don't do alarms, but I have dealt with many of these companies doing telephone and security camera work. Personally, we use Guardian Alarm at home. They are based in Michigan but have offices in several states. I can not think of a single complaint, their products and service are great. We had an old alarm in our house that our previous alarm guy abandoned, they came in and replaced the control panel and keypads with a state of the art system. Great company!

 

[jdieter]

What do you get for the monthly fee? I hired an independent installer that wasn't tied to a central monitoring service. From what I understood looking at ADT and Gaurdian, the alarm dialer goes to monitoring service, then they call you to see if it's a valid alarm situation before calling the authorities. My dialer goes directly to the sheriffs department first and whoever I've programmed it for a secondary contact. I also have the hi/lo temp alarm call me(not the sheriff) and will do the same for a fire alarm some time in the future.
Just seemed to me the monitoring service was money down the drain and wasted time if you were getting robbed.

 

[Stuart in MN]

It will depend on where you live, but many police departments don't allow you to have your alarm call them directly.

It also depends on your monitoring service, but they can react pretty quickly - I had a breakin some years ago when I wasn't home; my neighbor told me that after they heard the alarm go off the police arrived within two minutes (it does help that both the monitoring company and the police department are within five blocks of my house.)

 

[vtx531]

I don't understand the whole theory of systems like ADT.

#1 If you are home and someone breaks in - call 911 yourself

#2 If you are away and someone breaks in, ADT calls the police, it is the lowest priority call that exists, and they will show up a few hours later to take a report. (plus you pay $$$ if it's a false alarm)

So what is the one benefit?.. That MAYBE the security system helps to get the burglars apprehended?...Let me ask you..if they come steal your stuff, and you get reimbursed by the insurance co. does it make any difference whether or not they catch the guy?

Ask youself...what is the point of it all?

(I think the above story is the exception to the rule about police showing up in 2 mins)

 

[zip95864]

The system is set up to call me first, if I don't answer, they call the police then they call my wife. I get 3 false alarms a year for free.

If I'm not home and a fire starts what are the chances my home will be saved? The neighbors wont call until they see flames shooting out the windows and the roof on fire. This will be much much quicker and I probably wont lose my whole house.

#2 If you are away and someone breaks in, ADT calls the police, it is the lowest priority call that exists

How so? How do you know this? Do you work for the 911 dispatch?

Also how long do you think the crook will stay in a house with a 110dB siren going off? Wouldn't you agree that they'd take less time?

The idea isn't that it is to protect us while were sleeping. Most robberies occur between 8am-4pm anyway.

I've shopped around and this is the best deal I found.

For those that aren't familiar with the Pulse system I can assign codes to different people (nanny, neighbor, parents, etc.) via the iPhone app I can see if the special code I've given one of these people has been used. I can see if my wife forgot to arm the alarm after she left. I can disarm the system from my driveway. Additionally, if I wanted to fork over more money (I don't) I could install wireless cameras and watch the camera feed from my iPhone ---- that's pretty dang cool. ADT also has a relocation guarantee ----- they will upgrade me to the latest technology and install it in my new house if we ever move.

I'm not trying to convince the skeptics, just putting the info out there for those curious about the system. No doubt I'll have more feedback AFTER it's installed.

 

[VWandDodge]

^^ It's best your house burns to the ground before the FD arrives. That way, there's no arguing with the insurance company over water and smoke damage.

 

[Ray-CA]

I don't understand the whole theory of systems like ADT.

#1 If you are home and someone breaks in - call 911 yourself

I think that you forgot a step in "#1...arm yourself, call 911"

We have an older system that is not monitored. It has a pair of EXTREMELY loud sirens. One in the house and the other projecting outside through a gable vent. The dialer calls our cell phones and a trusted neighbor has a key along with the alarm code just in case we are out of town.

Ray

 

[nate379]

Dunno, bought mine for the freeze sensor and the fire alarms in house garage. Didn't really care about the burgerler thing... hell I don't lock the doors 99% of the time, so what good would an alarm be?

I don't understand the whole theory of systems like ADT.

#1 If you are home and someone breaks in - call 911 yourself

#2 If you are away and someone breaks in, ADT calls the police, it is the lowest priority call that exists, and they will show up a few hours later to take a report. (plus you pay $$$ if it's a false alarm)

So what is the one benefit?.. That MAYBE the security system helps to get the burglars apprehended?...Let me ask you..if they come steal your stuff, and you get reimbursed by the insurance co. does it make any difference whether or not they catch the guy?

Ask youself...what is the point of it all?

(I think the above story is the exception to the rule about police showing up in 2 mins)

 

[jeffmoss26]

Yes, an alarm condition calls the monitoring center, they call the number on the account (our home) and ask if they need to send the PD. I know this from the many times someone has walked downstairs forgetting to turn the alarm off, or entering the code wrong by accident, and it will time out. There are also ambush codes on the keypad so if someone did break in, you could send a silent signal that all was not okay.

 

[Clik]

Around here a twenty minute police respose time would probably be average at best.

It seems to me that with today's technology a motion detector could be hooked to something that would dial my cell phone and there would be no need for monitoring charges.

What about these nany cams? I hear you can watch home from office on your PC.

Watch ADT's fine print. Once you sign up they don't want to let you out.