House/shop alarm?

[Leeboy20]

I'm considering putting an alarm in my shop and house without the monitoring . Think it would be better to purchase one from someplace ? ( ideas ? ) or hire the professionals and just skip the monitoring ? My house is small and the shop is 30x28 with 2 bay doors, 2 windows and a man door .

 

[sb7979]

I would hire the professionals for something like that. I have one alarm that covers both the house and the barn, but the buildings are set up as partitions, so one can be armed and disarmed without effecting the other. I watched the guy program it to do that and it didn't seem very user friendly for someone who was not familiar with it.

 

[RandyZ71]

The Simon XTi is a good system http://www.interlogix.com/intrusion/brand/simon-xti/. I was told several of the big alarm companies (ADT etc...) use this product line and Honeywell (not sure of the series). I put this in my shop after a recent break-in and have been very pleased with the system so far. I used Power Home Technologies (friend reps for them) but could have saved a few bucks by purchasing the hardware myself. I did sign up for cellular monitoring as I have no internet or phone in my shop. The system is accessible/configurable through alarm.com or a mobile app which is really nice. It is configureable but I get texts and emails when the system is disarmed or a sensor goes off. I wowuld guess that functionality would require monitoring but don't know for sure.

EDIT - Just as an FYI... Pricing for my equipment was $300. This included the keypad, cellular connection, 1 motion sensor, and three door sensors installed. YMMV on the monitoring price if you decide to go that route. I initially didn't want monitoring but my shop is located on another piece of property that I own about half a mile from the house.

 

[Beemer533]

No need for a pro for this..

Stick with a good brand, or at least a well reviewed product and you'll be fine. Wireless sensors make these things really easy to install.

I personally prefer hardwiring, but it isn't always possible or feasible. I

Something like this GE http://www.smarthome.com/ge-security-80-860-4-concord-4-wireless-crystal-alarm-kit.html or the Simon mentioned above are great starting points.

You can add sirens, lights whatever you need.

I did a basic system for my Aunt with something similar; she wanted to know that the garage was secure but not pay for any monitoring.

Installed a basic GE panel with several door/window sensors as we as a motion detector.

I added a couple 120db sirens (they are very painful in an insulated 2 car garage...

 

[Trey T]

You can monitor the garage or home yourself with Z-Wave system. More and more home security are integrating Z-Wave technologies. You can do live video monitoring and set for alert through your cell phone.

Think of Z-Wave technology as switching from carb to EFI, which much more latitude and expansion in the system.

 

[kluckfab]

I have a basic mace alarm system that I use, only like $80 from walmart loud as hell good enough for my shop for now.

 

[stonesfan68]

Simplisafe.com is a great company that offers a cellular alarm service for $15/month. You have to buy the equipment up front.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

4 years back someone broke into my old house. They got in on a Sat around 430pm in July. Nice weather, plenty of neighbors home etc. Nobody paid any attention to the siren. Good thing my monitoring company called the police. Police showed up within 8 mins while they were still inside. 2 guys were arrested. Minor damage to back door jamb and to the wall where my paperwork safe was mounted. They couldn't get the safe out of the wall and didn't want to leave the house so close to the alarm being set off in case someone was looking. My house was randomly picked because nobody was home. They needed money for drugs or stuff to sell for drugs. I pressed charges. One was on parole and the other was wanted. One did a little over a year and the other was bad enough he is still in the can.

Moral of the story is get monitoring. Sirens don't scare people all the time.

 

[jonjon1]

A friend of mine just bought a fortress system in amazon with a night owl security camera system, I helped him with the install {SIMPLE}, he spent under $500 total which impressed me...

 

[Leeboy20]

That's alot of great info gang . I'll have to check funding and see what suits me best .

 

[GS-Louie]

We have a monitored alarm in the house and will be extending it to the new garage shortly. My son installs systems so that part is taken care of.

We have flame and smoke detectors and heat sensors in the house and a CO detector in the garage. If you have an alarm system it seems foolish to me that it would not be monitored. The monitor responds even if you can't or aren't in the area to do so. Although the siren is very loud in the house I am not so sure that my neighbors would hear it or would respond to it.

Shop around for an installed system. Get pricing for the installation and then the monthly monitoring charge. Beware low installation pricing, the monthly charges will be horrendous.

Hope you find the solution that is best for you.

Lou