Do you have a home alarm system?

[disneysteve]

In the thread discussing Amazon starting a service to deliver packages into your home, people have given various reasons why they wouldn't (dog, privacy, letting strangers in, etc.) but both in that thread and in another online discussion on the same topic, I'm the only person who mentioned that we couldn't do that because we have a home alarm system. If we are out (and even if we're home most of the time), the alarm system is armed. Giving the Amazon delivery person a code to open the door would only result in them setting off the alarm. I'm rather surprised that nobody else has mentioned this.

So, do you have a home alarm system? If so, do you use it regularly?

I have seen many reports suggesting that lots of people have systems that they don't actually use, which seems like a complete waste to me.

We never leave the house without arming the system. We never go to bed without arming the system. If my wife is home alone, she usually has it on.

[Nutria]

even if we're home most of the time), the alarm system is armed.

NJ sure is dangerous...

Giving the Amazon delivery person a code to open the door would only result in them setting off the alarm. I'm rather surprised that nobody else has mentioned this.

Our system allows multiple PINs, so you'd make a new one and give that to the delivery man. Then you can call the alarm company and know if "he" actually came in.

[disneysteve]

NJ sure is dangerous...

Crime happens everywhere. Our area is actually quite safe but that doesn't mean I'm leaving my house unprotected when we leave.

Our system allows multiple PINs, so you'd make a new one and give that to the delivery man.

So not only would we be giving out a key to our door, we'd be giving out the alarm code, which could then be used by anybody with a crowbar to get into the house undetected. No thanks.

[rennigade]

I have outdoor security cameras mounted around our house in PA. I have the live feed up while im at work in MD. It records on motion so its constantly recording due to birds, leaves, deer/turkeys, etc...but also captures whenever someone is there.

Wont prevent a burglary but is more of a deterrent and hopefully it can capture enough images to find the person/persons who break in.

[Nutria]

Crime happens everywhere. Our area is actually quite safe but that doesn't mean I'm leaving my house unprotected when we leave.

But the quote was about when you're at home.

So not only would we be giving out a key to our door, we'd be giving out the alarm code, which could then be used by anybody with a crowbar to get into the house undetected. No thanks.

There is no "the" PIN. As I wrote, "Our system allows multiple PINs".

[rennigade]

NJ sure is dangerous...

My inlaws leave their doors unlocked when they leave...well they used to...then someone broke in when they were on vacation and stole jewelry. Its actually the house my wife and I now own. We keep everything on lock down unless we're going to be in and out a lot...and this is in the middle of nowhere. You cant even see our house from the road...you'd have to purposefully find it.

Thats what I suspect what happened when they were robbed. They ran their mouths that they were going to be gone on vacation. Someone they knew broke in or someone they knew overheard that person talking about then going on vacation and knew they'd be gone. It wasnt by accident or some "random" break in. FIL had a closet full of handguns and rifles that werent locked up and they werent touched. Just someone looking for a quick flip...prob for drugs.

Id much rather hear someone kick my door in to allow me time to react vs being snuck up on by someone turning a doorknob quietly and sneaking in. Just remember...when seconds count the police are minutes away. Do not rely on someone else to protect you...especially in your own home!

[snafu]

Our community newsletter publishes quarterly police reports for B&E, car theft, prowling etc. No 'incidents' ever reported in our complex to date. Only one person in our complex admits to having paid service home alarm system but nearly all of us have stickers on our doors saying we do. Our dog flies to doors, sounding like a very large, ferocious animal and best of all we have neighbours who monitor everything to the point of being considered snoopy.

Previous house had a break-in, what a mess! Crow barred door frame to gain entrance and upturned everything. Police explained these were pros, drove their truck into the garage, set a timer for 15 minutes and loaded easy sell items until time ran out. They wore gloves, no finger prints [what a mess that stuff makes]! They even took food from the deep freeze.

Asked police about an alarm system and when they finished laughing, we concluded it offered insufficient value, not even a discount from insurer.
Never keep items of value in M bdrm, it's the 1st place thieves go. Learned the hard way, insurance does not cover emergency money in the house. We bought a small, sturdy safe that bolts to wall and shelf from the inside, currently in an unobtrusive location.

I'd buy and install a camera system to help police identify intruders before engaging an alarm service; it takes too long for them to get there. What are police numbers in your specific community? on your specific street?

[phantom]

We have an alarm system. We got it when we built our house because we didn't want to be the only house on a street of fancy-looking new houses without the little sign in our yard. We go back and forth on whether or not it's worth keeping, but so far, we've kept it. We always set it at night, because we like knowing that there will be a lot of noise should anyone break in. It's hit of miss whether or not we set it during the day. We used to do it everyday, but we fell out of the habit at some point and haven't bothered to get back in it.

[disneysteve]

But the quote was about when you're at home.

What's your point? No, I don't want someone breaking in when we're home either. Stuff can be replaced. People can't. I'd much rather come home to find my house had been robbed than to be the victim of a home invasion.

Unrelated, but our home alarm system also includes the smoke alarms but those are always live whether the security system is armed or not.

[disneysteve]

There is no "the" PIN. As I wrote, "Our system allows multiple PINs".

Our system allows multiple PINs too. That doesn't change my answer. If I give a PIN to Amazon, what's to stop the driver from giving that PIN to his burglar friend?

[kork13]

We had an alarm system at our previous house, and I actually just ordered one for our current house a couple days ago. So yes, this house has been unalarmed the last year, but with no incident, and frankly, probably low risk. We live toward the back of a large, active, higher-end neighborhood that's all on its own across the highway from the test of the town. The neighborhood has had little to no crime at least in the last year, and I'm told almost nothing in the last few years.

Even still, we do feel more secure with the alarm, because a 100dB alarm blasting in a burglar's ears is a strong motivation to leave quickly, especially because it draws the attention of neighbors. I'm our previous home, it was broken into once, and based on my neighbor's cameras, the police were confident that the alarm made sure that they spent a very minimum amount of time in my house. They still made off with stuff, but they didn't have time to rummage through the house looking for all of our valuables. Besides, we use low-cost, locally-monitored services, so the insurance discount mostly covers the monthly monitoring fee.

We use our alarm all the time. It's armed anytime we leave the house (even just for a walk around the neighborhood), and every night before going to bed. We don't normally arm it if we're at home during the day, though we don't turn it off in the morning until we leave for the first time, so on lazy Saturdays, it might stay on until noon.

Both of our alarm systems have cell phone access, so I can arm/disarm the alarm remotely from my cell phone if needed. The new system offers live streaming of the camera video as well (though we're not actually installing cameras at this time). So that is a very useful function for if/when we do have someone we need to let in to the house.

[msomnipotent]

Previous house had a break-in, what a mess! Crow barred door frame to gain entrance and upturned everything. Police explained these were pros, drove their truck into the garage, set a timer for 15 minutes and loaded easy sell items until time ran out. They wore gloves, no finger prints [what a mess that stuff makes]! They even took food from the deep freeze.

They probably went through the freezer looking for hidden money or credit cards frozen in ice. Kind of scary thinking that whoever it was must live close to you. They wouldn't waste time and space taking food that would defrost and spoil before they got home.


In addition to the dog and alarm, we are looking to buy wireless cameras soon, maybe even today. Our neighborhood suffers mostly from crimes of opportunity because way too many morons leave their wallets/laptops/other valuables in an unlocked car in their driveway, but word gets out and more criminals are finding their way here. We had a ton of break ins during the warmer months for 2 years until some of them were caught. It turns out that a crime ring from FL was behind it. Why they would travel all the way up here instead of robbing wealthy people down there is a mystery. We are also looking for a set-up for our cottage. Someone keeps partying on our back patio and we want to know if it is the party animals that just moved in, or some teens driving their boat up to our dock.

[greenskeeper]

I prefer reaction time in feet per second, not minutes until the police arrive

[cypher1]

Do my guns count? But in all seriousness, no alarm system. Just my roommate and I. We both work different shifts so someone is typically home. While in the quiet suburbs, I'd be more concerned with someone breaking in during the day vs the night.

[Singuy]

I bought an ADT sign off craigslist for my old house. I hear the sign alone deters 80% of crime.

Now after moving into the new house, I never got a chance to put the sign up. New house is in a guard gated community with a 24/7 patrol car.