Alternatives to ADT for Wired Alarm System
I just got a bid from ADT for an alarm system on a new house and some of the components seem quite expensive. I'm wondering whether there any other companies that offer hard wired systems. Seems like everything is wireless now. I have Frontpoint at my current house and absolutely hate it.
Comments (14)
wysmama
4 years agoWow tatts. Who crapped in your cereal??
Lynne- I don’t have an answer for you. But I hope someone comes along to help.
We are going with ADT pulse. And had it wired with our new build
Lynne
Original Author4 years agoI was impressed with all the features that ADT offered, just some of the parts seem crazy expensive. I suspect we'll end up with them, but would love to find an alternative for comparison and/or negotiating power.
BT
4 years agoThere are plenty of monitoring services, if you have it installed ... I do not know if you are not happy with the offering cost or monitoring...
Lynne
Original Author4 years agoThe issue with ADT is the cost of equipment is high. The Frontpoint sensors are constantly failing. Would love if there were another company that sold the hardwired sensors.
PROTechnospeak Corporation
4 years agoSo we also do alarm installation and monitoring (our CA license is ACO #7572). I would recommend you look at the project in two different phases. The first phase is the pre-wire for the alarm contacts, PIRs, Glassbreaks, keypads, etc. That should be relatively inexpensive compared to a new home build-- anywhere between $80 to $120 a wire-run most typically but prices can vary higher or lower across the country. If you are building a new home, I would strongly encourage you to pay for this pre-wire using a local reputable alarm or low voltage wiring company as it will pay off for you in the long run. On the equipment itself, the wired contacts are not going to be more than $1 each and are typically built into the pre-wire cost. Pay for those. The price for an alarm system can start to add up when you start adding Keypads, Wireless Panic Buttons, glass breaks, the alarm panel head-end, etc. You can either pay for those upfront and own them outright, or ADT can install them "free of charge" as long as you sign a 3-5yr monitoring agreement which is just a lease on the same gear so you are still paying for it. It may seem expensive compared to say a Nest alarm system, but that's because it's a pro system that is going to offer much more comprehensive security for you and your loved ones than a DIY system like Nest would. If you don't want to pay for the gear now that's fine-- the alarm pre-wire is still valuable to you or any future homeowners that may want the gear themselves. You can also have that same local reputable alarm or low voltage company install the physical gear (assuming they are properly licensed to do so) and then have ADT or other monitoring company monitor the system. In so doing you can own the gear but not be locked into a monthly contract forcing you to lease the equipment.
Lynne
Original Author4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoThank you @technospeak ... super helpful explanation!! ADT smoke detectors are $100 each, glassbreaks $155 and door sensors $80. Does that seem high to you, or in line with prices a low voltage company would offer?
- PRO
Technospeak Corporation
4 years agoOn the Smokes yes-- especially if they are combos (Smoke and Carbon Monoxide). On the glassbreaks that is a little high but I have seen higher. They might be pricing the cost of a glass break tester into the install which is needed to properly test the glassbreak. "Door sensor" can mean a lot of different things. Can you post a model # or a picture?
Pinebaron
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoI am not affliated to ADT. Love ADT and would not swap them for any other company although knowing they are not cheap; used them in NJ and also for our businesses in NJ and now for our home/s in WA. Each time I only dealt directly with ADT, ADT monitoring and ADT installers, not local ADT installers; makes a huge difference. When we moved to WA we rented two adjacent homes and obviously had twice the windows, doors, garages etc. Apart from around $1100 in freebies, I paid an additional $1000 for equipment for a combined total of $2800 of equipment including cameras, smokes, glass breaks etc, ADT came all the way from Seattle, 120 miles away any time I had an issue; they still come all the way from Seattle if I have an issue; they always send the best guys who are polite and know what they are doing. Their response times and service (from my own personal experience) is second to none which makes us feel safe and secure. When we completed are new home and moved in, I was able to remove all sensors and cameras from the two rentals however we needed a whole lot more equipment in our new house which is large and had so much to cover, in excess of $5000 of equipment. Spoke to a very senior ADT manager and had him assign $1800 of freebies plus our existing equipment/cameras etc., did the job. We own all ADT equipment, no lease. All this is in addition to my own security cameras, sensors, monitors, backup etc.
PROSemper Fi Home Guy - Brokered By eXp Realty
4 years agoI had SimpliSafe for a while and they were pretty good, now I have a full suite of Ring products and am happy with the Ring system. But depending on your geography I also like Safe Touch
Pinebaron
4 years ago@Coolair: I stick to ADT not because of price but their immediate response time in case of any alarm activity. They have their monitoring facilities in the US and not overseas, Real people one can talk to immediately. They have provided the best technical support and always send their best guys who incidentally travel two hours to get to me. We have a very significant installation here with a very large number of sensors, cameras etc. etc.
@ Lisa: it is true I have fought tooth and nail with ADT every time to get the best allowances and free equipment; I always manage to get a good deal out of them but it’s not everyones cup of tea to haggle, and I haggle when purchasing anything except groceries, gas etc.
To get the best service out of ADT, your contract needs to be owned by ADT directly and not one of their local vendors.User
4 years agoPinebaron: Yes, I tried, but I had to close on the house. I tried to install SimpliSafe, but it didn't work and I ran out of time.
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