quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
In this case the police will be there to arrest them due to the alarm before they can even make it to the safe.

I'm not an alarm guy, but based on my limited knowledge ...

I'm a bit surprised you don't know more about this subject, given your field.

If the phone wires or Internet connections are severed, and that's what's used for alarm system reporting, there will be no reporting--so no notification of the constabulary. (Alarm systems rarely use POTS [phone lines] anymore. Mostly now they use cellular or Internet connections.)

With the system we have we will eventually be notified if reporting is interrupted, because the EyezOn module is constantly chattering with the EyezOn Mothership, but, all we'd know is communications were interrupted. If all we had was the one Internet connection, that could be due to no more than a (temporary) failure anywhere between our Internet connection and theirs.

(Given that our Internet connection is redundant: If communications between our panel and the Mothership is interrupted it likely means something much more significant.)

All this talk about the technical nature of alarms is great, but if the alarm siren doesn't scare the burglar, you are depending on a quick police/sheriff response time, which is not always guaranteed. Alarm responses often get the lowest priority of anything. Can be 30 min to an hour depending.

This is why I did 2 things:

1] monitoring company calls the nosey neighbor across the street. (in addition to the sheriff)
First thing she will do is look our her window for 'eyes on'

2] cameras, cameras, cameras. All of which I can see real time (unless the internet connection is down). All exterior doors / windows can be seen remotely by me. Cameras plus our local dispatch center's traditional area code plus 7 digit phone line on speed dial (since 911 won't cut it if I'm in another county, obviously)

I guess some monitoring companies will look at your cameras for you, if you set that up, but I'm just not there yet, so remote viewing depends on me.

That said, although I hate radio based things, I'm in agreement that at least a backup link to the monitoring company should be.... something radio based. Cellular etc.

But I still suggest window/door sensors be wired.

Is anyone using IR motion sensors these days on their alarm. Not sure if those are still in style or not.

I was on an ancient wired system from ADT/Brinks.
So I decided to call Vivint (on two occasions) to get a quote.
First time they wanted a credit card before they would quote or send someone to evaluate an install.
Second time they wanted to do a credit check.
Told them to Eff off.

Then I went back to my original > ADT/Brinks.
It was originally ADT then Brinks, not sure who owns who now.
I was having problems with the monitoring and errors - it was a system last updated in 2001 - also a land line system.
They could or would not fix.
On top of that the monitoring price more than doubled since inception.

THEY wanted to do a credit check and I was a steady customer since 1990!
I said WTF - you already know me and my history, but would not give me a quote on new equipment without.
I cancelled them.

Planning to retrofit a Honeywell system from alarmgrid.com - and the monitoring was substantially less.
Not done yet but in the works.

Wireless units are convenient and may be an only option but I don't trust the companies with privacy or endless charges that may accrue.

quote:

I'm a bit surprised you don't know more about this subject, given your field.

If the phone wires or Internet connections are severed, and that's what's used for alarm system reporting, there will be no reporting

Alarm systems, access control, and similar are low voltage electrician specialties.

Without going into deep details, sometimes the lack of communication is the communication, and other times there are alternate forms of communication. If simply preventing communication through a wire running into a building was enough to thwart an alarm system, nobody would be using them as they would be completely useless.

I'm sure lessor residential type units may not be as well designed as the commercial systems in this regard.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

If simply preventing communication through a wire running into a building was enough to thwart an alarm system, nobody would be using them as they would be completely useless.

For 99% of the residential systems in the 1990's and earlier, that's the way it was. Luckily the tech improved.

Some of the installs included sensing if someone was tampering with your phone line/box but there was no way for the system to call the mothership to report such if the line had been cut. Your local siren would go off and that's about it.

and those older systems didn't usually phone home to say "I'm ok" very often since they would take over the POTS line and make a phone call. It would call in now and again to report a low backup battery or something, but it didn't call very often.

We have Ring wireless with solar panels. Haven't changed a battery in almost a year. Works flawlessly.

Edited to add:

We have 6 cameras including a Ring doorbell.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: BB61,

Speaking of Sheriff response time: 25 minutes from when I hit the SimpliSafe panic button today. I also found out the panic button on the key fob works from 700’ away through the woods.

I have three of their systems, one in Florida and two in Michigan. I figured I’d set the key fob from the Florida one to operate the ones in Michigan as well. To add the key fob to the system, you press its panic button. When I pressed the panic button to add it the second house, the system at the first house sent a panic alarm.

My new old house has a functioning wired alarm that's approx 50 yrs old. Not monitored, just a couple of loud sirens. Turn it on/off with a key. Battery back up. We've got a wireless supplement system but I appreciate having the old one.