I have one, currently it's not hooked up because of the remodel. I need to call them!

Ours is with our local telephone company because we live in a rural area.

With Christmas coming up, you definitely need to get one. That's the biggest theft season there is.

One deterrent is the siren that sits on the outside of your house. If burglars see it, then they may think twice about coming in.

We also have a motion sensor in our hallway. If someone should come in through the windows (you can get the alarm hooked on the windows too, but that's too much of a hassle), and go down the hallway, the outside alarm turns out which is REALLY loud and our neighbors a half mile away can hear it!

The main cost is the installation. Then there's the monthly monitoring cost which isn't all that much.

They put a pad by our front door only. We chose the door we would use when the alarm is set. We have 30 seconds to punch in our code before the alarm goes off.

When we leave the house, we set the alarm and have 60 seconds before it goes off.

I know people out here where burglars busted in the front door, the alarm went off, the burglars left, and all they lost was a front door. lol.

Yes we do. It's used daily and I also use it when my hubby happens to be away or working late, etc. We have motion sensors and all doors (including garage and basement) are. Window sensors are sometimes handy - especially if you have a sunroom (we do). They work not just on the window being opened by raising it, but sense if it is broken. I can't remember what those kind of sensors are called. They also work well on glass doors.

I would not get something other than a monitored system. A siren does not always deter a thief, especially if you are secluded (it sounds like you are not). They will sometimes wait to see if anyone comes. . .

I do not like a sign in the yard but you can get the window/door stickers that let someone know you have an alarm system. Also, there is the digital option or wireless, I'm not sure what it is called - it works off cell phones, in case a thief were to cut your phone lines. Another plus are the fire/smoke sensors, especially if like us, you have a pet who may be home alone.

We got a discount both from the alarm company (through our insurance company) and then our home owners was discounted a bit after we put in the alarm. We had it put in when the house was built. We had an alarm in both our previous homes too.

tina

Our alarm system is similiar to Tinam61's. We do have the digital option also so if the phone lines are down and the alarm is activated, the alarm company will still be alerted. I also have two remote controls that turn on/off the system. I rarely use them (usually when I go to bed and am too lazy to get up, I use the remote control).

We have the motion detector, but never turn it on because we also have two cats who are in constant motion and would continually make the alarm activate.

We also live in a nice, low crime area but that doesn't keep burglars away. I always turn the alarm on when I leave and when we go to bed.

I strongly recommend if you get an alarm system, that you use it all of the time, not just when you go out of town. Once burglars attempt to break, they have been known to come back.

Marlene, your service should be able to adjust the motion detector. We have 2 cats and they've never set ours off. We did simulations with the techs the day of install.

Alarm? I have a big dog who would greet an intruder with blankie in his mouth. Heck, I don't even know where my house keys are.

Natal, thank you for telling me that. I'll have to call my alarm company and check it out.

You bet. While we definitely live in a low crime area, we were still robbed many years ago. They only took shed items, assumed the barking dogs deterred them. Our robbery took place at 11:00 a.m. Police officer told me that whomever did the robbery had been watching my habits. DD was a toddler and I took her out every morning for a few hours to run errands and for a stop at the park. After that incident, first order of business was the alarm install. Like Golddust, we formerly never locked our doors, cars were always unlocked, keys in the ignition. No more.

We had a private company so we paid for the install and then pay the monthly monitoring fee to a central system. I think the commercial ads are free installs with the purchase of the central monitoring?

We also had the sound alarm installed but had to disarm it when we had the puppy's crate under one of the windows. She'd get excited if anyone pulled into the driveway or knocked on the door when we weren't home, setting off the alarm. Police were there immediately because we didn't answer their telephone call. Our central system calls when the alarm goes off AFTER dispatching the police just in case you have accidentally set off the alarm BTDT.

Get the alarm if you can swing it.

We also have an alarm and use it every day.

A good alarm technician can help you determine the best setup for your needs. We have a break-glass sensor downstairs b/c our kitchen window is a non-opening, plate-glass window. Most alarm companies will tell you that you do not need sensors in the upstairs windows, but we have several windows that would be accessible by climbing porches so I insisted on sensors for those as well.

We have had alarm systems in our last two homes. Both times, we had 2 keypads installed, one near the garage door (our normal means of entrance/exit) and one in the master bedroom. When we are ready for bed, if we have not set the alarm, we do not have to go all the way downstairs. Also, I can hit the panic button from my bedroom. If the alarm goes off, I can see which sensor has been triggered from my room.

Somehow, I accidentally set our doors to chime a few months ago. I like it. Even when the alarm is disarmed, I can tell when someone opens a door. For me, I like to know when one of my children is trying to leave the house. You may be more concerned with knowing that someone is entering the house. I have a friend who uses the chime feature only on the door that leads to her pool.

Thanks for all the info! Lots of choices, it seems. The houses on our street are so close to each other, I never thought we would need something like this. But our back yard is lined with high hedges, so it's very private and someone took advantage of that. Ack.