We have Honeywell. Since we no longer have a dog, I like the alarm for a variety of reasons. When I know I am coming home alone, I know that the house is safe. If my husband is out of town, I like putting on the stay feature. Should anyone try to intrude, the siren goes off and I am alerted.
Alarms can be bypassed. And, I always say that if a robber was in my house, they would have a short time to steal before the police arrive. This means that they also have less time to trash your house.
Prices can vary, so do your research.

Sorrry about your urns.

We have large spanish style planters that came with the house. They are full of stone/gravel and weigh a ton. The previous owners said the first set they bought were stolen, so they filled the next set full of stone. They aren't going anywhere!!

We have a full alarm system with window/door sensors and motion sensors. We set it every time we leave the house, even if we are just running a quick errand. We also use the "Stay" mode at night, which has the doors/windows armed but not the motion sensors.

Drive around your area and look for Alarm company signs on people's lawns and houses. This will give you an idea of the main players in your area. We use a local company, not a large nationwide one. We are in a very safe area, but due to the economy there has been an increase in home break-ins. We also have heat/smoke sensors tied into our alarm system.

The house we bought has security system installed already. After we moved in, we had the security company (we use Brothers Security) come out to install a few extra security features (e.g., water bug in the basement, wireless motion detector for basement door & window, etc). After paying the one-time installation fee, we just pay a monthly monitoring fee (about $20 or $30, something like that, definitely not a lot).

If you want to monitor the front & back porch, you probably would need to install extra security features outside the house. It would be helpful to talk to a security company for possible solutions.

Be sure to keep an eye on craigslist and see if they show up. Although if they were iron, perhaps they would end up at a scrap metal place? Hard to believe someone stole them for decorating their own home.

I am so sorry that happened to you. It IS scary.
I have dogs (4) who are excellent barkers. Depending on who is barking, I know there is someone at the door, someone even walking across the yard, or the cat making an appearance in my office where 3 of the dogs hang out during the day.
After the siding and doors of the tiny fixer-upper I moved into are done, I plan on BOTH burglar bars and an electronic security system.

BTW, some insurance companies give a nice little discount on homeowner's insurance for electronic security systems which if taken into account can make the monthly fee negligible; and some large electronic security companies discount the setup fee for a one year contract.

The same thing happened to my mother. She had two antique urns at the front door that were stolen. Someone really had gall to get them because her house is set way back from the road as well as a long walk to the door. She has had a lot of problems with burglary over the years due to the location of her house. In some cases the burglars broke the glass, came in and grabbed what they could and were gone in the time it took for the alarm to go off and the police to be summoned.

During the years that she had dobermans, she had no problems at all, plus they were great pets.

Now she has an alarm system again. I guess it's better than nothing but even the police say they are not 100 percent helpful.

The last time someone broke in (before the alarm) they lifted the sliding glass door out of the frame, even though it was locked. The new door has a feature that prevents this.

I've only had problems with stuff being stolen from the car. Once all the wheels were stolen off our car in the driveway. The last thing was the GPS from my car, which I got back because the police caught them with a car full of stuff stolen from cars.

Anyway, I guess an alarm can't hurt but they are a big nuisance in my opinion. The best thing is a nosy neighbor and I have plenty of those.

Alarm systems are nice, but it definitely helps to have neighbors who pay attention to anything out of the ordinary.

After a guy brazenly walked into a guys garage and started looking around WHILE THEY WERE HOME, we got a dog.

Some people will strenuously disagree, but alarm systems are largely worthless.

Years ago I was involved in financing one of the major alarm companies, and I learned a little about the business.

Alarms are largely worthless for most people because of the typical response time from local PD. Since well over 90% of the alarms the PD get are false alarms, they are often lackadaiscal about them. Moreover, even if they are diligent, a professional will get to what he wants before the PD can arrive.

Your best bet are things that make the would-be criminal chose another home. A dog. Motion sensor lights. Alarm company signs and stickers. All will help.

Our insurer, Chubb requires us to have an elaborate alarm system. It is absurd given where we are, unless cows take up crime.

mtnrdreux, couldn't resist searching the web. I suspect it is only a matter of time before this behavior crosses the ocean. Prepare yourself! Breaking and entering may be next! Teehee.

Here is a link that might be useful: criminal cows

What mtnrdreux said. Plus, an alarm system wouldn't have stopped them from taking your urns. Most burglars can be in and out before the police or sheriff make the drive to your home. Dogs, lights, motion sensing lights, TV or music on when you're gone... may help, may not. They would probably bypass a house with a sign for one without.

That said, we've had one in all our homes - main and vacation, no matter the location/state.

Our insurance company also requires a monitored alarm system. Over $X house value it's common for most companies nowadays. We even have to send confirmation letter annually from the monitoring company.

Our next door neighbors had a break-in at 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. They had not yet moved in but were doing some work, so they left for a little while and then came back. The scary thing is I was home early and heard nothing. OTOH, I had the satellite radio on and I was running the vacuum.

We've talked about a security system, too, since then. Our street is one of the busier ones in the neighborhood. They got a security system after that.

Before I got married, I had an alarm system because it made me feel more secure when I was there alone. False alarms happended all the time, and were a real pain. One night I forgot the windows were armed and opened the bedroom window for some air. Scared the heck out of myself. Another time, my Mom was out with my stepdaughter, and they needed to use the bathroom. Since they were near my house, and she had a key, they let themselves in, forgetting about the alarm. They had to sit there and wait for the PD to arrive.
Our current home had a system when we moved in, but because of small dogs and motion sensors, I haven't used it. I eventually disconected it altogether because I got tired of replacing the battery.
As was mentioned, nosy neighbors, a dog or two, and careful use of locks and lighting will work almost as well to deter burglars.

BUT. A couple of years ago there was a horrendous home invasion case in my state that has made me think about reconnecting it and having the monitoring resumed. An alarm and the use of the duress code word when the monitoring company called could have saved a lot of heartache, and the lives of three people.
The world appears to have gone mad. I sleep with a .38 on my nightstand when my husband is travelling (no children in the house). I'm thinking my next dog is going to be a large breed, when my Shih Tzus are longer with me.

We have an alarm system, but it's worthless for scaring off thieves outside the house. Shortly after we moved in, someone made off with our cast iron garden furniture that sat on the side patio - in easy view of the street, in plain daylight. I agree that the best deterrant is watchful neighbors who are not afraid to ask questions and call the police. I'm so sorry about your urns. I know exactly how violated that makes you feel.

An alarm system won't deter a professional who has already cased out your home and has an idea of the layout and where he can find the things that he wants.

However it can and often does deter the casual burglar. Our home had an alarm system when we purchased it 28 years ago and we've kept it updated and connected to the central station. We did have someone break into our home through a small window on the second floor that we didn't bother to wire - our laziness. The police suspect it was the roofers who were working on the house next door and saw us entering a limousine with suitcases on a Friday afternoon.

They broke in while we were away for the weekend. They headed right for the master bedroom where we have a secondary alarm keypad. They saw all the lights light up on the pad and assumed that a silent alarm had signaled the police because they left without taking anything. We did have that window connected with a wireless contact shortly after that.

I honestly think the price I pay is worth it. As my DH says - a professional will get past just about any alarm but most professionals will also wait until the house is empty before breaking in - or they'll do down the street to a house without an alarm.

I'm so sorry. I know exactly how you feel. We were broken into a year after we moved in and I will never get over the shock of coming home to a house that was turned upside down. We had about $15,000. worth of things stolen and I was heartbroken. Most of my jewellery was hidden away but they managed to find the few things I wore most often. They only took my gold jewellery and discarded my silver, some of which was Tiffanys. They stole all of our electronics including a wide screen tv. I am a hospice volunteer and was gone every Wednesday. Of course it happened on a Wednesday. The police felt that our house had probably been watched and said that it may happen again as the people who broke in will assume that everything will be replaced.

We put in an alarm system immediately. I agree with those who said it may not prevent another break in but with a sign out front with stickers on the door it is at least a deterrent. We also have a loud siren that goes off as well as the alarm. I'm hoping it will scare the H out of someone if they try again.

I live in Canada and most alarm companies will install a basic alarm system for free if you sign up for a 2 year contract. We had additional costs because we have alot of doors and windows but it really wasn't that much. We pay $25. a month.

I just decorated the outside of our house for christmas with some fairly nice things and my DD asked (aren't you afraid someone will steal them)? Of course I wasn't until she said it. Thanks alot! Again, I'm sorry about your urns.

I just decorated the outside of our house for Christmas with some fairly nice things and my DD asked (aren't you afraid someone will steal them)? Of course I wasn't until she said it.

Not the reason I decorate the back yard ... it's for us to enjoy ... but I guess a bonus is it's safe from potential thieves.

We live in a very small city which has it's own police and fire department. The response time is very fast and the police know most residents by sight and often by name...residents have annual stickers for their cars so the police can identify residents' cars.

We have little crime but times are tough right now and thieves are getting pretty bold so we are doing all that we can to feel and be safe.

We have had ADT for 3 years but recently signed with a local company and now have a wireless alarm system. This means that the thieves can't cut your phone lines and disarm your alarm system. We can program our alarm through our cell phone, have motion detectors, breaking glass alarms, etc. We set the alarm at night so that it instantly goes off if an outside door or window is opened.

Our fire/smoke detectors are wireless and connected to the alarm system as well.

We pay $45 a month.

Go online to your local better business bureau and look up some of your local alarm companies. Make sure that they have multiple out-of-area or out-of-state monitoring stations.

Buy a bow and some arrows for cash off CL and practice. Put some new lovelies out on your front porch, wait and watch. When the time comes no one will hear the sound. Make sure you don't leave your prints on the arrows and dispose of the bow lol. Ok this is just a warped fantasy of mine that I have had on a few occasions when things have been stolen. Where I live there is a long response time wait for alarms so I adopted a great big rottie and put aside my bow & arrow fantasy.

Having your smoke/fire alarm connected to the same system is crucial. We had a near electrical fire after one of the hurricanes a few years ago. Fortunately, I was awake when the power surge hit and got us all out before the alarm went off. As dh was dialing the fire department the alarm sounded and the security company was being automatically notified at the same time.

I've never had an alarm but I've had great luck with dogs. A large dog who's visible, or just a medium sized dog that barks, is a good deterrent. I have 2 big friendly dogs, but when strangers ask if they are friendly, I tell them "Yes, if I say it's all right." And I honestly could not say what they might do if confronted with someone breaking in or trying to do harm to me or my family.

Motion sensor lights are also great deterrents if your house is visible from neighbors/the street.

I like the idea of filling the urns with something heavy. Or maybe you could booby trap them in some way? Rig something like the link below? ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Take my urns, get wet

We bought our urns at a local company that makes thousands of concrete products for the yard - they also sell a paint that makes the urns look like muted black iron. They weight more than most people could lift - I can't budge them at all.

Recently, a 14 year old girl was killed when she came and found a burglar in her home in one of the suburbs near me. We've always had an alarm, and if it deters at least one would-be burglar, it's worth it. We have Brinks.

We have a golden retriever. The breeder we got her from assured us that she would be excellent protection against intruders, who would be promptly licked to death.

As others have said, unless I'm missing something, an alarm system isn't going to do anything about someone taking something out of your yard or your front steps. When we were away a couple of years ago, someone tried to break into our house through a back window. I think they scared themselves away when they pushed in the window screen and knocked a planter off the counter -- they ran off before they got in, fortunately. Spooked us, though (and we live in a very safe, close-knit neighborhood), and later we installed an alarm system. Ours is ADT. Honestly, sometimes I think all we needed were the alarm system signs and stickers to keep away the riff-raff!

We have similar guard dogs, mtnrdredux.

We have a complete security system installed including exterior motion sensors that chime inside if someone or something trips the beams - they cover our front door and porch area, back sliders, driveway and garage and basement windows. I feel very, very safe....and oh yes, this big boy will sound off at anything he hears!

We had ADT until recently - we live in a very safe very small city but times are tough and we want to be safe and feel safe.

We recently contracted with a local security company with a perfect rating with the BBB - they have been around for many years and offered us a better, upgraded system at less money than ADT and they were able to use the same monitoring equipment tht ADT uses so we didn't have to replace anything - that saved us quite a bit.

We now have a wireless monitoring system. Most systems are tied into the phone lines, so if the bad guys cut your phone lines, your monitoring system isn't connected to your alarm company. Wireless sytems use a built-in cell phone and there is no way to disarm them from the outside of the house.

We can program our system via our cell phone from anywhere - if we forget to set our system, we can set it remotely.

We have the motion detectors, glass shattering sensors,and our system includes wireless smoke/fire sensors on all three levels that are tied into the security system as well.

At night we set our system to go off if any door or window is opened (or glass broken)....makes us feel safer.

We pay $45 a month.

Thank you, all. Thank you! I never expected so many responses. We have a lot to think about.

I am very allergic to most dogs, and we are gone for close to 12 hours on the weekdays. We also travel often. I think that I would personally be responsible for most of the false alarms...LOL. I have contacted our insurance agent to get her advice, but I am leaning toward a wireless system. I know that an alarm system would not prevent the theft from the porch, but if someone is at my door to steal they may eventually decide to break in. I see the alarm system as a deterrent. I was laughing about the "steal'y urns get wet" because we have it in the back for the hattd Mr. Groundhog.

Thank you, again! Lots to think about.

mtnrdredux - LOL! My two large mutts also, but they start barking loudly as soon as anyone gets near the house.

colorblind ... love the pic!

Also have a couple of neighbors who keep watch over the neighborhood. Best alarms I can have for my rural home.

I have to disagree (sorry!) with the thought that alarms don't help. Years ago in our first home, we had a break-in. I came in to the downstairs garage, started up the steps and saw the door open. Very wrong as we had a cat and the upstairs was always closed off from the down. Went outside the house, looked up at the back (kitchen french door) and saw it had been broken. Ran for my car and got out of there. Called the police from a friend's house. Chances are I startled the intruders, which could have been disastrous as they took two of our handguns. They were more than likely in the process of going through gifts under our Christmas tree when I drove up. It was awful. Our bedroom, especially, was ransacked. We had an alarm put in within the week. Some time later someone again got into the house. We had not put alarms on upper windows as you could not access them. Well yes you could, if one stood on another's shoulders and pulled themself up to the window. We had acerage then and while we were in the county limits, we were remote. We are much more rural now, but not so remote. Anyhoo, once they stepped out of the bedroom door, the motion detector got them. If I remember correctly, they didn't get anything that time, they were in too big of a hurry to get out. We live in a smaller, rural town now with a very low crime rate. We still have an alarm. My husband occasionally travels with his job, there are days that we are both at work, etc. etc. etc. ADT also has the wireless. One important thing is to keep your system updated. Having the fire alarm tied in is wonderful - I thought of that after we got our dog. We've only set the alarm off once since we've lived in this house (14 years) and the police were there very quickly - even after my husband told the alarm company it was our fault (he had left for work, I'd hit "stay" on the alarm and he came back and opened a basement door). Embarrassing, but the police were great and said that's what they were there for.

We've never had a sign in our yard, it's in a closet. Ha!

Our insurance company does not require us to have an alarm, but we were given a discount on installation cost. It is not fool-proof, but I do feel it is a deterent.

My little 10 lb. dog is a good "alarm", but she couldn't do much damage. We do also have handguns.

tina

chocolatebunny are you near Indian Head Park? We're not too far from there, and everyone was so shocked about that poor girl. (I think her cousin, or neighbor's cousin, goes to Hinsdale Central, where my daughter goes, and the news got around very fast.) People are pretty shaken. I started bugging DH about getting an alarm after that.

We're in an area that hardly ever had crime, but burglaries are on the rise. (Perhaps due to the economy.) My parents' house was broken into a few years ago when they were on vacation. The police figured it went like this: someone comes to the door with a made up story (e.g., offering a service like gutter cleaning, selling magazines, collecting for a (fake) charity, etc.) When no one answers, they go around back and break in, and are in and out in a matter of minutes. My parents' back door had a deadbolt, but the whole door frame was broken open with a crowbar. Moral of that story: call the police about anyone you don't recognize soliciting in the neighborhood. If they're legit, they'll have a permit and won't be hassled. If they're not legit, you'll be glad you called.

re: security systems: I have read that you should NOT display a sign or sticker for the company you use. That just tells a seasoned burglar what kind of alarm they need to disarm.

I got this email last night and thought of this thread. The woman who wrote the original email is in house #610. You'll see how the would-be burglar tried to fake his way in...

Hi Neighbors,

I just had a very confident and forward white male come to my door dressed as an ADT worker, he had credentials and uniform. He was very forward saying we were to have a radio installed to our alarm and had worked on our system.

He came into our house and was headed in confidently saying he'd check our radio even though I said I didn't think we had a work order. Thank God I had the phone right next to me and said I would call my husband first. As soon as I said Hello to my husband, he said, "Oh, is this 612?" I said No and he quickly left. I called ADT and there was no work order for 612. He was very confident so beware...

FYI my DH always says to look for the truck if someone says they're from the power company, cable company, a landscaper, etc. You can lift a logo off the internet and make a fake business card or shirt, but a truck is harder to fake.

We have a system and it makes me feel more secure. My sister's friend was murdered by a person who kept her parents hostage in their home. She just happened to show up at the wrong time. Very scary! I have a system for our protection more than the protection of our stuff.

Cattknap, did you have any trouble getting out of your contract w/ ADT, or was is expired? I was told they automatically renewed it every time it runs out w/out notifying you so it is extremely difficult to get out of. Have not checked it out for myself. I have heard they can be terrible to work with. That is who we have and are interested in other systems. We are not overly impressed with ADT. Thx!