[Iceman90]

I had 2 break-ins last year, before I decided it was time to get a security system.

The police officers who came to my first break in told me that it's common for burglers to come back after the initial break in. They now know the layout of the house, where the weaknesses are, and where you keep your stuff. 3-4 weeks later your insurance will have replaced everything and they can come steal it all over again.

I got an alarm system installed after the second break in. I am using ADT and am happy with their service. The cost is $50/month for the monitoring and gear, which I feel is reasonable. The few times the alarm has gone off with a false alarm their staff has been thorough and pleasant to deal with.

My system has 3 motion detectors, 2 door sensors, the panel (not a touch screen) and 2 keyfobs I can use to arm and disarm remotely. I also get access to the ADT Pulse mobile app so I can arm and disarm from my phone or tablet.

The system has a 3 year contract and ADT owns all the gear (I am renting it from them). There are pros and cons to this, but I'd rather rent the gear so it can be swapped out for newer models if needed later. If I own the gear I have to pay to replace it when it gets obsolete.

I am happy with ADT.

United Alarm wanted to charge me $2/month for access to the app - which is crazy to me as there is no cost to them.