Home Security System.

[wookster]

We trialed vivent for 10 days even though the sales guy was very pushy as my wife has been wanting an alarm system for some time. Their stuff is nice but their price was quite high and a 5 year contract really didn't appeal to me so we called ADT as well. Their guy came out and gave us a quote and we were able to not only get the price at $22 per month cheaper but we got quite a bit more equipment for that price. Its getting installed next week...csnarpy maybe you will be doing the install?

I will say though, Vivents control panel is very nice and modern compared to ADT's and I can't say anything bad about their customer service, they gave me no hastles whatsoever when I went to cancel etc. They just wouldn't move on their price and the 5 year contract was a deal breaker for me as well.

[AFireInside]

I've had vivint for awhile and it's ok. I spoke with Liberty security at stampede and they seem decent. Anyone have any experience with them?

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by wookster

We trialed vivent for 10 days even though the sales guy was very pushy as my wife has been wanting an alarm system for some time. Their stuff is nice but their price was quite high and a 5 year contract really didn't appeal to me so we called ADT as well. Their guy came out and gave us a quote and we were able to not only get the price at $22 per month cheaper but we got quite a bit more equipment for that price. Its getting installed next week...csnarpy maybe you will be doing the install?

I will say though, Vivents control panel is very nice and modern compared to ADT's and I can't say anything bad about their customer service, they gave me no hastles whatsoever when I went to cancel etc. They just wouldn't move on their price and the 5 year contract was a deal breaker for me as well.

New tech is great. However, I had a candid conversation a few years back with an ADT sales rep. He said 90% of the deterrent is the stickers and signs. After that it is just helping get a picture of the guy, who probably won't get arrested unless he is caught with stolen goods or in the act and they look at your picture.

With that said I have a alarm system w/ monitoring, complimented with video cameras I put in. They were cheaper and are 1080p and record non stop. I am happy with that as my monthly costs are about $25/month, and the yearly savings I invest into new hardware.

[csnarpy]

Originally Posted by wookster

We trialed vivent for 10 days even though the sales guy was very pushy as my wife has been wanting an alarm system for some time. Their stuff is nice but their price was quite high and a 5 year contract really didn't appeal to me so we called ADT as well. Their guy came out and gave us a quote and we were able to not only get the price at $22 per month cheaper but we got quite a bit more equipment for that price. Its getting installed next week...csnarpy maybe you will be doing the install?

I will say though, Vivents control panel is very nice and modern compared to ADT's and I can't say anything bad about their customer service, they gave me no hastles whatsoever when I went to cancel etc. They just wouldn't move on their price and the 5 year contract was a deal breaker for me as well.

I have no idea, we don't know our installs until the day of. But I can look and ask.

[Street Pharmacist]

Anyone here tried the Smartthings with Scout monitoring? I'm more into setting up my own thing and having it professionally monitored

[Iceman90]

Originally Posted by AFireInside

I've had vivint for awhile and it's ok. I spoke with Liberty security at stampede and they seem decent. Anyone have any experience with them?

I looked into Liberty when I was buying my security system. I found their sales people pushy, and the fact I never saw their stickers or signs around the city anywhere made me a little nervous that nobody seems to be using them.

[Iceman90]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Anyone here tried the Smartthings with Scout monitoring? I'm more into setting up my own thing and having it professionally monitored

I like SmartThings, but with the issues they've been having recently I am not sure I'd trust it to run my security system.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Iceman90

I like SmartThings, but with the issues they've been having recently I am not sure I'd trust it to run my security system.

What's that?

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

What's that?

I think Iceman means this:

http://www.cnet.com/news/samsungs-sm...ts-disconnect/

Shelley Powers was asleep one night in January when suddenly every light in her suburban St. Louis, Missouri, house came on. Then the sirens began to wail. It wasn't an intruder, though. It was a false alarm, one of many she'd experience over the following weeks.

Sounds like it mostly affects people who have large amounts of devices however. Like 60 or so.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Reading through the new City of Calgary Alarm Permit requirements (applicable to all alarm owners in Calgary...) it would seem that I have to list three "keyholders" that *do not* live in the house. Basically three friends and family that are willing to come by the house and look for signs of entry first, before police respond. This is after they contact you the alarm owner I might add....

Have I got this right? Unless you're with a company with a response unit, it looks like you're dispatching your buddies or elderly parents to play Five-0...

[Hockeyguy15]

No it's just people they call after they call you and can't get a hold of you.

They would then ask those people if they should send the police to the location.

[Iceman90]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

I think Iceman means this:

http://www.cnet.com/news/samsungs-sm...ts-disconnect/



Sounds like it mostly affects people who have large amounts of devices however. Like 60 or so.

That's the most publicised case, but if you check the SmartThings forums, there are a lot of people who have been having issues.

Personally, I am finding my hub dropping and reconnecting from the network randomly, and devices aren't responding when they should, or the delay is bad.

My guess is that SmartThings (like Pokemon Go) has got too big, too fast and the servers can't always keep up. They're working damn hard to figure it out, and doing a great job but I don't know I want to trust my home security system to them yet.

The day is coming when I think that things like monitored home security can be very much DIY, and built into an existing home automation system like SmartThings, but I think we need to let the whole smart home category mature a little bit first.

[csnarpy]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Reading through the new City of Calgary Alarm Permit requirements (applicable to all alarm owners in Calgary...) it would seem that I have to list three "keyholders" that *do not* live in the house. Basically three friends and family that are willing to come by the house and look for signs of entry first, before police respond. This is after they contact you the alarm owner I might add....

Have I got this right? Unless you're with a company with a response unit, it looks like you're dispatching your buddies or elderly parents to play Five-0...

A keyhole list is needed just in case the police, fire or ems need to get into your residence when there is no apparent threat.

Ex: smoke detector is triggered bit there is no sign of a problem. The CFD are not allowed to enter without calling to have someone let them in just in case it's a false alarm. Thus your door or windows are saved from being bashed in.

If there is a threat, then emergency response can enter the premises.

[IliketoPuck]

Originally Posted by csnarpy

.

Would you be able to get me in touch with a sales rep in Calgary?

[Nandric]

Huge Bump! I was just reading through this thread and it had a lot of useful information but I would guess its out of date being that its 8 years old.



We are just about to move into a new home and looking to get a monitored system with front/back cameras, some door/window motion sensors for the mainfloor, and keyless entries. Telus security seems to be a big player in this space nowadays and looks to have bought up ADT. Is their security service worth the 45-50/month. Is there any other decent companies in Calgary competing with Telus?

[J pold]

Thanks for the bump. This is a topic I am wondering about as well. We did Vivint a while back. We just bought the equipment outright and did a month-to-month contract. Now Telus wants us to sell all new stuff and sign a contract, which I don't want to do. The Vivint stuff works OK, and the app is fine, but I am basically $40/month to use the app that doesn't really do much.

Can I cancel my Vivint subscription and still use their equipment?

[Bill Bumface]

I cancelled my monitored alarm and have been using Ring with HomeKit for Apple Home integration. It's worked largely flawlessly, and you have the option to pay for a monitoring subscription if you're ever on a big trip or something.

That said, I think Ring nerfed a bunch of the self-monitoring functionality if you didn't buy your system before a certain date when they changed everything. At least they didn't screw over past owners, as other companies have engaged in those tactics as well.

[calgarywinning]

Monthly monitoring is for the foolish. Ring and any kind of smart home DIY kits are not security. Also, having a properly installed alarm system will help with your home insurance rates.

Best route to go is get somebody who understands security. Points of vulnerability, perimeter sensors, glass break sensors, door and window sensors. Buy the equipment outright. DSC equipment is pedigree and serious. You also need to have serious horns for your garage and house as once a breach is made it becomes a deterrent to limit the time.

Monitoring on these systems at most is $180 for the year. You can create users, give instructions. Like if there is a perimeter break in away mode instantly call the police.

Self monitoring for me is access to the information, so you can see if you have someone come to check your house that they are in the house and that the system is re-armed, etc.

Hope this helps

[indes]

I have the ring self monitored as well. I have sensors on all the doors/windows & a motion detector on the main floor. Maybe I'm out to lunch but it seems good enough to me without paying for monitoring - it takes a couple of seconds to call 911 I guess but I think the most useful part of a security system is to have the alarm blaring if someone gets in.

I'm really hoping Unifi puts out an alarm at some point. I have them for my cameras and they have sensors but no alarm makes it a no go for me.

[csnarpy]

So, Telus has bought ADT & Vivant.


I have transferred from ADT to Telus. inbetween that merge I worked for a local company for a year.


My perspective. For more bang for your buck - Telus all the way. You can get alot of devices, cameras and automation equipment at greatly discounted pricing. Plus additional bundle pricing.


If you go to the smaller companies, they do not have the overhead to lower their costs and you may see alot of nickel and dime-ing. I also found that all the smaller companies contract out their monitoring and (depending on the outsourced company) can take a while to respond to an alarm.



It sucks that I am recommending a big company but after 18 years in the business, its what i have concluded.