Alarm question
Hey all: When I bought this house, that is nearing completion of a gut reno, we installed a standard ADT alarm. I could swear that I was told verbally that if someone ‘ripped the alarm panel off the wall’ that ADT would know and act accordingly. So I wondered why they never called me when…
Hey all:
When I bought this house, that is nearing completion of a gut reno, we installed a standard ADT alarm. I could swear that I was told verbally that if someone ‘ripped the alarm panel off the wall’ that ADT would know and act accordingly.
So I wondered why they never called me when the contractor disconnected the alarm box to take down the wall that it was attached to.
Meanwhile I had a specific outlet and phone line installed to handle the alarm box.
Anyway I called ADT to tell them I was ready to re-install everything, and they sent a rep to ‘assess’ the situation. Unfortunately I couldn’t be at the meeting and my wife stood in.
The rep advised that indeed someone could ‘rip the box off the wall’ and he suggested it be installed in a closet. That would mean re-wiring.
Is this alarm technology really this bad that someone can just rip things apart? Does anyone else have something better?
I’ve put bars on all the lower windows which makes me the most secure house on the block. Still…
To follow up with what buttermilk said, read your contract too. My ‘Alarm’ company paid a service visit to me and the work order my wife signed turned out to be a self renewing 5 year contract on the back fineprint. Do a simple search for Alarm Company Contracts and you’ll find tons of horror stories..
Good Luck..
CARLO.
adt is a waste of money.. they provide no safety unless you pay for all their up charges…get a dog
I have a recently installed ADT system at my business, and it took weeks for me to realize that because I hadn’t bought the extra gizmo required, ADT was not monitering the security of the alarm system itself. They would answer an alarm signal, but had no idea if the alarm itself was working or might have been tampered with – for instance the phone line here was accidently cut and it took us a week to realize that setting the alarm wasn’t going to prove much… If the alarm is on and the phone line is cut, ADT will not know it without the extra gizmo. The extra gizmo costs $200+/- and also adds another charge to your monthly bill. Sorry that I don’t recall the correct name of the item but your ADT rep would know what I’m refering to. Overall I’m so annoyed with them that I can’t stand to spend more money with them right now.
My only experience with ADT was in a manufacturing building. If the alarm went off, the first thing ADT did was to quickly call the premises, and let the phone ring for a LONNNNG time. If no answer, they called the owner. On the occasions the building was broken into (rather than the alarm sounding when a shift entered or left the building), ADT showed up too late to find anyone on premises. Haven’t worked in that building for 5+ years, so maybe ADT’s policy/practice has changed.
If the contractor had first cut the power to the alarm, and the battery backup wasn’t functioning correctly, it would be possible to disarm the system. I’ve had the battery backup fail on several occasions with ADT. Not very reassuring.
I don’t have any other alarm company suggestions, but seem to recall other forum posts on this subject.
If you decide to terminate your ADT service, make certain to confirm it in writing. Otherwise, you’ll get hit with a hefty termination fee. Good luck.