I am looking get one or the other installed. Does anyone have any good or bad experiences with either one?

 

I don't count Slommin's horrible commercials as a bad experience

Both are great systems if all you want to do is protect your front and back door. Just like anything else in life, you get what you pay for. Sloman's will up sell you at the installer level never at the sales level.

 

Call a company to come out and give you a security survey, and have them base a quote on that. Free systems are not the way to go.

 

You can always give us a call at 732-247-5828 to discuss.

 

Dean

Prism Electronics, Inc.

Hey, if you get Slomins, tell them I referred you!

I get a free month..

 

In all seriousness, I've had Slomins for about 5yrs.. no complaints.

My alarm has gone off twice while I wasn't home. Both were "user" error.. haha..

One time I left one of my windows open, and a nice breeze blew my curtain, which tripped off the motion detector.

 

The other time was forgetting to lock my garage door, which swung open a little bit while I was away and set off the alarm.

 

Both times, I was called and an officer was sent to my home and waited for me to return.

I use a company that I know the owner gps gold protective systems 1-800-700-6400

I have ADT and I'm satified.

.45 ACP?

 

i will tell you one thing, don't call a bunch of places or fill out info online, they will pester the living hell outta you. I contacted both ADT and Brinks, and they must have called me 100 times each, they finally got the hint when i told them that i wasn't going to buy from them because they called me too much..

Broadview Security - no problems

Where are you located?

As a Slomin's customer, I would look for something aside from Slomin or ADT mainly because to the best of my knowledge neither of these systems offer a cellular backup service. If your house is anything like mine, anyone who wanted to get in could stick some ear plugs in, cut the telephone line that comes in at waist level outside of my garage and aside from a hundred decibels of noise out of speaker that can be easily ripped out of the wall once inside, I'm SOL and said intruder has no worries that the police will ever show up.

 

You'll pay more for a real alarm system with a cellular outdialer/backup, but in my opinion, anything that relies on a land based telephone, when the phones wires are easily accessible, or a single siren inside your house, that is easily disabled, is just a waste of money.

 

FWIW - If you're tech savy - you might also consider a Slomin's type system and then setup your own CCTV/motion+light setup and use http://www.zoneminder.com/ to record. You might also setup a simple but secure ping server on your zoneminder server and have a client program run on a reputable outside host that just pings your home network every 15 seconds to make sure that the connection can be made. If a connection can not be made, have the client program email you (assuming your have a smart phone) and then you can find a nearby computer and check you cameras.

 

And if all of the fancy tech seems a bit much, I second the .45 vote with a good holster and keep it on you while you're home. Lock it up in a real safe along with the other valuables when you're not home.

 

Just my $0.02

We have brinks / broadview

ADT offers a cellular back up. Whether somebody purchased it or not is another question.

 

 

What it comes down to is this, Having an alarm is just part of it. If I wanted to get into a house, I know I could. Alarm or no alarm does not matter. I still feel having a large dog, that's not afraid to tear a leg off some SOB breaking into my house is the best bet.

 

Between the alarm, cell backup, dog, nosey neighbors and the guns; I like my chances. Why bother with my house, when I am sure there is somebody down the block easier to get in.

Both are great systems if all you want to do is protect your front and back door. Just like anything else in life, you get what you pay for. Sloman's will up sell you at the installer level never at the sales level.

 

Call a company to come out and give you a security survey, and have them base a quote on that. Free systems are not the way to go.

 

You can always give us a call at 732-247-5828 to discuss.

 

Dean

Prism Electronics, Inc.

 

I am not sure I am reading this right. Upsell me in what sense?

I'll answer a bunch in one post.

 

A handgun in a safe: already done, long ago.

 

I am in Morris plains

 

I was very wary of filling out an online survey from either place for fear of the sales call flood. Thanks for the confirmation. I hate that crap.

 

I am not sure I want to have a full blown setup just because it is a little overkill in my situation. However the site survey consultation is very appealing.

I have very specific questions about certain physical features of the house that make me nervous, ie rear windows that are all but hidden from view and a master power cut off switch that is on the front of the house( apparently this is done to code? Bizarre as hell if you ask me).

 

I have an empty house on one side of me for now and a drunk with a family of freaks on the other. Both of those situations won't last forever but for now the watchfull neighbor is sadly non-existant. Totally different from where I lived in Queens.

 

I would like fire protection too. The idea of the the fire department being called in the event of a fire is very appealing, and a good way to reduce my insurance payments.

Pitbull and a shotgun. That's how Essex County does it.

a master power cut off switch that is on the front of the house

 

This is typically equipped with the option to insert a padlock. I suggest you do so. The Fire Department (the only people who need to use that switch) have all the necessary equipment to remove a padlock in short order. Certainly, a well seasoned burglar would as well. It just prevents your typical meth-head from dropping you into darkness.

Even with the disconnect, most systems have battery back ups. I'm looking at a natural gas generator also.

Vector Security. Great service for over 10 years. The radio signal is key if you are worried about cut phone lines. 99.9% of BG are smash and grab, you can't protect yourself from the last .1% getting in. Safe & insurance buys a lot of peace-of mind.

a master power cut off switch that is on the front of the house

 

This is typically equipped with the option to insert a padlock. I suggest you do so. The Fire Department (the only people who need to use that switch) have all the necessary equipment to remove a padlock in short order. Certainly, a well seasoned burglar would as well. It just prevents your typical meth-head from dropping you into darkness.

 

 

Biggest concern for me is the IO box. Phone is through a cable modem. I'm already rethinking that.

 

It good to know that I don't have to provide acces to that switch for the electric company.

Vector Security. Great service for over 10 years. The radio signal is key if you are worried about cut phone lines. 99.9% of BG are smash and grab, you can't protect yourself from the last .1% getting in. Safe & insurance buys a lot of peace-of mind.

 

this is where I am at. I want to be more smash and grab protected. I am not one for

making it easy just because a professional burgalar can get in anywhere. When I was a kid a guy my bro thought was afriend came in and took a VCR just by punching in a glass pane on back door. If it had been a solid door he would have just left.

 

Anyway, some good thoughts. I have to think on this a bit more.

Slomins. Basic system is free with 5 year agreement. Basic system is 3 doors, 1 Motion detector, 1 keypad, custom installed. Windows, glass break protection, fire protection, water, freeze alert, etc. are all available but do cost extra. Radio backup is also available at an additional charge and additional monitoring fee. Equipment is Napco brand. Installation is hardwired unless absolutely necessary to use wireless devices.

 

Slomins techs are all in-house, and have undergone extensive background checks. ADT is currently using subcontractors (licensed resellers) for residential jobs so you really don't know who you're getting.

 

Only problem with VOIP is that if dial tone is lost while the alarm is armed the alarm will sound to warn you that the line may have been cut. This does happen more often with VOIP than Fios or landline.

 

Who ever you choose to go with just beware of the all wireless control panel / keypad combo that ADT has been installing. The telephone connection is in the keypad so if someone is to break in and immediately rip the keypad off the wall the alarm cannot communicate to central station.

 

Hope this helps

Who ever you choose to go with just beware of the all wireless control panel / keypad combo that ADT has been installing. The telephone connection is in the keypad so if someone is to break in and immediately rip the keypad off the wall the alarm cannot communicate to central station.

 

Hope this helps

 

 

That helps a LOT! How do you know so much?

I am a jeweler and I have state of the art system. It is all hardwired with all the bells and whistles. the wireing is extremely neat and so was the job from start to finish. I have recomended him to others and all very happy. no service contract and monitoring is around 20 a month. Tappan Alarm out of west milford. I have never had a problem. and the install was more than fair!

ADT here, good company, been around like 100 years...