Alarm Company Video vs. Do It Yourself

Thanks everyone for the advice. Seems like there are several good alternatives.

I will give you one argument in favor of a DIY system.

You buy from an alarm company they come out and do a very fine job of installing their system and they put a sticker on the door "Video Survailence by Bob's Security"

Now the crooks quickly learn the strengths and weaknesses of Bobs system and how to get past it safely.


With a DIY system.. You forget the sticker, And you hand the cops a very nice video.

simpli safe. Easy install. Modern equip. Effective. I had ADT for years and they keep raising their price. And, they called every but the police it seemed. When I cancelled they kept offering lower and lower prices. Go

Also wireless means you still need power at the camera, and can't be within so many feet from a wifi signal.

You might check on insurance discounts that would just about pay for the system before purchasing.

I installed a Swan 8 camera system from Costco(only have 4 cameras installed)it works great but no discount from the insurance company.

I have a Night Owl system 3 years old and never an issue. Viewable from the net on any device if you have your DVR system connected to the net. Very affordable.

I bought a Uniden system at Costco a few years back. It came with 3 wireless cameras and a monitor plus software and cabling to use your computer as a DVR.

Recently I added a camera from Best Buy made by MYDLink (router company).
https://www.mydlink.com/content/productfamily#48tabM99

Several cameras can be wirelessly or wired through your broadband router and allow you to view the cameras from a smartphone. In addition, the setup can be programmed to notify you if movement is sensed. You get a warning on your samrtphone and then open up the camera to see what's going on. One of the cameras also allows you to talk (like a baby monitor or to tell the bad guy that you've called the police)

I had both systems working in less than 10 minutes.

BlindGuynAR wrote:
I installed a system by REVO and am very pleased.

I can look at my home from computer and on an iPhone or android device from anywhere. I can search recorded content from phones or computers. Sound is also recorded with the video.

I'm happy with it.

We have similar by Lorex on one of our buildings. Pretty decent unit that I'd recommend if the need fits.

rk911 wrote:

sealevel ram wrote:
Considering putting one of those video surveillance systems around my home, the kind you can monitor on your computer.
Anyone have experience with the alarm company kind or the ones you can buy on Amazon and install yourself?
Haven't compared prices. Looking for experience.
I know that the alarm company (ATD) can instantly call the authorities, etc. and will cost more with the monthly charge. Already have a home contract.

I wouldn't assume that an alarm company will "instantly" call the authorities.

Full disclosure: I already have a house system through ATD. We can instruct them to call whomever we choose, police, us, or a neighbor.
I am asking for experience using this kind of system with added video OR a stand alone video unit.
Thanks for all the replies so far.

sealevel ram wrote:
Considering putting one of those video surveillance systems around my home, the kind you can monitor on your computer.
Anyone have experience with the alarm company kind or the ones you can buy on Amazon and install yourself?
Haven't compared prices. Looking for experience.
I know that the alarm company (ATD) can instantly call the authorities, etc. and will cost more with the monthly charge. Already have a home contract.

I wouldn't assume that an alarm company will "instantly" call the authorities. the bulk of my career was spent managing a major 9-1-1 call center in suburban Chicago (28-years). our center had our own alarm panel but we also took calls from alarm companies for dispatch to police units. in virtually all cases the call to our center was the second call being made...the first call was usually to a keyholder to determine if the alarm was valid or false, a false alarm usually being caused by the owner or manager when opening or closing the business or by faulty equipment. if the keyholder could not be reached or otherwise indicated that the alarm could be valid then and only then did the alarm monitoring company call the authorities.

on one occasion a jewelry store owner had two separate alarm circuits, one to our panel and another to a private monitoring company. he wanted redundancy. one evening the alarm on our panel rang and police were dispatched within 30-60 seconds. when they arrived they found a smash-and-grab had occurred...the front plate glass window had been smashed allowing the thieves to take what was in the window. detectives were called and after they had been on the scene for around 15-20 minutes then we get a call from the private monitoring service reporting activation of the alarm. after questioning they admitted that they delayed the call to us in favor of locating the owner (they never did locate him but we did).

if you're considering an intrusion alarm then at least check with your local police to see if they maintain their own alarm panel and compare those costs to a private service. if you want to contract with a private service first be sure you understand what their protocols are for calling police. do they call them first or only after attempting to speak with the premise keyholder? do your local police issue fines for false alarms caused by faulty equipment? ask to see a report detailing their response times in making a call to the local police.

good luck.