Home Security Systems for Temporary Absences

We have a security system that monitors for burglars and fire. I have the property lit up at night and warning signs in the yard. I also have the sheriff's department do security walk arounds when we're out of town. System also has a siren that will deafen anyone within a mile and I won't mention the cameras. :B

Alarm systems are nice, but I'd also recommend reinforcing physical security if you are gone for a while. there are companies that sell shutters (inside or outside) that either fold shut or roll down, Euro-style doors with multi-point locking (for kick resistance) a security screen door, and a secondary lock on the garage door (since garage door openers can sometimes be hacked or just forced open.) Done right, they won't make one's home look like a jail, but it will help in keeping the bad guys out when you are gone, alarm or no alarm.

SimplySafe is what I have-seems to work well so far.$25 a month for top service-15 available.

I have a Sensaphone 1104.It monitors temp, electric on,water on floor,noise levels(like a smoke alarm) and will call me or 9 other numbers and keep calling until it gets confirmation that someone has answered and accepted the message. No monthly charge. My cell is always on and with me.

We have had SimpliSafe now for awhile and no false alarms and no other problems. The one thing I like is that the main transmitter can be hidden anywhere, as it is completely wireless and if the bad guy does gain entry, he would NOT be able to access and disarm the system in time to kill the alarm, as some of the expensive systems can be done. I much prefer the no contract and the a la carte menu of services over a flat fee that breaks the bank monthly.

I'm dropping ADT so this is a great thread for me. ADT is $40+/mo and the time or two it went off they called me, not the police, and I didn't get the call. Luckily it was the house watcher. I know why they did that but a cheap system can call me too.

Been looking at IRIS that Lowes sells. It has had some growing pains that seem to be maturing. Will look at Simplisafe. Thanks.

Update: Impressed with Simplisafe's cust service. Wanted to see who they used as a cell provider since I live near the end of the earth. It's T-Mobile/Verizon. Their map says they don't work here but actually I do get 3G here. They answered right away with options, including VZW, my wired phone line and/or my broadband DSL. They answered Email's in minutes. Now to cost out a system.

if possible i'd by-pass the security monitoring services and connect the alarm directly to your local police. when I was working we had many instances of delayed alarm notifications from monitoring agencies. one really egregious case occurred at a jewelry store. they had a direct connect alarm (on the police dept. panel) and a monitoring service alarm. we responded to the direct connect alarm one evening and roughly 20-min later the call came in from the monitoring service. the owner wasn't happy about that.

if your local police won't permit a direct connection then SimplySafe would get my vote.

As a retired LEO, I would NEVER ask the police or sheriff to check on my property. There have been numerous confirmed cases where the bad guy watched the law enforcement officer check homes, which let the bad guy know the owner was gone. Next day the officer found a burglary had occurred and it was only because the home was being checked on a regular basis by law enforcement.........

In the county that we live in the sheriffs department will check our property once a day. Check you may have the same service... T-10

It's sounding more and more like Simplisafe is the way to go. Thank you all for your input. We're in a small subdivision just outside the city limits and don't have any relatives or close friends in the area. Don't like to impose on the neighbors all the time, so this may be the way to go.