After 23 years of paying $70/month for ADT, we decided to cancel and go without a full house alarm system. For those of you who have done the same, how do you monitor and protect your home and property now? (Besides firearms). I’m looking for advice, suggestions, or options I may have missed.
Double check that you really canceled. ADT is great at still charging you. I redid my system with alarm.com through Surety. It’s DIY, and only $20 a month. If you’re not going that route, you could create zones and figure out the security level for each one. Use cameras that alert you and consider getting dogs. Harden the entry points of your home as much as you can (doors, windows, etc). If you decide to use firearms, training is a must.
@Jocelyn
Were you able to keep using your old panel and devices when you switched from ADT to Surety?
Josh said:
@Jocelyn
Were you able to keep using your old panel and devices when you switched from ADT to Surety?
It depends on the panel and devices. I could still use my door/window sensors and motion detectors, but I couldn’t use my old panel. I bought a Qolsys IQ Panel 4 which worked with my existing sensors.
I went with Surety and self-installed. I pay $22/month.
Giselle said:
I went with Surety and self-installed. I pay $22/month.
I went with GeoArm for the option of calling someone for help. I’m paying $23/month since I added an extra $3 to get my panel checked every hour.
If ADT hasn’t upgraded your system, you could probably just take it to a new alarm company and get it professionally monitored for about $10-20/month. Post pictures of your keypad and panel (if separate) and someone here can tell you what your options are.
@Zachary
There’s no company that’ll professionally monitor your home for $10. Maybe $20 if you’re lucky.
Troy said:
@Zachary
There’s no company that’ll professionally monitor your home for $10. Maybe $20 if you’re lucky.
Actually, many companies offer monitoring for as low as $10/month through POTS. GeoArm, AlarmRelay, SafeHomeCentral.
I used EyezOn to turn my old ADT system into a self-monitoring system. They also offer services if you need them.
Buy an IQ4 and a translator. Get a technician to install it, then pay about $20/month with Surety.
Brian said:
Buy an IQ4 and a translator. Get a technician to install it, then pay about $20/month with Surety.
What’s the translator for?
I use Ring. Paid $250 for the base, 4 sensors, and the Ring doorbell. The professional monitoring is $20/month.
I use cameras and sensors that send alerts to my phone. Why pay a company when I can do it all myself?
I know this forum doesn’t like ADT much, but I’ve been with them for almost a decade. Is the only reason to switch really the cost savings, plus the cancellation process? I currently pay $20/month for 1 smoke/CO detector, 3 motion sensors, 8 glass break sensors, 5 open/close sensors, 2 panels, and 2 sirens. Sure, the start-up costs were higher, but it was convenient to have them do all the work.
We switched to Simplisafe, but we could have gone with one of those other options as well.
Check out Home Assistant. It’s great for home automation and can be set up as a home alarm system with PIRs, door/window sensors, and everything you might need. It takes a bit to set up, but there’s a solid community around it. It can send you phone alerts through the internet. Once set up, it costs between $0 and $5/month.