After 23 years with ADT at $70 a month, I’ve decided to ditch the whole-house alarm system. For those of you who’ve done the same, how are you protecting your home and property now? I’m not looking for firearms suggestions but would love to hear any ideas, advice, or options I may have missed.
Make sure you’ve actually canceled your service. ADT is known for continuing to charge people. I redid my alarm system using alarm.com via Surety. It’s a DIY setup, and it only costs me $20 a month. If you’re not going that route, set up zones and decide how much security you want in each. Cameras that send alerts are a good idea. Dogs are always helpful. And reinforce access points like doors and windows. If you’re going down the firearms route, make sure to get some training.
@Mike
Were you able to use the same devices when you switched from ADT to Surety?
Khalil said:
@Mike
Were you able to use the same devices when you switched from ADT to Surety?
It depends on your system. I was able to reuse my door/window sensors and motion sensors, but I had an old panel. I ended up buying a Qolsys IQ Panel 4, which worked with my existing sensors.
I switched to Surety and self-installed. It only costs me $22 a month.
Theo said:
I switched to Surety and self-installed. It only costs me $22 a month.
I went with GeoArm for the option to get help if needed. I pay $23 a month, with an extra $3 to ping my panel every hour.
Theo said:
I switched to Surety and self-installed. It only costs me $22 a month.
I switched to SafeHomeCentral.com for monitoring. They have tech support 7 days a week, and I pay $18 a month for central station monitoring. I can control my Qolsys IQ 4 panel through Alarm.com.
I used EyezOn to turn my old ADT system into something I can monitor myself. They also offer paid services.
We switched to SimpliSafe, but there are other options out there too.
If ADT didn’t upgrade your system recently, you can likely take it to another alarm company and have it professionally monitored for as low as $10-20 a month. Post a picture of your keypad or panel, and someone will let you know what options you have.
@Hugh
There’s no company that will monitor for $10. $20? Maybe, but that’s rare.
Carter said:
@Hugh
There’s no company that will monitor for $10. $20? Maybe, but that’s rare.
Actually, there are companies that charge $10 or less for monitoring via POTS. GeoArm, AlarmRelay, and SafeHomeCentral all offer that.
I know this forum isn’t fond of ADT, but I’ve been with them for almost a decade. Is the only difference between ADT and other companies the price? And is it just about canceling when you want to leave? I’m currently paying $20 a month for 1 smoke/CO detector, 3 motion sensors, 8 glass break sensors, 5 open/close sensors, 2 panels, and 2 sirens. The setup cost a bit more, but it was really convenient to have them handle everything.
Buy an IQ4 and a translator. Have a technician install it. Then pay around $20 a month with Surety.
Safezone said:
Buy an IQ4 and a translator. Have a technician install it. Then pay around $20 a month with Surety.
What’s the translator for?
I use cameras and sensors that send alerts to my phone. Why pay a company when I can do it myself?
Check out Home Assistant. It lets you automate your home and has features to turn it into a home alarm system with PIRs, door/window sensors, and more. It does take some setup, but the community is great. Once set up, the cost is around $5 per month, but you can keep it free if you’re okay with basic options.
Ring alarm costs $20 a month or $200 per year. It has low upfront costs and is easy to use with police response and everything.
What did you originally pay? I started at $23 a month, and it went up to $40, but I got them to lower it back to $23 by signing a new 3-year contract.