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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1477
Location: Michigan | unfortunatly in todays world i am putting in a new home security system for
# 1 my family
# 2 my collectibles
i never thought that i would have to ever do it but we are living in a new world that we have never faced before.if your as old as me ask your parents what they went thru in the 30's.
i am now very concerned that i have to protect my family and my property.GWB |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I justify it this way. It's a fire detection and emergency call service, that also will get the cops if you need it. It just makes me feel better to think about it that way. Besides, and anyone will tell you, no matter what you pay for the system and service, the sign in your front yard is the biggest deterrent for crime. Also the most important part of the system if there is a security issue is the horn/alarm itself.
Almost forgot the most important aspect... Lower insurance rates. A monitored system should save you on your homeowners insurance. My insurance savings pays for the system. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1477
Location: Michigan | i have to admit it to myself that the initial thought was to save my personal belonings but after really thinking about it if they just enter the compound to steal my belongings and they leave my family alone then take all of my physical items and dont touch my family or friends im happy.GWB |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | I have a German Shepherd. And a rifle and handguns. And a former USMC badass currently living in the downstairs quarters with a 45. And four baseball bats strategically placed throughout the house.
Best advice I know is to sleep with your car remotes on your bedside table, and keep them close at hand at other times. If you detect any trouble, hit the panic switches on all of them. |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | In addition to lower insurence you also less actual real risk. Burgelers avoid most alarmed homes.
The signs and deter them.
They hit the easier target. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | So? Isn't it cheaper to just go steal a Burns or ADT security sign outta some rich dude's yard? |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Bigger problem in Arizona is auto theft. |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | We moved from Jersey to the country back in '89. Since then we haven't locked the doors to the house and we leave the keys in the ignition. I LOVE living here!
John <>{ |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Yes, have had a monitored alarm system for 19 years. It was already installed when I bought the house, and the monitoring fee includes all service calls and system upgrades. In fact, it was upgraded to all digital on their dime just a few years ago. Windows, doors, stairwells, motion, garage, smoke, fire, everything. Every few years, the monitoring company is bought out by somebody else and we receive new yard signs. SWMBO hates the signs and I usually find them hidden behind a tree or bush someplace, where they are most effective. Current monitoring service is ADT, who probably have hired contractors in India to make calls when alarms go off. We also have to pay a nominal annual fee to the local city officials for a license to operate the radio wave signal built into the system. Life in the big city. |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 154
Location: Michigan | Well with the current economy, unemployment & daily media reports(which helped destroy consumer confidence in my opinion) I think things will get worse.
I moved from the city 18 years ago after the neighbors house got broke into.
I feel safer for sure, however we have 11 dogs(some in the house & some in my kennel building attached to the pole barn) & a safe full of guns & 1 in the bedroom. :D (this isn't Oz yet)
Also put up a dummy camera above my sign at the front of my 600 foot driveway that reads.
"If you have business and are expected here continue, all others turn around now, NO Solisiting."
Haven't had a problem. ;)
Wally |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I dunno, based on my experience with burglers, who happened to be friends of mine growing up, the best thing you can do is to remember to lock your doors. How do I know? In my neighborhood the career paths were, cop, lawyer, priest, drug addict / bum or crook. The rest of it, do it if it makes you feel better. An example, one of my sister's girlfriends would walk down the street looking for unlocked cars with keys in the ignition. If she found one, she'd hop in, drive it around, and leave it somewhere when she was done. If the keys weren't in the ignition, she'd just rummage thru the glove compartment.
I remember a guy seeing a pack of cigarettes on the dash board of a car, and smashing the window with a rock to get them. So I guess the next best thing is to insure yourself and move to a nice neighborhood. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | We have nothing to fear but fear itself. And zombies. :cool:
Insurance protects the $ investment in stuff like guitars, and Gun-Fu protects the rest.
We are in the process right now of shopping for instrument insurance since our collection has reached, for me, a significant value. The kids walk around with expensive instruments and I'd be unable to replace one that got broken or stolen.
At the house, homeowner's insurance covers us well for fire, theft, or earthquake. In the end, stuff is just stuff. Two dogs provide plenty of warning when anyone approaches the house or something is wrong (like smoke/fire).
Utah is still a very safe place and the risk of burglary is quite low. For us, the dangers lie elsewhere, such as auto accidents or gear theft from a show. Two dogs are plenty of alarm system for us. Plus, with teenage kids, an alarm system would not be workable. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | We lock the doors most of the time. Just had to start doing that recently. The dog and wife are deaf. The cat would probably annoy the heck out a burgler.
We'll be a big city soon. Just talked to another California transplant who thought that a 45 minute commute wasn't a problem "compared to California". Soon we'll have all their problems up here. |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| The only time I ever thought an alarm system might be needed was last year when Beal hauled over all those priceless prototypes, customs and pre-production original slotheads for G8rBowl-I. But then, there were so many people sleeping downstairs in the family and living rooms that a burglar would've tripped over bodies before reaching the guitars. Same situation this year.
I did have my car burglarized in the driveway (took my portable GPS unit and toll road transceiver), so now I just make sure to lock the doors. Same goes for the house, just keep the doors and windows locked & the curtains closed so nobody can peek inside when we're not home. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | As has been stated... and to summarize.
The main concerns.. Fire, Accident (nature or otherwise), and Theft.
Insurance provides compensation for the loss of your investments due to one of the above.
An alarm augments the insurance with..
[list]
[*]Savings on the above insurance
[*]Early Warning and Notification of Fire or other Hazard
[*]A deterrent from Crime
[/list]
Bottom line, it just makes good sense for a lot of reasons.
I'd like to make a comment on weapons in this thread because of my knowledge and experience and I'll keep it in bounds simply to say there are several things weapons CAN NOT do that an alarm can. Weapons can not let you know that your house is on fire or been burglarized when you are not there. In fact, even if you are there, they can't provide any early warning, and like many other things in life EARLY DETECTION, be it for Fire, some natural disaster, or a crime, is the BEST way to save lives and property.
One other thing that Alarms help with is awareness. If a storm kicks up, I don't have to run around to remember if Windows are open or not, I just look at the panel. I tend to CHECK to insure the Gas stove is turned off, and I make sure the back door is closed to the yard to insure the outdoor kitty stays in the yard. Knowing that I can't set the Alarm if I haven't done some of those things, forces me to think about them.
I hope this has provided some insight to those who may have thought about an Alarm system or not, and thought mostly about the "crime prevention" aspect. The intrusion detection is really just a "value added" to everything else you get with a good system. |
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Joined:
May 2005
Posts: 120
Location: Gardnerville, NV | If anyone would like to get some help evaluating a proposal or design from an alarm company give me a pm or email. Unless you're in Northern Nevada I don't want your business, but I've been doing electronic security for 25 plus years and know there are lots of alarm companies out there that are just after the monitoring contracts. But if you get it done by a good local company with a good design alarms do save lives and property and I would be happy to help you get that if you need help. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | Yes, get a good one. Remember when car alarms were the rage? Every day for the last several weeks, someone parked near my office has a car alarm go off. It's the same alarm and it goes off about the same time every day. So far I haven't been able to see where the car is. Someday someone will break into that car and steal something and there will be thousands of people around that just think it's another false alarm. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | To me, the real value of an alarm is when we are not home. The new fangled integrated monitored systems can be hooked up to smoke detectors, and quite importantly, flood detectors. We had a house badly damaged by a pipe that froze and broke while we were away on vacation. Even if just your water heater lets loose you can have a lot of stuff in the basement destroyed. Not to mention pets caught in a fire when you are away from home. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | " Someday someone will break into that car and steal something and there will be thousands of people around that just think it's another false alarm."
That's actually the misconception, although possible, very unlikely. Once the Alarm sounds, it's unlikely the "break-in" will continue, UNLESS it's a professional on a mission. This is the same for the house. While the sign is a deterrent, if someone does break in and the Alarm sounds.... they may grab something and run, but it's unlikely they are going to stick around with a big horn blasting away. It's just too high a risk, and there are so many people who just leave things laying open and unlocked to bother with a place or vehicle that's making a whole bunch of noise.
If you are thinking about a system, do your homework, talk to someone like mhaanpaa or myself or someone in your town that has installed and evaluated systems professionally. Evaluate what you are trying to accomplish. An Alarm DOES NOT prevent crime or natural disaster or fire. It is simply a Detection system, and somewhat of a deterrent of crime. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | I think my example got a little too far afield. The danger of a poor quality home system is that the homeowner leaves it off after a few false alarms. |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 2487
| All very good points on the home alarm systems. Best protection is the deterant to begin with for sure.
With that said I'd like to state in my life knowledge of guitars and the dangers of theft, I have found the most vunerable time I have in the security of my instruments and equipment is Packing the car or truck at the end of a gig. It is usually quite dark, there is usually a crowd of people milling around inside and outside, there is all kinds of confusion and it is easy to set a guitar in it's case down and turn around to help someone else or get something else or even while setting it down behind your car outside in the dark and walking to the side door...when you return the the back of the car to set it in it can be gone.
So nothing to do with this thread but words of wisdom from a guy who has lost one nice guitar in this way and knows several others who have as well. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Just get a sign that sez...
All Trespassers Will Be Shot...
Survivors Will Be Shot Again!! |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | As I said before, I'm a believer if for no other reason than to serve as a deterent and piece of mind for the family. That said, over the past 19 years, I've paid over $14,000 in monthly monitoring costs, currently about $63 per month. Never had a break-in. However, just how many break-ins would I be able to cover for $14 grand? I guess the same argument applies to auto insurance. Hate to pay for it, but can't live without it. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | Originally posted by Northcountry:
I have found the most vunerable time I have in the security of my instruments and equipment is Packing the car or truck at the end of a gig. It is usually quite dark, there is usually a crowd of people milling around inside and outside, there is all kinds of confusion and it is easy to set a guitar in it's case down and turn around to help someone else or get something else or even while setting it down behind your car outside in the dark and walking to the side door...when you return the the back of the car to set it in it can be gone. About 25 yrs ago we went to D.C. for July 4th. We visited the Smithsonian and I had all my camera gear with me. To take a picture of one of the Apollo capsules above me, I set down my tripod between my feet . In the few seconds it took to look up and take the photo, the tripod was gone. Thieves are fast.
Then that evening the wife and I were targeted by street thugs as we left a restaurant. They tried to trap us on the sidewalk between a wall and parked cars. We were young and quick, and I was alert enough to spot the trouble early before we were victims.
We haven't been back to D.C. since then. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | I guess that you'd have to try and break into my house to find out what I've got..... |
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ot...kinda but do you have a house alarm on your place ???
