Help me find/build an affordable home alarm system

March 18, 2009 9:48 AM

Help me find/build an affordable home alarm system. I am interested in both DIY and turnkey solutions. I want monitoring, but would prefer no contract.

This has been asked previously, but the only discussions I found are ~2 years old and I wonder whether the available technology and service providers have changed since then. Googling gets me ADT, Brinks, etc. -- I am not opposed to using them but want to explore my options first. I am willing to put in some of my own time to save money. I am tech savvy, but not much of a carpenter/electrician (so I can DIY electronics and networking but not heavy carpentry or wiring).

posted by hsawtelle to home & garden (5 comments total)

My friends have recommended InGrid to us before. They are very happy with it.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:09 AM on March 18

We searched angie's list and local papers, found some highly recommended local home alarm companies, got a bunch of quotes (wildly different quotes and opinions on what they recommended), chose one of those local companies (no contract necessary), and had it installed. We've been very happy so far in terms of cost, coverage, and responsiveness when we set off the alarm.
posted by semacd at 10:09 AM on March 18

I haven't done it yet, but I'm considering Safemart, which sells wireless systems and will monitor without a contract. Using wireless sensors will make the installation easy. The only wiring left would be the phone line takeover if you use that option for monitoring (the other options being no monitoring, or GSM, basically a cell phone that incurs an extra monthly fee).
posted by one at 10:13 AM on March 18

You can browse through Smarthome's site for their wireless systems (like the SecureLinc).
posted by jaimev at 10:45 AM on March 18

If you want to go the DIY route, I purchased a basic system and sensors from Home Security Store. You can get hardwired or wireless, and monitoring is available from different online companies, some for as little as $10 a month. Here's a forum I found helpful with deciding on a system and installation tips.
posted by orme at 11:04 AM on March 18