Please recommend a good house door alarm with on/off button?
October 20, 2017 3:11 AM Subscribe
My neighbor just had an attempted break-in last night. He woke up and called the police. I didn't hear anything, and apparently our street got quite loud, with sirens and an ambulance and yelling. This makes me worry that I might sleep through someone trying to break into my own house, and I live alone and would not like to wake up to an armed someone in my bedroom. Is there a door alarm that I can buy that I can manually turn on at night and off in the day? Or another option?
My idea is that in the unfortunate case of a robbery at my house, I'd prefer to be woken up while they're at the outer set of doors and I still have time to call the police. I looked on Amazon and Home Depot, but my understanding of the alarms I browsed is that you set them up and then if the door ever opens the alarm blares. I'd like something I can put on the door and the door frame and then turn on at night that will make a very loud noise if the door gets broken down that could alert both myself and possibly even a light sleeper of a neighbor to the problem, BUT I would also like to be able to turn the alarm part off in the day and easily be able to use the door with no complications. From what I've gathered, and perhaps I'm mistaken, it looks like the alarms I was looking at do the former but not the latter.
I am also open to other suggestions. My home layout is such where I have a front and back door (both regularly in use) and then a separate lockable bedroom door. I do have windows, too, but from what I've read people prefer to break down doors.
My idea is that in the unfortunate case of a robbery at my house, I'd prefer to be woken up while they're at the outer set of doors and I still have time to call the police. I looked on Amazon and Home Depot, but my understanding of the alarms I browsed is that you set them up and then if the door ever opens the alarm blares. I'd like something I can put on the door and the door frame and then turn on at night that will make a very loud noise if the door gets broken down that could alert both myself and possibly even a light sleeper of a neighbor to the problem, BUT I would also like to be able to turn the alarm part off in the day and easily be able to use the door with no complications. From what I've gathered, and perhaps I'm mistaken, it looks like the alarms I was looking at do the former but not the latter.
I am also open to other suggestions. My home layout is such where I have a front and back door (both regularly in use) and then a separate lockable bedroom door. I do have windows, too, but from what I've read people prefer to break down doors.
Most standard (wired or wireless) domestic alarm systems are modular, and support the use of zones. A zone is group of sensors in an area of the building that is assigned its own rules by the system. So you'd be able to assign the sensor on the outer front door as a separate zone from the rest of the house, and arm only that one (and maybe any other outer doors) at night. The advantage of using a full alarm setup is that you can add more sensors/zones later on as required, maybe putting motion sensors in all of the main rooms to add security when you're away from home.
Alarm systems are not particularly friendly things to set up, so you'd probably want to go with a professional installer. DIY is a lot cheaper, of course, but there may be implications for things like home insurance (that's way beyond what you're asking of course).
posted by pipeski at 3:41 AM on October 20, 2017
Alarm systems are not particularly friendly things to set up, so you'd probably want to go with a professional installer. DIY is a lot cheaper, of course, but there may be implications for things like home insurance (that's way beyond what you're asking of course).
posted by pipeski at 3:41 AM on October 20, 2017
Do you have cable? Comcast is offering a promotion right now on their new home security systems. It only raised our bill about 10$ a month.
posted by corb at 5:47 AM on October 20, 2017
posted by corb at 5:47 AM on October 20, 2017
One of the big things to remember about security is that security is mostly about making the bad guys decide to go bother someone else.
Take some time to evaluate the non-alarm security measures and potential vulnerabilities of your property, with a particular focus on remediating the things that could make your house attractive to a burglar. This will help convince professional burglars to move along and find someone who hasn't bothered to do the small things. Steps like motion-sensing lights, keeping the exterior of your house in well-maintained condition, making sure that you're shredding documents and mail rather than tossing them in the garbage, and many other steps can help to discourage them.
There are, however, a lot of break-ins that are the result of desperate addicts looking for anything that they can sell for a few bucks. These people aren't pros and are primarily going to be discouraged by barking dogs or alarms. If you go the alarm route, note that there are many places that will sell you "wireless" alarms that involve mounting little sensors on your doors, and these will require annoying and frequent battery replacements. You are better off having your house evaluated to see if you can have it set up for a wired alarm system, where the sensors are embedded in the doors and windows, with glass break detectors, internal motion sensors, and also fire and carbon monoxide sensors. It is a hell of an expense up front, but once done the system will only require a battery change of the control panel every few years, and will just quietly sit and do its thing. There are some adjustments you need to make to your routine to make sure that you're securing the house but it is worth it.
Oh, also, good thing to Google: "Burglar Proofing". Note that you can't actually burglar-proof something, but you can make it less attractive. Many of the suggestions people have are low cost or even free.
posted by jgreco at 6:03 AM on October 20, 2017 [3 favorites]
Take some time to evaluate the non-alarm security measures and potential vulnerabilities of your property, with a particular focus on remediating the things that could make your house attractive to a burglar. This will help convince professional burglars to move along and find someone who hasn't bothered to do the small things. Steps like motion-sensing lights, keeping the exterior of your house in well-maintained condition, making sure that you're shredding documents and mail rather than tossing them in the garbage, and many other steps can help to discourage them.
There are, however, a lot of break-ins that are the result of desperate addicts looking for anything that they can sell for a few bucks. These people aren't pros and are primarily going to be discouraged by barking dogs or alarms. If you go the alarm route, note that there are many places that will sell you "wireless" alarms that involve mounting little sensors on your doors, and these will require annoying and frequent battery replacements. You are better off having your house evaluated to see if you can have it set up for a wired alarm system, where the sensors are embedded in the doors and windows, with glass break detectors, internal motion sensors, and also fire and carbon monoxide sensors. It is a hell of an expense up front, but once done the system will only require a battery change of the control panel every few years, and will just quietly sit and do its thing. There are some adjustments you need to make to your routine to make sure that you're securing the house but it is worth it.
Oh, also, good thing to Google: "Burglar Proofing". Note that you can't actually burglar-proof something, but you can make it less attractive. Many of the suggestions people have are low cost or even free.
posted by jgreco at 6:03 AM on October 20, 2017 [3 favorites]
These are pretty much what you're looking for. I put some of these ones in for someone last year. They have a switch to turn them on and off and a couple of different settings, one a big loud alarm and one a BONG! type alert like they sometimes have in small shops. I think that was all.
The only other thing I'd note is that they need to sit so the two pieces meet when the door or window is closed, so they're a little difficult to get aligned if your frame isn't flush. I figured it out somehow without carving up the frame, but heck if I can remember how now. If you do decide you wanted them and had that problem, though, feel free to hit me up and I'll try harder to remember.
posted by ernielundquist at 7:02 AM on October 20, 2017
The only other thing I'd note is that they need to sit so the two pieces meet when the door or window is closed, so they're a little difficult to get aligned if your frame isn't flush. I figured it out somehow without carving up the frame, but heck if I can remember how now. If you do decide you wanted them and had that problem, though, feel free to hit me up and I'll try harder to remember.
posted by ernielundquist at 7:02 AM on October 20, 2017
I have a set of door alarms similar to these that I bought at Walgreens. The switch on the side allows them to be easily turned off and on, and a single battery lasts literally for years. I installed then in 2009 and I think I've changed the batteries once.
posted by Hatashran at 7:05 AM on October 20, 2017
posted by Hatashran at 7:05 AM on October 20, 2017
Yeah, deterring the intruder is the first thing, starting with exterior measures, covered in a million online articles.
In the extremely short-term, super-cheap, diy-minded realm - rig up some horribly noisy thing on your door. Example: a plastic bottle, filled with pennies, washers-and-nuts, nails, whatever, balanced on the doorknob, that will fall if someone nudges the door. They make an incredible amount of noise, especially when the floor is hard and extra-especially if the bottle bounces down a bunch of stairs.
In no way a permanent solution, but a noise alarming enough to make an intruder intent on stealth go "holy shit someone's in there waking up right now!"
posted by Caxton1476 at 4:44 PM on October 20, 2017
In the extremely short-term, super-cheap, diy-minded realm - rig up some horribly noisy thing on your door. Example: a plastic bottle, filled with pennies, washers-and-nuts, nails, whatever, balanced on the doorknob, that will fall if someone nudges the door. They make an incredible amount of noise, especially when the floor is hard and extra-especially if the bottle bounces down a bunch of stairs.
In no way a permanent solution, but a noise alarming enough to make an intruder intent on stealth go "holy shit someone's in there waking up right now!"
posted by Caxton1476 at 4:44 PM on October 20, 2017
If you go the alarm route, note that there are many places that will sell you "wireless" alarms that involve mounting little sensors on your doors, and these will require annoying and frequent battery replacements.
I have had a wireless alarm system for five years and never once replaced a battery, FWIW.
The wireless alarm systems out there are great but they're not cheap and I don't think you can use them without paying the monthly fee (i.e. just have them make a noise and not have the monitoring service.) I think a standalone alarm is more what you are looking for.
posted by misskaz at 5:56 PM on October 20, 2017
I have had a wireless alarm system for five years and never once replaced a battery, FWIW.
The wireless alarm systems out there are great but they're not cheap and I don't think you can use them without paying the monthly fee (i.e. just have them make a noise and not have the monitoring service.) I think a standalone alarm is more what you are looking for.
posted by misskaz at 5:56 PM on October 20, 2017
If you decide to get a DIY alarm system, I recommend Abode. It's like Simplisafe, but no monthly fees. If you're out of town or whatever, you can also opt to have them monitor it for you--you only pay for a week at a time, no contracts. It's easy to arm at night and disarm during the day. The hardware is kind of expensive. It is a wireless alarm system.
posted by purple_bird at 2:26 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by purple_bird at 2:26 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
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Simplisafe is an example of this - the base station itself has a loud alarm, and you can also add in a siren on the outside of the house that will also trigger in an event. The system is armed and disarmed with a wireless keypad you set up.
posted by Karaage at 3:23 AM on October 20, 2017