need unbiased advice about lynx system

["Jason_Schaitel" <jason_schaitel@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

greetings all,

I just bought a house last month (that was a foreclosure) and has a
lynxr-en security system. I would like to use it but I am not sure that
I want to pay $33 a month for ADT or someone to do the monitoring. We
also don't use a home phone and use cell phones, so the only reason to
get a home phone hooked up would be to enable the security system. I
called ADT today and they said to call them back once I had home phone
service connected.
I am new to this all because I have never has a home security system
and anyone I talk to like ADT will have a vested interest in me
activating through them or something and not giving me the strait
unbiased story. It seems to me I should be able to use this system
without having to have it monitored. I can use the family message
feature, the feature that turns on appliances or A/C electrical on a
timer (very handy for christmas lights in a couple months) and local
alarm alerts if there is a breakin or someone leaves the door open,
etc. The rub is, from what I have read, that there is an installer code
and a master code, so it looks like I can't just reset it and start
from scratch like I was able to do with the garage door opener and its
access panel outside.
So am I kinda stuck? does the company that installed the system and
previously monitored it have the install code and master code and the
system is pretty much worthless unless I sign up with them and have
them unlock it all and give me a master code? I can live without it and
I an not sure I want to spend $33 a month for ADT and another $30 a
month for Sprint local phone just to have the system working. But it
would be cool if I could use some of the features.
Any advice or input is appreciated.

Jason