Re: Greater Toronto Area Recomendations?

[Matt Ion <soundy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

R.H.Campbell wrote:
> Gawd ! I don't disbelieve what you say, but what a sad reflection on the
> legitimate security industry....(choke gasp !! )
>
> RHC
>
> "Alan Whitehouse" <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:e4Ref.2965$w84.523759@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>>The only reason I am using them is that after we got broken into a couple
>>weeks ago (yea what timing) the officer who responded said they give
>>higher priority to Alarm Force (he didn't mention names) since the chance
>>of a false alarm is perceived as being far less.

We had an AlarmForce setup in our rented townhouse a few years ago -
after a couple break-ins, we needed something but didn't have the budget
to have an installation done, so their "free installation" offer was
very appealing (this was some time before I got into security systems
professionally).

A few thoughts:

The wireless idea is great - sensors are stuck to door or window frames
with a Velcro pad (the installer who came out used a dab of silicone for
good measure).  The "brain" is a little box with speaker that plugs into
a phone line and power outlet and can be placed anywhere inconspicuous.

I, personally, like the idea of using the phone for a keypad: you can
potentially put a keypad wherever you can plug in a phone, or anywhere
within the range of a cordless phone.  It's not something I'd recommend
for a standard alarm install, but there's nothing inherantly wrong with
the idea.

I can also see the cop's point of view: with a standard monitored
system, the alarm signals the monitoring center, who then calls back to
verify the problem.  If someone answers, great... but if not, how do you
determine if it's a real alarm and the perp is just not answering the
phone (although some, I'm sure, would be stupid enough to do so), or
just another false?  What if the perp has knocked a phone off the hook,
and all the monitor gets is a busy signal?  They have to dispatch the
cops without knowing whether it's a false.

With the AlarmForce setup, the alarm immediately dials the monitoring
center when it's triggered, and someone there can listen in, in real
time.  The perp can hear the voice demanding a response and threatening
to call the cops - unless he's REALLY quiet, the monitor will hear him
moving around and know there's something up.  If the perp DOES respond,
he has to provide a name (the customer provides a list of who's
authorized to be in the place) and a password, or the cops are called.
If all the monitor hears is the clock ticking in the background, he
still has a better idea of whether or not to dispatch the police, than
if all he had to go on was the phone ringing through.

Their basic "free" setup doesn't really require a survey of the location
first: all it includes is the "brain" box, one door sensor, and one
motion sensor.  Additional sensors cost extra.  No wiring needs to be
run, and there's no keypad or separate siren to be mounted.  It's a
pretty simple install - our installer was there for all of an hour,
including the paperwork.




---
avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean.
Virus Database (VPS): 0546-3, 11/16/2005
Tested on: 11/16/2005 7:09:45 PM
avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2005 ALWIL Software.
http://www.avast.com