Posted on 06/02/2019 7:15:15 AM PDT by Thank You Rush
I am seeking help, information, your experience and helpful advice on the purchase of a home security plan. I set out to find something that would help to protect my husband who is house bound and alone when I have to go to the grocery store or doctor appointments etc. There are medical alert companies that would work fine.
My problem was how would emergency personnel get in the house if he was in trouble and dialed 911? So I started leaving the door unlocked. Then in a couple of weeks a rash of home invasions, burglaries, cars broken into took over in our neighborhood and I had to rethink my plans. Do we need a security system instead that would also cover the need for medical alerts?
After looking into several, I am totally confused and feel the security system companies/salesman are no different from used car salesmen except I can understand a car salesman. The security salesmen speak in a language totally foreign to SENIOR, SENIOR CITIZENS which means it's all TECHNOLOGY - terms totally unfamiliar to those of us in the NON SMART PHONE populace. They've even tried to convince me we NEED a smart phone.
I had already told them all up front we weren't interested in anything that would need to be operated from a phone and the first words out of their mouths are "cellular" with me ready to object when they say "Oh! it's not what you're thinking." Sad to say, that's how the rest of the presentations go. Being shown pictures - WHAT IS THAT - What's it for - how does that work - where does it go? I didn't expect a salesman to be unprepared to tell a prospect about a system instead of a prospect having to ask "what's that?"
I could not believe that none of them thought locking the doors when I have to leave the house would present a problem for emergency personnel. They'd just break the doors down to get in no matter the reason for the emergency. HUH?
I told my husband in that case we may as well save our money, defend our home the same way we've done it for 50 years and locking the doors when I leave shouldn't present a problem. I can't confirm that breaking down doors is the accepted way of gaining access to a home but unemotionally, we probably should do something different.
You have front door locks which can open either with a key, or by punching in a combination.
We have simplisafe. From your phone you can disarm the system, watch, record and speak theough the cameras.
We turn off the system after when our maintenance guy is there and say hi through yhe cameras. It lets them know you are watching.
We have lft doors unlocked with our system on.
Get a Knox Box. It’s a box that fastens to the house and contains a house key. The fire department has keys for such boxes. Many businesses use them.
The medical alert system should come with a lockbox you leave on your door - the same type of lockbox realtors use. The monitoring company will have the code to open it and get the door key.
Put a lock box (the type used by realtors) on your door. Give the code to police and fire. This works well for several of my neighbors.
At least here, if I give the sheriff an entry code, it pops up on the screen anytime there is a 911 call to my property. You might ask if that is true there as well. Call their administrative line.
If so, install a cypher lock. You can buy them at Lowe’s (and other fine retailers. Cough.)
” - the same type of lockbox realtors use. ..”
SOME realtors...in our area lockboxes are electronic and need a smart phone with an active and paid up account to open them. The manual lockboxes are NOT allowed per local MLS rules and are subject to a $50.00 per day fine.
I do agree with you a simple lockbox is best for this situation.
The “cellular” device the sales people are trying to sell you is the way your system communicates with the monitoring office. It uses the guts of a cell phone in a box to call out in an emergency so that your system can’t disabled by chopping your phone line, cable, or even electrical wiring off the house.
ADT is very expensive.
A Knox Box is a great solution as others have suggested...Mounts securely to an outside wall close to the main entrance...Firefighters will have a key to the box...Inside keep a door key to your house...If they respond to your house, they open the Knox Box, obtain your door key and let themselves inside to tend to your husband...No muss, fuss or damage...
A licensed, bonded locksmith in your local area can set you up with a Knox Box, and fire guys at your local station will explain how it works if you’re not sure...Stop by your local firehouse and ask...
The digital door lock would seem best as you could change the door code if given out for an emergency.
I have had ADT for years and they have been very good. However, they require a contract and are expensive even with USAA discount. If I had to do it now I would probably go with Simpli Safe...and be sure and get the video components. A lock box like realtors use would solve entry problem.
Reading your post twice, I still can’t understand how you went from the need to lock your doors and give access to emergency personnel to needing a security system.
Any honest consultant in security would cite the same. Medic alert serves an entirely different purpose than a security system and, absent a whole host of home automation and technology you make clear that you do not desire, fails to address making ease of entry for first responders and, in fact, serves the opposite purpose.
Others have already made the suggestion and I highly-recommend that you speak directly with your local firehouse and communicate your concerns to the nice folks there to get their feedback on the Knox Box and/or any other options they would suggest.
IMHO, based upon the concerns outlined in your post, the KB suits your needs perfectly. Everything else appears to be the result of marketing and salespeople.
Take care.
My 81 year old neighbor has a box hanging from her front door with a key inside. To unlock it you need a code. It’s efficient, cheap, and works. She called me recently early in the morning because she was having dizzy spells and couldn’t get out of bed. I used the code to get in.
you can replace your lock with one the emt’s can get into..
(these usually add a combination feature)
or your medic alert company usually supplies a free lockbox...you put a spare key into it and hide the box...
the box has a combo lock so that the emt’s can get into it
You are talking about 2 different things. You can buy a cheap ‘lockbox’ that holds a key to the front door off Amazon. You need a code to open it. My neighbor has one and they work great. An alarm system is a separate item.
I have Blink security cameras. No wires. All controlled from your phone. They run off of your home wireless internet. When the cameras detect movement, they send you an alert. You can play back a high def video of the movement. They store the video clips on the cloud. No monthly fees.
Simplisafe
Thanks - you are not going to believe this. When I told the last salesman on Friday that I wasn’t ready to make a decision or commitment because I wasn’t confident I understood the technical terms and the way the system would work, those are the very words he used - “the cellular device is the way of communicating”. He was packing up his paperwork when he said it.
I looked at him and said, “THAT’S what you should have said an hour ago.” He said, “Apparently I failed in my presentation.” I wanted to say I shouldn’t have had to drag information out of him but I didn’t.
He had only a picture - encased in plastic - of what I call the “control panel”...I asked why he didn’t have an actual one with him and he said they weren’t available yet. It’s a device that is about the same shape as my grandson’s tablet and has the words “ready to arm” with icons. I don’t think anyone has given thought to people who may need to set something in motion not having their glasses on when they need to use it...like the middle of the night.
I went next door last night to see a neighbor who just had a system put in as it was her home that was burglarized while she was at work and she had that device mounted on the wall by her front door. The last salesman (who had the picture of it) said it would stand by itself and my husband could have it by his side when I’m out of the house using it like a telephone. Yeah - if the buttons were labeled so anyone could understand them. One is “stay” and I raised dogs at one time and I know what that means but not in relation to this.
I came back home more confused than when I went over. She had so many beepers and buzzers and barking dogs showing me what different buttons did - none of them labeled ON/OFF - opening/closing windows/doors. When I say we need simple, I mean we need simple. If my husband had seen what she was doing with that panel in her house, he would have said “forget the whole thing”.
Thank you for your reply. I don’t mean to carry on about it but I’m sure I will. I’m sure folks much younger than ourselves are saying - it’s progress - get used to it! Yeah, we eventually got a color TV and cable and got rid of dial phones (and the horse and buggy) but we weren’t looking at limited time then.....
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