Why ADT

A company that has been providing security for over 140 years. Owns over 6 monitoring centers for your security protection. Trained and professional techs to install and service your system. Innovative leaders in the industry when it comes to home security.

When it comes to monitoring other companies equipment chances are you will have no problem with ADT.  Due to many acquisitions they can monitor 85% of existing equipment in the market.

Authorized Dealers for ADT are just that, authorized to sell and represent ADT as a company.  Authorized Dealers don't always use the same equipment, training is different, and they offer different promotions. 

When dealing with ADT make sure that you are dealing with a direct Representative and not an Authorized Dealer, if you choose to deal direct with Corporate ADT.  Buyer beware applies here, do not assume every Representative coming to your home is an ADT Employee.  

In the event you do choose to go with ADT Corporate ask the Representative for his/her license which they will have on the badge he/she may be wearing. You can research this license to see if in fact it is assigned to ADT and no another company. 

I am in no way stating you should not deal with an Authorized Dealer, just that I have experienced instances where people wanted to deal direct and found out they were with an Authorized Dealer.

ADT GUARANTEES AND DISCOUNTS

Theft Protection Guarantee covers insurance deductible (up to $500) in the event of burglary if your system is armed.

With ADT Money Back Service Guarantee, ADT will refund the system installation price and monitoring fees if you are not satisfied within 6 months of installation.*

Mover’s Security Guarantee entitles you to a FREE security system for your new home.

Homeowner’s insurance certificate may save you up to 20% off your homeowner’s insurance.

Life Safety

75% of deaths from fires are due to smoke inhalation.

When it comes to life safety all these devices are classified as life safety devices for Central Monitoring purposes.

SMOKE DETECTOR



For the home it is always good to have a monitored smoke detector to complement ones purchased from your local hardware store.

This device can and has been known to save lives, especially good for you pet owners.  Most fires in a home occur in the kitchen. If you have a monitored smoke detector make sure you clean it often, and when cleaning notify the Central Monitoring Station to put your system on test while cleaning so the Fire Department is not falsely alerted. 

Monitored 24 hours, 7 days a week whether the system is armed or not.

Get quick response from the monitoring center if a fire should ever occur, time is very important to saving lives and property.

There are two types of smoke detectors, photoelectric and ionized. Photo electric are best at detecting smoke, ionized are good at detecting flash flames.

Smoke detectors should be replaced every 5 years. Every home owner should have a planned escape design in the event of a fire in the home. This escape plan should be practiced on a regular basis.

HEAT DETECTOR

A heat detector is a fire detector that detects either abnormally high temperature or rate of temperature rise or both.

Heat detectors can be set up for a fixed temperature or for a rate of temperature rise.  Heat detectors can be used in kitchen area or another good place would be an attic or garage.  If you store flammable chemicals subject to certain temperature conditions a heat detector would be a good choice for monitoring of these temperatures.

CARBON MONOXIDE

A carbon monoxide unit detects an odorless gas known as carbon monoxide.  Carbon monoxide is a dangerous killer due to its properties. With petroleum being the main source to everyday items we purchase for our home, all homes should have at least one of these devices monitored.  When a fire initiates it smolders thus emitting carbon monoxide because of the petroleum based products being burned.

Another danger of carbon monoxide was reported from certain chargers used for golf carts.  When these chargers were in use for very long periods of time they emitted a carbon monoxide type of gas.

Home Security

DESIGN IS IMPORTANT 

Home security is personal, only you know what is to be accomplished when designing a system.  I am not saying you should not seek out advice from friends and family members familiar with and have their own system, what I am saying is the design is personal to you.  

When considering a home security system you should sit down and outline what is to be accomplished with the system, what are your expectations, and what the outcome will be. A home security system is not used to catch a burglar and it will not, it is a deterrent.  All systems sound some audible alarm with the intent of scaring off the burglar.  

When designing a system you should be aware of the types of coverage available.  There is perimeter and interior coverage.  Perimeter coverage takes into account every opening in the home(windows and doors), interior is a trap if the design does not have full perimeter. The interior trap is accomplished using a motion detector.

When designing a system it is better to have each device on a zone by itself, think of a zone as a location. Door contacts, window contacts, smoke detector, motion detector and possible glass break sensors should have an individual zone for each. Having separate zones is easier to identify exactly where the incident occurred in the home. 

Example: 2 story home, 4 bedrooms, 4 doors, 15 windows

In this example if you do the math you see there are 19 zones needed. The Panel out of the box includes 8 hard wired zones, 11 additional hard wired or wireless zones are needed. You can purchase a zone expander or group several locations on a zone. If they are grouped(up stairs windows on 1 zone) and an alarm signal occurs in that area of the home you will not know specifically which bedroom window had the incident. 

This is crucial when designing your system, make sure you have an understanding of this and you make your sales Rep aware. If you want separate and specific zone identification make sure you stress the importance of this to your Rep, he/she may try to talk you out of this because it drives up the cost of the system, be firm and negotiate. 

Keep in mind this is your system, your intent, your personal protection. This is important, what you design is what is seen on the screen by the agent at the Central Monitoring Station, this is the information they will have to relay to authorities.

Imagine yourself in a Central Monitoring Station reacting to an alarm event by watching a screen, what you see as far as zones and devices is what and how the system was set up and reporting.

MONITORING IS CRUCIAL

Why use a monitored home security system? 

There are two types of alarm systems, monitored and non monitored.  A non monitored system will sound an alarm but it does not communicate this alarm to a Central Monitoring Station.  

A monitored system is exactly what it says, the system sounds an alarm and also communicates a signal to the Central Monitoring Station for authorities to be notified, non monitored is for you or a neighbor to notify authorities. Both types are good deterrents in a burglary situation although, a monitored system is the best solution.  

Every monitored alarm system needs some type of communication in the home connected to the system to allow for signals to be transmitted to the Central Monitoring Station. In today's world most homes do not have hard land lines, this is why companies allow and offer alternative cellular devices in place of hard land lines.  

Cellular communicators are used to send signals via the system and a cell tower, some people consider this to be a wireless system, it is actually wireless communication.  An alarm system can consist of hard wired components as well as wireless components or a combination of the two, this is also considered wireless. 

There are several advantages that come to mind with cellular communication, it eliminates the threat of having the hard land line cut to disable the transmitting of signals, it prevents the system from taking a lightning hit if lightning should strike and come through the phone line, also cell towers rarely go down.  

Common mistakes made with a monitored system.

• Changing the communication provided without checking with the Central Station.

• Failing to do system tests on a regular basis, system should be tested monthly.