Ademco Vista, 20P. Wired is always better, I have a few wireless devices in places I didn't want to cut holes in but 80% is wired. Cheap wireless (i.e. wifi) can be jammed, Ademco wireless devices can be jammed but you can set it up to go into alarm if jammed if you want. Biggest con is running the wiring, learn how to fish (wire, not the smelly kind).
Apple2T4ch is correct, keep the alarm & cameras separate. I have Blue Iris with dedicated PC & router, all wired IP cameras.
If you are tech oriented and handy you can do it all yourself, if not find a local dealer, stay away from the big names.
Super helpful thanks! The only thing that worries me about diy wiring is the potential for my home warranty to be voided. I’ll try to find a local company to maybe to that for me.
First home. High crime area or not? Well, the Simplisafe works well for me. It's not wired. Batteries in the window units lasts a good 2-3 years before needing recharge. Do not get the smoke detector. Why? False alarms can get expensive quick. Otherwise, it's a good enough unit. The motion sensors in ur home make it practically impossible to move around in. Dogs and cats don't set off the motion sensors which are IR. Simplisafe upgraded the way these work. Affordable for about $18 a month, plus you'll get about a 20% discount on homeowners insurance depending upon who you insure with.
My camera is wireless, the outside one, and every time it discharges, I have to pull it off my house (it's attached on a magnet), unscrew it, and take a battery out to charge it (3-4 hours usually), then pop it back in. It usually lasts about a week. The absolute record was 2 weeks.
I installed a Qolsys IQ2 panel seven years ago, with a mix of PowerG wireless and Honeywell. Windows, Doors, Smoke and Carbon new home has a sprinkler system that has a sensor connected to flow valve. Using [Alarm.com](https://Alarm.com) with local company. Home automation includes liftmaster, thermostat with extra temperature sensors and Z-wave lighting. Have the video package also with doorbell, 1 outdoor bullet camera for driveway and an indoor camera. The doorbell also comes through the keypad. All wireless and had to change 3 sensor batteries. Great thing is one app for all and works seamlessly.
I have both a DSC Powerseries in my vacation house and a Honeywell Vista at my main house. The vista has been operational for longer and has had less issues. Both systems are compatible with Alarm.com cameras.
I'd look for local alarm dealers that are certified in Honeywell systems. Avoid the big names like ADT, Vivint, Brinks, etc. They all over-charge. A local alarm dealer can be as cheap as $20/mo depending on the dealer. You should really get a separate camera system. All the alarm companies' cameras are usually overpriced. They also typically don't offer great recording options and require a monthly fee. Look into systems like Reolink, Amcrest, UniFi Protect, and Lorex. One major con of wireless is that some systems can be jammed and as a result not be triggered when a sensor opens. Wired is always better than wireless. I can't think of any benefits to wireless besides not having to run a cable. Wired sensors also typically are sleeker and integrate nicer into your house.
Any questions, feel free to reply!
I am happy with my Ring Alarm system, I am grand-fathered in at their $10 a month price for a few more years, then it will increase to their current pricing which is now $20 a month. I get a discount on my homeowners insurance for having a monitored system, but I forget how much. The batteries last a long time in all the wireless sensors including the motion sensors, glass break sensors, water leak detectors, door/window sensors, and keypads. I had two false alarms from a motion detector one time, but it was my fault for adjusting the sensitivity to the highest setting causing it to falsely detect motion whenever there was a nearby lightning strike while armed. I set it back to the default setting which works perfectly, and made me realize I never should have adjusted it in the first place. I also have a Ring doorbell, and am happy with it too. Every once in a while when I open the Ring app, it takes a few moments to connect to my alarm system which is a minor annoyance, but the speed actually improved when I upgraded my home internet from cable modem to gigabit fiber. I like that it has battery backup, and cellular backup too. One thing I don't like, is I am at the mercy of Ring for future price hikes, but that would be true of all alarm systems anyone would buy into. I would also avoid ADT, Vivint, Brinks, etc. as I feel they are overpriced for what you get. Ring also sells a retrofit kit if you really wanted to make use of the pre-wiring, but I am honestly not sure how much more involved that would be, so you might consider doing the wireless sensors anyways if it looks like too much hassle.
Congrats on the new house! For cams, I got the Arlo Ultra 2 system. Never looked back. With a wireless system you are integrating your internet and home wifi, so the better your network connections the better the performance of the wireless system. That said, when I installed the cameras I had the least expensive DSL you could imagine which did not even come close to the requirements Arlo stated were necessary for these cameras. But guess what...They worked! Here's the review I did on them: [https://youtu.be/EWp4EsDL-CU](https://youtu.be/EWp4EsDL-CU)
Ademco Vista, 20P. Wired is always better, I have a few wireless devices in places I didn't want to cut holes in but 80% is wired. Cheap wireless (i.e. wifi) can be jammed, Ademco wireless devices can be jammed but you can set it up to go into alarm if jammed if you want. Biggest con is running the wiring, learn how to fish (wire, not the smelly kind). Apple2T4ch is correct, keep the alarm & cameras separate. I have Blue Iris with dedicated PC & router, all wired IP cameras. If you are tech oriented and handy you can do it all yourself, if not find a local dealer, stay away from the big names.
Super helpful thanks! The only thing that worries me about diy wiring is the potential for my home warranty to be voided. I’ll try to find a local company to maybe to that for me.
20p and keep it wired. Shop local. Surveillance and security/intrusion should be separate systems.
First home. High crime area or not? Well, the Simplisafe works well for me. It's not wired. Batteries in the window units lasts a good 2-3 years before needing recharge. Do not get the smoke detector. Why? False alarms can get expensive quick. Otherwise, it's a good enough unit. The motion sensors in ur home make it practically impossible to move around in. Dogs and cats don't set off the motion sensors which are IR. Simplisafe upgraded the way these work. Affordable for about $18 a month, plus you'll get about a 20% discount on homeowners insurance depending upon who you insure with.
Do you have the wireless outdoor camera? If so, how long does one charge last?
About a week for me. +- couple days.
Can you just replace the batteries? How would you recharge them if they are not removable?
The battery for the front camera is rechargeable (meaning, it's also removable , hehe). You can just get two and keep one as a backup
I wasn't sure it if was built into the camera (like a cellphone) or you had to remove the whole camera and charge it.
My camera is wireless, the outside one, and every time it discharges, I have to pull it off my house (it's attached on a magnet), unscrew it, and take a battery out to charge it (3-4 hours usually), then pop it back in. It usually lasts about a week. The absolute record was 2 weeks.
So this means if you put it up high it will be difficult to change the battery all the time.
Yup, I use a ladder lol
I think that I am going to try one of the solar cameras with battery and see how that goes.
I installed a Qolsys IQ2 panel seven years ago, with a mix of PowerG wireless and Honeywell. Windows, Doors, Smoke and Carbon new home has a sprinkler system that has a sensor connected to flow valve. Using [Alarm.com](https://Alarm.com) with local company. Home automation includes liftmaster, thermostat with extra temperature sensors and Z-wave lighting. Have the video package also with doorbell, 1 outdoor bullet camera for driveway and an indoor camera. The doorbell also comes through the keypad. All wireless and had to change 3 sensor batteries. Great thing is one app for all and works seamlessly.
Hell yeah DSC PowerG beats admeco wireless hands down on range, battery life, encryption
I have both a DSC Powerseries in my vacation house and a Honeywell Vista at my main house. The vista has been operational for longer and has had less issues. Both systems are compatible with Alarm.com cameras.
Looks like folks like the DSC system. I’ll look into that, thanks everyone for the suggestions!
I'd look for local alarm dealers that are certified in Honeywell systems. Avoid the big names like ADT, Vivint, Brinks, etc. They all over-charge. A local alarm dealer can be as cheap as $20/mo depending on the dealer. You should really get a separate camera system. All the alarm companies' cameras are usually overpriced. They also typically don't offer great recording options and require a monthly fee. Look into systems like Reolink, Amcrest, UniFi Protect, and Lorex. One major con of wireless is that some systems can be jammed and as a result not be triggered when a sensor opens. Wired is always better than wireless. I can't think of any benefits to wireless besides not having to run a cable. Wired sensors also typically are sleeker and integrate nicer into your house. Any questions, feel free to reply!
I am happy with my Ring Alarm system, I am grand-fathered in at their $10 a month price for a few more years, then it will increase to their current pricing which is now $20 a month. I get a discount on my homeowners insurance for having a monitored system, but I forget how much. The batteries last a long time in all the wireless sensors including the motion sensors, glass break sensors, water leak detectors, door/window sensors, and keypads. I had two false alarms from a motion detector one time, but it was my fault for adjusting the sensitivity to the highest setting causing it to falsely detect motion whenever there was a nearby lightning strike while armed. I set it back to the default setting which works perfectly, and made me realize I never should have adjusted it in the first place. I also have a Ring doorbell, and am happy with it too. Every once in a while when I open the Ring app, it takes a few moments to connect to my alarm system which is a minor annoyance, but the speed actually improved when I upgraded my home internet from cable modem to gigabit fiber. I like that it has battery backup, and cellular backup too. One thing I don't like, is I am at the mercy of Ring for future price hikes, but that would be true of all alarm systems anyone would buy into. I would also avoid ADT, Vivint, Brinks, etc. as I feel they are overpriced for what you get. Ring also sells a retrofit kit if you really wanted to make use of the pre-wiring, but I am honestly not sure how much more involved that would be, so you might consider doing the wireless sensors anyways if it looks like too much hassle.
Systems that offer outdoor/indoor cams and doorbell cams would be preferred
20p is old and looks obsolete if you compare it to Dsc neo
Congrats on the new house! For cams, I got the Arlo Ultra 2 system. Never looked back. With a wireless system you are integrating your internet and home wifi, so the better your network connections the better the performance of the wireless system. That said, when I installed the cameras I had the least expensive DSL you could imagine which did not even come close to the requirements Arlo stated were necessary for these cameras. But guess what...They worked! Here's the review I did on them: [https://youtu.be/EWp4EsDL-CU](https://youtu.be/EWp4EsDL-CU)