For the entire time I've been a home and business owner, I've had monitored burglarand fire alarms to secure the properties, and they have been professionally installed and maintained. Servers have included Brink's and ADT along with hometown owned and state licensed firms like Alert, Vanskike and Smith.
Interestingly, the monthly monitoring fees haven't changed much over the years, but in many cases the service and security provided has been tinkered with.
Patty's and my current contract is with Brink's Home Security who recently changed its name to Broadview so that it could sell that entire facet of its business to ADT without confusing the public. Brink's will still provide business security services.
Several months back, we changed our land line telephone provider from AT&T to Time-Warner Cable. Everything appeared to work fine. The phone rang and you could dial out. But the reality was that the alarm could no longer be monitored.
But neither Brinks aka Broadview or we knew it. And this lack of security at our home went on day after day, week after week, for at least three months.
One day we had a power outage and after awhile, the battery pack that temporarily operates the alarm was finally drained of juice. So when the power was restored, the alarm tried to reset, and it gave a message that there was trouble.
When I called Brink's, the woman gave me instructions on how to test the line. I followed them, and sure enough, Brink's wasn't then nor had it been getting a signal from our house. She told me to call Time-Warner and tell them they had screwed things up. SHe said if a Brink's technician had to come out and correct the matter, it would cost us $100.
Here's what I learned, and it's what I want to pass on to you:
-
If your alarm system is monitored through telephone lines, the likelihood is that if an intruder snips the line at the Interface -- the box that's on the outside of your house -- the alarm service won't know it and they will not get a signal when the intruder breaks in.
-
When such an alarm is installed, the technician wires the device so that if you're on the telephone when the alarm goes off, your telephone connection will be disconnected and the signal to notify the alarm company will be sent. That's what wasn't working on ours.
-
And most disturbing, the alarm company has no way of knowing if your alarm is prepared to notify them of a breach. If the thing is malfunctioning, mis-wired, or has been purposely cut off by the intruder, you're all alone to fend for yourself it someone has gotten in your house or if the house has caught fire.
And of course throughout their history, alarm companies have been plagued with accidential set-offs. City governments began charging them when the police answered calls from a false alarm, so the alarm companies discontinued putting loud horns/sirens on the outside of the homes so they could cut down the complaints.
So in Patty's and my case, we were charged for several months of service that Brink's didn't provide. I want an adjustment. They are threatening, instead, to discontinue monitoring our system and to pull out the equipment, which, by the way, we bought from them.
I told them to have at it, because unless they were able to assure us that their monitoring service was operating properly at all times, we didn't want it.
And then I remembered the first alarm system we bought at least thirty-five years ago. When we would set the alarm, we'd wait a few seconds. The alarm service would send back a signal letting us know that it was properly functioning. When we entered after being away, and turned off the alarm, we had to telephone the alarm service and give them a code.
And there was a big siren on the outside of the building. Interestingly, our neighbors had the same kind of system and from the same provider. One evening about 9, the siren on their home went off. I called the police and the alarm service within seconds. Both already knew that someone had broken in, and the police were on their way. They caught the intruders.
In our current case here in Dallas, Brink's aka Broadview is either going to have to rework this system so that it is tamper proof and that they automatically know when it is malfunctioning, or we're going to find a company that can.
So far, Brink's aka Broadview hasn't chosen to respond.
BILL CHERRY, REALTORS
DALLAS - PARK CITIES
Our 45th Year
214 503-8563
Your post sounds like a manual how to break in your house. . .hopefully you get it resolved soon
Bill: Thank you for sharing- What happened to you is disconcerting! I hope you get it resolved soon, too, if nothing else for your peace of mind.
Bill,
Wow what a story. I guess sometimes you don't get what you pay for.
Wow thank goodness you needed no help during this time.
Bill - Thanks for sharing your experience and the important issues and lessons that are raised. Many people will learn to verify the quality of the service and system as a result of the problems you encounterd.
I believe when a company spends so much money on marketing, the product is often of dubious quality.
Many home inspectors have fallen for Broadview and let them send an alarm salesman to the home inspection in exchange for a questionable home warranty. Not for me.
Thank you for sharing. Several months ago NPR had an interview with an author who wrote a book about the underhanded practices of these alarm compaies. One of the biggest issues was the strain it put on local police as there wasn't a big monitoring location, many alarms call the local police stattion and they send someone out to check on you....
Thanks for the article and shedding light on this subject... The fact is most of these alarm systems do absolutely nothing in keeping a samrt burgler out... Most of what it does is make someone feel more comforted... Hopefully people will educate themselves with articles like this...
Wow - might as well just put stckers on the windows and a sign in the yard and skip the actual security system.
Doesn't sound like an endorsement for security systems. If we know this, a criminal will probably know this as well.
Thank you.
Bill you are right. I watch my neighbor's alarm go off weekly. I don't even think the police care about it anymore. The response time now is really bad.
I lot of people get security systems for peace of mind and never follow up to make sure they actually work. Great post. A double barrel shotgun loaded with rock salt works good too.
Bill, thanks for the post and inside alarm scoop. Glad you guys are safe, and had no incidents to deal with during that time. I wonder if the same issues would exist if a cellular-based system had similar-type malfunctions--i. e.: A system's cell connection goes down--would the monitoring service even be aware of same? Not encouraging...
Your post is an eye opener. Sometimes a false sense of security is worse than no security at all.
Bill, I too have Brinks/Broadview. Less than a year ago we had several break ins in the neighborhood where the phone lines were cut, thus preventing a signal from going to the monitoring center. No dummy, I. A phone call to Brinks and a couple of days later they install a wireless backup system. Now I'm protected. That night the control panel starts to beep, I can't get it to stop, even with Brinks on the phone. They tell me to disconnect the power to the system. (NO PROTECTION?) Two days later a tech comes out and tells me that the back up unit was installed in the wrong place in the closet. I'm no techie, but something did't sound right. All is well for about a month, then the beeping starts again. Long story short, the backup unit is gone, so please stay away from my phone lines. Thanks Brinks/Broadview. Now my Mossberg pump is our primary protection.
Yea Thanks Bill for enlightening me to the true accuracy of having your home alarm monitored.
Bill, good looking out. We are considering getting a wireless system for our home and it is amazing how much I learn here from a consumer's point of view.
Great to hear about the Wireless backup system Phil. That sounds like a good solution to a potential security hole.
WOW...The arm company would not know if the lines were cut? And just as disturbing is this issue with the different phone lines!
Sounds like the Binks/Broadview/ADT conglomerate just got big enough to act like a big bank and do just what they want anyway.
This wasn't just a post, it was a great example of investigative reporting. Kudos to you.
Having worked for several alarm company monitoring stations back in the early 90s, I can tell you that if you are relying on an alarm system to protect your home & your family from intruders, YOU SHOULD BUY A GUN INSTEAD.
There are so many ways to circumvent these super-unsophisticated residential alrams that I think burglars hold webinars about it!
Maybe my husband is right & I am just a dumb HILLBILLY from WEST VIRGINIA, but SMITH & WESSON has always been a reliable defense mechanism.
A few years ago, I set the alarm off at my parents. The phone rang immediately! It happened about 6 months ago too. This time, they didn't call immediately, so we decided to leave, but a couple of minutes later, MY cell phone was ringing instead of my mom's asking if I knew how to get in touch with my parents because their alarm was set off.
I was actually impressed that they called me, but a little confused as to why they didn't have my mom's cell. They had her husband's cell, but he wasn't answering... Overall, I've set their alarm off many times because I always forget about it, and they've always called...
Bill,
You are 100% correct my wise friend. I noticed they are starting to put the phone boxes inside to lessen the chance the lines might get cut and I am also starting to see the wireless back up systems which may be the way to go.
Incidentally, in todays paper it showed the pharmaceutical warehouse that was robbed of 75 million dollars worth of pill and in front was a van with ADT on the side of it. Not a good PR opportunity if you ask me!
Bill.....your blog made me thing on how we can develop a false sense of security (no pun) by thinking all is well. As I read the other comments, I thought that all systems should be tested periodically to insure that you are getting what you paid for and that they are working properly. Best defense to date though is an active awareness of your surroundings, home and how others see it. Hollywood doesnt help either when they show determined thieves getting through any system out there. I once visited a home where the following sign was posted (twice). MR. BURGLAR, THERE IS NOTHING OF VALUE IN THIS HOME. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME AND GET CAUGHT FOR NOTHING. Thank you
Bill:
I suppose I could be silly, and say that this is "alarming." But these are very serious issues! I used to live in a pretty sprawling estate in a very expensive area that also had a lot of problems with minor theft. We had to have a landline just for the alarm -- even though we had cable for phone, net, and cable, too.
But this was 2006, and we were told this upfront by the security and the seller.
After reading your "What you need to know" I had the same feeling as #1. My solution when I was thinking about home security was solved when I got a dog. Then upgraded to the "Superior" service and got another one!
;-)
Some use wireless internet connections through the cable lines instead. I highly recommend my personal alarm though... ACP with Federal Hydrashok JHP...
I, too worked in that industry in the 70's and 80's. At that time they weren't exactly paying their technicians a king's ransom, so they did not always get the pick of the litter for employees. Sometimes if the installer couldn't get a device like any given door contact or motion detector to stop false alarming during testing, they would just "jump it out" and call it a day. There were a few installers and troubleshooters who understood what they were doing and did well, but most were just parts changers.
Gosh Bill, that sounds like security insecurity! I have often wondered while watching the TV commercials how reliable these systems were. I never thought of the vulnerability of the phone line they depend on! Geeze, I guess any serious/experienced intruder would think of that.
I'll just stay with my 2 small dog kids who are awesome in the vocal cords department. I think enough to discourage most intruders and send them on their way looking for a quieter establishment.
Thanks for the info.
Sue of Robin and Sue
Great post Bill, glad to see it was featurered. Thanks for allowing the reblog, I think as many people as possible need to be aware of this.
Just happened to me two days ago, my mistake for the false alarm. I called the monitoring company to cancel false alarm the company didn't get the signal it had gone off over a minute. The alarm company sent tech out to figure why , I am on cell back up no land line and the cause was a faulty wire in the system. If I had not had the false alarm by mistake I would be paying for service that's no service I thank God I was not in a terrible situation because I started thinking about the what if....I am paying for something that's not working and who knows how long I would have paid if this false alarm had not happen. I just had the system installed April 2010. Their solution is they will credit me one month and I can call each week to test the system...meaning I call the alarm company that did the install and they will call the monitoring company to test each week.
http://www.realestatesalesandservice.net
Marie, it just seems to me that the state agencies who license these alarm companies ought to have regulations that prevent experiences like you and I had.
If an alarm system isn't reliable, it doesn't matter if it's a small percentage of the time or all of the time. It's not dependable.
Bill
Marie, it just seems to me that the state agencies who license these alarm companies ought to have regulations that prevent experiences like you and I had.
If an alarm system isn't reliable, it doesn't matter if it's a small percentage of the time or all of the time. It's not dependable.
Bill