Home Security: Who's monitoring your system?

I moved into my neighborhood eight years ago. Prior to moving in, my neighbors came by to introduce themselves and kindly informed me that there had been a handful of break-ins in the area. Because it was a new-construction subdivision thieves were taking advantage of new home owners and breaking in. So before moving day, I dutifly scheduled an alarm company to come in and install a burglary/fire system. The system was installed for free -- but of course there was a catch -- I had to sign a monitoring agreement for two years. No problem I thought...that's not such a bad deal. Then I did the math. Full Service Alarm Monitoring through ADT was costing just over $30/mo which added up to $360/year. So over two years, that "free" system actually cost me $720!

Then I came across a better solution. As soon as my contract with ADT expired, I cancelled service with them and signed up with a third party Alarm Monitoring and Security company called NextAlarm. They are a UL rated service, and only charge $14.95/month which is HALF of what I was paying! They also provide added features not available though ADT or other alarm monitoring companies. They are also the only broadband alarm company that I'm aware of, which allows monitoring through the use of your home internet connection without the need for a dedicated phone line. This is especially useful if you subscribe to VOIP phone services such as Vonage or AT&T Callvantage. It also allows for some very unique features such as email/pager alerts, etc. to let you know when someone comes home or enters the premises.

If you don't have a security system, I recommend you contact NextAlarm and see what your options are. Yes, NextAlarm also sells Security Systems and they have a very nice wireless system that requires no special knowledge and installation appears to be geared to the Do-It-Yourselfer!

Click here to visit NextAlarm and learn more about their products and monitoring services.