Alarm Company Reviews

How Does Pulse Really Work?

Posted by Peter M. Rogers at 10:00 am 1 Response »

May 152012

Revised with Updated Information

The online chatter continues over ADT’s Pulse product, so I did a “deep dive” on some of the more confusing aspects of the three service offerings: “Select,” “Advantage,” and “Premier.” Put aside ADT’s absolute and bewildering online silence on equipment and service pricing – it turns out that just peeling back the layers to understand the different Pulse service levels is a full-time job. The latest tip-off was a grid on the ADT Pulse web site, which shows a GSM cellular radio included with only the “lowest” service level – the least expensive one. That seemed weird, and triggered a flurry of research, resulting in my own comparison grid, based on my interpretation of the information. Comments and explanations follow the grid. Note: the grid below is NOT the grid from the ADT web site, but my own interpretation! Read More »

Wireless Home Security – Beware Summer Door Knockers Selling Home Alarms

Posted by Peter M. Rogers at 9:04 pm No Responses »

May 072012

Each May the Internet starts to light up with complaints about door-to-door alarm salespeople. Since most of these “door knockers” are in still college, and schools are getting out around now, this is when the annual cycle begins. And they knock on millions of doors every summer. Lots of people buy alarm services from these companies: after all, the script is slick and well-rehearsed, and the tactics are designed to get the sale on the spot. But increasingly it’s getting harder for these companies to sign up new customers, because the word is getting out.

Top 10 Lies Exposed

Perhaps my favorite post about door-to-door alarm sales is the one that completely exposes the door knockers for what they are: aggressive, sometimes fraudulent, and not necessarily your best source when you are shopping for peace of mind. Then again, most of the people who buy from door knockers weren’t shopping at all: they just answered the door. And that brings us to the subject of today’s post, which is a recent comment on my blog entry that addresses the door knocker phenomenon – and one company in particular. Read More »

Alarm Company Reviews Help You Shop for Peace Of Mind

Posted by Peter M. Rogers at 3:24 pm 2 Responses »

May 032012

As more people shop for wireless home security, they use the Internet to research multiple companies for hard facts and customer experienceson product reliability and level of satisfaction. Review sites in general are flourishing, since you can learn a lot in a short time. I’ve posted on the growth and importance of alarm company review sites before – and wrote recently on an alarm company warning issued by the granddaddy of review sites – the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Today you can check online reviews for just about any company – even the ones who knock on your door, offering a deal you cannot refuse: it’s smart to do your homework, before you buy.

Share the Good News

Some of the popular sites (like yelp.com and epinions.com) have starred rating systems, and users can apply a 1-5 score along with a detailed description of their experience. Angie’s List is a membership review site, where their subscribers share detailed notes about a wide range of service providers – including alarm companies. Here are some typical examples of FrontPoint reviews: Read More »

Wireless Home Security – Verizon Home Monitoring Reported to Have Serious Bugs

Posted by Peter M. Rogers at 9:05 pm 1 Response »

May 022012

With many of the cable and telecom major players now having entered (or re-entered) the highly competitive world of home security, the big question up until now has been about service: can they actually deliver? After all, some of these companies are notorious for their poor customer satisfaction records. To be honest, those of us who have been protecting US homes and families for decades never considered that these new entrants would offer technology that was unproven, or even non-functional. But for one high-profile company’s offering, that is now exactly what’s in question. And this recent article from CE Pro makes a compelling case that robust and reliable technology should never be taken for granted – especially when your peace of mind is at stake.

Verizon has been rolling out its home automation and monitoring service to FiOS users across the country over the past few months. When Verizon announced the service as an affordable alternative to professionally-installed control and security systems, some CE pros were concerned. We’ve seen off-the-shelf systems come and go over the years, and for the most part they remained a small niche for people who knew what they were doing and were willing to live with a few glitches. However, when consumers buy a system and service plan from a huge company like Verizon, they expect it to work. Read More »

Posted by Peter M. Rogers at 10:00 am 2 Responses »

Apr 182012

As more people shop for wireless home security, they use the Internet to research multiple companies for hard facts and customer experiences on product reliability and level of satisfaction. Review sites in general are flourishing, since you can learn a lot in a short time. I’ve posted on the growth and importance of alarm company review sites before – and wrote recently on an alarm company warning issued by the granddaddy of review sites – the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Today you can check online reviews for just about any company – even the ones who knock on your door, offering a deal you cannot refuse: it’s smart to do your homework, before you buy.

Share the Good News