Alarm Force advertises that they don’t charge for installation and customers have complete peace of mind for only $25 per month.
That’s only true if customers have a landline phone though. Since we don’t have a landline (we both have cellphones) installation of a security system is $99 and $36 per month.
When I spoke to ADT they normally charge $99 for installation and $45 per month, but if no landline is available and their security system has to go through a cellphone, installation is $240 and $65 per month.
Both companies provide more or less the same service. They install an alarm system that gives off an ear piercing siren of over 90 decibels. That’s louder than a smoke alarm.
The owner can set this alarm to go off after 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or up to 60 seconds. It all depends where the keypad is located and how long it takes the owner to disable it.
In case of an intrusion, a voice tells the intruder that’s he’s been spotted, the security company calls the owner of the property and places a call to the local police.
Personally I see a few flaws in that set up. If they were to call me while I’m downtown Toronto, it would take me at least 45 minutes to get home.
As for the police … a break in is not exactly high on their priority list. The last burglary in this building happened at 9:15 p.m. The police was called and they showed up at 3:15 a.m.
Seems to me that the best protection for a home is still a dog. Quite a few residents in this building have dogs, big and small, and judging by their bark, I wouldn’t set foot in those units. A dog doesn’t have to be big to do damage.
Back in South Africa people had all kinds of property protectors. High walls, plain or reinforced with barb wire or broken glass fragments. In addition, the majority had dogs, but quite a few opted for something more original.
My neighbors for instance had a couple of geese patrolling the yard. The geese were quite territorial and as soon as someone approached the gate they would run up to the visitor, make one heck of a racket, spread their wings and open their beaks, showing considerable teeth. Nobody, but nobody stepped in that yard without the owners calming down the geese.
Others had a sign on their gate showing a couple of snakes or tarantulas with the wording “We protect this property”. Would you take the chance? I never did. Maybe it was just a scary sign, but maybe there was some truth to it.
Other still had a sense of humor and had a plaque on their gate stating “Bullets are expensive, don’t expect a warning shot” or “Intruders will be killed and eaten”.
It’s kind of sad. In South Africa, violent crimes were part of life, an everyday occurrence, and what attracted me to Canada the most was the (almost) crime free lifestyle.
One particular story stuck in my mind. People went on a three week holiday and forgot to close their backdoor. When they came back, they found the kitchen full of leaves, but nobody had entered the house and nothing was missing.
A story like was music to my ears. And for a while it was true, day and night, indoors or outdoors, we had complete peace of mind. Now all that has changed.