While mine is technically a primary security system, all it does is provide notifications, and turn a colour bulb to red. I don’t expect that to deter a thief, but having some indication if someone is in my house is all I expect out of it. I have a siren to use as a panic button that isn’t really hooked into the system, and a camera if I need a deterrent or active monitoring.
Some security is better than the none we would use otherwise, and its not like I’m expecting it to work 100% of the time. We couldn’t justify (to ourselves) paying $60/month for a conventional system where the first line of defense is to call us anyways, and not getting the extra features like Alexa/Nest to work with it…
1 Like
I use mine as secondary to a professionally installed system. Smartthings is better at notifying me where and what’s happening and is more flexible. If it fails to work then I still have my main system.
2 Likes
You can actually avoid that monthly fee and still get a conventional system and get the extra features like Alexa and Nest, unlike other systems where you don’t get Nest …or mobile backup …or 433mhz sensors to limit interference or… ok I’ll stop …
I don’t have a land-line, and live in a city that can’t support a lot of competition…
I got a few quotes, and they wanted me to buy $600-1000 worth of equipment, and pay $60 a month for a cellular system. One sales guy would only talk to my wife about “peace of mind” while trying to dumb down the system description when talking to me (I’m an Electrical Engineer, and did my research before I asked for quotes. I understand how door sensors work), and one never showed up for the walk-through/inspection.
I spent the same upfront cost on this system, and can easier justify buying a new device every month or two.
1 Like