I just stumbled across an article about someone (Who will remain unnamed) within the security alarm industry and his move over to 2gig technologies. This prompted me to do a little research on the company. It seems the gang over at APX are using it so it must be crap... or at least cheap.
Cheap does not always mean bad so I looked a little further. Well, first of all, the security alarm portion of the 2Gig Go Control system is completely wireless. Not good touchscreen or not.
Looking a little further, 2Gig is touting the 2 gig technologies Go Control as a complete home automation system stating "Make any home a smart home." I will be the first to admit smart home technology is highly overpriced for what it is. The thing is, cheap Home Automation "Solutions" such as the 2Gig Go Control bring back nightmares of X-10 and what they were trying to do.
So what is the 2Gig Go Control you ask. Well, from initial review, I see it as nothing more than a souped up DSC Alexor, GE Simon, Paradox Magellan, Alarmforce, Honeywell Lynx, Snif or any of the other wireless wannabe security alarm system pieces of trash. I really wish the alarm manufacturers would get a grip on reality and realise security alarms are serious business. Security alarm systems are not toys, security alarm systems need to be able to withstand the attack of a potential intruder. A transistor radio sized box mounted on the wall by the front door and containing the entire 'Brains' of your security system is not real security. I don't care how fancy you make it and how many functions it can do, this type of wireless 'security alarm system' is just a fancier toilet alarm. It just looks a little nicer before the would be intruder steps on it, rendering the 2gig technologies Go Control home automation security alarm control panel totally useless when compared to its' hardwired counterpart.
Sorry guys, I did take an honest look at the 2gig Go Control security alarm system and just do not like it, even with the cheesy little touchscreen and online demo. I will continue to stick to hardwired security alarm systems as well as automation systems. When it comes to wireless and security alarm systems, I firmly believe it should only be used for systems which much be portable as well as cellular communications to the monitoring station. Of course, cellular communications uses a completely different type of wireless. If this technology was deployed in security alarm system sensors, they would be financially out of reach for consumers. So to those mooks and boneheads who like to use cellular phones as a defence for wireless security systems... get a grip.
Controlling lighting via wireless is not as bad, but that is only because lighting does not tend to be mission critical. So what if a little interference stops your lights from being able to be remotely turned on. It is not as if you are relying on this function to contact the fire department if your house catches on fire, or notify the police if you are being broken into.
Showing posts with label wireless security systems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wireless security systems. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
DSC ALEXOR... More wireless crap
Once again, DSC (AKA Dealers second choice) has unveiled what is rapidly becoming the new direction for money first quality second based security alarm companies. It seems more and more, alarm companies are more interested in volume over value. DSC's ALEXOR - PC9155 is a prime example of this sad truth. To emphasize the whole speedy install factor, DSC is even holding a competition at ISC West to see which "Installer" can "install" the new DSC ALEXOR - PC 9155 panel the fastest.
Maybe I'm old fashioned, or maybe I like to take my time to make sure an installation is done properly but does this contest say anything for the concern of properly installed systems in the eyes of DSC? Not too coincidentally, DSC is owned by TYCO which not surprisingly also owns one of the Douchebag companies of the industry ADT.
In conclusion. In the eyes of DSC, AKA TYCO ergo ADT is. Drum roll please install as many security alarm systems as fast as you can who cares about quality or actual home security. Of course the TYCO marketing spin doctors will definitely come up with a positive spin on their new alarm
Above you see the COMPLETE DSC ALEXOR CONTROL.
This is everything. The "brain" the part that needs only be
tossed into a toilet to disable it. This one is empty, just like
the security promises of DSC.
Remember... Wireless Security Systems will NEVER beat Hardwired Security Systems in quality, reliability or longevity. The only "advantage" to a wireless security system is the speed and ease of installation. Not always the best advantage to look at when you are protecting your valuables, be it pecuniary or human.
Oh ya, DSC now manufactures much their equipment in China
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Alarm Force Employees Speak Out
It is very cheaply made and can be bypassed very easily. As a customer service representative I deal with more complaints about door sensors falling off, motion detectors going off for no valid reason and the system not arming. 90% of the product sold to customers is refurbished and sent out as new. It's very tiresome to hear irate customers calling in and not be able to talk to someone in the technical support staff. Why? Because at any given time there maybe 3 or 4 people dealing with all of Canada's and the US's problems. So as a customer service rep, we generate a service ticket and tell the customers someone from service will call you back. People call back sometimes up to 2 weeks later saying that no-one from service called them back therefore having customer service deal with many irrate customers demanding service now. People are paying for a functional alarm not for a piece of trash that keeps breaking down. People then try to get out of their contracts because of constant problems only to find out that "Oh well that's to bad your locked into a contract." People beware the company does not like law suits or people going to the Better Business Beaureu. So rather then getting upset with the Alarm Force Rep. Don't just threaten to go the the BBB follow up with it and they will let you out of your contact. They don't want to ruin there reputation with BBB.
As for the Central Station, again there are only 4 to 5 people covering active alarms. So when you think it's a good idea to get Two-way, it's not. It may take up to 10 minutes before you get a response on the two-way from someone in central station. In the meantime you could be dead or your contents stolen from your home thus defeating the purpose of a two-way system. I strongly recommend you consider another company. As a employee insider they are very un-organized and they scam people when signing work orders to get them to commit for another 4 years without even advising them. They have no compassion for people who become disabled, the elderly, people who have lost there jobs or even people who run into hard times. They protend to give you the best for your money but in the end you are a number, not a customer. Just to inform you that they are losing at least 100 to 150 customers a day because people are becoming wiser that this company is a joke. THINKING ALARM FORCE THINK AGAIN
As for the Central Station, again there are only 4 to 5 people covering active alarms. So when you think it's a good idea to get Two-way, it's not. It may take up to 10 minutes before you get a response on the two-way from someone in central station. In the meantime you could be dead or your contents stolen from your home thus defeating the purpose of a two-way system. I strongly recommend you consider another company. As a employee insider they are very un-organized and they scam people when signing work orders to get them to commit for another 4 years without even advising them. They have no compassion for people who become disabled, the elderly, people who have lost there jobs or even people who run into hard times. They protend to give you the best for your money but in the end you are a number, not a customer. Just to inform you that they are losing at least 100 to 150 customers a day because people are becoming wiser that this company is a joke. THINKING ALARM FORCE THINK AGAIN
Sunday, December 2, 2007
The Beaver made me do it – Security Alarm Systems and Telecom Companies
I can’t really say I blame them, in a business model; alarm monitoring is very much like cell phone service. There is however one major difference, a faulty cell phone merely needs to be brought into the local sales office for replacement. When it comes to a security system, a higher level of service is required… after all you are dealing with the safety of your home and family.
The phone companies will argue, the system is wireless and a failing device can easily be pulled from the wall and brought in for replacement… just like a cell phone? Seriously now, is that really effective home security?
It is all about the contract - This is by no means a new venture, cable companies and local phone companies have all ventured into the home security realm. Tempted by fast profits and re-occurring revenues, how can one argue. The thing is, pretty much every one of the previous companies has sold all their accounts to a third party, usually a foreign Based Company with cheap out of country monitoring. To a company less concerned with maintaining a loyal and happy client base, a monitoring account is worth anywhere from $ 600 to $ 900 on the open market. These large monitoring stations are often located out of the country where local regulations are less strict when it comes to the employee’s they hire. I am by no means saying all monitoring stations operate in this manner; in fact there are plenty of local monitoring stations within the Vancouver area who are highly regulated by the Attorney Generals Department of British Columbia.
So before you let yourself be tempted by the Beaver and their cute marketing techniques, think about how you want to be treated… as a commodity… or a person? Remember, although cute on the outside, beavers have sharp teeth. Has anyone ever truly been happy with the level of service from their cell phone company?
The phone companies will argue, the system is wireless and a failing device can easily be pulled from the wall and brought in for replacement… just like a cell phone? Seriously now, is that really effective home security?
It is all about the contract - This is by no means a new venture, cable companies and local phone companies have all ventured into the home security realm. Tempted by fast profits and re-occurring revenues, how can one argue. The thing is, pretty much every one of the previous companies has sold all their accounts to a third party, usually a foreign Based Company with cheap out of country monitoring. To a company less concerned with maintaining a loyal and happy client base, a monitoring account is worth anywhere from $ 600 to $ 900 on the open market. These large monitoring stations are often located out of the country where local regulations are less strict when it comes to the employee’s they hire. I am by no means saying all monitoring stations operate in this manner; in fact there are plenty of local monitoring stations within the Vancouver area who are highly regulated by the Attorney Generals Department of British Columbia.
So before you let yourself be tempted by the Beaver and their cute marketing techniques, think about how you want to be treated… as a commodity… or a person? Remember, although cute on the outside, beavers have sharp teeth. Has anyone ever truly been happy with the level of service from their cell phone company?
Gee, Joel sounds like a nice guy – Home Security the Alarmforce way
If you live in Canada and you are looking at purchasing a home security system, I am sure you have heard the AlarmForce commercials. After all, who outside someone living in a cave hasn’t heard the irritating little jingle consisting of nothing more than a phone number?
I will be the first to admit the obvious lure of the soft spoken voice, the false empathy and of course the price…. Who can beat FREE!!!! Don’t let yourself be fooled, when it comes to home security, nothing worth getting will ever be free. This especially holds true for wireless security systems.
Wireless security systems are flawed in their design and manufacture. Mr. Matlin of AlarmForce may tell you his system is superior to hardwired and is the latest and greatest technology available. The reason he can say this with such confidence is he knows he is not marketing to people within the security alarm industry. He is taking full advantage of the naivety of the security alarm consumer and those who do not research a company fully before they purchase a home security alarm system.
Here are some simple facts about Mr. Matlins’ AlarmForce neighbourhood.
1 - The Wireless technology used is similar to that of early model garage door openers. Remember the ones with the little switches inside you could move around and open your neighbours’ garage door?
2- Aside from being bulky and ugly, sensors are put up on your wall with Velcro tape.
The “thundering” 2-way voice comes from a small transistor radio style speaker mounted in the main control unit. This is also the location of the microphone, the dialer and everything which controls the security system.
3 - The main control unit is nothing more than a box about the shape of a loaf of bread. This box is typically set in a convenient place to access. Unfortunately this is also a convenience place for the potential burglar who could easily disable the alarm by stepping on it or putting it in the neighboring microwave oven. (It fits perfectly, I’ve tried.) In fact, many in the security alarm industry refer to this type of alarm as a “toilet alarm”, as it also fits nicely in the toilet bowl.
4 - Line seizure is a term in the industry referring to the ability of the alarm panel to take control of your phone line. This ensures picking up any phone in the house will not interfere with the transmission of the signal to the monitoring station. Since a counter mounted toilet alarm which plugs directly into a regular phone jack does not have line seizure, your home is further at risk.
5 - The monitoring contract. Oh ya, Joel Matlen of AlarmForce never mentioned the contract in his ad. Yes this is typically seven years. Seven years aside, the toilet alarm being sold here is not usable by any other alarm company, therefore you will never be able to cancel with Joel and switch to another company unless you switch out all your equipment. Therefore, Joel is really not giving you anything for free, his little box is a disposable technology, similar to a cell phone which will be out of date and non-functional in a couple of years.
I sincerely hope you found this information helpful. All the information contained within this article comes from industry experience and personal observation. I am by no means stating Joel Matlin or Alarmforce are lying to the consumer, I am simply pointing out some weaknesses in the system. Yes, I am in the industry but I will not mention my company name because that would make this nothing more than a marketing piece for my company. I do not wish to diminish the seriousness of this article just to boost my credibility in the industry at the cost of another. My sole purpose with this blog is to educate potential consumers on the predators of the security alarm industry. To be quite honest, my market is local and I have plenty of happy customers to keep me busy.
I will leave you with this one last though.
Hardwire security systems will ALWAYS be superior to wireless. Wireless security systems are flawed in their design and the failure rate is higher than that of hardwired security systems.
Good Luck in the installation of your home or business security alarm system.
I will be the first to admit the obvious lure of the soft spoken voice, the false empathy and of course the price…. Who can beat FREE!!!! Don’t let yourself be fooled, when it comes to home security, nothing worth getting will ever be free. This especially holds true for wireless security systems.
Wireless security systems are flawed in their design and manufacture. Mr. Matlin of AlarmForce may tell you his system is superior to hardwired and is the latest and greatest technology available. The reason he can say this with such confidence is he knows he is not marketing to people within the security alarm industry. He is taking full advantage of the naivety of the security alarm consumer and those who do not research a company fully before they purchase a home security alarm system.
Here are some simple facts about Mr. Matlins’ AlarmForce neighbourhood.
1 - The Wireless technology used is similar to that of early model garage door openers. Remember the ones with the little switches inside you could move around and open your neighbours’ garage door?
2- Aside from being bulky and ugly, sensors are put up on your wall with Velcro tape.
The “thundering” 2-way voice comes from a small transistor radio style speaker mounted in the main control unit. This is also the location of the microphone, the dialer and everything which controls the security system.
3 - The main control unit is nothing more than a box about the shape of a loaf of bread. This box is typically set in a convenient place to access. Unfortunately this is also a convenience place for the potential burglar who could easily disable the alarm by stepping on it or putting it in the neighboring microwave oven. (It fits perfectly, I’ve tried.) In fact, many in the security alarm industry refer to this type of alarm as a “toilet alarm”, as it also fits nicely in the toilet bowl.
4 - Line seizure is a term in the industry referring to the ability of the alarm panel to take control of your phone line. This ensures picking up any phone in the house will not interfere with the transmission of the signal to the monitoring station. Since a counter mounted toilet alarm which plugs directly into a regular phone jack does not have line seizure, your home is further at risk.
5 - The monitoring contract. Oh ya, Joel Matlen of AlarmForce never mentioned the contract in his ad. Yes this is typically seven years. Seven years aside, the toilet alarm being sold here is not usable by any other alarm company, therefore you will never be able to cancel with Joel and switch to another company unless you switch out all your equipment. Therefore, Joel is really not giving you anything for free, his little box is a disposable technology, similar to a cell phone which will be out of date and non-functional in a couple of years.
I sincerely hope you found this information helpful. All the information contained within this article comes from industry experience and personal observation. I am by no means stating Joel Matlin or Alarmforce are lying to the consumer, I am simply pointing out some weaknesses in the system. Yes, I am in the industry but I will not mention my company name because that would make this nothing more than a marketing piece for my company. I do not wish to diminish the seriousness of this article just to boost my credibility in the industry at the cost of another. My sole purpose with this blog is to educate potential consumers on the predators of the security alarm industry. To be quite honest, my market is local and I have plenty of happy customers to keep me busy.
I will leave you with this one last though.
Hardwire security systems will ALWAYS be superior to wireless. Wireless security systems are flawed in their design and the failure rate is higher than that of hardwired security systems.
Good Luck in the installation of your home or business security alarm system.
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