Still use a monitoring company?

[redbaritone]

I realize that the point of the AD2... products, is to allow you to have your computer send alerts via email and various notification protocols. However, I wonder how many of you are actually replacing your monitoring company with these products. I WANT to eliminate this monthly expense, but I'm a little hesitant. There are various scenarios which might incapacitate my wife and I, preventing us from doing the job ourselves. What about a break-in scenario, where we don't have time to pick up the phone? My alarm system has the capability for "panic" buttons, but could the web interface alert a trusted neighbor, for example, or maybe two or three people (for backup) with a specified (medical/fire/police) message? I understand that monitoring services can be less than ideal - especially since they typically call you before they actually send for help. Do many of you still have your alarms report to a monitoring company, or is self-monitoring kind of the point, here? Maybe I just need a word of encouragement. I feel like I might be making a mistake, not using a monitoring company. Perhaps a few of you who have had actual emergencies to occur, could post your experiences here.

Also, I have a question that relates to my Vista 20P. If I've disconnected my former means of communicating with an alarm company, thus creating a 6F ( I think) error, do I fix this by changing my zone reporting codes to 00 (so it doesn't TRY to connect), or do I disable the reporting interface, or both? If so, how do I do that? I can't find it yet, in the programming manual. My system doesn't work at all, since I have this error. Right now, before I order my AD2PI, I'd like to just have my house alarm to sound.

Thanks in advance!

[kevin]

I actually have some personal experience with this using a self-monitored solution at home. I use Twilio and the TwiML notification type - on a specific event (you can get granular and create different notification types for each event, or clone a notification and edit it to go to somebody else) - on a specific event, through the TwiML service, I get a phone call from "my alarm" telling me my event - or through SMS I can get the event - I can also tell this to SMS or Call anybody I want. Or Email anybody I want. The notification system is very flexible.

The only caveat so far is internet and power downtime.

Service is required. “6F” or “BF” is an error code associated with the Long-Range Radio backup system. When these codes are displayed, the Radio has lost connection with the Network used to report your alarms in the event your telephone service is unavailable. You will want to look for your Alarm Communicator setting, I think maybe once in programming mode you do a *29 and then 0* then *99 to exit.

I realize that the point of the AD2... products, is to allow you to have your computer send alerts via email and various notification protocols. However, I wonder how many of you are actually replacing your monitoring company with these products. I WANT to eliminate this monthly expense, but I'm a little hesitant. There are various scenarios which might incapacitate my wife and I, preventing us from doing the job ourselves. What about a break-in scenario, where we don't have time to pick up the phone? My alarm system has the capability for "panic" buttons, but could the web interface alert a trusted neighbor, for example, or maybe two or three people (for backup) with a specified (medical/fire/police) message? I understand that monitoring services can be less than ideal - especially since they typically call you before they actually send for help. Do many of you still have your alarms report to a monitoring company, or is self-monitoring kind of the point, here? Maybe I just need a word of encouragement. I feel like I might be making a mistake, not using a monitoring company. Perhaps a few of you who have had actual emergencies to occur, could post your experiences here.

Also, I have a question that relates to my Vista 20P. If I've disconnected my former means of communicating with an alarm company, thus creating a 6F ( I think) error, do I fix this by changing my zone reporting codes to 00 (so it doesn't TRY to connect), or do I disable the reporting interface, or both? If so, how do I do that? I can't find it yet, in the programming manual. My system doesn't work at all, since I have this error. Right now, before I order my AD2PI, I'd like to just have my house alarm to sound.

Thanks in advance!

[mrvelous01]

I am in metro Detroit and I pay Guardian $13/mth for monitoring/only (going on 20+ years). I bought out my leased equipment from my old-old alarm vendor who has been assimilated at least twice, and is now Guardian. I will not pay Guardian to text me, but I do like their monitoring services via 4G phone. I went with AD2PI so that I could get the "free" texts (yeah, I know, not really free when you add the cost of the pi, the AD2PI, and hours of my time, but at least I'm not paying Guardian monthly!).