NextAlarm vs. Alarm.com

Posts: 101 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jun 05, 2005 Posts: 101

born4soc wrote:

2 - nextalarm only reports alarms -- alarms are rare and something like 99% of alarms are false, so you're basically getting insurance (no one likes paying for insurance); alarm.com reports all the activity your sensors report so you can keep track of kids, pets, visitors and get notified for specific events (i have a sensor on my liquor cabinet -- good stories... );

Not true. Nextalarm.com has features as well. For example, the "latch key" option. If your alarm is NOT turn off by 3-30 (when kids come home from school) you are notified. You can login to the web and see the status of your alarm ARMED or DISARMED. You also have the ability to reveice notifications for armed, disarmed, sensors, etc.

born4soc wrote:

3 - alarm.com is remotely controllable-- i can log into my system from the web or my Treo and see current status, activity, i can arm the system, turn the lights on, etc.
if there's an alarm 6 people get called simultaneously but not the police -- i chose no central monitoring

Some of this you can do with nextalarm.com as well. Not all of it, but some of it. Also, you can make your own notify list. Mine calls my cell, my wifes cell, my neighbor as well as the house (in case of false alarm) and if nobody answers or does not know the pass code, then they call the police.

I pay $8 per month for monitoring. For me, it's worth the $17 / months SAVINGS for nextalarm.com's services.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 16, 2008 Posts: 1

Interesting discussion all. I have been an alarm.com customer through FrontPoint Security for about 7 months now. I could not be happier.

Rather than rehash things that have already been said here and elsewhere on the Internet, just do a google Search on Frontpoint Security (they are in McLean, VA, but offer service across the U.S.). You will see many great reviews of Frontpoint as well as the Alarm.com technology they utilize.

Seeing many other great reviews has a lot more influence than just my words alone, and you will also see how alarm.com's technology is not even in the same ballpark as 98% of the residential alarm systems currently deployed (and being deployed) today. Another guage of the alarm.com technology is just go to their website and check out a demo of their web control interface that every customer gets with their account. It will blow you away. Unmatched, as far as I know... especially for anything near their price point.

As for concerns about the cell signal, if the signal is marginal, most dealers won't even deploy an alarm.com system to you, and probably, alarm.com won't allow them to either. So this concern is almost surely moot.

For those who complain about the ~$40/month monitoring fee, look at what you get, not only in terms of sheer features, but more importantly, in terms of quality of service. I realize there are those on severely tight budgets, and for those people I can perhaps understand somewhat, but for most people, I can never understand why they want to scrimp a few dollars on a life safety and security system. My view is, if you aren't going to get a meaningful alarm system, why get one at all, for the most part. OK, enough on this.

Oh, and the $40 price point that Frontpoint offers is the highest level of Alarm.com residential monitoring, or at least it was several months ago. The ones offering $25/month alarm.com service are almost surely offering reduced-feature plans (or it's being subsidized by an oversized equipment/installation charge).

I'm sure there are many good alarm.com dealers out there, but in your research, I strongly recommend you check out Frontpoint Security. They have a very unique offering, and offer service nationwide. Unique in the industry, they are transparent about everything -- their pricing (equipment AND monitoring), their contracts, etc. And they have about the cheapest equipment prices you will find -- and you OWN the equipment at or before the end of your contract, unlike many alarm companies. Frontpoint's website is excellent, which pictures and prices of all equipment and plan options, etc.

But most off all, Frontpoint provides AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE. I have never been more impressed with a company, seriously! They do not believe in IVR's, and do their best to always have a REAL person answer the phone, and if they are busy, they will call you right back if you leave a voicemail (rare that you even get to voicemail though).

It should also be said that I (nor any friends or relatives) have any ownership/etc interest in either of these companies other than just being a very satisfied customer and one of their number one fans. Alarm.com also provides quite good customer service, as one customer pointed out. However, Frontpoint provides truly GREAT customer service.

Hope this helps.