Alarm system with self monitoring internet capabilities

Hi,

I am looking for a wireless, set it and forget it, all in one alarm system that I can self monitor.

I need it to be able to send a distress signal via the internet to a destination of my choosing. (not via phone line.)
If the alarm were to be tripped, I want the distress signal to hit a server and run a cgi that would shoot my phone an email/text message.
(I would be running the server.)

It would be monitoring a small house, so I am looking for something simple and inexpensive while still being practical.

Do you guys have any suggestions, or can you tell me if such a beast even exists?

Thanks

What you're asking for may exist, but it's not typical. There are a few parts to this.

Why the self monitoring? To avoid the cost of other monitoring? There are some services that will alert you only and not bother with the authorities - they're pretty inexpensive.

Why do you need this to go through your own server? It's far more likely you'll find something with an ethernet port that can send emails, but not do custom scripting as described.

Self monitoring is generally frowned upon because it makes you the weak link in your system. What if your phone battery dies, or you're outside your coverage area (camping, on a plane); in a meeting, or any other such situation where your phone is turned off or not being attended to?

What's "inexpensive", or rather what's your intended budget?

Hey Cocoonut,

firstly, thanks for the reply.

I am trying to set up a self monitored system to avoid a monthly bill. In the long run, it seems like it will save a substantial amount of money.

I realize that it makes me the weak link, and that a monitoring service is probably more reliable, but perhaps it wouldn't be quite as weak, if it also alerted a small circle of friends/family who would check for me if I was out of town.

I am already running a web server, so it wouldn't be difficult for me to have it run through it. I guess if the unit was able to send emails, and you could tell it to send multiple emails to multiple addresses, then that would essentially accomplish the same thing.

There is no budget, I intend on purchasing an alarm system that meets my needs described. However, I'd like to do this as frugally as possible.

Lastly, wireless is better. If the "brain" unit was also wireless and would connect to a wifi network that would be ideal.

Do you have any sugguestions on which unit(s) might be best for this application?

Self-monitored is not eligible for insurance discounts, so usually it has been my experience that the monitoring aspect pays for itself, sometimes with a net gain based on the amount spent vs. the insurance discounts which over time helps offset the cost of the install, granted it will take a long time.

Hey Cocoonut,

my home owner's insurance is only a little over 200 a year suppose I got a good monitoring rate at 30 bucks a month.. and that's a really good rate.. I would not save that much in insurance. It is cost effective for me to self monitor, and I would prefer to do so.

Do you know of any alarm systems that do what I'm asking?

Thirty bucks!! Alarm Relay is only $8.95 a month The discount on my home owners insurance more than covers that. http://www.alarmrelay.com/

Hey,

that seems more reasonable and please forgive my ignorance.

However, I would still like to avoid the need for a land line.

Can you recommend any units that will operate via internet or satelite?

Are you able to use alarmrelay.com with out a phone line?

Satellite I haven't seen yet...

Your request is split between over-simplified and over-complicated, with requests on both ends of the spectrum.

If you get a smarter panel like an Elk M1G or M1EZ8, you have the option of monitoring over IP and can add a cell backup if required.

As for the cost, an alarm is a form of insurance in itself... if someone breaks in, what's the potential cost? If they just break a window; if they get the TV; if they get the family computer with all your pictures; if they get the camera who's photos you haven't downloaded in 3 months; if they get your daughter's laptop with her college term paper on it; if they get your work laptop...

I think you see where this is going; <$100/year for monitoring isn't worth this much time spent typing replies.

Your next competing interest - if you want a system advanced enough to let you do whatever you want (including run scripts on your own server) you'll need to spend more upfront because those capabilities are hard to find!.

If you just want to set up a server to send duress to yourself, then pick up something like this http://www.lynxguide.com/

I have a site with these deployed campus wide and through multiple properties. It has it's quirks, but it works. Cost: you'd be better off spending the money on a real alarm system with monitoring by comparison, but to each their own.

For self monitoring, I'm using an elk m1 gold with a custom java program. The program can send emails, texts, or push notifications through notifo. It works by monitoring the alarm states of the elk. You can get a bit more complex and have your phone get a push notification if a certain door opens. Let me know I you're interested.

Sorry to hijack, but am I correct in that there is no way to get HAI to send out text or email?

Ranger Digital said:

Sorry to hijack, but am I correct in that there is no way to get HAI to send out text or email?

Click to expand...

Not directly from the panel. Using Snaplink or 3rd party software you can send notifications.

Tried and true security is always hard wired and monitored. Adding wireless sensors in a hybrid installation provides redundancy, extra flexibility, where wires are hard to snake in or *Next to impossible* to insert.

True security is lifestyle, not simply a device, insurance, or methodology. The four rings of security start with you, and that is self awareness.

Self monitoring on the surface will reduce your initial costs. It will however not help you when it really matters the most. Also, for perspective, no serious alarm install uses wireless systems as the primary source of force protection, none.

ie. Military, Government, Police, Hospital, Financial Institutions, Fortune 100 companies.

Teken . . .

I'm looking to get my OmniPro II hooked up to a monitoring service, and was strongly considering IP based over the internet, since I don't have a landline. My two biggest concerns are fire and theft. In a fire, I want the monitoring service to dispatch emergency service as fast as possible, and the internet is reliable for this. It rarely goes down, so the distress signal will likely make it to dispatch.

The second concern is theft, and this makes me consider cell-based communication. I don't want a smarter-than-average burglar cutting the cable line coming into the house, and rendering an internet based distress call useless. With cell, there is no way to do that. Of course, I guess I could have both setup for ultimate redundancy, but is that overkill?

Im going with cell as a primary and POTS as secondary just because its included in the monitoring cost for cell.

I thought about internet, but to be honest there are too many things that need to be in place for it to work reliably. Once you lose power, are your modem and router on battery? On top of that, is your cable (or DSL) feed backed up as well? Without all of that in place your internet connection wont be up and running enough to transmit. So while power is on you might be OK, but when you lose power from a storm you may be out of luck. Incidentally, we lost power for an extended period last year because o fa storm, and burglaries went up a LOT.....most people didnt have their systems backed up long enough, nor did they have backup forms of communication.

Also (like you mentioned), cut the incoming feed for your internet (cable, DSL, etc) and now you have nothing.

I *can* back up my cell communicator. And MUCH better chance the cell towers are powered up with the rest of the grid out.

Personally Id go either cell only or cell primary and POTS secondary. If you can use all 3 Id make internet the LAST source.