Oh, Guardian. So many fancy things, so amazingly overpriced.
This might be the one area where we did a half-way decent job of containing ourselves. Our sales rep was very nice and didn't do a hard sell, but he did try to convince us that a home theater system would really improve our lives (and we'd lose 10 lbs and look 10 years younger too!)
But in the end, we considered the following: my husband is a former IT guy, my father is an electrical contractor. And, we're not finishing our basement. So additional wiring, if we want to add anything, could be added pretty easily, and much more cost-effectively.
What we got: basic up/down wiring (components below the TV) for two mounted flat-screens (family room and sitting room), 2 extra cable outlets, and 2 extra data ports (mostly we'll count on wi-fi).
And, we did go for the security system. I've never had one and never had an issue (we're moving 5 miles away to a quieter neighborhood), but still we decided to try it for a year. Guardian is installing for free since we signed a 1-year contract. I'll be interested to see if we keep the service active after that.
Anyone already have security systems and love (or hate) them?
1-year contract? I think we had to sign for 2 or3!
ReplyDeleteI had ADT before. It is good peace of mind especially for the fire and smoke detectors in case you cannot call the fire department or if you have pets and you are away.
ReplyDeleteLooking at more of a do it yourself kind of system this time around with a UL listed monitoring service (Home Security Store):
http://ravennaspeed.blogspot.com/2012/04/home-alarm-system.html
The contract we were offered was also a multiple year contract.
ReplyDeleteI decided to go with a Moat and Sharks.. no long term contract, just regular feeding required.. =)
ReplyDeleteI double-checked with the husband and it was definitely 1 year. It is so bizarre to me how much variation there is in these things area-to-area. Frankly, I'm not sure I would have committed to a multi-year contract, but 1 year didn't seem too bad.
ReplyDeleteJames and Megan - It took me an embarrassingly long time to get that joke. Note to self: need more sleep.
Go with the added security of both lions and sharks in the moat :-)
ReplyDeleteThose cost extra! Everything is an upgrade!
DeleteSign for 10 years and they are both "free" :-)
DeleteWJ - I was trying to make you feel a bit better, we also went with the home security, having dogs that get left alone I wanted a peace of mind and its not a huge extra cost. It is a single year contract for us as well.
ReplyDelete