I agree that the discount is somewhat BS, but it does exist (my insurance company even told me about it) so it’d be silly to not at least look into it. Besides – is it really such a bad thing to have a little peace of mind in the event someone DOES try to break in?

I really don’t like any of the larger security companies (ADT, Brinks, etc) – they don’t really appeal to me, there’s nothing all that compelling about what they offer.

I can go the DIY route, buying and installing my own system and hardware and paying for monitoring (about $9/month) but the hardware can get fairly expensive if you get all the bells and whistles. The upside is once you pay for it, you own it and can take it with you when you move.

I did look into the monitoring – it’s with a UL listed central station, and looks legit. Initially the low cost bothered me, until you make the realization that the inflated costs passed on to consumers by traditional companies like ADT and Brinks often go to paying for employees and technicians to maintain the equipment.If you don’t have to worry about those costs you can pass that savings on to the consumer.

The other route I’m now considering is alarm.com. A friend of mine told me about them and said one of his friends uses them and likes them a lot. I’ve read good reviews from other “tech heads” who also really like the capabilities of the system (I like them myself), but also the “awesome” customer service. I have an inquiry in with them regarding pricing (both for installation and for monitoring service), so will know for sure soon enough whether they’re worth pursuing.

They offer web access, enabling users to arm, disarm, and monitor their system from anywhere in the world through the ‘net. Their panel hooks up to the central station via GSM/GPRS – so it’s not reliant on the phone line for service (phone lines can be cut, essentially disabling the alarm system – as can internet feeds).

They offer their services through Frontpoint Security (amongst other dealers), but I’m not sold on it yet.