Anyone have any suggestions on a "do it yourself" house alarm like what is needed and where to get it?

There's a wide range of devices. For small apartments or single room protection, there are clock radio sized motion sensing alarms. They offer portability and convenience, but are silenced with a $1 hammer. Next up, there are battery powered sensors that use RF to a central alarm unit, so that doors, windows and motion sensors can be utilized without new wiring. Remote systems allow you to place the alarm unit wherever is best. The downside is keeping track of the batteries in each sending unit and the size of the sensors.

Hardwired units are typically part of monitored systems (you pay a monthly fee) but they can be installed to be pretty discrete.

A dog works pretty good. And doubles nicely as a pet. A german shepard is smart enough to not get distracted by a piece of meat, and will bark at whoever is getting in, while you reach for the shotgun...

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1985 300D, 237k.
1994 F-350, 6.9 diesel, 5 spd manual, Banks Turbo. 261k.
Sold: 1985 300CD- 267K

You can install your own security system.

http://www.safemart.com/index.asp?Pa...1&oid=2&scid=0

I installed my own. Its totally wireless, you can have it monitor 24 different wireless sensors (doors, windows, motion detectors, etc) and hook it up to your phone where it will call you in case any of the sensors are tripped. You don't need ADT to monitor it for you.

I also installed two 120db sirens outside; however, I had to install a couple of relays with separate power supplies for each siren because the brains of the GE Simon system doesn't have the horsepower to provide the adequate power to each siren. It was no big deal doing this.

The GE Simon requires some time to set up and works like a professionally installed system. I'm very happy with it.

Check your ordinances in your area though...

...alarm horns are not to be installed outside of the dwellings in our community...probably due to the number of "falses" emanating from 120db horns at night. Installs here require mounting the horn(s) somewhere in the attic area. The monitoring service, and maybe the neighbors know when there is a breach, and eventually the cops, but no one else will be clued in to a break-in in progress.

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

I have the sirens inside the attic facing outside in the gable roof peaks.

As for ordinances, I want that alarm to make a raket if I'm broken in. Ordinances aren't going to replace property if I'm broken into if no one can hear a small siren. It does no good to have a small wimpy siren that you an only hear inside the house. Burglars don't like to attract attention, so the more siren noise the better!

Plus the alarm system calls my cell phone, not a monitoring service. This avoids the time delay for the monitoring service to call the home, then call the police. Plus I save $ for monitoring it myself.

In my system, which is hard-wired, I have a ultra-loud siren (don't remember the db - but it's REAL loud) tucked up waay inside a A/C return plenum.

It makes so much noise that you think your ears are gonna bleed. The idea is that even if they get in, they won't want to stay in - unless of course, they brought ear-plugs - in which case - help yourself, sir/madam.

So true, my friend is a robbery detective and I asked him if my alarm system is adequate; he said absolutely your system of 4 dogs is impenetrable but any alarm system is fairly easy to disable.

I do have a cellular system to call the police or fire but he said they a can be easily jammed.

Did ya'll look at it from the perspective that the dude just may be wanting to save on his homeowner's?

I have a detective (sometimes ) friend that says the alarm stickers I have on the window and the sign in the front yard are more effective than the doberman or guns, because the *******s see the sign and move on to a house without one. And I don't have an alarm.