The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

I am in the process of closing on my house at the end of this month.  I have the home already pre-wired for an alarm system, I am wondering if anyone has any experience with TNT Security Services.  Its a local company off of 51st and I44.  They are by far the cheapest I have come across quoting $26.99 a month for monitoring service through our cell phones rather then the traditional land line?

have any recommendations? companies I should stay away from?

Thanks!

TNT is completely awesome. I use them and everyone I know with a monitored alarm uses them and loves them. They are local owned, local monitored, and bend over backwards to stay affordable. They install alarm systems for basically cost and they don't do that "free alarm with 8 year contract" thing.

We use TNT as well. Can't say enough good things about them. They are great! ADT sucks.

Another story to share with TNT. I had a false alarm while I was out of town when a hallway door that wasn't closed all the way swung open when the A/C kicked on. TNT called me, discussed my options and even called a friend of mine on the phone and walked him through looking for the cause and resetting my alarm system.

I've had a handful of other false alarms due to forgetting to disarm it. My phone was usually ringing by the time I got the alarm reset.

Stay away from Guardian.   Great company as long as you are a client.  

Ever want to leave or discontinue service?   Not gonna happen without a penalty.   Long story short...  Wife signed up before we were married.    somewhere in the fine print it says that they can automatically renew your contract for another year if you don't give them 30 days notice in writing before the auto-renewal date.

Now I make sure she reads all the fine print.   (And disputed the charges with my bank after they kept taking the monthly payments out even after we canceled.)

Alarm Relay is $8.95/month if you need another option.

http://monitoring.homesecuritystore.com/

I will be sure to check into the ones mentioned above.  Thanks for the replies guys/gals.  I did like the fact that wireles monitoring through my cell phone was only 26.99 a month with TNT vs 47.99(on avg) through any other company.

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Originally posted by inteller

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Originally posted by TUalum0982

I will be sure to check into the ones mentioned above.  Thanks for the replies guys/gals.  I did like the fact that wireles monitoring through my cell phone was only 26.99 a month with TNT vs 47.99(on avg) through any other company.

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uh, what do you do when you take your cell phone with you?

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It's not through his cell phone, what he meant to say is that it is through cell towers. They have a cellphone module for alarms.

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Originally posted by inteller

Security Alarms Co of Muscogee.  They are like $10 a month if you pay in advance.

Good service, based on a few false alarms that i've created they have a faster response time than places like ADT.  They've called my land line and two cells faster than ADT could get around to just the landline.

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I had a terrible experience with Security Alarms at my business and stopped using immediately. I found out the hard way you get what you pay for and lucky for me it didn't turn out to be a bigger problem.  

I now use Advanced Alarms and very happy about all aspects of their service. AA costs more, but in my opinion, their service is better in all aspects than Security Alarms.

We just had our alarm fixed by Guardian. While the tech was here I asked how hard it was to program the alarm so that it just rings our cell phone when the alarm is tripped. He said it was easy...at least for the hardware we have (a DSC PC1832 system). When the alarm is tripped, it can call our cell phone and give us one, two, or three (etc.) beeps to indicate which zone had been violated.

After our contract runs out, we might cancel the paid monitoring and just have our system call our cell phone when the alarm is tripped. I'd rather call 911 myself than have the alarm company contact the police anyway. The response time is too slow to make it worthwhile. Once, a contractor accidentally tripped the panic button on our system when we weren't home. When the police came, the contractor just told the officer what happened and the officer never questioned his story.

If you do use Guardian, you might be able to negotiate a lower rate. We had been their customer for a couple of years and we told them we were going to cancel and switch to Security Systems who advertises $10/month in the yellow pages. Guardian lowered our montly rate to $9.99 after that. It is true, however, that the contract renews automatically, so the *only* time you can cancel is on your contract anniversary -- and you have to do it in writing a month in advance.

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Originally posted by joebaloney

After our contract runs out, we might cancel the paid monitoring and just have our system call our cell phone when the alarm is tripped.

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Unscrupulous monitoring companies may use a feature on your alarm panel known as "installer lockout" which will prevent you or a competing  company from changing the old company's programming.

Sometimes the easiest route is to order a new panel, but the DSC Power 1832 control you have is one of the newest, state-of-the-art systems and you shouldnt have to tolerate a monitoring company holding it hostage.

If your old alarm company locked you out of your own property, and wont restore it at no charge please report them to the BBB.

Another satisfied TNT user here, they have been nice and responsive and the price is great. The install was so cheap and the house already had several sensors that I was able to install a couple extra window sensors for free.

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Originally posted by EricP

Another satisfied TNT user here, they have been nice and responsive and the price is great. The install was so cheap and the house already had several sensors that I was able to install a couple extra window sensors for free.

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They want 600 dollars for the system and 26.99 for the wireless monitoring.  I already paid 200 for the house to be prewired for the alarm.  600 seems somewhat high to me, but none the less I will go with them.

Thanks for the reply!

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Originally posted by TUalum0982

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Originally posted by EricP

Another satisfied TNT user here, they have been nice and responsive and the price is great. The install was so cheap and the house already had several sensors that I was able to install a couple extra window sensors for free.

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They want 600 dollars for the system and 26.99 for the wireless monitoring.  I already paid 200 for the house to be prewired for the alarm.  600 seems somewhat high to me, but none the less I will go with them.

Thanks for the reply!

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Depends what all you're getting. I paid almost that and I have pretty much the minimal system.

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Originally posted by sgrizzle

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Originally posted by TUalum0982

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Originally posted by EricP

Another satisfied TNT user here, they have been nice and responsive and the price is great. The install was so cheap and the house already had several sensors that I was able to install a couple extra window sensors for free.

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They want 600 dollars for the system and 26.99 for the wireless monitoring.  I already paid 200 for the house to be prewired for the alarm.  600 seems somewhat high to me, but none the less I will go with them.

Thanks for the reply!

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Depends what all you're getting. I paid almost that and I have pretty much the minimal system.

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well like I mentioned earlier, it has the capability of using a wireless signal instead of a land line, 1 motion senser, all the doors/windows (22) total with sensors, 2 keypads and 2 keychain remotes to arm/disarm the alarm and open the garage door as well.  I drive a different car every 3-5 days from work I would most definitely lose a remote that attaches to the visor.  

Thanks for the help

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Originally posted by TUalum0982

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Originally posted by sgrizzle

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Originally posted by TUalum0982

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Originally posted by EricP

Another satisfied TNT user here, they have been nice and responsive and the price is great. The install was so cheap and the house already had several sensors that I was able to install a couple extra window sensors for free.

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They want 600 dollars for the system and 26.99 for the wireless monitoring.  I already paid 200 for the house to be prewired for the alarm.  600 seems somewhat high to me, but none the less I will go with them.

Thanks for the reply!

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Depends what all you're getting. I paid almost that and I have pretty much the minimal system.

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well like I mentioned earlier, it has the capability of using a wireless signal instead of a land line, 1 motion senser, all the doors/windows (22) total with sensors, 2 keypads and 2 keychain remotes to arm/disarm the alarm and open the garage door as well.  I drive a different car every 3-5 days from work I would most definitely lose a remote that attaches to the visor.  

Thanks for the help

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Yeah, that's a much more elaborate system than I have. I think ours was 200-300 with a coupon they ran a while back, but totals 2 motions, 2 windows, 2 glassbreaks, and I think 4 doors. None of this 22 doors stuff :P Because of an existing system I was able to reuse several of the components and add others for free.

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Originally posted by TUalum0982


well like I mentioned earlier, it has the capability of using a wireless signal instead of a land line, 1 motion senser, all the doors/windows (22) total with sensors, 2 keypads and 2 keychain remotes to arm/disarm the alarm and open the garage door as well.  I drive a different car every 3-5 days from work I would most definitely lose a remote that attaches to the visor.  

Thanks for the help

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Yeah, I only paid for 4 pins instead of 22 and wired instead of wireless.

The remotes rock. Word of warning though, DO NOT press lock and unlock at the same time. My kids discovered that one. That activates "panic mode."

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Originally posted by sgrizzle

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Originally posted by TUalum0982


well like I mentioned earlier, it has the capability of using a wireless signal instead of a land line, 1 motion senser, all the doors/windows (22) total with sensors, 2 keypads and 2 keychain remotes to arm/disarm the alarm and open the garage door as well.  I drive a different car every 3-5 days from work I would most definitely lose a remote that attaches to the visor.  

Thanks for the help

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Yeah, I only paid for 4 pins instead of 22 and wired instead of wireless.

The remotes rock. Word of warning though, DO NOT press lock and unlock at the same time. My kids discovered that one. That activates "panic mode."

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LOL that's what they told me when they did the initial estimate.  I had forgotten about that till you mentioned it.  Just got off the phone with David Miller with TNT and they will be installing it the 1st of Feb.  Thanks again guys.

I looked into using TNT to replace Guardian, and despite what their website says about monitoring existing systems the salesman I talked to insisted I would have to install one of their new Honeywell systems before they would monitor me.

I had asked for a new account number and communicator number to program into my system, and the salesman had no clue as to what that was.  He said they had to use Honeywell because only Honeywell would make weekly test calls and identify zones.  When I told him my DSC panel made weekly test calls and identified zones in the universal SIA format that ALL panels use, he said he "didnt monitor SIA panels" only Honeywell.

So it was really about selling a less capable, more expensive panel I knew I didnt need.  Never mind the real money is in the years of monitoring fees. 
So if you want to start from scratch with new keypads and panels, be locked out of the programming (and have to pay them to come out and make the simplest changes) and deal with people with little understanding of their own systems...

Wow, TNT's fees are outrageous. I pay $26.99 a month to have my (split) system monitored, and they did the basic install (with a cell backup) for free, but it was wireless. I did have to pay them $70 for a monitored smoke detector, since my SO wanted one and it wasn't included in the free installation price.

As far as switching monitoring companies goes, there are several who advertise on the various DIY alarm forums for less than $13 a month (I think that's landline only, cell costs more). Of course, you have to know how to program the system to call them instead of Guardian or whoever is currently monitoring your system.

I think Guardian would be surprised to learn that their DSC systems don't make weekly test calls or identify alarm zones. Unfortunately for TnT, Guardian's monitoring employees must be clairvoyant since they have managed to tell me which zone set off the alarm on the few occasions I've accidentally set it off. What I don't get is why Guardian bothers to install an alarm system if their employees have remote viewing capability. Wouldn't it just be cheaper to forgo the hardware and have a bunch of people sitting around in a quiet room using their mental powers to monitor their clients?

One of the things that irritates me about TNT is if you cancel the monitoring service, they completely disable the alarm.  While not as good as being able to have TPD respond when the burglars kick in the door, and getting a call to let you know, it does generally run off the bad guys.  If money is tight and you have to kill your monitoring service then it's nice to at least be able to turn on the noise maker. 

Seriously? Do they also claim to own the alarm?

They didn't make any claim on that, but sent a remote signal that disabled it when we cancelled last year for a little while. 

A lot of panels allow remote programming via callback, but ethically it is used to fix problems without having to make a service call, not to disable a piece of equipment you own.  That would be like Cox cable killing your TV set because you would rather use an antenna.
Id really like to spend my money locally, but TNT is definitely out of the running.

How is TNT outrageous? I pay almost half that and no contract.


TNT always knows which zone is going off on mine.

I'm paying what TUalum was quoted yet paid nothing for the system and get monitoring at two street addresses.

My point was that TNT's claim that DSC systems don't tell the central station which zone has been alarmed is pure bunk. Either that or Guardian employs psychics.

If you want inexpensive monitoring and own your system, the best thing to do is get service from one of the companies that advertise on the intarwebs. $8-12  a month is pretty common for them. Your alarm company, unless you buy direct from one of the companies that owns their own monitoring station pays $6-$8 a month to the monitoring company. Anything you pay over that is going into the installer's pocket, either as pure profit or to pay for the "free" installation/equipment.

If you're paying more than $10-$12 a month and you paid outright for your system, you're paying too much.

If you have cellular monitoring, up to a couple bucks a month more is appropriate. There's a (very small) monthly cost to the alarm company to keep it active.

TNT is the only local monitoring company, I pay TNT not just because of supporting a local company, but because I want the person responding to my alarm to know where Tulsa is.

I think Guardian Security Systems is also local, and headquarted here in Tulsa at 2448 East 81st Street.

That's true, Guardian's communicator number is local (836 exchange) but their service isnt what it used to be so just because they are in Tulsa is not a reason to use either Guardian or TNT. 

I have had nothing but success with TNT.  After talking with several other alarm companies last month at a home show, I believe I got a very good deal and one of the best installs for any job we have ever had. 

I dropped my keys (with alarm remote on keychain) into the toilet.  Called up TNT to say it didnt work,they replaced it free of charge, no questions asked, nothing.

Anyways, not every company is going to have all positive or all negative reviews, but my personal experience with TNT has been nothing but GREAT.

Guardian is based in OKC. Tulsa is a sales/service office.

Weird, since their webpage (http://www.csg-guardian.com/) says "Our home office is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma".

Better Business Bureau lists their office as OKC and their VP of sales has a 405 area code number. That's what I was going off of.

I heard TNT sold out to a company located outside of Oklahoma and will be moving the monitoring away from Tulsa.  Sorry for lack of details.  Can anyone confirm?

There's a monitoring company in Minneapolis, MN that has taken a ton of the monitoring contracts.  They have massive complex with redundant server systems, multiple fiber connections and a 99.9% uptime rating.  They charge local companies between $4 - $6 a month wholesale to monitor each contract.  Most monitoring companies can't compete with that.

I know several around the state that use them.

They dont deal with individual accounts but rather with local alarm installers (that dont actually do thier own monitoring but act as middlemen and mark up $$).
They can pretty much monitor anything, DSC, Honeywell, etc. since the communicator protocols are universal.

TNT still the company to go with in everyone's opinion?

Thanks for any advice.

That depends.  Do you want just monitoring, or someone to come out and work on your system?

If it's just monitoring, I would go with one of the dedicated monitoring companies with 800 numbers or IP.

Probably not the best endorsement of a local alarm company:

http://www.newson6.com/story/15177403/tulsa-burglars-used-new-twist-in-home-break-in

Burglars killed power at the meter, but instead of the alarm sending a trouble signal to the monitoring company it apparently remained silent due to the battery being allowed to have run down. 
Low battery is one of those things alarm companies monitor, so either it was repeatedly ignored or there was an unreported equipment failure. 

(http://kotv.images.worldnow.com/images/15177403_BG2.jpg)

Yes, TNT is now located in Texas, I believe San Antonio. All monitoring is done in Texas. The guy that started it, Tim Carpenter, faked his own death in Arkansas... interesting story. He started TNT here in Okla, was a marketing genius so grew it quickly, then sold it 2 months ago (~8 million!). Oh...found a link to the story! It's interesting:   http://ozarksangel.blogspot.com/2005/07/self-abduction-of-tim-carpenter.html

I'm a fan of Guardian since their monitoring centers are both in Tulsa, well one in Owasso and one in Tulsa.

When I personally decided to get a security system, I just compared ADT, Guardian, and Holders. Met with all 3, didn't sign anything until after meeting with all 3, and chose Guardian based on up-front and per month pricing. Also I like the fact I can call the techs that installed my security system at any time, its not an 800 number, I get one of the two guys that installed it.... With ADT he was going to give me an 800 number...everyone knows how those operate. Also, based on the sheer size of ADT, their response times are slower than most of the smaller places... Every time I've accidentally set mine off I get a call within 30 seconds.

I personally went with All Tech (a rep of Guardian), if interested just do a search for All Tech security Tulsa. Their number pops up. 

When choosing an alarm company, when you interview the prospective sales/installer person..... here's a suggested list of questions:

If the service agreement is 3 years, what happens if we sell the house?
What initial costs are there, including equipment, installation, and police dept registration?
Does this installation include a glass break in every room of the house? Or is it motion detected? Also make the quote include the door to the garage, as well as front and back doors.
What is the average response time?
Does the security system include smoke detectors?
Once the contract is up, can the equipment be used as a stand-alone alarm…. Meaning the contract is complete, we are not paying the $35-41 a month, will an alarm still sound but the police will not be notified?
How long has the salesperson been with ADT/Holders/Guardian?
If I were to call in with questions, do I get an automated response or a live person? Where is this person? Oklahoma or nationwide? How long is the typical wait time if its an automated system. And... prove it.... have the sales person give you the number, call it...see first-hand.
Does the monthly price include cell phones? Meaning we don’t have a land-line, a cell phone will be the point of contact if the alarm goes off.
Who has access to my pin number? How do I know it's secure?

OOPS, it was Missouri

I have TNT now and had been considering changing. I don't care for places like Guardian who charge no less per month, yet want a 3 year contract. That was part of the reason I went with TNT to start with.

I just called several companies and asked questions and A&H Security sounds like the best so far for what I want.
http://www.ahsecurity.com/residential_alarm_systems.html

What's turned you off of TNT?

Can you give me a short summary of what you like about A&H?

Thanks for any info.

Grizz, I met the owners of A&H while working retail. They came in to buy furniture for their new offices here. They have a lifetime of experience and were ready to retire when the rest of the family persuaded them to pass the company along and remain as consultants so to speak. They were genuine people. I shared with them my experience with the TNT gang as a prospective employee. I simply would not work there.

They are worth interviewing. Nathan Hobbs is the president.

TNT:
1. My credit card was stolen so my monthly fee did not come out as scheduled. They sent me a note but I didn't have my new card yet, so they disabled my alarm. Not the monitoring, the whole friggin thing down to the door chime. I was able to call and get it reactivated.... the "next business day."
2. Monitoring has moved out of state or likely will
3. When there is a problem with the alarm (showing a weird code or something) you might as well ask Teddy Ruxpin for help than the overnight monitoring people.
4. Technician came out to reprogram my system for ten digit dialing, and offered to replace the battery in my system for me (which you can pick up at the office for $20) However, he said if he did it, it would be $65.
5. Cellular monitoring only available if you sign up for a hardware service plan
6. Many false alarms on motion detector, even when I had no pets. Tech who installed it said he could "adjust it if it had problems" so I called to have it adjusted. They said it's not adjustable.
7. Keychain remote for alarm broke. A likely $20 item. They said I had to buy a two-pack for $100 and pay them $65 to set it up.
8. Their "alarm monitoring center" is two desks in a room with a mirror for a wall so it looks bigger.
(http://www.tntsecurityservices.com/images/sample.jpg)
(You can see the same woman twice)

A&H
1. Lower monthly cost for cell monitoring (by about $10)
2. Salesperson I talked to the phone had an idea what an alarm was and how it's setup.
3. Service plan not required (a further cost savings over TNT)
4. Nicer keypads (says "FRONT DOOR" instead of "01" when alarm goes off)
5. Sytem controllable and monitorable by text message (others have iPhone apps which are comparable, but SMS can be more reliable than data service)
6. Lower equipment cost. Everyone is quoting me $200 just to add the cellular feature, A&H will replace the whole guts and keypads for that

They use what are known as "installer lockouts" which prevent anyone but them from reprogramming the alarm you own.   It is an anti-competitive practice that holds your panel hostage and prevents you from switching monitoring companies.

If you are ever in dispute, they silently dial into your panel and can re-program it at will, or shut it off completely.
Your consent to this is buried in the contract.  Look for it and ask that it be removed.

There are also some workarounds, like a Re-Director:
https://nextalarm.com/help/Wiki.jsp?page=NextAlarmGeneral


The installer code is a special four digit code used to enter an alarm system's programming mode. This is necessary in order to change the monitoring service the system will call when there is an alarm. The installer code is different from every other code. It is not the master code, or a user code, or any other code. The installer code is a completely separate code.

If you do not have the installer code for your alarm system, please contact the company that installed it, or the company that last monitored it. If you own your alarm system, you are entitled to have this code, and they should provide it. They may state that giving you the code is a security risk, because all their customers have the same installer code. In this case, ask them to set your alarm system to have a unique installer code. In most cases, they can do this over the phone, and do not need to come to your home.

Also, asking an alarm salesman to guarantee the response times of police is a bit silly, but as a rule of thumb a TPD response to an alarm with a permit is approximately one hour. 

Dont they still have that remodeled house on 21st & Pittsburgh across from the Golden Driller?  During the fair they parked one of their trucks in their yard and shone spotlights on it like it was a billboard.

They told me their monitoring was near 51st st.

I've been there, next-to-top floor of the spirit bank building at 51st & Harvard.

They appear to be blowing me off so it looks like I'll be looking around too.

Many Tulsans Pay Police Alarm Fee, But Non-Payers Get Same Service

Over the past 3½ years, Tulsa residents and businesses have paid more than $1 million in fees to a voluntary city program to ensure that police will be the first to respond to an intruder alarm on their property.
But because of a technical issue with the city’s 911 dispatch system, those who paid into the program have been receiving the same level of service as those who didn’t pay, an Oklahoma Watch investigation has found.

http://oklahomawatch.org/2017/03/08/many-tulsa-pay-police-alarm-fee-but-non-payers-get-same-service/

Have to say I'm not impressed with Protection 1 since they took over for TnT. Service is the same, but I've had billing issues that were a pain in the trump to straighten out.

I moved and got a new system using Guardian. My time with TNT/ASG/Protection 1 was getting worse every year. They kept billing me for things I didn't ask for and even billed me after I moved out, but "don't worry, we will credit that to your new house's service"

Pass.

Sounds about right.

I was of the understanding that fee (or license) was to also keep you for being charged if police responded to more than 3 (I think) false alarms at the property
.

Its changed a few times.  In 1995 the alarm fees were struck down but the city continued to collect them:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/alarm-fee-struck-down/article_23d067c3-39a9-5b55-a88d-84b5e36fb1ce.html

While in 2004 the money from the fees was being viewed as a slush fund for other projects:
 "I don't think this money would make a difference in the level of response that people receive. I do think that the (highway) lights are a public safety issue as well."
http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/security-fees-may-go-for-lights/article_2e41a656-a3b1-5681-8f9e-16e6fb6a7564.html


To add to the confusion:

When Mr. Dirickson got the call at work from his security company he rushed home.
"He said your alarm has gone off, should we send the police out there? By all means,” says Dirickson.

"They called back and said ‘well the police can't come out because you don't have a permit on file,” says Dirickson.
To cut down on false alarms officers will only be dispatched to your home if you’ve registered your security system.

Officers will respond to your home regardless if you have a First Response Certificate if you hit the ‘panic’ button, a neighbor hears your alarm and calls police or if you there is a crime in progress.

Police say if you have three false alarms in one year your permit is suspended and your alarm company must inspect it to make sure it is working properly. If you have three more false alarms the city will revoke your permit and you’ll have to pay the $30 registration fee. Police say this fee has been in place for years.
http://www.fox23.com/news/breaking-news/a-permit-needed-for-tpd-to-respond-to-alarms/254392049


...and yes the article is contradictory.  In practice, alarms *by themselves* are put on the lowest response tier unless a neighbor also calls in, yet just last week in my neighborhood, a police response to an empty house resulted in the capture of a burglar, and it was a silent motion detector alarm.

If you are fortunate enough to have an alarm that can be upgraded to IP monitoring (over the internet) there are lots more options for monitoring companies.