AlarmForce

My last home was protected by another service provider - an integrated burglar and fire / carbon monoxide detection system. When I moved into my new house, I decided to give Alarm Force a shot. I purchased an extra keypad for the garage door and added some motion detectors and signed up for a multi year contract (my mistake).

What I didn't consider at the time was the need to integrate smoke detectors (it was included in my previous house). I called Alarm Force after and they said there's no way to incorporate the existing smoke / carbon system into their monitored system, and that I'd have to buy theirs. They quoted me an unbelievably high price - it would have nearly doubled my total cost for the 3 year contract that signed up for. Also, I want to comment on their disappointing design of the keypad. There is no "Status" display other than a light that stays on for a couple of seconds when you arm or disarm it. A permanent status display would would be very helpful so you could simply look at the keypad and know if the alarm is set or not. We already have had 2 false alarms because I opened the door to let the dog out when the alarm was set to "HOME". Would it have been too hard to have a small LED to show the status - with a "Light" button to see it at night? The customer service rep said that since it was battery operated, they couldn't do that without killing the battery frequently... I looked down at my LED watch and wondered how it could display the time constantly and I haven't changed my watch battery in two years...

Overall, I think their 2-way protection is a good idea, and Alarm Force has a good market strategy... but I think they need some work on their product (and their customer service - which was disingenuous at best).