APN Alarm Co

Cameras is real bad.. keep on shutting off trying to find networks service and take the technician to come out over a week. All the money I spent I could’ve gone with someone else.

APN technician arrived first thing in the morning and completed the system installation in one day. He had to return to make the internet settings to allow remote viewing by my cell phone. Unfortunately I had misplaced my router password so he had to reschedule for another day and it took about 10 days to make the connection. The systems works great but I think it's a little overpriced even though it did take some effort for the installation. The work was very professionally done. I chose APN because they also installed by intrusion alarm system several years ago.

For years, we paid them about $25/month for alarm monitoring services. Then, I came to find out there are cheaper monitoring services available. Just Google "alarm monitoring" and you'll see ways you can have your system monitored for far less than $25/month. I asked APN if they could match some of the other competing alarm monitoring company's lower fees. They couldn't but came close so I decided to stick with them for a few more years. To get the lower monthly fee, I had to pay annually so I was essentially locking myself in for a year. Ok, so everything sounds good right? Well, it was until I decided that we didn't need to pay for monitoring services anymore because we simply didn't use the alarm system enough to justify it. When I called to end my service, I was informed that my contract had AUTOMATICALLY renewed for 5 YEARS! I said what? I didn't renew anything much less for 5 years. They said it was in the original contract. (please read the fine print) I said that was B.S. and after giving my money to them for about 8 years, they try to stick me with a bill to "buy out" the rest of my contract for 5 additional years. Can you believe that? All I was trying to do was terminate my service with them. To make a long story short, I had to hire a consumer lawyer to assist me with these chumps. Once they saw that I was not relenting and decided to fight them on it and was willing to take them to court, only then did they give up. So here's a summary. I think it's fair to have a contract for a certain period of time. In our case, the original contract was for 5 years which we satisfied and went beyond. it's typical for an alarm company to give you a cheap installation and make up for it with a long-term contract for monitoring services. That's were the money is made. However, who in the right mind would sign a contract if they knew it was going to renew for 5 years automatically? nobody of course. After you finish your 2 year term for your cell phone contract, do they automatically lock you in for another 2 years? no, you get to go month to month after that. If you get poor service, you can switch. However, APNs game is to lock you in for another 5 years and try to make you "buy out" the remainder of your renewal contract. It's very unsavory tactics. Unfortunately, alarm companies are famous for this. Some law firms have considered class action suits because it's such a widespread problem across the U.S. try to google it and you'll see. My advice is to decided whether you'll really use the alarm. In our case, we just never used it nearly enough to justify the cost. Also, make sure your contract does not have any automatic renewals. Some states have enacted legislation to protect consumers from these multi-year automatic renewals. Unfortunately, Hawaii does not have this legislation, so be aware. Read the contract before signing and specifically ask the sales agent if the contract automatically renews!

The conversion went well. APN came in and converted the old GE (but still functional) system to the new Honeywell Lynx system. The new alarm system can be activated through a smart phone and the internet. The initial phone and internet setup had some glitches, but it seems to be working fine now. It was probably due to the server that particular day. The only issue encountered is that originally I was told that the new alarm system could be connected to a secondary speaker/siren located upstairs. While it was not necessary, the secondary speaker/siren would ensure a backup warning system in case the intruder disabled the primary speaker/siren located in the control panel close to the garage door. I was told that the new alarm system could be connected to the secondary speaker/siren for an additional fee. I decided it was unnecessary. I consider this to be a minor issue and was probably due to the inexperience of the sales person. Overall, it was a good experience and a very good value.

They installed 2 motion detectors which is only set off by a person --- not a gecko or high winds, and 27 window sensors, 4 doors. They are neat & clean. Just one installer did the whole house. Diligent and worked right through, had to tell him to take a break for lunch. After the installation, gave me thorough instructions on the keypad and made me practice using it even though there is a manual & CD with instructions. You will also need to file a police alarm registration permit and he helped with that also. When all was said and done, there is a feeling of extreme relief that my home again is now a very safe place to be whether I'm at home sleeping or whether I'm away on a vacation. And, if there are any attempts, the response time is 11 minutes for the police to arrive. So day 1 after the install, my husband who didn't listen carefully to instructions for the key alarm, armed the house while I was still sleeping. There are 2 settings. One for arming all doors, windows, motion detector. The second setting arms just the doors & windows so anyone inside can move around freely without setting off the motion detector. Much like Ft. Knox. The key alarm shows the 2 icons with a person leaving a house and the second icon with a. person IN THE HOUSE. He was supposed to hit the 2nd icon. But, in his rush to leave, he hit the first icon. So as soon as I got up & started moving, the alarm went off. I quickly went to the keypad, punched in my code and the alarm stopped. 3 minutes later, I got a phone call from my husband. The alarm company had called him to tell him there was an intrusion and he had to tell them our code word to signify that it was ok. It WORKS!!!