Post Alarm Systems Review

Does Outdated Mean

Founded in 1956, these guys know their niche.  But seeing very slow growth over decades of time isn’t a great business indicator.  By the end of this review; we hope you can decide whether slow and steady wins the race in the case of home security or if it’s better to go with a newer and more innovative company with better technology.  Just by looking above at their logo, we can definitely say it’s time for a company makeover.

Post Alarm Systems is a local alarm company based in southern California (the office is in Arcadia) and serving both residential and commercial accounts in that area. This is a family ran operations and proud of it!  The company was founded in 1956 by Sam Post and his grandchildren run the company today. They pride themselves in using the best alarm system installers and in offering the most personalized alarm systems. They also offer a few extra services unique to them.

Table shown of the services they offer both to residential or other businesses

Here’s a glance at the ups and the downs of Post Alarm

Pros:

• Long-established business that will likely be servicing you for many years to come
• Company hires professional installers who have to pass testing to get hired; often HVAC certified
• No long-term contracts
• Specialized services such as the alarm screens and drive-by security patrols
• Local monitoring station 24/7 that has received several awards for the excellence of their service
• They do offer access to your system over a smart phone or over the computer
• Because you purchase your equipment, you can take it with you if you move

Cons:

• Have to buy all your equipment up front with no idea of how much the service is going to cost
• Restricted business hours and extra costs if you need help beyond those
• Systems communicate primarily through radio or land-line
• The panels they offer are an older style.
• You do much of the maintenance of your account, such as updating contacts or changing passcodes, through email or mail rather than calling in, meaning that it takes time for changes to become effective.

Custom quoted Packaging

Because every system is completely designed for each home and business, they do not have a pre-set package that they offer on their website.  Companies such as Frontpoint offer set packages but then allow you to add extra sensors as needed per location.  However, they offer video services, fire, burglary, carbon monoxide, and medical alerts. If you call them to get an estimate, they come to your home or business, analyze the floor plan, your needs, and design a package specific to you. This is very helpful if you have unusual circumstances or a large home or business that will need more sensors than most. However, it also means you really don’t have any idea how much things are going to cost before they come to give you an estimate. Additionally, they do not offer any sort of financing plan for equipment.

You can expect to pay upwards of $600+ to get all the equipment up front.  Your monitoring will be much less though because of this.  Most other security companies can offer ‘FREE equipment’ because they are having you commit to a 2-3 year agreement and you pay extra in monitoring.  Vivint recently came out with a leasing equipment package where you can choose as much security features as wanted and they are all rolled into the monitoring fee.  Depends what type of consumer you are; there are good and bad to each option.

Every account has to purchase their sensors and equipment upfront, so the initial investment can be quite expensive. Of course, there is an advantage to this method in that you are not tied into a long-term contract. Since you own the equipment and are only paying for monitoring, you can cancel your service at any time.  This is very unusual for alarm services and might be a selling point if you can afford to purchase all the equipment.

No products found.

One other feature that is very unique to them is alarm screens. With these, the manufacturer weaves wires into window and door screens.  The alarm is triggered if a burglar cuts the screens or removes them from their frames.  The advantage of this is that if you like leaving your doors or windows open during the day or at night, your home is still protected just as if the window were closed. These screens are custom built to your home. Unfortunately, as with all their equipment, no price is given on their website; but since screens vary so much in size, prices would probably be hard to post.

Security Patrol car shown.  For a fee; you can have them go by your home.  Much more affordable then hiring a guard directly.

Because they are a local alarm company, they also offer actual security patrols that will come around to your property if there is an alarm to verify that in fact there has been an event. This is designed to reduce false alarms and the hefty fees that often accompany them. Also, if you will be out of town, you can ask for the security patrols to drive by your home just to make sure everything is looking good, pick up your paper, and the like for an additional fee.  This is pretty sweet and if you live in California where the average cost of homes is very high, this is a fee worth paying to stay safe.

What are others saying?

As for customer reviews, there are a few on their website, all positive. However, by searching elsewhere, you can find some others. They have a 4.5/5 rating on Yelp with 88 reviews, 2/5 rating on consumersadvocate, and 4/5 on Google Reviews with 8 reviews.

A long history means they are doing something right

Like the giant ADT, Post Alarm systems is one of the few companies that can claim a long successful history in the security niche.  Another company that is stationed in California, Bay Alarm has a good history as well.  Protect America has been around 25 years and most others are right under 20 year mark.

Here is a screenshot taken from their website regarding the story of their history.

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Conclusion

Generally, Post Alarm Systems is a well-respected and well-liked alarm company that offers entire security systems for homes and businesses in southern California. They offer several unique features such as alarmed window and door screens and drive-by security guards, along with services you will find in other companies such as video cameras, medical alerts, and monitoring of your system on a smart phone or computer. Not every customer is satisfied, but the company does seem to make an honest effort to address their complaints and make the situation right.

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William Eames

William is a tech buff and former corporate security officer turned cybercrime analyst. Computers have few secrets left for him, but home security and alarm systems… Well, those have plenty of secrets for their users, which William is now uncovering and explaining. His articles on home security helped many people take the matter seriously, invest in highly performing systems, and avoid becoming victims of burglaries.

Last update on 2023-05-14 at 03:33 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API