Dumping ADT

Okay I've had it with ADT charging $600 a year, for doing nothing.
So my question is what do I need to do to prepare my move from ADT? To possible do this on my own? On a side note, I've noticed that Smarthome.com offers monitoring for $8.99 a month. Does anybody use this service? I might look into it just from the stand point that our insurance requirers professional monitoring....

$50/mo? That's crazy.

The biggest issue is, do you own the system or does ADT? If they own it, you'll have to rip out the panel and any proprietary sensors and replace them. If you own it, you should be able to get the installer and dealer codes from them and they change your monitoring over. I suspect, based on your monthly cost, this is a leased system and was installed for basically free.

I paid for the alarm system install as part of building the house. So it's all mine.

I use AlarmRelay.com, which is who smarthome.com actually uses. That price is for land line monitoring. Since I have a cellular monitoring connection, I pay $19.95/mo, which includes all the cell carrier charges, plus Alarm.com website and app access.

Hi Joe,

Yeah I know, and they tried to justify the cost to me by saying they've been in business for over 50 years and have an A+ rating with the BBB. I didn't follow her reasoning and she was unable to explain in terms that made any sense to me.

I own the system, but I'm sure ADT is not going to hand over the codes to the system. the ADT rep was telling me they were going to change the codes and I'm not to use the system so I unplugged the Pulse box. The system has a cellular unit because I do not have a land line in my house. And I'm pretty sure the sensors are all z-wave. But not sure yet.

Do you think I can tie this ADT system into Indigo? Thats kinda what I'm after at this stage.
Is the system you have being monitored by AlarmRelay and tied into Indigo?

Thanks

...Do you think I can tie this ADT system into Indigo? ...

Probably. ADT do not make their own systems. Instead, they use systems from the major vendors. If you can't figure out which system you have, take a picture of the main board and post it here.

Yes, my system is monitored by AlarmRelay and connected to Indigo. For the Indigo connection, I have a serial interface in addition to the cellular one. Mine is a GE/Interlogix Concord 4. Pretty much all major alarm panels have an integration interface, via either serial or IP. There are a couple of Indigo plugins out there. I know there's a DSC one in addition to the Concord4 one.

My homebrew system run through Indigo and is a work in progress, but so far is working as well or better than a monitored system. In my case, the prior owner of the house had magnetic switches run from all the doors and windows hardwired into a closet during construction, but never installed a security system. I simply wired up an rPi's GPIOs to all 22 of the contacts and use Karl's piBeacon plugin to monitor them. I'm still playing with a mix of Z-wave motion sensors, but those are all $30 to $50 each if you want to toss the ADTs and start fresh there. I've also got a Z-wave glass break on order; I'll have to test it's range once it gets here to see if I need 3, 4, or 6 of them to get complete coverage... I currently use the pushover plugin to send alerts to me and my brother through our standard internet connection, but am thinking of possibly doing an "addaline" on our family cell plan and turning that into a separate subnet just for remote monitoring Indigo and the ubiquiti security cams since we never come close to using the shared data limit and have banked all the rollover data they allow. At the house, the 4G generally stays up in bad weather... the Satellite internet does not.

Thanks for everyones help with this. This is a photo of the ADT mainboard to help figure out my options, and what type/manufacture I have.

Thanks,

Ok, the main board (bottom) is an Ademco Vista-20P. The top board is an Ademco Honeywell SA5881-6NECRH 5881 Wireless Receiver Module.

Ok, the main board (bottom) is an Ademco Vista-20P.

@Indy_Larry , take a look at the ad2usb plugin

... I'm pretty sure the sensors are all z-wave...

Probably not. They are most likely Honeywell 5800 modules designed to work with the 5881 Wireless Receiver Module identified by @FlyingDiver. However, the good news is with the ad2usb plugin you can access those modules and use them as triggers for Indigo actions.

Thanks guys,

So I'm ordering the NuTech AD2USB adaptor. I already have wire running from the alarm box to the area that I have my Indigo server. I have also found the programers code and if that no longer lets me in then I found how to reset to default to gain access.
But I have a question about when it comes to programing the system. Both of my keypads are Honeywell 6150 and I'm reading that I'll need a Honeywell 6160 keypad. Is the virtual keypad I'll have access to on my Mac able to program the system? If not, it looks like I can do it through the terminal. How hard is it to do using the terminal?

@berkinet I'll be getting that plugin once I have the module connected. Thanks,

Thanks guys,

So I'm ordering the NuTech AD2USB adaptor.

I would suggest the ad2pi if you can afford it.

I would suggest the ad2pi if you can afford it.

It looks like they are out of stock,

I would suggest the ad2pi if you can afford it.

It looks like they are out of stock,

It isn't that hard to make your own. NuTech makes the system image available. Give them a call or post on their forums for more information.

...I have a question about when it comes to programing the system. Both of my keypads are Honeywell 6150 and I'm reading that I'll need a Honeywell 6160 keypad. Is the virtual keypad I'll have access to on my Mac able to program the system?...,

You can use the Mac command line (terminal) with the ad2usb or the mono GUI for the Mac (available from NuTech). If you get the Pi, you can use the terminal program that comes with it

I would suggest the ad2pi if you can afford it.

Hey @Berkinet wondering if you know, does the $70 AD2pi board come with the plastic case? Or will I need to order a different one from Amazon or eBay. I won't be able to fit the add-on board in my current pi case. This will teach my son not to leave his toys at home while he's off at college.....