We had an alarm sound off on our alarm system and they notified us right away. We tried to silence the alarm for a day to see if it would go away. It did not so they tested it and turns out that the battery was low. They came out first thing this morning to replace it. It was very quick and the technician, Ricky, was helpful and patient. It was free to replace! What a great value. read more

I have been using Alarm detection for about 36 years. I have had other offers from other alarm company who try to win me over. I will not even consider another company because I don't feed I will have the same service . Alarm Detection cares about their customers and does everything in their power to keep your as a happy customer. Russ , the service person is an extensive of their service. I am treated with dignity as well as feel that he is doing his utmost to keep me in the loop. all in all I am very glad that I am a customer of alarm Detection. roberta teitelbaum read more

I requested a service call to have my alarm panel box moved to a different location because I needed more space for a new fuse box installation. Russ came out and informed me that it would take quite a while to do the job and I authorized him to proceed at the quoted hourly rate. He showed me the challenges and ended up spending almost 6 hours on the job only for me to subsequently realize that my panel box was almost 30 years old and would not accept the new touch pad I also requested. He was very sensitive to my increasing concerns and his manager approved a cap of 4 hours for the labor costs, which I greatly appreciated. I realize that I will need to buy a new panel and touch pad and appreciate that ADS values positive customer relations and provides highly competent and caring serve professionals. read more

Jose came over on a service call and did an excellent job. Very conscientious and insisted on not leaving until the job was done even though there were items to be done at the central office level. Ask for Jose read more

We had a simple issue with our system in this home we bought. Even though the system was not Alarm Detection System's, they still walked me through a simple fix. Incredible customer service. read more

Issue has been resolved and I was a bit quick on my review which I should have not been so quick to post. Thank you ADS.

I bought my house from an estate sale, so there's more than a few things that have been a complete mystery as the explanation quite literally died with the previous owner. Anyway, one of the biggest mysteries is this unbelievably elaborate but quite ancient security system. I called these guys up since they were local, and basically said I didn't know anything about it other than it has their logo on it, but if they could get it working I'd sign up for whatever they offer. They dispatched a guy who spent hours at our house, tracing wires and trying to figure everything out and it eventually turned out that bringing this archaic system into the 21st century would be quite a large project. After going through it all, they offered a few different plans that I could go with, and there was no pressure beyond that. I actually felt really bad that they wouldn't let me pay them for their time, as the guy probably spent the whole afternoon at my house! read more

I have used ADS for approximately 20 years. I love that they are still a family-owned business and (here's the important part) answer their phone using humans in real time!!! Your issue is addressed immediately. I find them to be knowledgeable, reliable, in-tune to all new technological devices regarding alarm systems, and offer reasonable pricing. Their staff provide exceptional service, are honest and helpful. They let you know when they're coming, identify themselves and treat your home as if it was theirs. I am happy to recommend ADS. read more

They installed 3 cameras on 10/16, I had someone looking in our windows this February, no recording. Two days ago a expensive package was stolen, no video or image. I paid $1,800 for the 3 cameras! The tech came today, spent two hours on the phone setting up the app which had never been done correctly in the first place, because he didn't know how to do it. We just discovered by jumping up and down in front of a camera the tech never checked because they claimed everything work, and guess what? No recording of us, only one of the door slightly open. Second time, zero recording! The system only records for 10 seconds. I rely on this company cameras to protect my very young family of five! Useless! Also I called the dispatch today and got a full minute of music before anyone picked up! Don't buy their cameras! Safety first in my mind! Now I have to look for another service. Do I have a choice? read more

Very impressed with Mel Dant, the representative who came here today, and his high level of professionalism. Unlike the ADT person who came last week, Mel did not try any high pressure sales shenanigans. Hew simply gave us straight talk. Greatly appreciated and I look forward to being their newest customer. read more

We have had a security system at our home in Chicago from Alarm Detection Systems for at least two decades and I just wanted to write a review about how stellar their service and technician service is. Whenever there's been an issue, they have been able to quickly resolve it. We are having a new AC system put in our house and we needed to move one of our motion sensors. Our technician Nevil came out, provided suggestions, and had a new sensor replacement installed within minutes! Nevil had also been out a couple months back to resolve a technical problem (so technical, that I really didn't understand). He worked on this issue on the phone with his office and worked through it until it was resolved. This issue had to do with ADS equipment and there was no charge. Today, knowing that Nevil installed the new sensor, I know we won't have any problems. I highly recommend ADS!!! read more

My husband and I met with your security consultant, Cheryl Hayes, last week and we had our installation today. She really made us feel comfortable and even showed me how to use the app for my phone. We had a fire that we think was started by our cat a year ago and I feel so much better knowing that my house will be monitored when we are not home. Cheryl also made great suggestions to add a water monitor near our sump pump to protect our finished basement. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for home security. She gave me permission to list her phone number. 630-202-7729. Thanks Cheryl and Alarm Detection. read more

We had used ADS for many years in our previous home, and were so pleased with them, that when we moved to a new home we knew we wanted to use their services again. Heather came out and assisted us in figuring out the best way to secure our new home. She is incredibly knowledgeable, and helpful. And the new technology is amazing! Thanks ADS!! read more

We were considering a number of DIY home security options. At the end of the day, we felt more comfortable dealing on a personal level with local people we could trust. With the support of our friend John Spooner at Alarm Detection Systems, Heather Guthrie-Walkowiak came to our home, took us through our security options, and set us up with a package that served our needs without blowing up our budget. Then Heather got us scheduled quickly for our home install. Skip and Glenn put in a full day's hard work in getting our system installed and online. Once the install was completed, Heather and Skip made us comfortable in explaining how to operate our new home security system. All in all, we could not have asked for more from the total service experience we had with Alarm Detection Systems. Considering all the time and effort they put in from consultation to completion, I am so grateful that I did not try to DIY our home security. There is no way I could have set up anything like the system we have now, and we would not have had the service and support we get from ADS. We would not hesitate to continue to recommend ADS to our friends who are considering home security installation. read more

Best company ever for your alarm needs. Had ADT and switched. My plan covers everything. On a recent Comcast visit their technician removed a phone line that the alarm required. One call to Alarm Detection solved it. Every technician has been great. The prices are reasonable and the phone support is the best. Very happy with my decision to use ADS for the home. read more

I have been with ADS for many years. Always quickly responsive. A detector was recently showing low battery signal and when Josue came out to look at it, he checked out the whole system and replaced all batteries on his own. Excellent to work with. Pat M read more

Good luck if you hire these amateurs to protect your home. I had a false alarm at my property which I immediately disengaged. Minutes after alarm had been disengaged I called Alarm Detection Services and was placed on hold. After waiting on hold for several minutes, I had to hang up and call again. At this point, I already had local fire department at my front door which I will be billed for accordingly. When I called Alarm Detection back a THIRD time, I was told I would have to wait until tomorrow to speak with a manager. When manager finally did call me he had no recollection of a rep coming out a couple weeks earlier to provide an assessment of our system. Eventually manager handed me off to tech support because I could no longer engage system after false alarm. I'm pretty sure my smoke alarm is defective. The tech trying to help could not figure out problem and said my only option would be to bring out a service technician to troubleshoot at $265 for one hour. No thanks. All I want to know now is how soon can I switch security providers. read more

I have always had fantastic interactions when I call ADS - very professional, knowledgeable and helpful staff. Your technician, David, is absolutely awesome. Keep up the good work! read more

We never had a home alarm until we had pets. Now we wonder why we lived without one. We had ADS install a burglar and fire system in our home. I also have the app to arm and disarm the system. I added a Z wave thermostat to my phone app convenience. I love it and we also know we are protecting the pets when we are away and us while we sleep. Great experience with sales staff and customer service. Highly recommend! read more

Heather is fantastic at her job! Very knowledgable and helpful. She will go out of her way to satisfy the customer and make it a "wow" experience. There are many alarm companies out there but ADS is above and beyond all others. Heather makes the process so easy! read more

Cleaning out my files and ran across this - 7 years later! That gives you an idea how dissatisfied I am with this business. 7 years and I am still so mad at them I feel the need to post this. We started our business in 1981. Not sure when we signed up with ADS, but probably was 1985. We moved to a larger space in 1996, which required signing a new contract due to the change of address. Received a notice of a rate increase in 2002 from $200 to $210 per quarter. That increase prompted me to contact one of our neighbors and see what they were paying for a similar service which was $60/ quarter. Contacted ADS to find out I had a year contract that automatically renewed for another 5 years in 2001. Sure enough, section 5 of the terms and conditions of their contract (legal paper in VERY SMALL PRINT) has a 5 year contract that automatically renews unless you notify them by registered or certified mail 30 days prior to the renewal. No notice that the contract is up, no letter, no nothing. So I wrote them and told them I would not pay the increase and requested ADS terminate my contract. They would not terminate the contract and continued to charge me $200/quarter for another 4 years. $200/quarter times 4 quarters = $800 times 4 years = $3200. So, in my eyes, ADS stole $2240 from us. And just think how stupid I feel for overpaying them for 6 years. I really don't know how the people that work at ADS sleep at night. read more

I was interested in an alarm system for my home. I called around to the 'other' alarm companies that advertise to the point of annoyance and was treated like another order. Heather, my sales representative from ADS came to my home and actually listened to my NEEDS as opposed to selling me on a slew of unnecessary add ons. In addition to my impressive sales appointment, the installation of my new system went flawlessly. The technician was courteous and knowledgable. He even took it upon himself to recommend a better location for my control panel than I had planned for. All my questions were answered from beginning to end, making for an all around great experience with ADS. I highly recommend this company for its care and professionalism with its customers. read more

Kim Keating designed a burglar and fire alarm system to protect my family, pets and home. We use it every day! It's gratifying to know the knowledgeable and professional employees of ADS and Security-Master have my best interests in mind. www.adsalarm.com read more

I came home the other day to find a sticker from a sales rep for these people stuck to the glass on the front door of my home. When I peeled the sticker off, it left a bunch of gunk on the door that took about 5 minutes of my time to clean off. Even worse, they had come onto my property without permission and ignored a "no solicitors" sign in order to vandalize my door. I contacted the business and was told to just use goo gone to fix the issue, which completely ignores the fact that their thoughtless and stupidity inconvenienced me. If they are this thoughtless with their potential customers, I can only imagine that they are absolutely horrible to deal with once they have you under contract. I told their manager that I could consider any of their employees or contractors who set foot onto my property again to be trespassers and I would deal with them appropriately. read more

RIPOFF ALERT! When THEIR battery in THEIR system dies, they happily come out to your house to replace it for you. The battery is pretty expensive at $26. But the 5 minutes of labor costs a whopping $180. For a total cost to replace their crappy battery of $206! TWO HUNDRED SIX DOLLARS FOR A BATTERY! DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PIRATES! read more

About a month ago, I purchased a house, and was looking for alarm monitoring service. I contacted many companies in the area, including Alarm Detection Systems (ADS). ADS's website provides a "Contact Us" form. I used it to solicit information about the type of service they offer and compatibility with my system. They never replied. Not replying in and of itself isn't so bad. What prompted me to write this review was the fact that I just now received an unsolicited marketing email from them. Their "Contact Us" form on their website says nothing about being added to any kind of mailing list. Clearly, my original message was received by them (how else would they have my email?). They didn't have the courtesy to call or write back and answer my questions, but they deemed it OK to add me to their marketing emails. read more

We've had ADS for the past two years. Everything was great until we decided to check all of the smoke detectors in the house to keep them working and up to date. I accidentally set off the alarm system and completely forgot how to shut the whole thing down! Crazy, I know, but never-the-less it happened. I guess when you've never had an alarm go off, (knock on wood), you dismiss it. I called my husband, the fire department came out, and ADS called me. we were able to shut it all down and we didn't cause too much disturbance to our neighbors. I am writing a review as to what happened next. I called the company again and asked for someone to come out to our house and go over all of the codes with me. They scheduled someone the very next day. He was a polite man with a lot of knowledge. He took me through all of the steps again and was patient while I reiterated all that I learned. I have no idea what he was thinking inside, but his outside was calm, which made me feel at ease for feeling like a great, big "L" was plastered to my forehead. Needless to say, I was appreciative of the time they spent with me to get me back on track. read more

Our home security system is complex and has its problems, but whenever something is amiss, the ADS guy comes out and spends as much time as it takes, straightens out the problem, and has suggestions for the future. We are on contract so these visits don't cost us anything. I can't say that our system is trouble-free, but I don't know how ADS could do any better. read more

ADS purposelly making your system not to work and and pushing you to replace parts. After that they they telling you one price and they will mark up the prices on parts 100% and send you ridiculous invoice.They will give you to sign unclear paperwork, and once agreed on price you would never think that price agreement will be changes without your knowledge. Not good company, They have no idea what customer service is. Low quality service, all about money and screwing over customers. read more

Operate a business that occupies 3 commercial builidings in Waukegan, IL. Asked our insurance agent to refer a company to protect aprox 15,000 combined sq ft of showroom, offices and warehouse. Was referred to "Alarm" and met with Gary F. on 03/05/13 and was promised a quote within a month. After several phone calls and messages to "Alarm" by both myself and our insurance I have YET to receive a quote NOR has anyone returned my call.......almost 90 days after my meeting. Competely UNIMPRESSED with this company, don't waste your time even calling these people !!!!!! read more

Buyer Beware. This company is a total rip off. Just found out today that the contract we signed in 2005 is going to expire in 2021. Yes! Apparently it was a 7 year term that automatically renews without notice for another 7 year term and another, and another. We added a couple cameras in 2009 and it extended our newest renewal from 2012 to 2021. Locked us in for 9 years! Not sure how this happens, but trust me, the small print is nothing short of a scam. The Executive Vice President Bob used a "gotcha" language: "too bad for your boss who signed the contract in 2005". Will be contacting our attorney, suggest you do the same before you sign anything with them. read more

Excellent service. Battery went out and they called before I had a chance to call them. Came out that afternoon on time. Replaced battery and checked all of the other ones. Eleazar was very professional and competent. Thank you. read more

Watch out when entering into business with this company. Read the fine print. The contract is extremely long and auto renews for the same length of time WITHOUT NOTICE given. They also raise the rates each year. The language in the contract about who owns the equipment is very vague - get it clarified in writing. Lastly, cross out the language about paying 33% of fees for contesting the contract and 75% of the cost of the remaining contractual fees as liquidated damages. This is a company that is out for money and had sharp lawyers draw up very one sided agreements. Check around and you will find competitors with more flexible terms at the same or lower price. read more

a very highly regarded ,reputable, reliable and responsible company which is reflected by its staff.i happen to have an older alarm system which has been maintained for years by alarm detection---- they have a knack for knowing what to do at a time of crisis---- a knowledgeable trouble shooter-----his name is mark meyer- a man of honesty and integrity!!!!!!he made it his business to return and double check the radio transmission of the outgoing message---more businesses should have people like mark as their employee---takes pride in his work----- a true credit to the company!!!!! read more