Customer Reviews

First Alert Instant Alarm 4pk

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

There are two MAIN purposes for home security systems:
1. Protecting your valuables from theft.

2. Protecting YOU from an unexpected surprise, someone coming in while you are at home.

Both goals are important but these sensors will up the chances that YOU are protected.

We have a great alarm system but there are times when we are at home and just want to make sure ONLY the most vulnerable areas (doors, windows) are alarmed. Our system doesn't allow for a "window and door alarm only" option. That leaves us with the option of having the entire house alarmed, top and bottom, or leaving the alarm off. Not an optimal choice to us, especially during the day. When we are at home, we don't need EVERY room to be on "alert" status. Just some areas.

Secondly, although not many people know this, MANY sliding glass doors are installed inproperly (up to 35%), allowing a thief to simply take them off their tracks from the outside and come in, bypassing many typical alarm sensors (check yours, you may in for an unpleasant surprise). Some alarm systems work around this. Not all do. These inexpensive sensors may help.

And even if your sliding glass doors ARE properly installed, think of the average thief's way of doing things; get in quickly, get out quickly, ignore any alarms that DO go off and get away before the police arrive. So your odds of stopping theft may be relatively small. So focus on what you CAN control - your personal safety.

That means you want to KNOW when doors and windows are opened, especially if you are in the home. You want enough warning to call "911" and slip out a side door or to make noise or whatever.

Finally, for those people who can't afford an expensive alarm system, these sensors may make your home or apartment significantly more secure and you won't have to pay annual or monthly fees

At this price, you can stock up and simply replace them as needed. A large, noisy dog wouldn't hurt either but if you don't want the responsibility of a dog, the sensors alone are a good investment - and a cheap one.

Now, here's the AMAZING part: I got these as an extra measure of security and within a week of doing so, we had a break -in attempt...in broad daylight...in a neighborhood which is considered one of the city's safest. Turned out to be a roving band of thieves, hitting one town and moving to another. It may have been a fluke, a rarity but I was home, the alarm went off, they ran away and the police got some very clear footprints as they had made a mistake and stepped in slightly wet dirt, leaving clear impressions.

Apparently people's shoes can have individual characteristics, depending on where the wear is most prominent and how a person's foot fits in that shoe. Didn't know that till then. The footprints helped to nail the perpetrators.

The sensors may have saved my life - or, at the least, prevented theft of some of our valuables. In any case, it spared us from some potential nastiness.

These sensors also allow us to be home and make sure that NO ONE can come in without us being aware of it. They have three settings: alarm (loud, noisy), chime (in case you want to know if your kids are coming in and out) and an odd little nature type of sound (not sure why). You can, of course, turn them off completely when going in and outdoors.

They'd be great for parents of toddlers, alerting them to possible attempts of escape. I wouldn't rely on them to "babysit" my kids but they'd be an asset. It'd be harder for a kid to slip out without you knowing about it, especially since the alarm is LOUD and too high for little hands to reach.

If you are a parent or grandparent, these alarms are a great way to know if a baby or child has opened a cabinet containing dangerous items. The alarms can be turned off when the baby or child isn't in the house. Even if you THINK you've babyproofed your house, these little alarms are great backups, being loud enough to wake up a sleeping adult. Not all "babyproof" cabinet and door locks work as well as advertised so these alarms up the security level.

They also are a great way to let you know if a child has gotten out of bed in the middle of the night and gone out the bedroom door (put them up high enough on the door so that only an adult can reach them).

A few more tips:
1. DO NOT COUNT on any one alarm system. Secure your home in layers, like an onion. That means you put the prickly rosebushes under a ground floor window and a LARGE table inside the window, a table covered with items that would make noise if moved around. Don't make it easy to just pop open a window or door and walk in.

2. Dogs. Alarm companies may not want you to know this but a large, barking dog can be EQUAL to an alarm system. Think of it: if YOU were a burglar, which would scare you more, the possibility of getting bit or the noise of an alarm? An alarm can be worked around but a dog is unpredictable and may get to you before you can get to it.

3. Inexpensive aids to prop up your traditional alarm system. Locking the door to the garage to make access from the garage to the house more difficult. Lights around the perimeter of your home.



Unlike other reviewers, I have NEVER had a single one of these come off. You do need to make sure the surface is clean and you do have to make sure the sensors are lined up correctly, so that if a door is opened, the alarm goes off. DO NOT peel off the adhesive till you are ready to put the sensor in place. Do not unpeel them and try to put them back on. Know what you are doing and get them in place properly and you'll be good to go.

I have 8 of these installed on windows and doors in my home. I have some on interior doors, and they are set to "chime" to let me know if our 5 year old is getting into somewhere he should not!
They als take LR44 batteries, which can be bought cheaply by the dozen, even right here on Amazon!
In the alarm mode, they will make you cover you ears, I mean they are louder than my smoke detector!
And for abot $10 to $12 for a 4 pack, you can't go wrong!

This product is perfect for what I wanted. Easy installation is always a plus with me. You peel the back off and place it where you want. I did accidently place it in the wrong spot so I also got to test if it comes off easily. It doesn't, you have to pretty much yank it off but no damage was done to the paint and the alarm was still sticky enough to place in a new spot.

I was really disappointed with this product. It is just peel, stick, and wait for them to come off and set off the alarm in the middle of the night. The alarm is great and loud. The peel and stick tape is cheap and won't last long. I put these on windows in my house and within a week they started coming down. I had to get some glue and fasten them up permanently. I would shop around before i bought these if I knew then what i know now.

I have these alarms that I purchased and I don't know why other reviewers are complaining, but I have had them adhering to my door and window frames for 3 years or more without falling off. I've had to change the batteries in the one on the door once. The best part is they also have a chime funtion, like when you walk into a store, so if I am expecting company I hear them come in.

Used this on my grandson's bedroom door when he visited me in the summer, because he had "gone wandering" a few times, out of his own house. Worked so well, I gave a set to my daughter and then to his other grandparents. Only down side is that tape does not stay sticky forever, so one part or the other will fall off at some point.

A few years ago there were several break-ins around my neighborhood. After checking on some monitored alarm services and learning I couldn't afford to have sensors on all entry points, I decided to try these.

I purchased a total of 50 and three of those did not work at all. I chalked that up to "getting what I paid for". They ARE cheap!

They are VERY easy to install. Unfortunately, they don't stay installed. Within the first 24 hours, some had already come loose. Within a month, at least half had been put back with duct tape.

I was not able to install these on one of my doors. I could have put one on the outside of the door, but not the inside. Maybe my door is just inside-out. Or maybe these don't work on ALL doors and windows.

On the positive side, they ARE loud. They worked well enough to give me a lot more peace of mind and that was exactly what I was looking for. A few are still working and loud after more than 2 years.

I would probably look for a different brand to try next time, but these did live up to my expectations.

I purchased 3 sets of these alarms for every opening to a pool I had built and I now need to get new alarms before the pool is certified for use. The decibel level is so low you cannot hear the alarm unless you are in the same room (with no TV/radio or other competing noise). I imagine they are useful for securing kitchen cabinets from children while you are looking the other way or for a bedroom window burglar alert while you are sleeping (assuming you are not a heavy sleeper). Otherwise I can think of very little use.

Another reviewer said they kept falling off. I did not have this problem. I had difficulty ripping them off. You probably just need to have a good clean surface.

Great price and very easy to install. They are very loud for there size. Like the option of alarm and or chime mode. You can get a 50 or more pack of replacement button cell batteries here on Amazon.com at a fantastic price. Very pleased with there performance.

I had to return the product because some of the alarms were not working. It is not a good choice to rely on this product for home security.