The great majority if not all the alarms constables investigate are found to be false alarms.

Yep I've found it to be more troublesome than it's worth.

hitting a button on your way out is too much trouble?

@BusyMommy: No, snarky pants.Setting it off accidentally.
Forgetting to set it, worrying if I did or didn't.
False alarms in the middle of the night.
Kids setting it off when home alone.
Battery going out.
Connections going bad.
Paying the bill.
And more.

Never had a single issue..... funny that you worry about those things.

I set mine all the time even when I'm home.A. I live in the South!
B. 2 stories
C. hard of hearingAlarm stays set here.

@sandman: BOOM!

@BusyMommy: I had all doors and windows plus motion sensors in two homes monitored over 20 years. Never had a real event. Lots of false alarms and equipment malfunctions. And lots of money spent.Finally I said I was done with it.

We have ADT, $48.70/month. Never had any issues, once in a blue moon I'd accidentally push panic button or wouldn't enter the code before it calls, not a big deal, they call - I say a word and we're done. It gives me a sense of security when I'm alone. I will not cancel the alarm services.

Smith Thompson. Love the fact that I don't need a land line for it. I would love to set up some cameras so I could watch the girls when I'm gone.

"Home Security Monitoring" is a BAD investment(and a HUGE sales gimmick)..."Burglar Alarm" events are typically not "high-priority" calls for the police, especially in high population areas where there is much happening and with the number of "false alarms"...Usually, by the time the police finally get around to responding, the Burglars are gone(and with the goods)...So you will be left with nothing more than a police report containing a list of stolen items, and of course no suspect descriptions...First, take a look at what would probably be stolen...Most burglars can't make off with much, only what they can carry....I know there are some instances where moving trucks have backed up to places and "wiped them out", but those are few and far between...If you have "fine jewelry" or small high dollar items, you should have them hidden in a concealed safe/location somewhere in your home and/or insured against theft anyhow(see below)...Time is not a friend of the typical burglar, they have to get in, get what they can, and get out fast...Add that up in your mind...Now consider how much you have paid for "monitoring" until now and how much you have actually lost so far to burglary....Has it been cost effective for you yet?Lastly, consider how much you would probably lose in one event(the figure from above)...I bet you find out that you are throwing your money away because you have paid way more in "monitoring fees" than the value of items potentially stolen(you could easily buy them again and have money left over)...In fact, you could probably just sink that "monitoring" money into insurance that will cover those losses and have money left over...Notice, I didn't say "Burglar Alarms" are bad investments...Only the monitoring....
An old-style "Intruder Alert" type alarm is fine as it deters criminals by drawing attention to your home and doesn't have a monthly fee....Personally, I'd suggest taking what you would potentially spend on "monthly monitoring" and investing it in a good quality Video Surveillance System that will actually record EVIDENCE that you can give to police to help locate the criminals and/or use in court if needed...It's a one-time purchase!..MUCH better than some operator/system just calling the police for you and billing you monthly for it whether they had to call or not!...Quit throwing your $$$ away....

We have ADT but we also have a 72 lb. Border Collie mix (house dog) so the perps usually don't make it all the way to the front door.