Panama A/V Honeywell Audible Alarm System Testimonial

Mark Heyer (aka Dr Sleepwell), the security guru of Boquete, has investigated every crime against expats in Boquete for the past six or seven years. He learned how criminals get into your house.

He has authored numerous articles about how to protect yourself and prevent your home from becoming a target for thieves (read his article "How Not to Be  Victim of Crime") on the Panama Helpline website.

On the question of alarm systems, he is very clear:
"When do you want to know you have a intruder? When they open an outside window or door, or when they are jumping on your back in your bed?"

"The key to success in repelling attackers is to be forewarned", says Heyer. The signs on your gate and fences telling them you have an alarm will deter some thieves, and the sound of an alarm siren usually sends most thieves running, but even if they persist - if you have an alarm system, you have time to take whatever prevention steps you have planned for (lock yourself in the bedroom, pick up a machete, or get your gun out of the safe, make sure it is loaded, take the safety off) etc.

The key here is to KNOW IN ADVANCE someone has breached the perimeter of your home.

So the answer is YES - install an alarm system.  Now the question becomes "Which system do I buy?"

I did what many expats do. I bought an 4 camera ($450) system at PriceMart. I paid a professional to install them. They worked for about 2 months, and we useful only if I was home and was looking at the TV screen they were hooked up to. Poor visibility at night. No sirens or audible alarms. Plus, as we learned from other robberies - the images on these cheap systems are so poor they are inadmissible in Panamanian courts. Basically they are a waste of money.

To make matters worse, every time there was lighting, or a serious power surge (which happens all the time in Santa Clara) the system sent out a false alarm. This problem was so acute that the Boquete Helpline refuses to allow home owners to hook any alarm system to the Helpline, after their operator received dozens of false calls at all hours of the day and night.

I challenged Jeffrey to find me a system that:
A) I could monitor remotely while I was away from the house, and
B) Did not have false alarms

It took him two years to find the right system!!! He finally called and said he had tested many systems, but now had a solution. Being the trusting soul that I am, I said "I will be the judge of that!" and took him up on his offer to install a test system in my house. We tested for eight weeks during the rainy season, and no false alarms. I also have a camera system holed up by Panama A/V and have not had a service issue at all.
We then left for Canada for three months and were able to see our dogs playing everyday, watch our security guard and gardener as they worked, and best of all - the system was hooked up to the Panama Helpline - if any incident occurs - the call goes thru the Honeywell platform and to the Panama Helpline - our operators call me or Yolanda and check - if they do not get an answer, or a "ALL OK - My Mistake"  response - they call the police and give them directions to our home - and follow up to make sure the police arrived and checked the property.

So now it has been five months, and no false alarms. The two times we needed service we got it the next day (power outages caused a disconnect - the modem just needed to be re-booted)

Cost? To get sensors on all windows and doors, two interior motion sensors, two sirens, and a panic button on a key fob (bascially a  four zone system) costs $1,500 all in, including taxes, installation and service. Panama A/V paid the first $120 a year for monitoring by the Panama Helpline (you must be a member of PHL to subscribe to alarm monitoring.

So - all in all - two thumbs up.

We feel safer in our home now, and when we are away - we know our home is safe and in the event of an emergency - help is a phone call away - a phone call in English!
NOTE: The Honeywell system is the ONLY system currently permitted to hook up to the Panama Helpline - (Panama A/V pays the first $120 annual monitoring fee for the first year - after that, you pay the $120 monitoring fee).

You do not have to use Panama A/V, but right now no other alarm system can be hooked up to the Panama Helpline, unless it has been tested by us first. Stay Safe.

Rob Brown,
Founder, The Panama Helpline