Protection 1 Security Solutions

I live in Chicago and am posting this review of Protection One. I don’t know, though, if the people I have dealt with locally are or are not from the Lombard location.
I have been very disappointed with this alarm company. First, I felt much more secure with my prior alarm system – installed around 1992! The new alarm system has almost no sensors and relies almost entirely on motion sensors.
Second, I was not told that new alarm system has almost no sensors and relies almost entirely on motion sensors.
Third, the Protection One contact who dealt with me never responded to e-​mail communications.
Fourth, when I have requested service through the Protection One website, as I have done, I have received no response whatsoever.
Fifth, when I call through the 877 number, it’s like a cell phone or cable company, where they’re only trying to sell me more stuff and giving short shrift to my request for service.
I’d never use these guys again and am looking to switch alarm companies.

I have Protection 1 Multifamily through my condo association. If I wasn’t paying for this through my condo dues, I would find a new system in a flash. When I first moved in, I tested the alarm while talking to a phone rep. We determined the monitoring center was not receiving a signal from my alarm panel. I figured while I had her on the phone, I would see if the panic buttons in the bedrooms worked. One panic button set off the alarm panel and the siren, but the security company did not receive a signal. I punched my code into the the panel, but the alarm continued wailing. The rep eventually had me disconnect the panel from the power source in order to stop the racket. Not cool.
Also, I’m had the fire alarm go off on the panel twice. The panel is not connected to the smoke detector so the only way for it to go off is for someone to press the button on the panel. Both times, no one was home. In fact, both times the fire alarm went off, I was trying to access the alarm via the phone app. There appears to be some sort of glitch. I have a tech come over after it happened the first time, and he felt it was a one time deal. Clearly not.
I understand that there are technological issues, but what is so frustrating is how difficult it is to talk to the right person. I had a door and window replaced, and I needed to have wireless sensors installed. I talked to someone on the online chat who said someone from the Chicago office would contact me the same day. No one contacted me. So I contacted the Chicago office myself, and the person I talked to said someone else would call me later to help me out. I even have a specific contact through my multifamily condo membership, but she didn’t respond to my email from the previous week. And when I finally spoke to someone, he did not seem at all happy about helping me, especially when I said I need the install after work or on the weekend. I’ve had techs come out during those hours in the past (and for non-​emergency situations), and he seemed to think my measly two sensor install did not warrant such special hours. Luckily, I did end up with an 8 am Saturday appointment. So annoyed.

I just switched from ADT and after using it for a month I’ve found a major security flaw that would basically allow any intruder to cancel your alarm. I no longer feel it is an effective system while my family is at home.
Unlike ADT, once a Protection One alram is sounded all a person needs to do is grab the fab on your key ring and hit unlock. It cancels any security action. Including a panic call.
ADT requires you to complete an operation at the main control pad before a call is place. One that can shut off an alarm, while still activating a call for help.
That’s it, end of story. If your wife, or kids sound an alarm, any thief can override their distress call with a push of a button.

Protection1 technician arrived at my house to install the alarm at 3:45pm; he did not know what system components to install and asked me. I mentioned the Sales rep does the entire application online, so neither I nor the Protection1 technical knew what exactly would be installed; he made a call to the office and was able to get his working orders.
Protection1 started promptly at 4:00pm. The first place I wanted the main console installed was not a goo selection, I was informed by the technician after he used the plastic snake for 30 minutes it could not be done. I did not get an explanation. Second choice adventure, when the Protection1 technician was retrieving the snake the wire attached with tape the metal chain hit the back of my electrical outlet, I saw a yellow flash, and my lights were off in the kitchen. Thank goodness I have a surge protector built-​in to the house. I went to the basement, found my electrical outlet box; I identified which breaker needed to be reset. I then left the breaker in the off position and advised the technician anytime he is working near live electrical outlets he should ask the homeowner to turn the power off on the outlet he/​she will be working near.
I had requested two sensors, one on the front door, and one on the garage door. Protection1 technical said he would have to drill several holes, one in my door, and the other in the door jams. My wife protested vehemently that she did not want any drilling done since our front door has large panes of glass and the entire door cost over $ 5,000.00.
Time passes its 6:30pm and the only thing installed is the main console panel.
The technician and I went to the Master bedroom I pointed where I wanted the second panel with the LCD screen and flashy icons to be installed. After 15 minutes of trying, I was informed by the Protection1 technician that the second panel the one with the LCD screen could not be mounted where I want it due to a stud.
Frustration is reaping its ugly head. Why doesn’t Protection1 equip their field technicians with a cheap $ 15.00 stud finder, it would help the technician appear professional, knowledgeable, the technician would be able to detect and inform me alot earlier that a stud was in the way before he started drilling small holes near my electrical outlet or wasting 15 minutes. Time is now 6:50pm, I made a judgement call and decided that if in almost three hours all that the Protection1 technician had accomplished was install the main console panel and that was about 25% of the work, he would need until 9:00pm to complete everything.
I informed the technician to stop, clean up and I would have to schedule a second appointment.
I’m now super frustrated since the sales rep said it would take about 90 minutes to do the complete install of my home security system. I had accounted for an extra 30 minutes giving them a total of two hours for the entire install, three hours later all that was installed in my house was the main control panel.
I further informed the Protection1 technician that I owned a home security system 10 years ago by the leader in home security ADP. I asked a simple question how come ADP ten years ago were able to installed sensors on my two doors by using gorilla glue for the magnet and contact sensor, no holes were drilled in my doors. That was with 10 year old technology ADP was able to secure my door and Protection1 could not offer the same without having to damage my door.
Before the technician left he suggested I go ahead and download the app for my Smartphone, I tried several times to download and install the app for my Android phone and I was presented with a pop up box that offered me to select another device to install my app. That is my personal horrible experience with Protection1 what makes it worse is that my home security has been compromised, because I have a main console panel mounted with nothing for it to control or communicate with and a sign in front of my lawn advertising Protection1 and nothing protecting my home. I will find it extremely difficult to recommend Protection1 to any of my neighbors or any one that I come in contact with that mentions they are looking for a home security system.

wish I would have read more reviews before I used Protection 1 because every review i read is the same problem. After the contract period supposedly ends, they keep charging you because they say the contract automatically continues after the dates you have agreed on. When I was contacted by phone, I always told them I didn’t want to renew the contract. 5 months later, I was contacted and told I had to keep paying because I didn’t notify them IN WRITING to cancel the contract. I said I’m not cancelling, the contract doesn’t exist anymore and I was informed that I should have read it to see it automatically is there. They are trying to extort over 200 $ from me. Contact the Better Business bureau if this happened to you. DONT EVER USE THIS COMPANY. READ THE REVIEWS. I wish I would have.

I was a long time customer and had terrible experience trying to cancel. Took several months phone calls, unanswered email. They charged a crazy cancel fee saying I was on first contract renewal, of course since I had company over 10 years this seems really deceptive and I clearly shouldn’t be considered a first renew, any time they come to your house they will do this to customers to extract more fees. Very sketchy. Don’t pick this company for your alarm monitoring they are expensive, hard to deal with and use deceptive practices with their own customers.