<story><title>Google to buy 6.6% stake in ADT in home security push</title><url>https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-adt-stake-idUSKBN24Z1A6</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>cpwright</author><text>Lots of the comments don&amp;#x27;t trust Google, but I&amp;#x27;m not sure I would trust ADT.  I was looking to buy a house, which had an ADT system installed.  I just called them up, asked about the address, how much monitoring would cost, etc. and they told me what kind of panel, sensors, etc. were installed at the house.  No verification at all.  Clearly this would help with their sales, but from the perspective of someone who owns the system; I would not want them to give out details of my security system to anyone.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>selykg</author><text>These types of home security systems are more a deterrent than they are anything else. In fact, the ONLY reason I think I&amp;#x27;d personally invest in would be automated alerts for fire or emergency situations.&lt;p&gt;If someone wants into your house, they will get into your house. There&amp;#x27;s giant glass windows in most homes these days and door locks are hardly much more than a speed bump.&lt;p&gt;All you should look at ADT for is simply making you not the easiest house to get into. But if someone wants into your house, a security system is unlikely to be something that stops them.&lt;p&gt;Edit: to be more clear, I think the deterrent part is the equivalent of putting an ADT sign in a window or nearby. THAT is the deterrent, not the system itself.</text></comment>
<story><title>Google to buy 6.6% stake in ADT in home security push</title><url>https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-adt-stake-idUSKBN24Z1A6</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>cpwright</author><text>Lots of the comments don&amp;#x27;t trust Google, but I&amp;#x27;m not sure I would trust ADT.  I was looking to buy a house, which had an ADT system installed.  I just called them up, asked about the address, how much monitoring would cost, etc. and they told me what kind of panel, sensors, etc. were installed at the house.  No verification at all.  Clearly this would help with their sales, but from the perspective of someone who owns the system; I would not want them to give out details of my security system to anyone.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>pc86</author><text>I&amp;#x27;m not sure a run-of-the-mill burglar would be able to do anything with panel information. Any burglar sophisticated enough to alter their plans based on type of security panel is going to be going after diamonds and art, not a smash and grab for a used television.&lt;p&gt;Releasing sensor data at all seems like a pretty big flaw, though. Lack of window sensors and number or existence of motion detectors seems like a dataset you wouldn&amp;#x27;t want getting out without some sort of ID verification (or at all).</text></comment>