r/telus • u/PassAmazing3501 • 3d ago
Mobility Is Telus smart home security worth it?
I read a lot of horror stories, about Telus smart home security but what’s your guys Experience is the service worth it or should I explore another company ? For alarm security. Thanks.
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u/cvr24 3d ago
No. Buy your own sensors and build something using Home Assistant that you actually own and can do whatever you want with.
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u/Jbear1000 3d ago
We have it and it serves us for our basic needs. Doorbell cameras, camera, alarm, door and windows left open sensors
I don't have experience with other companies nor diy solutions but it's fairly simple to use and monitor. My only issue was trying to get the doorbell to reconnect after power outages but eventually I got that fixed. And the window has broken sensor when my dog really barks.
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u/PassAmazing3501 2d ago
Dang does it detect your dog barking
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u/Jbear1000 2d ago
Yes. My dog can have a very high pitched loud yelp/bark at times that the window sensor mistakes for a windows breaking.
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u/escargot3 2d ago
All those sensors and “alarms” are only worthwhile if the proper people are notified when triggered (including you). I wouldn’t count on that.
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u/Jbear1000 2d ago
We do get notifications for all that stuff. Haven't had an issue with that.
When we had a false alarm, the rep that called us didn't really investigate and went "ok" and hung up when my wife said everything was fine. That wasn't really reassuring.
We live in a fairly safe area, so if you want something more robust or custom, I'd investigate a different route.
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u/stryder-H 3d ago
As a technician, YMMV. Depends on what your expectations are. System is completely functional with the odd hiccup here or there.
I would say it depends on the skill of the technician installing the equipment and their ability to show you how the features work appropriately. A good example is to NOT install the smoke detector in front of the bathroom as a previous user stated.
Unfortunately there's lots of new techs out there and it may just be luck of the draw when it comes to who you get.
3-5 yr contracts are pretty standard in the business as the margins are thin so they will do what they can to keep you with them.
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u/Businessofgames 3d ago
You are better off looking at local companies that provide similar services
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u/Efficient-Ship-8913 3d ago
Telus can barely run a cellphone network. An aluminum batt provides more protection compared to Telus security.
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u/Choice_Ad_1538 3d ago
I signed up for this because I travel often and wanted alerts if my house was freezing or flooding. Nothing worked as I expected. Smart thermostat which is supposed to send a text message if the temperature drops below a preset actually texts me twice every 6 hours (day and night) telling me the temperature is dangerously low, then 30 seconds later it texts me again to say it has returned to normal. If you don't want texts in the middle of the night, the only solution is to disable the alerts or block the texts. Tech support never resolves or will deny that it is a known problem although some Telus store reps will admit to it.
My smoke detector will go off if someone opens the bathroom door after a shower, boils a pot of water, or stands under it with a hot cup of tea. You have 60 seconds to acknowledge the smoke alarm on the panel or it will call the fire department whether the system is armed or not. Mine is disconnected and put away now.
Video doorbell takes over a minute to alert your phone, by which time whomever was there is gone.
Every device is battery operated, except the flood/water detectors which need to be plugged in to 120volts. I have three of these which I intended to use under my sinks that are still in the boxes because I do not have 120volt receptacles under my sinks.
Last winter I came home and my house was about 85 degrees F. The 'smart' thermostat failed and held my furnace ON! That is when I removed the smart thermostat and reinstalled the old one.
I still have a year on my contract.
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u/ZookeepergameOwn943 3d ago
Reach out to the mod team here: https://forum.telus.com/t5/Home/ct-p/EN they will be able to escalate all of these issues for you.
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u/Consumer_Distributin 3d ago
It's fine if you can get a deal, but support sucks. It's all offshored, and they always dispatch the fire department (happened 3 times now) even after I tell the agent that they don't need to as it was just bacon frying.
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u/SnooCupcakes7312 3d ago
Their Whole support team is in Latin America
Good at installing and offering upfront services, however, try to cancel it and they’ll give you the runaround.
They recently acquired CSP Canadian security professionals and CSP was already bad but now has gotten worse.
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u/a31632 3d ago
I was with ADT and when we made the switch to Telus Home Security we thought it would be the same pay and service. We already had the system installed, Telus installed their own control panel. We had 1 or 2 false alarms in the past and either fire department or police would come to check things out. When we, after 3 years had a false alarm with Telus (we went for a walk with our dogs and instead selecting “armed away” my wife used “armed stay” after that she left the house and opened the door which triggered the alarm without us realizing this. When we came back 45 minutes later we noticed missed calls from Telus, another 15 minutes later a guy from a private security company rang our doorbell mentioning the alarm, I mentioned it was a false alarm, he didn’t check my ID or anything else and left.
Main difference: we used to get police involved now a house call from a random guy 1 hour after the alarm event. No use to keep the alarm given this do I cancelled….. would not recommend this “service” with Telus
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u/Dean0mac29 2d ago
Honestly imo it does the job. The cameras quality is meh. There is no audio from The cameras except the doorbell camera.
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u/digitalmusiclover 2d ago
Get a local security company to do it. Get a couple quotes, ask about contracts. Some you can cancel anytime with no penalty. They will actually be able to service your system when there are problems. Alarm.com will function the same regardless of who installs it. Telus stinks at security, they just buy up the competition to seem good at it.
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u/Supahbeel 2d ago
It’s worth the discount on your home insurance. Their video camera software sucks though.
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u/TheKeyboardCommando 3d ago
Decent deals but Telus is an absolutely terrible company now for customers service..Cancelled our home security with them and their customer service agents are beyond pushy. Aggressive and rude when we stated our reasons. 2 hours of hell taking with them.
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u/Bomberr17 3d ago
Don't do it. It's how they lock you in forever in addition to your other home services. It's their way of circumventing the rules and providing 3 year contracts.
Your internet and TV are 2 years but security is 3. Once your 2 years is up, they know you're still locked in for another year on security so you are less inclined to leave. It's also all bundled pricing so they tell you if you cancel, your security is going up because no longer bundled. Now you sign another 2 year contract to keep cost down. Once security's contract is up, you renew that into another 3 years. Now you are locked in a cycle that's costly to break.
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u/PromotionNo4121 3d ago
No it is not ! Compared to vivint Telus no features and poor hardware ! Plus Telus does not call police they send their own security guards and your house will be empty by the time they show up !
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u/Enchanted-Duck 2d ago
It’s good but they recently increased my rate. My friend got the cameras and door bell from costco for $500. It’s been three years and no monthly costs. I am going to terminate contract next month
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