Chuck, from what I've read so far, those Q-See products generally get less favorable reviews than most other systems.

Salmo g, I'm not sure that ADT would do that for you but it might be worth a try. You would still be on the ADT money [Bleeeeep!] though which I'm hoping to avoid. As Fishy said, it does appear there are third party products that can tap into brain of many of the ADT systems. The problem is that, should things not go well, you don't really have much support available. Also, I believe the sherriff thing might vary be region. I know at one point a while back, at least around here, they would show up once but if they ever showed up to a false alarm a second time, they'd stick you with a bill. I work so close to my house that I'd have time to go home, kill the robber, and drink a beer before the cops even showed up.

My biggest problem I've seen so far is the cable lengths. Ideally, I'd like to have some cameras in and around out buildings. I've seen a few wireless options but anything wireless throws a whole lot of potential problems in the mix.