Additionally, your security system can be connected to a central monitoring station over a telephone line. This will enable your system to automatically inform the relevant authority. In the event of an alarm, the control panel sends a message over a telephone line to a central monitoring station, which is manned 24 hours a day. After attempting to contact the homeowner, the central monitoring station will contact the police, fire department, or medics. There is usually a monthly fee for this service.

Unmonitored systems typically have on-site alarms and/or flashing lights that indicate the security system has been breached. It relies on neighbors as the eyes and ears to see or hear the alarms and then to call police. Neighbors or passersby should never investigate an alarm themselves. With an unmonitored system, it is best to have a combination of strobe lights and alarms. They should be located on the street side of the house and in an as-inaccessible spot as possible. Because it can be difficult to determine the location of a siren, it is best to discuss this with your neighbors and to place the siren and flashing light on the house where it can be easily seen.

The advantage of this type of system is that a burglar’s primary goal is to gain entrance to the house, remove property, and do so without being noticed. Many burglars will leave once alarms and strobes are activated. The disadvantage to an unmonitored system is it relies on neighbors who may not be at home or may not want to become involved. This system is appropriate for a typical suburban setting but might not work as well for a home out in the country without close neighbors.

Monitored Systems contact a monitoring company by telephone. The typical sequence of events is as follows: The security system senses intruder. The security system waits for 30 to 45 seconds before going into alarm allowing the homeowner a chance to deactivate the system to prevent false alarms. If not deactivated, the security system goes into alarm and sends a message to the monitoring company over telephone lines. The monitoring company receives the message, determines the nature of the alarm and verifies the alarm, generally by placing a phone call to the home. If they do not receive the proper password or do not receive an answer, they call the police. The police receive the monitoring company’s call and respond.

Caution: If personal safety is at risk when the alarm sounds, a homeowner will be unable to call 911 or call for help through phone while the security system is communicating through the phone line with the monitoring company. Even so, the communication period between the control panel and the monitoring station is very short as it only involves the sending of a short message to the monitoring station. A solution to this would be to have more than one telephone line into the house or have a cellular phone available.

A monitored alarm system may also have a compatibility problem with digital subscriber line (DSL) high-speed Internet service. The DSL Internet service, because it transmits over the same telephone lines, may prevent the security panel and monitoring service from properly communicating with one another. Normally this compatibility problem can be solved with a special filter or by using a DSL splitter system. Contact your central monitoring service to find out if you have a problem and how to remedy it.

How to Choose an Alarm Company
Choosing an alarm company can be confusing and the technology complicated. Here are some suggestions:

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