If you have an alarm system installed in your home or business, you should also have a monitoring service. There are two basic types of monitoring: professional monitoring and self-monitoring. While it may appear cost-effective and convenient to monitor your alarm system yourself, hiring a professional monitoring service is the safest way to go. With active alarm monitoring, Jacksonville companies and families can feel safer.
SafeTouch Security Systems has locations in Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Orlando, and Tampa, Florida and Savannah, Georgia.
Self-Monitored Alarm Systems
Monitoring your alarm system yourself is one way to go. You can check on the status of your alarm from a computer or smart phone app. You can also setup your system to call your cell phone or a number on a contact list.
You can also monitor activities inside your home with some systems. For people who are still working when their children are home from school, the ability to check a live video feed of what is going on in their home can be comforting.
Your alarm system will send e-mail and text alerts after an alarm has been triggered with details about what zone the alarm was triggered in. These features can be added to some existing systems, or you can choose to go this route when you have an alarm system installed.
Self-monitoring does have some distinct disadvantages, though. No one else is monitoring your alarm system, so if you become the victim of a home invasion, and are incapable of notifying the police, or are forced to shut off the alarm system, it is hard to summon emergency responders.
Professional Alarm Monitoring
Professional alarm monitoring services do provide some nice features that are not available if you choose to monitor the alarm system yourself.
One of these features is the ability to alert the monitoring service if there is an emergency in your home or business. You can setup a distress code with your monitoring service that alerts the monitoring service that you are in need of aid, but will deactivate the alarm system.
A good professional alarm monitoring company will have quick response times, which is important for your safety and security. Studies have shown that approximately 70 percent of burglaries that are not completed are due to the sound of an alarm.
Having a professional alarm monitoring service connected to your home’s alarm system does not have many disadvantages. It does carry a small monthly fee, but some insurance companies offer a discount to homeowners who have an operational alarm system in their home.
Similar to a self-monitored alarm system, a professionally monitored alarm system can offer you access to your home’s alarm system from an Internet-capable device, such as your office computer or tablet. You can also setup alerts to be sent when your alarm system is activated or deactivated.
It’s also possible to view a live video stream from any IP capable video camera installed in or around the home via a secure website. This feature can be also accessed whether you have a contracted Jacksonville alarm monitoring company, or you are just monitoring the alarm system yourself.
The main reasons to go with a professional monitoring service are the increased security of having a live person checking if the alarm isn’t shut off within a certain period of time, and contacting the police to come and do a welfare check if there isn’t an answer, or a distress code is given. With alarm monitoring, Jacksonville families can sleep easier at night or while away from home.
It’s important to remember that without professional alarm monitoring, Jacksonville police aren’t as likely to respond, unless an annoyed neighbor calls them to complain about the noise of the alarm that has been set off.
Alarm monitoring is a necessary part of having an alarm system for any home or business. You can’t be too cautious when it comes to your family’s safety.