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Questions generally fall into two areas - security system questions
or central station questions. You can scroll down through
all of our responses on this page, or to jump to the security system
questions, please click here.
Why should I monitor my system?
How often do you drive down the street and hear an alarm going off, either
home or auto? What do we do? Usually nothing. Don't rely on your neighbor
to call the police. In case of a fire, a smoldering fire can do allot of
damage to your property, with a monitored system the fire department will
be dispatched much sooner and possibly save your home or business. In addition,
having your system monitored allows for a discount on your homeowners insurance
policy. Some insurance companies offer discounts as much as 35% for having
monitoring service!
How does monitoring work?
When a protected door contact is violated, or a motion detector is tripped,
your system goes into alarm. At this point the system seizes the phone line
and sends a digital message to our "local" UL approved central station. The
operator will then call the premise to confirm the alarm. If your phone line
is busy or no one answers, they will dispatch the police. If you have set
off the alarm yourself, wait and the phone will ring, answer it and the operator
will ask you for your ID Number or password. When you give the proper password
the alarm will be cancelled.
What should I do if my alarm goes off?
When we receive burglar alarm from you, our operator will call your premise.
If there is no answer, or answering machine or the person answering the phone
is unable to verify the correct ID number or password, the operator will
dispatch the local authorities. The operator will then call, in the order
you provided, the people on your call list. After we will try to call your
list, we notify the authorities, providing updated information regarding
keyholder notification, and response time.
Disarm if immediately, if you do not receive a call after or feel that we should
have already called; please call our central station for proper cancellation.
Why is it important the central station know if I have call waiting
/ enhanced voice mail provided by your local telephone provider?
Call waiting / enhanced voice mail answering can interfere our
central station operators as they are attempting to verify the
alarm. Your alarm signals are generally transmitted through your
phone lines. If the alarm has your phone line in use, transmitting
additional alarm activity to the central station, you are unable
to hear the "beep tones" telling you that you have an incoming
call waiting. Meanwhile, the alarm has the telephone line seized
for communicating and the central station operator only the normal
ring and with no answer we would presume no one is at home.
Who needs to have my ID Number or password and why?
Any person that you have authorized to be at your premise will need the ID
Number or password. This information will allow them to cancel any alarm
and ask us questions. Note: Temporary passwords can easily be set up for
your convenience.
Why does my telephone line go dead when my alarm goes off?
The alarm uses your phone line to send the central station a signal. If you
hang up and wait about 30 seconds the line should clear and your dial tone
should return.
What should the people on my call list know?
We refer to your call list as those individuals, that you have selected to
have keys, and the proper codes to access the property. They should know
how to contact the owner at all times or be able to act as a representative.
They should know if the central station calls concerning an alarm
how to arm, disarm, and verify with law enforcement that the premise
is secure. We always recommend that a keyholder not enter the premise
until law enforcement arrives. It is standard procedure for us
to notify the police department advising them as to who is responding
and the type of vehicle they will be driving.
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What if I have pets?
There are pet immune motion detectors that can be installed. They work very
well with pets up to 60LBS. There are several other options that a sales
representative may be able to suggest to you during your free consultation.
What about when I am in the house?
The system we install allows you two main functions. If armed in the stay mode
the perimeter protection, doors, windows, and or glass breakage devices will
be armed but the interior motion detector will bypass, allowing you to roam
freely inside the residence. Arming the system in the "away" or "normal" mode
arms the entire security system.
What should I do if my alarm goes off?
When we receive burglar alarm from you, our operator will call your premise.
If there is no answer, or answering machine or the person answering the phone
is unable to verify the correct ID number or password, the operator will
dispatch the local authorities. The operator will then call, in the order
you provided, the people on your call list. After we will try to call your
list, we notify the authorities, providing updated information regarding
keyholder notification, and response time.
Disarm if immediately, if you do not receive a call after or feel that we should
have already called; please call our central station for proper cancellation.
What happens if my phone lines are cut? Does the central station
still receive the alarms?
If your phone lines are cut, the siren and your alarm will still function providing
that the system is armed and specific zones are not bypassed. However, the
system may not communicate to the Central Station, notifying us that you have
a problem. We do offer "Backup Radio Monitoring Services" which require us
to install a device that is a backup to the phone line for reporting purposes.
Many systems have radio or cellular for communication back up. Please call
our office for additional information regarding "Backup Radio Monitoring Services.
What's is "Backup Radio?
In the event an intruder has cut your phone line, or if for some reason your
phone lines are down due an accident, or perhaps construction in the area, your
security system will still be able to communicate to our central station.
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