About Home Alarm Monitoring Companies

Researching home alarm monitoring companies will help consumers choose the most qualified business for their residential protection needs. Although home alarm systems function as crime deterrents, it is the connection to the monitoring company that actually protects the residents in the event of a break-in or other emergency.

Function

Home alarm monitoring companies contract with home owners who want professionals to oversee the functioning of their home alarm systems. The companies use dedicated phone lines to communicate the triggering of an alarm to the monitoring center, and--depending on the predetermined protocol--they may either immediately dispatch law enforcement or first attempt to reach the consumer by phone to verify the emergency.

Considerations

Companies providing home alarm monitoring services fall into two categories: those who provide the initial design of the system and install the hardware in addition to providing the monitoring, and those who come in after the fact and offer to provide monitoring services for any already existing and installed system components.

Warning

Carefully read through any information given to you by home alarm monitoring companies. If it is not stated in the literature, ask about the employee training procedures. These should include technical troubleshooting training as well as education on how to handle life and death emergencies. Additionally, find out if the company operates a monitoring business that is always open and fully staffed with customer service representatives that are available around the clock. Monitoring businesses that fail to provide this kind of service may be a lot cheaper than other companies, but they only provide a partial service.

Expert Insight

The National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (See Resources section) offers voluntary industry oversight and certifies companies that agree to abide by its strict standards. The NBFAA also rates various companies, and this gives you an insider look at the workings of the companies you are considering, and also how they stack up against the competition. Other important sources for getting referrals to reputable alarm monitoring companies are your local police department and your homeowner's insurance agent.

Making the Final Decision

If you have found two or more good home alarm monitoring companies that provide the services you are looking for and also quote a price you can afford, use the Brinks checklist (see Resources below) to do a final comparison. In addition to the information you already gathered about the companies, it urges you to also find out how long the businesses you are considering have been in existence, whether home security is their primary or ancillary business focus, and also what kind of online access customers may have to their accounts. Companies who are not completely dedicated to the homeowner may not be the easiest to do business with in the long run.

Resources

• Home alarm monitoring companies at the NBFAA's Alarm.org site.
• Brinks alarm company comparison list.