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Commercial & Home Security System FAQ

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Home security companies provide protection against unlawful entry into your home using intrusion monitoring equipment. This equipment can include door and window sensors, motion detectors, glass breaks, and even Crash and Smash interactive features with cellular monitoring. Each equipment type has a particular function, or guards against a specific kind of intrusion, so by combining them, your home can be completely protected against all possible forms of illicit entry.

There is no difference between a door sensor and a window sensor. Door and window sensors report and record when and whether a door or window has been opened or closed while the system has been armed. Not limited to doors or windows as such, these sensors are also great for safes, cabinets, phone boxes, latched key panels, and so on. With a typical battery life of three to seven years, these sensors can be trusted to keep your valuables safe and secure.

You can, just be sure to let your home security company know about pets before we start installing, so that we can make the appropriate accommodations.

They are just as cost effective as motion detectors, especially if they’re covering areas with lots of windows. They listen for the particular frequency of breaking glass so you don’t need to worry about them getting set off by other bangs, bumps, and crashes.

The Crash and Smash feature is available on cellular plans only. Panel will report if an intruder rips it off the wall.

Unlike traditional smoke alarms that sound off when smoke is detected, monitored smoke alarms take it a step further by sending a signal to the monitoring station (that’s us!) If we receive that signal, we’ll contact your local fire services immediately. If a fire breaks out while you’re away, or if you’re incapacitated, having a third party to make that call could save your home, your family, or even your life.

Medical monitoring services will not increase your monthly rate. Medical monitoring gives you the power to hail immediate medical response with the click of a button; the dispatcher forwards your signal to your local medical emergency department, and cuts minutes off the standard 911 response-time.

If an alarm is triggered, the monitoring system “calls” your home security company to report it. In some cases, this could tie up your phone line and lead to a busy signal, so 911 would be contacted, potentially wasting police resources for false alarms. With 2-Way Voice Verification, your operator can communicate with you directly through the keypad, preventing the busy signal and ensuring more consistent service. You get the safety of a hands-free communication system, fewer false alarms are reported, and your home security company has a direct line to you in case of emergency.

The Alarm.com app gives you a way to control your home security systems from anywhere, over your standard cellular network. You can receive real time alerts as push notifications or through standard SMS, you can arm or disarm the system, or just check to make sure you’ve turned the stove off.

Basically, you can set the system to monitor your location and send alerts to your cell phone if you move into or out of a certain area. For instance, you might set a reminder to arm your home security system if you move outside of a half-mile radius. Imagine the peace of mind, getting a notification that your kids are home from school, even if you’re still stuck in traffic.

How many people still have landlines? With cellular monitoring, your home security company can monitor your security systems over the cellular network, and you can have the added redundancy of routing a signal through multiple cell towers in case of an emergency. It’s faster, and it’s more reliable. Gone are the days when an intruder could simply cut the wires, and leave your home defenseless.

You don’t! Cellular monitoring uses a dedicated device with what is essentially its own cellular plan. It isn’t locked to a particular carrier, and it doesn’t have anything to do with your personal cell phone. This is little different from putting a cellular data plan on a tablet.