When choosing from the many different residential alarm systems on the market, homeowners must decide between a monitored and standard system. A monitored security system is the best home security system possible, and we’ll demonstrate why in the following points:
Professionalism
A monitored system is installed by highly skilled and experienced technicians and then monitored by highly skilled and experienced response agents. These are professionals who have dedicated their careers to home security, and more specifically residential alarm systems, and that is the level of expertise that one should want when it comes to protecting your family and most valuable possessions.
No Accidental Off State
With a traditional alarm, it’s possible to disable the alarm and then forget about it. For example, one might disable an accidental smoke alarm and then leave it in that state. With monitored residential alarm systems, that kind of mishap isn’t possible. One can disable the local alarm, but the device and the link between it and the monitoring station are always active.
Alarm Response Assured
With a classic alarm configuration, you have to hear the alarm and be able to respond to it. This can be a dangerous issue when someone is incapacitated due to smoke inhalation or the presence of CO2. With a monitored system, the monitoring station will register the alarm and respond to it regardless.
Avoid Improper Alarm Response
Even if a family member is able to respond to an alarm, there’s no guarantee that they handle the response appropriately. It is, after all, often a high-pressure and stressful situation. The response agents, however, are specialists with computer systems optimized for calling the right emergency services and providing them with all of the necessary information.
Averts Fault and Failure
The monitoring station is also able to detect faults and failures in the system automatically. When it occurs, the company is able to send out a technician regardless of whether it’s the middle of the night or a holiday. With a traditional system, you can go for days or even longer without realizing that equipment has failed.
Lease Equipment
With a non-monitored system, you must purchase the equipment outright, but with a monitored solution you can lease it. Furthermore, the best home security system stays current, and since you lease it, you can upgrade the system as needed with very little additional expense.
Timely and Inexpensive Upgrades
When you buy residential security equipment, there is a tendency to stagnate. It’s less expensive and more convenient to stay the same. The monitoring security company, however, has its name on the line, and it wants to achieve the best home security system possible at all times. In other words, it will upgrade your home as soon as it makes sense to do so.
Insurance Discounts
Insurance companies often provide significant discounts for residential security equipment and an active monitoring service. The best discounts are reserved for homeowners who have active monitoring and who keep their system updated. If the system is outmoded, then the insurance company will be less inclined to provide you with a big discount on your home insurance policy.
Panic buttons
A monitored security system also allows for fixed and remote panic buttons. Panic buttons are a way to trigger an alarm with the central monitoring station when an alarm would not normally be triggered. For instance, if you allowed an attacker into the home, a panic button would allow you to call for help with relative ease.