Beau Parker
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I remember my very first experience with a security system. I was a teenager, working in a local pizza shop and scheduled to come in early to clean two fryers. I was given a key to the front door and a security code to disarm the alarm system. I was also told that, if I failed to properly disarm the system, I would be greeted with a deafening noise that would likely send me running from the building.
I am in my late 50s now, so that was a long time ago. My employer’s security system was a standalone system that wasn’t monitored. All it did was make noise. But that was good enough back in the 1980s. There were plenty of other businesses within close proximity. The one immediately next door was open 24 hours. If the alarm ever went off, someone would know.
In 2023, professional alarm monitoring is much more common. It is big business for both residential and commercial alarms. But I’d be willing to bet there are some homeowners with residential security systems who don’t feel the need to monitor. Their systems are not connected to a remote monitoring center, nor do they feel the need to self-monitor.
Let me be clear: an unmonitored security system is just an expensive noise machine. And in a day and age in which most people are constantly bombarded with all sorts of sounds and digital messages, making noise is no longer enough.
The Point of Security System Monitoring
Back in the 1970s and 80s, home security systems had built-in alarms capable of emitting incredibly loud noises that would get anyone’s attention. The thinking back then was simple: the noise of an alarm would get someone’s attention and lead to a quick 911 call. Police could respond right away. Arriving on scene in minutes was expected.
The strategy back then was reactionary in nature. Monitoring offered little to no preventative benefit. You waited until an alarm was triggered and then responded to it. Today, monitoring is as much about prevention as it is responding.
For example, being alerted by a video doorbell that someone is approaching the front door gives a property owner an opportunity to thwart a crime before it happens. The property owner can utilize the doorbell’s onboard audio to communicate with the person in real time. If that person has any brains, he’ll apologize for disturbing the property owner and go his way.
Smoke and CO Alarms
Another good example of prevention is found in smoke and CO alarms. Standalone smoke and CO detectors make noise – enough noise to alert occupants so they can escape the house. Monitored smoke and CO detectors go one step further by giving remote monitoring personnel the opportunity to notify local authorities almost instantly. First responders can be on scene to hopefully prevent loss of life and reduce property damage.
Around-the-clock monitoring can prevent car burglaries by alerting homeowners to problems in the neighborhood. It can prevent major water damage in the event that a home’s pipes burst. We could continue, but you get the point.
Two Options for Monitoring
It goes without saying that monitoring makes sense if you are going to invest in a home security system. So how do you do it? According to Vivint.com, you’re looking at two options: professional and self-monitoring. Both accomplish the same thing but through different means.
1. Professional Monitoring
Professional monitoring is a service Vivint provides. Customer security systems are connected to a remote monitoring facility via the internet and/or cellular signals. The facility’s computer systems remain in constant contact, waiting for any alarm signals to come through.
In the event someone tries to break into a monitored home, trained personnel at the monitoring facility are immediately alerted. In a split second they can assess the situation and then contact local authorities. Meanwhile, the homeowner is also contacted to ensure their safety.
Professional monitoring is conducted around-the-clock. This gives a property owner much-needed redundancy, even after hours and on weekends and holidays. But professional monitoring is not free. There is a monthly subscription fee involved.
2. Self-Monitoring
A home security system can be monitored without having to pay for professional service. How? By self-monitoring. The property owner programs his system to send him alerts whenever any kind of alarm is triggered. The alerts can be sent by email, text message, or both. And of course, the property owner can log on to his online account and check alerts from there.
The previously mentioned video doorbell offers the perfect example of how self-monitoring works. Imagine a burglar approaching an empty house with a plan to break in. He doesn’t know whether anyone is home or not, but he still tries the door handle. What he doesn’t know is that the homeowner was alerted to his presence as he walked up the driveway.
A phone notification alerted the property owner to the burglar’s presence. He brings up his home security app and checks the video feed from the front door. He immediately contacts the police and then jumps in the car to head home.
One Requires More Responsibility
Both professional and self-monitoring accomplish the same thing. However, self-monitoring requires more responsibility from the homeowner. The homeowner needs to keep their phone on and accessible. Notifications need to be left on as well. As soon as an alert comes in, the homeowner must stop and check, just to make sure.
Professional monitoring has an advantage in this regard because property owners can pretty much forget about their systems until they get a phone call or message from their monitoring providers. They don’t have to be nearly as diligent because someone else is keeping an eye on things.
It should be clear that owning a security system and not monitoring it limits its usefulness. Monitoring is more or less a necessity in this day and age. Without it, home security is nothing more than an expensive noisemaker.
