A security system with the right parts can bring peace of mind to business owners, employees, contractors, and home owners alike. But a security system that is under-utilized, or built with the wrong parts—one that doesn’t fit the space it was built to secure—can bring stress, worry, and expense. So what do you really need?
Each space brings its own security needs to the table, and there are a lot of parts and pieces that help create a secure area. But without the right services and maintenance to back it up, they could all go to waste. For example, a small bike shop owner might want to secure an indoor office and repair shop by purchasing a burglar alarm system. An alarm keypad, glass break detectors for the front windows, and alarm contacts for the doors will ensure that when the alarm is set and entry is detected, sirens will sound. But what’s probably most important in a burglar alarm system like this is the monitoring service that comes with it. Without alarm monitoring, sirens will go off and lights will flash (if you have them), but the police will never be notified and the intruder would have plenty of time to make off with whatever he or she came for.
For a basic alarm system, monitoring is usually a small monthly fee which provides phone call verification to the business owner(s), and a few other people chosen by the owner. This helps to prevent false alarms in the event that someone accidentally set off the alarm, or forgot the disarm code. Once the monitoring center determines that this isn’t a false alarm, they can dispatch police to your site.
Many business owners worry that this process of phone calls may take too long, and that’s where surveillance cameras can come into play, helping to speed up the dispatch process and provide evidence of the event. With the addition of video verification, an alarm system becomes capable of nearly immediate police dispatch, and false alarm rates can be reduced greatly. Monitoring services like VideoFied provide monitoring personnel with live video of the site, allowing them to call police and dispatch immediately, without having to call 1-4 phone numbers, trying to verify the legitimacy of the alarm in the first place.
So, quality parts can make a decent alarm system. But what makes a great security system is the addition of regular alarm tests and checkups, as well as a dedicated monitoring center, either with or without video verification.