Home Security Monitoring

No matter how complex or comprehensive your home security system is when it comes to your family's safety it all comes down to home security monitoring. Your system is, quite simply, only as good as the monitoring services.

If an intruder is trying to break into your home several things need to happen to ensure your safety:

1. You need to hear the alarm and move to the safest place you can in the home.
2. The alarm needs to be loud enough to alert your neighbors. Hopefully, they will either call the police or come to your aid.
3. The home security monitoring company needs to be on the job and act quickly to notify your local police department of a break-in.

The most important of these responses is the action of your home security monitoring company. If they are not on the job or if they fail to act, your entire security system is essentially worthless. Think about it - if your neighbors are away or they are at work, who will hear the siren under your house? If you are home alone and you can't get to a phone, your safety might depend on the monitoring company. When you select a monitoring company, you need to look for a solid reputation and a long history of success in monitoring the homes of customers and keeping them safe. What you need in a home security monitoring company is guaranteed service 24 hours of every day, 365 days of the year, without fail. You need to know that even a power outage will not leave you unprotected.

You also need to know that the sensors and detectors are "smart" enough to send specific information to the monitoring company to enable them to take action without waiting for you to identify the problem or threat for them. This continues to be a shortcoming of many home security monitoring companies - they don't know what alerts and alarms mean when they are activated.

There are some new and very sophisticated types of sensors, detectors, and "switches" you can buy to increase the safety of your family. But you are wasting your money if the home security monitoring company you choose can't read the signals. This is one of the main reasons to use an established and proven monitoring company that has demonstrated the ability to monitor all types of alarms in all kinds of circumstances.

How do you know if the home security monitoring company you are considering is adequate? Here are the most important questions to ask:

• How long have you been in the home security monitoring business?
• What kind of theft or personal safety guarantee do you offer?
• What kind of backup systems do you use to ensure monitoring during a power outage or if the wires are cut?
• Are you capable of monitoring at peak efficiency the specific devices I plan to install in my home?

If the home security monitoring company provides the equipment, you should be able to assume an ability to monitor the equipment, but there is no harm in asking so you will be certain. These questions will help any homeowner determine the suitability of a monitoring company and its ability to protect their family and property. These questions and assurances of compatibility offer the level of confidence most homeowners expect when they invest in a quality system.