Choosing Between Monitored and Unmonitored Home Security Alarm Systems

When choosing a home security alarm system, you usually have a choice to make to determine whether or not your home security alarm system will be monitored by a central monitoring station. There are both advantages and disadvantages to both types of home security alarm systems and this article will serve to illustrate these advantages and disadvantages.

A monitored home security alarm system is one in which there is a central monitoring station that receives a message when the alarm is triggered. These stations are staffed 24 hours per day to ensure that there is always someone available to assist you. The typical scenario for a monitored home security alarm system is that the home security alarm is tripped and a message is sent to the central monitoring station. The personnel at the monitoring station then contact the homeowners to determine whether the alarm was a mistake. The homeowners are required to provide the monitoring station personnel with a secret password before the alarm can be deactivated. If the homeowner fails to supply this secret password or does not answer when they call, the monitoring station personnel will contact the local police department to investigate the alarm breach. Monitored home security alarm systems will also send a message to the monitoring station if the fire alarm is tripped and will contact the local fire department if the homeowner does not let them know that it is a false alarm.

The obvious advantage of a monitored home security system is an additional layer of protection. This allows the monitoring station personnel to contact the authorities for you if you are unable to do so yourself. If you have a monitored home security system, you should consider also having an audible alarm. The disadvantage to not having an audible alarm is the burglar could enter your home and their might be a long enough delay between when they enter and when the police arrive for them to harm you or steal your property.

Home security alarm systems that are unmonitored do not send a message to a monitoring station when the alarm is tripped. Instead, these systems sound a loud audible alarm when the home security alarm system is tripped. Unmonitored systems also often have a flashing strobe light that accompanies the audible alarm. This type of home security alarm system relies on the fact that most would be burglars will leave immediately to avoid being caught when the alarm sounds. This type of home security alarm system also depends on either you or your neighbors to contact the police when the alarm sounds. The disadvantage to this type of home security alarm system is that it is ineffective in an isolated area where there are no neighbors close by to contact the police. It is also ineffective if your neighbors are not home when the alarm is tripped or do not want to contact the police for fear of repercussion.

In choosing a home security alarm system deciding whether to have a monitored or unmonitored system is a very important decision. Each type of home security alarm system has their own advantages and disadvantages and it is up to the homeowner to decide which home security alarm system is right for their situation.