ALARM - F.A.Q.’s 

Q. Do I have to have my alarm system monitored?

A. No. Monitoring service is your choice. You can choose not to have monitoring service and have your system warn ‘locally’ only, however, an outside bell or siren may not come with your system. They are usually designed with an interior siren only.

Q. Can I put a bell or siren on the outside of my house?

A. Yes, as long as the CC&R (Conditions, Covenants & Restrictions) guidelines and/or city ordinances for your neighborhood allow for it, but there are good reasons not to have one. False alarms can render the bell/siren almost meaningless, and if you’re not home and your alarm goes off and you really are being burgled -how much would you like to depend on your neighbors?

Q. How much does monitoring cost?

A. Typically $24.00 per month. We bill quarterly so you would pay $72.00 every 3 months. Now, this can vary depending upon the type of installation you have. You can opt for a cheaper initial installation price and pay more per month if you wish.

Q. Are there any other charges involved?

A. No. There is no hook-up fee, nor any hidden charges by us. However, the city police or county sheriff’s department where you live may require that you complete an application for an alarm permit and charge a fee. Please check with them to find out for sure. Check out our alarm permit links for your area.

Q. How does monitoring work?

A. The alarm panel uses your existing telephone line to call the central monitoring station where trained professionals are alerted and respond 24/7. Typically, once the alarm goes off, they call you first to find out whether or not it is just a false alarm. If not, they dispatch the local police. Then they try any other phone numbers you have given them (your cell phone, the neighbors, your work, etc.) If the police are dispatched and it is a false alarm the police department may hold you responsible for charges.

Q. What if I don’t have a phone line at home?

A. We do have cell phone service available to monitor your system. The monitoring charges are more per month and the cell phone module is an extra cost, and you can either buy the equipment outright if you don’t plan on getting phone service or lease the equipment as a temporary measure until you get phone service.

Q. What if I get my phone service through the internet or the cable company?

A. Yes, we can still monitor your system even through Vonage, Comcast or other type of VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) phone providers.

Q. What should I do if I get false alarms?

A. Assuming you didn’t just accidentally set off your own alarm and that there is a malfunction in the system, please give us a call as soon as possible! Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a perfect system –things can go wrong and we want to know about it so we can take care of the problem. We want to make sure you don’t get any charges from the police department. If you did just set off your alarm accidentally and your system is monitored then you should be hearing from the monitoring service very soon! They’ll want to know your password and make sure everything is okay or send help if it isn’t. If you don’t hear from the monitoring company within one minute, call them!

Q. Are my smoke detectors monitored too?

A. That depends, if the smoke detectors in your house were installed by the electrician, then no. The electrician’s smoke detectors and our alarm system are not compatible. If we installed our smoke detectors, then yes. In fact, fire protection is a great reason to have a monitored alarm system since the fire zone operates 24 hours a day whether your system is armed or not!

Q. I’ve heard I can save on my homeowners insurance with an alarm system, is that true?

A. Yes! Virtually all home-owners insurance companies will give you a discount for having a monitored alarm system, sometimes more if it is fire protected too. In fact, the discount they give you might come close to paying for your monitoring service! You’ll have to contact your insurance company to know what they’ll do for you.

Q. What kind of warranty does your alarm system have?

A. All parts including panel, keypad(s), motion detector(s), and contacts have a full one year warranty. Our workmanship is warranted for the lifetime of the original home and original homeowner. And our service calls are free for 1 year for any product failure. If you are a monitored customer you have full warranty for as long as you’re on our monitoring service!