24/7 Monitoring: Professional Home Security’s Advantage Over DIY

Electronic home security entered the DIY arena some years back. Ever since, it has maintained a decent market share. But professional home security is still around and as strong as ever. There are a number of reasons explaining why, including professional home security’s biggest advantage over DIY: 24/7 monitoring.

Vivint is one of several nationally known home security companies that provide professional installation and around-the-clock monitoring. Customers pay a monthly subscription fee in exchange for their security systems being connected to a remote monitoring center staffed by trained personnel. The service is like always having an extra set of eyes and ears on your house. But is it worth the cost?

How It All Works

Before getting into the benefits of professional monitoring, it is probably a good idea to discuss how it all works. You already know the mechanics: a home security system is connected to a remote monitoring center. That connection can be through landline telephone, cell service, or internet.

Today, internet connection is preferred. Landline telephones are nearly extinct, and there are still entire swaths of the United States that do not get decent cell signals. So a hard-wired internet connection is the way to go.

Sensors built into the system are designed to alert monitoring personnel to a problem. Window and door sensors alert to unauthorized entry. Smoke and carbon monoxide sensors alert to fire and CO leaks. Water sensors alert to broken pipes or natural floods. Even cameras are treated as sensors in a home security scenario.

When a Sensor Is Tripped

As long as all the sensors in a system are operating properly, all is well. But if one is tripped, it is an indication of a problem. A tripped sensor sends a signal to the remote monitoring center where it alerts monitoring personnel to act.

Monitoring personnel have access to security system information, customer account information, etc. via computer terminals. They assess the situation before determining how to proceed. In some cases, monitoring personnel will first attempt to contact the homeowner to verify the potential emergency. In other cases, they immediately contact local authorities.

Homeowners Can Handle Monitoring Themselves

Truth be told, homeowners can do the same things for themselves if they prefer the DIY paradigm. DIY security systems are designed to send alerts to a homeowner’s cell phone and email. So a homeowner willing to stay on top of his mobile notifications can handle all his own monitoring. However, there is a big catch.

DIY monitoring requires an excessive amount of diligence to be effective. A homeowner who is casual about DIY monitoring is not protecting his home nearly as much as he would be with professional monitoring. On the other hand, professional monitoring centers do not shut down at night. They don’t stop monitoring when a homeowner needs to go into a business meeting. They keep running even when homeowners go on vacation.

5 Things Professional Monitoring Offers

Professional monitoring’s key features are what give it a huge advantage over DIY home security. What are those key features? Check them out:

1. Around-the-Clock Surveillance

At the top of the list is around-the-clock surveillance. Whether a homeowner is home or not, the monitoring company is keeping a watchful eye on things. Homeowners can virtually forget about monitoring themselves. Should anything go wrong, the remote monitoring center will know about it.

Remote monitoring offers the added advantage of being able to sort out potential emergencies more easily. Trained professionals are more adept at identifying false alarms as opposed to real emergencies, something that could actually save homeowner’s money by avoiding the fines many communities assess for false alarm responses.

2. Emergency Dispatch

Remote monitoring center personnel are trained in emergency verification. The minute they do verify a legitimate emergency they contact local authorities to respond. In most cases, the emergency dispatch afforded by professional monitoring is quicker than when homeowners monitor their systems on their own. Simply put, untrained homeowners are slower to respond.

3. Real-Time Alerts

Professional monitoring does not completely cut the homeowner out of the loop. In fact, it is just the opposite. Professionally installed and monitored home security systems can be set up to send real-time alerts to the homeowner’s phone or email. With this feature enabled, a homeowner gets extra protection. Every alert sent to the remote monitoring center is also sent to the homeowner.

4. Video Verification

Local authorities in many areas have raised concerns over the false alarms associated with home security systems. In response, municipalities have created ordinances to cut down on false alarm calls. Homeowners whose systems generate too many false alarms can face substantial fines.

A remedy now being used by many remote monitoring centers is video verification. Monitoring personnel turn to live video feeds to verify what is happening when an alarm is triggered. If video evidence does not confirm an emergency, personnel will not be so quick to inform local authorities. They will make other attempts to figure out what is going on. But if video feeds do confirm a genuine emergency, personnel are ready to contact the authorities.

5. Smart Home Integration

Finally, remote monitoring can be integrated with smart home technology. That means monitoring centers can also pay attention to a home’s thermostat, smart locks, lighting, irrigation system, and more. The extra visibility adds a new level of safety and provides more nuanced control over the entire security and home automation ecosystem.

Is It Worth the Price?

Knowing everything there is to know about professional monitoring leads to an inevitable question: is it worth the price? It is a question I cannot answer in a post of this nature. Every homeowner needs to decide for himself what constitutes a good value.

I can tell you that I monitor my own system. But there are days when I give serious consideration to signing up for professional monitoring. It has some advantages capable of adding considerable value to my setup. Perhaps professional monitoring is ultimately in my future.