If someone is breaking into your house, you want a police presence there immediately. If you accidentally set off your alarm, you want a call from your monitoring center so you can reset the alarm and get on with your day. As security systems get smarter and smarter and your provider can more easily communicate with you in the event of an alert, it’s getting easier for security systems to differentiate between accidental alerts and true emergencies. How quickly will police and medical emergency personnel respond with home security monitoring?

Home Security Monitoring and It's Effectiveness

  • Medical and Fire: Most security systems monitor for smoke, carbon monoxide, and other sensor-based alerts at all times and can send an immediate response to the right authorities. As smarter security systems develop and become more popular, the control pads may be voice-enabled, allowing your security company’s monitoring center to reach out to you quickly and see if a smoke detector is a true emergency or a cooking mishap through your confirmation. If you or someone in your household has a medical alert trigger, paramedics can be notified immediately.
  • Triggers for Potential Break-Ins: These alarms and responses can be the most complicated because they depend on a number of factors. Once your security system is triggered by a potential break-in, most monitoring centers will call you to confirm if the alert was accidental, and once there is no response or you confirm otherwise, then the police will be notified. Because alarms can go off frequently for innocuous reasons, your security company will often need additional verification in order for the police to prioritize your house. This can take the form of your confirmation that someone is in the house with you, video surveillance footage, or additional triggers that, taken in combination, are more conclusive.

Knowing how your security system works is one of the best ways to work your provider to keep your home safe. Having additional security features such as electricity monitoring and video surveillance can not only deter incidents but they can help verify emergencies for prioritization. To learn more about what combination of security features is best for your home and family, please feel free to browse our Fort Knox Security Service’s site.