Whether you're worried about your home or place of business, setting up an alarm system can provide greater peace of mind. You may wonder, however, how the setup will work and how failure-tolerant it is intended to be. These four concerns are worth taking up with a security systems services provider before you settle on which configuration you want to use.
Disconnections
One of the biggest questions property owners tend to have is "What happens if there's no connection?" The answer depends on the quality of the alarm system you'll purchase.
At the lowest end are setups that can only talk to the outside world over phone lines or internet cables. Professional burglars know which systems use these, and they will target locations that they feel can easily be disconnected. The most aggressive solution is to add redundancies to an alarm system, such as cellular, satellite, and radio transceivers to ensure that connectivity is maintained even if lines are deliberately or accidentally cut.
Line Seizures
Middle- to top-tier systems have line seizure systems built in to ensure that they have access to monitoring centers. These setups are designed to take control of the phone line immediately, knocking anyone who's currently in a call off the line and effectively seizing it.
Losses of Power
Every security system services firm offers setups that have battery backup capabilities. You need to keep an eye on how well your backup is charged, but the system should be configured to send an automated message to the monitoring service company if backup power becomes unreliable.
Adding a backup energy source is always a good idea, with natural gas-powered generators being the most dependable. If you intend to use backup power generation, make sure you discuss this early on with your alarm system installer to ensure the switch in sources doesn't trigger a signal to the monitoring center.
Notifications
The vast majority of notifications from an alarm system will go directly to a monitoring center. Homeowners will usually have a certain amount of time to disarm the alarm, and the monitors may also contact them to verify that everything is okay. If you are away, a notification can be sent to your mobile phone.
Fire alarms can be set up to send messages directly to the closest fire department. Systems configured to do this are popular with commercial customers, and they're also used frequently in multi-unit residential buildings.
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