What Is Professional Monitoring?

With professional monitoring, trained experts are ready 24/7 to respond to an alarm. Whether you are home, asleep, or away, our team is prepared to dispatch emergency services. Often professional monitoring includes alarm verification services which generate a faster police response and can provide the police with more accurate information.

What is it?

Professional monitoring is a service provided by every reputable security provider. If your alarm system is triggered, the monitoring center will be notified immediately and is ready to respond in seconds. The operators at our National Monitoring Center are trained experts and know how to handle an alarm. Whether you are home, asleep, or away during the threat, our operators are ready to respond to your alarm.

How does it work?

When your alarm system is armed, and a sensor is triggered, your keypad(s) will start blinking and prompt you to input your code. Every system has an entry delay, giving you time to input your code and cancel the alarm before it alerts the monitoring center, which is helpful if you accidentally trip the alarm. The length of the entry delay is customizable. The alarm is turned off by inputting the correct code into your keypad. You can also customize which sensors prompt the entry delay and which do not. If a sensor does not have an entry delay, the monitoring center will be alerted immediately. 

If the alarm is not turned off before the entry delay finishes counting down, your siren will sound, and a signal is sent to our National Monitoring Center. 

Within seconds, our dispatch team will contact you according to your Responding Party List. Every customer is unique, and therefore, the procedure for an active alarm is customizable for each customer. You determine in which order responsible parties and the authorities are contacted. 

If it is a false alarm, you must provide the operator with your code or password to cancel the dispatch, and authorities will not respond.

How is it different from self-monitoring?

Many security companies offer self-monitoring as an option for your alarm system. With self-monitoring, if there is an alarm, a monitoring center is not notified. Through a mobile notification, you, the homeowner, and any other friend or family member will be notified of the activity. At that time, it would be your responsibility to contact emergency personnel. 

The benefit of a self-monitored system is that the monthly cost can be lower than the monthly cost of professional monitoring. However, suppose you are on vacation and cannot verify an alarm or do not wake up to your smoke detectors beeping. In that case, there are not any trained professionals alerted to the emergency who can respond on your behalf.

With professional monitoring, you can be notified through text, email, phone calls, or push notifications of any alarm activity. The most significant advantage of professional monitoring is that an expert is prepared 24/7 to respond to a threat at your home.

What should I look for when choosing a security company to monitor my system?

It’s crucial to find a security company whose monitoring center is certified and has well-trained team members. Comtronics National Monitoring Center is certified by UL, FM approved, meets NFPA standards, and is five diamond certified. Our monitoring center also has a two-ring commitment, elite training standards, industry-leading technology, and customized customer protocols. Our monitoring center is recognized nationally as one of the best, and our commitment to protecting what you love is our highest priority.

Are you interested in a professionally monitored security system for your home? Do you have more questions? Contact us to learn more about Comtronics’ professionally designed, installed, and monitored security systems.