Security, Innovations and Integrations Group

"animating solutions"

FAQ

WHO REGULATES ALARM COMPANIES? 

Alarm companies are regulated by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS)

ARE ALARM COMPANY/EMPLOYEES REQUIRED TO BE LICENSED? 

Yes, Alarm company employees are required to be licensed and to carry such identification on their person, readily available for presentation upon request.

WHY DO YOU NEED TO RUN CREDIT TO GET A FREE ALARM SYSTEM? 

Free alarm systems are no different then free telephones,  the value is in the contract, which is based on longevity and monthly fees.  Alarm companies expect to recover the cost of hardware and installation through the monitoring, thus leading to high monthly fees.  For all intent and purpose it is an extension of credit.

HOW DOES MY ALARM WORK? 

All monitored alarm systems communicate with a 24-hour staffed monitoring center via telephone and or cellular.  The staff will receive, process and dispatch according to instructions received from subscriber.

WHY DO I PAY MONTHLY FEES? 

Monthly fees/dues cover the cost of staffing the monitoring and overhead incurred to maintain such a facility.  Monthly fees do not include service or maintenance unless specified in the contract.  Maintenance on the alarm system is usually available at an additional nominal fee, subject to equipment inspection and approval.

WHAT IS AN AUTHORIZED DEALER? 

An authorized dealer is a third party authorized as an agent, assign or affiliate of another alarm company.  Authorized dealers maintain strong sales teams which will usually work door to door and generate high volume of sales.  Authorized dealers will sell product and service to home owners/renters then sell the contracts to bigger companies.  The contract value is usually based on multiples.  ie: If you get a free alarm and you commit to a three year term at a rate of $42.00 per month then, the authorized dealer will recieve $1008.  That is the dealer will get the sum equivalent to 24 months worth of monitoring.  Dealers are only responsible for the first three months, once the 90 day period has passed, the dealer is no longer accountable to the customer or for the customer.

HOW DO I TEST MY ALARM SYSTEM? 

Call your monitoring center and ask to be placed on test for one hour.  Once your password is verified and it is confirmed that you are on test, you can simply press and hold your panic button or send a duress, allow the alarm to ring a minimum of 15 seconds if sending a panic or any other signal not a duress.  Call the monitoring center back and ask to check for signals, remember that you will need your password.

WHY DO I NEED AN ALARM PERMIT? 

Alarm permits are required by certain police departments in order to maintain contact information.  Fees involved for obtaining alarm permits are dictated by the individual police agencies, and are based on the cost of maintaining such files.

WHAT IS ALARM RESPONSE? 

Alarm response is a patrol service provided by a private patrol operator (licensed by BSIS) which also provides response to alarm activations, vacation checks and response to calls for help.  Alarm response is a service that can be used by it self or in concert with police response.  Alarm response fees vary but, are usually between $28.00 and $60.00 per month depending on services provide.  Services include but are not limited to: alarm activation response, vacation checks, random drive-by, emergency response and community watch (requires HOA contractual agreement)