What to ask when buying a home alarm system

Buying alarm systems is becoming increasing complicated as technologies advance - in particular as smart home technology and phone technologies and apps drive forward the ‘smart home’ agenda with more and more devices now linking with mobile phones.

The following are the key questions to ask when buying an alarm system for your home or business:

- Wired or wireless?

- Bells-only or monitored?

- Monthly monitoring fee or not?

- Yearly maintenance service or not?

 

Wired or wireless alarm system

Wireless alarm technology has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years, becoming more reliable and better quality.  That said, going for a wireless system isn’t necessarily the best option as there are numerous issues to consider.  

Here’s a quick overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the two different options:

 

Wireless alarm

- Strength: quicker and easier to install (N.B. most wireless systems do have some element of wiring involved e.g. in most cases the control panel and sometimes the keypad are wired, and then the sensors are wireless).

- Weakness: comparatively unreliable, with faults usually linked to batteries failing.  (N.B. batteries normally last 12 to 24 months, but some fail more quickly used / activated frequently).

 

Wired alarm

- Strength: very reliable and robust.  Rarely go wrong.

- Weakness: require hard-wiring into your property, meaning you will have wires across your property (N.B. in most cases wires can be hidden, however in most cases you will be able to see some of the wires).

 

The other option to consider is a ‘hybrid alarm system’ like the Texecom Premier, which mixes both wired and wireless technologies together to give you the best of both worlds.

The two biggest considerations with the wired / wireless argument is ‘ease of installation’ over ‘reliability’.  Arguably reliability is the most important aspect to consider, especially as security systems should be fail-safe, working in the in-frequent occasions you really need it to work.

 

Bells-only or monitored alarm system

In the past most alarm systems were bells-based system, meaning that when the alarm was activated a bell sounded outside the property to alert people in the neighbouring area that there had been an activation.  Because of high-levels of false alarms, and because people found bells ringing in the street annoying, bells only systems have become less effective and therefore a lot less popular.

Monitored alarm systems, i.e. systems that are connected to an ‘alarm monitoring service’, have proven a lot more effective at providing a response to an emergency.  The main reason for this is that because the alarm is connected directly to a monitoring station (via a telephone line) you’re guaranteed response 24/7 - meaning there’s no need to worry, as the monitoring station is there ready to respond in the appropriate manner e.g. by calling emergency services in the case of an emergency, or calling your key-holders in the case of a suspected false alarm.

 

Here’s a a comparison the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems

Bells-only alarm 

- Strength: generally cheaper, no ongoing monitoring cost

- Weakness: not at all effective as a security system as people ignore alarm bells

 

Monitored alarm system

- Strength: as a rule highly effective as you’re guaranteed a response to the alarm activation every time

- Weakness: generally more expensive than bells-only systems and require a monthly monitoring fee

 

Monthly monitoring fee or not

If a monitored alarm system is connected to a monitoring station (i.e. a central station where monitoring staff are working 24/7 reacting live to alarm activations) then you’ll be required to pay for monthly monitoring fee.

The monitoring fee isn’t always paid monthly, but can also be quarterly or annual too (depending on circumstances).  For example, it’s fairly standard for businesses to pay on a yearly basis, but for home owners to pay on a monthly or quarterly basis.

If a monitored alarm system just uses an ‘auto-dialler’ (i.e. the alarm isn’t connected to a central monitoring station but instead automatically dials / sends an SMS to a number of pre-programmed people like the property owner or neighbour), then normally you are not required to pay a monthly fee - as there is nothing to really pay for.  That said, some companies do make their customers pay a monthly fee for ‘auto-dialler monitoring’, which in our opinion is a rip off.

 

Typical monthly alarm system monthly costs are as follows:

- Auto-dialler monitoring: free (although some alarm companies charge for this, so you should check)

- Call-back monitoring: £12 to £30 a month

- Call-back monitoring with Redcare (or similar line-cut technologies): £30 to £45 a month

- Immediate audio-response monitoring: £17 to £45 a month

 

Yearly alarm maintenance contract or not

Typically when an alarm company sells you an alarm system they’ll also try to sell you a yearly maintenance contract.  An alarm alarm maintenance contract typically involves an alarm engineer visiting your property and testing various aspects of your alarm:

- Sensor tests: making sure the sensors all work (e.g. PIR sensors in your rooms)

- General alarm activation tests: making sure that the alarm works when activated, and in the case of having alarm monitoring, your alarm calls the monitoring centre correctly

- Battery tests: making sure that the various batteries in your system are OK (and fully charging).  N.B. battery failure is most common on wireless alarm systems

 

Arguably visiting every year is over-kill, not much can really go wrong with an alarm system if it’s been left un-touched.  The biggest / most-common issue is battery failure which is (as mentioned earlier) most common with wireless systems. If your alarm is wired then your system will only have 1 battery, and this battery should last 3 to 5 years at a time.

 

Summary

These are the most common questions to ask when buying a home alarm system.  If you have any further questions, please get in touch with our team at AMCO Security - who are some of the most informed in the industry.

Posted: 2017-03-24

What type of monitored alarm is best for me? A comparison of monitored alarms

In the last 18 months there’s been a huge technological shift in intruder alarm technology, with the main shift being driven by smart phone technology and IoT (the Internet of Things).
 
With the high growth of phones like the iPhone from Apple, Google’s Android powered phones like the Samsung Galaxy and its Pixel phone, we’ve seen a greater normalisation of the concept of controlling physical devices via apps - like the Phillips Hue lightbulb for example.
 
In the context of security, the biggest impact of IoT is a move towards an increased interest in monitoring, with a big focus on self-monitoring i.e. where a person monitors their own alarm rather than 3rd party monitoring i.e. where a person pays a monitoring station to monitor their alarm for them.
 
What is a self-monitored alarm?
Self-monitored alarms are where when an alarm is activated a signal is sent through to the owner of the property or a key-holder.  The self-monitoring can take a variety of different forms:
- Telephone and SMS: this is where the communication from the alarm is sent via telephone or SMS 
- App-based: this is where all the communication is done via an app, either passively or via push messaging
 

 
What is call-back alarm monitoring (used in traditional monitored alarms)?
More traditional monitored alarms are based around a 3rd party monitoring station, where once the alarm is activated the monitoring station is contacted (largely via a phone signal, but also increasing via the internet / IP), and then the monitoring station can make a call as to what to do i.e. call the owner, call a key-holder or call the emergency services (like the police or the ambulance).
 

 
 
What alarms with ‘immediate audio-response'?
Two-way audio monitored alarms are a more sophisticated form of monitored alarm, where once the alarm is activated a 3rd party monitoring station can listen and talk into the property via a speaker/microphone device.  What this means is that the monitoring station can verify whether the activation is a real emergency situation or not, and they can also then immediately call the emergency services in the case of a real emergency - lowering false alarm call-outs, and increasing the level of security for the property owner.
 
 
So, what’s the best monitored alarm?
The quick answer is that the best monitored alarm is the one that suits your needs.  The highest security form of monitored alarm is the *two-way audio monitored alarm* provided by companies with The Alarm Monitoring Company (AMCO).  The cheapest (and the most recently launched into market) is app-based systems like the Canary.

Posted: 2017-03-17

A quick guide to alarm monitoring

The intruder alarm market has become an increasingly sophisticated market, with many different types of burglar alarm monitoring on the market.  As there maybe several types of alarm on the market, it can get quite confusing to make a decision.  To help you, we’ve created a quick guide to the main things to consider when choosing an alarm monitoring service, which are:

 
  • Response type: how the alarm monitoring service reacts in an emergency activation situation e.g. whether the system simply automatically calls you, is it that a  human controller calls you, or is there something more complex / sophisticated.
  • Communication channel:  this is how the alarm communicates to the monitoring service e.g. via a telephone line, mobile phone line or through the internet.
 

An example of an SMS alarm monitoring communication can be seen in the following video:

 
 

These two factors are the main things to consider when analysing an alarm monitoring service.  The Communication channel is mostly down to your personal situation - questions you need to ask yourself include: do you have a landline (in which case you should probably just use normal land-line monitoring) or are you particularly vulnerable to attack (in which case you may want to consider a GSM back-up system).

 

At the Alarm Monitoring Company, we provide a wide range of different alarm monitoring options.  However, one thing we do insist on is installing ‘immediate audio-response’ alarm monitoring - meaning that when the alarm is activated, our remote monitoring station can listen in and talk into the property, helping verify that there’s an emergency situation and calling the relevant emergency service e.g. fire, police or ambulance.

 

For more information, read information on alarm monitoring here.

 

There’s further information on alarm monitoring via this Wikipedia page and also information provided by the police here.

 
 
 

Posted: 2017-03-15

Monitored Panic Button

Alarms with Panic Buttons – Home or Shops

One thing that AMCO have seen a lot of lately is households and small business owners calling us to put in panic button alarms, not just to prevent burglaries but to put an alarm system in place to deter armed robberies, thuggery, vandalism and threatening behaviour.

Unfortunately, most alarm companies give up on trying to deal with anything other than burglaries and armed robberies, we do not. Traditional raid alarms send a signal to your monitoring company, who in turn call the keyholders and then the police using a ‘URN’ reference. If the system is installed badly and false alarms, or if you press the panic buttons just a few times, the police will not respond anymore.

The AMCO difference
Our systems come with a 24/7 “immediate audio response”

Whenever the alarm or panic button is activated we listen in to the property and verify what is happening. If our monitoring team hear anything untoward we will notify the emergency services (Police, Fire or Ambulance) or speak in to frighten off the criminal appropriately. Our system wil give you the peace of mind that someone is taking you seriously. We feel our “immediate audio response”monitoring is much more effective than standard monitoring.

Cost Effective solution

– Low cost monitoring: our standard monitoring charge is £17.95, with absolutely no hidden charges (unlike some others on the market!).

– Low cost installation and call out charges: because we run a highly competitive operation, the installation charges for our security systems tend to be low-cost and offer great value for our customers. We may even be able to add our system to existing alarm parts you may have saving you even more.

To see a demonstration of our system, check out this video explaining the system:

For more information on AMCO monitored alarms check out our guide
About Monitored Alarms

Posted: 2017-01-06

Monitored Panic Button

Alarms with Panic Buttons – Home or Shops

One thing that AMCO have seen a lot of lately is households and small business owners calling us to put in panic button alarms, not just to prevent burglaries but to put an alarm system in place to deter armed robberies, thuggery, vandalism and threatening behaviour.

Unfortunately, most alarm companies give up on trying to deal with anything other than burglaries and armed robberies, we do not. Traditional raid alarms send a signal to your monitoring company, who in turn call the keyholders and then the police using a ‘URN’ reference. If the system is installed badly and false alarms, or if you press the panic buttons just a few times, the police will not respond anymore.

The AMCO difference
Our systems come with a 24/7 “immediate audio response”

Whenever the alarm or panic button is activated we listen in to the property and verify what is happening. If our monitoring team hear anything untoward we will notify the emergency services (Police, Fire or Ambulance) or speak in to frighten off the criminal appropriately. Our system wil give you the peace of mind that someone is taking you seriously. We feel our “immediate audio response”monitoring is much more effective than standard monitoring.

Cost Effective solution

– Low cost monitoring: our standard monitoring charge is £17.95, with absolutely no hidden charges (unlike some others on the market!).

– Low cost installation and call out charges: because we run a highly competitive operation, the installation charges for our security systems tend to be low-cost and offer great value for our customers. We may even be able to add our system to existing alarm parts you may have saving you even more.

To see a demonstration of our system, check out this video explaining the system:

For more information on AMCO monitored alarms check out our guide
About Monitored Alarms

Posted: 2017-01-06

Intruder Left Empty Handed

A would be thief was given the fright of his life and left empty handed when he broke into a commercial property monitored by AMCO in North East London.

The man in question broke into the establishment around 10.12pm on the evening of the 5th June and sought to ransack the property of all its valuables. Unfortunately, the crook had unknowingly activated an AMCO monitored alarm, and was about to experience the fright of his life.

Upon the alarm being triggered, one of our highly trained monitoring staff was listening in to the property and could hear the criminal searching around in the darkness for valuables. Next, the member of staff challenged the man, demanding he identify himself. It was at this point that the would be thief knew he had bitten of more than he could chew, and vacated the premises faster than you can say AMCO.

The police were called and arrived on site to find the man had indeed left the property in a hurry and they are currently investigating further into the identity of the man using forensic evidence left behind.  The business owner later confirmed that nothing had been taken or damaged and was elated with the service AMCO had provided.

Posted: 2016-06-13

Man Arrested After Threatening Betting Shop Staff

An angry punter threatened staff and attempted to cause serious damage to a betting shop in central London on Sunday 5th June.

After losing a number of bets, the punter decided he would take his frustration out on the staff and the shop itself. He began to throw anything he could lay his hands, even aiming some of the objects at the staff themselves.

Luckily, a member of staff was quick to activate the panic button response on their AMCO alarm, causing one of our highly trained monitoring team members to act immediately to the activation. The police were called instantaneously and arrived at the scene 5 minutes after being contacted by our monitoring team.

The man was quickly apprehended by the officers before he could cause any further damage and spent the night locked in a cell. He is currently awaiting trial.

Posted: 2016-06-10

Two Men Arrested In Bookie Break In

On Tuesday 15th April, AMCO reacted to an alarm trigger at a well-known bookmakers in Slough. After detecting the intruders using our 2 way audio monitoring system, we immediately alerted the Police to the crime in progress and the boys in blue dashed to the scene where they apprehended the would be thieves.

The burglars, who had broken in through the fire door, had carelessly triggered an AMCO alarm and had no idea that every noise they made was being observed by one of our highly trained monitoring staff. The member of staff then directly challenged the crooks through the speaker/microphone system, asking them to identify themselves to us.

With no response from the miscreants the police were immediately called and arrived at the scene an exceptional 5 minutes later to catch the would be thieves red handed inside the shop. The two were arrested and are still in custody awaiting prosecution.

Thanks to the exceptional work of the AMCO monitoring staff and remarkable response time of the Police, nothing was damaged inside the property and the intruders would not be repeating their mistakes any time soon.

If you would like a quote for an AMCO alarm for your property, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us using our head office number, 0800 1303 999.

By Andrew Canter

Posted: 2016-04-21

AMCO System “Squashes” Thieves

Two men attempted to steal a motor home from Priory Car & Vans, Accrington, on 16th November 2015. Fortunately, the site was monitored by an AMCO system and the police were quickly called and the would be thieves arrested. However, this was not before one of the thieves managed to run over his accomplice in a desperate effort to flee the property.

The CCTV footage shows one of the thieves trying desperately to get the gates of the property open, whilst his friend has hopped over the fence and is looking around the property for the perfect vehicle to nick. At this point, the AMCO alarm system had already been triggered and we were challenging the intruders over a loudspeaker system. This is when things started going downhill for the would be thieves.

Obviously startled by our challenging him through our Speaker/Microphone technology, the “getaway driver” quickly jumped in the nearest motor home and struggled to start the engine. All the while his accomplice is still trying to get the gate open. At this point the police were on their way and the owner of the property had been called and informed about the on-going incident.. Things were not looking good for the thieves!.

Suddenly, the engine of the motor home started and the driver accelerated towards the gate in a desperate attempt to ram it down. Unfortunately, he obviously had not informed his mate about his new plan, so there was no time for his mate to get out of the way before being flattened by both motor home and the gate itself! Seemingly in panic, the thief drove away, leaving his “mate” in the middle of the road with their friendship at an end!.

Luckily the fleeing thief was quickly stopped by the police and arrested, along with his less than happy accomplice. We assume that that drive in the back of the police van, to the police station, must have been a less than friendly affair between the two?

This is yet another gleaming example of the effectiveness of the AMCO integrated alarm & CCTV security system

 

Posted: 2016-03-17

Police Called to Attempted Burglary in Barnet

 

An attempted burglary of a home in Barnet was cut short when the would-be thief was challenged by an AMCO alarm. The Police arrived on scene 3 minutes later to find the miscreant had fled the scene empty handed.

How would you feel if you received a phone call asking if anyone was meant to be inside your property, whilst you were away on a family holiday 1300 miles away? The word horrified comes to mind. This was the case for one AMCO customer who received the dreaded phone call in the middle of the night.

However, luckily for the customer he had chosen to purchase “Real Security” in the form on an AMCO two-way audio alarm system. This meant that as soon as the alarm was triggered, one of our highly-trained monitoring staff was listening into the property and was ready to call the Police in an instant if they heard anything suspicious.

After having listened into the property and hearing the would-be thief bumbling around in the darkness, we directly challenged him, asking him to identify himself to us. With no positive response from the miscreant the police were immediately called and the customer informed of the situation that was occurring his property.

The police arrived on the scene an exceptional 3 minutes later to find that a break in had indeed occurred, but the crook had bolted empty handed after being spooked by alarm system. Thanks to the brilliant work of the AMCO monitoring staff and remarkable response time of the Police, the customers property and possessions had been saved and he could enjoy the rest of his holiday knowing his home was secure and in safe hands.

 

Posted: 2016-03-17