Next Alarm

I checked out the 911 monitoring but they seem to say they call a friend or family member instead of the police or fire department. They say it cuts down on false alarms. What is my family supposed to do, come up here with a shotgun? I could simply have my alarm dial my family instead of paying them to do it. I'm beginning to feel that getting a monitoring service is like rolling the dice and hoping for good luck. They all say nice things about themselves but how does one really know until after signing up with them? People say you get what you pay for so don't go cheap, but with the big boys who charge over $30 a month, you don't seem to get what you pay for.

Bob

Thank you for your excellent insight and tips. I'll print this and then go looking. I don't need service, installed the entire system myself. If the panel cooked tomorrow, I could replace it probably cheaper than having dealer service next door.

Bob

Sir, the price you pay for monitoring has little or nothing to do with how good or bad the service is. The only real money for most companies in the alarm security business is in monitoring , so you will see every marketing gimmick in the book to get you to sign with them. Some of the real questions you should ask yourself before signing with ANYONE are:

1- Am I dealing with a recognized ULC rated monitoring station 2- Do I want or need the intermediary services of a conventional alarm company for service and warranty on my equipment (if so, you will be going through them for monitoring services), and realistically, most consumers definately do. 3- How long do I have to contractually obligate myself with the company in question (the shorter the term, the better for you) 4- How flexible are they in their ability to deal with my requirements for customization of the calling list and / or the exact type of response I require. This is especially important in locales with false alarm surcharges. 5- If the company is not local to you, how flexible are they in being able to deal with the specific requirements of the authorities in your locale.

It's no different than any other service you require as a consumer. Here is how I see the pricing based on my years in the business (and my locale):

Cheapest: Several larger stations geared to dealing directly with the end user for about $10 monthly. They usually have no contract, but require annual billing in advance....monitor your system just as well as any of the big stations....have no service on your panel available except through expensive subcontractors in your area...and little or no guidance if your panel goes on the fritz. You are largely on your own in spite of what they might say !!

Medium priced: Service through an independant dealer from $15 to $20 monthly, with contractual terms from monthly only, to 3 to 5 years. Usually includes the expertise of a dealer who knows your equipment, with different levels of service available depending upon the particular company in question. This category includes the vast majority of small to medium priced alarm dealers.

Higher priced: Service from $20 to $29 monthly, usually with a contract from

1 to 5 years. This includes the larger companies with higher overheads, and (according to them) better service, long term stability etc

High priced: In excess of $30 monthly. This is the domain of the phony "free system" marketers who are amortizing the artificially low price of the system in the inflated monitoring rate for a long term contractual period. If you're not paying for a system this way, then you're being asked to pay far too much. This is also the domain of those customers who don't shop well, or who simply don't care about pricing, or who have been fooled into believing that a "brand name company" is always best.

Monitoring is a valuable part of your alarm system, and it is not wise to skip it in most cases. However, what you pay for it can be all over the map !! What do I have to pay for warranty and after sales service on my alarm system is an equally valid question, and one that is too often an "after thought"

R.H.Campbell Home Security Metal Products Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Good advice Frank. For most consumers, the "monitoring only" services are probably not their best choice, although this gentleman seems to know what he is doing.

I notice that Next Alarm do offer a service using Broadband and VoIP. If this works, then in fact they are "ahead" of the current alarm industry vis a vis how to deal with this new and growing technology.

RHC

Yep 44 years in electronics, started as a TV repairman back in 1968 then went into industrial electronics and then into engineering. Now I'm retired, have the knowledge and all the time in the world....well, maybe not as much time left as someone who is 40, but more time to do what I want in life.

Bob

Good advice. You may also want to consider the differences in services that you may or may not need:

1. Redundancy. Is there any way to transfer your monitoring signals to another monitoring center if the primay station suffers an overload or is forced to shutdown? Is the transfer of signals to the secondary monitoring center automatic?
2. Online account management. If you're posting here, you'd probably like the ability to manage your accounts online, ie. change call lists, see alarm activity, run reports, etc. Some central stations have online access to do just that. This is most useful for managers/ owners with multiple locations with multiple alarm users.
3. Video verfication. Does the central station have video monitoring services. Central station video verification is one of the best ways to eliminate false alarms.
4. UL Listing. At least establishes a minimum level of performance that is pretty much accepted as universal.
5. 24hr Toll-free Technical telephone support. If it's 2 am and you need to figure out how to disable a panel that just got zapped, you'll appreciate this service.

You can find bare bones monitoring for $8 a month, or you can pay $50 for services like the above. Really depends on what you need.

J.

Bob, J. Sloud's comments are also most appropriate. Many of the larger stations have backup to another station. For example, the one I use backs up to Montreal, Quebec City and Vancouver automatically as the need arises (in a major catastrophe for example). I believe ADT was the company that pioneered this concept although it's quite common now. Depending upon what you feel you need, and want, and are willing to pay for, his other comments are equally appropriate.

DIY alarms like yours are a tiny minority of the alarms in service, and represent no threat whatsoever to traditional alarm companies. The discount monitoring stations cater to this segment of the market, as well as those who have been "burned" in some way by traditional companies. Unfortunately, our industry gets a little paranoid when it comes to anything that threatens the traditional way of doing business. However, change is coming to this industry in a big way, and like everywhere else in life or in business, you adapt or die.....

.......philosophical mode "off"............

RHC

They're a "dealer", not a monitoring service. They use "several UL Listed stations" across the US (depending on your location). Read their FAQ. I haven't heard anything "bad" about them, but then, I haven't heard anything really "good" about them either... Nice website though...

There are many local alarmco's that will deal with you (and provide the monitoring service). More than likely, however, they'd change the installer code for the monitoring contract term. If you own the equipment, they shouldn't lock the panel, but you never know. I'd always suggest using a local alarmco's service/monitoring. They're more "in tune" with the local regulations and more than likely have a better working relationship with the responding authorities. You'll pay a little more than you would with Next Alarm's service, but what price to do put on your "peace of mind"??

Bob... Did we talk? Let me clarify... 911 Alarm can call the police first if you like, and this is how many of our customers have us do it. But, based upon my decades in the monitoring business, and the current reality of false-alarms, etc, it is our recommendation (but certainly not a requirement) that we perform 2-Step-Verification calls (to the premises and to call-list persons) in order to reduce the incidence of false alarm calls to the authorities. But you, as the customer, can chose whether we do this or not. Give me another call if you'd like to discuss this more. Nick

911 Alarm

Roberto, I have been a customer of Next Alarm for about a year and have been very satisfied with the service. Their web site is very well laid out and should you need to add additional transmitters, they do this at no charge.

I've heard good things about them from several customers. The only bad things I've heard were from alarm dealers who seem to be offended that they charge so little for their services.

Regards, Robert L Bass

That's not true. Their methods were in question...particularly the non UL compliant ones...

You're right Frank. I'd hate to point out another security Flaw in an Ademco Security Product.

Shhhhhh!!!!

Which non-UL compliant methods? I'm not doubting you. I don't recall a discussion about that.

They use a device that intercepts the dial attempt, and re-routes it over the internet. They don't need to get into programming, nor even care about a lock code. They take advantage of the poor security you have with practically every panel on the market. No message authentication. I'd give you some ideas why this is bad, and not a listed UL method of monitoring LSD's, but I don't think this is the place to discuss a major, existing security issue.

Jack

Good call Jack.

You'll remember that Fat ASS likes to let everyone know everything about anything. Security isn't the point with him. It's how good he can look to someone, by telling them things they really don't have to know, so they'll buy something from him.

oh yah...that's that redirector device I was asking about several months ago...

I lost a client to them a few weeks ago..no wonder they didn't even have to send someone to this guys house. I wonder what they will do if they ever need to get into the panel? I guess that's not important.