If you’ve joined us for discussions in the past or read our blog regularly then you’ll know that there are monitored security systems and there are non-monitored security systems. The former means that your security system is being “watched” by a central station. When your security system is triggered a notification is sent to the monitoring station to alert the local authorities. Monitored security systems are known to save lives.
The other end of the spectrum is the non-monitored security system. This is simply a security system that sits in your home and sounds a siren when it is triggered. Some non-monitored security systems can hook in to your phone line or internet connection and send you an alert, but they will never contact the authorities for you.
Now that we know a little more about each, let’s talk about the differences and the benefits of each.
When you compare the two apples to apples we will always recommend going with a monitored security system over a non-monitored system. Monitored security systems can use a cellular connection, broadband connection or phone line connection to send signals to the monitoring station. In fact, a monitored security system can even save you money by using a cellular security system. This way you can completely get rid of your phoneline if you don’t use it for anything but your home security system. But I digress, a monitored system has the most benefit. Not only is your system connected to the monitoring station but they will contact the proper authorities for you if you have an event at your home. We all know that we can’t be on our guard 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We take vacations, go out to dinner, take the kids to the park, whatever it may be. The fact is we aren’t at our house all the time and can’t always be there to keep “watch”.
This is the main reason we do not recommend non-monitored security systems – because you can’t always rely on yourself to be there when it matters. Like we said we are busy people. Having a monitored security system will allow you to have the peace of mind you need when you are away from your home – or even when you are at home. What if an intruder came in and you couldn’t get to a phone? What if you had a fire and could not contact theauthorities? We’ve all seen the “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” ads right? Well this is similar. The fact is you simply don’t want to take the chance that something will happen and no one will know.
So, in conclusion we’ve found that monitored security systems are much safer and have many more benefits than a non-monitored security system. Sure, you might not have to pay as high a monthly fee (or any at all), but in the end it’s a small price to pay knowing you will have someone there to protect your home and family in the event of an emergency.
You can read more about monitored security systems by visiting our security system reviews. We also have several blog posts about monitored security systems in our security system blog.