People install home security systems for all sorts of reasons. They want to prevent burglary and home invasion. They want to protect their cars, prevent porch piracy, or just keep an eye on the street. Regardless of the reason, investing in a home security system requires dealing with the monitoring issue. Who will monitor the equipment?
Property owners basically have three options: professional, DIY, or no monitoring. All three options are worth looking at. In most cases though, running an unmonitored system doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. An unmonitored home security system is little more than a noisemaker.
Professional Monitoring
Professional monitoring is exactly as its name suggests: it is monitoring provided by a commercial entity by way of fully trained professional monitoring personnel. Vivint Home Security is just one of many home security and automation providers nationwide that offer professional monitoring services.
A Vivint system is connected to the remote monitoring center by way of the internet. In the old days, remote connections were made via landline telephone. Such systems are still available if you look hard enough, but most modern security systems utilize the internet instead.
Vivint says that Remote monitoring offers numerous advantages:
- 24/7 Service – At the top of the list is 24/7 monitoring. Remote monitoring staff are on duty around the clock. Systems are connected seven days per week, every week of the year.
- Trained Professionals – Monitoring personnel are trained professionals who know exactly how to respond in the event of emergency. They know what to do and how to do it.
- Faster Responses – Professional monitoring tends to lead to faster response times by local authorities. That is because emergencies are addressed as they happen, rather than later.
- Full Monitoring – Security systems with professional monitoring tend to go above and beyond burglary protection. They tend to include monitoring for fire and carbon monoxide, at the very least. Flood and medical alert monitoring are also possible.
If professional monitoring has a downside, it is cost. Monitoring companies like Vivint Smart Home charge monthly subscription rates. Choosing professional monitoring means having yet another bill to pay each month. It is not necessarily prohibitive, but it still affects the budget.
Professionally Monitoring DIY Systems
Before moving on to DIY monitoring, it is important to note that many DIY systems can still be monitored professionally. You save money by purchasing your system and installing it yourself. Yet you still spend on a monthly monitoring subscription. This particular model offers the best of both worlds.
Should you decide to go this route, check the monitoring options available with the system you are looking at. The manufacturer might give you only one option. On the other hand, the system might be compatible with multiple monitoring services.
DIY Monitoring
One of the reasons people choose DIY home security is to save money. DIY systems tend to cost less at retail. And because you are handling installation yourself, you’re not paying for that extra labor. Complete the savings package by monitoring the system yourself. It is the cheapest way to go if you want a modern security system and 24/7 monitoring for less.
Self-monitoring requires setting up your system to alert you when there is a problem. Doing so generally isn’t complicated. If you can use a smartphone, you can program a home security system. You tell it when to send you alerts and how to send them. Again, you have multiple options:
- Text Message – DIY systems can send alerts to your phone as text messages. Obviously, data charges may apply if you are not on an unlimited plan.
- Email – Don’t like text messages? You can have your DIY system send alerts to your email address. The downside here is that you need to continually monitor your email to never miss an alert.
- Push Notifications – In most cases, DIY home security systems come with companion mobile apps. A home security app runs in the background while it constantly stays on the lookout for push notifications.
- Online Account – A DIY system that allows you to sign up for an account with the manufacturer should allow you to get alerts through that account. Unfortunately, that means you need to manually retrieve your alerts. That doesn’t seem to make much sense.
The one thing all these options have in common is you. If you want DIY monitoring to be as effective as professional service, you need to be able to receive alerts at any time and from wherever you are. That generally means having alerts sent to your phone and/or running the system’s mobile app on your device.
No Monitoring at All
Your last option is to not monitor your system at all. Though it is a rarely used option, completely unmonitored systems do exist. What do they do? They make noise. For some people, that’s better than nothing. They would rather have a system that makes enough noise to alert them when they are home than not have any home security equipment whatsoever.
A few decades ago, unmonitored security was a lot more common than it is today. An unmonitored burger alarm would make so much noise that neighbors would call the police. Likewise, unmonitored smoke and carbon monoxide detectors would make enough noise to alert residents to vacate the home.
All of that as still applicable today. But if you are thinking of investing in an unmonitored system, you might want to check out a blog post on the Vivint Home Security website. The post discusses what Vivint customers have to say about professional monitoring. Their thoughts may be just what you need to reconsider your decision to forgo monitoring.
Home security systems can be monitored professionally. They can be self-monitored. If you prefer, your system can be completely unmonitored as well. Each property owner needs to decide the best way to go. For the record, most people choose either the pro or DIY options. They figure they might as well monitor their systems if they are going to put money into them anyway.
