Frequently Asked Questions
| Q.
How much do Security Systems cost? |
| A.
Security Systems range in price from $99.00 to Thousands of
dollars. A basic security system including 3 door sensors and a
motion detector are typically installed for around $199.00.
A monthly monitoring contract is usually required and the fee is
around $24.00 per month. To offset the actual cost of the
security system installation a 2 year monitoring contract is
standard. |
| Q.
Why do I have to sign a contract? |
| A.
Most alarm companies (including ours) require a written
agreement for
services rendered. If you are monitored customer, (your system calls out
and summons the police or fire department) then you should have
a contract for 24 hour monitoring service. These contracts
are usually enforceable for at least 1 year and usually have an
automatic renewal term. An automatic renewal is a term meaning that
after a certain date, the contract is renewed just like you
signed it originally. This automatic renewal does several
things. It locks your rate for the renewal period so your
monitoring fee will not go up. It provides a guarantee to the
alarm company that you will remain a customer during the renewal
period and it keeps other alarm companies from selling you the
same service during the renewal period. If you are
planning to move or thinking about changing service providers,
you should notify your alarm company BEFORE the end of your
contract period and indicate that you would like to be on
different term such as "month to month". There
can be serious
consequences for a customer "breaking" a contract or an
Alarm company "soliciting" services to a customer known to be
under contract. |
| Q.
What is a DVR? |
| A.
A DVR is a Digital Video Recorder. The video from a
Surveillance Camera is recorded and stored digitally on a hard
drive unlike analog systems which store the video on VHS tapes.
With one DVr unit you no longer need to purchase time lapse
recorders, motion detectors, quad processors, pan tilt zoom
controllers or any other accessory replaced by the software of
your DVR unit. |
| Q.
How much is a service call? |
| A.
If you are an existing customer and not under a "service
agreement" we charge on an hourly basis. The standard hourly rate
is $85.00/hour. Emergency Service is available 24 hours a
day. Service rates for emergency service start at
$120.00/hour. |
| Q.
How does 24 hour monitoring work? |
| A.
Police and Fire Departments in major cities do not allow an
alarm system to connect to the police department directly.
Monitoring facilities are separate from the police and fire
departments.
The security system, when activated, calls the Monitoring
Center which is manned 24 hours a day. The operators are
trained and certified to make emergency calls to the Police and
Fire Departments to summon help. Most Monitoring Centers
or "Central Stations" are UL rated. The U.L. means "Underwriters
Laboratory", An independent testing agency which certifies
the Monitoring Facility meets strict guidelines for emergency
operations. It is common for the Police department to
require an "Alarm Permit" before an alarm system becomes active.
Some police departments will not respond to an alarm without an
Alarm Permit. The permits are almost available from the police
departments web site. Once you receive the Permit Number,
it should be given to your alarm company. |
| Q.
What sets your company apart from all the others? |
| A.
Number one is that we been in business as designers since
1966, we have been installing systems since 1984. We have
Certified Engineering Technicians to design your system and have
licensed bonded installation teams to install your system. |
| Q.
Do you offer software upgrades to existing clients? |
| A.
Yes we do. As we upgrade our products software we will have
it posted to this web site and it will be made available to
all clients usually free. |
|
