Understanding Home Alarm Monitoring Companies Rates & Terms

Many kinds of security companies do alarm monitoring.  Rates and terms for alarm monitoring can vary greatly.  Alarm monitoring rates can start as low as $9.95 per month while some go up to $39.95 per month or more for the same service.  So "Why the big difference in price points?" you may ask.  It all has to do with the business model that the security dealer is following and the level of service that they provide after the sale.  Security companies operate based on 3 different business models.

• Most alarm monitoring programs start around per month with a 3 -5 year term agreement.  These companies are usually associated with national dealer programs such as Brinks, ADT, Protection One, Monitronics, and Central Security Group.  Security companies that represent the larger national companies are usually able to offer free installations and activations in order to encourage you to agree to subscribe to their monitoring service.  One benefit of these type of programs for the customer is that if something should happen to the smaller dealer, the larger national company is there to ensure that the customer's alarm is serviced as needed.   Although most national companies do a good job of alarm monitoring, some are just interested in building their customer base. It is important to check out the national company before you agree to a long term agreement with them.

• A second type of security company is the independent alarm security dealer.  These security companies do not sell off their agreements, but opt to hold their own paper. They tend to be much smaller than the larger national dealers.  Independent dealers will often charge an installation or activation fee when you connect your service since they are not getting paid up front for their contracts like the national security dealers are.  Since you are paying the cost of the installation and activation at the time of install, the independent security dealer will often offer a shorter term agreement.  Although most of these small independent security dealers are very good with their service, you have to be careful that you are not signing up with a company that has inexperienced techs.

• The third type of monitoring company that you will find are the strictly web based companies.  These web based companies offer a very attractive rate, but have no service department should your alarm ever have a problem.  Should the need to service your alarm arise, you will have to call another company to get service.  Almost all licensed security companies will not take on the responsibility of working on a system that is being monitored by another company.  In addition to the service issue, these companies are often not Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listed.  If your alarm monitoring company is not UL listed, you may lose your available insurance discounts for having a monitored alarm system.

Always check your local Better Business Bureau to see if the alarm monitoring company you are considering has a satisfactory record.  On line reviews of alarm monitoring companies (good or bad), are often unreliable since they are often written by alarm salespeople.  In some areas of the country, the security business is pretty cut throat.  There is perhaps no better way of researching a company than to find their sign at one of your neighbors and ask them how happy they are with the service.  There you will get an honest and unbiased opinion.