In the past, a home or business alarm system couldn’t be monitored without a working phone line. Naturally, this wasn’t much of an issue for security system owners, since nearly every home or business had a land line.
Of course, that changed with the rise of cell phones and the Internet. Though it’s now essential for almost everyone to have an Internet connection and a cell phone, many of us no longer consider a home phone line to be an essential form of communication (over 25% of American households have given up their land line altogether). However, over 229,684,122 Americans were Internet users in 2011, according to The World Bank, and the number continues to grow steadily every year.
It’s no longer realistic for the alarm monitoring industry to require a home landline as the only form of communication for security system monitoring. In fact, some companies, like Alarm Relay, saw a new opportunity with the rise of the Internet: the chance to monitor a business or home alarm system via an Internet connection.
What Are the Benefits of Internet Alarm Monitoring?
Monitoring your alarm system via the Internet guarantees you the same UL listed quality monitoring services that we’ve been providing for years. In fact, the fastest mode of communication for your alarm system to contact Alarm Relay is via the Internet. As an added benefit, it’s also the most cost-effective communication method.
Speed and cost aside, Internet monitoring can also guarantee you additional peace of mind. If your panel has the ability to support primary and back-up communication methods, than you can use internet monitoring as a primary or back-up. You can use cellular or landline in conjunction with internet monitoring for extra security in the event that one of the methods fails. If your primary method of communication is disconnected, we’ll continue monitoring through your chosen back-up method.
Internet monitoring is also one of the easiest ways to guarantee your system is up and running at full capacity all the time. Unfortunately, some burglars often know how alarm systems are connected (via landline) which prompts them to cut the phone line so that when an alarm is triggered, the central station does not receive a signal. Our Internet Module grants “constant connectivity” between your system and our Central Station, the unit actually checks in with the Alarm Relay Central Station every five minutes so we can be sure that it is communicating. If your internet line is cut or your internet goes down, our operators will inform you that your Internet is down. This is an option that is not available with a phone line. Unfortunately, there is no way for Alarm Relay to know when communication has been severed with a phone line. Furthermore, as soon as an alarm or outage signal is sent, it is received almost instantly via the Internet. There’s no faster way to detect problems with your system as soon as they arrive.
But I Don’t Think I Have an IP Communicator!
No IP communicatior? No problem. We can convert your analog system into a functioning IP-ready system just by adding an aftermarket IP communication solution. If you already have an Internet module in your system, we support monitoring for the following modules:
- ELK M1XEP
- DSC TL 150
- DSC TL 250
- DSC TL 260
- Ademco Lynx Touch (L5100)
- Ademco Vista 21IP
- Visonic Powerlink
Find Out More About Internet Monitoring with Alarm Relay
Still have questions about getting started with Internet monitoring? Not sure if your alarm system is eligible for monitoring via the Internet? Give us a call today and we’d be happy to address any questions or concerns you may have.
