The purpose of burglar alarm systems is obvious. When armed they detect if someone tries to enter your home, by sending a signal to a monitoring command center.
The command center has “operators” standing by, similar to “911? operators, typically 24 hours a day. When these operators receive infromation from your burglar alarm system, they typically call you on the phone. If there is no answer, they dispatch your local police.
Some Clarifications:
1. If you set your security system off accidentally, don’t worry. You normally have 30 seconds or so to disarm it before the command center calls you, and you never get their call.
If you don’t disarm it in time, and they call you, they will ask you for your “password” to prove you’re not the crook. Crisis over, except for the siren noise you had to endure for a few seconds.
2. Often you can get a system for little or no upfront cost, and just pay for monthly monitoring. This helps you avoid the big upfront cost of purchasing a system.
Check around with various companies to see what’s available at this time for your home.
3. Most burglar alarm systems now are quite user-friendly. There are typically two settings: “Stay” (for when you are staying in your home), and “Away” (for when you are leaving your home).
Your security system installer will show you how simple it is to operate your system.
4. If you are concerned about your phone line being cut by a burglar, you may want to opt for a “cell backup” system (where a sorta built-in cell phone sends the burglary signal if your main phone line is cut), or a “cell primary” system (where a sorta built-in cell phone sends the burglary signal even if you don’t have a landline).
Those “cell phone primary” systems are getting more and more popular, with many people not even owning a land line anymore.