What Is Alarm Monitoring and How Does it Work?

Alarm monitoring is quick and detailed communication between your home security system and the central station of your security provider. Your control panel registers an emergency event and sends a signal to the central monitoring station, where the appropriate authorities are notified and sent to your home.

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The technical specifics may be slightly different for each security provider, but the basics of alarm monitoring are similar in any home security system. Your system control panel is the center of a network of sensors, which may include these:

• Window or door sensors
• Motion detectors 
• Tamper sensors on the telephone box
• Temperature monitors
• Flood sensors 
• Smoke detectors 
• Carbon monoxide detectors

When your system is armed and any of these sensors are triggered, a signal is sent to the monitoring station-typically via your telephone line, although some alarm monitoring systems like ADT also offer alternate or backup transmission options through Wi-Fi or cellular networks.

The first signal sent by your control panel will alert monitoring personnel at the central station, who will call to notify you and confirm whether it’s a real emergency or a false alarm. If you don’t respond, the alarm monitoring service contacts the proper agency to dispatch emergency personnel to your address.

Some security systems offer additional features, such as immediate alarms, which don’t depend upon a confirmation call, or silent alarms (also called duress alarms) that don’t alert intruders to the SOS call.

For example, a smoke detector event will cause the alarm monitoring service to contact the fire department, while the signal from a medical alert pendant will be routed to ambulance or paramedic services.

Unmonitored “local” alarms do provide some important benefits. If you’re home, the alarm noise lets you know that there’s a problem and allows you to take necessary action.

The noise may even frighten off some less-determined intruders, but most will simply ignore it and disarm your control panel as soon as possible.

Many emergencies are too serious for you to deal with by yourself. In most cases, you’ll want police, fire, or medical professionals on the scene as soon as possible.

Around-the-clock alarm monitoring is an essential feature offered by the majority of home security providers. Compare the top brands on our Best Home Security Systems page.

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