For optimum security of your premises or home we recommend monitoring of your alarm. A monitored alarm is connected to a 24 hour monitoring station.
In the event of an alarm activation the alarm panel will send a signal via a phone line to the monitoring station. The monitoring station staff will then respond depending on the response plan set out by you. This can range from contacting you (or a nominated call list) to sending out a guard to secure the premises.
Other valuable information is also collected by the monitoring station from signals sent from the alarm. This includes tamper alert, low battery warning from a sensor, arm and disarm times, user logs and more (depending on the alarm model). History reports are available on request detailing alarm activity over the nominated time period.
The advantages of alarm monitoring over a non monitored alarm include:
- The single biggest advantage is you will know if your alarm has activated!
- The monitoring company is staffed by real people so in the event of an alarm activation or panic activation you or your nominated call list will be interacting with a knowledgeable and helpful person (rather than a machine)
- In the event of an alarm activation the monitoring company will be able to tell you what zone has triggered the alarm helping you to decide on the best course of action
- The response plan ensures that even if you are unavailable someone else can be contacted (or a guard dispatched) who can ensure the premises are secure in a timely manner
- Improve security processes and monitor staff activity through access to the history logs of the alarm
- The monitoring company can contact you if there is an out of hours disarm or the alarm is not set by a certain time of the day
- In high risk situations automatic guard dispatch can be part of your response plan ensuring an immediate response to an alarm activation by trained staff
Types of monitoring services available:
- Activation only monitoring – the monitoring station monitors alarm activations and notifications
- Full service monitoring – the monitoring station also monitors arming/disarming so will notify you if the alarm is disarmed outside business hours, or if the alarm is not set by a certain time each day.
Trinity CCTV Solutions does not require a contract term for alarm monitoring. Monitoring can be arranged for existing security systems as well as new installations.
Guard response
If your premises are high risk for attempted entry it may be preferable to arrange automatic guard response in the event of an alarm activation (guard response can also be an option as part of an overall response plan).
With guard response it is critical that the service provider responds quickly and professionally. Whilst a prompt response may not prevent a loss occurring, it can help minimise the impact of the loss. It can also be an advantage to have on site attendance by a trained person with access to appropriate back-up resources rather than putting yourself or your staff into a dangerous situation.
Trinity CCTV Solution’s provider, while they cannot guarantee alarm response times, have an average KPI of 12 minutes on a 24×7 basis across the Auckland region. This compares well against the industry average (of 20 minutes plus) and is comparable to Priority One attendances by the NZ Police (i.e. serious crime). The guards are licensed under the Private Investigators and Security Guards Act and comply with the New Zealand Security Association Codes of Practice.