Last week a customer asked us to take a look at her security system to see if was working properly. She asked if we would repair it and stated that she had never had any security issues in the last 3 years. She stated that the security company sends her a bill each month for monitoring and I asked her if she ever had tested it regularly. She said no and asked how she would do that. So we set it off and waited to see what would happen, nothing. She was right, she her security system was not working. The telephone line had ever been installed to the system and thus could not have been tested! She had paid for monitoring for over 3 years for a service that never existed!
That got me thinking of a few questions that would help people understand what they should expect in a security system. If you don't have this offered by your provider, its time to change! So, here's a quick security quiz, let's see how you score.
1. From the outside, there is the security sign. Now that you are outside, take a good look, what does it protect? If you said the house, you are wrong, the sign does not protect nor does it defend anything. It just sits in the yard.
2. Does a insurance company give a reduction in the home insurance premium it charges for your home for a monitored security system in your home? If you said yes, you are right. Most reputable insurance give up to 20% reduction on rates for a monitored security system. They know that your claims reduced substantially for having a monitored security system, did you?
3. The better question to ask is what are they reducing the rate for? If you said the house, you are right. But what about the people in the house? No, they are not insured. Home owner policies are only for the house not the people who live in there. When you think security, think people! The way to do this is with adding the necessary devices to protect them.
4. Traditionally, when a home has a security system installed in it, what does it notify of? Contact activation is the correct answer, if someone opens something that has the contact attached to it, it tells you that the contact that a zone is associated with has activated.
5. Should you activate your system when you are home? Whether you are in the home or out of the home use the system, activation of the unit and notification of the security system activity could save your life. When you leave the home for a short while, arm the system, you have a big investment in both the home and the contents in the home, so protecting them from home invasion is a necessity if you want your stuff when you come home.
The added benefit from having the security system is to tell you that someone has attempted or has entered your home while you are in it.
You may have other questions if so, you can ask them on our FAQ page. We have listed some of the questions others have asked on that page as well. From the BIG DOG, be safe.
