Commercial Monitored Security Systems

The Types of Business Monitored Security Systems

When it comes to security, one of the strongest ways to protect your property is by using monitored security systems. However, much like with nearly everything, not all types of monitoring systems are created equal.

There are important differences to keep in mind and different systems offer different levels of protection. Here is all the information you need to know about monitored security systems. 

What are Monitored Video Security Systems?

A business monitored video security system is connected to a third party that can respond to situations. Unmonitored video systems function as alarms or record footage, but no one is directly notified if there is an issue. With an unmonitored system, someone must hear the alarm or manually check the security footage to learn more about the situation.

With a video monitored system, someone is either watching and can respond right away, or they immediately get notified if there is an issue.

This highlights a crucial difference between the different types of monitored security systems.

Systems that are not monitored live are typically connected to a monitoring station. Most are designed so that, if there is an issue, the monitoring station is notified. For example, with a monitored alarm system, if a motion detector is triggered or a window is opened, the station will be alerted.

However, monitoring staff will likely still need to verify that there is a crime in progress before they can react. This is done for several reasons, but a major one is that many police services require verification before they will come out to a scene. 

In some cases, this verification is done by connecting to a site’s security cameras and viewing them remotely. In other cases, monitoring agents may have to contact the business owner or site administrator to verify the situation.

On the other hand, live monitoring systems are monitored by security staff 24/7. This means they can see the property at all times using high-definition cameras and they can also interact with the site via two-way speaker systems. 

Live Monitoring vs Other Monitoring

As mentioned, not all monitored security systems are monitored live. When looking at monitored security systems, it’s important to know the difference between a live system and one that is monitored more passively.

With a live monitoring system, security agents are directly connected to the site and can view the property live. If they notice something, they can react immediately. For instance, if agents see a person lurking around outside a property, they can use two-way speakers to inform the person that they are being watched and tell them that police will be called immediately if they do not comply.

If police are called, agents are watching the scene live and can immediately tell the police what’s happening at the property. This verifies that there is a crime in progress and also helps prepare officers for the scene. 

With a passive monitoring system, there is an additional step. Since no one is watching the property live, agents are not alerted until something is detected at the property. This could be the triggering of a motion sensor, a window or door being opened, or another trigger. At this point, the station will be told of the situation.

However, in most cases, this isn’t enough to contact the police. 

Agents will usually need to verify that there is a crime in progress. This is typically done by checking the security cameras from the site. Depending on the setup, agents may be able to watch live footage or they might use achieved footage to get an idea of what is happening.

If there are no cameras or they cannot access the cameras, they will need to contact someone at the property to verify the crime. 

As you can see, there are significant advantages to live monitored systems. They are not only able to react to crimes much more quickly, but they can also interject before a crime occurs, deterring the criminal and keeping the site safe.

For more information on these systems and how they can help protect your business, please do not hesitate to contact Birdseye Security Solutions today.