Alert Alarm FAQs
To get answers to frequently asked questions, please select one of the links below:

1. Do I need a monitored security system?

2. Are security systems expensive?

3. How much money can I save on my homeowner's insurance by having a monitored security system?

4. How does the monitoring service work?

5. Why do I need a monitored smoke detectors in my house?

6. How does my alarm communicate to the central station?

7. What do I do if I set the alarm off accidentally?

8. Will I get charged for false alarms from the police department?

9. If my electricity goes out will my alarm system work?

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Do I need a monitored security system? Homes without security systems are about 3 times more likely to be broken into than homes with security systems. (Actual statistic ranges from 2.2 times to 3.1 times, depending on the value of the home.) Businesses without alarm systems are 4.5 times more likely to be burglarized than commercial locations with electronic security in place. Losses due to burglary average $400 less in residences with security systems than for a residence without security systems.
(Source: Simon Hakim, Temple University, 215-204-7476)

Even the police know that monitored security systems decrease burglaries: 90 percent of police believe alarms deter burglary attempts.
(Source: STAT Resources, Inc., Boston, Mass., 617-734-2000)

In 1994, the International Association of Chiefs of Police passed a Board Resolution stating that professionally installed and monitored alarm systems are useful instruments to deter crime and provide peace of mind for residential and business owners. The organization also pledged to work with the alarm industry to help reduce the problem of false alarms.
(Source: International Assoc. of Chiefs of Police, Alexandria, Va., 703-836-6767)

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Are security systems expensive? Security systems used to be expensive, costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Due to a competitive marketplace and advances in technology, these days you can get a top of the line security system installed in your home for little or no money down and monitoring service for about a dollar a day. Contact us for more information about pricing.

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How much money can I save on my homeowner's insurance by having a monitored security system? Most insurance companies will give you a 10-20% discount on your homeowners insurance for having a monitored security and/or a monitored fire system in your home. Please contact your insurance agent to see what savings you can receive on your homeowners policy.

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How does the monitoring service work? After the alarm has sent the alarm information to the central station, it appears on the computer screen of a professionally central station operator. On a burglar and fire alarm, the operator will call your home to see if you are ok. If you answer the phone, they will ask you for your password, this is a word you have given to us so that we can verify that it is indeed the homeowner. If the person who answers the phone can not provide the correct password or there is no answer, the police or fire department will be dispatched to your home and the people you have listed on your call list will be notified of the alarm and authority dispatch. The procedure on a panic alarm is a bit different in that the dispatcher will not call the house before dispatching the authorities.

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Why do I need a monitored smoke detectors in my house? The smoke detectors in you home are "local" detectors. That is, when they detect smoke, they make noise but nothing more. If a fire starts while you are not home, they aren't going to do you any good.
The smoke detectors installed by Pinnacle Protection are actually two detectors in one designed to detect heat changes (rate of rise) as well as smoke (particle density). When a potential fire is detected, the Central Monitoring Station will be notified and the fire department will be dispatched to your home as quickly as possible, regardless of whether or not you are home at the time.

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How does my alarm communicate to the central station? Your security system communicates to the central station over your regular phone line. When the alarm is tripped, it will seize your phone line, dial the central station and send in the alarm information. This process takes 8-10 seconds. Once the information has been sent to the central station, the alarm will release your phone line allowing you to use your phone like normal.

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What do I do if I set the alarm off accidentally? You can do one of two things. You can either call the monitoring facility and cancel the alarm or wait for them to call you, which should happen within one minute of the information being received at the central station. As long as you can provide the dispatcher with the proper password, the police will not be sent to your home.

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Will I get charged for false alarms from the police department? Generally speaking, no. Although the ordinances are different for each city and county police department, most allow consumers five false alarms per year before there are any fines. The only alarms that count towards this number are ones where the police are dispatched to your house and there are no signs of forced entry. As long as you answer the phone and provide the dispatcher with the proper password when the alarm is set off accidentally, you will never have to pay a false alarm fine.

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If my electricity goes out will my alarm system work? All systems come with a back-up battery if you should have a power outage. Here are a few things you can do to make your home more secure:

1. Keep your doors locked! It sounds obvious, but in nearly half of all home burglaries, intruders enter through an unlocked door. Be sure to keep your doors locked at all times, even while in your home.

2. Keep trees and hedges trimmed. This simple chore gives intruders fewer places to hide while they break into your home. Don't make it any easier for them; keep your hedges trimmed.

3. Make sure you have ample outdoor lighting. Thieves generally target homes with poor outdoor lighting. Consider upgrading outdoor light fixtures with devices that have built-in motion detectors which turn on the lights whenever someone walks past. Be sure to replace burned out light bulbs immediately.

4. Don't keep valuables in the bedroom. Once inside, thieves do exactly what you do when you come home: they head for the bedroom. Thieves know that is where most of us store our valuables: cash, credit cards, guns, jewelry and prescription drugs. Thieves will also check out "secret" hiding places: underneath the mattress, the freezer, the cookie jar, dresser drawers and closet shelves. Get creative in where you hide your valuables.

5. Get to know your neighbors and watch out for suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Don't be afraid to ask who someone is if you see them hanging around in your neighborhood; it's better to be safe then sorry, and your neighbors will thank you for it. Join a Neighborhood Watch group if it's available. Start one if necessary.

6. Keep small "luxury" items such as electronic devices locked in a safe or well hidden and make larger items more difficult to steal. Safes are great places to store small items such as jewelry. Most thieves are not going to be carrying the equipment needed to break into a safe. Invest in a simple table/desk bolt for stereos, computers and VCRs. Thieves are looking to get in and out quickly. If it's too difficult to steal most won't bother.

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