F.A.Q.
Do I
have to change the way I live in my home?
How
does a security system work?
What does the keypad
do?
What are the sensors
in the system?
What can the alarm
system detect?
Is there a
difference between wireless and hard-wired
sensors?
What is the range of
the wireless transmitters?
How long do the
batteries in wireless transmitters last?
What are points of
protection ? What are zones ?
Can I use a motion
detector if I have a dog or cat?
I have a homebound
parent , how can your system help him?
What is a Medalert
system ?
Is the security system
connected to the Police and Fire Department ?
What is a
central monitoring facility?
How does the
security system connect to the phone lines?
What happens if
my phone line is cut or out of service?
What if I have VOIP
(Cable Phone) ?
What if my electric
service fails?
I have smoke
detectors in my home do I really need to have
one that is monitored?
Do I have
enough smoke detectors?
Is my system on all the
time?
What if I
forget to turn my system on before leaving ?
How much noise
does the alarm make ?
Does the siren shut
off automatically?
If there is a
break in attempt will the system re-arm ?
My neighbor's system is
always going off. What about false alarms ?
How do
I test my home security system?
How much does a
system cost ?
Can I get a
discount on my home owners insurance ?
Are these "Free
Security System" offers some kind of scam ?
What if we decide to move after we install our
system ?
How secure is
my personal information ?
Can I
change my Central Station Password?
What do I do
if I forget my user code or password ?
Can I be notified when my system is armed or
disarmed ?
Do I have to change the way I live in my
home?
No,
your system can be programmed to fit your
lifestyle. Delays on entry
and exit doors can be structured around the way
you use your home. Our consultants will help you
decide on the protection that is right for you.
Should something change in the future, we can
configure your system to
your changing needs.
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How does a security system work ?
The
control panel contains the "brain" of the
system. The alarm is controlled by the user via
a Keypad. Various sensors connect to the control
panel from locations around the home. When a
sensor detects a problem, it signals the control
panel. The control panel sends the signals to
the central station, a 24-hour monitoring
facility. To alert the people inside the home it
also sounds a siren. Within seconds of an alarm
being triggered you will receive a phone
call from our monitoring station .
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What does the keypad do?
You
can operate your system by entering your
security code at the keypad and perform a
variety of functions. Keypads are normally
located near entrance doors and sometimes master
bedrooms. Keypads also provide audible and
visual system status for the user.
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What are the sensors in the system?
Sensors include magnetic contacts and Glass
break sensors that are located at vulnerable
entry points such as doors and windows. Interior
detectors such as Passive Infrared Detectors
(motion sensors), which detects motion through
body heat detect activity inside your home. In
addition our systems offer protection against
fire, carbon monoxide, low temperature, and even
flooding with the use of proper detectors .
Most of these devices can be wired to the
main control panel or installed using wireless
technology.
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What can the alarm system detect?
With
door and window switches and motion detectors
your system can detect intrusion when the system
is active. Smoke and heat detectors can detect a
fire. Our systems also have the ability (with
the proper device) to detect water, low
temperature, and carbon monoxide. In
addition we offer medical pendant buttons for
elderly people living alone. We can even detect
whether your system has been activated or
deactivated by a particular user.
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Is there a difference between wireless and
hard-wired sensors?
With
today's technology both wireless and hardwired
systems are extremely reliable. The only real
difference between the two is that wireless
devices enable people with finished basements to
enjoy the benefits of having a home security
system.
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What is the range of the wireless transmitters?
The
wireless door/ window transmitters have a
distance rating of one mile "open air".
Depending on the structure of the protected
home, the range will
be between 500 ft. and 1000 ft.
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How long do the batteries in wireless
transmitters last?
Wireless transmitter batteries last five to
seven years and are lithium batteries that can
be purchased in almost any drug store. Our
systems monitor the status of the batteries and
should a battery become weak, our staff will
notify you of the exact location of the
transmitter and how to replace it as easily as
the battery in your TV remote control.
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What are points of protection ? What are zones?
Points of protection are individual devices that
detect an opening or condition. Zones are groups
of protection points. For example, entry/exit
protection points maybe grouped into a single
zone on a system. Generally the more zones a
panel handles the more sophisticated it
is. Our Honeywell control panels are capable of
having up to 48 zones which is more than enough
for even a 6000 square foot home.
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Can I use a motion detector if I have a dog or
cat?
Recent improvements with intrusion detection
have led to the development of "Pet-immune" or
"Pet-friendly" motion detectors. These detectors
will actually ignore an 85lb dog or three
cats! In addition there are ways to "pet
alley" motions that will enable them to be used
with larger dogs as well.
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I
have a homebound parent , how can your system
help him?
When
most people think of security they think of
burglary or intrusion. These are valid concerns,
but when we consider the needs of the homebound,
the ability to summon help in the event of an
emergency becomes a daily concern. Our Senior
Care System can provide your loved one with an
emergency pendant that is fully supervised for
system check-in and battery condition. The
system can summon the Central Station that in
turn can call you, and any authorized medical
response agency.
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What is a Medalert system ?
You
may recognize the statement: "I’ve fallen and I
can’t get up!" Medalert is a personal emergency
system that alerts a central station and gives
the central station operator the ability to
speak directly into the home through a speaker
and microphone system (Two-way voice). All
Securitech's systems have the ability to
incorporate Two-way voice and personal emergency
pendants. Ask your consultant about our Senior
Care System.
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Is the security system connected to the Police
and Fire Department ?
No,
the majority of security systems send their
emergency signals to a Central Station. A
Central Station is manned twenty-four hours a
day and is the facility that acts as the link
between the protected premise and the
authorities.
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What is a central monitoring facility?
Your
telephone line sends signals to the central
station, a 24-hour, high security facility. With
Cellguard, signals can also be sent by cell
phone transmission. This is an additional
service used to back up your telephone
transmissions to the central station in the
event of telephone failure.
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How does the security system connect to the
phone lines?
The
security system has the ability to separate your
home phones from the telephone companies’
incoming line. This is accomplished by
installing a RJ31X jack. This set up enables
your alarm panel to take precedence over your
home phone.
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What happens if my phone line is cut or out of
service?
Many
alarm companies fail to provide adequate
information regarding phone line cuts. There are
various methods of delivering your vital
emergency information in the event of an alarm.
Securitech strongly recommends the use of cell
phone back up . This back up system works
virtually anywhere that has a signal from a cell
tower . This back up requires an
additional monitoring fee and can be ordered
from Securitech Systems as well.
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What if I have VOIP (Cable Phone) ?
Today many people have taken advantage of
getting their home phones through there cable
television service providers. While
an alarm signal can still be sent over your
phone lines we at Securitech don't recommend
relying solely on this method. There are too
many variables that can stop a signal from being
transmitted to our monitoring facility. If
you lose power to your home your modem stops
working and so do your phones and in addition if
your cable goes down you lose phone service as
well. While we do have customers that use this
method we strongly urge the use of a cell phone
back up or getting a standard land line from
your local telephone company .
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What if my electric service fails?
Each
system we offer has a backup battery system
standard. Depending on the number of devices
installed, the backup battery will sound the
alarm and dial the Central station in the event
of an alarm for up to 72 hours . We can
even monitor your home for a/c failure and
restore.
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I have smoke
detectors in my home do I really need to have
one that is monitored?
Battery-operated detectors have two problems.
First, they are rarely connected to other
detectors, remote warning devices, or a central
monitoring station. If they are located outside
a bedroom, a sound sleeper may not hear them,
especially if the bedroom door is closed or just
partially open. If detectors are located on a
different level of a residence that the bedroom
level, then the likelihood they will wake up
sleepers diminishes further. A second problem
with batter operated detectors is their
batteries – if they are not periodically
replaced, detectors will not work! Many AC
powered detectors are not connected to other
detectors or remote warning devices. Even those
that are only connected to other devices can
provide a local warning of fire. If no one is
home, a fire can develop without anyone taking
action to protect valuable property.
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Do I have enough smoke detectors?
The
National Fire Protection Association’s 1993
"National fire Alarm Code" specifies the
following for adequate household protection: "
Smoke detectors shall be installed outside of
each separate sleeping area in the immediate
vicinity of the bedrooms and on each additional
story of the family living unit, including
basements and excluding crawl spaces and
unfinished attic. In new construction, a smoke
detector also shall be installed in each
sleeping room."
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Is my system on all the time?
Your
smoke detectors, carbon monoxide, low
temperature alerts, panic buttons and tamper
switches are "on" all the time. You have the
ability to
arm and disarm your system with the use of a
keypad, remote keychain
device or even through a touch-tone phone.
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What if I forget to turn my system on before
leaving ?
There’s an option to add a phone voice module to
your system (#4286), which will enable you to
arm and disarm your system and even check the
status with any touch-tone phone on or off
premise.
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How much noise does the alarm make ?
Each
system has a 95-dB siren, which is adequate for
an apartment or home. Additional outdoor sirens
are rated at 110dB.
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Does the siren shut off automatically?
Sirens can be programmed to sound for two or
more minute increments. Most ordinances required
the outside siren to shutdown after 30 minutes.
Our systems will sound for a specified period of
time (typically 4 minutes); the time period is
per occurrence and will resound if another
violation is detected.
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If there is a break in attempt will the system
re-arm ?
During an attempted break-in, the system will go
into alarm. The system automatically resets
itself and remains armed until a user presses in
their
code + off. If there is a subsequent detection,
the system will go into alarm again.
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My neighbor's system is always going off. What
about false alarms ?
Accidental alarms are annoying and use up
valuable time that emergency
response personal may need elsewhere. With
proper design and instruction, your system
should be false alarm free. Our systems do a
self test every 20 minutes for potential
problems. In addition, testing the system once a
month also prevents false alarms from
occurring.
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How do I test my home security system?
Your
system can be programmed for automatic test on a
daily, weekly or monthly schedule. This
scheduled test is a check-in phone call the
security system places to the central station to
insure proper communication. All of our
systems send a test signal automatically every
30 days. If our monitoring center does not
receive a scheduled signal you will be notified
of the problem. You can manually test your
system by pressing in your code and the test
button. Your sounder will sound for 2 seconds,
the battery and a/c connection will be tested
and test signals will be sent to the Central
Station.
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How much does a system cost ?
Our
Internet Special gives you a basic system
consisting of a control panel, keypad, siren,
digital dialer, two openings, one motion, one
heat detector and installation for $149.00. Any
additional equipment you may want can be
purchased at a discounted price as well.
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Can I get a discount on my home owners insurance
?
All
of our customers who take advantage of our
monitoring service will receive
a certificate of installation . The amount of
your actual discount depends on your
insurance company. It can be anywhere between 5
to 20%.
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Are these "Free Security System" offers some
kind of scam ?
Not
necessarily, many companies have underwritten
the cost of the equipment in order to have you
sign a long monitoring contract at $29.99 or
higher. BEWARE:
many companies advertise an "Installation fee"
and lease you the system or they use the "Free
System" offer as a tool to "up-sell" you on
additional protection. Our program is
straightforward. We help you along the process
from installation to monitoring .
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What if we decide to move after we install our
system ?
We
offer a relocation service so you have the
option of taking your system with you or getting
a new one connected to our Central Station at a
discounted price.
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How secure is my personal information ?
Security is our business. The information
gathered on our customers is held in the
strictest confidence. All information is
password protected. Information is never sold or
distributed outside our company or its
affiliates.
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Can I change my Central Station Password?
As
often as you wish. You can even have password
for each user of your system.
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What do I do if I forget my user code or
password ?
Your
security information is passcode protected. If
you forget your user code, we can re-establish a
new one or remind you of your old one as long as
you have your password. If you forget your
password we will mail it to you.
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Can I be notified when my system is armed or
disarmed ?
Some
of our systems have the ability to call a pager
and notify you when a particular user arms or
disarms the system. This feature is only
available if you are a subscriber of our Central
Station. You also have the ability of receiving
Opening / Closing reports on a monthly basis for
an additional monitoring fee.
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