FAQ
Should you have any additional questions, please give us a call at (877) 740–0283.
Yes, we have redundant communication paths with active failover with AT&T, CenturyLink, EarthLink, and Level 3 communications for alarm traffic. We also have AT&T and MetTel providing internet services for IP alarm traffic.
Yes, we have redundant communication paths with active failover with AT&T, CenturyLink, EarthLink, and Level 3 communications for alarm traffic. We also have AT&T and MetTel providing internet services for IP alarm traffic.
Yes, we have 24 hour support for our receivers and telephony system, as well as for our automation platform including remote access. The automation provider has a 24 hour Network Operations Center (NOC) that also monitors our servers for any failures and other issues. We also have two internal staff members that are available to answer any IT related questions.
25% of our operation staff have been with the company for 10+ years. 25% have been with the company for 5+ years. We hire for growth and have hired 5 operators within the past year, and currently just hired 2 additional operators in training.
All of our operators have passed the 40 hour SIA/APCO Operator Training Course. Operators in Training (OIT) undergo a 6 week program with a trainer, and slowly graduate from low priority signals to handling all alarm events.
Within one year, all operators obtain The Monitoring Association Level 1 Certification. Then within the next year the operators take the Level 2 Certification exam. We have at minimum a monthly department meeting to discuss new procedures and have refreshers on existing procedures.
Shift Supervisors perform daily quality control by checking a percentage of signals handled from the previous day and also review phone calls from those signals handled. For OITs, all signals handled from the previous day are checked by their trainer. To ensure proper signal handling, our operator’s only responsibility is to handle alarm signals. We have a dedicated Dealer Services Department that handles data entry, and all data input in the system is verified twice for accuracy.
We have a web portal for dealers and end users, and a mobile application for dealers only. For dealers, we are able to restrict different levels of access per user login. For example, certain users can only view account information or only put accounts on test while others have can full data change access. The dealer can also input their own data such as address, contacts, zones, etc. and our Dealer Services Department will verify it for accuracy. End user web portal access is generally view only. However, if you have select customers that wish to do their own data, we are able to grant that level of access.
Yes, we can accept all communication paths listed as well as radio communications. We will work with all communication vendors to assist in the transition process if moving from one Central Station to another to ensure a smooth transition and with no service interruption for the customer.
Being a UL listed Central Station, all entrance points in to the building require card access and visitors must sign- in and be escorted at all times. Employees are not allowed visitors to the building. Employees also cannot list Alarm Monitoring Services as their employer or location tag themselves on social media.
Yes, we have sufficient staffing at all times. Since we monitor accounts all across the country, we track weather patterns and notify oncoming staff to be prepared to come in early or stay late as needed. We keep the Weather Channel playing 24 hours on a monitor in the Central Station for live updates, and we check weather.com at least once every 8 hour shift for any changes or weather alerts.
Being a UL listed Central Station, our power system is composed of two 100kw diesel-driven generators and an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). Each generator can exactly replace utility power (3 phase 400 amps), and each fuel cell can run for two weeks without refueling. All essential equipment (computers, telephony, receivers) are on circuits that are powered by the UPS. The UPS capacity allows for one hour of run time until the generators activate. In the event that utility power is lost, the UPS handles the load until the generators activate within seconds so no operations are interrupted.
Yes, we will provide you with an Alarm Monitoring Services price sheet that includes your costs for monitoring with quantity breaks. You will receive an additional price sheet that includes the cost for any alternate communication methods such as AlarmNet, Telguard, Uplink, etc. We have not seen any quantity breaks from these vendors.
Your invoice will show a base rate for monitoring depending on the number of accounts. You may have a monthly fee for the answering service and web portal access. The only additional charges will be for accounts receiving opening and closing signals which is detailed on the price sheet. All other line items are based on charges for alternate communication methods. You will receive an invoice along with a detailed bill with all line item charges for each customer.
When an account goes in to Runaway Status, which can be identified by receiving activity in excess of 15 identical signals in 3 minutes, the operators receive a special alarm notification. The subscriber is notified as part of the normal course of action, and then we contact the dealer to discuss a resolution for the runaway account. If you are able to shut down the panel within 30 minutes, there will be no additional charges. If you are not able to shut it down immediately but allow the runaway to continue for excess of 1 to 48 hours, we will discuss with you at that time for any additional charge per signal. You will not find out about the charges by seeing it on your bill, and there will be no surprises.
Part of our New Dealer Setup is to create standard signal handling procedures for all of your accounts. We create these processes at a global level which applies to all new accounts added. We also have the capability to change these procedures on an account by account basis, or changes can be applied to a grouping of accounts such as banks, restaurants, etc.
Our software can distinguish between a true test signal and any type of communication trouble received from other communication devices. We do not consider the signal “Periodic Test with Trouble” as a valid test signal since it is not a clean test. We can generate a separate daily report for any accounts that did not receive a true test signal as scheduled based off the provided subscriber information
Yes, we can provide a daily activity report that includes all activity for the past 24 hours. It can be customized to include as much or as little information as you would prefer to receive. You can also receive multiple reports that include different information. For example, you can receive a daily report of just alarm events and a different report of just trouble and low battery signals.
The reports have the option to include all activity including signals that are not handled by an operator. This includes system handled signals (i.e. periodic panel tests) and activity received while the account was placed on test.
All cancellation requests must be submitted to our Dealer Services Department and will be processed that day. Anything received after business hours (Monday through Friday 7am – 6pm CST) will be processed the following business day.
There are various methods of handling this request. You can call us with the information or you can log in to the web portal and change the order of who is on call. Our operators track the on call schedule and if we haven’t received an update before 5:00pm CST at the end of the current rotation, we will reach out to your office to confirm who is on call.