Re: Monitoring station response time

[Warren <warrens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My alarm company recently changed to a new monitoring station and the
response wait times have become considerably longer.  The panel is not
programmed to send a cancel code.  If it were I wouldn't be concerned
about several minute wait for a double check or confirmation call.

I will be talking to the alarm company on Monday for an explanation.
This is the second long delay I've experienced with the monitoring
company.  Last time I phoned them after four minutes to say I was still
alive, only to be put on hold until they could check up on things.

The panel has a duress code programmed.  I can think of no reason not to
have one.



R.H.Campbell wrote:
> I would say.... that depends. If you disarmed the system right away (or
> during the time when
> the panel was still online with the station), then they could have received
> a "cancel
> code" along with the alarm, and most stations won't even call, since they
> know someone with a valid code has disarmed the system. Your station
> might simply have been doing a double check (as many do) as a matter of
> policy, which can be some minutes
> afterwards depending upon how many alarms they are receiving at the moment
> without cancel
> codes.
>
> The normal interval to respond to an alarm (assuming no receipt of a cancel
> code) I expect should be immediately or within a minute, depending upon how
> busy they are at that moment. Early morning and around 5 pm seem to be the
> busiest periods of a workday when stations are running at peak capacity,
> which would normally slow things down a bit (Lots of people disarming their
> panels at work and screwing things up etc.....)
>
> With a cancel code, response can vary (assuming the station calls at all)
> and can vary greatly based on other
> alarms being received at the same time. They should probably be explaining
> to the end user they are just doing a double check ; otherwise, the
> impression left is slow response as you felt. Cancel codes are one of the
> things that dramatically decrease problems for customers; however, they
> certainly can leave the impression of poor response.
>
> It should be noted however, that a lot of companies (and customers) prefer
> NOT to use cancel codes and wish the station to call on every alarm trip.
> This is a simple programming change in the alarm panel. While lack of a
> cancel code increases the workload on the station (and IMO likely doesn't
> add much benefit to the end user), it certainly does increase the false
> alarm rate substantially.
>
> If I lived in LA or another large community with lots of crimes against
> people, I might be tempted to forget about cancel codes (and probably also
> activate a duress code in my panel ). But if I lived in a normal community
> where crimes against people was not a major issue, a cancel code is much
> more likely to prevent a false dispatch and a fine than it is to decrease
> the effectiveness of your alarm in any meaningful way.
>
> This is something you should discuss with your alarm company in regards to
> your personal situation.
>
> Regards,
>
> R.H.Campbell
> Home Security Metal Products
> Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
> www.homemetal.com