Re: Using an alarm system off-line

["Stanley Barthfarkle" <sbarth@xxxxxxxxx>]

>I just moved into a new house which has a Brink's system already
> installed.  We haven't decided if we want to activate it with Brinks
> yet or not.  I don't see the need to pay >$30/month to protect my
> household goods. That's what I have insurance for.  My main concern is
> protecting my family when we are home. Because the equipment is all
> purchased, is there a way to use it off-line so that the alarm will go
> off, but it just won't be connected to the police/fire department?  I
> was originally told yes by someone at Brinks, but when I called back to
> get instructions on how to do it, I was told that it was impossible to
> do.
> -Thanks
>  Matt



Matt,

The alarm isn't there to protect your property, or to replace insurance
coverage. It is there to detect and report an alarm event, such as intrusion
or fire. It will not prevent an event- it will only report one. If the
occupants are home, this will alert them so they can take proper action. If
the occupants are absent, the alarm's primary function is to notify the
authorities (and you) of the event, be it fire or intrusion, etc.
Secondarily, a sounding alarm can be helpful to minimize the amount of time
an intruder is willing to spend stealing or damaging your property.

I'm sure someone here will have an answer about whether your Brinks system
is programmable by the end user to be local only. Since the Brinks systems
are proprietary, you might be faced with replacing the control (CPU) and
keypad(s).