Enhanced Professional Monitoring
What is Professional Monitoring?
24/7 Professional Monitoring is the critical human element that transforms your security equipment (like alarms, cameras, and smart locks) from a warning system into a guaranteed response mechanism. It means that trained security professionals are constantly watching your system for signals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When an event occurs, be it a forced entry, a fire, or a medical emergency; the monitoring station instantly takes action, verifying the event and dispatching the appropriate local authorities (police, fire, or ambulance) to your home or business in Ontario. This service provides the ultimate level of protection, ensuring your property and loved ones are never left vulnerable, even if you can’t get to your phone.
How Professional Monitoring Works
Open Road Systems Inc. ensures your safety through an integrated and highly reliable communication path:
- Detection: A sensor (door contact, motion detector, smoke detector, etc.) is triggered, registering an alarm condition.
- Communication: Your business or home’s central alarm panel (the system’s “brain”) receives the signal. The panel immediately communicates this detailed information to the Central Monitoring Station. This communication typically utilizes a dedicated, highly secure cellular connection which cannot be easily disabled by power outages or a cut phone line, ensuring robust transmission.
- Reception & Verification: The Monitoring Station receives the encrypted signal. Highly trained operators immediately analyze the type and location of the alarm.
- Verification Protocol: The operator follows a pre-defined protocol, which may include calling your home/business or utilizing two-way voice features on the alarm panel to verify the alarm status. This step is crucial for minimizing costly false alarms.
- Action: Upon verification, the operator proceeds to the emergency response phase.
What Happens When an Alarm is Triggered
When an alarm signal is confirmed as genuine, the monitoring centre’s expert operators respond with precision and speed, often within seconds.
- Immediate Dispatch Decision: The operator instantly determines the type of emergency (burglary, fire, medical, environmental).
- Authority Contact: The operator contacts the nearest local emergency service (Police, Fire Department, or Ambulance) based on your property’s specific address and local jurisdiction.
- Visual Verification Integration: If your system includes video surveillance, the operator may simultaneously access camera feeds (Video Monitoring) to visually verify the cause of the alarm. This visual proof is vital, as many municipal police departments now require confirmation (known as “multiple zones tripped” or “verified response”) before dispatching officers, avoiding delays and potential fines associated with false alarms.
- Contact Notification: The operator simultaneously calls your personal contact list (key holders, family members) to inform them of the emergency and the actions taken. They relay vital information, such as whether a pet is inside or if you are currently away on vacation.
Self-Monitoring vs. Professional Monitoring: The Critical Difference
When your alarm triggers, who responds? That is the fundamental difference between these two services.
Self-Monitoring: You are the primary responder. The system sends an alert or notification directly to your phone. If you are unavailable, asleep, or unable to verify the event, no emergency authority is automatically dispatched. You must personally call the police or fire department, which can lead to critical delays and potential false alarm fines.
Professional Monitoring: You receive a notification, but the monitoring center acts as your 24/7 emergency dispatch. A highly trained operator instantly verifies the alarm (often using advanced technology like visual confirmation) and immediately contacts and dispatches the appropriate local authorities (police, fire, or ambulance) to your location. This service ensures a guaranteed, rapid, and professional response, even if you are unreachable or miles away.
Self-Monitoring Gives You an Alert.
Professional Monitoring Guarantees Action.
Secure your custom monitoring plan and activate your guaranteed response system!
