How does professional monitoring work?

How does professional monitoring work?

Professional monitoring can help you take your home security system to the next level. All security alerts will be sent to a 24/7 professional monitoring centre, so even if you’re away and you miss the notifications, you can rest assured that your home is protected. 

Professional monitoring can be added to your SimpliSafe security system whenever you need it thanks to our contract-free subscription. But how exactly will this work? Keep reading to find out more.

What is professional monitoring?

Professional monitoring refers to 24/7 whole home protection where security experts are on hand to monitor your home and alert emergency services if there is an incident. This service usually has an additional monthly fee. 

How does professional monitoring work?

When you have a professional monitoring subscription and a sensor such as the entry sensor or motion sensor is triggered for example, an alert will automatically be sent to the 24/7 professional monitoring centre. In SimpliSafe’s case, the team at the monitoring centre will call you to check you’re ok and use indoor cameras to confirm if the security threat is real, and if it is, they will immediately request police dispatch on your behalf. 

If it’s a false alarm, you can answer the call and provide a safeword or number that you’ve agreed upon beforehand. This means you also don’t need to worry about potentially wasting police time if you have professional monitoring, as you can easily dismiss false alerts.

Video verification

Some professional monitoring services (such as ours) also come with Video Verification. This means that you can grant permission for the professional monitoring centre to view camera footage from when the alarm was triggered. This let’s the authorities know that there’s a crime in progress and reduces the risk of false police call-outs.

What is self-monitoring?

If you don’t have a professional monitoring subscription, your home security system can be self-monitored. When a potential security threat is detected by one of your home security components (such as your outdoor cameras, glassbreak sensors or entry sensors), an alert is sent to your system’s Base Station, which triggers an alarm. Your Base Station will also send a notification directly to your phone, so you don’t need to be at home to stay on top of your security.

Your Base Station will also send an alert to a professional monitoring centre if you have a subscription, but self-monitoring customers will only have the alert sent to their phones. Therefore, it’s down to you to receive the notification, check your security footage and call the police if needed. 

Professional monitoring for other home security purposes

Professional monitoring isn’t just for alerting the police in the event of a break-in. You can also use this service for request of fire services if an alarm is triggered by your smoke detectors. With SimpliSafe, you can build your own security system with components of your choice, so you can include devices such as entry sensors or temperature sensors depending on what your main concerns are (e.g., break-ins, fires or property damage from the weather).  

Step-by-step guide to professional monitoring

Now you know more about professional monitoring vs self-monitoring, let’s take a closer look at the step-by-step process involved in setting up professional monitoring and dealing with potential security threats.

1. Purchase professional monitoring

SimpliSafe customers can use the SimpliSafe app to add professional monitoring to their home security system. Once you’ve set up your Base Station and other security system components via the app, you’ll be prompted to add professional monitoring if you wish. 

We have two professional monitoring subscriptions to choose from: Pro and Pro Premium. Pro customers will receive 24/7 live alarm monitoring by professionals, who will call you immediately if an alarm is triggered. Whereas Pro Premium customers will receive this monitoring in addition to request of police & fire dispatch, unlimited camera recording and more.

2. Sensor triggers an alarm

Once your professional monitoring is set up, it’s ready to help you better manage potential break-ins. If an alarm is triggered with one of your devices (such as an entry sensor), this will trigger an alarm in your Base Station. The Base Station will then immediately send an alert straight to the professional monitoring centre, where there are staff to handle your alerts 24/7.

3. Specialist calls you

If an alert is sent to the professional monitoring centre, a security specialist will call you to check you’re ok and confirm if there is a security threat. If it’s a false alarm, you can simply provide a safeword to dismiss the alert. However, if you don’t answer at all, the specialist will move onto video verification (if applicable).

4. Video verification

If you’ve granted the professional monitoring centre access to your security footage through our Video Verification service, they will then check this footage to confirm the break-in. Using video verification can make it much quicker and easier for our specialists to confirm security threats and pass this information on to the police.

5. Emergency response

Once the break-in is confirmed, security specialists at the professional monitoring centre will immediately alert the police on your behalf, so you don’t need to worry about sorting this out yourself. A guard from the professional monitoring centre can also be dispatched. 

Benefits of professional monitoring 

Having professional monitoring can give you peace of mind that your home is always protected, even when you’re away. However, opting for an additional subscription can be a tough decision to make, so here are the main reasons why professional monitoring could be right for you.

1. Security

The most obvious benefit is that professional monitoring can reinforce your existing security measures. It will be much harder for security threats to slip through the cracks and an emergency response can be requested almost as soon as an alarm is triggered, offering your home the highest level of protection.

2. Convenience

With professional monitoring, everything is handled for you. You don’t need to worry about checking your notifications in time and calling the police or fire and rescue services yourself, as you’ll have a team of security specialists doing this for you at any time of the day.

3. Peace of mind

Whether you’re sleeping, at work or away on holiday, professional monitoring is there to get the most out of your SimpliSafe system and give you peace of mind at all times. This is especially important for those who are frequently away from home and worry about missing alert notifications. With professional monitoring, there’s no need to worry about constantly checking your phone while you’re away from home, as everything will be taken care of for you.

Professional monitoring features 

Our Pro Premium Professional Monitoring Plan comes with a wide range of fantastic security features, including:

• 24/7 whole home monitoring

• Instant alarm response 

• Unlimited video recording

• Smart home integration with Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Watch

• Guest PINs

• Secret alerts

• Video verification

• No contracts – you can cancel at any time

Frequently asked questions about professional monitoring 

When do you need professional monitoring?

Anyone can benefit from professional monitoring, but it’s especially useful for those who are often away from home and worry about missing notifications from their home security system. Professional monitoring will ensure you get a swift police response no matter where you are, so you can spend your holidays relaxing instead of worrying about your home security.

How do I enable professional monitoring?

Professional monitoring can be purchased and activated via the SimpliSafe app or over the phone. You’ll receive a professional monitoring prompt when setting up your home security system. You can also check our support page for more information on setting up this subscription. 

How do I cancel an alert?

To cancel a false alarm, all you need to do is provide a safeword when the professional monitoring centre calls you. This code will be agreed upon when setting up your subscription to confirm your identity. 

Interested in professional monitoring? Get in touch today to find out more about setting up your subscription. You can also visit the SimpliSafe blog for more home security tips, such as winter home safety tips and advice on how to prevent burglars from climbing walls.