Types of Monitoring -- You decide what's best for you!

Pros and Cons of Monitoring

Commercial, Rentor, Short Term Property Mgrs

Nanny/Granny Cam benefitsparagraph here.

Rental and Commercial properties

If you have a business this is a great way to manage your environment. You can set times for your thermostat's to come on or shut off, or change. Different zones can be managed independently or as a group. You can control the lighting by each switch or set them up to work as a group. Setup cameras or motion detectors to turn lights on and record when triggered and have it notify you when it needs to. Manage/View them all remotely from your computer or your smartphone.

RENTERS

Most devices can be packed up and moved to any new location very easily. You may not even need a technician to assist you.

Short Term Property Managers and Owners:

You can set Thermostats to not be able to be set higher or lower then a set temperature, keeping someone from setting it to 50 degrees or 90 degrees dependent on the season. Or setup a condition that turns the AC off if a door has been left open longer than 30 minutes. You can change door lock access codes on the fly when someone has left or when you have a new guest. Get notified when a service person has arrived and exited the property. Set the doors to lock immediately when the door is closed so no chance of someone mistakenly leaving it unlocked. One button can set the property to be ready for occupants or set it to be in unoccupied mode.

Nanny/Granny CAM

This is a great way to check in on the new and older members of the family. Use fixed or mobile cameras to see what's happening with a Live Feed via your phone, computer, tablet from anywhere in the world.

Monitored systems - The PRO"S

Monitored systems notify you either via Text, Email, or a Phone Call when certain conditions are met. When an alarm system is set to active, certain Conditions could be a window/door is opened, movement is detected, glass is broken, or a smoke detector is set off. Then they decide if an emergency condition exists or not. If so, they'll contact you. If they're unable to contact you, they may contact the authorities and have them dispatch an officer. More likely than not, this is the fastest way to have emergency services provided. Depending on how much coverage you want and how many devices are monitored, will drive your monthly fee.

Monitored systems - The CON'S

You have a contract which is generally in two year segments and are bound to pay them. Although you may find monthly fees to be anywhere in the range of $29/month to $60/month. A mid-sized system may run you about $50/month. Once you stop paying, whether your contract time is fulfilled or not, access to the system will most likely stop. No ability to get notifications, view/change your TStat, lock unlock doors, view your camera(s), all will stop. Too many false alarms could get you fined. Now just over the two year contract, for an average system, you'll probably spend $1,200, over a 4 year plan, $2,400. Just for monitoring.

Self Monitored systems - The PRO'S

You own the equipment. There are NO MONTHLY FEES! The majority of software to monitor and manage all the devices are FREE. You can Lock/Unlock doors, change the temperature, setup what to do when certain conditions are triggered. You get notifications via email and/or Texts. As many people as you want can get notified when certain conditions are triggered. If Grandma isn't detected moving in her home, or if she pressed her panic button/necklace, you and as many people as you want can be notified. You can check in via camera's, call her, call someone to check on her or call the authorities to dispatch an officer. When an officer arrives, you can unlock the door, turn the siren off and allow them to evaluate the situation. Most equipment is extremely easy to install and could probably be done by the average home owner. A basic system may cost around $700. A major system may cost you $1,500 and up. But once you have it, that's it. You can add additional devices yourself. All the systems work well whether you own your home or rent, or if this is for a commercial business. Renters and commercial business advantages are listed below.

Self Monitored systems - The CON'S

You own the equipment. If it fails out of warranty, you may need to buy a replacement. If you're unable to fix/replace on your own, you may have to have pay a technician to come on site to fix or replace the equipment. (a pro here: Newer systems generally have more and better features than the older ones, so replacing it may be good).

You may or may not need to have a full time monitoring company. But then you may just feel better having one. It depends on how fast YOU"RE able to respond to notices from the system you choose to have. I have defined some Pro's and Con's below and I'm sorry if I sound biased.

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