Why a Professionally Monitored Security System Is Usually the Best Option

Home security systems have all sorts of interesting add-ons, including sensors, cameras, key fobs, and super-loud sirens. However, one of the most important considerations is whether you should sign up for professional monitoring. Because monitoring involves the potential to summon law enforcement or the fire department to your home, it’s a weighty decision, all the more so if you are sensitive to the idea of interacting with the police (see What it means to go pro). After weighing the pros and cons, we’ve concluded that using a professional monitoring service is overall the most reliable way to watch over a home security system. We hate recommending another monthly fee for something you will (hopefully) never use, but we believe that the one time you need it, it’ll be worth the cost. Here’s how we came to that conclusion.

Pro monitoring vs. self-monitoring

First, a quick explainer for anyone who has no experience with security systems. You can find two types of monitoring options for DIY home security systems: professional and self.

All security systems can include door/window sensors, motion sensors, glass-break sensors, smoke detectors, cameras, panic buttons, and more. When one of those is triggered by an event, such as motion or smoke, it sets off a loud siren inside the home’s base station, which is the box that wirelessly links all of those sensors and other security devices together. For example, Ring Alarm (our top pick) blasts a 112 dB siren, which sounds about as loud as a rock concert, lawnmower, or motorcycle. A smartphone alert typically follows within a few seconds, via text or push notification.

If you have a professionally monitored system, a call center watches your setup 24/7 and gets pinged when something triggers your alarm. Within about a minute of the initial siren, that monitoring service then calls any of your phone numbers on file to make sure everything is okay. To dismiss an alarm, you need to answer the call and provide a code number or code word as verification. If you don’t have the code or don’t answer the phone, the service automatically contacts the police or fire department. A monitoring subscription can cost $10 to $50 a month, depending on the company and the options you select.

A self-monitored (or unmonitored) system sounds the siren and sends you smartphone alerts, but the buck stops there—if you aren’t home to hear the siren, it’s on you to notice the notification on your phone and then determine what follow-up actions to take. And if you put your phone on silent or don’t have it at hand 24/7, you may miss the alerts entirely.

What it means to go pro

If you opt to subscribe to a professional monitoring service, that means necessarily that your security system may trigger a visit to your home from the police or fire department. If that’s the outcome you’re looking for, monitoring is what you need. If not, this might not be the right solution.

We recommend the Ring Alarm system because it gives you the choice between self-monitoring and using a professional service. And because there’s no contract, you can choose to add the monitoring service for short-term occasions, such as when you’re out of town.

With a DIY security system, such as Ring Alarm or SimpliSafe, you can also choose what areas of the home are covered by professional monitoring. For instance, if you’re worried about specific doors and windows, you can choose to have contact sensors only in those particular areas. If you aren’t worried about a break-in or don’t want to involve the police, you could opt to install only smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. That way, a professional monitoring company will contact the fire department only when a smoke alarm is triggered.

Why people choose to pay for monitoring

Say you’re in a movie theater when someone opens a window at home. That would trigger your security system. A smartphone notification would come in about three seconds of that alarm.

With a self-monitored security system, you’d need to make sure you have notifications enabled on your phone and have a game plan for what to do when the alarm goes off in a given scenario, whether you’re in a theater, on a beach, or at work. That might include checking indoor cameras to see if there’s activity or calling a family member or neighbor to check who opened the window (and hoping they are home and willing to respond). Things get more complicated and intense if the fire alarm goes off or something triggers a glass-break sensor. Self-monitoring also means you need to have your phone on you 24/7 and to avoid turning on Do Not Disturb mode.

With professional monitoring, you get that same smartphone alert, but it is followed by a phone call from the monitoring service. If you’ve trained yourself to ignore your phone, you should probably go pro. A professional monitoring company is trained to react quickly when you can’t or won’t. SimpliSafe (our runner-up security system) also offers Video Verification, a feature that allows the monitoring company to view your camera footage (with your permission) when an alarm is triggered. This feature allows the call center to confirm something like a break-in more quickly and provide that information to the police, if needed.

It’s important to note that professional monitoring doesn’t actually stop or deter crime or lead to more arrests. But we think it does provide valuable peace of mind—you know that you have a 24/7 safety net. And pro monitoring is especially effective when it comes to fire emergencies: According to the Department of Homeland Security, a small flame can turn into a major fire in less than 30 seconds. Monitoring ensures that someone else will respond when you’re not able to, which can save not only your home but even someone’s life.

Other considerations before you go pro

Although we recommend professional monitoring, you have a few things to consider before signing up for a service. If you don’t respond to the alerts and phone calls, the monitoring company will contact the police, who may visit your home whenever an alarm is triggered. That’s great if there’s an actual emergency, but not so much for false alarms—especially considering that some localities will fine you if your system cries wolf. Before investing in any security system, contact your local police department to find out the rules and regulations in your area, such as whether your city or town requires a permit to install one, which isn’t uncommon.

We don’t recommend security systems that require a lengthy service contract. We like Ring Alarm because it has no contract, so you can start and stop a pro monitoring plan as you please—that way, you can subscribe only as needed, such as when you go on vacation or out of town. Ring Alarm also offers the most affordable monitoring plan among the systems we’ve tested, just $10 per month. SimpliSafe is another contract-free system we like, though its monthly fee is a bit more. (We’ve tested systems that charge four times that amount, which is a sizable outlay multiplied over the years for something you hope you’ll never have to use.)

And if you’re worried about how much you’re spending on monitoring, contact your insurance broker. Many companies offer discounts—often sizable ones— for monitored security systems, making the leap even more of a no-brainer.