What should I consider before having an alarm system installed?

Your need to evaluate your total security requirements by assessing your lifestyle and/or your business routine and determine your home or business needs, etc.

As an example:

• Do you live in a high crime neighborhood or a remote unprotected area?
• Are you away from the premises frequently?
• Do you have young children?
• Do you have many employees to keep track of at the premises?
• Do you have pets?
• Do you have an all-wooden building or a substantially older structure, which would be particularly susceptible to fire?

After your assessment, you need to do the following:

• Be sure to contact your local police depatment or crime prevention branch, alarm association, Better Business Bureau, consumer protection agencies and/or insurance company for a list of reputable companies in your area.
• Be sure that you advise each company that you are getting competitive quotes.
• Be sure that you make a true comparison of each proposal based on a site inspection. Then, thoroughly review the number and kinds of components to be installed, so that you are evaluating similar types of installations – comparing “apples to apples.”
• Be sure to understand what the differences are in the quotes given to you. If there are significant differences, how will they impact your over-all security protection?