It is important that you research the alarm company carefully before you sign a contract with them. Most alarm companies require that you to sign at least a three year monitoring contract. It is very hard to get out of this contract if you are dissatisfied with your service.

Some questions to ask:
1. Is the monitoring center UL Approved.
2. How many agents are on duty at any time? (some smaller compaies only have one or two on duty. If there are a lot of calls coming into the center at the same time, some calls could be lost.)
3. Do you send a call report of alarms?
4. Is your company licensed by the state?
5. What kind of security checks does your company perform on your personnel? Does the sales representative have a license by the state, also the installing technician? (Most states do a criminal background check on all alarm company employees and require them to carry and update this at all times.)
6. Is the equipment you install UL approved?
7. Is an alarm license required by the city you live in? If so, what penalties does the community impose for multiple alarms?

A good idea is to call your local police department and ask them what alarm companies they have the most problems with. They can’t recommend a company but they can tell you about the companies that do inferior work. Ask your neighbors who have an alarm system.

Be sure and do your research before you install an alarm system.