Burglar Alarm Monitoring

For increased security you may wish to have your intruder alarm system monitored. A monitored alarm is one that is linked via the telephone line or phone network or both to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).

An ARC is a permanently manned call centre whose staff are dedicated to monitoring security alarms and contacting the right Authority - i.e. the Police usually, or the Fire Brigade in the case of a fire - if there is an activation. An ARC is bound by strict legislation which ensures the highest standards of operation.

Passive Monitoring

This is where your intruder alarm system is connected to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) via a dedicated phone line using a Digital Communicator. When an alarm is triggered, the monitoring centre receives notification and calls the Police.

This system does not have the facility to monitor for line cuts. If the phone line is cut the alarm will not reach the monitoring centre and they will be unable to call the Police. The implications of this are that if the line is cut or damaged during the break-in, no one will be notified of the event.

Active Monitoring

This type of service also connects your burglar alarm system to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) via a phone line - but it does a lot more than that. It actively checks that the phone line is always there.

One of the types of Active Monitoring that is available is the service that British Telecom offers called redcare.

With BT redcare intelligent continuous alarm monitoring service you're safe in the knowledge that your alarm activation will be delivered to the Alarm Receiving Centre and acted on in seconds. If the telephone line is cut by an intruder, redcare will relay a signal to the ARC to ensure your property is not left unprotected.

Also, because redcare can work on an existing BT phone line, you can save the cost of installing and renting an additional line. Although we do recommend a dedicated line, this is for servicing and maintenance purposes.

Due to the method of operation BT redcare does not incur any additional call charges, and with a small attachment (modem compatible device), redcare can even work on the same line as a fax machine, a PC or other digital equipment.

Active Monitoring Using Two Signalling Paths

Using 2 alarm monitoring paths, a mobile phone network path (referred to as the radio path) and the telephone line, if one of the paths is attacked (or damaged) the other continues to monitor for any further alarms and transmits them as 'confirmed activations'.

BT redcare GSM, DualCom GPRS and DualCom plus are capable of sending a confirmed activation if the radio path or telephone line fails, regardless of which one fails first. This makes them the most secure methods of monitoring an intruder alarm, offering you double the protection using your phone line and the 02’s radio network.

Radium Security Services specialise in BT Redcare GSM. This is because it is the only monitored system that completely conforms to the new Police Policy (ACPO Policy A.C.P.O. 2006/PD 6662). The policy states that all new security systems must now be capable of generating an initial alarm activation followed by a second one confirming the first to qualify for Police response. Due to this BT’s redcare system is the system that we recommend.