Why PSI’s Security Monitoring is Superior

Choose your security monitoring system carefully, your life may depend on it.

 

Better Security Coverage

 

Many “Mega Central Stations” run by large national conglomerates have one monitor to serve about 15,000 to 20,000 customers. Our Central Station offers one monitor for every 4,000 customers. This lower ratio of monitors to customers means we’re able to respond to you faster and more effectively at the moment you need our help.

 

Superior Customer Assistance

 

Did you know that when you call most Mega Central Stations for help a voicemail system answers? Your alarm is ringing, your heart is pumping and you want help now – not a voicemail message.

 

At PSI a real person always answers the phone and is ready to answer your questions 24/7. We’re not only available; we have the information to really answer your questions.

 

  • Our monitors have the information needed to assist you with your system operation.
  • We have a user’s manual of the exact system installed in your home or business on our data base. With one click we have a picture of your touch pad and specific instructions on how, for example, to stop the bell from ringing.
  • More importantly, our operators are trained and tested on these systems regularly, and can successfully handle about 90 percent of the calls that come in for technical support.

 

Superior Response Time

 

Most Mega Central Stations automatically wait more than one minute to see if the alarm they are receiving is followed by an alarm shut off. If there is no shut off after this minute-plus delay, the alarm finally registers on their screen. In an emergency, seconds count - this more than a minute delay could be critical in a real emergency.


At PSI, moments after we receive your alarm we are on the phone to you. We do not wait 60 or more seconds for an alarm shut off to occur to see if it might be a false alarm. Because of our concern for your life safety we phone on every alarm that comes into our Central Station.

 

Superior Life Safety

 

Many Mega Central Stations don’t call you if your system is turned off after a false alarm. If an alarm is followed by a system turn-off, most Central Stations treat it as a non event. The monitors do not even see it on the screen and they don’t phone. Since 99 percent of all alarms are false, these companies save money by ignoring alarms that appear to be false. If you are that unlucky one percent, you are left to face your emergency alone.

 

At PSI we contact you every time you have a false alarm. Our response works like this:

 

  • When you have a false alarm and then quickly shut off the alarm we will receive an "alarm shut off" signal. 
  • We still phone you even though we received an "alarm shut off" signal, to make sure that a criminal has not forced you to turn off the alarm and give your password at gunpoint. If this happens you are instructed to say everything is ok and give an incorrect password. This will let us know that there is a high probability of a hostage situation.
  • We then dispatch the police and inform them that this is potential hostage situation. This places the dispatch on the highest priority to the police because of the potential for a life-threatening situation.

 

At PSI, we assume that every alarm is real and phone on 100% of the alarms that occur. It is reassuring to have a call from the Central Station on every alarm. This costs PSI more, but the additional expense is worth it as it greatly increases your life safety. 

 

Superior Central Station Security

 

  • Our Central Station’s Uninterruptible Power Supply is backed by a diesel-powered generator that can run for a solid week without refueling.
  • Our Central Station is networked with a backup Central Station in the event of an emergency. This system redundancy means that service disruptions will be rapidly reinstated.
  • Our Central Station is hours from likely terrorists targets and is located in a former U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command communications facility.
  • Because of its location, our Central Station is an unlikely victim of tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes.
  • All our Central Station operators are Security Industry Association certified

 

Want to learn more about our UL fire/security monitoring? Call us with your questions or complete our customer contact form and we’ll get back to you right away.