State-Of-The-Art Commercial & Residential Security Monitoring

We currently monitor hundreds of commercial and residential clients, our national focus taking us across the USA. We are quite diversified as to clients: schools, colleges, clinics, churches, retail centers, warehouse, office buildings, manufacturing, and transportation companies.

Digital Monitoring

The old tape dialers were starting to be replaced by digital dialers in the late 70’s and 80’s. The standard digital dialer requires the use of an analog telephone line for communication. A burglar alarm system operates on one telephone line and a fire alarm system requires two telephone lines to meet the fire code. Many new phone systems installed today no longer have the out-dated analog lines. They have digital lines (DSL) or a cable modem (VOIP) that may not always work when connected to a burglar alarm panel. Both DSL and VOIP lines are not permitted to be used with fire panels because line supervision is not possible and during a power outage you loose the phone line altogether. Furthermore, commercial analog telephone lines are costly and, with fire panels, the monthly cost doubles.

Internet Monitoring

Internet Monitoring is much different—a company’s IT Department provides us with an IP address, and the panel is then tied into the client’s network. Alarms are then sent with the same technology used when sending an email. With a standard dialer, the panel sends a self test signal every 24 hours - with Internet Monitoring, the panel is polled by our Central Station a minimum of every 6 minutes.

Thus Internet Monitoring is similar to Grade AA monitoring, commonly used in the banking business for high security needs. Metro Alarm is a UL Listed alarm service company and our panel, with on-board Ethernet connection, is also listed by Underwriters Laboratories for use in the following:

• UL Fire Communicators
• UL Bank, Safe, and Vault
• UL AA High Line Security
• UL Encrypted High Line Security

There is no extra telephone line cost required when Internet Monitoring and the panel can be used for security, fire and access control. If there are several locations they all can be networked for ease of use.

Cellular Monitoring

A cellular transmitter operates anywhere your standard cell phone works. Once the cellular transmitter is connected to a cell tower, the signal is then relayed through the internet to our receiver at Central Station. The cellular transmitter can also be polled by our central station. For fire alarm systems this polling must take place a minimum of every 5 minutes to meet the fire code.

Our Cellular transmitter has the added advantage that it can also send alarms, open and close signals to your cell phone via text messaging. Your cell phone can also be use to arm, disarm and check on the status of your security system. Cellular monitoring is a very popular way of monitoring fire and sprinkler systems in commercial shopping centers and strip malls. The property manager saves money by not having to pay for analog phone lines or an internet line.

Two-Way Radio Monitoring

Unlike internet and cellular transmitters, our radios are both transmitters and receivers: transceivers. Our radio receives an alarm signal, then one radio signals another and so on until it reaches the Central Station—like an email without Internet. As more radios are installed across the Twin Cities, the stronger the wireless network becomes.

It is these multiple paths that increase the security of the radio network. The radio frequency is restricted to security companies only by the FCC, thus maintaining the integrity of our system. Our Fire Radio Monitoring eliminates the use of telephone lines and has become very popular with our commercial clients.

Learn more about Metro Alarm Commercial and Residential monitoring services.