What Happens When Your Alarm Is Video Verified??
A security alarm tells the monitoring station that something happened.
A door opened. A window was broken. A motion detector activated.
But the alarm signal alone usually can't answer the most important question:
Why?
That's where video verification changes the process.
1. The alarm happens
Suppose your security system is armed and the back door opens.
Your system immediately sends the alarm to the monitoring station. The operator can see which device triggered and where it is located.
But at this point, it's still an alarm signal.
It could be a family member who forgot the system was armed.
Or someone could have just forced their way into the house.
The sensor can't tell the difference.
2. Video gives the operator another piece of information
With Alarm.com Visual Verification properly configured, cameras associated with the alarm can provide video from around the event to the monitoring station.
Now the operator may be able to see what caused the alarm.
Someone walking into the kitchen carrying groceries tells one story.
Someone forcing open the back door and moving through the house tells a very different one.
The alarm hasn't changed.
What the monitoring station knows about the alarm has.
3. A verified event can change the conversation with public safety
This is where video verification becomes particularly valuable.
Without verification, the monitoring station may be calling the emergency communications center to report a residential burglar alarm.
With video, the operator may have considerably more information.
Instead of simply reporting:
“We received a burglar alarm from this residence.”
the operator may be able to report something more like:
“We have video of a person entering the residence following the alarm.”
Depending on what can be seen, the operator may also be able to provide useful information about the number of people involved, where they're moving or other details visible in the video.
That's a very different call.
4. Public safety can use that information
The alarm industry has increasingly moved toward communicating how well an alarm has been validated, rather than treating every alarm signal exactly the same.
The ANSI/TMA AVS-01 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard provides a standardized framework for communicating different levels of confidence and threat associated with an alarm event.
Video can be an important part of establishing that an alarm represents actual human activity rather than simply an unexplained sensor activation.
That gives an emergency communications center better information when determining how to handle the call.
It can also give responding officers better situational awareness before they arrive.
Does a video-verified alarm get a faster police response?
It can affect how an alarm is classified and prioritized, but it isn't something we can promise.
Local law-enforcement agencies and emergency communications centers establish their own response policies. Alarm.com likewise describes Visual Verification in terms of helping monitoring operators verify events, determine whether emergency dispatch is warranted and provide information that can help expedite an appropriate response.
“Video verification gives the monitoring station and public safety more information about what's actually happening.”
5. You don't have to be watching your cameras
Video verification isn't dependent on you noticing a camera notification, opening an app and figuring out what's happening.
If you're asleep, on an airplane, in a meeting or simply don't see your phone, the security system can still do its job.
The alarm happens.
The monitoring station receives it.
Associated video can help determine what caused it.
And if emergency response is needed, the operator can communicate what is known about the event.
Your cameras aren't just recording evidence for tomorrow. They're helping your security system understand what's happening right now.
6. How can I activate this service?
Video verification is available for all professionally monitored service plans with video. Please contact us for more information.
