My Vivint contract is up and I wish to use your conversion kit. What is the difference between central station monitoring vs. no central station monitoring. I do know what central station monitoring does and with the two way voice from the monitoring station requesting passwords and if need be, notification of authorities. Does no central station monitoring merely send notifications and permit control from a cell phone? Please explain . . . and thanks!
You are correct. Customers not using central station monitoring, monitor what is going on with their system through email, text and push notifications, as well as remotely accessible app and web interfaces. Most often, clients I’ve spoken with who do not use central station monitoring are more focused on the smart home connectivity their system allows than on security, but I also know of clients who want the control of calling the police, fire or medical emergency squads as they see fit, rather than having the automatic call list and response.
If you have central station coverage, the signals of activity from your security system are forwarded on to the 24/7 center. They monitor for when alarms are triggered (as well as for when communication is lost). Central station users can opt to use 2 way voice, or have the central station start with your desired call list. (I’m a proponent of the latter, but there are many good arguments for and against using 2-way voice.)
My personal perspective is that the addition of 24/7 central station monitoring is worth the investment. I can think of many scenarios in which I may not be able to call for help when needed, and I use my system in equal doses for security and for home connectivity and automation. But, every user has their own preferred method of system use.