Home Security System Hassles-Switching Monitoring Companies to Save Money
One of the most frustrating things these days for consumers of home security systems installations is knowing what your options are as a homeowner. If you’re a savvy homeowner who likes to keep on top of your finances, you might well consider switching monitoring companies at some point to save yourself a few bucks. Sometimes doing this is not as easy as you might think. Homeowners sometimes face some challenges in order to complete a monitoring switch.
Most alarm companies will not divulge original installer security codes in order for you to terminate or switch services. There is no law or ordinance that mandates alarm companies to freely supply this information. If your security system belongs to you and the alarm company has no financial interest in the unit, then there is no reason why the code should not be given to you. There are ways for a homeowner to get around this rather inconvenient conundrum. When you speak to the alarm company, its best to just ask them to change the installer code back to factory default or let you choose another unique code. They don’t have to give you their codes, but they can change them for you.
It’s based on a strategic word game between you and the alarm company. If not played right, it can lead to a misunderstanding. If the company can default the codes for you then you can reprogram them to suit your needs. If they cannot default, call a local alarm company in your area and ask them how much it would be for them to default your system and reprogram the security codes.
This whole process can seem like a lot of hoops to jump through. If the money you save in monthly monitoring payments at the end of the year is significant, it might be worth the time and headache to attempt to switch to a different company. Not having access to programming codes can be very bothersome. Some companies are working on producing an alarm panel adapters that would help homeowners overcome this problem, but as of yet they are not available for purchase. It’s essentially a call diverter that intercepts the number dialed by the alarm panel and substitutes a pre-programmed number for their monitoring operation. It only calls the control station number so you must use a certain provider for this call diverter to work. Which in theory, kind of defeats the whole purpose of a home security systems diverter; as it restricts you to the specific company who makes it.
