There is no point in having a security system if no one knows when it goes off. That is why, for years, companies have offered remote monitoring of those systems for you. But with every doorbell manufacture offering cheap ‘professional’ monitoring of your security systems, why should you come to a professional like BRAVAS for that service?

Partly the answer is, like everything, you get what you pay for, but there are three questions you should be asking yourself.

1.     What am I protecting?

If you live in a condo in a secure building with 24-hour security and someone on the front desk, then you are probably already pretty safe. In condos like this, you are probably less worried about a robbery and are more concerned about knowing who is coming in and out of your space. Basic online services might work well to watch a feed from a small number of cameras online. Also, in these sorts of multi-family units, the space probably came with sophisticated fire and safety systems, so you probably have no choice on these anyway.

There are many other things to consider in a larger house, and most of them are about scale. Here are some of them:

• Home many entrances and exits are there?
• How many cameras do I need to cover the whole property?
• Do I want to monitor specific rooms, safe or other secure areas?
• Do I have a pool or attached facilities or buildings to monitor?
• What will I do about fire and water damage?
• How much network do I need to manage all these devices, and how should it be set up?

You may be able to add to this list, but all these point toward the need for professional installation and management. So, while some services look cheap, they probably don't cover the whole home or its contents. Companies like BRAVAS take the guesswork out of know what you need to have to install it yourself.

2.     How will you integrate it into your house?

The massive explosion in cheap consumer-based home technologies has been incredible for many homeowners. Small homes now have access to technologies available in the largest, most expensive homes before now. Yet it would be a mistake to confuse these 'connected homes' with a real 'automated home.' If you want to know the difference, count how many remote controls and apps it takes to run your home. If the answer is 'a lot,' you probably have a 'connected,' not 'automated' home.

Real home automation means installing a platform that all the connected devices can interact with. This platform (from vendors like SAVANT, Elan, Crestron, and Contol4) integrates all their capabilities into a single universal interface - which runs on your phone, a remote, or a panel on the wall. Available commands from this platform cause multiple different systems to work together. Your security and safety systems will need to integrate into this platform. In that way, with one button, you can create scenes like "Away" and "Home" that combine your security system with your lights and shades.

Companies like BRAVAS can work with you to make sure the scenes you have fit the way you want to use your home.

3.     Who is on the other end?

The final question you must ask is, "who is on the other end of this line?" If there is a problem who will respond, and if you need customer service, who will help you?

Companies like BRAVAS have years of experience delivering responsive service with partners who do this as their primary business. What happens if your network is down and there is a problem? You cannot be going to reboot your router when the house is on fire. At BRAVAS, we use partners like Alarm.com to make sure you have a separate service to call for help.

Our services use 24-hour monitoring teams that can keep an eye on your cameras and safety systems and respond quickly. We also tailor the way these services work for you, using agreed code words, to ensure that you are always comfortable and in control. Again, if your home is large and complicated, you need to work with a company that manages large and complicated dwellings as their primary business.

A quick look online, and you can find reports of home and DIY security systems that have been hacked. One of the benefits of the partners we pick is that we focused on difficult approaches to hack into or for the communications to be disrupted. There have been reports showing the DIY versions can be vulnerable to this.

Finally, we know things change, and occasionally things need updating. When you Do-It-Yourself, then this becomes your responsibility, and you are most likely already too busy. When you ask us to help, we are only a phone call away, and it's our job to make sure everything is working as you need it to.

Sleeping well at night

The right security system is all about sleeping well at night - whether it's in your bed or a thousand miles away on vacation. The proper security monitoring approach is like any other insurance - while we hope we never need to use it, it better work when we need it.

In a large home, installing and managing home automation and security systems is complex. At BRAVAS, we can simplify and enable these systems to work for you and your family so you can all sleep well at night.