The control panel is the brain of a security system. Ours are typically Honeywell and Resideo panels, installed in a metal cabinet in the basement or utility room with a rechargeable backup battery that keeps the system running through a power cut. Most people arm it, disarm it, and never touch anything else. That leaves a lot on the table.
Chime mode
With chime turned on, every keypad sounds when a protected door opens, even while the alarm is off. It is a small feature with a real track record. One of our customers heard a chime at 5 AM, heard nothing else, and went back to sleep. A burglar had opened their basement door, heard the chime, and left. Several neighboring homes were broken into that morning.
Individual user codes
Give each person their own code: family members, a housekeeper, a dog walker. The panel records who armed and disarmed the system and when, and a code can be removed in seconds without changing anyone else's.
Notifications that matter
A connected panel can text you when the system is armed or disarmed, when a door opens, or when a fire, flood or carbon monoxide sensor trips. It can tell you the power has failed at the house and again when it comes back, which matters if you are away in winter.
A panel that tells you nothing is only doing half its job.
Control from your phone
Every residential security and fire system we install can be controlled from a smartphone: arm and disarm, check status and see the event history. Paired with a smart lock, it also lets you let someone in and lock up again from wherever you are.
A reliable connection
All of this depends on the panel being able to talk to the outside world. We connect our systems through a cellular radio rather than a phone or internet line, and the radio reports in with a daily test so a fault is caught quickly.
If your panel is a few years old, many of these features may already be there and simply switched off. A service visit can turn them on.
