What the heck does "monitor" mean anyway?
You’ll see the word “monitor” used a lot in home security, but what you may not know is that it can have a bunch of different meanings.
What security personnel mean when they say “monitor”:
A professional monitoring service that receives signals from video or alarm equipment and dispatches emergency personnel as needed. Professional monitoring may or may not include self-monitoring as defined below.
Self-monitoring = alarm equipment or smart cameras send a notification to the user’s phone when something of interest happens. This could be when an alarm is triggered or when motion is detected by a camera.
Let’s explore the many different ways people who are not in the security industry use the word “monitor”.
Here are some phrases we hear often at DFW Security:
What they say:
I need a new door monitor.
What they mean:
I need a new door sensor. These are also called door contacts and the same piece of equipment is used for windows, but they are called window sensors or window contacts. They can be hardwired or wireless, and surface mounted or recessed mounted.
What they say:
Can I get a monitor for my bedroom?
What they mean:
Can I get a keypad for my bedroom? Usually customers mean a secondary keypad, but they could also be referring to a door or window sensor, glassbreak detector, motion sensor or even a TV screen.
What they say:
My monitor is dead.
What they mean:
My keypad isn’t’ working. The main keypad is the most common translation, but they could also mean other sensors or alarm components, or even that they are unable to view their alarm system or cameras on their phone, computer screen or TV.
What they say:
I need 3 monitors.
What they mean:
I need 3 keypads. It’s actually unlikely for anyone to need three keypads, since smart keypads don’t have to be wall mounted. Systems can also be controlled by a smartphone, smart watch, Bluetooth or your voice. With automation like one-button scenes, one touch can prepare your home for leaving or bedtime, making it unnecessary to have keypads all over your house.
What they say:
How do I view my cameras on my monitor?
What they mean:
How do I view my cameras on the alarm keypad, a computer monitor or the phone screen.
What they say:
Can you monitor my alarm system?
What they mean:
Do you offer an alarm monitoring service, or is your monitoring service compatible with my existing alarm system.
What they say:
I want to monitor my own system.
What they mean:
Usually it means they want to be notified when their alarm goes off and they don’t want professional monitoring. But they could also mean they want to be able to view their cameras or alarm system on a mobile device. One drawback to true self-monitoring is the question of what you are going to do if there is an alarm. Rush home to investigate? What if you’re far away? And you wouldn’t want to send a friend or neighbor into possible danger. Even if you call 911 the response won’t be as fast as a professional alarm dispatching center with a direct line and the ability to verify the alarm through two-way voice.
However you mean it when you say “monitor”, now is a good time to get security set up in your home.
