If you were to consider the ‘ideal scenario’ when looking at your security options, it would normally involve the 24/7 monitoring of the commercial CCTV footage of your site to ensure any breaches are quickly responded to. We receive many enquiries about remote monitoring that include questions such as:

  • How quickly can a security team attend my site if an alert is raised?
  • Is it better to have personnel on-site or rely on remote monitoring?
  • What happens if an alarm is raised due to fire, flooding or smoke?

Here we’ll run through the answers to many of the most frequently asked questions to clarify how remote monitoring works and whether it’ll suit your business. 

hat Does Remote Alarm Monitoring Involve?

Businesses throughout the UK have a range of security systems in place to deter intruders. These include alarms, motion sensors, CCTV cameras and so on. One of the biggest challenges to overcome is how to manage an alarm response when personnel are not on site 24/7. In this scenario you will need to have a protocol to dictate how you respond when an alert is raised, even if that is in the middle of the night. 

Remote alarm monitoring covers this requirement as follows:

  • Alarm installations and CCTV networks are linked to the Alarm Receiving Centre through a secure line or via a 4G mobile network connection.
  • These links can be live 24/7 or timed to be live during hours outside of normal operations.
  • Response teams work in shifts to constantly monitor alarm alerts and CCTV footage.
  • Should an alert be raised due to criminal activity or an environmental factor, the response teams will instantly begin managing the situation in accordance with a predetermined protocol.

After the alarm activation, the response action is generally dependent on your instruction. 

How Do Remote Monitoring Teams Deal With Alarms?

When any activation is reported, the first task is to verify the authenticity of the alert, and if possible, the cause of it.

There are many ways our security monitoring teams will assess the threat, such as:

  • Using CCTV cameras with pan, tilt and zoom functions to further investigate.
  • Analysing the view from different cameras to get a bigger picture.
  • Contacting your site keyholder or deploying a responder if you contract this service to Clearway.
  • Notifying emergency services if a break-in is in progress.
  • Issuing audio warnings (where available), to alert the intruder that they are being recorded in real-time and that a response team has been deployed.

Visual alarm verifications are invaluable since it prevents incurring costs responding to false activations, or motion sensors activated by wildlife.

This service can be helpful for businesses where frequent false alarm triggers create additional work, overtime expenses, and the inconvenience of needing to travel to the site to verify the reason for the alarm outside of regular working hours.

It is also a strong deterrent – letting criminals know that you are watching. Offenders are likely to leave immediately when they realise they are being tracked and their actions recorded.

Is Remote Monitoring an Effective Security Strategy?

Remote alarm monitoring can be a failsafe option if you don’t have security staff on-site around the clock, cannot reach your premises quickly in the event of an alarm, or wish to prevent intrusions from occurring.

There are several benefits to consider:

  • Secure communication connections provide close monitoring through a remote station, safe from tampering.
  • Unusual activity is identified straight away, with a professional assessment of the level of risk and appropriate response.
  • CCTV cameras with advanced functionality can pan around the site to ensure all blind spots are checked.
  • Audio alarms are a crucial way to stop intruders in their tracks and discourage any thefts or vandalism.
  • Emergency services, site managers and keyholders are swiftly alerted so that the incident can be controlled and damage mitigated.

For many UK businesses, remote monitoring is a highly cost-effective way to manage security threats without having to employ a full time member of staff – or perhaps two if they were to work in shifts. 

The most significant advantage for many clients is that having our authorised security teams on standby provides reassurance and peace of mind that your site is constantly scanned for potential threats.

We have extensive experience in remote CCTV & alarm monitoring – if you would like to know more about our services please get in touch.