
We found that a lot more convenient than racing inside to beat the
alarm’s 30 second window, particularly if you have an armful of groceries or a baby on your hip. The SimpliSafe system requires a professional monitoring subscription to receive alerts. That’s because it relies on a cellular connection rather than internet, so someone needs to send you an SMS text. There’s no option to receive automatic in app alerts. This also means your DIY security system is essentially a local alarm —
meaning if a burglar breaks in, your alarm will activate, but the police won’t be alerted. You’ll have to pay for one of the professional monitoring plans to save yourself the task of keeping a constant eye on the video feed.
As state above, a large number of burglaries are simply crimes of
convenience and opportunity where burglars target homes that are easy to get into.

— Contributed by Tom Kerber, Director, IoT Strategy, Parks AssociatesAs Managing Editor, Karyn Hodgson writes exclusive cover stories, such as SDM’s State of the Market series, as well as other feature length articles and case studies. She manages SDM’s Monitoring Today supplement, an annual supplement devoted to central stations and the business of monitoring. She
also manages SDM’s Dealer of the Year and Systems Integrator of the Year Award programs. Systems integration is one of Karyn’s “beats”; she manages Today’s Systems Integrator e newsletter
from SDM. Karyn has an MSJ in Journalism magazine publishing degree from Northwestern University, and more than 20 years’ experience writing for and about the security industry. Meet Karyn at industry conferences.