What’s the Difference Between National and Local Alarm Companies
The struggle is real – Deciding between a national alarm company and a local alarm company can be taxing. But does it really have to be that difficult? You have large national companies throwing out catchy free system offers that the local security alarm company doesn’t have, but the local company offers a lower monthly rate. This is where the decision becomes hard. The good news is that you can figure it out.
All you have to do is a little math.
The first thing to look at is the value of the national company’s free system versus their monthly fee (usually less than $300 for a standard system). Consider that the national company is still making you pay for that catchy offer through a higher monthly cost than what a local alarm company charges. You can compare annual cost, but also look at the 10-year average lifetime cycle of a security system and you will find that the national guys cost more very early in the cycle.
That puts that catchy free system offer into perspective, doesn’t it?
Here’s an example:
A national company installs a $300 security system in the home. The installation fee is $99 and the monthly fee is $48 per month. Now, let’s say they waive the $300 equipment fee. That leaves you with the $99 installation fee and the $48 per month. The cost is $675 in the first year and $576 for every year after.
The local alarm company charges the $300 for the equipment, a $99 installation fee, and a monthly charge of $30 per month. The first year is $759, but the cost every year after is $360. You begin to see the cost savings of a local security company over the national company in just the second year. See the chart below reflecting the 10-year average of this scenario:
| National (year 1 cost plus $576 per year for total cost over 10 years) | Local (year 1 cost plus $360 per year for total cost over 10 years) | |
| Year 1 (includes initial costs) | $675 | $759 |
| Year 2 | $1251 | $1119 |
| Year 3 | $1827 | $1479 |
| Year 4 | $2403 | $1839 |
| Year 5 | $2979 | $2199 |
| Year 6 | $3555 | $2559 |
| Year 7 | $4131 | $2919 |
| Year 8 | $4707 | $3279 |
| Year 9 | $5283 | $3639 |
| Year 10 | $5859 | $3999 |
| Total savings = $1860 |
The Service Level of Local Security Alarm Companies vs. National
The differences between national companies and a good Rochester security alarm company keeps going. The home-town touch gives you the following:
- Faster response time – When using a national company, the signal from a triggered alarm most likely goes to another part of the state or somewhere else in the country. A local company usually has a 24/7 monitoring center much closer and can call the local police or fire department much faster. The typical response time when using a local alarm company is 20 minutes faster than when using a national company.
- Your neighborhood isn’t foreign – Your neighborhood can be a foreign land to a national company. Using a company that specifically serves Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo means your neighborhood is familiar territory. It’s good to have a local company that knows when a rash of break-ins is happening in the area.
- The dollars make more sense – National and local companies have their customers sign contracts, but the national company is more likely to have longer contracts with higher monthly charges. Those contracts usually say the rate can be increased at any time. You also have to deal with automatic renewals. Local alarm companies are easier to negotiate with so you can get more out of every dollar.
A Local Alarm Company Serving Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo
When working with a local security alarm company, you get the more personal customer service, more control, better rates, faster response times, and a company that knows your neighborhood and uses a knowledgeable monitoring center. To learn about SPS Fire & Security’s great prices and services, call 585-770-0348.
