Why Do Home Security Systems Have to Use a Phone Line?

Monitored Systems

• Many electronic home security systems come with the ability to contact the security company that installed them when the alarm is set off. In exchange for a subscription fee, these companies will first attempt to contact the homeowner to check against false alarms, then immediately contact the authorities. Some systems automatically call the authorities.

Self-Monitored

• Some home security systems allow you to program the number called when the alarm is tripped. This allows homeowners or business owners to program their own cell phone numbers into the alarms so they are the first to know about an alert and can respond accordingly.

Flaws

• Professional burglars realize that home security systems must use phone lines to contact the monitoring station and police. Therefore, the phone line used by the security system should ideally enter the house from underground and be controlled by a junction box located within the home. Otherwise, a savvy burglar could disable the phone line from outside the house.

Wireless Alarm Monitoring

• Some alarm companies have started to address the above flaw by operating the alarm system over the cellular phone network. The alarm has its own cellular transponder that makes the calls. This would effectively thwart a burglar, who would have no way of stopping the calls before breaking in, setting off the alarm and prompting the automatic cellular calls to police, security company and others programmed into the system.