Monitored or Self Monitored Alarm, Which Do You Need?
One sends a signal to a monitoring centre that follows a procedure. The other sends a notification to your phone. The difference matters more than most people are told.
- What happens when it triggers
- Ongoing cost versus one off
- What insurers usually recognise
- Switching between the two later
The actual difference
It Is About What Happens in the Next Two Minutes
Both systems do the same thing at the moment of the trigger. A sensor detects, the panel arms the siren, and the event is logged. Everything after that is where they separate.
A monitored system sends the signal to a monitoring centre staffed around the clock. They follow a procedure, which usually means calling you, then your listed contacts, then dispatching a patrol or contacting police depending on the service.
A self monitored system sends a notification to your phone. If you see it, you act. If you are asleep, in a meeting, overseas or out of coverage, nothing happens at all.
A household that is rarely away and keeps phones nearby often gets little from monitoring. A property left empty for weeks, or one where nobody can act quickly, gets a great deal from it.
Side by side
Six Differences Worth Understanding
The ones that actually change the decision, rather than the ones on the sales sheet.
Who responds
Monitored means trained staff follow a written procedure regardless of whether you saw the alert. Self monitored means you respond, or nobody does. That is the whole difference in one line.
Ongoing cost
Monitoring is a monthly or annual contract. Self monitoring has no ongoing fee beyond your internet. Over five years the difference is significant, and worth weighing against what it buys.
What insurers recognise
Many policies distinguish between the two, and some only recognise a monitored alarm for a premium reduction. The definition is in your policy wording, so ask your broker before deciding on this basis.
What happens if the internet drops
A self monitored system that relies on your Wi-Fi goes silent when the connection does. Monitored systems usually have a second reporting path, which is one of the things you are paying for.
False alarm handling
A monitoring centre filters. They call before dispatching, which means a genuine mistake does not become a police callout. Self monitoring puts that judgement on you at three in the morning.
Holidays and long absences
This is where the gap is widest. A notification to a phone in a different timezone is not a response. If the property is regularly empty for weeks, that alone often decides it.
The middle ground
You Can Start With One and Change Later
Most current panels support both. The hardware is the same, and monitoring is a service added to it rather than a different system.
That means you can install without monitoring, live with it, and add the service later if the situation changes. A house that becomes empty during long trips, or a family member becoming less able to respond, both change the answer.
It also means you are not locked in. If a monitoring contract stops being worth it, the system keeps working as a self monitored one.
- The panel is the same either way on most current systems
- Add monitoring later without replacing hardware
- Drop monitoring later and the system keeps working locally
- Ask about contract length before signing, terms vary widely
- We do not tie you to a provider, and we will say when monitoring is not worth it
Which suits you
Six Situations and the Usual Answer
Not rules, but the pattern we see across Melbourne properties.
Family home, someone usually there
Self monitoring is often enough. Phones are nearby, someone can act, and the siren does most of the deterrent work anyway.
Property empty for weeks at a time
Monitoring, almost always. A notification you cannot act on is not a response, and this is the exact gap monitoring exists to close.
Older resident living alone
Monitoring, usually with a duress option. The value is not the burglary scenario, it is having someone follow a procedure when a signal arrives.
Commercial premises
Monitoring, generally. Insurance often expects it, staff are not there overnight, and the log of arming and disarming has real value.
Rental investment property
Depends who responds. If you are interstate and the tenant is not the account holder, self monitoring achieves very little.
Holiday house or second property
Monitoring, and the ongoing cost is usually easy to justify against a property nobody visits for months.
Recent work
Alarm Work Across Melbourne
Three systems where the monitoring question was the real decision.
Paying for monitoring that had stopped
The panel had lost its reporting path when the phone line was disconnected years earlier. The contract was still being paid. Reporting moved to the network, and the owner chose to keep the service knowingly.
More on Templestowe ›Self monitored, and enough
A family home with someone there most of the time. We advised against monitoring and fitted a system with proper app alerting instead. Smaller invoice, right answer.
More on Mitcham ›Empty for two months a year
A property vacant for long periods with the owners overseas. Monitoring with a second reporting path, because a notification to a phone twelve hours away is not a response.
More on Brighton ›Questions
Monitored and Self Monitored Alarm FAQs
What is the difference between monitored and self monitored?
A monitored alarm sends its signal to a staffed monitoring centre that follows a procedure whether or not you saw the alert. A self monitored alarm sends a notification to your phone, and you are the response. Everything else about the two systems can be identical.
How much does alarm monitoring cost?
It is a monthly or annual contract with the monitoring provider rather than part of the installation. Costs and contract terms vary widely between providers, so compare the term and the response procedure, not just the monthly figure.
Do I need monitoring for insurance?
Some policies recognise it and some do not, and the definition of a monitored alarm is in your policy wording. Ask your broker before deciding on this basis, because the answer can change which system is worth buying.
Can I add monitoring later?
On most current panels, yes. The hardware is the same and monitoring is a service added to it. You can install without it and add it if your situation changes.
What happens if my internet goes down?
A self monitored system reliant on Wi-Fi goes silent. Monitored systems usually have a second reporting path over the mobile network, which is part of what the service buys. On a property with unreliable power we also fit backup so the panel itself stays alive.
Will you tell me if I do not need monitoring?
Yes. Plenty of households get little from it, and we would rather say so than sell a contract you will resent. It depends on whether someone can actually respond to an alert.
Where to next
Related Services and Guides
For the system itself see security alarm installation. On what insurers look at, read our guide to security and insurance. For a panel that has stopped reporting, see repairs and servicing.
Get Honest Advice on Monitoring
Tell us how often the property is empty and who would respond to an alert. A licensed technician will tell you plainly whether monitoring is worth it for your situation.
Borderless Solutions. Licensed and insured. 81 Junction Rd, Nunawading VIC 3131. Monday to Saturday, 7:00 to 20:00.