Basic ELK question

[jammer369]

I have just installed my recently purchased ISY as I have had a few Insteon devices for quite awhile. I now have the automation bug and would love to get away from the $35/mo Broadview Security monitoring service. Our house was hardwired when built with every door and window monitored. My question is what do you do to take the place of a monitored service. Do you just have the ISY call or text you and what do you do when you are traveling out of the range of normal communications (out of the country, etc). Is there a way to have the ELK call the police directly (I am guessing the police would not like answering a call from an automated voice.

 

Thanks,

Troy

[TJF1960]

Hi Troy,

 

Check out Watchlight Central Station for monitoring. SH recomends them and they have always done well for me. I know they monitor Elk. I am paying $8.95mo for them to monitor my dsc alarm, I dont know if they charge more for Elk or not though.

 

Tim

[apostolakisl]

Elk can not call the police directly (well it could but the police would not take well to that).

 

Elk can call you and email you with messages that are chosen by you to correspond to whatever event you choose. In other words, you could have Elk give you a call every time the front door opens. More appropriately, however, my system sends me an email every time the system is armed or disarmed, and every time any alarm occurs. The email it sends is of my choosing and tells me what happened. It also phones me with alarms and has a voice message from Elk's menu announcing what type of alarm went off.

 

If you are often out of town (or out of the country), you should probably get another monitoring company that costs less, like listed above.

[brad77]

Another satisfied Watchlight user here. In an alarm event, Watchlight will attempt to contact you, then dispatch the police if they cannot reach you or if you instruct them to do so. It doesn't take long. I'm sure that this is all pretty typical stuff. Of course, how long it takes for the police to arrive is another issue.

 

I've spoken with them several times, and I can always speak to a live person right away. In my experience (which has been about a year now), they have always been accommodating, prompt and reliable.