Many homeowners understand the importance of owning a home security system, but they don't always realize that in order for their home security system to be effective, it has to utilize some telecommunication device in order to talk to the monitoring center when the alarm is triggered.
Alarm signals have been traditionally sent across telephone lines. This is the most reliable method there is. It is also the cheapest method as well. Almost every single monitoring center in the world has the capability to utilize this method. The only equipment required, other than the actual alarm system, is a specialized telephone jack created just for alarm systems. The digital dialing device within the alarm's control panel then takes over.

If the home security system is triggered, the jack takes control of the telephone line so that no other device can use it. The digital dialing device calls the monitoring center and provides data regarding the alarm to the monitoring center receiver. It will tell the center which zone was triggered and the time it went off. At this point, the monitoring center will verify the alarm by contacting the home and asking for a prearranged password. If the password is incorrect, the center sends the proper emergency authority.

Due to the fact that this communication method has been around for decades, criminals have had a lot of time to learn how to defeat it. They can disable the alarm by simply cutting the telephone line. For this reason, most alarm systems no longer use telephone service as the only communication method. You can usually choose between cellular and radio communication as a backup, but you will have to pay extra for either one.

If you don't want to pay extra for cellular or radio backup, you do have some things you can do to make sure your telephone line is protected. For one, you can put your wires in a metal conduit and junction box which makes it virtually impossible for the burglar to cut your wires. In addition, some phone lines are buried underground, which means a burglar will have a lot of digging to do before he can cut those.

Some people think that if they use telephone communication, their alarm system is always communicating with the monitoring center. They are under the impression that if the phone line is cut, the monitoring center will know about it. This is not true because, typically, your alarm is probably set to check in with the center only once a month or so. They won't know about it until the alarm fails to check in.