To choose an alarm company for a commercial building in Edmonton, compare what each company will design, how the alarm reports, who monitors it, how service works and whether you own the system at the end. Ratings and advertising are hard to check; the answers to the questions in this guide are not.
What a commercial alarm system should include
- A written zone plan for every exterior door, overhead door and open area, with glass-break sensors on storefront glass and motion detection where nobody should be after hours.
- A panel that reports over the internet with a cellular backup, so a cut line or an internet outage does not silence it.
- Partitions, so tenants, units or areas of the building can arm and disarm on their own.
- A code or fob for each person, so a departing employee is removed the same day.
- Panic buttons where staff handle cash or work alone, and hold-up or duress codes where they are needed.
- A link to cameras, so the monitoring centre can check video before anyone is sent.
How to compare alarm companies
- Design: does the company walk the building and give you a written zone plan, or quote a standard package?
- Reporting path: internet with a cellular backup, or a phone line that may no longer exist?
- Monitoring: who watches the alarm, what is in the written response plan, and can alarms be video-verified?
- Service: who do you call when the alarm will not arm at night, and what happens next?
- Ownership: will you get the installer and master codes, and full documentation?
- Contract: what are the term, renewal and cancellation rules for monitoring?
- Integration: can the alarm work with your cameras and access control?
What good installation looks like
- A site walk before the quote, including how the building is used after hours.
- Sensors placed away from heaters, moving stock, blinds and signs that cause false alarms.
- Neat, labelled wiring and a panel in a secure spot with a backup battery sized for the system.
- Every zone tested with the monitoring centre before handover.
- Training for the people who arm and disarm the system, and a written call list.
Monitoring and response
A monitoring centre watches the alarm around the clock and follows your written response plan: who is called, in what order, and when police are sent. When cameras are linked, the monitoring centre can check the video first, which helps avoid sending police to a false alarm. Check whether your municipality has its own alarm permit or false alarm rules.
Support after installation
- How are user codes and the call list kept up to date when staff change?
- Is there a maintenance plan that tests sensors, sirens and communicators and replaces backup batteries?
- Can the company service the panel you already have, including DSC and Bosch panels?
- What happens to your system, codes and documentation if you leave the company?
Edmonton conditions
Long winters mean outdoor sensors, sirens and communicators have to handle deep cold, and buildings that sit empty over holidays need reliable reporting and a call list that is kept current. Overhead doors, yards and shops around Edmonton, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Leduc and Nisku often need zones planned around vehicles and stock rather than people.
Where Hightower fits
Hightower designs, installs and supports intrusion alarms for commercial buildings in Edmonton and across Alberta and BC, from offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and Kelowna. Alarms are monitored around the clock by a monitoring centre and can be paired with cameras for video-verified alarms. We hand over admin access and documentation on every project, and we take over alarm systems other companies installed.
Related on this site
Read more: intrusion alarms, security systems in Edmonton, all services.
Intrusion alarms near you: Edmonton · Calgary · Red Deer · Kelowna.
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Need this for a commercial building? Request a quote, or call 587-920-1610 in Alberta or 236-473-1610 in BC.
Questions
Does Hightower work on this for commercial buildings only?
Yes. We design, install and support systems for commercial buildings only, including condos and apartments, offices, retail, industrial sites, schools and automotive businesses across Alberta and BC.
Can you take over an existing system like the one in this article?
Yes. System rescue is a core service. We regain admin access to systems you own, repair what we can, document everything and support it. See system rescue.
Where should I start if this is the system I need?
Start with our intrusion alarms page, or request a quote. We have offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and Kelowna.