Alarm Response Messenger (ARM) Chat Service

What does ARM do?

Surety’s Alarm Response Messenger (ARM) is a text chat service which can be added free of charge for accounts with 24/7 central station monitoring.

Upon activating a burglary alarm signal, you and your selected contacts will receive an SMS text message with a link to the event chat. Tapping on that link will load the chat interface where you can discuss with your contacts, request dispatch, or dismiss the alarm with a valid passcode.

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Why should I use it?

ARM, if enabled, will become the first contact method during burglary alarm events. If you would rather have more direct control over dispatch without speaking to operators all the time, this may be right for you.

ARM allows you to coordinate directly with the other contacts using your system to ensure you have the most accurate and timely information about an alarm event.

ARM’s chat ability is especially handy for businesses or homes with many potential alarm users. This can cut down on response time, since operators would not potentially need to call through a large list to reach an available user who can confirm the alarm.

ARM text notifications are sent even faster than operator call response, which means in just a matter of seconds you’ll be able to respond to the alarm event and request or dismiss dispatch.

Is there a reason not to use it?

For accounts using 2-Way Voice, ARM will delay contact calls by 30 seconds. For Accounts not using 2-Way Voice ARM will delay contact calls by 90 seconds. If you have more users who will not use ARM, or who only have access to a premise phone in your contact list, it may increase average time to handle the event.

Users must enter a valid passcode on their smartphone keypad, so it may not be as easy for all users, depending on the smartphone they use. ARM can be disabled easily if needed.

How do I get started with ARM?

To make updates to your ARM enrollment please visit the System Manager found in your account Dashboard.

Detailed steps on how to use ARM and enable it on your account can be found here!

Question how well do u all recommend that feature I know I enabled it but not sure how u all recommend it

The goal of ARM is to cut down on false alarms and give people a quick way of handling alarm events without/before speaking with an operator. It is especially handy for people who are more likely to interact through text than answer the phone.

It is a feature offered through our monitoring station, and we definitely recommend using it if it suits your purposes. It is an optional feature.

One of the big benefits is for systems with multiple users, as any user with ARM enabled for their phone can receive the text at the same time, jump in the chat, and contribute to resolving the event, letting you know if they set off the alarm, etc., so you can make a decision quickly to disregard or request dispatch from within the chat.

Note that it does delay further contact from the CS by a set time as described in the original post above, so If you aren’t likely to use it often, ARM may not be right for your purposes.