The Honest Answer
Most security-system articles are published by companies selling professional monitoring. So their answer to “should I self-monitor?” is almost always “no.” We have no such conflict of interest.
Here is the honest answer: self-monitoring is adequate for roughly 40% of buyers. Professional monitoring is worth it for the other 60%. The split depends on factors below.
What Professional Monitoring Actually Delivers
When your alarm trips and you have professional monitoring:
- Signal reaches the central station (via cellular or internet)
- Agent attempts to call your primary number within 30-60 seconds
- If no answer / wrong code: emergency services dispatched
- Police/fire/medical arrives
The key word is “dispatched.” Professional monitoring does not guarantee response time — it guarantees the call to 911 happens even if you’re asleep, out of cell range, or in the shower.
What Self-Monitoring Actually Delivers
When your alarm trips and you self-monitor:
- Your phone receives a push notification (if connected to internet)
- You decide whether to call 911
- If you don’t respond (asleep, no signal, international roaming): nothing happens
Self-monitoring’s failure mode is: you don’t see the notification in time. This is the scenario where professional monitoring earns its fee.
The Decision Framework
Answer these four questions:
1. Do you sleep deeply or travel frequently?
If you’re a heavy sleeper and a 3am notification won’t wake you, professional monitoring is essential. If you’re a light sleeper who checks their phone compulsively, self-monitoring may work.
If you travel — work trips, holidays, visiting family — and the house is empty for more than 3 days at a stretch, professional monitoring is strongly recommended. A break-in in an empty house while you’re abroad is the exact scenario self-monitoring fails at.
2. Does your insurance require a monitored system?
Some insurance policies require UL-listed professional monitoring to qualify for a security discount or to maintain specific coverage levels. Check your policy declarations page under “protective devices.” If it says “central station monitoring required,” self-monitoring doesn’t qualify.
If you’re unsure: call your insurer and ask specifically whether SimpliSafe’s Alarm.com-backed monitoring or ADT’s monitoring qualifies for their security discount.
3. What is your threat model?
Opportunistic theft (by far the most common): a burglar sees an easy opportunity and takes it. The siren alone — even without professional monitoring — deters roughly 70% of opportunistic burglars. Self-monitoring with a loud siren is adequate for this threat model.
Targeted attack (rare, higher value homes): a determined intruder who has cased the property. This is where professional monitoring, cellular backup, and video verification matter — because a determined intruder may specifically disable the router and wait out a WiFi-only alarm.
4. What does “peace of mind” mean for you?
Some buyers just want to know that someone is watching, independent of probability calculations. Professional monitoring is partly a psychological product. If paying $20/mo for that assurance is worthwhile to you, pay it. Don’t let anyone tell you that’s irrational — security is partly emotional.
Cost Comparison (1 Year)
| System | Self-Monitor Y1 | Professional Monitoring Y1 |
|---|---|---|
| Abode Iota | $279 (hardware only) | $363 (Standard) to $567 (Pro) |
| SimpliSafe | Not available | $539 (Standard) to $659 (Pro) |
| Ring Alarm | Not available | $369 (Basic) to $489 (Plus) |
| Wyze | $100 (hardware only) | $220 (Pro Monitoring) |
Our Recommendation
- Get professional monitoring if: you travel frequently, you sleep through notifications, your insurer requires it, or you have a targeted-theft risk profile (high-value items visible from outside).
- Self-monitor if: you’re always home or nearby, your threat model is opportunistic theft only, and you’re comfortable calling 911 yourself in the event of an alert.
- Split the difference: Buy the hardware (Abode, SimpliSafe) and start with self-monitoring. If you experience a false-alarm-heavy period or a nearby break-in, upgrade to professional monitoring — it’s a month-by-month decision with no-contract systems.
Related Pages
- What is Professional Monitoring? — glossary definition
- Cellular Backup — why cellular matters for both monitoring types
- Abode Review — the only system with a usable free self-monitor tier