The following terms are commonly used in the security industry. It is important for all personnel using the security system to understand these terms particularly when contacted in response to an alarm event by the Monitoring Centre.

A/C Fail – see Low Power Trouble

Access Control – electronic means of limiting access to authorised personnel using either a code, biometric devices or cards

Activity Reports – reports generated from monitoring software which detail the activity of a security system which are often used for investigative use

Alarm Event – events generated by an activation of the detection equipment of an onsite security system which are transmitted to the Monitoring Centre

Arming – see Closing .

Authorised Contacts – persons listed in the client’s monitoring records for the Monitoring Centre Operator to contact in the event of an alarm activation – authorised contacts must be educated to act on a clients behalf and available to respond to an event where necessary

Burglary Alarm Event – standard alarm event where the detection equipment of an onsite security system has been activated and reported to the Monitoring Centre for action by the operators.

Casual/Random Patrols – intermittent checks of a premise by licensed mobile security guards.

CCTV – closed circuit television system (Analogue or IP)

Client Code Number – confidential four digit number that identifies a particular client.

Closing – also called an arming or night seal – turning on of the security system so that it is now in the closed position.

Communication Failure – loss of communication between the Monitoring Centre and the client’s security system which applies to GSM, GPRS and Internet monitoring systems only and is a Category A alarm event indicating the premise is at risk.

Consultancy – sales.

Covert Surveillance – hidden cameras as applied to CCTV.

Dialler Monitoring – system communicates with the Monitoring Centre via the normal PSTN telephone line .

Disarming – see Opening .

Duress Alarms – similar to Hold up alarms without automatic Police response used for domestic or commercial sites.

Early Open – also called an early opening, out of hours opening or out of hours entry where an opening signal is received by the Monitoring Centre outside of the scheduled hours contained in the client’s records.

E-News – quarterly newsletter detailing policy statements, current offers, new equipment and general company information distributed via email

Fail to seal – Late to close (commercial only) – most commercial clients have standard scheduled hours if they exceed these hours by a set limit a fail to seal event is generated by the monitoring software for follow up by a Monitoring Centre Operator after a standard grace period (usually 30 minutes)

Fail to test/Not tested –the Monitoring Centre has not received a scheduled test signal from an alarm panel or hasn’t received any signals from alarm panel in a specified period.

Foot patrols – similar to static guards with the exception that the patrols rove the site.

GSM – Global System for Mobile Communications – system communicates with the Monitoring Centre via the mobile network. Used as backup when land line is lost so subsequent alarms can be reported. Also used where no land line coverage is available.

Hold up Alarm (commercial only) – Category A priority alarm event triggered by client – the highest priority event received in the Monitoring Centre for which a Police response is actioned immediately – Hold up alarms can be triggered from either a fixed point or remote device such as a wrist watch or pendant.

Key-Switch – an on/off switch operated by a key.

Late To Close (LTC) – see Fail to Seal.

Low Power Trouble – also called A/C fail or power failure when mains power is interrupted to the security system – all security systems are fitted with a back-up battery for use in the event of main power failure.

Monitoring Centre Operator – exclusively employed to work in an alarm Monitoring Centre as defined in Australian Standard 2201.2, which forms the monitoring part of an intruder alarm system; they are essentially customer service and data administrators, interpreting signals from alarms transmitted to the centre by way of the telephone network, GPRS, GSM radio link, or the Internet and actioning them, in one form or another. Monitoring Centre Operators do not (routinely) leave the Monitoring Centre and are fully licensed by a State Regulator of the security industry

Monitored Security Systems – systems that report any change in the status of your property to a Monitoring Centre via many transmission paths – instructions for action, following an alarm being received, are carried out by trained Monitoring Centre Operators 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year – alarm conditions can include intrusion on the property, out of hours entry, AC (power) failure, low batteries, failure to arm the security system and other events that could jeopardise both personal safety and the integrity of a premise.

Night seal – see Closing .

Out of Hours Entry – see Early Open .

Out of Hours Opening – see Early Open .

Out of Hours Technical Call Out – technical call out outside normal business hours; see technical call out.

Opening – also called disarming where the alarm system is turned off and is now in the open position.

Patrols – licensed mobile security guards despatched when an alarm event is received by the Monitoring Centre.

Permanent Patrols – regular ongoing checks of premise by licenced mobile security guards.

PIR – Passive Infrared Detector used to detect movement within an area.

Power Failure – see Low Power Trouble .

PSTN – public switched telephone network.

Security Guards – A person who is employed or retained to protect, watch or guard any property by any means including by patrolling the property in person; or by monitoring the property by operating a security system that utilises closed circuit television, a closed monitoring system, radio or other similar alarm device and is licensed by the State Regulator

SIMS – Security Information Management System software used by ART’s Monitoring Centre.

Slow Close – when the security system is triggered on exiting a premise.

Slow Open – when the alarm security system is triggered on entering a premise.

Smoke Alarm events – events generated by a smoke detector for action by Monitoring Centre Operators.

Standing Instructions – these are standard operating procedures (SOP’s) for actioning alarms and for general standardised procedures within the Company

Static Guards – licensed security guards who guard a premise for a pre-determined period of time which can be temporary or permanent.

T1 Monitoring – system communicates with the Monitoring Centre via a dedicated, highly encrypted mode via a dedicated internet path – encryption equipment is added to the alarm system onsite with corresponding decryption equipment in the Monitoring Centre (available for very high risk clients including Government, Government Infrastructure and suppliers to Government).

Technical – Service and Installation Department and/or personnel.

Technician – experienced, fully trained staff member that can diagnose faults and repair security systems

Technical Call Outs – in response to advice from a client regarding a malfunctioning security system a technician is despatched to assess the problem and rectify where possible.

Technical Phone Assist – after hours technical assistance via telephone from a technician.

Voice Code – passwords that quickly and accurately identify people authorised to make decisions regarding security and/or operation of a security system at a premise.

Wireless – equipment that is not hard-wired but operated by batteries

Wireless Monitoring – a mobile data service for wireless communications over a premium wireless transmission network for use by the security and fire alarm monitoring industry – Wireless Monitoring is particularly suited for sending and receiving small bursts of data and features polling supervision with point to point acknowledgement of network integrity which allows for checking the system for communication failure.