KEN KIRSCHENBAUM, ESQ
ALARM - SECURITY INDUSTRY LEGAL EMAIL NEWSLETTER / THE ALARM EXCHANGE
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comment on guards and remote monitoring issues
June 22, 2026
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comment on guards and remote monitoring issues from article on May 28, 2026
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Ken
Let me offer some input on this topic, as I have been promoting video analytics products for remote monitoring going on 20 years now, and have been involved in thousands of systems design/deployment projects around the world.
First, on-site guards are the most effective solution to the common theft and vandalism prevention applications that are most commonly targeted with remote video monitoring. If your guards are not reliable, get better guards, there are lots of companies to choose from, and I’m happy to make intros and recommendations if anyone needs. The issue is more the cost of the guard, on average unarmed guards bill for mid to upper $20’s/hr in most of the US. Even if you only deploy the guard after hours (evenings and weekends), you can easily spend $5,000/month on a single guard. Larger sites can require multiple guards to cover effectively. In most cases, the risk and hassle factors are not worth that much to the customer. Sometimes they try cheaper guards, and that is where you have the issues with lazy, sleepy, absent guards. This leads customers to explore other opportunities, which brings them to remote video monitoring.
Today, in the US alone, there are over a million cameras actively monitored by a variety of central stations. The basic model is:
1) Detect person (typically via some kind of “AI camera”)
2) Use remote operator to review the camera footage in real time to see if the person looks like a threat or not
3) Operator does live audio talk down (nice, or mean, depending on what the site owner wants and what the situation requires)
4) Operator calls police with a “verified alarm/event” and requests dispatch if the person does not leave.
This is a bit of a simplification, I think most of your readers know the basics, but if not this covers the idea.
When we get into issues with this model, the two biggest issues I see again and again are:
1) Customers are cheap
2) Dealers and integrators don’t know how to best design, and most importantly, quote a system until they get some experience under their belt.
These two factors get intertwined, and lead many dealers to try and solve this problem with whatever camera is on sale at ADI this week, and that too often leads to excessive monitoring costs. Why? Because the basic central station model is like a pay-as-you-go employee. Every event needs to be reviewed by an operator. If your cheap camera is throwing off lots of false alarms, the operator still has to review those and log or mark them as false alarms, that adds up to real money over the course of a month when a camera is throwing 100 falses or more every night.
The monthly monitoring cost is always going to be impacted by the number of events generated. Unlike most traditional monitored systems like burg and fire alarms, video monitoring does not really have set prices that you can reliably quote. Two car dealerships a mile apart on the same road can have monitoring costs that vary by hundreds of dollars per month.
I’ve seen many dealers get discouraged by the challenges in designing and pricing these systems and give up on pursuing the market. But I have also seen the dealers that take the time to learn how to address this market make some really nice money, and build a business with a differentiated offering.
Some dealers have gone so far as to focus on this application and run their own video-only monitoring center. While this can work, I don’t recommend it for getting started. You are better off partnering with a strong video-enabled central station that can help you get the monthly price right, and can help you with designing or tweaking a system if needed. Again, if anyone needs referrals I am happy to make intros.
Setting customer expectations across the board is very important. Remote monitoring is an alternative to a guard, there are pros and cons, and this is reflected in the cost savings (though there can be a steep up-front cost for equipment installation). In the end, your solution is only as strong as your equipment, your monitoring partner, and ultimately your local police response. The method works, I have hundreds of case studies from sites that reduced loss, reduced security spending, and saw a net ROI inside of a year. It is not a business you can get into casually though.
Even though I’m not working directly with any companies in this space at the moment, I still take calls weekly from dealers looking to start or expand their video monitoring RMR, and I’m happy to help where I can with some advice or introductions.
Brian Karas
Pelican Zero
Https://www.pelicanzero.com
+1-603-315-7877
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Response
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Thanks for your expertise and sharing your knowledge. Also, nice of you to offer your assistance and help to the trade.
On site guards can be effective, though as you point out it can be costly, especially if you want to cover an entire building or property. Video can provide the coverage though interactive video monitoring isn't cheap. Camera technology is evolving and I think cameras are already being offered that screen out what it believes to be a non-emergency situation. That obviously reduces the amount of screen time an operator needs to spend on the camera. That is not likely to come cheap either.
Virtual doorman, whether it's limited to front door access or escort through a building, mobile surveillance and virtual gate monitoring is cheaper than live on-site guards, and though efficiency may need to be compromised the cost saving might make it palpable to the building owner. More cameras at more expense will improve efficiency and effectiveness. [there are Kirschenbaum Contracts TM to cover all these services]
I don't think its a revelation that cameras are an important, if not essential, component of security protection. All dealers need to be learning and offering video services.
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Ken Kirschenbaum,Esq
Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum PC
Attorneys at Law
200 Garden City Plaza
Garden City, NY 11530
516 747 6700 x 301
ken@kirschenbaumesq.com
www.KirschenbaumEsq.com
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