CCTV and Alarm Monitoring in Northern Ireland
Help when a security alert needs attention. NI CCTV Monitoring from Advanced Overwatch operates 24 hours a day. Intruder and fire alarm signals are handled separately through our NSI Gold certified ARC partner.
Monitoring arranged around your premises.
Someone to assess the alert
Clear monitoring arrangements for CCTV, intruder alarms and fire alarms.
CCTV monitoring
Video monitoring is provided through 24-hour NI CCTV Monitoring from Advanced Overwatch. Camera checks and response actions follow the service agreed for your premises.
The survey establishes equipment suitability, monitoring coverage and how activations will be assessed.
Your CCTV system
Suitable equipment and connectivity
NI CCTV Monitoring
24-hour, from Advanced Overwatch
Agreed action
Keyholders and escalation plan
Intruder alarm monitoring
Intruder alarm signals are handled through our monitoring partner’s NSI Gold certified Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).
The signalling arrangement and escalation plan are agreed for your system. Police response is not automatic.
Your intruder alarm
Suitable signalling connection
Our monitoring partner
Alarm Receiving Centre
Agreed action
Keyholders and escalation plan
Fire alarm monitoring
Fire alarm signals are handled through our monitoring partner’s NSI Gold certified Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).
The signalling arrangement and escalation plan are agreed for your system, including keyholder contact and when the Fire and Rescue Service is called.
Your fire alarm
Suitable signalling connection
Our monitoring partner
Alarm Receiving Centre
Agreed action
Keyholders and escalation plan
The route shown explains responsibility. Your service agreement sets the monitoring hours, contacts and actions for your premises.
The response plan is part of the system
We agree who receives an alert, the monitored hours and the actions available for your premises.
- Coverage
- When monitoring is required.
- Contacts
- Who can be contacted for your premises.
- Keyholders
- Who can attend or authorise action.
- Escalation
- What actions the system and service support.
What the operator does on an alarm
For CCTV, operators review the activation and follow the instructions agreed for your site.
Receive and review
The operator receives the CCTV activation and reviews the available images against the site information.
Follow the site instructions
The operator follows the agreed response, including contact with the nominated keyholder or the appropriate emergency service where required.
Record the event
The activation and actions taken are recorded under the service arrangements. Emergency-service attendance is decided by that service.
Remote monitoring for sites, retail parks and housing providers
A clear contact and response plan helps when the people responsible cannot be on site.
Sites and compounds
Review of activations around entrances, stored materials and working areas during the agreed monitored hours.
Retail parks and commercial premises
Arrangements that account for trading, deliveries, authorised activity and the relevant keyholders.
Housing providers and vacant buildings
Agreed contacts and camera access for managed premises. Read our empty property guide.
Rural and remote premises
Equipment and connectivity assessed for the location, with a clear plan for contacting the people responsible.
From your existing system
to an agreed service
We can assess a system you already have, explain any changes needed and arrange connection where suitable.
Survey
We assess your equipment, connectivity and monitoring needs.
Connection
Suitable equipment connects to the appropriate monitoring service.
Response plan
We agree monitoring hours, contacts and escalation arrangements.
Commissioning
We test the agreed functions and relevant connections before the service starts.
Ongoing care
We discuss maintenance and review requirements as premises and contacts change.
Temporary site monitoring
CCTV tower hire for construction sites, compounds and events, with monitoring available when your site is unattended.
We arrange delivery, setup and collection, with monitoring hours and the response agreed for your site.
Standards and questions to ask
System standards and police response
Monitored intruder and hold up alarm systems follow the BS EN 50131 series for the system itself, with BS 8243 covering systems designed to generate confirmed alarm conditions. Police response is not automatic. It depends on the system meeting the confirmation requirements and on a unique reference number issued by the police, and it can be withdrawn where false calls persist. That is why verification and false alarm management are part of the service rather than an afterthought. For a longer read on how monitoring works in practice, see our guide to alarm monitoring in Northern Ireland.
Clear terms before you decide
Your proposal identifies the monitoring service, operating hours, connection requirements, charges and contract terms. We explain the agreed response, handling of false activations and what happens if a connection fails.
Advanced Overwatch is SSAIB certificated (NIRE127) specifically for Intruder Alarm Systems, Visual Surveillance Systems (VSS) and Access Control Systems.
The NSI Gold certification described above applies to our monitoring partner’s ARC.
Security system monitoring, your questions
Why does monitoring matter?
Recording tells you what happened. Monitoring means someone looks at the alert while it is happening and follows the plan agreed for your premises.
Who actually watches my system?
CCTV monitoring is provided through NI CCTV Monitoring from Advanced Overwatch. Intruder and fire alarm signals are handled through our NSI Gold certified ARC partner. Your agreement identifies the service and monitored hours for each system.
What happens when an alarm triggers at 3am?
For a CCTV activation, the operator reviews the received images and follows the site instructions. Actions can include contacting an agreed keyholder or the appropriate emergency service. The event and actions are recorded. Emergency-service attendance is decided by that service.
Can you monitor a system you did not install?
In many cases, following a survey. We assess camera systems for connection to NI CCTV Monitoring from Advanced Overwatch, and intruder systems for signalling to our monitoring partner’s ARC.
Does monitoring reduce false alarm callouts?
Verification can help reduce unnecessary callouts. The checks available depend on the system, and no monitoring service can guarantee that every false activation will be filtered out.
What does alarm monitoring cost?
It depends on what is being monitored, how many signals the site generates, whether cameras are included for visual verification and what signalling path the site can support. We do not publish one figure, because one figure would be wrong for most sites. We survey the system and give you a fixed quote after a free survey, with the contract term and the notice period stated up front.
How do I choose an alarm monitoring company?
We set out the monitoring provider, operating hours, agreed response, connection requirements and contract terms in writing. We also explain how false activations and changes to the signalling arrangements are handled.
Does NSI Gold certification cover NI CCTV Monitoring from Advanced Overwatch?
The NSI Gold certification applies to our ARC partner, which provides intruder and fire alarm monitoring. NI CCTV Monitoring from Advanced Overwatch is a separate service. Advanced Overwatch is SSAIB certificated (NIRE127) specifically for Intruder Alarm Systems, Visual Surveillance Systems (VSS) and Access Control Systems.
Who monitors my alarm, and where is the centre?
Two different services, with different answers. CCTV is monitored through 24-hour NI CCTV Monitoring from Advanced Overwatch, staffed by our SIA licensed operators. Intruder and fire alarm signals are monitored by a partner NSI Gold certified Alarm Receiving Centre. Your monitoring agreement names which service applies to which system, so there is never a question about who receives the alert.
Discuss monitoring for your premises
Book a free survey. We’ll assess the system and recommend suitable monitoring.