Alarm Monitoring Guide

Topics included in this article:

• Overview
• Set Up Alarm Monitoring
  • Alarm Central
  • Setting up Monitoring Schedules
    • Manual Monitoring
    • Scheduled Monitoring
    • Setup
  • Emergency Response Contacts
  • Contact from Alarm Monitoring Service
  • Responder Entry Instructions
  • Alarm Pad PINs
  • Custom Threat Qualifications
• How to Use Alarm Monitoring
  • Console
    • Status
    • Threat Cases
    • Reports
  • Mobile App
• Pause Alarm Monitoring
  • Console
  • Mobile App
• Live Agent Calibration mode
• Stop Alarm Monitoring With Authorized Badge Entry
  • Supported Third-Party Integrations
• Verification Best Practices
  • High Verification Volume
• Helpful Links
• Contact Support or Sales

Overview

Alarm Monitoring is a service that pairs with your Rhombus devices, allowing you to implement alert policies and an emergency contact list at a single location. In case of a human movement or door event trigger, an agent at one of our Five Diamond, UL-Listed Central Monitoring Centers will use video verification to confirm active threats to a person or property.

If an emergency is verified, the agent will text and call your emergency contacts and dispatch authorities as needed. Agents can share location and live video streams for additional context and rapid response.

For more information, please review the Monitoring Services Agreement. 

Note: This service is intended for customers who want additional security during off-hours without the need for dedicated personnel.

Set Up Alarm Monitoring

Alarm Monitoring must be set up in the Rhombus Web Console.

The setup for Alarm Monitoring is as follows:

• Add Alarm Monitoring licenses
• Establish the monitoring schedule and which cameras to include in the schedule
• Create a list of emergency contacts
• Add PINs for iPad keypads
• Create first responder entry instructions

To configure to the Alarm Monitoring settings, follow these instructions:

Note: If you don't see the Alarm Monitoring user interface in your console, contact your Rhombus representative.

Alarm Central

Alarm Central is the main hub for Alarm Monitoring. On this page, you can:

• View a snapshot of used verifications.
• Pull a report of used verifications.
• Have a quick look at all monitored devices and associated devices.
• Use a toggle to select if monitoring will be stopped with a badge entry (available when using access control).
  • If enabled, any authorized badge entry will stop monitoring. If monitoring is on a schedule, it will turn back on at the next scheduled start time. Monitoring may be manually started at any time.
• Manually control monitoring.
  • Create custom settings for monitoring of devices.
• Monitor via a Schedule.
  • Create a custom schedule for monitoring, and select which devices will be monitored with this schedule.
  • Multiple schedules can be created, if different monitoring schedules are desired for different devices at that location.

Setting Up Monitoring Schedules

When setting up Monitoring Schedules you will be presented with two options, manual or scheduled monitoring.

Manual Monitoring

Manual monitoring has no start or end time. This option relies solely on the individual to enable or disable the alarm. A user with proper permissions can enable/disable a monitoring event in the Rhombus web console, Mobile App, or iPad Keypad.

Scheduled Monitoring

Scheduled monitoring starts and ends at specific times. A user can still manually enable or disable the alarm monitoring via Console, Mobile App, or Keypad whenever desired. 

Setup

Manual and scheduled monitoring have all the same setting features; one is enabled by a user and the other by time. Descriptions of each section in this setup are outlined below.

• Schedule - Create a schedule for the start and stop times for Alarm Monitoring.
• Devices - Select cameras to be monitored.
• Event Types - There are two event types, Human Movement and Door Opened (Door sensor associated with camera).
• If detected, play - This option will play an audio message (less than 10 sec) when an alarm is triggered if an A100 is associated with the camera.
• Play Duration - Set the length of time the audio clip will play.
• Qualification - The first dropdown provides two options: "Is there a person present?" and "Is there a threat to person or property?"
  • This qualification determines what constitutes triggering an alarm.
• Submission - A submission delay can be configured between 0-10 mins.
  • This setting determines the amount of time between event detection and event submission to the alarm monitoring service. A delayed submission can provide you with ample time to dismiss an event if it should not be submitted to the alarm monitoring service. This will alleviate verification volume.

Emergency Response Contacts

1. In the Alarm Monitoring dropdown, select "Emergency Response Contacts."

2. Add details for your organization’s emergency contacts. A default contact must be added to ensure someone is notified outside the hours of your custom schedule or when a custom schedule is not set.

The default contact will be contacted if there is no custom schedule or during any time period not covered by the custom schedule.

Note: If a threat is deemed valid, individuals on the contact list will be notified via text and phone call. Police will be dispatched if there is a threat to a person or property.

Contact from Alarm Monitoring Service

The monitoring service will contact the emergency contacts from the below list of numbers:

• +1 (619)329-8928
• +1 (619)329-8846
• +1 (619)329-8736
• +1 (619)304-4016

1. Add the numbers to a contact like Rhombus Monitoring so the calls aren't silenced.

2. Allow texts and phone calls from Rhombus Monitoring when "Do Not Disturb" or other "Focus Mode" settings are enabled.

Responder Entry Instructions

Responder Entry Instructions can provide emergency services with essential entry information. If responders need a key code to enter the premises or specific driving instructions to get on-site, use this field to provide them with that information. Enter the instructions and click "Save" in the bottom right.

Alarm Pad PINs

The alarm pad PIN ties to the Rhombus keypad app on the iOS iPad store. To learn more, see our article on Alarm Pad Scenarios & Installation. Alarm pad PINs are customizable and must be four numbers long.

Custom Threat Qualifications

By default, Rhombus uses specific threat qualifications to determine whether emergency services should be contacted. These default qualifications are "Threat to Person or Property" and "Person Present." Custom Threat Qualifications allow users to customize precisely what scenarios will trigger a police dispatch.

1. To set up Custom Threat Qualifications, log in to the Rhombus Console, navigate to "Settings," and click "Threat Qualification."

2. Click "Add Custom Threat Qualification" in the upper left corner.

3. Enter a name for the Custom Threat Qualification, select the scenarios which will trigger a police dispatch, and click "Save."

4. Navigate to the "Locations" tab, select a location, click the hamburger button in the upper right corner, and select "Alarm Central."

5. Click the "Monitoring settings" dropdown menu, then below "Qualification & Submission," click the first dropdown menu, select the newly created Custom Threat Qualification, and click "Save."

How to Use Alarm Monitoring

The Rhombus Console and Mobile App provide options to view the current status of alerts and threat cases.

Console

In the Rhombus Console, you will see some features for how to view alarm monitoring information. One option is the "Status" which will display locations with monitoring scheduled or the amount of cameras monitored. The other feature is "Threat Case." This allows a user to see the list of logged events during a previous alarm event.

Status

There are several ways to view the Alarm Monitoring status in the Rhombus Console.

1. Add a dashlet to the Rhombus dashboard to view the amount of locations that have alarm monitoring scheduled or if there is any missing information that needs to be entered.

2. Alarm Monitoring status can also be viewed within the "Locations" tab. Here you can manually start Alarm Monitoring or view the scheduled start time.

Threat Cases

• Initiated - If an Alert Submission Delay is set, the user will see a countdown timer, and have the option to Dismiss the alert, Escalate the alert to the alarm monitoring service, save the clip, share the clip, pause/snooze or report a false positive.
• Requested - This status signifies that the alert has been sent to the monitoring service for verification, and a response is pending.
• Escalated - This state signifies the monitoring service should begin or has begun emergency protocols such as reaching out to emergency contacts and alerting local authorities. In the picture below, a threat case timeline for when events happened is displayed.
• Dismissed - This state signifies that a user intercepted the threat case before it was sent to the monitoring service and verified that there was no threat present.
• Verified - This state signifies that the monitoring service reviewed the alert and did not identify a threat to a person or property in the provided clip.
• Canceled - This state signifies that an ESCALATED threat case was deemed resolved by a user without emergency protocols being followed to completion. I.e. a user made the explicit decision to halt an in-progress threat response by the monitoring service. The below alarm was canceled.
• Closed/Resolved - This state signifies that the monitoring service resolved an ESCALATED threat case as a result of following emergency protocols.

Reports

The Rhombus Console provides the ability to view Alarm Monitoring Reports. 

Select the "Logs and Reports" tab and the click on "Alarm Monitoring Reports."

Here you can view reports for all of your monitored locations as well as download the data locally.

You can also find alarm monitoring setup updates through Audit Logs:

• Who made the last adjustment, user, or PIN name
• Settings changes or enabling/disabling monitoring
• Which location was impacted

Mobile App

While in the mobile app you can find the alarm monitoring section by clicking the "Menu" button in the bottom right-hand corner, and selecting "Alarm Monitoring" from the list of options.

Pause Alarm Monitoring

Alarm Monitoring can be paused in the Rhombus Console, Mobile App, and Alarm Pad. When pausing alerts, choose the alert tied to the location for which you desire to pause alerts.

Console

1. Navigate to the "Locations" tab, select the location, and click "Pause Alerts" at the top of the page. 

2. Select how long you want to pause the alerts for, and select confirm. This will stop alerts for the entire organization. 

Mobile App

Below is a quick video on how to pause alerts within the Rhombus Mobile App.

Live Agent Calibration Mode

Calibration Mode is used to ensure all licenses, alert policies, and contact lists are set up properly so that the customer has a seamless experience. During this one-week experience, the alarm monitoring review service will be active. They will review and verify the alerts and contact the appropriate individuals on the contact list. The customer will confirm with Rhombus that everything is working properly before disabling the test mode.

Note: An orange dot will display beside the headphone symbol indicating a location is in Calibration Mode.

Stop Alarm Monitoring With Authorized Badge Entry

Alarm Monitoring can now be disabled when an authorized employee enters a location using their badge. This means the first person arriving at the building won’t need to take any additional steps to disable the alarm after entering.

If enabled, any authorized badge entry, or keypad entry, will stop monitoring. If monitoring is on a schedule, it will turn back on at the next scheduled start time. Monitoring may be manually started at any time.

Requirements:

• This feature requires Rhombus Access Control and Alarm Monitoring.
• To disarm the system using a badge, users must have an authorized badge, and their access grant schedule must align with the time they are trying to disarm. If there is a conflict with their access grant schedule, they will be unable to badge in or disarm the system.
• To disarm with a keypad, users must have an assigned PIN credential, and their grant schedule must align with the time they are trying to disarm. If there is a conflict with their access grant schedule, they will be unable to use the keypad or disarm the system.
• Re-arming the system is not affected by the access grant schedule. It still requires either a scheduled monitoring setup or a manual activation via the console, mobile app, or iPad app.

1. Navigate to the "Locations" page and select on the location that you want to enable this feature for.

2. Click on the "Alarm Monitoring" tab down and select "Alarm Central."

3. Toggle on the setting "Stop Monitoring With Authorized Badge Entry."

Supported Third-Party Integrations

Rhombus supports keypad reader and certain third-party access control badge systems for use with disabling alarm monitoring via an authorized badge entry.

For more information on the specific integration, please review the following documentation:

• Avigilon Alta (Formally OpenPath)
• ProdataKey (PDK)
• Brivo
• Genea
• Kisi
• ButterflyMX

Verification Best Practices

A “Verification” is a service-generated request for an Alert Assessment (see the Monitoring Services Agreement for more context). Each Verification triggers the transmission of a video clip to a live agent who will try and visibly “verify” whether the Alert is an active threat triggering a Notification Event or not.

Rhombus defines alarm monitoring license tiers based on the volume of Verifications that are triggered; thus, if your service triggers a high volume of Alerts requiring Verification, you will be required to purchase an appropriate license to cover anticipated volumes.

High Verification Volume

If you have a high volume of Verifications resulting in very few (or no) Notification Events, you likely are not only paying too much for our service, but you may not have your solution configured correctly. Likewise, if you have more Verifications than your license permits, you can jeopardize a location’s license status and risk having alarm monitoring disabled for the remainder of the month.

When configuring your alarm monitoring settings, it is critical to put in the effort up-front to ensure that:

• You monitor areas identified as the highest risk, and configure your solution to avoid triggering false-positive alerts.
• You get an appreciation of the number of Verifications that will be triggered during your grace period (the initial month that you have installed the service).
• Your org does not risk deactivation from excessive Verifications.

To help avoid high Verification volumes, Rhombus recommends the following best practices:

Device Selection

• Choose devices for monitoring that have a good view of the area of interest and limited expected foot traffic during hours of monitoring.
• Limit the number of cameras that capture the same field of view to prevent initiating Verifications for redundant events.

Event Selection

• Configure for alerts that have the greatest likelihood of indicating an active threat.
  • For example: An outdoor camera that captures a lot of pedestrian traffic would trigger excessive Verifications with a human movement alert, however, a door event would only trigger an alert when there is an entry.

Camera Activity Regions

• Specify activity regions on cameras where you would not expect to have traffic during monitoring periods, allowing the Service to focus on the most important regions that require alerts. For more information, please see our article on Configuring Activity Regions.

Schedule

• Select a schedule that is appropriate for your location and only monitoring when necessary. For instance, only activate the monitoring on cameras after hours, and perhaps only in public areas during periods where no human traffic is expected.

Helpful Links

• Alarm Monitoring: Alarm Pad Scenarios & Installation
• Creating and Assigning Alert Policies
• Optics and Object Distances for Analytics
• Pause/Snooze Notifications
• Configuring Activity Regions

Contact Support or Sales

Have more questions? Contact Rhombus Support at +1 (877) 746-6797 option 2 or support@rhombus.com.

Interested in learning more? Contact Rhombus Sales at +1 (877) 746-6797 option 1 or sales@rhombus.com.