American Alarm & Communications: Company Overview American Alarm is New England’s largest independent alarm company — a genuine rarity in an industry dominated by national chains and private equity rollups. Founded in 1971 by three MIT engineers in Arlington, Massachusetts, they’ve stayed independent for over 50 years while competitors got acquired, rebranded, or went bankrupt. […]

My Alarm Center: What You Need to Know My Alarm Center (MAC) is a home and business security provider headquartered in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. They provide monitoring services across 40+ states, offering residential security, home automation, fire/CO/flood monitoring, and commercial security. But behind the friendly branding lies an aggressive dealer model with auto-renewing contracts and […]

Point Security: What You Need to Know Detail Point Security Headquarters Hutto, TX (Austin metro) Founded 2000s — small regional dealer Service Area Texas only (Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas) Business Model Alarm dealer — installs equipment, outsources monitoring Monitoring Outsourced to Monitronics/Brinks Home via Alarm.com Installation Professional only (advertised as “free”) Contracts 36-60 month […]

First Security Services is a physical security guard company based in the San Francisco Bay Area — Silicon Valley specifically. They’ve been operating for over 50 years, providing manned guard services to businesses, tech campuses, and events across Northern California. Critical distinction: First Security Services is NOT a home alarm company. They don’t sell security […]

“Nationwide Security” isn’t one company — multiple unrelated regional alarm dealers share the name. Most charge $30-50/month on 3-5 year contracts for leased equipment. The same Alarm.com monitoring is available from DIY systems at a fraction of the cost. 3-year comparison: regional dealers $1,080-1,800+ vs Abode $216 vs SimpliSafe $792. We rate Nationwide Security 2/5 and recommend 3 contract-free alternatives.