Doyle Security Systems is a family-owned alarm company based in Rochester, New York, serving upstate NY since 1919. With over 100 years in business, they’re one of the oldest independent security providers in the country — outlasting national chains, bankruptcies, and industry consolidation. But longevity doesn’t automatically mean value. Here’s what you need to know […]

Searching for NorthStar Home Security? The company no longer exists. Brinks Home (formerly Monitronics/MONI) acquired NorthStar’s customer accounts in 2019, making it yet another name swallowed by the largest alarm dealer consolidation in history. If you’re a former NorthStar customer now stuck with Brinks, or just researching what happened, this guide covers the full story […]

If a sales rep recently knocked on your door offering a “free” or “discounted” security system, there’s a good chance it was Alliance Security — one of the largest door-to-door alarm dealers in the US. Before you sign anything, read this. Alliance Security is not a security company in the traditional sense. They’re a dealer […]

Monitronics Is Now Brinks Home — Here’s Why That Matters If you’re searching for Monitronics, you’re looking at a company that no longer exists under that name. Monitronics rebranded to MONI Smart Security in 2016, then licensed the Brinks name in 2018 to become Brinks Home. But the rebrand didn’t fix the underlying problems — […]

The Monitoring Center (TMC) is a wholesale central station — they do not sell to homeowners. They provide 24/7 alarm dispatch infrastructure for security dealers and alarm companies across North America. When your alarm triggers and a monitoring agent picks up, that agent likely works for a station like TMC, not your security brand. This matters because monitoring quality depends on the station, not the logo on your panel. We explain how wholesale monitoring works, what response times look like (15-45 seconds average), and why DIY brands like Abode use Alarm.com stations that match or beat dealer-branded operations.