At Active Alarm, your security is our priority. Whether you're protecting a home or a business, you need to work with a name you can trust. We're a Chicago alarm company that has supplied and serviced systems throughout the region for 50 years, so you can always know that your security is in good hands. Worried about break-ins, vandalism and theft?We can protect your investment. Our Chicago alarm company customizes, installs, and services security systems for office buildings, retail stores and other commercial properties.
Services
Since 1964, Active Alarm Company has been planning, installing and maintaining security systems throughout Chicago. Find out what makes us different. At Active Alarm, we don't believe in the cookie-cutter approach to residential or commercial alarm systems. Your property is unlike any other, and your security should be too.
Locks and keys alone can't protect a commercial property from break-ins, robberies and vandalism. If your building isn't properly secured, you can lose equipment, computers, records, and cash-you can even leave yourself or your staff at risk. Your business needs the protection of a comprehensive, custom security system.
Fire departments nationwide respond to a fire every 15 seconds. Do you know what a fire would do to your business? Even with insurance, a company may never recover from the devastating damage caused by a fire, and that simply isn't a risk worth taking. Not just any fire alarm system can provide your commercial property with the protection that it needs.
Do you know what happens on your property when you aren't there? Or when you're not looking? Without a commercial video surveillance system, you have no way of knowing, and that makes you and your business vulnerable. Break-ins, vandalism, robbery and even fraudulent liability claims can destroy a business, but having a video surveillance system in place can be the one thing preventing you from becoming a victim.
Reviews (3)
Dan R.
Nov 16, 2019
Janet W.
Jan 19, 2018
My experience with Active Alarm has been excellent. I've used them for many years, and they've provided security systems for 3 houses for us in that time. I have found their products, technicians, and customer service to be of great quality. I also appreciate their friendliness, professionalism, and responsiveness to my questions. When I had an issue, they went above and beyond to fix the problem efficiently. I enjoy working with small family businesses, so that's a plus, too. Recommended!
Rob D.
Feb 16, 2010
The service technician was completely inept, sloppily dressed, lacking in business accumen, and apparently disoriented (more on that below). I also got the feeling they were overselling. Save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere. I contacted Active Alarm Company because they had previously been responsible for monitoring my alarm. They're located in Lake Zurich but service the Chicago area; I'm in Lincoln Park.
I gave them a call to come out and take a look at the system. My initial conversation with the sales representative seemed productive; we set up an early morning service visit (7:30). The sales person said that it would not be a problem to connect the alarm to the phone line. But then the day of the service visit came. To start, the technician called me at 5:30 in the morning.
I had initially planned on rolling out of the bed at 7:20, so suffice it to say I was pissed. When he arrived, I realized that this particular technician was an older gentlemen, so I was hoping that he would bring his many years of experience to bear on our alarm system. Not so. It became pretty clear that the technician was pretty out of touch with current technologies.
He spent a good three hours walking up and down the stairs of our house trying to connect the Comcast phone system to the alarm. Then, when he finally had it done and did a test, he determined that our system was outdated and would not work with the Comcast modem. This after four hours of work. (Mind you, I had been explicit in mentioning that I needed to be into work that day, hence the reason for scheduling the early visit).
What would have been more effective would have been to look at the system and first determine if it would work. Instead, he spent wasted hours trying to rig a system that was never going to work in the first place. Also, he was obviously disoriented. Every time he went out to the truck he wandered up and down the street looking for his vehicle. I thought I was seeing things.
But all three times that I watched him go out to the street he looked around with this stupid blank stare. Obviously this does not inspire confidence when this person is charged with helping to protect your home. But what really got me was when I overheard his manager tell him on the phone that he didn't want him to "leave there empty handed." (The technician had the volume on his phone turned up so loud that I could hear the entire conversation).
When I confronted the manager with that piece of information later in the day, he tried to (unconvincingly) explain it away. In spite of all that, I was still willing to give them a chance. However after prodding for quotes for four days and receiving nothing, I finally gave up. I went with Alert Protective Services. Their monitoring fees are $5 more a month, but the installation of a brand new and much better system cost me much less than the rough estimates I was given over the phone. Plus, Alert Protective services ripped out the old system and installed the new in less than 2.5 hours.
It would have taken the Active Alarm guy at least a full day, based on my observations of his work. So if you're in Lincoln Park look elsewhere for alarm systems. See my review for APS coming soon.
I gave them a call to come out and take a look at the system. My initial conversation with the sales representative seemed productive; we set up an early morning service visit (7:30). The sales person said that it would not be a problem to connect the alarm to the phone line. But then the day of the service visit came. To start, the technician called me at 5:30 in the morning.
I had initially planned on rolling out of the bed at 7:20, so suffice it to say I was pissed. When he arrived, I realized that this particular technician was an older gentlemen, so I was hoping that he would bring his many years of experience to bear on our alarm system. Not so. It became pretty clear that the technician was pretty out of touch with current technologies.
He spent a good three hours walking up and down the stairs of our house trying to connect the Comcast phone system to the alarm. Then, when he finally had it done and did a test, he determined that our system was outdated and would not work with the Comcast modem. This after four hours of work. (Mind you, I had been explicit in mentioning that I needed to be into work that day, hence the reason for scheduling the early visit).
What would have been more effective would have been to look at the system and first determine if it would work. Instead, he spent wasted hours trying to rig a system that was never going to work in the first place. Also, he was obviously disoriented. Every time he went out to the truck he wandered up and down the street looking for his vehicle. I thought I was seeing things.
But all three times that I watched him go out to the street he looked around with this stupid blank stare. Obviously this does not inspire confidence when this person is charged with helping to protect your home. But what really got me was when I overheard his manager tell him on the phone that he didn't want him to "leave there empty handed." (The technician had the volume on his phone turned up so loud that I could hear the entire conversation).
When I confronted the manager with that piece of information later in the day, he tried to (unconvincingly) explain it away. In spite of all that, I was still willing to give them a chance. However after prodding for quotes for four days and receiving nothing, I finally gave up. I went with Alert Protective Services. Their monitoring fees are $5 more a month, but the installation of a brand new and much better system cost me much less than the rough estimates I was given over the phone. Plus, Alert Protective services ripped out the old system and installed the new in less than 2.5 hours.
It would have taken the Active Alarm guy at least a full day, based on my observations of his work. So if you're in Lincoln Park look elsewhere for alarm systems. See my review for APS coming soon.
