Buyer guides7 min readUpdated October 2026
10 questions to ask a video monitoring provider
The questions that separate a service that watches from one that only records, with the answers to listen for.
VDS Resource Center
Why the questions matter
Most video monitoring quotes look alike on paper. Cameras, a monthly fee and a promise that someone is watching. The differences show up at 2 a.m., when the wind is blowing and a person is standing at your fence.
These ten questions get at those differences. We have included how VDS answers each one, using what VDS publishes about its own service. Ask every provider the same list.
The ten questions
Is a person or software making the final decision?
Ask who decides that an event is a real threat. With AI-only services, software decides and sends an alert. With human-verified services, a trained operator looks at the video first.
How VDS answers: At VDS a real person, not an algorithm, makes the final call on every threat.
Do you cap the number of events you monitor?
Many services include a set number of events per month. Past that number you are effectively unmonitored, usually in the same busy period when you need it most.
How VDS answers: VDS places no limit on monitored events.
Will my existing cameras work?
Replacing working cameras is the most avoidable cost in a monitoring project. Ask what standard the provider supports and how they check your hardware.
How VDS answers: The VDS platform is compatible with approximately 90% of ONVIF protocol cameras, and the team reviews your equipment before onboarding.
How do you deal with false alarms?
Wind, rain, headlights and animals trigger motion all night. Ask where those are filtered out, and whether your phone rings for them.
How VDS answers: VDS filters at the camera and again at the data center, which removes 99.99% of nuisance alarms before an operator is involved.
What can the operator actually do?
Watching is not responding. Ask whether the operator can speak on site, who they call and when police are involved.
How VDS answers: VDS operators can issue a verbal deterrent through on-site speakers, contact your designated person and coordinate directly with law enforcement.
Can I set my own rules?
Your site has approved vendors, odd hours and people who are allowed to be there. A fixed script will either miss things or call you constantly.
How VDS answers: VDS builds site-specific protocols: approved personnel and vendor profiles, access windows, escalation paths and response thresholds.
What do I get after an incident?
Ask to see a sample incident report. You want video, timestamps and a log of what the operator did.
How VDS answers: VDS documents security incidents with video footage and incident reports.
How fast can you cover a site with no power or internet?
New job sites, vacant buildings and overflow lots often have neither. Ask what the provider does there.
How VDS answers: VDS Rapid Deployment Surveillance Systems are solar-powered and cellular-connected, and can be operational within hours of delivery.
Am I locked into a long contract?
A six-month project should not need a multi-year agreement. Ask what happens when the need ends.
How VDS answers: VDS states you are not locked into a long-term contract for a short-term security need.
Can you cover all my locations the same way?
If you run several sites, ask whether you get one contact and consistent reporting or a separate arrangement at each address.
How VDS answers: VDS covers portfolios under a single monitoring relationship with a protocol for each site.
How to use the answers
Write the answers down side by side. A provider that caps events, relies on software alone or cannot say what the operator does next is selling recording, not monitoring.
