The questions we hear most

What people ask before they put their premises in our hands

Most of the calls we take start the same way: someone has a camera system already fitted, or is about to have one fitted, and they want to know what actually happens when nobody is watching the screen. That is the honest starting point for remote monitoring. A recorder on a shelf will store footage, but storage on its own does not call the police, does not warn a keyholder and does not tell a shop manager at seven in the morning that the shutter was lifted at two.

Mak Secure Protection is the monitoring arm of MAK Integrated Technologies Ltd, and our work sits between your equipment and a real response. We watch the camera feeds you already have, or the ones we help you set up, from our monitoring desk. When something on site looks wrong, a trained operator checks it, follows your instructions and contacts the people you have named, in the order you have set out. You decide those instructions before anything goes live, and you can change them later without replacing hardware.

Because we are a small operation, the person who answers your first call is often the same person who sets up your monitoring profile and takes your calls at night. You are not passed to a different department when something needs adjusting. If your site has an awkward layout, a shared entrance, a yard that is hard to cover or a landlord who controls the network, we would rather hear about it at the start than discover it during an incident.

This page gathers the questions that come up most often during those conversations, answered as plainly as we can. If yours is not here, or the answer raises another question, the get in touch page has the direct route to us. We are happy to talk through a single camera on a small unit or a multi-site setup, and there is no charge for that first conversation.

One thing worth saying early, since it saves time later: monitoring only works as well as the cameras and connections it depends on. We will tell you honestly if your existing system cannot support reliable remote viewing, and what would need to change, rather than take on a site we cannot watch properly.

Straight answers

Practical questions about monitoring, alarms and response

Do I need to replace my existing cameras to use your monitoring service?

In most cases, no. If your cameras and recorder support remote viewing and give us a stable connection, we can usually monitor what you already have. We check compatibility before you commit and tell you plainly if something needs updating.

What happens when an alarm is triggered or an operator sees something suspicious?

An operator views the live feed, checks whether the activity is genuine, then follows your agreed instructions: contacting you, a keyholder, or the police where we have a verified response arrangement. You decide that sequence in advance.

Will you call the police directly, and will they attend?

We can contact the police where your site qualifies for a monitored response, which usually depends on your alarm setup and their local policy. Attendance is always their decision, so we make sure you know what to expect before you rely on it.

What do you need from me before monitoring can start?

Remote access to your recorder, a reliable internet connection on site, and a written list of contacts and instructions. For some sites we also need a suitable alarm or analytics setup to trigger alerts. We will walk you through each item.

How much does remote monitoring cost, and is there a long contract?

Pricing depends on the number of cameras, whether you need out of hours cover and how many sites are involved. We quote per property after a short review, and we will talk through contract length openly rather than tie you in quietly.

What about privacy and footage of my staff, customers or neighbours?

We only view footage from cameras you have told us about, and we handle it according to data protection law. Our privacy policy explains what we record, how long we keep it and how you can ask questions about it.