FAQ
Billing and Payment Questions
Your invoice contains many pieces of information. Typically present is the:
- Date of service
- Due date of invoice
- Invoice amount due
- Type of service being rendered (installation, service, inspection, or monitoring).
- Period of coverage for monitoring.
- Remittance address
Billing Terms (When is Payment Due?)
Payment for an installation or service call is due upon completion – the installer or service technician is required to collect payment in full for services rendered before leaving. Payment for billed services is due upon receipt.
Past Due Balances May Affect Future Service
A payment for any past due balance is normally required at the time of any installation or service call, in addition to payment for the installation or service call. Central Signal reserves the right to refuse to provide additional alarm services for failure to pay for past services.
Accepted Forms of Payment
Checks, ACH, Mastercard, Visa & American Express
Online Payments
You can make payments to your account from this website by visiting our online Customer Portal.
Please be assured your online payment information is secure. All of us are concerned about web privacy and the security of the information we transmit over the internet. When paying your bill online through the Central Signal hosted bill payment application, your information is secure, both during transmission over the internet and within the application itself.
This application uses industry-standard encryption on every page in the system. This is the same encryption and validation technology used by banks and brokerages to safeguard your financial information. To verify this system is delivered over a secure connection, look for the padlock in your browser:
- If you’re using Chrome, the padlock 🔒 is located at the top of your browser window, immediately to the left of the address bar.
- If you’re using Safari, the padlock 🔒 is located at the top right of your browser window.
- If you’re using Firefox 4.0 or later, the padlock 🔒 is located at the top of your browser window, immediately to the left of the address bar.
- If you’re using Edge, the padlock 🔒 is located at the top of your browser window, immediately to the left of the address bar.
- If you’re using Internet Explorer 7.0 or later, the padlock 🔒 is located at the top of your browser window, immediately to the right of the address bar.
- For more information, see our Privacy Policy.
Enrollment in Auto Pay (for Recurring Services Only)
Please know you can enroll for auto-payment in your Customer Portal account at any time to pay for recurring services such as monitoring or other recurring service contract charges. However, Auto Pay enrollment will NOT automatically pay for installations or service calls. You must authorize us to make these type of one-time charges, or make the payment manually yourself in your Customer Portal account.
Please contact our Accounting Department at 781-321-9551 with any questions or for help setting up your Auto Pay enrollment.
Payments over the Phone
Please contact our Accounting Department at 781-321-9551 to phone in your check, credit, or debit card payment.
Payments by Mail
Please mail check payments to our Accounting Department at:
Central Signal
ATTN: Accounts Receivable
607 North Ave Bldg 18 Fl 2
Wakefield, MA 01880-1332
NSF Fee
A fee of $25 will be charged to any account for which a check is returned for lack of funds.
Enrollment in Auto Pay (for Recurring Services Only)
Please know you can enroll for auto-payment in your Customer Portal account at any time to pay for recurring services such as monitoring or other recurring service contract charges. However, Auto Pay enrollment will NOT automatically pay for installations or service calls. You must authorize us to make these type of one-time charges, or make the payment manually yourself in your Customer Portal account.
Please contact our Accounting Department at 781-321-9551 with any questions or for help setting up your Auto Pay enrollment.
Alarm Monitoring
Central Signal can and will monitor most existing equipment. The addition of a communication device may be necessary.
No. We can monitor your alarm via landline, but we have many options available that do not require a landline.
Our central station is professionally staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
A passcard is a blue ID card to fit in a wallet with information about a monitored system and its user. It will list the authorized user’s name, ID # of the monitored system at the central station, and the password for the authorized user of the system.
Any person who is authorized to be at your premise and use the alarm system will need a passcard with an assigned password. The password allows an individual to identify themselves as an authorized user of your system. Authorized users can cancel most false alarms, make account inquiries, and place the system in test (temporary non-dispatch) mode.
Passwords can be word(s), number(s), or a combination of both, but cannot exceed 20 characters including spaces. You may choose individual passwords for each user or have one blanket password covering all users. If you do not submit a password for an authorized user, they will be allowed to identify themselves to the central station by name only.
The CLVF is a list at your monitoring central station showing those persons with authorized use of your alarm system and their corresponding passwords, as well as those individuals/organizations that should be contacted in the event of an alarm and their corresponding telephone numbers. You can request a CLVF from our office at any time by calling 781-321-9551, emailing us at monitoring@centralsignal.com, or via mail to Central Signal Corporation, 607 North Ave Bldg 18 Fl 2, Wakefield, MA 01880-1322.
It is possible your alarm system uses your landline to transmit signals to the central station. These types of systems have something called “line-seizure” built into them meaning they will seize the landline to report the alarm to the central station. The landline will not be available for telephone calls until the transmission is finished. If you have access to a cell phone please contact the central station using your cell phone.
For most transmissions received at the central station, standard protocol is for the dispatcher to call the premise, unless (a) the kind of alarm requires special protocol; (b) the alarm owner requests the particular transmission be handled a different way; or (c) another protocol must be followed because of local/state/national regulations. In the case of a panic alarm, for example, protocol is to call the police first.
The most likely reason is if you accidentally trip your burglary system, but immediately silence/stop it by entering your keypad code, your burglary alarm transmission will be followed by a cancel report. This effectively lets the central station know that an authorized user made a mistake and not to respond. Another possible reason is the central station does not have your premise landline or your personal cell phone number. Please contact the central station with your passcard info, and they will help clarify the reason why.
CSC requires all changes to Call & Authorized Lists at your central station to be submitted in writing with an authorized signature and date. You can request a CLVF from our office at any time by calling 781-321-9551, emailing us at monitoring@centralsignal.com, or via mail to Central Signal Corporation, 607 North Ave Bldg 18 Fl 2, Wakefield, MA 01880-1322 and make the changes directly on the CLVF. You may also submit written changes without a CLVF via email or mail. Passcards will be mailed to you for any new authorized users you submit.
CSC requires all changes to your monitored account to be submitted in writing with an authorized signature and date. You can submit your response with revisions via email to monitoring@centralsignal.com, or via mail to Central Signal Corporation, 607 North Ave Bldg 18 Fl 2, Wakefield, MA 01880-1322.
When you are in a safe place, call the central station at phone number listed on your passcard. When the dispatcher answers, they will request the identifying info on your passcard. Once they can identify you as an authorized user, they can discuss the alarm transmission with you.
Anytime time you would like the central station to ignore signals coming from your system (eg, work is being done on your system, testing your system before closing up for vacation, etc.) you will need to call the central station with your passcard information to place the system on test. While your system is in test or temporary non-dispatch mode the central station will record your alarm activity but not respond in any way, for example, they will not notify authorities such as the police or fire departments. Putting your system in test mode will not prevent the alarm from sounding at your premise.
Burglary & trouble signals can only be placed on test for a period of 24 hours over the phone. If you do require the system on test longer than 24 hours, we require that request to be in writing.
Commercial fire systems can only be placed on test a day at a time. If more time is needed, we need approval from the fire department in writing.
Yes, we recommend that you test your alarm system monthly. You always want to make sure your alarm system is in good working condition. To assist, you we have put instructions to notify the central station on the back of your passcard when testing your system.
**Note** Always test your system after any work has been done that could have affected the operation of your alarm system. Especially if you change your landline phone service provider. **
False alarms cost everyone money. A faulty alarm panel or the careless use of an alarm system can lead to false alarms, and cities are growing increasingly strict concerning the number of false alarms they will respond to before fining an alarm panel owner. Every municipality has its own rules regarding fines for false alarms. It is wise to check with your local city hall for the rules governing your area. It is also wise to ensure that you keep your alarm system in good working condition and that you know how to use it properly as this will help to greatly reduce the possibility of false alarms.
You only need to notify us if your landline is used for alarm monitoring, as it may affect your system’s ability to communicate with the central station.
Repair Service, Testing & Inspection, Cleaning
Repair Service is an annual agreement to cover the labor costs of any service calls you may need for repairs to your alarm system.
A repair service agreement allows you not to have to worry about anticipating repair labor costs for your system, especially with systems in use by many users.
Testing & Inspection is a professional testing & inspection of your alarm system for proper operation.
Many city & town ordinances require annual testing & inspection of monitored alarm systems to avoid false alarm reporting to authorities. Commercial fire alarm systems, in most cities and towns, are required by law to have a minimum of annual inspection & testing. Additionally, many insurance companies require inspections, routine maintenance, and reports for a master policy. (Please confirm any such requirements in your policy with your insurance carrier.)
Testing & inspection on most systems is normally done on an annual basis. The fire chiefs of individual cities & towns may require additional testing & inspection based on the size & type of fire system & premise.
Smoke Detector Cleaning is preventative maintenance performed on fire systems with smoke detectors.
You may realize savings on equipment failure & replacement costs if you have a fire system with many smoke detectors and/or smoke detectors in unusually dusty or dirty environments.
Smoke Detector cleaning is done on most systems fire systems on an annual basis, though a system with many smoke detectors might warrant partial sections of the system to be cleaned semi-annually, quarterly, or monthly.
Alarm customer service
Yes. These will be offered to you upon completion of your installation or on-boarding process. Should you need to replace a sign, please email your request to signs@centralsignal.com. Should you need additional stickers, please email your request to stickers@centralsignal.com. You may also mail in your request to one of our offices.
At any time you need a Certificate of Installation, you may: 1) Download a PDF copy from your Customer Portal account; or 2) Email a written request to service@centralsignal.com; or 3) Mail in a request to one of our offices.
The owner of the premise may request a Certificate of Insurance at any time by emailing a written request to service@centralsignal.com or mailing in your request to one of our offices. For security reasons, we cannot accept requests directly from insurance companies.
If you have maintained your equipment, your alarm system should to continue to operate on backup battery for up to 18 hours after a power failure. If your system is reporting a low battery, please contact one of our offices to have your end-of-life battery replaced.
If you have pet friendly detectors for your home, you may leave your cat or dog inside while the alarm system is set. Please contact one of our offices if you are unsure as to whether you have the right equipment.
The NFPA and local fire departments suggest smoke detectors be replaced at ten years of service. An older smoke detector may still trigger but could be taking longer to perform, when seconds matter in a fire. Should you decide to put off replacement now, it could fail altogether when needed.
