Monitored Security Systems for Virginia Homes, Estates, and Businesses

Yes. Virginia requires a DCJS Electronic Security Business License to sell, install, service, or monitor alarm systems, and it separately requires each individual technician to be registered with DCJS. Mercury holds the business license (#11-30083) and every technician who works on a security system is individually registered. Mercury also holds a Virginia Class A Contractor License (#2705165655) for the electrical and low voltage work the installation depends on. An installer without both is working outside the law, and an unlicensed install can void insurance coverage and fail inspection.

Mercury designs, installs, and services every system with its own employees. Alarm signals are received and acted on by a UL-Listed central station staffed 24/7 by trained operators — that is the industry-standard model, and it is what allows round-the-clock response. What is different here is that when something needs a truck, the company you call is the company that installed it.

The system keeps reporting. Mercury Watch panels signal over cellular, or over a dual path that uses cellular and internet together and fails over automatically. Panels also carry battery backup, so a power outage does not take the system offline. This matters most in exactly the situations where security matters most — a storm, a cut line, or an intentional attempt to disable service before a break-in. Broadband-only monitoring fails in all three.

Often, yes. Many hardwired systems can be brought onto Mercury Watch by replacing the panel and reusing existing sensor wiring, which is generally the lower-cost path. Systems still communicating over a landline (POTS) can be migrated to cellular. Whether a takeover works depends on the panel, the keypads, and the condition of the zone wiring — the site survey is what determines it. Where a takeover is not possible, Mercury will say so and quote a replacement instead.

Many Virginia localities require an alarm user permit and have false-alarm ordinances, and the requirements differ between the City of Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia Beach, and surrounding jurisdictions. Registration is part of our installation process — we tell you what your locality requires and walk you through it before your system goes live.

Video verification means that when an alarm trips, the system captures a short clip from the camera covering that area and delivers it to the central station operator alongside the alarm signal. The operator can then confirm whether there is an actual intrusion rather than reporting an unverified alarm. Many jurisdictions give verified alarms a higher dispatch priority, and verification substantially reduces false-dispatch calls — which in some localities carry fines after a set number of occurrences.

Mercury Watch runs on a 36-month agreement. The term begins on your activation date — the day your system is first placed in active monitoring, not the day you sign. After the initial term, the agreement renews in 12-month terms at the then-current rate unless either side gives 30 days’ written notice, and we send you a reminder of your renewal date and how to cancel at least 30 days before your initial term ends. You can give notice by mail, email, or phone, and we confirm it in writing. If you need to end the agreement early there is a termination charge, and we waive it entirely if you receive military PCS or deployment orders, if you relocate within our service area and move the service with you, or if a new owner of the property assumes the agreement.

Equipment sold to you becomes your property once it is paid in full. Until then Mercury holds a security interest in it, which releases automatically when the balance clears. Mercury holds your monitoring account and your service relationship — you call Mercury for service, for billing, and for changes to your system, not a national call center and not a company you have never spoken to.

Yes — rural properties are a core part of this service. Because Mercury Watch signals over cellular, a monitored system does not require broadband at the property. For properties that also need internet, Mercury installs Starlink and can design the security system and the connectivity together. Farms, estates, and properties with detached outbuildings are handled routinely across the Shenandoah Valley and Northern Virginia.