Services
People on watch, backed by the right technology
First Watch Monitoring pairs trained operators with cameras, sensors, and access systems so your property is watched around the clock, with someone ready to act the moment something looks wrong.
- Veteran owned and led
- 24/7 monitoring
- Over 10 years of experience
Service 01
Live remote video monitoring
Operators in our monitoring center watch your cameras in real time, 24 hours a day. When something happens, a person decides what it is and what to do about it, whether that’s a spoken warning over the speakers, a call to your on-site staff, or a call to police.
Areas we typically watch: parking lots and garages, building entrances and exits, lobbies and hallways, pools, gyms, and courtyards, mailrooms and package areas, loading docks, stairwells and elevators, and fence lines.
Best suited for: apartment communities, condominiums, HOAs, commercial buildings, and mixed-use properties.
Service 02
Face and plate recognition
Specialized cameras record the faces of people and the plates of vehicles at your entrances, day or night. Each capture is checked against lists you control, such as residents, approved vendors, and people or vehicles banned from the property.
When a flagged person or plate appears, an operator sees the match with the image beside it, confirms it, and responds: keeping a gate closed, speaking through the on-site speakers, or giving police a description and location. Every capture is time-stamped and searchable for later investigations.
Best suited for: gated communities, parking structures, and properties dealing with repeat trespassers or vehicle break-ins.
Service 03
Access control systems
Decide who gets in, when, and where. Residents and staff use fobs, cards, phones, or biometrics at gates, lobby doors, garages, amenity rooms, elevators, and service entrances, and every entry is logged.
Credentials can be issued or switched off remotely, so a former tenant’s fob stops working the same day and a delivery can be let in without anyone walking to the gate. Schedules limit access by time of day, and our operators can check video of any entry that looks wrong.
Best suited for: multifamily buildings, condominiums, HOAs, and mixed-use developments with several controlled entrances.
Service 04
Two-way audio
Watching is only half of it. Speakers at your cameras let our operators talk to whoever is on the property: telling a trespasser they’re on camera and need to leave, pointing a delivery driver to the package room, clearing a pool at closing time, or guiding first responders to the right door.
A calm voice that knows someone is there stops most problems before they start, without a guard on site, and each announcement is logged with the incident.
Best suited for: any monitored property, especially sites with large layouts or recurring after-hours visitors.
Service 05
Trespass, loitering, and encampment deterrence
People sleeping in stairwells, camping behind buildings, or lingering in garages are among the most common concerns we hear. We handle them firmly and respectfully.
Operators watch the spots where problems tend to start and speak up early, before a situation settles in. If someone stays, we follow your plan, which can include contacting local outreach services or police for repeat cases. Every interaction is documented, and we suggest practical changes, such as lighting, landscaping, and barriers, that make the property less inviting to unauthorized visitors.
Best suited for: urban apartment buildings, retail centers, parking structures, and properties with recurring unauthorized camping.
How it fits together
Three situations, start to finish
01
An unfamiliar car at the gate
The plate reader flags a vehicle that isn't on the resident list. An operator checks the camera, asks the driver over the speaker who they're visiting, keeps the gate closed until it checks out, and logs the plate, a photo, and the time.
02
A banned visitor comes back
A camera picks up someone previously banned from the property, and their car's plate is captured in the lot. The operator warns them over the speaker. If they stay, police get the location, the photo, and the vehicle details, and the footage is saved as evidence.
03
Someone lingering by the packages
An operator notices a person hanging around the package area and announces that the area is being watched live. The person leaves without touching anything, and property management gets a report with the images and plate in case they return.
Plans
Coverage sized to what you manage
A single property
One building or community, covered with the services it needs and nothing it doesn't.
A local portfolio
Several properties in one region, each with its own plan and contacts, under one agreement.
A nationwide portfolio
Properties in different states, monitored by the same team to the same standard, with reporting you can compare across sites.
Something specific
Unusual layouts, compliance requirements, or an existing system you want to keep. We'll design around it.
Equipment
What we bring, and what you need
We can provide and install everything the services above rely on, or work with the cameras and access hardware you already have. Either way, your side of the setup is short.
| Topic | What you provide | What First Watch provides |
|---|---|---|
| Cameras | Nothing, or your existing system | High-resolution day/night cameras, including audio and plate-reading models |
| Access hardware | Nothing, or your existing readers | Card and fob readers, gate operators, locks, and mobile credentials |
| Connectivity | A reliable internet connection | Encrypted connections with backup connectivity |
| Power | Power at camera and equipment locations | Installation and configuration |
| Access | Access to the property for installation | Scheduling that keeps disruption to residents low |
Getting started
From first walkthrough to live monitoring
Most of the work is ours. Here's how a new property comes online.
- 01
Free assessment
We walk the property, find the weak spots, and learn how it runs.
- 02
Proposal
You get a written plan: equipment, camera placement, and pricing.
- 03
Installation
Our crew installs and connects everything on a schedule that suits residents.
- 04
Setup and training
We test every camera, set the response plan, and show your staff the system.
- 05
Go live
Monitoring starts, and your account manager stays in touch from day one.
Reporting
Know what happened, and what's changing
Incident reports
Every event written up: what was seen, when, where, and what our operators did about it.
Trends over time
Regular summaries that show when and where activity clusters, so you can make changes that stick.
Your own access
Authorized staff can review footage and search plate and face captures with the right permissions.
A real contact
An account manager who knows your property and reviews results with you.
FAQ
Questions about our services
The questions we hear most.
Can you use the cameras we already have?
What happens if the internet goes down?
Do residents need to be told about monitoring?
How do you handle privacy with facial recognition?
Can you cover properties in more than one state?
What if we want to end the agreement?
Talk to us
See what coverage would look like for your property
Book a call and we'll walk through your cameras, your concerns, and the services that fit.
Prefer a written quote?
Send a few details about your property and we'll follow up with a quote.
Get a quotePick a time that works for you
Choose a day and time in our scheduling calendar.