A CPI Security Alternative Built for Commercial Buildings

CPI Security is a Charlotte institution. It's headquartered on Sandy Porter Road, has branches across the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Georgia, and reports more than 230,000 customers, most of whom know it for home security. Businesses comparing CPI with us usually aren't unhappy with the brand. They're trying to figure out which kind of company fits a building with a fire alarm, card readers, and a fire marshal who shows up every year.

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Two Different Kinds of Security Company

CPI built its name on residential alarm systems with professional monitoring, and it also has a commercial sales team for businesses. For a small shop that needs an intrusion alarm and a few cameras, that's a reasonable fit, and the monitoring is local to the Carolinas.

We only work on commercial, industrial, and multi-tenant property. That focus shows up in the work a larger building needs and a small one doesn't: NFPA 72 fire alarm inspections, sprinkler inspections, access control across dozens of doors, and camera systems sized for parking decks and warehouses.

What a Commercial Building Usually Needs

Fire Alarm and Sprinkler Compliance: Annual testing, reports ready for the fire marshal, and repairs quoted the same day.
Access Control Across Many Doors: Cards, fobs, and phones, with audit trails and instant revocation.
Camera Systems for Large Spaces: Lots, docks, and decks covered with owned hardware and local recording.
Monitored Intrusion With Verification: Burglar alarms that verify before dispatch so police keep responding.
One Service Team for All of It: The same technicians know the fire panel, the doors, and the cameras.

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Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro Offices

We're local too. Our Charlotte office is on Perimeter Parkway, and we have teams in Raleigh, Greensboro, and Durham. Businesses in South Carolina and Georgia are served from the nearest office. If you want to check whether an installer will actually show up when something breaks, this guide lists the questions to ask, and they apply to us as much as anyone.

The Buildings We Work In

Our customers are property managers, facility directors, and business owners, not homeowners. Most of our work falls into a handful of property types:

Apartment Communities: Entry, gates, cameras, and fire code across every building.
Offices: Card access, visitor entry, and after-hours intrusion.
Warehouses and Distribution: Dock cameras, perimeter coverage, and fire compliance.
Churches: Scheduled doors, panic buttons, and fire alarm for assembly spaces.
Medical and Assisted Living: Door alarms, nurse call, cameras, and fire.

Switching From CPI Without Starting Over

If your building already has a CPI system, much of it can often stay. Door contacts, motion sensors, and cabling usually carry over to a new panel or communicator, and cameras on standard hardware can often be kept. We check your monitoring contract's term and notice period first, so the cutover lands when the contract allows and the building is never unmonitored. The general process is covered in our takeover guide.

Review Your Current System

Read the Monitoring Agreement First

Whatever you decide, look at the current monitoring agreement before you call anyone. Find the term end date, whether it renews automatically, how long the renewal term is, and how much written notice it takes to cancel. Those four details decide when a switch can happen without paying for two companies at once. Bring the agreement to our walk-through and we'll put the dates on a calendar with you. What fire alarm monitoring costs covers the monthly side of the comparison.

What It Costs

Commercial pricing depends on the building far more than on the company. A small office with an intrusion alarm and a handful of cameras is a very different job from a 60-door apartment community with a fire alarm. Our commercial security cost guide lays out the ranges, and we'll quote your building line by line so you can compare it directly with any other proposal.

CPI Security Alternative Questions

Does CPI Security do commercial security?

Yes. CPI has a commercial sales team and protects businesses as well as homes. It's best known in the Carolinas for residential security.

Can I keep my existing CPI equipment if I switch?

Often, yes. Sensors and cabling usually stay, and the panel or communicator may need to change depending on how the system was programmed. We inspect before quoting so you know what stays.

Do you handle fire alarm inspections too?

Yes. We run NFPA 72 fire alarm inspections, sprinkler inspections, and backflow testing across NC, SC, and GA. See our fire alarm inspection page.

Do you do home security?

No. We work only with commercial, industrial, and multi-tenant properties such as offices, warehouses, apartment communities, HOAs, schools, churches, and medical buildings.

Where are you located?

We have offices in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, and Durham, and we serve South Carolina and Georgia. See all service areas.

A Note on Names

CPI Security is a trademark of its owner. Security & Life Integrations is an independent company and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by it. Details above come from public sources and are accurate to the best of our knowledge as of September 2026. If something has changed, tell us and we'll update the page.

A CPI Security Alternative Built for Commercial Buildings

Two Different Kinds of Security Company

What a Commercial Building Usually Needs

Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro Offices

The Buildings We Work In

Switching From CPI Without Starting Over

Read the Monitoring Agreement First

What It Costs

CPI Security Alternative Questions

A Note on Names

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