Patent ID: 7942314

Claim:
A method comprising: (a) operating at least one processor to cause information to be received at a monitoring facility associated with a monitoring service, responsive at least in part to input provided to a mobile phone by a person deciding whether to enter a building facility which includes at least one camera, wherein the monitoring facility includes at least one display that is in operative connection with the at least one camera, wherein the at least one processor is in operative connection with at least one data store that associates the building facility with a customer of the monitoring service; (b) operating the at least one processor to determine using data from the at least one data store, that information received in (a) is associated with the customer; (c) operating the at least one processor responsive at least in part to the determination in (b), to initiate a pre-entry security check of at least part of the building facility, wherein the initiation causes visual images to be output through the at least one display, wherein the visual images include at least one interior image captured by the at least one camera, wherein the at least one interior image corresponds to a real time field of view of at least one area located inside the building facility, wherein the visual images include at least one exterior image captured by the at least one camera, wherein the at least one exterior image corresponds to a real time field of view of at least one area located outside the building facility; and (d) subsequent to (c), operating the at least one processor to cause at least one communication to be sent to the mobile phone, wherein the at least one communication includes a message associated with a result of the pre-entry security check, wherein the message is useful to the customer in deciding whether to enter the building facility.