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Buyer's Guide

You Bought or Took Over a Building: How to Find Out What Security Systems It Has

The closing is done, or the lease has started. Nobody gave you a binder. You don't know what cameras, door readers, intercoms or alarms the building has, who installed them, or who can log in.

PAX Security7 min readNovember 3, 2026
Quick Answer

Gather any paperwork from the sale or lease, walk the building and note what you can see without opening or pressing anything, ask the people who used the systems which apps and websites they logged in to, and write it all down in one list. Photograph labels, stickers and signs. Don't reset, unplug or cancel anything. A list like this tells you what's visible. It can't tell you who owns each cloud account, so the next step is a call.

You can find out a lot by looking. You don't need to touch anything. This guide is look-only, and it helps you build a list you can hand to someone who can take it from there.

Depending on what you find, these four guides are your next stops:

If what changed is your property manager, not the building, see what happens when you switch property managers.

Safety first

If you see or smell smoke, see fire, or find water where it shouldn't be, leave the area and call 911 before anything else. Everything else here can wait.

The look-only rules

  • Look, read and photograph. That's all.
  • Don't press buttons on keypads, panels or recorders.
  • Don't open boxes, closets or cabinets that are closed. If a room is open, look from the doorway.
  • Don't unplug, move or power off anything, even if a light is blinking.
  • Don't try default or guessed passwords.
  • Don't cancel monitoring or any service until a replacement is lined up.

If a keypad or box is beeping or showing a message, photograph the screen or write the message down. Don't press anything.

Step 1: Collect the paperwork

Start with the documents you already have. Look in the sale or lease paperwork, inspection reports, and anything handed over by the seller, landlord or previous manager. You're looking for:

  • Vendor names, invoices and service agreements
  • Monitoring or alarm company bills
  • Warranty, manual or equipment lists
  • Any note listing who has logins

Keep your deed, lease or management agreement handy too. Anyone who changes an account for you will want to know you have the authority to do it.

Step 2: Walk the building and look

Go room by room, and write down what you see. Here is where to look:

  • Entrances and doors: card readers, keypads, door release buttons and any intercom panel with a screen or call buttons.
  • Ceilings and outside walls: cameras. Note how many and where, and whether any have a brand name on them.
  • Near the main entrance: an alarm keypad or touchscreen.
  • Doors and windows: small sensors on frames, stickers and signs. Alarm.com says a provider's contact information can often be found on yard signs, window stickers or billing statements.
  • Utility or network rooms: if the door is open, look from the doorway for a recorder, a control box or a labeled rack. Photograph labels. Don't open anything. If the room is locked, write down who holds the key.

Photograph the front of each device and any visible label or brand name. A brand name on a device tells you who made it. It doesn't tell you which cloud account it belongs to or who runs it.

Step 3: Ask who used the systems

People who worked in the building know things that aren't written down. Ask the seller, the previous owner or manager, and any staff who stayed:

  • Which website or app did you use to open doors, view cameras or arm the alarm?
  • Who set it up, and who did you call when it broke?
  • Who was the administrator?
  • Where are the manuals, invoices and logins kept?

Then check your own mailboxes for messages from these platforms, such as account activation or password set-up emails. Look for the names Brivo, ButterflyMX, Alarm.com and Eagle Eye.

Here are the login points you may hear about:

  • Brivo Access: Brivo says to log in at access.brivo.com.
  • ButterflyMX: log in through butterflymx.com. ButterflyMX says the Administrators tab lists everyone with administrator access.
  • Alarm.com: in the app, tap the menu, then Support. On the website, click Support. Alarm.com says this shows your service provider's contact information.
  • Eagle Eye: ask whether anyone viewed cameras through an Eagle Eye account. The vendor's page doesn't give a login address we can point you to here.

If someone gives you a login, use it only to look. Don't change anything yet.

Step 4: Find out who runs each system

Each vendor points you to a different person for help, so it's worth knowing who is who.

  • Alarm.com: it says it sells through independent service providers, not to the public. Your provider handles billing and service plan changes. If you can't reach the provider, Alarm.com asks you to email info@alarm.com with the name, email, phone number and zip code on the account and any difficulties you ran into.
  • Brivo: it says people who use a system should contact the building manager or security administrator. Its own phone line is for administrators and resellers.
  • ButterflyMX: it says to contact your client success manager to add or delete an administrator.
  • Eagle Eye: it says to contact your reseller about billing-related changes.

If nobody has a login, don't try to guess one. Our guide on what to do when you have no admin login covers the official reset routes.

Step 5: Write it down

Keep one list. For each item, copy this and fill it in:

  • Location: where you saw it
  • What it is: camera, door reader, keypad, intercom, recorder or something you can't identify
  • Brand or label: whatever is printed on it
  • Photo: the file name
  • Who might know: the person to ask
  • Platform you think it is: Brivo, ButterflyMX, Alarm.com, Eagle Eye or unknown
  • Notes: anything it displayed, blinking or beeping

Don't write passwords on this list.

What your list can't tell you

Your list can't tell you who owns the account behind a cloud system, who else can log in, or whether a device is still supported. See signs your security system is out of date for that last point. It also can't tell you what's inside a locked closet. That's the point of the call.

If you'd rather not do it alone

If you found equipment you can't identify, have no logins, or can't tell who runs what, call PAX at (855) 440-5353 or email info@paxsecurity.com. You can also reach us through https://paxsecurity.com/contact-us, and we will talk it through. Our System Takeover page explains how we assess what's there and plan the transition to minimize disruption.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I call the old vendor?

If you know who it is, you can ask for the list of systems and accounts. They may not answer. Don't depend on it.

Should I replace everything?

Not before you know what you have. You may be replacing things that work, and you can't judge that until you have the list.

What if I only leased a space in a larger building?

Systems like lobby doors or intercoms may belong to the landlord or building management. Ask them who runs those systems.

Can I tell what's installed from the app?

Only if you have a login. Otherwise, use the paperwork and the walk.

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PAX Security designs and installs security cameras, access control, intercom, and cabling systems for commercial and multifamily properties across New York City. Tell us about your building and we will give you a straight answer.

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