What is a monitored alarm and are the benefits worth it?

May 17 2019

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The very first Monitored alarm system was established in the US in 1866 by the president of the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company after he was disturbed in his home by a burglar. The idea then – as now – is that when an alarm is triggered it immediately notifies a separate monitoring centre. That means there’s always someone watching over your home, whether you’re there or not.

In 1874, 57 independent telegraph companies came together to form American District Telegraph. Today, ADT looks after the alarms of over 237,000 UK homeowners. And the first question we’re often asked is “is monitoring worth it?” The short answer is “yes”. But we would say that, wouldn’t we?

Well, yes and no. Any alarm is better than no alarm. Burglars are always looking for the path of least resistance. If they think there’s something worth taking they’ll target homes with no alarms first and foremost. That’s why we’d always recommend you get some sort of alarm, and for many homeowners a standard unmonitored or bells only alarm is perfectly adequate for their needs.

But for security conscious customers there’s no doubt that monitoring offers significantly more peace of mind.

Here are five reasons why monitored alarms go above and beyond when it comes to home security.

Never ignored

When a standard bells only alarm is triggered there will be a lot of noise, maybe a flashing light and that’s it. That’s fine if you’re at home but what if you’re out? It’s an unfortunate fact that many alarms are simply ignored (three quarters of people surveyed admitted to having done just that*). Monitored alarms send a signal to a dedicated response centre. We’ll contact you to find out what’s going on and if we don’t get a response (or an incorrect reset code) we’ll take action. We’re working around the clock, 24/7/365.

Tailored response

The exact nature of that action is entirely your choice. With our Keyholder Response package we’ll notify one of your nominated keyholders (usually a neighbour, friend or relative who lives nearby) who will be familiar with the procedure for entering your home and resetting your alarm. Alternatively, our Private Security Response system sends out a trained security professional to you. They can check the property externally or be given keyholder status to investigate inside too. Finally, a Police Response Package will make sure the authorities are sent to your address as soon as possible.

The full package

ADT monitoring doesn’t just protect against intruders. Customers can also add smoke and CO detectors too. Each is monitored, triggering an immediate response in the event they are activated. In the case of an activated smoke detector we’ll quickly contact the fire brigade almost instantly (our 8 second average response time is the best in the industry).

Smarter security

Tech has revolutionised home security in recent years, with many companies linking cameras and motion detectors to smart devices, allowing people to create DIY security systems that notify them when potential incidents occur. By combining these systems with monitoring in our ADT Smart Home package we’re able to offer an extra layer of security. So, when you’re notified that someone might be up to no good you don’t have to watch on, powerless to act – ADT will already be on the case, notifying keyholders, private security or the police, depending on your preferred level of cover.

Monitored and maintained

Maintenance also offers peace of mind when it comes to the health of your security system itself. With ADT’s remote support team we constantly monitor the performance of every alarm and sensor, so we’ll instantly let you know if anything is amiss. If we can fix the issue remotely we will, saving you time with no need to wait for an engineer if it’s not needed. By fully maintaining your system as standard it ensures it remains fit for purpose and continues to protect what it was designed to do, giving you one less thing to worry about.

We hope we’ve given you some food for thought when it comes to the benefits of monitoring. If you have any more questions or would like a free quote from our specialist team of security experts do get in touch.

*https://www.buildingconstructiondesign.co.uk/news/three-quarters-of-brits-ignore-burglar-alarms/