24/7 monitored home alarm systems

Overview

A real monitoring centre, every hour of every day

An unmonitored alarm makes noise. A monitored alarm makes a phone ring in a staffed centre. That is the whole difference, and it is what you are paying the monthly fee for.

What happens when the alarm goes off

• The panel sends the signal over cellular, even if your internet is down.
• An operator at the monitoring centre sees which sensor tripped.
• They call your phone and ask for your passcode. Wrong code, or no answer, and they escalate.
• They dispatch the police or fire service and stay on the line with you.

What monitoring costs per month

Entry-tier professional monitoring from the national providers starts around $19.99 to $29.99 a month for alarm response. Tiers that add camera recording and smart-home control run to roughly $49.99. Video storage is frequently billed as a separate line, so a quote of $29.99 can become $44.99 once you switch clip recording on — worth asking about directly. See the full pricing breakdown.

Cellular backup is the part that matters

If the system reports over your broadband only, cutting the internet disables it. Cellular backup gives the panel its own radio path to the monitoring centre, with a battery that keeps it alive through a power cut. It is standard on the three national providers and an upgrade on many cheaper systems. Confirm it is included before you sign anything.

Self-monitoring versus professional monitoring

Self-monitoring sends an alert to your phone and stops there — if you are asleep, in a meeting or out of signal, nothing else happens. Professional monitoring puts a staffed centre between the sensor and the response. Some systems offer month-to-month professional monitoring with no long contract; see the no-contract options.