ADT^® Home Alarm System FAQ

How much does ADT monthly monitoring cost?

ADT monthly monitored security costs vary depending on the package you select. The basic package starts at $28.99 per month. This package is perfect for many price-conscious households who want to keep their family safe with ADT’s “round the clock” 24-hour monitoring. What are the benefits of an ADT home protection system?

1- Increased Protection. The most obvious benefit of installing an ADT system is that it helps make your home safer for you and your family. An ADT home protection system is always on, with a dedicated monitoring center ready to respond immediately to any intrusion, 24 hours a day.

2- Saves You Money. While you’ve most likely considered how an ADT security system could help save your life, you probably haven’t thought about how it could also save you money. ADT Provides you with a certificate to send to your insurance company, allowing you to save money on your homeowner’s insurance with most insurance companies. Plus, adding an ADT security system also adds value to your home.

ADT security systems are installed by licensed professionals.

Do I need a security system?

Research shows that 9 out of 10 convicted burglars agreed they would avoid a house protected by an alarm system*. While there is no security system available that is completely penetration-proof, installing an ADT home protection system makes your home 3 times less likely to be burglarized**.

No matter what size of home you have or what neighborhood you live in, an ADT home protection system can help make your home safer.

*Source: National Burglar and Fire Association, 2000
**U.S. Department of Justice, 1999

Vist home security facts to learn more.

When will my system be installed?

When ordering your system, you will be asked to select a preferred installation date and time that is convenient for you. Our professional technicians will then come to your home and install the home protection system at the scheduled time.

Vist installation process to learn more.

What are the benefits of a wireless system?

A wireless system requires much less drilling than the traditional hard-wired security systems (a traditional hard-wired system requires drilling 9-10 wires throughout your home).

What are the main components of your home protection system?

Our basic system includes 90 percent of the security most American’s need. Protect Your Home’s system includes:

• Wireless Door or Window Sensors
• Keyfob
• Pet-Immune Motion Detector
• Custom LCD Backlit Keypad
• Back-Up Battery
• Phone Jack
• Panic Buttons: Police, Fire and Emergency
• High Decibel Siren, Hostage Code, Door Chime

Our expert installation team will recommend any additional equipment necessary to meet your individual security needs when they install the system in your home. All ADT systems also come with a yard sign and window decals to help deter potential break-ins.

Vist equipment to learn more.

Does ADT offer any guarantees?

Every ADT system comes with the following guarantees:

ADT Money-Back Service Guarantee
ADT will make every available attempt to satisfy an installation, service or equipment problem that arises within the first six months as a Protect Your Home customer. If ADT is still unable to resolve the concern, ADT will refund the installation charge and/or monitoring fees paid during the initial six month period.

Theft Protection Guarantee
In the unlikely event that your home gets burglarized while protected by ADT, ADT will pay up to $500 of your insurance deductible if you meet the required criteria. This means more money to replace stolen items.

(Certain Restrictions Apply)

Vist ADT Guarantees to learn more.

Why does ADT have 9 monitoring centers?

ADT has more monitoring centers than any other home security provider in the United States. ADT’s centers are located in Tennessee, New York, Texas, and Florida. These centers communicate with one another and can be used as a backup in case of power failure. This means ADT monitoring is virtually fail-safe.

Vist ADT Monitoring to learn more.

What if I don’t live close to an ADT monitoring center?

Since signals are received electronically, you don’t have to be located in close proximity to an ADT monitoring center to receive uninterrupted monitoring 24 hours a day and fast, accurate response to every emergency situation in your home. Your location to one of the ADT monitoring centers has no effect on the monitoring services and response time you’ll receive.

What happens when the alarm goes off?

In the event that your alarm goes off, a trained ADT professional will contact you to verify an emergency. If no password or an incorrect password is given, ADT will notify the police or proper emergency response services immediately.

Our system is so intelligent, that ADT will know exactly which window, door or motion sensor has been triggered. ADT will provide the police with the location of the intrusion, along with your name and address. ADT dispatchers take care of all the logistics, so you don’t have to worry about getting the police any information during your emergency.

Vist 5 Channnels of Protection to learn more.

How does having a home security system help deter burglars?

When burglars see the ADT yard sign, they know the home is well protected by the leading home security company in the nation.
Generally, burglars target only the most vulnerable homes and are unlikely to challenge an ADT security system

Vist Burglary FAQs to learn more about burglary statistics and be better prepared.

I have a pet, will he/she trigger the alarm?

Our system uses pet immunity, which means any animal weighing less than 40 pounds will not trigger your alarm. The system is so intelligent that it knows the difference between an animal and a human by the way heat is allocated throughout the body.

What if my pet weighs over 60 pounds?

If you have a pet weighing over 40 pounds, our installation experts can upgrade your system to include 80 pounds of pet immunity.

Why do I have to have a landline?

You have the option of choosing Two-Way Voice as an upgrade to your ADT security system. Two-Way Voice allows you to communicate with ADT directly from your control panel. The control panel acts like an intercom, over which you can talk directly with an ADT dispatcher.

In order for this feature to work, you will need a telephone line in your home. When an alarm is triggered, the system seizes your phone line and calls the ADT customer monitoring center immediately. You then communicate with the dispatcher over your control panel, which uses your telephone line.

When I use my phone line is my service affected?

No. ADT system is designed to seize your phone line in order to call the ADT Customer Monitoring Center immediately. It will then release the line, so a trained professional from one of the 6 ADT customer monitoring centers can verify an emergency and dispatch the appropriate emergency response individuals to your home.

If I lose electric power, will my alarm system still work?

Yes. In case of a power loss, the backup battery will activate to maintain your alarm protection for several hours. In the event your battery is low, a low battery signal will be sent to your Customer Monitoring Center so you can be notified.

What is Two-Way Voice?

Two-Way Voice is a convenient, hands-free feature that allows you to communicate directly with an ADT Dispatcher from anywhere in your home. The control panel acts like an intercom over which an ADT Dispatcher will verify an emergency in your home and ask you for your password code.

The microphone in your control panel is so strong that it can pick up a normal talking voice from over 75 feet away, so you can communicate with a dispatcher even if you’re injured and can’t make it to the control panel.

What areas of my home ADT can help protect?

ADT Home Protection Systems are designed to help protect the most vulnerable areas of your home– the areas that are also highly targeted by intruders. That’s why every ADT system is fully equipped to protect both the perimeter and interior of your home.

Perimeter
Your system helps detect potential intruders before they even step inside by securing the perimeter or entry points of your home. Doors, windows, and major traffic areas can be, even notifying ADT command centers exactly which protected area has
detected a break-in.

Interior
State-of-the-art motion detectors provide an invisible blanket of protection over a wide area inside your home. Even if an intruder were to enter the home, Protect Your Home’s completely wireless detectors sense human body heat and movement, instantly activating the system and notifying the ADT command center with detailed information.

Vist 5 Channnels of Protection to learn more about how your new ADT security system works.

What is a phone line seizure?

Phone line seizure is a wiring method between your home alarm system and your phone box that allows your alarm system to take over your phone line in the event an alarm is triggered. If an alarm is triggered, phone line seizure allows the alarm to cut off all the phones and take control of the phone line, even if you are already on the phone.

If you are running a home security system using a landline and you do not have phone line seizure properly installed, your security system can be compromised. (See examples below).

Many security companies offer home security systems with do-it-yourself installation. The problem with DIY installation is most of us aren’t technicians and don’t know how to properly wire the system to make sure phone line seizure is working. Without phone line seizure properly installed, your home’s security is at risk.

How could no phone line seizure compromise your home security system?

Example #1 – Let’s say you’re at home and you’re talking on the phone and a burglar breaks into your house. If you don’t have phone line seizure properly wired, your system is not going to dial out unless you hang up the phone.

Example #2 – Another possibility is a burglar could break into your home and put your phone off the hook. Again, without phone line seizure installed, your alarm system will never be able to communicate with the monitoring center.

If you’re using a landline system and unsure how to wire your home security system, we recommend having a professional do it for you.

You might also be interested in reading the helpful resource below.

• Burglary FAQ