Home Security FAQ

A. Monitored Alarm connects to a Customer Monitoring Center (CMC) which is a remote central station manned 24 hours a day 365 days a year, via your telephone line. This permanent phone connection enables the alarm system to send signals as and when necessary to the CMC which in turns verifies the signals received and take appropriate actions. For instance if the alarm system detects an intrusion, it immediately sends an intruder signal to the CMC via the phone line. Within seconds the CMC is able to verify the alarm signal and decide on appropriate course of action to alert you or one or more of your nominated keyholders and if necessary alert the Police.

A. Alarm Monitoring of your premises requires an active phone line. The risk of vulnerable phone line can be overcome by adopting a dual signaling method such as CellGuard ®.

A. YES. Your alarm allows for full setting, part setting and night setting.

A. It takes on average 4 to 6 hours to install a standard intruder alarm system in a house or shop.

A. NO. Your wireless alarm will utilize a dedicated narrow band radio channel which is exclusive for the security industry and as such unlikely to receive interference from your wireless internet connection.

A. 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.

A. YES. ADT Monitored Alarms are offered with Lifetime Warranty i.e. for the duration of the monitoring contract.

A. YES. Extra sensors can be added to your alarm package if required; at additional costs.

A. Ideally within few days; however we can consider a fast track installation in emergency circumstances.

A. If your alarm is triggered either by the activation of a movement sensor, door contact or fire detector, your home security system contacts the Customer Monitoring Centre. This is achieved by using your existing phone line.
If one device is activated they contact one of your nominated key holders. If a second device is activated they contact the police as this is then a "verified activation".

A. When you have an ADT Monitored alarm installed, you have to nominate between 2 to 6 key-holders. These are basically people you trust and are within 20 minutes from your premises that will hold a set of keys. ADT will contact your key- holders in the event of an emergency.

A. If you have a confirmed alarm (2 independent sensors being triggered within 2 minutes) ADT will contact the police on your behalf. This will give you police response.

A. If your smoke sensor goes off, your ADT monitored alarm will send a signal to ADT\'s Customer Monitoring Centre where it is being monitored. As soon as they see that your smoke sensor has been triggered, they will contact the Fire Response on your behalf.

A. Don\'t panic, remember your code. Carefully disarm your system by entering your code in the keypad. After you have reset your system, call the Central Monitoring Station to inform them of the false alarm.

A. Call the Central Monitoring Station. You will need to give the dispatcher your name and/or Account Number and your Passcode. This will cancel an alarm.

A. Call the Customer Monitoring Centre and let them know of any problems you might be experiencing with your system.

A. Whenever you have a problem, please call our office or the Customer Monitoring Centre and request a technician to be paged.

A. If you should need to place your system on test, please call the Customer Monitoring Centre to request this. You will need to provide your name and/or Account Number and your Passcode.

A. Installing DSL could possibly inhibit your alarm system from reporting properly. Always test your system to ensure it is reporting properly after the installation. This can be done by placing your system on test through the Customer Monitoring Center and arming your system. Next, set off devices to send an alarm to Customer Monitoring Center (ex: open a door or walk by a motion). After a few minutes, disarm your system and call the Customer Monitoring Center to check if the alarm signals were sent through properly. If they were not, please contact our service department to have a DSL Filter installed.

A. If you should need to update your Emergency Contact List, you may do so by calling into Customer Monitoring Center or by calling our office and speaking with one of our Customer Service Representatives. They will assist you in the process. Please be aware that we do need all requests in writing. This may be done via email, fax, or mail.

A. Your system was placed on test through the Customer Monitoring Center. Therefore, the Customer Monitoring Center will disregard any alarms that occur. However, your system is functioning and could possibly still go into alarm.

A. Each security system, before activating an alarm, has a small delay period of 30 seconds to three minutes. This may not sound very secure, but this delay period allows the user to deactivate the alarm before ADT is notified in case of false alarm activation. This helps ADT to focus more on real alarm situations, instead of responding to every alarm triggering.

A. The wireless system is often times easier to install. It becomes convenient for those who already have a home built and want to limit the amount of drilling in walls. There will still however be some drilling required to install the control panel for example, but using a wireless system does limit the amount greatly. Hard-wired systems are a good option for those building their home because they can be wired right into the construction.

A. Your ADT monitored system makes use of your phone line to communicate with an ADT monitoring center. For the basic security system you will need a land line installed in your home. With advances in technology though, there are options such as digital phone services and VoIP that have presented challenges for monitoring your home. If you fall in this category it is still possible for your home to be monitored by ADT with several different options.

A. Some burglars will cut the phone line in order to stop a system from communicating with ADT. This means that some homes may be broken into without ADT ever knowing about it. Because of that, ADT has produced CellGuard® which offers an additional level of protection. If the phone line is cut, CellGuard� can communicate with ADT by using a cellular network. There is an additional cost associated with it, but it can provide you with an extra level of protection that may save you more money in the end.

A. Yes, you must call ADT when you change your phone number so that security monitoring is not interrupted. Since it is the main way that your security system communicates with ADT, your service may not be active until you notify ADT of the change.

A. Installation is an important thing to consider here. If you have installed a motion sensor above a heater of some kind it can set off your security system. Also, some objects and actions may set off the system, such as the movement of blinds or curtains or throwing an object in the sensor\'s range. ADT technicians can adjust the sensor or you may consider moving the sensor to an alternative location.

A. If you should need to update your Emergency Contact List, you may do so by calling into Customer Monitoring Center or by calling our office and speaking with one of our Customer Service Representatives. They will assist you in the process. Please be aware that we do need all requests in writing. This may be done via email, fax, or mail.

A. ADT makes use of the land line in order to contact you using two-way voice communication. With two-way voice, an ADT representative can make sure that there is an emergency in your home by using the control panel to contact you. If there is no answer or verification is not completed, a response will be initiated.

A. If you are moving to a new residence where there is no home security system installed, you may be eligible to receive a special offer from ADT known as the Relocation Discount Guarantee. Basically, if you have been an ADT customer for two years or more, you can receive a discount of $100.00 to help you in the installation of your new security system.

A. If you press the panic or fire alarm button for one to three seconds, an alarm is instantly transmitted to an ADT monitoring center in order to have emergency services dispatched to your home as soon as possible. It is important to note that when sending an alarm using this method, it cannot be canceled by conventional means.

A. To sleep soundly, you need peace of mind. You need to know that what you value most, your home and your family, are safe and secure. According to statistics, homes without alarm systems are three times as likely to be broken into than those that do. Security systems are effective in preventing loss of life and protecting property.

A. If your home was already built, there will be many obstacles hidden behind the drywall that can make it difficult to connect the necessary wires. A traditional hard-wired system installation runs a wire from point A to point B on every point in the home that is being protected. Often times, walls will suffer significant damage. Thus, wireless intrusion devices are far more effective for existing homes.

A. 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).