ADT Security Pro - Home Security Blog

There are so many different options when you try to understand the ADT monthly cost for home security, life safety monitoring for protection from fire or carbon monoxide and the integration of ADT Pulse including remote interactive services for mobile devices, cameras and home automation. It can be quite overwhelming but it is nice to have options and find a security solution that fits your needs and budget.

All the monthly monitoring options include the 24/7 protection from burglary with the ADT Central Station monitoring your alarm system and notifying you in the case of an emergency. No matter what monitoring rate you choose, ADT Central Operator will also dispatch your local police department in the event of a burglary alarm or is you press a police panic button on you keypad or on your key chain remote.

There are also fire and medical emergency buttons on your keypad that send an emergency signal to the ADT Central Station. When pressed, your ADT Operator will notify you of the emergency and dispatch the local fire department or ambulance for medical emergencies. No matter what monthly price you choose you can add smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detectors (must pay for the equipment) to monitor your home for fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. I believe every customer should add this equipment to their system since it does not raise your ADT monthly fee and it is just a one time investment in the equipment for a lifetime of protection.

When you get monitoring service with ADT you will receive a free equipment package. As the ADT monthly cost goes higher, you will get more free equipment in your initial installation package. For example, when you order Pulse Level III monitoring service you receive a free HD camera and home automation light module with your free security equipment package.

BUYER BEWARE: Some of the real low cost for ADT monthly service do not include the Quality Service Plan. This means you will be responsible for the parts and labor of any service calls over the lifetime of ownership. When you include a $95 trip charge, $150 an hour on labor and retail cost for any equipment that needs to be replaced, most service calls will cost you over $500. For example, when you see a rate advertised for $27.99 that means there will be no warranty for equipment or hourly labor after 90 days from when your system is installed. These low monthly rates also require you to have traditional landline phone service since these system are basic standard digital systems. For some people who have a standard phone line this is an option for a very low monthly fee but the buyer must be aware of what they are getting. Less than 1% of our customers get these low rate packages. 

Let's look at the different monitoring service plans that include the Quality Service Plan for ADT Monthly Costs, what you will be able to monitor in each package and the free equipment you will receive with the package. 

How Much Does ADT Cost a Month for Standard Digital Home Security Monitoring?

These first few options require you to have a standard landline phone for them to connect to the ADT Central Station. Less than 5% of our customers get these packages.

ADT Standard Digital Monitoring: $36.99 a Month

This package requires a landline phone to communicate to the ADT Central Station. This monitoring rate does include the Quality Service Plan. Depending upon the equipment you choose to install, you will be able to have monitoring for burglary, fire and carbon monoxide protection.

Free Equipment Package

Security Panel with Keypad, Siren and Battery Backup

6 Wireless Door/Window Sensors or 15 DoorWindow Contacts for pre-wired homes

1 Motion Sensor

1 Key-Chain Remote

ADT Sign and Window Decals

ADT Standard Digital with Voice Connect - Bundle 1: $42.99 a Month

This package requires a landline phone to communicate to the ADT Central Station. This monitoring rate does include the Quality Service Plan. Depending upon the equipment you choose to install, you will be able to have monitoring for burglary, fire and carbon monoxide protection.

This package comes with two-way voice. In the event of an emergency alarm, you will be connected via a "speaker phone" to the Central Station Emergency Operator for hands free communication. Some police departs require you to have two-way voice audio verification of an alarm event or they will not respond to the alarm company dispatch call.The benefits of two-way voice are:

• Higher priority police response of audio verified alarm
• Voice challenge a burglar
• Reduces false alarms
• Hands free communication with the Central Station Emergency Operator in police and medical emergencies

Free Equipment Package

Security Panel with Keypad, Siren and Battery Backup

Two-way Voice Speaker and Microphone

6 Wireless Door/Window Sensors or 15 DoorWindow Contacts for pre-wired homes

1 Motion Sensor

1 Key-Chain Remote

ADT Sign and Window Decals

How Much Does ADT Cost for Monthly Monitoring with Cellular Communication to the Central Station?

Most homeowners no longer have a standard phone line installed so they need to have a system that communicates via a cellular GSM module. ADT monitored alarm systems that communicate via cellular also provide better security because they protect from phone lines being cut and send the alarm signal to the central station 4 times faster than standard digital system (less than 6 seconds compared to 24 seconds for standard digital).

The next two ADT monthly alarm costs are for cellular systems and about 10% of our customers choose these packages.

ADT Cellular Security Monitoring - Bundle 2: $44.99 a Month

This package communicates to the ADT Central Station via a cellular GSM module that is part of the ADT Security System.  This monitoring rate includes the Quality Service Plan. Depending upon the equipment you choose to install, you will be able to have ADT monitoring for burglary, fire and carbon monoxide protection.

Free Equipment Package

Security Panel with Keypad, Siren and Battery Backup

Cellular GSM Module

6 Wireless Door/Window Sensors or 15 DoorWindow Contacts for pre-wired homes

1 Motion Sensor

1 Key-Chain Remote

ADT Sign and Window Decals

ADT Cellular with Voice Connect - Bundle GSM: $47.99 a Month

This package communicates to the ADT Central Station via a cellular GSM module that is part of the ADT Security System. This monitoring rate includes the Quality Service Plan. Depending upon the equipment you choose to install, you will be able to have monitoring for burglary, fire and carbon monoxide protection.

This package comes with two-way voice. In the event of an emergency alarm, you will be connected via a "speaker phone" to the Central Station Emergency Operator for hands free communication. Some police departs require you to have two-way voice audio verification of an alarm event or they will not respond to the alarm company dispatch call.The benefits of two-way voice are:

• Higher priority police response of audio verified alarm
• Voice challenge a burglar
• Reduces false alarms
• Hands free communication with the Central Station Emergency Operator in police and medical emergencies

Free Equipment Package

Security Panel with Keypad, Siren and Battery Backup

Cellular GSM Module

Two-way Voice Speaker and Microphone

6 Wireless Door/Window Sensors or 15 DoorWindow Contacts for pre-wired homes

1 Motion Sensor

1 Key-Chain Remote

ADT Sign and Window Decals

How Much Does ADT Pulse Cost and Why is it the Most Popular?

Our customers top choice for monitoring is ADT Pulse. Over 85% of all our customers choose a Pulse monitoring service plan. Why so popular..... I believe it is because we as a society love our mobile devices and now we can be connected to our homes. It's so nice to be able to know what is happening at home from wherever you are and be notified of emergency alarms and other triggered events like someone coming to your front door. Let's look at the different Pulse monitoring plans and what they include.

ADT Pulse Level 1A - $49.99 a month

This package communicates to the ADT Central Station via a cellular GSM module that is part of the ADT Security System.  This monitoring rate includes the Quality Service Plan. Depending upon the equipment you choose to install, you will be able to have ADT monitoring for burglary, fire and carbon monoxide protection.

This monitoring also includes the remote interactive services that give you the ability to remotely check the status of your ADT monitored security system, remotely arm and disarm your system and setup text and email notifications of emergency alarm events. You can also see the history events including alarm emergencies, arming and disarming times, security device events and will give you information on each security device that they are in good working order or need service. You will get this information from your personalized ADT Pulse web portal and be able to manage your system from this portal. Pulse Level I also gives you the ability to control your security system from the ADT Apps for iPhone, iPads and Androids.

With wireless security systems, the Pulse Level I communication between the "cloud" (your mobile devices and web portal) will happen via the cellular communication of the alarm panel. With hardwired alarm panels we will install a Pulse Gateway Hub that will connect to your router and use your Internet to communicate between your mobile devices and your ADT security system.

Free Equipment Package

Security Panel with Keypad, Siren and Battery Backup

Cellular GSM Module

Gateway Hub for hardwired security systems

6 Wireless Door/Window Sensors or 15 DoorWindow Contacts for pre-wired homes

1 Motion Sensor

1 Key-Chain Remote

ADT Sign and Window Decals

Pulse Level 1B adds Voice Connect - $53.99 a month

Same as Pulse Level 1A with the addition of two-way voice monitoring service.

This package comes with two-way voice. In the event of an emergency alarm, you will be connected via a "speaker phone" to the Central Station Emergency Operator for hands free communication. Some police departs require you to have two-way voice audio verification of an alarm event or they will not respond to the alarm company dispatch call.The benefits of two-way voice are:

• Higher priority police response of audio verified alarm
• Voice challenge a burglar
• Reduces false alarms
• Hands free communication with the Central Station Emergency Operator in police and medical emergencies

Pulse Level 2A - $58.99 a month OR

Pulse Level 2B with Voice Connect - $59.99 a month

We rarely offer these packages because they give customers the options to have either home automation or cameras. We have found that most customers want the flexibility to be able to upgrade their system over time as new technologies arrive. Unfortunately, Pulse Level 2 A&B monitoring plans do not give you the all the options to add all future products to your system since it is an either or package between home automation devices and video equipment.

Also, for just $1 more a month you will get all the flexibility you need and all the options you desire. It makes since to go with Pulse Level 3 monitoring plans once you want to add cameras or home automation devices.

Pulse Level 3A - $59.99 a month