FAQ

ADT is a monitored home security company that helps keeps your home and belongings safe. Services include ADT 24/7 monitoring, professional installation, intrusion detection, and home environmental monitoring. ADT has been in business for over a century and continues to administer high-quality customer service and efficient monitoring services.

ADT stands for American District Telegraph. This dates back to 1874 when ADT founder Edward Callahan created a telegraph-based "call-box" to signal for assistance to a central office.

Contact ADT customer service by calling 1-866-238-9934. You can visit our ADT Customer Service website as well.

ADT monitoring has nine interconnected monitoring centers because your security matters. By providing multiple centers stationed strategically throughout the United States, ADT monitoring can ensure some of the fastest response times. If the ADT monitoring center closest to you goes down for any reason, another is there to provide backup. You won’t lose response time in the event of natural disasters or other mishaps that might send a monitoring center offline. Your signal will be immediately sent to the next monitoring center in line.

You cannot use the ADT security system without monitoring. 24/7 ADT service ensures eyes on your home and belongings for maximum protection.

ADT is the only company that can monitor your ADT system. Over 20,000 ADT security professionals and nine owned and operated alarm monitoring centers help connect and protect what matters most daily.

ADT monitoring home security plans provide high-level surveillance and home automation features starting at $45.99 monthly.* Installation costs between $99 and $199. Your ADT security cost includes 24/7 monitoring, remote connectivity, instant alerts, and constant support from a professional team of specialists and emergency personnel—all for a price you can afford.

*With $99 installation charge and new monitoring agreement. Early termination fee applies. See below for full details.

We would hate to see you go. If you insist on canceling, call us at 1-866-238-9934. You cannot cancel your services online.

Yes, there are four guarantees/warranties ADT offers with monitoring services:

• Money-Back Service Guarantee - If, for whatever reason, you are not satisfied with your installation or service within the first six months of your contract, the ADT Money-Back Service Guarantee will allow you a full refund of any installation charges and monitoring fees if ADT is unable to resolve the issue. (Certain restrictions may apply).
• Theft Protection Guarantee - In the unlikely event that your home is robbed or broken into while your system is armed and in good working order, ADT will provide you with up to $500 of your insurance deductible (certain restrictions may apply).
• ADT Mover’s Guarantee - Customers who have been with ADT for at least two years (24 months) can receive a free security system of comparable price for their new home (certain restrictions may apply).
• Quality Service Plan Warranty - For an additional cost, the Quality Service Plan (QSP) helps cover you in the unlikely event that your equipment malfunctions or suffers accidental damage.

Some home insurance companies offer a Homeowner's Insurance Certificate. Due to ADT's excellent track record and reputation, some insurance companies may offer a discount on homeowner's insurance for homes secured by ADT. Talk with your insurance provider to find out if having an ADT security system can help you save on your homeowner's insurance.

Depending on the size of your pet and the specifics of the motion sensors used, your pet(s) may trigger a standard motion sensor or alarm. However, sensors from SafeStreets are smart enough to tell the difference between animals and humans. Typically any small pet that weighs less than 40 pounds will be immune to these sensors. ADT-monitored equipment offers pet-immune motion detectors that use heat sensors to tell the difference between your pet walking around the house and a human who may or may not have any business being there.

Yes, SafeStreets offers an advanced fire and smoke detection system that can find threats to your home and safety and contact those who can help.

You can ensure you've helped protect every nook and cranny of your home. Between motion sensors, cameras, and smoke detectors, the interior and exterior of your home are safe from any harm with ADT-monitored equipment.

ADT 2-Way Voice turns your home security system into a communications control center. You can call for help from up to 75 feet away thanks to a microphone that can pick up your normal speaking voice, and alert the monitoring center in an emergency.

Follow these simple steps to change the battery on the ADT panel.

• Before you replace the battery, put your system into Test Mode to prevent false alarms.
• Open your system's panel. (If you need a key to open your panel, it's often left on top of the panel.) After opening the panel, disconnect the wires on your battery by gently tugging them.  
• Replace the battery by connecting the RED wire to the RED tab on the battery and the BLACK wire to the BLACK tab.  
• Once the battery is connected, close the door to the panel. NOTE: The low battery indicator may be displayed for up to 48 hours while the battery charges. The indicator should clear the message once the batteries are recharged.  
• Remember to remove the system from Test Mode.

You don’t own the ADT-monitored equipment; you lease it. The price of the equipment is rolled into your monthly monitoring payment.

There’s a process that happens when your ADT alarm goes off:

• A trained ADT monitoring professional will call you using the 2-Way Voice feature.
• The trained professional will ask questions about the situation to verify an emergency occurred. You will share details with the trained professional to ensure an efficient, appropriate, and fast response in an emergency.
• If the situation demands, the ADT monitoring agent will notify and dispatch the necessary emergency personnel to assist you.

When it comes to monitoring services, ADT offers two options:

• Landline Security System - uses your home telephone line to connect with the company's monitoring center. Your home phone line will be the primary communication channel between your home and ADT monitoring centers. Still, if an outage occurs, the cellular connection takes over, ensuring you can always contact help.
• Non-Landline Security System - uses cellular technology to communicate with the security company’s monitoring center.

No, using your phone line does not affect your alarm monitoring service. If you're on a phone call and something triggers the ADT alarm for any reason, ADT monitoring will take over your phone line to contact our monitoring center, ensuring that your safety comes first.

If you lose power, your ADT-monitored security system will not turn off and leave you vulnerable to a break-in or fire. Your alarm system has a backup battery to prevent it from turning off. To maintain this backup power source, keep the backup battery charged as much as possible. When your battery is low, the ADT monitoring center receives a low-battery signal and can alert you to help solve the problem.