How to Switch Alarm Companies
You can usually change who monitors your alarm without changing the alarm. The hard part is the paperwork, not the hardware.
Updated · DCSI, Inc., Lutz FL
A lot of people stay with an alarm company they're unhappy with because they assume leaving means tearing the system off the walls. It almost never does. The sensors on your doors and windows don't belong to a monitoring company in any meaningful sense — they're wired into the house, and most panels can report to whichever center you choose.
What does take care is the contract. Alarm agreements are written to renew, and the window to cancel cleanly is often short. This is the order we'd do it in.
Six Steps to Switch Cleanly
- 01
Find the contract and read three clauses
The term (how long you agreed to), the renewal clause (many agreements renew automatically for another year or more unless you cancel in writing), and the cancellation clause (how much notice, delivered how, and what it costs to leave early). If you can't find your copy, ask the current company to send it — they are required to have it.
- 02
Work out where you are in the term
If the original term has ended and the agreement has renewed, the notice window matters more than the fee. If you're still inside the original term, an early termination charge often applies — commonly some or all of the remaining monthly payments. Knowing the number lets you decide whether to switch now or at renewal.
- 03
Find out who owns the equipment
Equipment you bought outright is yours. Equipment that was leased or provided free in exchange for the contract may need to be returned or paid off. In practice the wired sensors in the walls stay with the house; the question is usually the panel and keypad.
- 04
Have the new company look at the panel first
Before you cancel, have the panel make and model identified. Most common panels can be taken over. Some are locked with an installer code the old company won't release, which may mean resetting the panel or replacing only the panel and communicator while keeping every sensor.
- 05
Schedule the cutover, then cancel
Line up the new monitoring start date first, then send cancellation in the form the contract requires — often written notice, sometimes by certified mail. Keep a copy and a record of the date. That order avoids a gap where the house reports to no one.
- 06
Test everything on the new account
Every door, window, motion detector, smoke detector, and keypad panic should be tested with the new monitoring center on the line, and the call list and passcode set fresh. It's also the moment to replace an old landline or 3G communicator with LTE cellular.
Signs It's Time to Switch
The company that installed the system was bought out and you've never spoken to the new one. Nobody calls when the alarm goes off, or the call comes from a center that doesn't know your house. The price went up at renewal. Or the panel still reports over a phone line you no longer have — our landline and 3G guide shows how to check.
If the answer to “who actually answers my alarm?” is “I don't know,” that alone is reason to look.
What a Takeover Costs Compared With a New System
A takeover is typically a programming visit, a new cellular communicator if the old one is landline or 3G, and testing — sometimes a new panel and keypad if the old one is locked or obsolete. A new system means a sensor on every opening. Keeping the wiring you already have is nearly always the cheaper path. Our cost guide breaks down what drives each.
Switching Questions
Can I switch alarm companies and keep my existing equipment?
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Usually, yes. The sensors and wiring in the walls work with most panels, and many panels can be taken over by a new company directly. If the panel is locked or too old to support a current communicator, the panel and communicator can be replaced while every existing sensor is kept, which costs far less than a new system.
How do I get out of an alarm monitoring contract?
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Read the contract's term, renewal, and cancellation clauses. Most require written notice within a set window before the renewal date, and many charge an early termination fee if you leave during the original term. Sending notice in exactly the form the contract specifies, and keeping a dated copy, is the step people most often get wrong.
What is a locked alarm panel?
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Many panels have an installer code that controls programming. Some companies keep that code from customers and other companies, which makes the panel hard to reprogram for a new monitoring account. Depending on the model, a locked panel can sometimes be defaulted, and otherwise the panel is swapped while the existing sensors stay in place.
I just signed with a door-to-door alarm salesperson. Can I cancel?
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The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule generally gives buyers three business days to cancel many sales made at their home, and the seller is supposed to tell you about that right in writing. Read the cancellation notice in your paperwork and act inside the window if you want out.
Does DCSI require a long-term contract after a takeover?
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No. We don't require long-term monitoring contracts, including on takeover accounts. Monitoring is handled by our own team at our center in Lutz.
Keep Reading
All guidesHow to Choose an Alarm Monitoring Company
In-house vs. wholesale monitoring, contract length, equipment ownership, and communication path.
Is Your Alarm Still on a Landline or 3G? How to Tell
Copper retirement and the 3G shutdown left many panels reporting to no one. How to check yours.
How Much Does a Home Security System Cost in Tampa?
What drives the price of an alarm system and monitoring, and the contract terms that cost buyers the most.
Keep the System. Change the Company.
Send us the panel make and model, or a photo of the keypad, and we'll tell you whether it can be taken over as is.