A lot of homes in the Oklahoma City metro already have an alarm panel by the front door. Sometimes the last owner left it. Sometimes you've had it for years and you're done with the company that put it in. Either way, there's no reason to rip out equipment that still works, and no reason to keep equipment that doesn't.
Here's how we decide.
1. The panel
The panel, or hub, is the brain of the system. It's usually the keypad or touchscreen near the door you use most. Look for a brand name on the front or inside the door that covers the battery.
Some panels are open, which means any qualified installer can program them. Others are locked by the company that installed them, using an installer code only that company knows. A locked panel can sometimes be released by the old company. If it can't, it may need to be replaced, even if the sensors around the house are fine.
We'll check which kind you have during the assessment and tell you plainly.
2. How it talks to the outside world
A monitored alarm has to reach the monitoring center somehow: a phone line, the internet or a cellular radio inside the panel.
Here's the catch with older systems. Many panels used a 3G cellular radio, and the major carriers shut down their 3G networks in 2022. A panel with a 3G radio can still beep and arm, but it can't send an alarm to anyone. Some of them show a communication trouble message. Some show nothing at all. (Alarm Grid)
The fix is usually a new LTE communicator for the panel, or a newer panel if the old one can't take one. It's a common job, and it's one of the first things we check.
3. The sensors
Door and window sensors, motion sensors and glass break sensors are often fine to keep if they work with the panel you end up with.
- Wired sensors are in the walls and frames. If the wiring is good, they can often stay.
- Wireless sensors have small batteries. They can stay too, as long as they're compatible with the panel and the batteries are healthy.
Where a home needs new door or window sensors, we use wireless ones, so there's no drilling through trim or running new wire through finished walls.
Smoke and CO detectors deserve their own check. Smoke alarms should be replaced 10 years after the date they were made, and CO alarms on the schedule the manufacturer sets. (NFPA) The date is on the back.
4. Whose contract it is
If you bought the house, the last owner's monitoring agreement is theirs, not yours. You don't inherit it, and you don't have to keep their company. You'll set up your own monitoring.
If the system is yours and you're still under contract with another company, read the end date and the cancellation terms before you switch. We'll help you look at it, but it's your call when to move.
What to do before you call anyone
- Find the panel and write down the brand. A photo of the keypad and the inside of the battery door is perfect.
- Note any trouble messages or beeping. "Comm trouble," "check" or a slow chirp all tell us something.
- Don't sign anything with the old company yet. Find out what you have first.
- Change the codes. Whoever lived there before knows them. If you can't get into the panel, we can reset it as part of the takeover.
- Check your city's permit. Inside Oklahoma City limits, an alarm needs a city permit within 15 days of the system starting to work, and police don't investigate automatic burglar alarms from systems without one. The permit lists who the city should call in an emergency, so it needs to be in your name. (City of Oklahoma City)
Take over, upgrade or replace
After the assessment, it usually comes down to one of three paths:
- Take it over. The panel is open, it can reach the monitoring center, and the sensors work. We program it for you, change the codes and start your monitoring.
- Upgrade it. The panel is fine, but it needs a new communicator, a few new wireless sensors or cameras to cover what it misses.
- Replace it. The panel is locked, too old to update or not worth the trouble. We keep any sensors that still work with the new panel.
We'll tell you which path makes sense and why, and you decide. We're licensed to install ADT, and we work with or without ADT equipment, so the answer isn't decided before we walk in.
FAQs
Can you take over a system from another company?
Often, yes. It depends on whether the panel is open or locked, and whether it can reach a monitoring center. We'll check both during the free assessment.
My panel still beeps and arms. Does that mean it's monitored?
Not necessarily. A panel with an old 3G radio can still arm and sound the siren but can't send an alarm to anyone. We'll test it.
Do I have to keep the last owner's alarm company?
No. Their agreement is theirs. You can choose your own company and monitoring.