Monitored alarm costs: what affects the price?
Monitored alarm prices vary a lot between providers - and it's rarely a straight like-for-like comparison. Here's a plain-English breakdown of what actually drives the cost, including how AMCO compares to providers such as ADT and Verisure.
Want the full feature-by-feature breakdown instead? See our detailed alarm comparison
What should you expect to pay?
Costs vary by property and system, but as a general guide, a genuinely monitored alarm typically breaks down into two parts.
Monthly monitoring & maintenance
£23-£55 /month
Covers 24/7 monitoring, and often scheduled maintenance visits depending on the plan. The wide range reflects the difference between key-holder-only response and full police-response monitoring.
Equipment & installation
£750-£2,500 one-off
Depends on property size and sensor count. Be cautious of offers well below this range - they're often rental-based, meaning you don't own the equipment outright.
Many security companies - Verisure for example - don't publish prices online at all, preferring to quote via a salesperson after a home visit. AMCO takes the opposite approach: we give real prices and quotes over the phone, in minutes.
Get a free quoteFive factors that affect alarm pricing
Two quotes that look similar on the surface can be very different underneath. These are the five things that actually move the price.
Equipment type
Wired vs wireless, and the mix of sensor types specified - this alone can move the equipment cost significantly.
Monitoring type
Police-response monitoring costs more to run than a simple key-holder call-out, and signalling categories vary between providers.
Maintenance included
Some plans include scheduled engineer visits; others are remote-only, which can look cheaper but cost more if something needs fixing on-site.
Ownership model
Do you own the equipment outright, or is it on a rental/lease model some competitors use? Rentals can look cheap up front but cost more long-term.
Standards compliance
Is the installer and monitoring centre British Standards / SSAIB certified? Certification affects both quality and your insurer's acceptance.
Not sure what a fair price looks like?
Tell us about your property and we'll give you a real, itemised price over the phone - no salesperson visit required.
Fair pricing, honestly explained
We'd rather you understood exactly what you're paying for than sign up to a quote that looks cheap and turns out not to be, once monitoring type, maintenance and ownership are taken into account.
What you get with AMCO
- Insurance-compliant, SSAIB certified installation and monitoring
- Both police-response and keyholder monitoring options available
- LiveTalk two-way audio monitoring - see how it works
- Family-owned, with a personal service rather than a call-centre script
- AMCO doesn't hike monitoring fees on existing customers over time
What "police-response monitoring" actually means
This is the single biggest thing separating a genuinely monitored alarm from a cheaper alternative - and part of why prices vary so much.
AMCO listens via microphone
An intruder breaks in and activates LiveTalk monitoring - we listen into the property immediately.
AMCO challenges via speaker
The intruder is startled as AMCO staff verbally challenge them via a speaker in the property.
AMCO alerts emergency services
AMCO alerts the police. The intruder runs away quickly - empty handed.
Already have an alarm from another provider? You can usually add AMCO's LiveTalk monitoring from around £650 without replacing your existing equipment.
How LiveTalk worksRead the full explanation of monitored alarms and response types on our monitored alarms guide.
Equipment matters as much as the monthly fee
AMCO fits the Texecom Premier Elite range with Ricochet wireless technology, which is specifically designed to minimise wireless sensors "dropping off" - a common complaint with cheaper wireless kits. Better equipment costs a little more up front, but causes far fewer false alarms and call-backs over the life of the system.
See the Premier Elite systemTexecom Premier Elite + Ricochet
A self-healing wireless mesh network, so sensors stay connected reliably rather than losing signal over time.
Questions to ask when comparing monitored alarm quotes
Real prices, no salesperson visit
Get a genuine, itemised quote today
Prefer the full feature comparison first? See how AMCO compares before you call.
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