Alarm Relay

What Alarm Relay does

Alarm Relay, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned alarm monitoring company founded in 1972 and headquartered at 111 S. Marshall Ave., El Cajon, California. The company provides professional 24/7 monitoring of residential and commercial security systems through its own UL Certified and TMA Five Diamond Certified in-house central monitoring station, with hand-selected operators delivering an average 30-second response time. Core monitoring is offered in three communication tiers — landline ($8.95/month), internet ($13.95/month), and cellular ($19.95/month) — plus commercial fire and burglary monitoring starting at $29.95/month, with no long-term contracts required.

The company's technology stack relies on standard alarm signal transmission paths (landline, broadband, LTE cellular) routed to its own central station rather than to outsourced third parties. A key capability is system-takeover interoperability with existing panels from Honeywell, DSC, GE, and Interlogix, allowing customers to switch monitoring providers without replacing equipment. The product portfolio also includes a DIY hardware catalog (control panels, sensors, cameras, keypads, communicators, doorbells, kits) and the Rescu mobile app for single-tap emergency dispatch from a smartphone.

Alarm Relay operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model with no dealer network or physical retail: sales are driven via website (with state-specific landing pages across all 50 U.S. states), an 800-number inside-sales team, organic SEO, social media presence on six platforms, and a customer referral program. Setup is DIY-friendly with remote technical guidance rather than on-site installation. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring monthly monitoring subscriptions, supplemented by one-time equipment sales and a $35 setup/administration fee. The company holds multi-state regulatory licenses (California BSIS #5603, Oklahoma #1630, Texas TOPS B14037) and industry memberships (UL, TMA, SIA, CSAA, BBB), serving a granular, low-concentration base of individual homeowners and small commercial accounts.

Name

Alarm Relay

Legal name

Alarm Relay, Inc.

Website

https://alarmrelay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Alarm Relay is a family-owned, UL-certified alarm monitoring company founded in 1972 that provides 24/7 residential and commercial monitoring across all 50 U.S. states via its own in-house central station, selling low-cost, no-contract subscriptions direct to consumers through its website and phone channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alarm Monitoring Services

NAICS

Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621), Security Systems Services (56162)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAKAFAB

Commercial & Industrial Alarm Monitoring

Business & Public Services/Security & Investigations Services/Alarm Monitoring & Emergency Dispatch Services

SECONDARYHSAHAAAI

Fire Alarm Monitoring Services

Home & Personal Services/Home Security, Alarm & Smart Home Services/Monitored Security & Intrusion Alarm Services

SECONDARYCRAIAMAG

Alarm Systems & Monitoring Kits Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Home & Furniture Retail/Smart Home & Home Security Retail

Keywords

• Alarm monitoring services
• Home security monitoring
• Commercial fire monitoring
• Security equipment sales
• UL certified monitoring station

Headquarters

HQ city

El Cajon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Residential Monitoring Subscriptions: Monthly recurring monitoring fees for residential alarm systems across three tiers: landline ($8.95/mo), internet ($13.95/mo), and cellular ($19.95/mo). Billed monthly or annually at discounted rates.
2. Commercial Monitoring Subscriptions: Monthly recurring fees for commercial fire and burglary monitoring starting at $29.95/mo for fire monitoring, with burglary and combined plans available at custom pricing.
3. Equipment and Hardware Sales: One-time sales of security equipment including control panels, sensors, cameras, keypads, communicators, and complete alarm system kits.
4. Setup and Administration Fees: One-time $35 administration fee for system programming and account setup.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alarm Relay provides 24/7 professional alarm monitoring services for residential and commercial properties through an in-house UL-certified and TMA Five Diamond certified central monitoring station. The company offers three subscription tiers (Landline at $8.95/month, Internet at $13.95/month, Cellular at $19.95/month) and sells compatible security equipment including panels, sensors, cameras, keypads, communicators, and kits. They specialize in system takeover, enabling customers to switch monitoring providers while keeping existing alarm hardware.

Product overview

Alarm Relay is an alarm monitoring service provider offering a unified monitoring platform with three core monitoring tiers (Landline, Internet, Cellular) and associated equipment products. The core offering is professional 24/7 alarm monitoring with response times averaging 30 seconds, supported by in-house UL-certified and TMA Five Diamond certified monitoring stations. The product portfolio includes three monitoring service tiers differentiated by communication path (landline at $8.95/mo, internet at $13.95/mo, cellular at $19.95/mo), branded as Good, Better, and Best Protection respectively. Equipment products include security panels, cameras, sensors (door/window, motion, glass break, environmental), keypads, communicators, video doorbells, and pre-configured kits, all available for purchase alongside monitoring services. The Rescu App mobile application enables emergency dispatch directly from smartphones. The company specializes in system takeover services, allowing customers to keep existing alarm equipment while switching to Alarm Relay's monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landline Alarm Monitoring Entry-level 24/7 professional alarm monitoring using traditional phone lines for signal transmission, with UL-certified central station response for burglary, fire, and smoke monitoring at $8.95/month.
• Internet Alarm Monitoring Mid-tier 24/7 professional alarm monitoring using broadband internet for faster signal transmission, with smartphone app control, remote arm/disarm, email/text notifications, and smart home integration at $13.95/month.
• Cellular Alarm Monitoring Premium 24/7 professional alarm monitoring using LTE cellular networks with tamper-resistant dual-path communication, line-cut protection, power-outage protection, and continued operation during internet outages at $19.95/month.
• Commercial Fire Monitoring 24/7 NFPA-compliant fire alarm monitoring for commercial properties including restaurants, retail stores, offices, warehouses, and industrial facilities, with daily timer tests, burglary monitoring, opening/closing reports, and environmental hazard monitoring starting at $29.95/month.
• Rescu Mobile App Mobile application that allows users to dispatch police, fire, or ambulance from their smartphone with a single tap. Included with monitoring plans.
• Security Panels Central alarm control panels that manage and connect all security devices; compatible with existing systems for system takeover.
• Security Cameras Indoor and outdoor security cameras providing live and recorded video surveillance, often with night vision capabilities.
• Sensors Detection sensors including door/window contacts, motion detectors, glass break sensors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and environmental sensors.
• Keypads Control panel keypads for arming, disarming, and managing the security system locally.
• Communicators Cellular and internet communication modules that enable alarm signal transmission to the monitoring center, including 3G-to-LTE upgrades.
• Security System Kits Pre-configured bundles of security equipment including panels, sensors, and accessories for new installations.
• Security Accessories Additional security equipment and peripheral devices for enhancing system functionality.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30-second average response time verified by TMA Five Diamond certification
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Cove: DIY home security provider with no-contract professional monitoring tiers at competitive monthly pricing. Targets the same cost-sensitive residential switcher customer as Alarm Relay.

Direct peers

• ADT: Largest U.S. residential and commercial alarm monitoring provider. Direct competitor in the same subscription monitoring category with which Alarm Relay explicitly compares itself, though ADT operates at vastly greater scale and with proprietary hardware.
• Brinks Home: National alarm monitoring provider serving residential and commercial customers with professionally installed and DIY systems. Competes directly on subscription monitoring, pricing tiers, and nationwide service.
• SimpliSafe: DIY home security system with optional professional monitoring subscriptions. Directly competes on residential monitoring pricing and ease of self-installation, serving the same switcher-from-incumbent customer profile.
• Frontpoint: DIY home security with cellular monitoring and professional subscription plans. Overlaps directly on the no-contract, customer-friendly residential monitoring proposition.
• Ring (Amazon): DIY home security and video doorbell company (owned by Amazon) with optional Ring Alarm professional monitoring. Competes on subscription monitoring plus integrated smart home hardware.
• Ackerman Security: U.S. residential and commercial alarm monitoring provider with own central station. Direct comparable in subscription monitoring services, customer segment, and equipment-agnostic onboarding.
• Vivint: Smart home-integrated security and monitoring provider. Competes in residential alarm monitoring with bundled equipment and monitoring subscriptions, overlapping Alarm Relay's residential and light-commercial segment.
• Bay Alarm: Regional-to-national alarm monitoring company providing residential and commercial subscription monitoring. Closely comparable business model and UL/TMA certified monitoring station positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Xfinity Home (Comcast): Bundled home security and monitoring offering from a major U.S. telecom/cable incumbent. Competes in residential monitoring with the advantage of cross-sell into Comcast's broadband subscriber base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/alarmrelay
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AlarmRelay
• Facebookfacebook.com/AlarmRelay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alarm-relay-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/alarmrelay
• Pinterestpinterest.com/alarmrelay

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alarm Relay