Alarm Monitoring Response Times: Published Figures Only
As of October 2026, ADT and Vivint each publish an average monitoring response time of about 10 seconds from when an alarm signal reaches the center, and Alarm Relay publishes an average under 30 seconds. These figures measure operator response, not police arrival. eufy publishes a 60-second dispatch sequence. Ring, Cove, Abode and Frontpoint publish no figure on the pages we checked.
Figures researched 2026-10-01; each source below carries its access date. Prices change; treat any price here as "as of" its date.
Published monitoring response times by provider
Only figures a company publishes on its own site are listed. Each was checked October 2026.
| Provider | Published figure | What the company says it measures | Where and when published |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADT | Average 10 seconds | Time for its emergency response team to reach out after an alarm signal is received, based on ADT call center data | ADT customer products page; ADT newsroom says the average was reported in 2025 |
| Vivint | About 10 seconds (also "less than 10 seconds") | Average response time; immediate voice response | Vivint articles dated 2022 (updated 2025) and 2016 |
| Alarm Relay | Average under 30 seconds | Average alarm response time at its central station, 24/7 | Pricing page |
| SimpliSafe | Under 30 seconds, for Active Guard only | Agents reacting to outdoor camera threats on Pro and Pro Plus plans, not standard alarm handling | Monitoring page |
| eufy (monitoring by Noonlight) | Dispatch confirmation in 5 seconds, follow-up call at 30 seconds, dispatch at 60 seconds | Its published dispatch sequence when you do not respond or confirm safety, not an operator average | Professional monitoring page |
| Brinks Home | No figure for its own center | Says a security company's time from alert to reporting to police "is often under a minute", as a general statement | Brinks article on alarm response times |
| Ring | None found | Plans page | |
| Cove | None found | Says you can confirm or cancel an alarm "in seconds" by text | Homepage |
| Abode | None found | Plans page | |
| Frontpoint | None found | Monitoring page returned no text to our fetch |
"None found" means we read the provider's monitoring or plans page and found no number. It does not mean the provider is slow, only that it does not publish a figure we can cite.
We found no independent source that measures these companies against each other; the figures above are self-reported, with different definitions. Treat a 10-second average and an under-30-second average as roughly the same tier rather than a ranking.
What response time does and does not include
A monitoring company's response time covers one link in a longer chain:
- Entry delay. Most systems give you a window to disarm before the panel sends an alarm at all; the length is set on your panel.
- Signal to operator. The panel's signal reaches the center and an operator picks it up. This is the number ADT, Vivint and Alarm Relay publish.
- Verification. The operator calls or texts you or your contacts, or checks video where the plan includes it. Several providers now let you confirm or cancel by text.
- Dispatch request. The operator calls the local emergency dispatch center.
- Police travel time. Set by your local department, its call priority rules, and whether it requires verification before it responds to a burglar alarm.
Steps 2 to 4 are where the provider has control. Step 5 is usually the longest and is not something any monitoring company can promise. Our guide to what happens when an alarm goes off walks through the full sequence, and do police respond to burglar alarms covers verified-response policies that can delay or prevent dispatch.
Verification is where plans differ most. SimpliSafe says its agents can verify threats with video evidence on select plans, which can mean priority dispatch and faster police response. How video verification works, and which plans include it, is in video verification explained.
How to use these numbers when you choose a provider
A fast operator response is worth having, but the published figures are close enough that they should rarely decide between providers on their own. Three questions matter more:
- Is the center certified? A UL Listed or TMA Five Diamond center is audited against published requirements. The UL-listed central station guide explains what that covers and how to check a provider's listing.
- Does the plan include verification? Video or text verification can change how your police department prioritizes the call.
- What happens if you are unreachable? Ask the provider its exact sequence (who it calls, in what order, and when it requests dispatch).
If a provider quotes a response time in a sales call, ask what it measures and over what period, then compare it with the published figures above. Our quote tool fetches quotes from professional monitoring providers through a short questionnaire, which gives you a list of companies to put those questions to. Whether you need professional monitoring at all is covered in is professional monitoring worth it.
Frequently asked questions
- How fast does ADT respond to an alarm?
- ADT publishes an average response time of 10 seconds, based on its call center, measured from when an alarm signal is received. Its newsroom says that average was reported in 2025. That is the operator's response, not the time for police to arrive.
- What is a good alarm monitoring response time?
- The published figures from the providers covered here range from about 10 seconds (ADT, Vivint) to under 30 seconds (Alarm Relay). Each company measures its own figure, so treat anything under 30 seconds as comparable rather than ranking them by a few seconds.
- How long does it take police to respond to a burglar alarm?
- No national figure is published by the monitoring companies covered here, and police response depends on your local department's priorities and whether it requires alarm verification. Brinks describes the monitoring company's part as often under a minute. Ask your local department about its alarm response policy.
- Does SimpliSafe publish a response time?
- SimpliSafe says its Active Guard agents can react in less than 30 seconds to outdoor camera threats on its Pro and Pro Plus plans. We found no published response-time figure for its standard alarm monitoring on its monitoring page.
Sources
- ADT: emergency response team reaches out in seconds of an alarm signal being received; average response time is 10 seconds, based on ADT call center: https://www.adt.com/customer/products (accessed 2026-10-01)
- ADT responds in an average of 10 seconds when an alarm signal is received (average response time reported in 2025); six U.S. monitoring centers, UL-certified: https://newsroom.adt.com/employee-experience/what-makes-adt-monitoring-different-5-reasons-it-stands-out (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Vivint average response time of approximately 10 seconds (article dated May 26, 2022, modified 2025): https://www.vivint.com/resources/article/customers-review-professional-monitoring (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Vivint immediate voice response averages less than 10 seconds (article dated June 29, 2016): https://www.vivint.com/resources/article/monitored-alarm-systems-decrease-response-time-emergency-events (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Alarm Relay central station average alarm response time under 30 seconds, 24/7/365: https://alarmrelay.com/pricing/ (accessed 2026-10-01)
- SimpliSafe: agents can assess and react in less than 30 seconds (Active Guard outdoor protection); video verification on select plans can mean priority dispatch and faster police response: https://simplisafe.com/features-alarm-monitoring (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Brinks Home: response time from the security company from alert to reporting the incident to police is often under a minute: https://brinkshome.com/smartcenter/home-alarm-response-times (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Cove: confirm or cancel your alarm in seconds via text message: https://www.covesmart.com/ (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Ring plans page: no response time figure; Ring does not own its monitoring center: https://ring.com/plans (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Abode plans page: dispatchers verify the event and immediately contact emergency services; no numeric response time: https://goabode.com/plans/ (accessed 2026-10-01)
- eufy (monitoring and dispatch by Noonlight): dispatch confirmation sent in 5 seconds, follow-up call in 30 seconds if no response, local emergency service dispatched in 60 seconds unless safety is confirmed: https://us.eufy.com/pages/professional-monitoring-service (accessed 2026-10-01)
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