Home Security Radar

Professional Monitoring for Equipment You Already Own

It depends on what you own. SimpliSafe and Ring kits are monitored by their own brand (we found no third-party option): SimpliSafe Core is $1.10/day and Ring Pro $19.99/month as of October 2026. Traditional panels (Honeywell, DSC, Qolsys, 2GIG) can use no-contract third parties such as Alarm Grid (from $15/month) or Surety (from $19/month). Mixed smart gear usually cannot.

Figures researched 2026-10-01; each source below carries its access date. Prices change; treat any price here as "as of" its date.

Which monitoring can you add to the equipment you have?

Start with the hardware, because it decides your options. Prices and terms as of October 2026:

What you ownWho can monitor it professionallyPublished priceContract
SimpliSafe systemSimpliSafe (we found no third-party option)Core $1.10/day (about $33/month), Pro $1.66/day, Pro Plus $2.66/dayNo contract
Ring AlarmRing, via the Ring Pro plan$19.99/month or $199.99/yearNot stated as a contract on the plans page
Ring cameras (live agents watching video)Ring Virtual Security Guard$99/month per location, 175 eventsMonthly, cancel any time
Wyze sensors or Wyze camsWyze, through NoonlightSee Wyze's plan pageNo contracts
Traditional panel: Honeywell/Resideo, DSC, Qolsys, 2GIG, InterlogixThird-party monitoring companies, e.g. Alarm Grid$15 to $45/month for central station plansNo contracts
Qolsys, 2GIG, DSC, Interlogix panels on Alarm.comAlarm.com dealers such as Surety$19 to $29/month with professional monitoringMonth-to-month
Old wired sensors with no working panelKonnected board plus a monitoring service of your choiceBoard $219; monitoring priced separatelyVaries

SimpliSafe's monthly figure is our arithmetic on a 30-day month.

In short, closed DIY ecosystems (SimpliSafe, Ring, Wyze) sell monitoring only for their own gear, while traditional alarm panels speak standard protocols that independent central stations can receive. That is why owners of older pro-installed systems often have more choice than owners of newer DIY kits.

How do third-party monitoring companies take over a system?

Alarm Grid's takeover page is a useful map of what is involved. It says it will monitor any system with a communicator it can support, and lists by panel what you need. Common requirements:

  1. The installer code or master code for the panel, for some models.
  2. A communicator the company supports. Panels that only have a phone line can often be fitted with a cellular communicator.
  3. A release from the previous monitoring company. Alarm Grid states that a communicator used with another company should be released first, and that Alarm.com communicators "must always be released or replaced."
  4. A firmware version new enough for the communicator.

Alarm Grid's plans as of October 2026: Bronze $15/month (landline or internet), Silver $25 (internet, interactive app), Gold $35 (cellular), Platinum $45 (cellular plus video), all through a UL Listed central station with no activation fees and no contracts. Self-monitoring versions run $10 to $35. Surety, which monitors Alarm.com based panels such as Qolsys IQ, 2GIG GC2/GC3, DSC and Interlogix, lists plans from $14/month self-monitored and adds 5-Diamond professional monitoring for $5 more, month-to-month. Surety also notes that original IQ Panels and DSC Touch panels use 3G radios that cannot be registered for new accounts.

If you just moved into a house with a panel on the wall, the steps are the same; see monitoring an existing alarm system for the move-in version.

What about cameras and smart home gear?

Cameras on their own are the hardest case. Professional monitoring means a center that receives an alarm signal and requests dispatch, and most consumer cameras send app notifications, not alarm signals. The live-agent services that do watch cameras only accept their own brand: Ring's Virtual Security Guard needs listed Ring cameras, and SimpliSafe's Active Guard needs its Series 2 outdoor camera or doorbell. Pricing for those is in remote video monitoring cost.

Wyze is the exception among budget brands: its support site says it works with Noonlight to provide 24/7 professional monitoring, either through Wyze Home Monitoring (sensors and hub) or a camera plan for Wyze cams you already own, with no contracts.

If your house has old wired door and window sensors, Konnected sells a 12-zone board ($219, board only) that connects those existing sensors to a smart home system. Konnected says the core system works without a monthly fee and that professional monitoring is an optional extra that may cost more. If you run Home Assistant, security systems that work with Home Assistant covers which platforms integrate and how.

Is it worth adding monitoring to a DIY setup?

The decision is the same one any self-monitoring owner faces: who acts when you cannot? Self-monitoring vs professional monitoring lays out the trade-off, and is professional monitoring worth it runs the numbers by household.

Two DIY-specific points. First, if you already own the hardware, the monthly fee is the whole cost, so the cheapest compatible plan is usually the right one; cheapest professional monitoring ranks the published options. Second, a self-monitored system leaves smoke and carbon monoxide alerts on your phone only. If your sensors include smoke or CO detection, professional monitoring is what turns them into a dispatch when no one is home.

If your equipment is a traditional panel and you want competing quotes rather than a single brand's price, our questionnaire at /quote fetches quotes from professional monitoring providers.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get professional monitoring for my SimpliSafe system from another company?
Not from any provider we found. SimpliSafe sells its own monitoring plans, starting with Core at $1.10/day as of October 2026, all month-to-month with no contract. The third-party takeover and compatibility lists we checked (Alarm Grid and Surety) cover traditional panels, not SimpliSafe.
What is the cheapest way to monitor an old alarm panel I already own?
A no-contract third-party central station. Alarm Grid lists central station monitoring from $15/month on a landline or internet connection and $35/month on cellular, as of October 2026. Cellular costs more but keeps working if a phone or internet line is cut.
Do I need the installer code to switch monitoring companies?
For some panels, yes. Alarm Grid's takeover list marks which models need the installer or master code, and says the previous company must release the communicator first. If the code is unknown and the panel cannot be defaulted, the panel or communicator may need replacing.
Can a monitoring company watch my existing security cameras?
Generally only cameras from the same brand as the service. Ring's Virtual Security Guard ($99/month) watches listed Ring cameras, and SimpliSafe's Active Guard works with its own Series 2 outdoor camera and doorbell. We did not find a consumer service that accepts any brand of camera at a published price.

Sources

  1. SimpliSafe Core $1.10/day, Pro $1.66/day, Pro Plus $2.66/day; no contract; Active Guard works with Video Doorbell (Series 2) and Outdoor Camera (Series 2): https://simplisafe.com/features-alarm-monitoring (accessed 2026-10-01)
  2. Ring Pro $19.99/month or $199.99/year, includes 24/7 Professional Monitoring: https://ring.com/plans (accessed 2026-10-01)
  3. Ring Virtual Security Guard $99/month per location, 175 events; monthly, cancel any time: https://ring.com/virtual-security-guard-real-time-monitoring (accessed 2026-10-01)
  4. Ring VSG requires a compatible Ring camera: https://ring.com/support/articles/flc8u/requirements-for-virtual-security-guard (accessed 2026-10-01)
  5. Wyze works with Noonlight for 24/7 professional monitoring via Wyze Home Monitoring or a camera plan for Wyze cams you already own; no contracts: https://support.wyze.com/hc/en-us/articles/25941193099931-Professional-Monitoring-and-Self-Monitoring-with-Wyze (accessed 2026-10-01)
  6. Alarm Grid central station plans Bronze $15, Silver $25, Gold $35, Platinum $45 per month; self plans $10 to $35; UL Listed central station; no activation fees, no contracts: https://www.alarmgrid.com/monitoring (accessed 2026-10-01)
  7. Alarm Grid takeover requirements: supported communicator, installer or master code for some panels, firmware, communicator released by previous company; Alarm.com communicators must always be released or replaced: https://www.alarmgrid.com/faq/which-systems-can-alarm-grid-take-over (accessed 2026-10-01)
  8. Surety plans $14 to $24/month self-monitored, +$5/month for 5-Diamond professional monitoring ($19 to $29), month-to-month: https://suretyhome.com/plans/ (accessed 2026-10-01)
  9. Surety compatible panels: IQ Panel 4, Qolsys IQ Panel 2/2+, 2GIG Edge, GC3/GC3e, GC2/GC2e, Simon XT/XTi, DSC Neo, Interlogix NX, Concord 4, DSC Impassa; original IQ Panel and DSC Touch 3G radios cannot be registered for new accounts: https://suretyhome.com/existing-equipment/check-system-compatibility/ (accessed 2026-10-01)
  10. Konnected Alarm Panel Pro (Board Only) $219, 12 zones, uses existing wired sensors and siren: https://konnected.io/products/alarm-panel-pro-board-only (accessed 2026-10-01)
  11. Konnected: core system useful without a required monthly fee; optional professional monitoring may cost extra: https://konnected.io/pages/smart-home-security-system-no-monthly-fee (accessed 2026-10-01)

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