Modern home security systems including those offered by companies such as ADT have gained popularity in recent times. Innovatively, the latest security systems are being developed on the internet to allow security management through Smartphones and home automation. This often confuses many homeowners and they end up asking a common question - does my ADT alarm still work if the internet connection is disconnected?
Fortunately, though, this means that your ADT security will not be affected by a loss of connection to the Internet. For wired connections, your basic landline-connected ADT systems will remain fully operational, even in the absence of the Internet in your home. Still, they come with internet dependency, for example, smartphone notification and remote control options will be unavailable when there is no internet connection.
How ADT Alarms Work?
To answer the question of why ADT alarm system are possible without internet access, it is necessary to understand how ADT systems are constructed and how they operate. Here are the key components of a traditional ADT home security system:
Control Panel
This is an important part of the alarm system since the control panel is the heart of the entire system, as it processes signals received from the sensors and initiates the alarms. Unlike the internet, the control panel shall be able to detect intrusions and sound on-site alarms even when they are out of reach.
Landline Connection
While more and more households have been disowning their home phone, the majority of the ADT systems work with the traditional POTS line to connect to ADT’s central monitoring station. When a particular alarm is activated, the control panel immediately dials an emergency number through the landline. This means that ADT can make authorities go to your home even if you lose your WiFi.
Backup Battery
Parts of ADT control panels have a backup battery to ensure that the system continues to work in the event of a power blackout. This battery ensures that the security system runs even during a power failure for a few hours, or up to a full day depending on the system.
Sensors
The motion detectors, entry detectors, smoke detectors, and other security detectors will not require an internet or landline connection to sense emergencies at your home. These sensors transmit wireless messages to the ADT control panel. This means that whenever there is power, the sensors will be continuously protecting your home despite having no internet connection.
Therefore it is clear that although the ADT home security systems possess the ability to operate internet-connected capabilities, the basic alarm systems do not necessarily need the internet for the primary feature of detecting intruders, as long as the traditional landline is accessible. Despite its dependency on the phone line being cut, the system, along with lights and the siren, will work on battery power when intruders trigger your home’s sensors.
Internet-Dependent ADT Features
While the alarms in ADT systems operate without the need for the Internet, many of the additional features of ADT are impossible to arrange without a stable WiFi connection. Some of the main features such as the ADT mobile app, video monitoring, and home automation need an internet connection.
ADT Pulse Mobile App
Lastly, ADT’s mobile application lets you remotely supervise and adjust your system through most iOS and Android mobile devices. However, for effective use, one has to be connected to the internet at home since the app does not relay the real-time status of the system or send commands to the control panel. If there is any system activity that you completed while not connected to WiFi, it will appear as updated in the app after reconnection to the home network.
Live Video Monitoring
Enhancing the ADT video surveillance to include ADT wireless streaming security cameras enables the users to monitor the activities of the system through a portable device. Internet connection is required at home to support live remote viewing through the ADT app, as well as on the accessing mobile gadget. Any video that is recorded when a WiFi connection is unavailable or out of coverage will be available for viewing in the app once the connection is available again just like the other remote features.
Home Automation
ADT Pulse bundles include standard home automation functions such as wireless lighting and climate control. The homeowner can control the lighting, temperature settings, smart door locks, and even other Z-Wave devices within their home by using the ADT Pulse application on their mobile phones. However, the internet means that the applications needed for managing integrated smart devices remotely will not be available when the Internet is not available. However, actual home automation rules and routines set to run automatically without any need to be controlled through the app will still run as scheduled.
What would happen if we fail to pay our bills for the landline?
Wired telephones are slowly disappearing from homes as more households adopt no-wirephone full cellular phone systems. However, the majority of security providers such as ADT still rely on copper-wire telephone lines to transfer communication signals between home security systems and monitoring centers.
But, what happens when you do not have access to your landline telephone connection? It may be that you just shifted to a new service provider offering web-based telephone communication. Or perhaps you only need mobile phones and the one time you wanted to make a call using the landline you realized that it was disconnected. Is there any adverse effect in an ADT alarm system if a homeowner removes the telephone line in his home?
The short answer is no. The good news is that, in most circumstances, disconnecting your standard phone lines does NOT impair fundamental ADT security operations as long as you have electricity and cellular/internet service. However, switching from landline does impact two key things: However, switching from landline does impact two key things:
1. Telephone or other data communication with the ADT monitoring center
Of all the aspects to consider when selecting a landline substitute, the most important is preserving the ability for emergency signal transmission. Wireless signaling now makes it possible for signals to transfer through the cellular networks directly to the ADT call centers instead of phone lines.
If you cut your dial tone connection for your home without connecting a cellular communicator, your ADT system WILL NOT be able to send out alarms and get a response from monitoring centers for an emergency dispatcher. New additional cellular communication upgrades for existing ADT customers are around $10 monthly added to your monitoring monthly rate.
2. Backup signal transmission
In situations when both cell and internet signals are down, the uncommon backup used is a landline, which guarantees that the security system can get help. Eliminating all three connectivity sources is detrimental in the sense that alarm monitoring may be rendered vulnerable. However, cellular systems are more likely to send check-in signals to ensure connectivity than the landlines though these are sent more frequently than the latter. Thus, the cellular with an internet backup should be considered to be more reliable in total.
How to Stay Connected During the Internet Blackout?
Having an option of using cellular data or accessing a temporary home WiFi connection can help reduce any interruptions in your internet connectivity when the primary home internet provider fails. Here are some options to explore for minimizing downtime when outages strike:
On the internet, it is recommended that people use their cell phones as WiFi hotspots. Activating a ‘hotspot’ on a cellular-supported smartphone or mobile hotspot enables the use of the internet to reconnect smart devices at home. This range of a mobile hotspot is generally up to 30 feet if indoors.
Sync Critical Devices to Cellular Instead of consumer-grade internet providers which may not be as secure, backup the security system and the other smart devices on cellular data plans for a more permanent solution. Most of the ADT hardware comes with enhancements for cellular connectivity.
Install Backup Generator Standby generators provide emergency electricity to sustain vital home power systems in cases of long durations of power failure. Generators enable you to connect to the internet using wall sockets as well as security system batteries. Stationary generators begin at a couple of thousand dollars and that cost can increase if you hire someone to install it for you.
In Summary, It is important to note that the basic intrusion detection capabilities offered by your ADT home security system do not necessitate an internet connection. These systems will remain functional in a normal fashion as long as the Internet and/or landline connection is unavailable at home. However, losing connection to WiFi means that home automation is rendered useless, the smartphone notification feature, and live streaming. Having backup internet through LTE or generators can help reduce any disruptions in connectivity. However, it is also important to remember that the most important is to maintain one when your system should be able to send alarm signals to the emergency responders.
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