ADT Security Services

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ADT Security Services also known as ADT fire and security or simply ADT is a division of Tyco International and a major worldwide supplier of electronic security and fire alarm systems, communication systems and integrated building management systems.

ADT Fire & Security.
ADT Fire & Security logo
Type
Founded 1874, acquired by Tyco 1997
Headquarters Boca Raton, Florida
Industry Fire detection, Fire suppression, Security systems, Communication systems
Website ADT Worldwide

Contents

[edit] Company overview

ADT is one of the leading providers of CCTV, intruder, access control and fire alarm systems and are partnered with Sensormatic (another division of Tyco) to provide Electronic article surveillance equipment and many other products designed to reduce company shrinkage.

With over 20 million customers nationwide (US) ADT has grown to be a powerhouse of the securities industry.

[edit] Authorized dealer group

ADT has an [1]Authorized Dealer program and ADT Authorized Dealers are responsible to bring new customers to ADT. They also use [2]Ademco products like ADT Corporate but they give more discounts then ADT Corporate.

[edit] Products and services

  • Home security
  • Intruder alarms
  • Fire detection
  • Public address and voice alarm (PA/VA)
  • Fixed fire extinguishing and suppression systems
  • Access control systems
  • CCTV
  • Care communications (Nurse call, disabled refuge and toilet alarms, lone worker protection, staff attack alert systems)
  • Electronic article surveillance (Commonly known as tagging)
  • Building management systems
  • 24 hour alarm Monitoring
  • Security systems service and maintenance

ADT UK has also a specialist vehicle division tasked to create and maintain CCTV and riot control vehicles for police forces around the country.

[edit] Global span

ADT is a global company, below is a brief overview of the main areas of global spread.

[edit] The Americas

ADT has branches covering the United states, Canada and Latin America.

[edit] Europe

ADT has branches in at least 19 countries in Europe. ADT UK and Ireland has 41 branches employing around 6000 people. ADT Europe has an annual turnover of at least £800 million.

[edit] Africa

ADT has a branch in South Africa.

[edit] Asia

ADT has branches in at least 7 countries in Asia.

[edit] Australasia

ADT has branches in Australia and New Zealand. They have the contract for maintaining Cityrail's CCTV system[3].

[edit] About ADT systems

ADT Home Security's main product is alarm monitoring service, whereby they maintain a centralized monitoring station that receives electronic signals from your alarm system when an alarm event is triggered, such as in the case of an intrusion. A live monitoring specialist examines the data being received from your alarm system and attempts to determine the type of response the alarm signal warrants. In most cases the monitoring specialist will promptly attempt to contact your residence via telephone to investigate further and determine if the signal is a false alarm. Beyond that, if necessary, the monitoring specialist can notify your local police department and/or an authorized security response service of your alarm status and your address. ADT maintains five monitoring stations in the United States, each one monitoring over a million alarm systems 24 hours a day.

Most consumers believe their ADT system is manufactured by ADT; however for accuracy, ADT home security systems are generally manufactured by Ademco (a product of Honeywell International), GE, ITI (both products of GE Security), or DSC (a product of Tyco International). Manuals for most system can be downloaded from the web by searching "manual" +"your alarm brand" +"your alarm model". The brand and model of your alarm system can be found on a label inside the control panel, not to be confused with the keypad. The control panel is typically a beige or gray colored metal box about 12 inches square and 4 inches deep which houses the circuit board and backup batteries for the system. In most newer houses (10 years old or less) that were pre-wired for an alarm system during construction, the control panel can usually be found mounted to the wall on the inside of the coat closet or other storage area nearest the front door. In older houses or houses that have never been pre-wired for alarm service the control panel is most often mounted in or near the garage, if you have an attached garage.It is sometimes located in a bedroom closet or on the basement stairway. Once you locate the control panel, open the hinged door on the front and you should see a label with a schematic diagram. Your alarm system brand and model will be on this label.

Most ADT security systems can report to any monitoring station and can be managed by local alarm companies. There are a few exceptions, however. Most notable is ADT Security's popular "Safewatch Pro" system, manufactured as the "Vista 20" control panel by Ademco. The Safewatch Pro is a proprietary system made specifically for ADT that uses a (purposely) non-standard method of data communication with the monitoring station. As a result, only ADT's monitoring stations are configured to properly communicate with the system, and it's not likely the Safewatch Pro system will be compatible with any other alarm monitoring stations. Don't take this as an indication that the Safewatch Pro is a poor choice, however. The quality of the system is on par with other similar products. Additionally, ADT generally only installs Safewatch Pro systems in applications where the equipment is being leased by the customer rather than purchased. With a leased system ADT retains ownership of the alarm system, and the customer typically agrees to a multi-year contract for monitoring services, so the compatibility of the Safewatch Pro is rarely an issue.

Should you happen to have an ADT installed alarm system other than a Safewatch Pro and you wish to obtain service from a local alarm company, a good reference is the National Burglar Alarm Fire Association (NBFAA). They can assist you in locating a company that can monitor or fix your ADT alarm system. ADT does not lease their systems to residential customers.

[edit] History

All text in this section is sourced from ADT literature and company bulletins, so while not being untruthful, will more than likely not be impartial.

[edit] 1874

In America in the 1800s there were many small telegraph delivery companies, in 1887 a large number of these companies affiliated and became American District Telegraph

[edit] 1890s

With the advent of advanced call boxes and multi-signal electric protection systems in the early 1890s, ADT gained a solid reputation in security protections.

[edit] 1899

With the increase in telephone usage in the late 1800s ADTs messenger business slowly declined in popularity. ADT tried branching out and developing their signalling business while still maintaining their telegraph business as primary income source.

[edit] 1901

ADT incorporated into Western Union. Many developments were made in this year in the, now, primary field of signalling. ADT separated its messenger business from its main signalling business. This was the beginning of the end for the old ADT company.

[edit] 1909

Western Union (and ADT) came under the control of AT&T.

[edit] 1910-1930

As technology improved and new ideas came into practise ADT grew its business into new areas like Fire alarms and hold-up alarms.

[edit] 1930-1940

What with the Second world war and the great depression and the increased industrialisation they brought security became more important to businesses. ADT grew and capitalised on this new age.

[edit] 1960

ADT becomes a publicly owned company and continues to grow into the 1980s.

[edit] 1960-1970

With computer technology advancing this enabled ADT to advance its product ranges and improve their reliability and efficiency.

[edit] 1980-1990

In the late 1980s ADT shareholders agreed to change the corporate name from American District Telegraph to simply ADT, Inc. By the mid 1990s ADT made history by adding more than 170,000 new residential customers to surpass the 1 million customer milestone.

[edit] 1997

ADT was purchased by Tyco

[edit] 2000-Present

ADT continue to grow and diversify, usually by adding new product ranges and types of their own, but often by acquiring smaller but innovative companies to enhance their product portfolio. ADT currently have branches in 30 different countries, with nearly 50,000 employees. ADT currently have a turnover of US$11.4 billion.

[edit] See also

Tyco International

[edit] External links

[edit] National ADT homepages

[edit] Related Tyco homepages

[edit] Other Related Links

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