Burglar Alarms & Security Systems: Get A Quote

The average base cost for a burglar alarm in 2026 is £562, including equipment (£269) and installation (£293).

Among eleven common home security brands in our database, the price range runs from £120 for DIY bell-only home alarms up to £1,139 for fully equipped smart security systems with professional installation.

Low-cost example: installing a bell-only burglar alarm off the shelf from Yale currently costs about £120 for three sensors, a siren, and a keypad. As a wireless system, it can be self-installed for free.

High-cost example: installing a custom ADT system with 15 sensors and cameras costs an estimated £799+ for the hardware and technician installation, plus approximately £30–40 per month for professional monitoring service.

The report below details average cost, price ranges, and example invoices for each category of home alarm on the market. Quote ranges are based on CrimeRate.co.uk market survey of 11 major brands.

Home Alarm Costs by Alarm Category

The all-in base cost of equipment and installation is higher for systems with smart-home integration and extendable equipment options like cameras or fog triggers:

• Monitored smart security systems: £562 one-time + £10–40/month
• DIY smart security systems: £224 one-time
• Dialler alarm systems: £485 one-time
• Bell-only alarm systems: £120 one-time

Installation and Ongoing Costs Breakdown

There are three main cost areas when having a home alarm system quoted and installed:

• Equipment: the cost of hardware like sirens, door sensors, and keypads.
• Installation: the cost for a technician to install and configure equipment.
• Monitoring: the monthly cost of third-party response to alarm triggers (normally private security or a police alert).

The cost for each varies depending on the type and size of system installed. Additional cameras and professional monitoring drive the highest overall price increases.

Upkeep and troubleshooting costs are typically lower for systems with high up-front costs, because the equipment is designed to last 7–10+ years rather than the 1–4 years expected of budget hardware.

Costs Guide: Monitored Smart Security Systems

The average entry cost for a monitored smart security system is £562 including both equipment and installation. Ongoing monitoring costs are typically in the £10–40 per month range.

While some systems such as those offered by Yale can be used without monitoring, most manufacturers in this price range such as Verisure and ADT offer private security response and the ability to notify police of verified break-ins.

The up-front and install costs of monitored home security systems are high relative to the market. However, the long-term value is best of all alarm types in terms of longevity, reliability, and extendability.

Monitored Smart Security Systems Price Examples

The cheapest system in our survey was Minut with their all-in-one £100 heat and noise monitor. This product is targeted specifically at short term rental owners. Verisure and ADT pricing is more typical of a system that incorporates cameras, multiple sensors, and a dedicated siren.

Monthly monitoring costs are the drawback of monitored security. To use ADT as an example, the £30 per month fee adds up to £360 per year, which brings the total first-year cost to £1,308 including equipment, install, and monthly fees.

Costs Guide: DIY Smart Security Systems

The average starting cost for a DIY smart security system like SimpliSafe or Ring is £224 assuming the customer self-installs. The price goes up another £210 on average if an installer is needed; however, these systems can usually be installed with no more than a screwdriver. In the case of SimpliSafe UK, wall-safe sticky pads are provided and can handle all the indoor equipment including cameras.

Most DIY systems do not offer monitoring services. While this keeps the monthly cost low, it means you’re relying on the on-premise alarm and push notifications to your phone to react to break-ins.

Some systems even charge a monthly fee to send push notifications and manage cameras remotely; SimpliSafe, again, is an example worth noting.

The up-front costs for DIY security systems are low relative to the market, especially when compared with premium systems like Verisure. However, the drawback of self-install is that you don’t have expert input on setup, making the systems overall less reliable.

DIY Smart Security Systems Price Examples

SimpliSafe is a relative newcomer to the UK smart home security market, and offers about the lowest price point available at £158.38 for a starter kit.

The starter kit includes only one sensor, but it comes with a mid-quality indoor camera; this is abnormal for systems under £200.

The drawback of SimpliSafe is that much of the functionality, such as video recording, is locked behind a monthly subscription fee.

Ring is the other major contender for DIY systems, given the ultra-low price point and tie-in to the Amazon ecosystem. Like many affordable home security systems, the options for smart home integration (Google Home, Apple Homekit) can be limited; make sure the system you buy fits the smart home assistant you already have in your house.

Costs Guide: Dialler Alarms

The standard cost for an off-the-shelf dialler alarm is £205, then another £280 for four hours of technician hire to handle wiring, for a total of £485.

While wireless dialler alarms are cheaper and easier to install, they are less reliable and have higher equipment costs.

Dialler Alarm Alarm System Price Examples

The up-front costs for dialler systems are mid-range compared with other system types on the market. Dialler alarms are becoming much less popular, since no major home security provider currently manufactures them. They’re typically bought as budget brand made-in-China devices at hardware stores.

Costs Guide: Bell-Only Alarms

The average cost of a bell-only alarm varies depending on if it is wired or wireless. For a wireless system, companies like Yale offer this alarm type as low as £120 for a siren, motion sensor, door sensor, and keypad.

Some systems made by less reliable brands can be bought off-the-shelf at hardware stores. Since these are generally “made-in-China” warranty-free products, the phrase “your mileage may vary” is appropriate. The up-front cost is even lower for wired bell-only alarms, as far down as £80 on sales. However, the install cost for wired systems drives the overall price above £200 pretty quickly.

Needless to say, bell-only alarm systems do not offer push notifications, phone alerts, camera recordings, or Wi-Fi connectivity. They simply offer a way to make a loud noise if someone triggers the alarm while you aren’t home.

These alarms are favoured for flats and other spaces where neighbours are close at hand and easily alerted by a loud noise.

Bell-Only Alarm Price Examples

The lowest starting cost for a burglar alarm in the UK, on average, comes from bell-only alarm systems like those offered by Yale Home Essentials. The average starting price for bell-only alarm systems is £119.99, making it the cheapest option for no-frills internet-free home security.

As with dialler alarms, bell-only alarms are becoming less popular thanks to the low price and high customisation options offered by DIY smart home systems. SimpliSafe and Ring, for example, both offer siren-only options with more features at the same price point (remote video monitoring, doorbell alerts, etc).

With that in mind, I wouldn’t suggest this alarm type except for situations where Wi-Fi access or maintenance is an issue. Flats for elderly family members and non-residential buildings in rural areas both come to mind as sensible use cases for a bell-only alarm.

How to Save on Home Alarm Installation Costs

The biggest cost-drivers for home security systems are the monthly fees and premium equipment options like video.

Even for unmonitored systems, video storage immediately adds £10+ per month to your bill. While there are workarounds such as using your existing Apple iCloud storage with compatible systems, they are tricky to set up.

Needless to say, most security companies won’t be excited to suggest ways to reduce the costs. Therefore, you must do some research and be willing to get your hands dirty customising the system. This is especially true for Wi-Fi connected smart home security systems.

Equipment Costs

Equipment costs are the most obvious up-front investment you’ll make for your security system.

As you can see in the table below, the pricing for equipment is all over the map. In our market survey, we saw entry-level systems running anywhere from £100–359 for packages classified as “starter kits.”

There are two common ways to reduce your equipment cost:

1. Purchase previous season hardware. For example, SimpliSafe is known to sell previous hardware models at a discount. They can also be purchased second hand, and new systems are usually backwards-compatible.
2. Consider all-in-one systems. Systems like Minut or Ring distinguish themselves by offering multi-purpose sensors that can react to motion and heat, as well as permitting two-way voice during incidents.

Installation Costs

Verisure package pricing offered the lowest install cost in our survey, well below ADT. However, their quotes vary depending on the size of home and type of system needed. The cheapest guaranteed install cost we saw was £280 from Yale, with costs going up all the way to £599 for some monitored systems.

There are two ways to save on install:

1. Consider a third-party installer. Having the security provider install your system is preferable with monitored systems like Verisure or wired smart-home systems like Yale. For wired bell-only and dialler alarms, you can save £45–200 by hiring a third-party handyman rather than the provider’s default install.
2. Don’t feel pressured to sign during in-person quotes. Most major security brands in the UK like Verisure and ADT will conduct in-person quotes for custom systems. Part of the reason they do this is so their salesperson has a chance to talk you into a higher-ticket system. Remember, if you haven’t signed anything, you don’t have to buy anything… Even if they’re on your porch right now.

Hourly Rates for Home Alarm Install

To complete the installation comparison charts in our report, we contacted handyman services with home security experience in three regions to get a sampling of hourly rates for skilled short-term install work. We found an average quoted rate of £70, with rates about £10 higher in the London area and £10 lower in the north.

Monitoring Costs

Monitoring costs can add up to make home security one of the most costly home service subscriptions. At £30–50 for high-end systems like ADT, this can add up to as much as £600 per year.

On the low end, systems like Minut only cost £120 per year for monitoring, although the services offered are correspondingly more basic.

The average professional monitoring cost among burglar alarm systems we surveyed was £17.80, which adds up to a more modest £214 in incremental costs per year.

While steep for some households, monitoring services is the only way to get police response in the UK. Direct police integration is not permitted for residential systems, meaning that the private security company monitoring your feed has to provide proof of a break-in to police in order to trigger in-person police response.

Some systems like Verisure also offer in-person private security response, which can be escalated to police response if needed.

Methodology

To generate the cost estimates and example invoice line items in the report above, we conducted a survey of home security system pricing accounting for 11 major brands in the UK market. Those brands are:

• Yale
• SimpliSafe
• ADT
• Verisure
• Ring
• Abode
• Minut
• Somfy
• Arlo
• Eufy
• Hive

For brands with multiple types of systems offered, we evaluated both entry and premium package offerings for both alarm types. For example, When evaluating Yale, we collected data for pricing and package details for both “Smart home security System, unmonitored” and “DIY smart security system.”

Averages reference entry pricing, meaning that we calculate the average “lowest cost” for packages within a category, such as Bell-only alarms or DIY smart security systems.

For providers that do not offer installation, we contacted three third-party installation providers (local handyman) to establish a normal hourly rate for short-term install work, which came to a normal price of £70 per hour for jobs under 4 hours, with providers having experience with security system wiring.

Note that some providers span categories, or hold niche market positions, such as in the case of Minut, which is largely focused on short-term rentals. Categorization of providers in our rubric is subject to change based on shifting offerings, particularly for Wi-Fi enabled smart home security systems.