When it comes to alarm signalling, nothing is arguably more important than uptime. Although often viewed as a technical metric, from a customer point of view uptime carries much more weight and is not only a signal of reliability, but also testament to how much confidence a customer can put into their alarm system. If an alarm is triggered in an emergency, customers need to trust that it will alert the relevant authorities as well as anyone inside the building. In these scenarios, downtime can have serious consequences, putting both people and property at risk. With this in mind, what resilient alarm signalling solutions can be used to provide high uptime, and instil confidence in customers? asks Nicholas Whiting, VP Alarm Signalling,โฏAddSecureโฏUK, pictured.
Changes
There have beenย a number ofย changesย in the sector that haveย impactedย the service customers receive, for example the closure ofย legacyย systems like BT Redcare. Historicallyย known for offeringย highly reliableย alarm signalling services,ย BT Redcareโs shutdown meant thatย customers had to find an alternative service that would offerย the sameย uptime capabilities and remain as highly protected as possible.
Additionally, high uptimeย playsย an important roleย asย theย regulatory landscape in the UKย tightens.ย From long-standingย Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005ย to newer measures, such as Martynโs Law and the updated BS 5839-1:2025, alarm signalling is expected to run reliablyย and consistentlyย to meet the requirements needed to protect the public.
From a customerโs perspective,ย solutions without high uptime put them at major riskย and exposesย organisations to safety hazards,ย theftย and even operational damages.ย Even short periods of downtime canย leaveย gaps in protection, particularly inย environments where continuous monitoring is expectedย such as critical infrastructure sites.ย Downtime from a fault that has not beenย monitoredย can also invalidateย insurance,ย especiallyย if an alarm system is a condition of the policy.
Ensuringย high uptime, and in turn giving your customers confidence in their alarm system,ย needsย a proactive approach.ย Downtime in alarm systemsย can be the result ofย predictable factors, like network coverage orย lack of backup communications pathways, and itย isย down to both the installer andย alarmย signallingย provider to ensure that the solutions in place provide high uptime.
For instance, connectivity to networks has a significant impact on uptime.ย Mobile coverageย across the countryย can be uneven,ย offering varied signal strength depending on locationย orย if the network relies on the same underlying infrastructure,ย like a shared mast.ย If a network experiences disruption, or if signal strength at aย particularย site is weak, alarm signals may not be transmittedย and leave customers vulnerable.ย To mitigate this, signalย strengthย and coverage, including the availability of multiple networks, should be assessed at installation stage using mobile signal analysers.
Broadband connection
Forย IP-based signalling,ย a reliableย broadband connection is equally importantย as network availability.ย Connections with frequent dropouts or instability can interrupt signalling,ย which becomesย a problem whenย there is no secondary path in place.ย The solution to this isย opting forย dual signalling devices, where a combination of mobile and IP paths can be used toย reduceย the chance of signal failure. Using a roaming SIMย willย also increase uptime as itย canย access multiple mobile networks,ย improving connectivity resilience.
High uptime canย alsoย be achieved through robust,ย high qualityย equipmentย that can beย monitoredย remotely.ย Monitoring systems can trackย whenย eventsย happenย in real-timeย and typically on a 24/7 basisย by a professional monitoring team, flagging when connections drop and when they are restored.ย This visibility allows issues to beย identifiedย and resolved before theyย impactย service, further strengthening confidence in system performance.ย To keep customers confident in their alarmโsย reliability, upfront site surveys and ongoing performance monitoringย shouldย beย carried out as a priority toย ensureย systemsย are configuredย correctlyย for their environment.ย In addition to regular maintenance and proactive monitoring, choosing an alarmย signallingย system with a mobile app attached can help with remote diagnostics and resolve any signal failure quickly and effectively without having toย send an installer to site.
Itย goes without sayingย that consistentย networkย availability ensures that signals are deliveredย at the right place and the right time.ย From networkย selectionย and dual signalling through to continuous monitoring, eachย communicationsย layer plays a role in ensuring that alarm signals areย kept at a high uptime.ย Even with resilient design in place, network outages and infrastructure failures cannot be entirely avoided.
At the centre of any alarm signalling service it is best to identify those that have a proven record in robustness and resilience. Platform uptime of 99.99 per cent, for example, means that customers are protected for the vast majority of the year, with the risk of only 52.56 minutes of downtime per year.
Sites that demand continuous monitoring, like critical infrastructure orย high-value estates,ย rely on high uptime to keep people and buildings safe. Usingย dual pathย alarm signalling solutionsย withย a platform withย high uptimes of 99.99%ย and aboveย keeps sites as protected as possible,ย as well asย giving customers the peace of mindย and confidenceย that their security systems will remain active when it is needed most.
