Home Alarm Service
Content
- Who may benefit?
- How does it work?
- How do I apply?
- Is there a charge?
- Analogue to digital switchover
Who may benefit?
Anyone, of any age, can benefit from having a home alarm installed. Whether you live alone, with family or with a partner, an alarm call can provide peace of mind, security, reassurance and independence.
How does it work?
Our new digital home alarm systems can connect via ethernet to your digital telephone line or wirelessly using 4G/3G/2G technology. The alarm consists of a portable radio trigger and a small piece of equipment with an electrical socket. The trigger can be worn as a pendant on a neck cord, or on a wrist strap, whichever is your preference.
People with severe physical disabilities are not excluded from having the home alarm service. A special adaptation can be added to the trigger that needs only the lightest touch to activate the trigger. It is possible to connect the home alarm directly to an environmental control system for people whose movement is exceedingly limited.
If the caller is within hearing distance of the alarm she or he will be able to talk to the operator and explain what is required. However, even if the caller is not able to hear or speak to the operator, action will still be taken to ensure that the caller is safe and well. The action taken under these circumstances will be agreed with each customer at the time the alarm is installed.
How do I apply?
If you are interested in having a home alarm installed the housing support advisor can provide you with a free demonstration without any obligation. Please contact the Home Alarm Service to arrange a convenient time, request a Home alarm demonstration or download the Home Alarms Leaflet. The appointment usually lasts for an hour.
Is there a charge?
Charges are from 1st April 2023.
The Home Alarm Service costs £77.00 per quarter (plus VAT if applicable).
There is a one-off installation charge of £40.00 (plus VAT if applicable).
Prices Frozen for 2024/2025
For further information on the Home Alarm Service, please contact us.
Analogue to digital switchover
Analogue to digital switchover
If you are currently a Rushcliffe Borough Council home alarm service user we have started to upgrade the equipment we use. This will not affect how you access the 24hr emergency help from the Rushcliffe Borough Council’s monitoring provider Tunstall, but it will change some of the equipment you have.
Why is the home alarm service changing?
By December 2025 telephone companies in the UK are switching off analogue telephone services and replacing it with digital internet protocol (IP) technology. Around for decades, analogue lines are now harder to maintain making them less reliable. Currently, your home alarm device is connected to your analogue telephone line which is used to send the emergency calls to Tunstall.
What are we doing to prepare for the switch over?
We have now started our replacement programme to safely transition our service users over to digital technology. The transition will involve upgrading the current analogue equipment to a new digital alarm unit. The new digital alarm will not be connected to your analogue phone line. Instead, it will send emergency calls to Tunstall using 4G/3G/2G wireless technology or via an ethernet cable if you have a digital line. We aim to fully complete the migration by December 2025.
To ensure your home alarm device continues to operate reliably, we will replace your current device, with the new digital hub.
Do I need to do anything?
If you already have a digital phone line, please let Rushcliffe Borough Council know, you can do this by telephoning on 0115 981 9911 (local call rate charge).
If you do not have a digital phone line yet, you do not need to do anything, we will contact you directly to arrange a time to replace your home alarm device. If you are unsure whether you have a digital phone line, or whether you are being moved to one, you should ask your telephone provider.
How will existing service users be affected?
All telephone providers in the UK are moving to digital telephone lines and will have completed this work by December 2025. To ensure you continue to receive a reliable service when you move to a digital phone line, we will change your analogue home alarm device to a new digital hub. The digital hub will connect to Tunstall using 4G/3G/2G wireless technology or via an ethernet cable (if you have a digital line) instead of your analogue phone line.
When will this happen?
We will contact you and arrange a time to visit and replace your current home alarm device with the new digital hub. Our aim is to have all analogue home alarm devices changed to digital hubs by December 2025.
The way you call for help in an emergency and how the operator responds will not change.
If you need to telephone Rushcliffe Borough Council to talk about your home alarm you can do so on 0115 9819911.
What if I am new home alarm customer?
All new service users will automatically receive the new digitally ready hub.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the analogue to digital home alarm transition?
Rushcliffe Borough Council are introducing new digital home alarm units. The new home alarms will connect in a different way, sending alerts using the inbuilt SIM card or via an ethernet cable if you have already been migrated to a digital line. When you press your pendant or any of your sensors activate, your new digital hub will connect to Tunstall allowing you to speak to the operator as you do now, the only difference is, the digital hub will connect using 4G/3G/2G wireless technology or via an ethernet cable (if you have a digital line) instead of your analogue phone line.
How will the new digital hub work?
When you press your pendant, or any of your sensors activate, your new digital hub will connect to Tunstall allowing you to speak to the operator as you do now, the only difference is, the digital hub will connect using 4G/3G/2G wireless technology or via an ethernet cable (if you have a digital line) instead of your analogue phone line.
I don't have a digital phone line, can I still receive the service?
Yes, the new digital hubs will operate using 4G/3G/2G wireless technology.
What are the benefits of digital home alarms?
The transition to digital technology is an exciting opportunity and brings many benefits including:
- Faster connection to Tunstall, the Council’s home alarm monitoring provider
- Better audio quality
- Safer - digital alarms are more reliable and can tell us if there is an issue such as loss of power
Will I get a new digital alarm?
Yes. We will contact every Rushcliffe Borough Council service user and arrange to change your existing home alarm to the new digital hub, we aim to complete this transition by December 2025.
Will I have to pay for the new digital hub?
Yes, the new digital hub will be an upgrade on the existing analogue equipment which uses more advanced technology. The weekly charge you currently pay will be increased once you have had a digital hub installed to reflect the additional cost of purchasing the digital equipment and the airtime charge.
Prices up to March 2024 for the digital hub:
- Installation £40 (plus VAT, if applicable)
- Digital hub, inclusive of airtime (SIM) £5.92 per week (plus VAT, if applicable)
How do I know if I already have a digital telephone line?
Digital telephone lines have already started to be installed in some homes, so you may already have one, or your telephone company may offer you one soon.
Telephone services are often sold as part of a package combined with internet access and potentially digital television.
This means that you may be upgraded to a digital telephone line if you swap or upgrade your internet or TV package. If you have had to connect your telephone handset to a different socket, potentially on your internet router, Wi-Fi hub, or TV box, then you have probably been moved to a digital phone line
Still have questions about switching to a digital home alarm?
If you would like to discuss the analogue to digital transition, please contact Rushcliffe Borough Council by calling on 0115 981 9911. Alternatively, you can send an email to homealarms@rushcliffe.gov.uk