The alarm subscription that runs on after the hardware is paid off
The installation was paid off long ago. The subscription stays at the same level, uplifted by index every year, and nobody has asked why.
Two costs that behave completely differently
An alarm contract consists of an installation and a subscription. The installation — control panel, detectors, cameras, fitting — is a one-off cost, often spread over the contract term. The subscription is the ongoing monitoring: someone actually receiving the signal and acting on it.
What happens in practice is that the installation gets paid off but the subscription continues at an unchanged level. You're paying on for an investment that's already been made. It doesn't show on the invoice, because the invoice only shows one monthly sum.
What the cost actually consists of
| Item | What it is | What to look at |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm monitoring | A staffed centre receiving the signal around the clock | Whether the price has stood still while the installation was written off |
| Installation | Equipment and fitting, often spread over the term | When it's fully paid, and what happens then |
| Call-outs | Guard response to an alarm, charged per occasion | How many of the call-outs were false alarms |
| Servicing | Recurring function checks of the installation | Whether the frequency matches actual need |
| Index uplift | Annual increase under an agreed clause | Whether it's been applied every year unchecked |
The structure is broadly the same across suppliers. What differs is how much sits in the fixed subscription and how much is billed per event.
False alarms are a cost you can influence yourself, unlike the subscription price. Every unnecessary call-out is charged. The cause is usually not the technology but the routines — wrong code, a door left open, staff who don't know how the system works. It's cheaper to fix than to negotiate.
Lock-in is the real problem
An alarm installation is often built on the supplier's own system. If you change monitoring provider, the installation may need replacing or reprogramming, and the cost of that keeps many companies where they are regardless of price.
It's worth finding out before the contract renews: can the installation be connected to another monitoring centre, or are you locked in? The answer determines how strong your negotiating position is, and it's better to know in advance than to discover it mid-dialogue.
The lock-in period and the silent renewal
Alarm contracts often have long lock-in periods and renew automatically unless cancelled in time. The notice period counts backwards from the renewal date, not forwards from when you start thinking about it.
Miss the window and you're locked in for a new term on unchanged terms. It's the single most common reason an alarm contract never gets renegotiated.
What you can do yourself
- Find out when the installation is fully paid and what the subscription costs without it. If it's the same sum as before, you're paying for something you already own.
- Count the call-outs over the past year and how many were false alarms. That's usually the fastest saving.
- Look up the lock-in period and cancellation date, and set a reminder in good time. Four to six months ahead, not four weeks.
- Check whether you're paying for detectors or cameras in premises you no longer use.
- Ask explicitly whether the installation can be connected to another monitoring centre. The answer determines your position.
What's hard to do yourself is knowing what monitoring should cost. There's no price list, contracts are rarely directly comparable, and the supplier knows that lock-in makes switching inconvenient.
Last reviewed 3 August 2026. The figures are based on negotiated contracts and quotes gathered for Swedish companies with 20–100 employees. They are typical ranges, not guarantees — your cost depends on volume, contract length and the requirements you set. We update them when we see the market has moved.
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