Switching security companies: how it works
For property managers, condo boards and business owners who want a new provider for their cameras, access control, intercom or alarm, without losing anything on the way.
The quick answer
Switching security companies is mostly paperwork and planning. Check your contract for the notice period and who owns the equipment, licences and cloud accounts. Then a new provider audits the system, plans a change-over date so alarm and video monitoring keep running, regains admin access to everything you own and moves accounts into your name. In most buildings the cameras, readers, panels and cabling stay. Only what has failed or is no longer supported needs replacing.
Before you switch: read your contract
| Look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Term and notice period | Many service and monitoring agreements renew on their own unless you give written notice by a set date. |
| Cancellation terms | Some agreements charge to leave early. Knowing the end date lets you plan the change-over around it. |
| Who owns the equipment | Equipment you bought is yours. Equipment that is leased or rented may belong to the provider. |
| Licences and cloud accounts | Software licences and cloud subscriptions are sometimes registered to the installer instead of the building. |
| Separate monitoring agreement | Alarm or video monitoring is often a separate contract with its own notice period. |
This is general information, not legal advice. If a contract is unclear, ask a lawyer before you give notice.
What you own, and what you need back
Usually yours
- Cameras, recorders, door readers, controllers, locks, intercoms, alarm panels and cabling you paid for
- The recorded video and the access logs from your building
- Software licences bought for your building
- The fobs and cards your people carry
What to ask the old provider for
- Admin usernames and passwords for every system
- Licence keys, cloud account details and any transfer codes
- Drawings, device lists and programming backups
- Monitoring account numbers and the current contact list
Our system takeover checklist lists everything to collect.
How switching works with Hightower
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. A call and a site walk | We look at every system, note the brands and model numbers, and check what works and what doesn’t. |
| 2. A written plan | You get a written quote that says what stays, what needs repair or replacing, and the change-over date. |
| 3. Notice to the old provider | You give notice under your contract. We tell you exactly what to ask them for. |
| 4. Change-over | Monitoring is moved to our monitoring partner on a planned date, so the building isn’t left unwatched. |
| 5. Admin access | We regain admin access to the systems you own and move licences and cloud accounts into your name, working with the manufacturer where needed. |
| 6. Documentation and support | You get full documentation and admin access, and we support the system from there. |
When the old company won’t cooperate
It happens: calls go unanswered, passwords never arrive or the company has closed. If your building owns the system, we can usually still regain admin access, by resetting controllers and recorders to factory settings and reprogramming them, or by working with the manufacturer to move licences and cloud accounts to you.
Before a reset we record every setting we can see, such as door schedules, user lists and camera views, so you don’t start from nothing. Regaining admin access is part of every takeover by our System Rescue team.
Common reasons buildings switch
Service
- Calls and emails go unanswered
- Repairs take weeks
- The same faults keep coming back
Control
- Nobody has the admin passwords
- Licences are in the installer’s name
- There’s no documentation of what was installed
Switching one system or all of them
You don’t have to move everything at once. Many buildings start with the system that’s causing trouble, such as the cameras or the intercom, and move the rest when their contracts end. We support access control, cameras, video intercom, alarms, parcel lockers and networks, from 27 brands and many others.
Ready to switch?
Tell us what you have and when your contract ends. We’ll plan the change-over with you.
Related: system rescuesystem takeover checklist24/7 emergency serviceIs your installer covered?
Stuck with a system nobody will fix?
We repair and take over cameras, access control, intercoms and alarms installed by other companies, when your current provider has fallen short.
Switching security company questions
Can we switch security companies in the middle of a contract?
Often, yes, but your contract decides how. Check the notice period and cancellation terms. We can plan the change-over around your end date. Not legal advice.
Do we have to replace our equipment to switch?
Usually not. We work on most commercial brands and keep what works. We only recommend replacing equipment that has failed or is no longer supported.
What if the old company won’t give us the passwords?
If your building owns the system, we can usually regain admin access by resetting and reprogramming it, or by working with the manufacturer.
Will our alarm monitoring stop during the switch?
It shouldn’t. We plan a change-over date so monitoring moves to our monitoring partner without leaving the building unwatched.
Who should own the licences and cloud accounts?
Your building. When we take over, we move them into your name where the manufacturer allows it, and hand you the admin access.
Do we lose our recorded video or access logs?
Not if we plan it. We keep the recorder running through the change-over, and we can export logs and footage you need to keep.
Do our residents or staff need new fobs?
Usually not, unless the fobs are a discontinued type, like Kantech’s ioProx wireless line, or the system is being replaced.
Can we switch only our cameras, or only the intercom?
Yes. Many buildings switch one system first and move the others when their contracts end.
What does it cost to switch?
It depends on the size of the system, whether admin access has to be recovered and what needs repair. After a site walk you get a clear written quote.
Do you work with condo boards and strata councils?
Yes. We can walk the building with the property manager and explain the plan to the board or council before anyone signs.
More answers: System rescue questionsGlossary: system takeovercontroller
Plan your switch
Tell us about the building, the systems you have and when your current contract ends. We’ll follow up to book a site walk.
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