PSTN Switch-Off Alarm Signalling: BT Redcare, Texecom Monitor and SmartCom
PSTN switch-off alarm signalling comes down to one point: a monitored alarm that reports over an analogue copper phone line needs a new digital route. Openreach stopped selling copper Wholesale Line Rental in September 2023, and BT Redcare announced in February 2024 that it would cease operations by 1 August 2025. For Texecom Premier Elite systems, Texecom Monitor with a SmartCom communicator sends alarms to a receiving centre over IP, 4G or both.
What the PSTN switch-off means for your alarm
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is the analogue copper network behind traditional UK landlines. Under Openreach's All IP programme, communications providers are moving customers onto digital services, and each provider gets in touch when a customer's line is ready to move.
Any alarm communicator that reports to an alarm receiving centre (ARC) over a phone line relies on that network. Texecom has said the UK PSTN is reaching the end of its life and has urged installers to switch security systems to IP signalling so they keep working through the change.
Key dates for PSTN switch-off alarm signalling
Timetables can change, so confirm the current position for your line with your communications provider.
| Date | What was announced | What it means for alarm owners |
|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2023 | Openreach confirmed it had stopped selling Wholesale Line Rental (WLR): no new WLR lines, no broadband over WLR and no WLR transfers between providers | New copper WLR lines can no longer be ordered for alarm signalling |
| September 2023 (as announced then) | Openreach said existing WLR would carry on until the end of 2025, or until a provider moved the customer, with the PSTN switch-off planned for December 2025 | Your line may already have been moved to a digital service |
| 1 February 2024 | BT Redcare announced it would stop operating | Systems signalling through Redcare needed a new route |
| 1 August 2025 | The date by which BT Redcare said it would cease operations | This date has passed, so check how your system signals today |
BT Redcare's closure and why it matters
When BT Redcare announced in February 2024 that it would no longer serve the UK security market, Texecom acknowledged the concern this caused for professional installers and their ARC partners, and offered help to keep the handover of services as smooth as possible.
Redcare's stated end date of 1 August 2025 has now passed. If an alarm still has Redcare paperwork, ask your installer or ARC to confirm exactly which signalling path the system uses today.
Texecom Monitor: the Premier Elite route forward
Texecom Monitor is Texecom's own primary alarm signalling service for Premier Elite systems. Texecom describes it as "seamless and fully integrated" with Premier Elite, and its stated goal is to make ARC signalling close to plug-and-play for installers. At launch, Texecom said Monitor was only available in the UK.
How it connects
Monitor runs on Texecom Cloud and is set up through an installer's existing Texecom Cloud account. Texecom says the cloud platform has layers of redundancy and cyber protection built in. A system can report over one path, either IP or 4G, or over both together for dual-path signalling. The SmartCom 4G communicator provides that dual-path option, with fully roaming 4G across O2, EE, 3 and Vodafone. Texecom lists SP2, SP2 Radio and DP1 to DP4 among the signalling options it supports.
Texecom also says Monitor reduces installation time by over 33% and lets more servicing and maintenance be done remotely.
ARCs and contracts
When Monitor launched in the UK, Texecom named EMCS, SMC and Southern & Northern Monitoring as the available ARCs. The Texecom hardware and the ARC monitoring contract are bought separately, so budget for both.
SmartCom options and what Zenith stocks
| Communicator | Connection | Panels | At Zenith |
|---|---|---|---|
| SmartCom (CEL-0001) | Ethernet or 2.4GHz Wi-Fi | Premier Elite, firmware V4.00 or later | In our range |
| SmartCom 4G | Dual path with 4G | Premier Elite | Antenna and adaptor listed; contact us for the communicator |
| SmartCom Pro | Core, 4G and Dual Radio models | Premier Elite, plus third-party panels with PIN integration (for Texecom Monitor) | Not listed; contact us |
The Texecom SmartCom Ethernet and Wi-Fi Communicator (CEL-0001) wires into a Premier Elite panel through two COM ports and gets online over Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Through Texecom Cloud it handles Texecom Monitor ARC reporting, the Texecom Connect app and UDL. Because it only makes outbound connections, you do not have to open ports on the router.
Where a SmartCom 4G site has poor or no 4G signal, we list the SmartCom 4G High Performance Antenna (JAQ-0003), an IP67 external antenna on a 10 metre cable. It connects using the SmartCom 4G MMCX Adaptor (JAQ-0004). Texecom has also announced SmartCom Pro, to give third-party panels a primary signalling path to the customer's chosen ARC. For SmartCom 4G or SmartCom Pro, please contact us for availability.
A practical checklist for alarm owners and installers
- Find out how the alarm signals now: analogue line, Redcare, IP or 4G.
- Ask your communications provider whether your line has moved, or when it will move, to a digital service.
- Before fitting a SmartCom (CEL-0001), check the Premier Elite panel runs firmware V4.00 or later.
- Agree single-path or dual-path signalling with your installer and ARC.
- Arrange the ARC contract alongside the hardware, then test the signal end to end.
Planning a new system? Browse our alarm panels, kits such as the Premier Elite 24-W Ricochet Wireless Kit, the full Texecom range or our wider intruder alarms section.
Frequently asked questions
Will my alarm stop signalling after the PSTN switch-off?
It may, if it reports to an ARC over an analogue copper line. Once your line moves to a digital service, an old phone-line communicator may no longer get through, so ask your installer to check and test the signalling path.
Is there an alternative to BT Redcare for Premier Elite alarms?
BT Redcare announced in February 2024 that it would cease operations by 1 August 2025. For Texecom Premier Elite systems, Texecom Monitor with a SmartCom communicator offers IP, 4G or dual-path signalling to supported ARCs.
Does Texecom Monitor work with my Premier Elite panel?
Texecom Monitor is designed for Premier Elite systems connected through SmartCom communicators. Our SmartCom (CEL-0001) listing states it works with Premier Elite panels running firmware V4.00 or later.
Do I need an ARC contract as well as the hardware?
Yes. Texecom states that the hardware and the ARC contract are purchased separately. At launch it named EMCS, SMC and Southern & Northern Monitoring as the available ARCs.
Source: this guide summarises information Texecom has published on its news pages, including its Texecom Monitor UK release announcement.
