Texecom Guardian: Professional Guard Response in Texecom Connect
Texecom Guardian is a guard response service inside the Texecom Connect app. If your alarm goes off, you can ask for a vetted, SIA-licensed security officer to attend, follow the job through live updates in the app and have the police brought in where needed. It is UK-only, on by default and needs no extra hardware.
What is Texecom Guardian?
Texecom, the company behind the Premier Elite alarm range, has added Guardian to its Texecom Connect app. Texecom calls it "a professional guard response service", and it is run in partnership with Aura, a UK company offering technology-enabled security services.
An alarm activation usually leaves you with an awkward choice: go and check the property yourself, ring a keyholder, or hope it was a false alarm. Guardian adds a fourth option. You can send a trained officer to the site, and you request them from the same app you already use to run your system.
How Texecom Guardian works after an alarm
- The alarm activates. You open Texecom Connect and ask for a security officer.
- Aura's control room picks up the request. Aura runs a 24/7 Control Room, which is sent the alarm details and the site location and then allocates a responder.
- An officer attends. Texecom says its responders are vetted, SIA-licensed and ACS-accredited, with coverage across the country.
- You stay informed. Progress appears live in the app, and the police are brought in where required.
Texecom also states that call-outs are unlimited, subject to fair usage.
Who does what
| Role | Part they play in Guardian |
|---|---|
| Alarm user (home or business) | Asks for an officer in Texecom Connect after an activation and follows live updates |
| Aura 24/7 Control Room | Gets the alarm details and location, then allocates a responder |
| Responder | Vetted, SIA-licensed and ACS-accredited officer who attends the site |
| Installer | Manages Guardian in Texecom Cloud, can switch it off per customer and receives a rebate for active customers |
Does Texecom Guardian need new equipment?
No. Texecom says Guardian comes switched on in the Texecom Connect app as standard, and it does not need extra hardware or any changes to the alarm system. If your system already uses Texecom Connect, there is nothing more to fit.
For sites using SmartCom Pro, Texecom says Guardian can sit alongside Texecom Monitor, with existing signalling paths and URNs left untouched.
Getting a Premier Elite system onto Texecom Connect
Texecom Connect needs the alarm panel to be online. We stock the Texecom SmartCom Ethernet and WiFi Communicator (CEL-0001), an IP communicator that links a Premier Elite control panel to the internet over Ethernet or 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and gives Texecom Connect app connectivity. It makes outbound connections, so you do not need to set up port forwarding on your router, and it works with Premier Elite panels on V4.00 firmware or later.
We do not currently list SmartCom Pro. If your installation needs one, contact us for availability.
Who Texecom Guardian suits
Texecom's announcement does not single out particular types of user, so the notes below are our own view of where the service fits.
Homeowners
Guardian may appeal if you travel often, live alone or have no keyholder nearby. Instead of driving home at night to check an activation, you can ask a licensed officer to attend and watch progress from your phone.
Businesses
For shops, offices and small units, the owner or manager is often the person called out after hours. Guardian gives them a way to get a professional to the premises first, with police involvement available where required.
Installers
Texecom positions Guardian as a way for installers to get more from systems already in the field and to open up an extra source of recurring income. You manage it in Texecom Cloud and can switch it off for any customer you choose, with no extra site visit or technical work. Texecom also pays a rebate for each active Guardian customer, though the announcement does not say how much.
Planning a Texecom system with Texecom Connect
If you are planning a new installation, browse our full Texecom range or compare intruder alarm kits. Starting points include the Texecom Premier Elite 24-W Ricochet Wireless Kit (KIT-0064) and the Ricochet Premier Elite 64-W Live Control Panel (GEX-0001). Check with your installer which communicator and firmware your panel needs to reach Texecom Connect. For other brands and accessories, see our intruder alarms section.
Things to check before you rely on it
- Location: Guardian is currently available in the UK only.
- Cost: Texecom's announcement does not give a customer price, so check in the app or with your installer.
- Installer settings: your installer can switch Guardian off for your account. If you cannot see it, ask them.
- Fair usage: unlimited call-outs are subject to fair usage.
Texecom Guardian FAQs
Is Texecom Guardian available across the UK?
Yes. Guardian is currently offered in the UK only, and Texecom says its SIA-licensed, ACS-accredited responders cover the whole country.
Do I need extra hardware to use Texecom Guardian?
No. Texecom says Guardian comes switched on in the Texecom Connect app and does not need extra hardware or changes to your alarm system.
Will Texecom Guardian affect my existing alarm monitoring?
Texecom says that on systems using SmartCom Pro, Guardian can run alongside Texecom Monitor, with existing signalling paths and URNs left as they are.
Can an installer turn Texecom Guardian off?
Yes. Installers manage Guardian in Texecom Cloud and can switch it off for individual customers without a site visit.
Source: Texecom news: Texecom Guardian brings professional guard response to Texecom Connect. Facts in this article come from Texecom's announcement and our own product listings.
