There are three options if you would like to have your burglar alarm monitored, so someone will be alerted if it goes off: a speech dialler, a keyholder contract or a police contract.
You can get a monitoring contract for a wired or wireless alarm, but the alarm itself and the installation does need to conform to certain standards.
There are two types of monitoring contract: keyholder and police response. With both types, you pay extra per month or annually to have your alarm system monitored, which means the nominated keyholder or the police will be alerted when the alarm goes off.
The idea is that the alarm system connects to a receiving centre, so if your alarm is triggered, they will be notified. The receiving centre will first of all ring your home asking for your password identification. If this is incorrect or no one answers, either they will take action, inform the keyholder(s), or call the police, depending on what type of contract you have.