• Security systems help prevent theft.Einbruch image by Angelika Bentin from Fotolia.com
  
  

If It Has A Battery, It Will

• Security systems are generally powered either by an electrical current taken from a power outlet or by batteries. In some systems, such the one used by ADT, a national security company, the system will run off a power outlet but will be fortified by a backup battery that will come on in case of interruption.
  
  

Without A Battery, It Won't

• If the system lacks a battery or another remote source of power, the system will likely not function properly if it loses power. Different security systems will respond differently to brief losses of power--some will reset, others will not--but none can function without a source of electricity.
  
  

Bottom Line

• Back-up batteries are only temporary fixes for a home security system. For ADT home security, the back-up battery will stay up only for several hours. However, the customer monitoring center will be alerted if the power runs low and the customer will be notified.