How Much Does a Missed Call Cost a Security System Installer? (2026)

Bottom line: on Angi's 2026 national average of $746 to install a home security system, a missed call costs a security system installer about $418 when the caller only wants the install, and about $1,174 when they wanted monitoring too. Miss 8 calls in an 80-call month and it's about $3,556.

About the author: I'm Justin McKelvey, and I own Local Call AI, an AI receptionist for contractors. I'm biased toward answering the phone. Every number below is worked out in the open so you can check it.

The install is the small part

Angi's 2026 cost guide puts a home security install at $746 on average, from 1,667 verified projects, with most homeowners paying $300 to $1,236. Wired systems run $800 to $1,600. Then comes the line that changes the math for an alarm company: "Many national security companies waive installation fees because they recoup costs through monthly monitoring contracts."

So the caller isn't really a $746 job. They're a monthly bill. Angi lists professional monitoring at $10 to $65 a month, and cellular monitoring is the popular choice now. Take the $37.50 middle of that range and a 36-month customer (our assumption, not Angi's; use your own contract length) and the monitoring alone is worth $1,350.

What one missed call is worth

Assume you'd win 70% of new-system callers you answer, and a callback fails 80% of the time because they've already booked someone else's walkthrough.

• Install only: $746 × 70% × 80% = $417.76
• Install plus monitoring: ($746 + $1,350) × 70% × 80% = $1,173.76
• Price shopper: $746 × 25% close × 50% saved on a callback = $93.25

If you're the company that waives installation, drop the $746 and the monitored caller is still $756. Free installs make the phone more important, not less, because every booked walkthrough is the only way you earn the install back.

An 80-call month

Say 20 callers want a new system, 15 are shopping on price and 45 are existing customers, permit questions and calls that aren't jobs. Your techs are in attics running wire, and you miss 2 callers who wanted monitoring, 2 who wanted an install only, and 4 shoppers:

• 2 × $1,173.76 = $2,347.52
• 2 × $417.76 = $835.52
• 4 × $93.25 = $373

That's $3,556.04, and 66% of it is the two monitored callers. A security company's missed-call problem is a monitoring-contract problem.

The calls an AI shouldn't try to handle

An existing customer calling because the alarm is going off, or because someone just broke in, isn't a booking. On our plans you write what happens on those calls: the usual setup tells the caller to hang up and call 911 or your monitoring center, and Concierge can live-transfer the call to whoever's on call. The AI never gives security advice, never tells anyone their home is safe, and never quotes a system you haven't priced in the script.

Permits come up too. Angi says a monitored system may need an alarm permit, $25 to $100, which registers it with police and fire and can renew every year. That's a good question for the phone to answer the way you've written it, since local rules differ and we haven't read your city's.

What the phone should ask

Own or rent? How many doors and ground-floor windows? Wired or wireless, and is there an old panel already in the house? Do you want cameras or a video doorbell? Do you want professional monitoring? Then book the walkthrough in the slots you set. A caller who just got locked out after a break-in needs a locksmith first; our locksmith missed-call math covers that side, and hardwired panels often need an electrician, which is why our electrician missed-call math sits next to this one.

What answering costs

Our plans: Standard at $297 a month with 250 call minutes, Connected at $497 with 500, Concierge from $750 with 1,000. Minutes past your plan are $0.35, and every plan answers in English or Spanish. The 80-call month above, at 3 minutes a call, is 240 minutes, so it fits inside Standard at $297. One saved monitored caller pays for about four months. We integrate with Jobber and JobNimbus only. If after-hours lockout calls are part of your business too, our locksmith answering service comparison lines up the options, and the pricing page has the plan details.

Your number

Pull last quarter's new-customer calls and check two things: how many signed a monitoring contract, and for how long. Multiply, and that's what an unanswered ring costs you. Every trade we've worked out is in our 2026 missed-call cost research.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a missed call cost a security system installer?

About $418 for an install-only caller and about $1,174 for a caller who also wanted monitoring, on Angi's 2026 install average of $746, monitoring at $37.50 a month for 36 months, and our win and callback assumptions.

How much does a home security system cost to install in 2026?

Angi's national average is $746 from 1,667 verified projects, with most homeowners paying $300 to $1,236. Wired systems run $800 to $1,600, and monitoring adds $10 to $65 a month.

Why do alarm companies offer free installation?

Angi says many national security companies waive installation fees because they recoup the cost through monthly monitoring contracts. That makes each new caller worth the contract, not the install.

Should an AI receptionist answer alarm emergencies?

No. An active alarm or break-in call should go to 911, your monitoring center or your on-call tech. On Local Call AI you write that instruction into the script, and Concierge can live-transfer the call.

What does an answering service cost a security system installer?

On Local Call AI, an 80-call month at about 3 minutes a call is 240 minutes, which fits in Standard at $297 a month with 250 minutes. Minutes past the plan are $0.35. Plans are month-to-month with no setup fee.

Sources: Angi, "How Much Does Security System Installation Cost in 2026?" (angi.com, updated October 16, 2026, read November 5, 2026: average $746 from 1,667 verified projects, most $300 to $1,236, wired $800 to $1,600, monitoring $10 to $65 a month, activation $0 to $230, alarm permits $25 to $100, many national companies waive installation). Local Call AI pricing page, read November 5, 2026. Call counts, missed calls, win and callback rates and the 36-month contract are planning assumptions, not measured customer data.