On January 31st, 2024, BT announced that they will be closing all BT Redcare operations on the 1st of August 2025. This announcement has implications for all customers who currently use BT Redcare alarms in their properties.
What is BT Redcare?
BT Redcare offers secure alarms for your properties. This service continually monitors BT phone services that link the alarm system on your property to an alarm at the receiving centre. This allows around the clock, 24/7 protection for your property.
How will this affect customers using BT Redcare?
There are more than 100,000 people in the UK currently using a BT Redcare alarm system. If that’s you – you need to take action.
The alarm system used in your property is important not just for the safety of your property, but for your business insurance policy. So, the most important change you’ll need to make is finding an alternative alarm solution.
This new alarm system must be an acceptable substitute to BT Redcare to make sure your insurance is still valid. Be sure to check these requirements with your provider.
What do customers need to do now?
If your fire or intruder alarm is currently connected to BT Redcare, these will need to be changed as soon as possible to ensure that your current insurance remains valid when this system goes offline.
The most important thing to remember is that your new equipment must be a like for like replacement for the BT Redcare system.
Here’s what AXA Commercial’s Director of Customer Risk Management had to say:
It’s important that customers check the technical specifications of any new signalling equipment to ensure it’s a like-for-like replacement for the Redcare system.
There are a limited number of alternative options so customers should act now rather than wait until next year when the Redcare service closes. If they don’t, they risk being faced with delays or even an interruption too their service if there are manufacturing or installation bottlenecks.
Since there are a limited number of other systems that meet these requirements, we are advising all affected customers to act now and get their alarms changes as soon as possible.
Though these alarms won’t be decommissioned until August 2025, customers waiting till this point to make changes are likely to experience delays or business interruption due to an increase in demand for new systems.
What are some acceptable replacement services?
Any dual path alarm transmission system with performance level DP3 certificated to BSEN50136-1:2012 will be accepted by AXA as a like-for-like replacement.
One such product is BT Redcare’s main competitor - the CSL Dualcom Gradeshift Pro DP3.
Who is most affected by this closure?
The majority of affected AXA customers will be business insurance customers who have contents insurance with us.
This is because these customers must have a physical business location to have contents insurance - a requirement of which is a suitable alarm system.
I’ve changed my alarm provider – what do I do now?
Once you’ve successfully changed your alarm, you’re done. There’s no need to get in touch and let us know you’ve done this. Provided your new alarm is a like-for-like replacement, you’re cover will continue as normal.
