How 150 Years of Innovation Inspire ADT's Brand-New Tech

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The 1939 World's Fair in New York promised attendees a showcase of "the world of tomorrow." The exhibition featured futuristic consumer and industrial projects from across the globe. 

But the World's Fair demonstrated one innovation that wasn't on display: the American District Telegraph Company's Central Monitoring Center. The concept, which ADT pioneered in the decades before, was a roaring success: devices received alarm signals and then operators alerted the police, firefighters, or doctors to an emergency. The security company helped keep watch over the millions who visited the fairgrounds in Flushing Meadows, Queens.

It was around-the-clock security on the world's grandest stage.

Today, ADT is synonymous with security: its famous blue octagons, dotting windows and lawns across America since the early '90s, warn potential burglars to think twice before entering a home. The iconic sign is recognized by 97 percent of Americans as the symbol of safety and protection.

But that legacy is built on a constant drive to invent new technologies that make security faster, more reliable, and more flexible. Throughout its 150-year history, ADT innovations not only created the modern security industry as we know it, but also became useful in all kinds of automation. That history of innovation drives ADT to keep pushing for the "world of tomorrow" in the era of smartphones, apps and AI.

The birth of automated security

American District Telegraph was born in Baltimore in 1874. In the late nineteenth century, the company used call boxes to alert the authorities of an emergency. In the 1880s, messenger boys were ordered by telegraph to help customers in need, and were soon elevated to the status of pop culture icons. 

As telephones proliferated in the 1910s, ADT transitioned to providing guard services. "Roundsman," made the neighborhood rounds, patrolling customers' homes to deter crime. 

In 1946, ADT introduced another innovation that would become a building block of modern security technology and prove transformative far beyond the security industry: ultrasonic indoor motion sensors. Motion sensors were a breakthrough in the automation technology that became ubiquitous by the 1960s, powering everything from lights to toilets to Halloween decorations. Motion sensors were especially revolutionary for security: business owners no longer had to rely entirely on humans to keep their premises secure. They now had peace of mind, even when they weren't present.

The 1960s saw the arrival of vault vibration sensors, followed by ADT's first computer-based proprietary system in the 1970s. But it was the 1980s that heralded a major shift: ADT entered the home security business. The Focus multiplex alarm control unit made security, something businesses had enjoyed for decades, finally affordable for individual homeowners. Today, more than half of American households are protected by security systems. 

Text messages to reduce false alarms

It's no surprise that a company that pioneered new ways to use telephone and telegraph technologies would be at the forefront of the digital revolutions of our own times–especially as we traded phone lines for wirelessly-connected smartphones. Today, ADT continues to imagine how communications technologies can both keep you safe when every second counts and keep your precious seconds from being wasted on false alarms.

Older security technologies would automatically alert authorities when alarms were triggered, getting help on the scene fast but also sometimes leading to false alarms. ADT's Alarm Messenger uses text messaging to make every second count, but also to make sure there's really a problem. 

Alarm Messenger notifies users and a select group of emergency contacts when an alarm goes off. Each person gets a text message that contains a link to a group chat. In the chat, users can view information about the alarm, have a conversation with the others who were notified, and confirm if there is, in fact, an emergency. If a user clicks to call the police, Alarm Messenger sends the information to an ADT agent who then speaks to 911, so first responders will have all the details before arriving on the scene. (There is backup: if no one responds to the message, ADT will make calls to assess the situation, and then, if there's any doubt, dispatch help.) 

If there is no emergency, you can tap a button to cancel the alarm. When necessary, the local 911 center is notified of the emergency electronically at speeds eight times faster than a voice call. The texts still receive the same priority as speaking to someone on the phone. Since Alarm Messenger's introduction in 2020, the number of false alarms has been reduced by more than 50 percent, according to ADT call center data. And, according to ADT monitoring data, since 2021 over two million false alarms were stopped from reaching agents.

The age of smart home automation

When ADT was founded 150 years ago, it would have been hard to imagine that one day we'd manage almost every aspect of our lives from a screen that fits in our pocket. But just as they always have, ADT turns new technologies into new ways to protect you and your loved ones.

In 2010, not long after ADT responded to its one-billionth alarm signal, the company launched its Pulse App for smartphone users. The Pulse app allowed users to monitor their home in real time wherever they were, uniting their security system, climate control, and lighting in one interface. The age of smart home automation had arrived.

But ADT didn't stop there. They continue to reach for the cutting edge of digital technology to make home security more intelligent and flexible. In 2020 Google invested $450 million in ADT, and ADT's Monitoring service  was integrated with Google's Nest products and artificial intelligence. 

The ADT+ app, which launched in 2023, fully unites your ADT security system and Google Nest devices. The app allows you to control ADT sensors and view live video feeds from Nest doorbells or cameras. You can also watch video clips of the moments before and after a notable event. The Nest doorbell can recognize the difference between a person stopping by or a package delivery, and send a notification to your phone. The talk and listen feature lets you speak to visitors. You can disarm an alarm or unlock a door and toggle between privacy modes to disable cameras. 

ADT's digital security tech isn't just for homes: it also powers several of the apps that have changed how we get around and the things that come to our door. Popular startups like DoorDash, Lyft and Uber have integrated ADT's security toolkits into their apps to connect drivers and riders to help immediately. 

From yesterday to tomorrow: ADT is always there

The 1939 World's Fair, the first global event protected by ADT technology, looked to the "world of tomorrow." We live in that world today, the world of smartphones, apps and AI. A hundred and fifty years after its first birthday, ADT's long history of innovation still inspires them to break new ground on technologies that make security faster and more flexible. And new tech means new ways to customize security to your needs, whether you want to create your own self-setup system or put it in the hands of a trusted ADT professional.

Even if you're not yet using ADT to protect your home, they've been protecting your world for the past 150 years, inventing the technologies that made modern security possible. Now, you have endless options to make ADT your own: explore Self-Setup or Professional installation today to create a security system that's perfect for you. When Every Second Counts, Count on ADT.