Helping manufacturers meet modern safety and performance expectations for burglary alarm systems
Protecting business assets, such as equipment, inventory and sensitive data, is critical for maintaining operations and long-term competitiveness. Unauthorized access, theft and vandalism can lead to costly disruptions.
Burglaries remain a widespread issue across U.S. commercial properties. In 2023 alone, more than 228,000 burglaries were reported across businesses, with over 42,000 incidents occurring in office buildings.¹ These crimes contribute to billions of dollars in annual losses.²
To mitigate this risk, many organizations depend on reliable physical security and intrusion detection technologies. Manufacturers play a vital role in this ecosystem by delivering products that align with clearly defined performance expectations.
UL 2610: A unified Standard for commercial burglary alarm equipment
UL 2610, the Standard for Commercial Premises Security Alarm Units and Systems, was developed to streamline multiple legacy standards into one cohesive set of technical requirements. First published in 2018, UL 2610 applies to the testing and certification of security system hardware used in commercial environments.
This Standard supports the evaluation of devices designed to detect unauthorized entry and transmit signals to designated authorities or security personnel. UL 2610 focuses exclusively on product-level certification rather than service-level alarm system programs.
Legacy Standards UL 2610 updates or replaces:
- UL 365, the Standard for Police Station Connected Burglar Alarm Units and Systems
- UL 603, the Standard for Power Supplies for Use with Burglar-Alarm Systems
- UL 609, the Standard for Local Burglar Alarm Units and Systems
- UL 636, the Standard for Holdup Alarm Units and Systems
- UL 1076, the Standard for Proprietary Burglar Alarm Units and Systems
- UL 1610, the Standard for Central-Station Burglar-Alarm Units
- UL 163, the Standard for Digital Alarm Communicator System Units
The certification process includes:
- Submission of detailed technical documentation.
- Laboratory testing for product performance and safety.
- Evaluation against criteria such as:
- Electrical safety
- Fire resistance
- Mechanical durability
- Resistance to radio frequency interference
- Communication functionality
- Normal operating conditions
- Electrical supervision and output reliability
Ongoing surveillance
To maintain certification, manufacturers must produce their equipment in accordance with the original certification requirements. UL Solutions conducts periodic factory surveillance visits to support continued compliance.
Supporting broader system compatibility
UL Solutions also works with manufacturers to evaluate how individual components function as part of larger integrated security systems. This can be particularly valuable when addressing complex applications, such as:
- Intrusion detection
- Access control system integration
- Remote alarm monitoring configurations
UL Solutions provides insights that help align component functionality with broader system-level performance needs.
Advancing commercial security through certification
UL Solutions third-party testing and certification help support confidence in modern burglary alarm devices by providing a clear approach to product certification. Testing and certification give manufacturers an opportunity to show commitment to safety and performance and demonstrate compliance via comprehensive evaluation and ongoing oversight.
References
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/195200/burglary-in-the-us-by-location-of-felony/
- https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/topic-pages/burglary
Learn more about UL 2610 certification
Contact us for more information on how our testing and certification services can support your compliance and performance goals for your burglary alarm products.