A system for adaptive detection of audio alarms, comprising: a microphone (120, 220) configured to receive a series of sounds; a communications interface (140, 240) operably coupled to the microphone and configured to communicate with an external network; a memory(150, 250) configured to store a defined set of alarm templates for a plurality of predetermined alarm characteristics; and a processor (130, 230) operably coupled to the memory and the communications interface and configured to: analyze the series of sounds to determine alarm characteristics, wherein analyzing includes executing signal processing algorithms to isolate principal tones of the alarms or audible warnings and to learn the temporal patterns of the principal tones; compare the determined alarm characteristics to the defined set of alarm templates stored in the memory; if a match of the determined alarm characteristics with any of the defined alarm templates is determined, transmit an alert to a client device; if the determined alarm characteristics do not match with any defined alarm templates stored in the memory, a sample of the received sound is communicated to the client device and responsive to receiving input from the client device based on a user input, generating and storing in the memory an alarm template for the alarm characteristics. a microphone (120, 220) configured to receive a series of sounds; a communications interface (140, 240) operably coupled to the microphone and configured to communicate with an external network; a memory(150, 250) configured to store a defined set of alarm templates for a plurality of predetermined alarm characteristics; and a processor (130, 230) operably coupled to the memory and the communications interface and configured to: analyze the series of sounds to determine alarm characteristics, wherein analyzing includes executing signal processing algorithms to isolate principal tones of the alarms or audible warnings and to learn the temporal patterns of the principal tones; compare the determined alarm characteristics to the defined set of alarm templates stored in the memory; if a match of the determined alarm characteristics with any of the defined alarm templates is determined, transmit an alert to a client device; if the determined alarm characteristics do not match with any defined alarm templates stored in the memory, a sample of the received sound is communicated to the client device and responsive to receiving input from the client device based on a user input, generating and storing in the memory an alarm template for the alarm characteristics. analyze the series of sounds to determine alarm characteristics, wherein analyzing includes executing signal processing algorithms to isolate principal tones of the alarms or audible warnings and to learn the temporal patterns of the principal tones; compare the determined alarm characteristics to the defined set of alarm templates stored in the memory; if a match of the determined alarm characteristics with any of the defined alarm templates is determined, transmit an alert to a client device; if the determined alarm characteristics do not match with any defined alarm templates stored in the memory, a sample of the received sound is communicated to the client device and responsive to receiving input from the client device based on a user input, generating and storing in the memory an alarm template for the alarm characteristics.