# SafeHome.org

> Home Security Information and Systems

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## Pages

- [No-Subscription Smart Doorbell Comparison and Recommendations](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/best/no-subscription/): We discuss smart home tech that helps dementia patients stay safe, independent, and connected – plus tips for gradual integration.
- [Safety Checks for Multi-Generational Homes](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/multigenerational-home/): Get safety tips from experts on how to keep every member of multi-generation homes safe, from lighting to fall detection and emergency response.
- [Technologies and Gadgets to Help Patients with Dementia and Alzheimer's](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/dementia-patient-tech/): We discuss smart home tech that helps dementia patients stay safe, independent, and connected – plus tips for gradual integration.
- [Guide to Smart Locks With Emergency Power Options in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/smart-locks/external-battery-backup/): With most smart locks relying on batteries for power, we found the best smart locks with backup power options.
- [How to Reduce Your Energy Bill with Smart Security Lighting](https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/energy-saving/): Using smart lights alone can help reduce your energy consumption, but these proven strategies can help you save on electricity costs even more.
- [Do Alexa and Google Assistant Devices Compromise Your Privacy?](https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/disable-smart-speaker/): While Amazon and Google take privacy seriously, our security experts highlight ways to improve your privacy when using smart speakers and displays.
- [What Happens To Your Smart Home When Power and Internet Goes Out?](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/outages/): During power outages, backup battery, cellular communication, and local security camera recording will keep your home protected.
- [Our Favorite Landlord-Approved Smart Home Security Solutions for Renters](https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/portable-solutions-renters/): Smart home security solutions for renters are not only possible, but also affordable. You can get started for less than $100.
- [Expert Tips for Preventing False Alarms in Noise-Triggered Devices](https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/reduce-false-alarms/): Glass break sensors, security cameras with noise sensors, and smart smoke alarm listeners are prone to false alarms. Here’s how to prevent accidental triggers.
- [Battery Backup Solutions for Your Security System](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/battery-backup/): After months of testing, we found the four best battery backup solutions to keep your security system powered during outages.
- [Seasonal Outdoor Safety for RVs and Campers](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/rv-outdoor-tips/): Different seasons present different security challenges to RV owners. Follow our tips to keep your RV safe on the road, at campgrounds, and in storage.
- [Edge vs. Cloud Processing in Smart Cameras: Which Is Right for Your Home?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/edge-vs-cloud/): We compare the privacy, speed, and costs of edge and cloud processing in smart cameras to find the right fit for your home.
- [How to Test & Calibrate PIR Motion Sensors](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/maintenance-plan/): From checking batteries to ensuring your security cameras are well-positioned, this maintenance plan will help you keep your home security system running smoothly.
- [How to Test & Calibrate PIR Motion Sensors](https://www.safehome.org/motion-sensors/calibrate-pir-sensors/): Our home security system testers outline how to properly test, calibrate, and troubleshoot security system PIR motion sensors.
- [Upgrading Legacy Alarm Systems Without Full Replacement](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/upgrade-old-alarm-system/): In this guide, our home security experts discuss various upgrades you can give your existing home security system without breaking the bank.
- [Home Office Safety Checklist: A Guide to Securing Your Workspace At Home](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/home-office-checklist/): 
- [Should You Invest in a Carbon Monoxide Monitor With Mobile Alerts](https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/co-monitor-smartphone-alerts/): With mobile alerts, modern carbon monoxide sensors can alert you to toxic gases, keeping everyone in your home safe — even pets.
- [A Guide to Setting Up A Security System for Tiny Homes](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/tiny-home-guide/): With limited space and power source, we found that wireless, battery-powered security equipment is best for tiny homes.
- [AI-Powered Home Security: What’s Coming in 2026?](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ai-powered-security/): After looking at AI security trends, we expect 2026 to bring new AI features that will make security systems more predictive, personalized, and surprisingly affordable.
- [Understanding Identity Theft Insurance](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/insurance-guide/): Learn how identity theft insurance works, what it covers, and how to choose a policy that protects you from costly data breaches and fraud.
- [John Carlsen](https://www.safehome.org/author/john-carlsen/): John Carlsen is a Utah-based home security expert specializing in security cameras, smart home devices, and DIY security systems. He...
- [Livestream](https://www.safehome.org/livestream/): 
- [RV Security Systems](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/rv/): ADT Self Setup is best for RVs with 9.2/10 SecureScore. SimpliSafe offers easy DIY setup. Cove is budget-friendly. All support self-monitoring.
- [NordStellar](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/nordstellar/): NordStellar excels in threat management with real-time dark web monitoring and actionable insights but lacks pricing transparency and attack path analysis.
- [Joshua Lee](https://www.safehome.org/author/joshua-lee/): Joshua Lee has over two decades of experience in law enforcement and currently serves as an active-duty police sergeant for...
- [Wes Hartkemeyer](https://www.safehome.org/author/wes-hartkemeyer/): Wes Hartkemeyer’s career in public service began with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. He...
- [Christopher Norman](https://www.safehome.org/author/christopher-norman/): For almost two decades, Christopher Norman has supported the elderly as an aide to a nurse, registered nurse, and nurse practitioner. He is currently the primary care provider for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly in Central New York (PACE CNY) and maintains memberships in multiple professional organizations while furthering his education in older adult and holistic care.
- [Home Invasion Prevention: 10 Ways to Stop Criminals from Choosing Your Home](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/stop-criminals-from-choosing-your-home/): A well-lit home, smart locks, and no visible expensive items deter burglars. Use a safe for valuables and consider monitored security systems for peace of mind.
- [How to Burglar Proof Your Home](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/burglar-proof-your-home/): Burglar-proof your home with bright lighting, smart locks, and visible security cameras. Trim shrubs and keep valuables hidden to deter intruders effectively.
- [5 Things Burglars Do NOT Want You to Know](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/5-things-burglars-do-not-want-you-to-know/): Burglars avoid homes with an American flag, open garages invite theft, dark homes are targets, doorbell cameras deter, and security systems are affordable.
- [Window Lock Guide](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/window-locks/): Window locks aren't all safe. Double-hung windows need modern locks. Keyed locks and window bars boost security. Avoid cheap locks; they break easily.
- [5 Sneaky Tricks to Keep Burglars Away While You’re on Vacation](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vacation-burglary-prevention/): Use smart lighting, hold your mail, install window sensors, use a video doorbell, and fake TV to deter burglars while you're on vacation.
- [5 Child Identity Theft Statistics Every Parent Should Know](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/child-identity-theft-protection/): Children are often victims of identity theft by people they know. Axton Betz-Hamilton's mother stole her identity, a common scenario for many kids.
- [These Celebrity Home Security Systems Will Blow Your Mind](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/celebrity-home-security-systems/): Kim Kardashian uses armored vehicles for protection, Dr. Dre has a moat, and Tom Cruise employs a sniper. Celebrity security can be extreme and expensive!
- [Beware of These 4 Toxic Household Gasses](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/toxic-household-gasses/): This guide reveals four toxic household gases: carbon monoxide, radon, VOCs, and formaldehyde. It details their sources and offers prevention tips.
- [These Are the 9 Most Dangerous Christmas Toys Ever Made (and Some of Them Are Still for Sale)](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/most-dangerous-toys/): These toys pose hazards: CSI Fingerprint Kit (asbestos), Lawn Darts (injuries), Flubber (rashes), Kite Tubes (fatal), and Water Beads (choking). Stay safe!
- [5 Smart Home Dangers To Look Out For](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/smart-home-dangers/): Smart homes can be hacked easily, causing privacy breaches. Upgrade your router to WPA3, use smart hubs for bulbs, and disable unauthorized voice purchases.
- [Is Wi-Fi Hurting My Young Children?](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/wifi-dangers/): Wi-Fi is generally safe for adults, but caution is advised for kids due to their susceptibility to radiation. Limit exposure by keeping devices away.
- [Yes, Baby Monitors Can Be Hacked. Here’s What to Do About It.](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/stop-baby-monitor-hacking/): Baby monitors can be hacked via Wi-Fi or analog frequencies. Switch to non-Wi-Fi models or secure your network with strong passwords and regular updates.
- [These 3 Steps Could Save Your Life During a Home Invasion](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/survive-home-invasion/): Stay quiet, lock your door, text 911 if possible. Avoid confrontation and save yourself, not possessions. Plan escape routes now for potential home invasions.
- [Can Smart Lights Really Deter Burglars? Here’s the Scoop.](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/smart-lights-burglary-deterrent/): Smart lights with real-time alerts and random scheduling deter burglars more effectively than traditional timers or leaving lights on.
- [3 Home Robots That Can Keep Burglars at Bay](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ai-robots-home-security/): Amazon's Astro uses machine learning to map your home and recognize faces, Ring's drone patrols while you're out, and Moorebot's Scout offers budget mobility.
- [How to Detect a Spy Cam in Your Hotel Room](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hotel-spy-camera-detection/): Learn how to detect hotel hidden cameras. Spy cams often hide in smoke detectors or clocks. Always check suspicious objects, especially near beds and bathrooms.
- [Paul Frew](https://www.safehome.org/author/paul-frew/): Paul Frew is a home security expert living near Sydney, Australia. He is one of those guys you’ve seen lined...
- [Life Alert vs. Medical Guardian: [year] Expert Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-life-alert/): Medical Guardian outperforms Life Alert with better tech, lower prices, and superior emergency response, earning a 9.1 SecureScore™.
- [Medical Guardian MGMove Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/medical-guardian/mgmove/): The Medical Guardian MGMove is a stylish smartwatch with SOS, 24/7 monitoring, and location tracking. It costs $199.95 plus a $39.95 monthly fee.
- [Medical Guardian MGMini Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/medical-guardian/mgmini/): Tested MGMini: great for basic use, but fall detection fails often. Location tracking impresses. Monthly plan starts at $39.95 plus $149.95 upfront.
- [Cove vs. Vivint [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/cove-vs-vivint/): Vivint's AI technology, professional installation, and smart home integration make it superior to Cove, despite higher costs. Vivint scores 9.1/10.
- [Cove vs. Ring [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/cove-vs-ring/): Cove offers superior equipment and monitoring, while Ring excels in integrations and cost. Our pick: Ring Alarm for its flexibility and affordability.
- [Cove vs. SimpliSafe [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/cove-vs-simplisafe/): SimpliSafe outperforms Cove with better features, easier setup, and more flexible monitoring options. SimpliSafe's Active Guard is a standout feature.
- [Aura vs. IdentityForce [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/identityforce-vs-aura/): Aura offers better value than IdentityForce with more features at a lower cost, including home title monitoring and superior child protection tools.
- [Aura vs. Identity Guard [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/identity-guard-vs-aura/): Aura outperforms Identity Guard in identity theft protection, offering all features in every plan, including VPN and antivirus, making it the top choice.
- [Aura vs. LifeLock](https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-aura/): Aura is better than LifeLock for identity theft protection in 2025 due to its affordability, straightforward pricing, and comprehensive features across all plans.
- [Anthony Travaglia](https://www.safehome.org/author/anthony-travaglia/): Anthony Travaglia has nearly two decades of experience in the police force, during which time he served as patrol officer...
- [ADT Troubleshooting Guide](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/troubleshooting/): ADT troubleshooting guide reveals fixes for common issues like power loss, radio interference, and sensor malfunctions. Reset and test methods included.
- [Security Camera Laws, Rights, and Rules](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/laws-rights/): Security camera laws are murky; bedroom cams often break privacy laws more than neighbor cams. Bedrooms have high privacy expectations compared to yards.
- [Vivint App](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/app/): The Vivint app lets you control all your smart home devices from your phone, automate tasks, and improve security. It's like having your own personal JARVIS!
- [How to Install a Home Security System: It’s Easier Than You Think](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/how-to-install/): You can install a home security system yourself in minutes. Just stick sensors and set up a control panel. Don't forget to test and post alarm signs.
- [Vivint Troubleshooting Guide](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/troubleshooting/): Reset your Vivint Smart Hub to fix common issues, troubleshoot the app, and resolve camera problems before contacting tech support. Follow these DIY steps.
- [How Does a Motion Detector Work?](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/motion-detector-guide/): Motion detectors evolved from WWII radar, now key in security systems. They detect changes via various technologies, enhancing safety with integration options.
- [How to Effectively Place Security Sensors in Your Home](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/effective-sensor-placement/): Install security sensors above eye level, avoid direct sunlight and heat sources, and use recessed or camouflaged options for stealth and effectiveness.
- [Does My Wireless Security System Still Work If the Internet Goes Out?](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/wireless-system-work-power-out/): Wireless systems need Wi-Fi or cellular backup. Vivint and Cove offer reliable options during outages, but Eufy and Wyze may fail without internet.
- [How to Connect Ring With Alexa and Watch Ring Footage on Echo Show](https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/connect-ring-alexa/): Link your Ring camera to Echo Show by linking accounts, enabling the Ring Alexa Skill, and using voice commands like "Alexa, show me the front door."
- [Home Safety Guide](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/): Most prowlers avoid homes with cameras and alarms. A security system deters intruders and gives more control over home safety.
- [What Do Carbon Monoxide Detectors Do and How Do They Work?](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/carbon-monoxide-detector/): Carbon monoxide detectors, like those from SimpliSafe, detect CO, an odorless gas that can be deadly. They save lives by alerting you before symptoms appear.
- [How to Set Up Arlo Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/arlo/set-up/): Arlo cameras are user-friendly with HD video; Essential line is budget-friendly, Ultra offers 4K, and Go 2 is Wi-Fi free. Installation is simple via the app.
- [The Mind of a Burglar](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/mind-of-burglar/): Burglars favor unprotected homes. Over 80% are male, often younger. Visible security deters them. They scout, plan, and act fast, usually within 10 minutes.
- [What to Do If You Have a Lost or Stolen Package](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/lost-stolen-package/): Amazon packages often go missing due to delivery issues or theft. Protect your deliveries with a video doorbell, report theft to police, and request refunds.
- [How to Connect Google Nest to Your Google Home](https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/connect-nest-google-home/): Connect your Google Nest Hub to the Home app, automate tasks, save on energy, and enjoy seamless integration with smart devices, enhancing home security.
- [Burglary vs. Robbery: What’s the Difference?](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/burglary-vs-robbery/): Burglaries are about illegal entry with intent to steal, while robberies involve force or threats. In 2022, there were 847,522 U.S. burglaries.
- [Will Your Home Security System Work in a Power Outage?](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/power-outages/): Wi-Fi-based security systems fail in power outages; cellular or landline systems stay online. Backup power like UPS or generators can help maintain security.
- [How to Cancel Your Home Security Contract](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cancel-contract/): Canceling a home security contract can be tricky; expect fees up to 75% of the remaining term. Transfer or relocate to avoid costs. Check your contract details.
- [Can Tenants Install Security Cameras?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/can-tenants-install/): Yes, renters can install security cameras, but check your lease for restrictions, avoid drilling holes, respect privacy laws, and consider wireless options.
- [Guide to Home Security Contracts](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/contract-guide/): Home security contracts often include a 36-month term, monthly fees, and equipment ownership clauses. No-contract options like SimpliSafe offer flexibility.
- [Step-by-Step: How to Install the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/doorbell/install/): Install the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell with ease: unbox, wire, and configure using the app for motion alerts, two-way audio, and 1080p video.
- [How Do Wireless Security Cameras Work?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/how-wireless-cameras-work/): Wireless cameras are budget-friendly, easy to install, and keep homes safe, but can lack wired systems' image quality. Local storage is cheaper, but riskier.
- [Troubleshooting Ring Doorbell Issues](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/troubleshooting/): Having trouble with your Ring Doorbell? The guide covers common issues like Wi-Fi and power problems and offers practical solutions for each.
- [Dealing With Hostile Neighbors](https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/hostile-neighbors/): Deal with hostile neighbors by staying calm, documenting issues, and using security cameras. If needed, involve authorities or seek mediation for resolution.
- [Best Facial Recognition Cameras in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/facial-recognition/): The best facial recognition cameras of 2025 include Lorex 4K Outdoor for top equipment, Wyze Cam v3 for budget, and Nest Cam for smart home integration.
- [Blink Video Doorbell Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/blink/reviews/): The Blink Video Doorbell is affordable and easy to install, but lacks standout features. It offers basic functionality with no subscription, costing $59.99.
- [Best Cameras for Image Quality: A Buyer’s Guide](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/image-quality/): Lorex 4K cameras offer top image quality, but ADT is recommended for overall security. Wyze v3 is a budget choice; Vivint provides premium features.
- [Burglar Alarms Going Off Randomly? Here’s How To Fix It.](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/false-alarms/): Burglar alarms often go off due to low batteries, pets, or dirty sensors. Fixes include replacing batteries, cleaning sensors, or recalibrating pet detection.
- [Eufy Dual Video Doorbell Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/eufy/reviews/): The Eufy Dual Video Doorbell impresses with dual cameras and facial recognition, but is pricey at $259.99 to $300. Night vision and latency need improvement.
- [Zosi Security Camera Review and Pricing [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/zosi/): Zosi cameras offer good daytime quality but struggle at night. Affordable yet need power supply. Battery models are best, but setup can be challenging.
- [Kwikset Halo Touch Review and Pricing [year]](https://www.safehome.org/smart-locks/kwikset-halo-touch/): The Kwikset Halo Touch is a Wi-Fi-ready smart lock with fingerprint access for $240. It lacks a door sensor, so the auto-lock feature might cause issues.
- [Wyze Lock Bolt Review: A Smart Lock With a Fingerprint Scanner for $70? What’s Going on Here?](https://www.safehome.org/smart-locks/wyze-lock-bolt/): The Wyze Lock Bolt is a budget-friendly Bluetooth smart lock with a fingerprint scanner, but lacks Wi-Fi and smart home integration. Priced at $74.
- [The Best Hidden Cameras in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/hidden/): The Vidcastive 4K Mini Spy Camera is the top pick for hidden cameras in 2025, offering exceptional video quality and 19-hour battery life.
- [How to Recover Lost or Stolen Items](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/recover-lost-or-stolen-items/): Learn how to recover lost or stolen items; use CCTV, tracing apps, or report to police. Prevention is key—install security systems and use GPS trackers.
- [Your Security Cameras Can Be Hacked. Here’s How to Protect Yourself.](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hacking-protection/): Security cameras can be hacked; change default passwords, use strong passwords, set up 2FA, and use trusted brands like SimpliSafe, Vivint, and Google Nest.
- [What to Do After a Home Burglary](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/what-to-do-after-home-burglary/): After a burglary, prioritize safety, call the police, notify your insurance, and review security measures like cameras and alarms to prevent future incidents.
- [How to Turn Your Old Phone Into a Home Security Camera](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/turn-old-phone-into-security-camera/): You can turn your old phone into a home security camera using the Alfred app. It’s free, includes motion detection, two-way talk, and a loud siren.
- [Eufy Home Security Review and Pricing [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/eufy/): Eufy's latest security system offers AI face recognition and solar charging but lacks motion sensors in the starter kit. Prices are higher than Simplisafe.
- [Security Cameras for College Dorms](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/college-dorms/): You can install a security camera in your dorm if both roommates agree and it records only when you're absent. SimpliCam, Lorex 2K, and Ring are top picks.
- [IDX Identity Theft Protection Subscription and Pricing Options](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/myidcare/): IDX Identity offers credit monitoring, dark web scanning, and identity recovery services, but it’s pricey compared to competitors like LifeLock and Aura.
- [Geeni Security Cameras Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/geeni/reviews/): Geeni cameras are affordable with good picture quality and night vision, but lack cloud storage and advanced features. Owned by Merkury Innovations.
- [I’m Selling a House. Can I Use Hidden Cameras to Record Potential Buyers?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hidden-cameras-home-sellers/): Recording potential homebuyers is risky; it's often legal but can backfire. Hidden cameras are mostly okay, but audio recording needs consent in many states.
- [Can You Install Hidden Cameras in the Office?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hidden-cameras-office/): Hidden cameras in offices are mostly illegal, audio recording needs consent, and ADT, Vivint, and Frontpoint are the top business security systems.
- [Geeni Cameras and Pricing [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/geeni/): Geeni offers affordable security cameras and home automation, but lacks advanced features and cloud storage. Reliable yet basic for budget-conscious users.
- [Do You Have to Tell Guests About Hidden Cameras in Your Home?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hidden-cameras-consent-laws/): Hidden cameras are legal in most states, but you must inform guests in Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, and Michigan. Avoid placing them in private spaces.
- [Are Hidden Cameras Legal in Your Home?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hidden-cameras/): Hidden cameras are legal in most states unless placed in private areas like bathrooms. Outdoor cameras can’t be aimed at neighbors’ homes intentionally.
- [ADT Self Setup Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/reviews/self-setup/): ADT Self Setup offers high-quality DIY security with Google Nest products. It's pricier than competitors but provides excellent monitoring. Ideal for ADT fans.
- [Nest Doorbell Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/nest-doorbell/reviews/): The Nest Doorbell impresses with its AI features and sleek design, but lacks color night vision and 4K resolution; priced at $179.99, it’s a solid choice.
- [Where Should I Place My Security Cameras?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/placement/): For effective security, place cameras at entryways, windows, driveway, and external structures. Prioritize visibility and weatherproofing for optimal coverage.
- [Can Security Cameras See Inside Cars?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/cars/): Yes, security cameras can see inside cars, but clarity depends on resolution, lighting, glass type, tint, and distance from the camera.
- [When Were Security Cameras Invented?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/history/): Security cameras started in the 1920s in Russia for Kremlin surveillance; today, they offer HD video, smart alerts, and integrate into smart homes globally.
- [Can Security Cameras Record Audio?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/audio/): Security cameras can record audio, but legality varies by state. Most effective when subjects are nearby; ambient noise may affect clarity. Check local laws.
- [Can I Block My Neighbor’s Security Camera?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/neighbors/): Your neighbor's security cameras are legal if they’re for security and in public view. Try talking, blocking views, or mediating, but avoid illegal tampering.
- [Defender Security Cameras Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/defender/): Defender cameras offer 4K and 2K resolutions for affordable prices, but the Phoenix model lacks features. Bundling saves more, but reliability is mixed.
- [Ring Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/black-friday/): Ring cameras are on sale with up to 50% off this Black Friday 2025 on Amazon and Ring’s site. Deals include Indoor Cam for $29.99 and bundles for $249.99.
- [Ecobee Smart Security Review & Pricing Guide [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ecobee/): Ecobee Smart Security is a solid choice for uncluttered home protection with cheap $10 professional monitoring, but lacks video doorbell and automatic sirens.
- [Window Alarm Sensors](https://www.safehome.org/motion-sensors/window/): Window alarm sensors detect opened or broken windows, triggering alerts or alarms. Pair with glass-break sensors for comprehensive home security.
- [Door Alarm Sensors](https://www.safehome.org/motion-sensors/door/): Door alarm sensors use reed switches and magnets to alert you when doors open, costing between $10-$200. They're essential for home security.
- [ADT Video Doorbells — Plans, Features, and Pricing in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/adt/): ADT's video doorbell costs $200 and is included in their $1,049 Video & Smart plan with a $59.99/month monitoring fee, requiring a 24-36 month contract.
- [What Is Vandalism?](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vandalism/): Vandalism is intentional property damage, like graffiti or slashed tires. It's a crime with varying penalties. Security measures can deter vandals.
- [What Is Home Invasion?](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/home-invasion/): Home invasions are rare but dangerous; most involve someone the victim knows. Protect yourself with security systems, cameras, and deterrents.
- [How Much Does a Home Security System Cost?](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cost/): You can set up a basic home security system for $200-$300, but advanced options with professional monitoring can run $500-$1,000 plus $20-$50 monthly fees.
- [Who Invented the Home Security System?](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/history/): Marie Van Brittan Brown invented the first modern home security system in the 1960s, using TV surveillance and a two-way microphone.
- [ADT Video Doorbell Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/adt/reviews/): ADT's video doorbell offers 180-degree views and infrared night vision, but its 720p resolution and lack of motion zones fall short compared to competitors.
- [Best Security Cameras for Apartments in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/apartments/): In 2025, SimpliSafe tops the list for apartment security cameras with its affordable DIY setup and intruder deterrence features. ADT and Lorex follow closely.
- [Best Solar-Powered Security Cameras of [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/solar/): ADT, Lorex, and Ring lead in solar-powered security cameras for 2025. ADT offers seamless integration, Lorex provides versatile options, and Ring excels with equipment.
- [Best Security Cameras for Businesses in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/business/): The best business security cameras in 2025 are ADT for professional monitoring, Lorex for features, and Ring for customization, with each scoring 9.2/10.
- [ADT Home Security Cameras Pricing and Features [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/adt/): ADT's security cameras offer 1080p HD video, two-way audio, infrared night vision, and AI detection. Monitoring costs $45.99 to $59.99 monthly.
- [Best Security Cameras With No Subscription in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/no-subscription/): ADT and Lorex offer top security cameras without fees, featuring reliable quality and no subscription. Wyze and Zmodo provide affordable options.
- [Best PoE Security Cameras of [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/poe/): Lorex offers the best PoE security cameras with top-notch features and user experience. Zmodo provides budget-friendly options, while Night Owl is reliable.
- [ADT Home Security Cameras Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/adt/reviews/): ADT security cameras offer solid 1080p video, weatherproofing, and integration with Google Nest. Their plans start at $45/month with professional installation.
- [Best 4K Security Camera System](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/4k/): Lorex offers the best 4K security cameras with versatile options, Arlo excels in DIY installation, and Google Nest provides excellent tech but lacks true 4K.
- [Aura Identity Theft Protection Review](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/aura/reviews/): Aura offers comprehensive identity theft protection with VPN, antivirus, and password manager. It includes $1M in insurance but comes at a premium price.
- [Aura Identity Theft Protection Brand](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/aura/): Aura Identity Theft Protection includes anti-tracking, email masking, and ad-blocking. It offers $1M insurance, a VPN, and antivirus with flexible plans.
- [SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/simplisafe-outdoor-camera/): SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera impresses with 1080p video, AI features, and strong construction but falls short due to high costs and limited standalone functionality.
- [Home 2021](https://www.safehome.org/): SafeHome is the #1 trusted resource for home security and safety. Our experts share tips and ways to protect yourself and your family.
- [Wyze Home Monitoring: Packages, Plans and Costs](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/wyze/): Wyze Home Monitoring offers the cheapest security at $59.98 for the starter kit with $5/month monitoring, but lacks ADT's and Vivint's advanced features.
- [Wyze Home Monitoring Review](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/wyze/reviews/): The Wyze Home Monitoring system offers low-cost equipment and monitoring but lacks cellular backup and advanced smart home integration.
- [Max Sheridan](https://www.safehome.org/author/max-sheridan/): Max Sheridan brings over two decades of writing experience to our team. He has spent 1,000-plus hours researching VPNs, identity...
- [Reolink Argus 2E Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/argus-2e/): Reolink Argus 2E is a budget-friendly, weatherproof camera with 1080p HD, two-way talk, and local/cloud storage. Limited features but reliable. $74.99.
- [SimpliSafe Prime Day 2024 Deals and Special Discounts](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/prime-day/): SimpliSafe Prime Day 2025 cuts prices by 50%, with systems starting at $99.99. Check Amazon and SimpliSafe's site for the best deals on affordable security.
- [Prime Day 2024: Ring Alarm Deals](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ring-alarm/prime-day/): Ring Alarm's Prime Day 2025 offers 40% off, with kits starting at $119.99. It's a top DIY pick, despite fewer advanced features.
- [Arlo Camera Prime Day [year] Deals](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/arlo/prime-day/): Arlo Prime Day 2024 offers huge savings on top cameras: Arlo Ultra 2 pack is $419.99, Pro 5S pack $299.99, and Essential Indoor Wired $59.99.
- [Doorbell Camera Prime Day [year] Deals and Discounts](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/prime-day/): Prime Day 2025 offers up to 63% off on video doorbells. Best deals include Ring at $49.99 and Blink at $29.99. Arlo and Nest offer advanced features.
- [Nest Cam Prime Day [year] Deals](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/nest-camera/prime-day/): Nest Cam Prime Day 2025 offers up to $80 off. Key deals: Nest Cam (wired) at $69.99, Nest Cam (battery) at $124, and Nest Doorbell (battery) at $119.99.
- [Ring Camera Prime Day Deals [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/prime-day/): Ring Prime Day 2024 offers up to 50% off, with Indoor Cams at $29.99 and Floodlight Cam Plus at $119.99. Best buys: Indoor Cam, Stick Up Cam.
- [IdentityIQ Subscription Plan Pricing](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/identityiq/): IdentityIQ’s top plan costs $29.99/month, offers triple-bureau credit monitoring, but lacks financial account monitoring. Dark web and identity alerts included.
- [Reolink Argus 3 Pro Camera Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/argus-3-pro/): Reolink Argus 3 Pro offers 2K HD, motion spotlight, and color night vision but lacks advanced motion features and continuous recording. Priced at $109.99.
- [Reolink E1 Outdoor Camera Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/e1-outdoor/): Reolink E1 Outdoor offers 5MP resolution, PTZ, and weatherproof design for $100. Pros include color night vision and two-way talk; cons are wired setup and sluggish features.
- [Lorex Doorbell Camera Review](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/lorex/reviews/): Lorex's 2K video doorbell offers stellar video quality, color night vision, and local storage without monthly fees. However, installation can be challenging.
- [How Much Are Security Cameras?](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/cost/): Ring tops security cameras with features like 3D motion detection and built-in siren for $229.99. Blink offers budget-friendly options at $63.99.
- [How to Install Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/how-to-install/): Ring tops the list for best home security cameras. DIY installations are easy, but professional installs offer convenience, especially for outdoor setups.
- [Blink Outdoor Camera Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/reviews/outdoor/): Blink Outdoor Camera 2025 Review: A reliable, budget-friendly camera with DIY setup, 1080p video, two-way talk, and 2-year battery life, but lacks advanced motion features.
- [Blink Mini Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/reviews/mini/): The Blink Mini Camera is budget-friendly at $34.99, easy to set up, and integrates with Alexa but lacks advanced features and requires a subscription for cloud storage.
- [YI Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/yi/): YI cameras are affordable but lack key features like 4K video and smart home integration. Kami offers better integration with Alexa and Google Assistant.
- [Jenny Wisniewski](https://www.safehome.org/author/jenny-wisniewski/): Jenny Wisniewski is a medical alert system expert with a passion for connecting seniors with solutions to age safely in...
- [YI Home Security Camera 3 Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/yi/reviews/): The YI Home Camera 3 is affordable at $25, offers clear 1080p video, and emergency response, but lacks mounting options and has finicky motion detection.
- [Cove Home Security Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cove/reviews/): Cove offers easy setup and quality gear, but camera installation issues and shipping delays marred our experience.
- [Reolink Argus 3 Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/argus-3/): Reolink Argus 3 is wire-free, solar, has color night vision, and a spotlight. It's flexible but lacks advanced motion features. Priced at $109.99 without solar.
- [Reolink Argus Eco Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/argus-eco/): Reolink Argus Eco is a budget-friendly outdoor camera with HD video, night vision, two-way talk, and smart home integration. Lacks continuous recording.
- [Ring Indoor Cam Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/indoor-cam/): Ring Indoor Cam review: compact design with 1080p HD video, night vision, and motion alerts. Priced at $59.99. Some audio lag and short power cord.
- [Arlo Doorbell Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/arlo/reviews/): The Arlo Video Doorbell impresses with its advanced features like AI integration and a wide viewing angle, all for under $150. It offers great value and performance.
- [Rob Gabriele](https://www.safehome.org/author/rob-gabriele/): Rob Gabriele is a top home security expert living in Indianapolis, Indiana. Previously at the USAToday network in New York,...
- [Derek Prall](https://www.safehome.org/author/derek-prall/): Derek Prall is a home security expert and author living in Atlanta, Georgia. As a lifelong tech enthusiast, Derek now...
- [Accessibility](https://www.safehome.org/accessibility/): Safehome. org is committed to making our website’s content accessible and user friendly to everyone. If you are having difficulty...
- [Jaime Fraze](https://www.safehome.org/author/jaime-fraze/): Jaime Fraze is an experienced digital editor in the tech, business and food spaces, having produced content for clients ranging...
- [https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/lorex/reviews/](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/reviews/): Blink cameras are affordable, easy to set up, and offer decent video quality. They lack advanced features, have limited night vision, and require a Sync Module.
- [Guides](https://www.safehome.org/research/guides/): SimpliSafe and Vivint top security reviews; Ink Business Unlimited and Venture X rank as best credit cards. Bay Alarm Medical stands out in alert systems.
- [Studies](https://www.safehome.org/research/studies/): Sex Offender Registry Statistics 2024: California leads in registered offenders; Vermont has the fewest. 38% willing to share security feeds with police.
- [Research](https://www.safehome.org/research/): 
- [Equifax Identity Theft Protection Pricing and Subscription Options in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/equifax/): Equifax ID protection starts at $16.95/month with three tiers. Complete Premier offers dark web monitoring and $1 million insurance but lacks a mobile app.
- [Alder Review](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/alder/reviews/): Alder offers a reliable DIY home security system with a 7-inch touchscreen panel and 24/7 monitoring but lacks smart home features and has a buggy mobile app.
- [Alder Home Security Pricing](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/alder/): Alder offers fast response times averaging 3.4 seconds, with no upfront equipment fees, starting at $39.99/month for a 36-month contract.
- [Careers](https://www.safehome.org/careers/): 
- [Editorial Guidelines and How We Review](https://www.safehome.org/editorial-guidelines/): 
- [Terms of Use](https://www.safehome.org/terms-of-use/): SafeHome.org offers comprehensive reviews of top security systems like SimpliSafe, ADT, and Vivint, highlighting safety features and cost comparisons.
- [The Best Home Security Systems in [year] — Tested by Experts](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/): After months of testing, the results are out. The best home security systems of 2025 are ADT, SimpliSafe, and Vivint.
- [Andrew Garcia](https://www.safehome.org/author/andrew-garcia/): Andrew Garcia is an experienced Editor with a deep knowledge of home security systems, IoT and smart home technologies. Early...
- [Best Wired Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/wired/): Lorex offers the best outdoor wired security cameras with 4K resolution and free local storage, ideal for reliable home protection without monthly fees.
- [Lorex Cyber Monday Deals [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/lorex/cyber-monday/): Lorex's Cyber Monday 2025 deals offer up to $200 off on purchases over $2,000, plus additional savings with Site Crasher discounts and Outlet Clearance sales.
- [Lorex vs Reolink Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/lorex-vs-reolink/): Lorex cameras have better build quality and a superior app, making them our top choice over Reolink, despite similar prices and specs.
- [Lorex vs Amcrest Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/lorex-vs-amcrest/): Lorex beats Amcrest with a higher SecureScore, superior video quality, and better customer service, making it our top pick for home security systems.
- [Lorex vs Night Owl Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/lorex-vs-night-owl/): Lorex is preferred over Night Owl for its 4K video, professional monitoring options, and advanced features, despite both offering DIY installation and no monthly fees.
- [Lorex’s Black Friday Deals [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/lorex/black-friday/): Lorex's 2025 Black Friday sale offers up to $300 off on security systems and $130 off on video doorbells, with free shipping and extended returns.
- [ADT Cyber Monday Deals](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/cyber-monday/): Save $440 on ADT's Front Door Protection package this Cyber Monday 2025. Includes sensors, Nest Doorbell, Yale Smart Lock. No contracts, flexible DIY options.
- [NortonLifeLock Cyber Monday Deals [year]](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/cyber-monday/): LifeLock Cyber Monday 2025 offered Norton 360 + LifeLock Select Plus for $69.99, saving $120. Ultimate Plus was $239.88, a 42% discount.
- [SimpliSafe Cyber Monday Deals [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/cyber-monday/): SimpliSafe slashes prices by 70% on all security systems for Cyber Monday 2025, plus a free outdoor camera and a month of professional monitoring.
- [Vivint Cyber Monday Deals](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/cyber-monday/): Vivint's 2025 Cyber Monday deal offers up to $245 savings with three months free monitoring and a discounted doorbell camera, if your package is $599+.
- [Best Motion Sensor Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/motion/): SimpliSafe excels in deterring intruders with smart detection, ADT shines with facial recognition, while Lorex offers versatile motion cameras.
- [Best Night Vision Security Cameras of [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/night-vision/): Night Vision Security Cameras 2025: ADT and Lorex lead with top scores, offering Google Nest integration and long-range color vision. SimpliSafe ranks lower.
- [Upgrading Existing Home Security System](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/upgrade/): Upgrading your home security is easy; most systems like SimpliSafe allow for new features, equipment, and 24-hour monitoring, enhancing protection effectively.
- [Moving With ADT](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/moving/): If you’re moving with ADT, you’ll need a new contract and equipment at your new place. Existing ADT setups can be activated with a call to ADT.
- [A Beginners Guide to Home Automation](https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/): Home automation simplifies life with IoT, AI, and machine learning. It boosts convenience, safety, and sustainability but poses cyber risks. Costs vary widely.
- [Best Battery-Powered Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/battery/): ADT, Lorex, and Ring top our list of battery-powered security cameras for 2025, offering strong features like facial recognition, 4K resolution, and ease of use.
- [Best Cloud Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/cloud/): In 2025, SimpliSafe leads with top cloud plans offering monitoring, ADT excels in video verification, and Google Nest provides standout facial recognition.
- [Vivint vs Alder Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-vs-alder/): Vivint beats Alder with superior smart home equipment, design, and technology, but Alder shines with faster emergency response times. Vivint is our top pick.
- [Best IFTTT Compatible Home Security Systems of [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/ifttt/): Abode, Ring, and Arlo support IFTTT, letting you customize smart home routines and triggers with ease
- [Best Office Security Systems in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/office/): ADT, SimpliSafe, and Cove provide top-tier office security with intrusion detection, cameras, and pro monitoring
- [Blue by ADT Doorbell Camera Review](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/doorbell/): The Blue by ADT Doorbell Camera is discontinued; ADT now offers the Google Nest Doorbell, which integrates seamlessly with their new DIY ADT Self Setup system.
- [Best Waterproof Medical Alert Systems](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/waterproof/): Bay Alarm Medical, Medical Guardian, and ADT offer the best waterproof medical alert systems. Bay Alarm is the easiest to use, Guardian has the longest range.
- [Ring Alarm for Business](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ring-alarm/business/): Ring Alarm doesn't offer business-specific systems, but its DIY kits can secure businesses affordably. No professional fire/CO monitoring available.
- [Vivint Installation](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/installation/): Vivint's installation was thorough but pricey, with Don impressing us with his professionalism. Despite minor communication issues, we rate it 9.4/10.
- [Do Medical Alert Devices Have Bluetooth?](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/bluetooth/): Bluetooth-enabled medical alert systems offer wire-free convenience, GPS tracking, and no monthly fees, making Bay Alarm Medical top-rated for 2025.
- [Vivint Business Security Solutions](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/business/): Vivint excels in business security with customizable systems, smart automations, and AI-powered cameras but falls short with high costs and short trial periods.
- [GEICO Identity Theft Protection](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/geico/): GEICO's identity theft protection is affordable with essential features but lacks advanced tools like 401(k) monitoring and social media alerts.
- [Medical Alerts for Epilepsy](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/epilepsy/): Medical alert systems for epilepsy offer 24/7 emergency access, GPS tracking, and fall detection. Bay Alarm Medical is rated 9.3/10 for epileptic solutions.
- [AAA Identity Theft Protection](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/aaa/): AAA identity theft protection is free for members via ProtectMyID by Experian. Upgrades add features like child monitoring. Non-members need AAA membership.
- [Chase Identity Theft Protection](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/chase/): Chase offers free identity protection via Credit Journey, but lacks premium services. For better protection, consider Aura, LifeLock, or Identity Guard.
- [Wells Fargo Identity Theft Protection](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/wells-fargo/): Wells Fargo's ID theft protection is limited and pricey, lacks features like dark web monitoring. Better, cheaper options are LifeLock and Identity Guard.
- [Discover Identity Theft Protection](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/discover/): Discover Identity Theft Protection costs $15/month but lacks coverage depth. Aura offers more features like a VPN and password manager for $12/month.
- [USAA Identity Theft Protection](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/usaa/): USAA's identity theft protection is limited, lacking proactive features like dark web monitoring. Consider Aura or Identity Guard for comprehensive coverage.
- [The Best Medical Alert Systems for Diabetics – Tested in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/diabetics/): Bay Alarm Medical ranks as the best alert system for diabetics in 2025 due to its reliable monitoring, equipment variety, and quick response features.
- [Vivint Sensors](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/sensors/): Vivint sensors are reliable but pricey, with options like door/window, motion, glass break, and environmental sensors. Professional installation is required.
- [The Best Long-Range Medical Alert Systems – Tested in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/long-range/): Bay Alarm Medical tops our list with a 1,000-foot range, while Medical Guardian offers the longest at 1,400 feet for comprehensive at-home coverage.
- [LifeLock Free Trial](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/trial/): LifeLock offers a 30-day free trial with standalone plans or 7 days if bundled with Norton 360. Cancel auto-renew to avoid charges after the trial.
- [LifeLock vs Discover Identity Theft Protection Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-discover-identity-theft-protection/): LifeLock outshines Discover with more features and better cybersecurity. Discover is cheaper and ideal for families, covering up to 10 kids at no extra cost.
- [ADT Sensors](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/sensors/): ADT sensors include door, window, motion, and glass break types. Recessed door sensors are discreet. ADT app allows customization, but pro install is needed.
- [ADT vs SafeTouch Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-safetouch/): ADT outshines SafeTouch with superior security features, transparent pricing, and nationwide coverage, making it the top choice for home security systems.
- [NortonLifeLock Black Friday Deals [year]](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/black-friday/): NortonLifeLock slashed prices up to 52% on all plans for Black Friday 2025, making it cheaper than Aura and Identity Guard for the first year.
- [ADT Smart Locks](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/locks/): ADT's Smart and Complete plans include smart locks with keyless entry, app control, and integration with Alexa and Google Assistant, starting at $49.99/month.
- [Vivint Door Locks](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/locks/): Vivint's Kwikset 888 SmartCode smart lock offers remote control and custom automations, but requires a Vivint system and monitoring plan.
- [Ring Home Automation](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/automation/): Ring doesn’t fully integrate with Google Home; Alexa is seamless. HomeKit requires HomeBridge. Best products include video doorbells, alarm systems, and cameras.
- [ADT Home Automation](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/automation/): ADT offers smart home automation with Z-Wave compatibility, Alexa, and Google Home integration, but lacks Apple HomeKit support. Contracts are required.
- [Vivint Home Automation](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/automation/): Vivint offers top-tier smart home automation, integrating with Alexa, Google Home, and Z-Wave. It's pricey and requires professional installation.
- [Ring Monitoring](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ring-alarm/monitoring/): Ring's new Protect Pro plan costs $20/month for professional monitoring, moving features from the Plus plan, which is now $10/month without monitoring.
- [Cove Security System Pricing [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cove/): Cove's security system costs $400-$500, with no contracts and 24/7 monitoring at $19.99 or $29.99 monthly. Equipment sales often cut prices by 30-70%.
- [Ring Floodlight vs Spotlight ](https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-floodlight-vs-spotlight/): Ring Floodlight Cam is our top pick for home security; it offers 2000 lumens and a 105 dB siren to deter intruders effectively.
- [LifeLock vs. Equifax Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-equifax/): LifeLock offers superior identity theft protection over Equifax, with more features, better insurance, and 24/7 support, despite similar pricing.
- [Best Hardwired Home Security Systems in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/hardwired/): ADT, Lorex, and Swann lead the best hardwired security systems—reliable, tamper-resistant, and ideal for large homes
- [Home Security Quiz](https://www.safehome.org/quiz/): This home security quiz highlights crucial steps like using deadbolts, securing sliding doors, and having monitored security systems to enhance safety.
- [How Easy is the Installation of SimpliSafe?](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/installation/): Installing SimpliSafe is extremely easy, taking about 20-30 minutes. Most components are wireless and need no tools, except the wired Video Doorbell Pro.
- [Vivint Contracts](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/contract/): Vivint contracts are 42-60 months, require professional monitoring, and have high equipment costs. Cancellation fees apply unless exceptions are met.
- [ADT Contracts](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/contract/): ADT security system contracts include details on term length, cancellation policies, and fees to help you understand your agreement upfront.
- [ADT for Business](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/business/): ADT for Business offers customizable security with intrusion detection, video surveillance, and smart features starting at $49.99/month plus equipment costs.
- [Best Home Security Systems Without a Landline](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/without-landline/): SimpliSafe, ADT, and Frontpoint provide modern security systems that work without landlines using cellular or Wi-Fi
- [Best Identity Theft Protection Services for the Deceased](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/deceased/): LifeLock, Aura, and Identity Guard offer top identity theft protection for deceased family members, ensuring their info stays safe from fraudsters.
- [Best Identity Theft Protection for Business](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/business/): NordStellar tops for business ID theft in 2025 with top-tier dark web monitoring. LifeLock and Identity Guard follow with strong protection options.
- [SimpliSafe for Business](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/business/): SimpliSafe offers affordable DIY business security with fast setup, cellular monitoring, and smartphone control. It's ideal for small to medium businesses.
- [LifeLock Family Plan](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/family/): LifeLock offers three family plans: Select, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus, with up to $3M coverage for adults. Junior plans cover kids with $25K stolen funds.
- [LifeLock Senior](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/senior/): LifeLock Senior is discontinued. Check LifeLock’s current offerings for identity theft protection plans and credit monitoring services.
- [SecureScore™](https://www.safehome.org/securescore/): 
- [Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Couples](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/couples/): The top identity theft protection services for couples in 2024 are NortonLifeLock, Aura, and Identity Guard, each offering tailored plans for comprehensive protection.
- [Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Military](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/military/): Identity theft protection for military in 2025: LifeLock excels in restoration, Identity Guard uses AI for evolving protection, Aura offers complete fraud defense.
- [Our Guide to Choosing a Home Security System](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/choose/): Home security essentials include motion sensors, alarms, and cameras. Opt for wireless systems for easy setup. Consider monitoring for extra peace of mind.
- [Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Children](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/children/): LifeLock offers strong cybersecurity for children, Identity Guard uses AI for family protection, and Aura includes parental controls and cyberbullying alerts.
- [Best Business Security Systems](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/business/): ADT, Vivint, and SimpliSafe lead as the best security systems for small businesses, offering pro monitoring and mobile control
- [Best Home Security Systems for Garages in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/garage/): Alcidae Garager 2, Chamberlain MyQ, and Wyze Cam v3 are top picks for garage security and smart integration
- [SimpliSafe Home Automation](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/automation/): SimpliSafe offers easy home automation with Alexa and Google Nest but lacks IFTTT and Z-Wave. Best with Pro plans for full features like video verification.
- [Prime Day 2024: Sales and Deals on Ring Doorbell Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/prime-day/): Prime Day 2025 offers up to 50% off on Ring Doorbells, with the Battery Doorbell getting the biggest discount. Bundles also feature up to 48% savings.
- [Blink Camera Prime Day Deals [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/prime-day/): Blink cameras dominate Prime Day 2025 with up to 63% off. Top picks: Blink Mini 2 for $19.99 and Outdoor 4 for $37.99. Perfect for budget-friendly security.
- [Prime Day [year] Deals on Home Security Systems](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/prime-day/): Ring Alarm kits are 40% off, SimpliSafe systems are 50% off, abode components up to 48% off, and Arlo kits are 35% off during Prime Day 2025.
- [Deep Sentinel Review](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/deep-sentinel/reviews/): Deep Sentinel offers a unique security system with live guards monitoring cameras to deter intruders. It's pricey at $60/month, but effective and proactive.
- [Deep Sentinel](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/deep-sentinel/): Deep Sentinel, backed by Jeff Bezos, uses AI and human intervention to stop crimes before they happen. It costs $399 upfront and $60 monthly for monitoring.
- [Nest Secure Alternative](https://www.safehome.org/compare/nest-secure-alternative/): Nest Secure is discontinued. ADT, SimpliSafe, and Frontpoint are top alternatives, with ADT offering Google Nest integration and superior monitoring.
- [SimpliSafe Monitoring Plan Options and Monthly Costs](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/monitoring/): SimpliSafe's Core plan offers the best value with 24/7 monitoring, app control, and video support for $31.99/month, balancing features and affordability.
- [Blink Camera Deals](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/deals/): Blink cameras are discounted with the Outdoor model at $63.99 and Mini at $24.99. SimpliSafe offers a free camera with system purchases.
- [Arlo vs Reolink Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-reolink/): Arlo's superior app and audio detection edge out Reolink, despite Reolink's budget-friendly 4K cameras. Arlo offers professional monitoring; Reolink doesn't.
- [Arlo vs Swann Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-swann/): Arlo cameras outperform Swann with superior build quality, better video resolution, and advanced AI features, making them our top security camera choice.
- [Arlo Alternative](https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-alternative/): Google Nest tops our list with a SecureScore of 8.5/10, offering superior features and tech. Arlo ranks lower at 7.6/10 but is more budget-friendly.
- [Ring Doorbell Alternatives](https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-doorbell-alternatives/): Lorex Doorbell Camera offers the best picture quality, Google Nest excels in AI features, and Arlo delivers top value among Ring alternatives.
- [Arlo vs Lorex Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-lorex/): Arlo is easier to set up and more affordable, while Lorex offers advanced tech with a Skype feature. Both provide excellent video quality and cloud options.
- [ADT vs Honeywell Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-honeywell/): ADT is better for home security with 24/7 monitoring, professional installation, and six-month money-back guarantee, despite higher cost compared to Honeywell.
- [SimpliSafe Doorbell Camera](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/doorbell/): SimpliSafe Video Doorbell offers 1080p HD, dual-motion sensors, and a 162° view for $169. No smart home integration, requires wiring, and optional $4.99/month cloud plan.
- [Vivint Doorbell Camera](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/doorbell/): Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro offers 1664p HDR, 180° FOV, Smart Deter tech, but needs a Vivint system. Not the cheapest, but solid for comprehensive security.
- [Best Smart Locks](https://www.safehome.org/smart-locks/best/): August is the top smart lock for 2025, followed by Yale and Schlage. August offers easy installation, great design, and seamless smart home integration.
- [Wyze Cam Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/wyze/reviews/): Wyze Cam v3 offers great features like color night vision and person detection but lacks battery backup. The v3 Pro model is a better choice with 2K resolution.
- [The Best Nest Cam Alternatives](https://www.safehome.org/compare/nest-cam-alternative/): Arlo cameras, offering up to 4K resolution and AI features, are top Nest Cam alternatives. Blink and Reolink provide budget-friendly options with local storage.
- [The Top Three Alternatives to Vivint in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-alternative/): Vivint is one of the best home security systems on the market today. Here is a look at three alternatives to Vivint and how they stack up.
- [Life Alert vs. Apple Watch: Are They Good Medical Alert Systems?](https://www.safehome.org/compare/life-alert-vs-apple-watch/): Life Alert offers better emergency support than Apple Watch for seniors, but it's costly and lacks fall detection. Apple Watch is cheaper but not specialized.
- [Best Cheap Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/affordable/): SimpliSafe and ADT lead with budget-friendly security cameras; SimpliSafe offers flexible plans, while ADT includes free Google Nest cameras with deals.
- [Swann Security Camera Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/swann/reviews/): The Swann Security Camera Review reveals reliable cameras with strong visuals and heat-sensing motion detection, but limited smart features and mixed customer service.
- [D-Link Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/d-link/reviews/): D-Link's cameras are affordable, smart, and easy to install but have clunky app issues, confusing model names, and lack advanced features like Ultra HD.
- [Amcrest Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/amcrest/reviews/): Amcrest offers affordable, high-quality cameras with up to 4K resolution. However, ADT is recommended for faster response times and better 24/7 monitoring.
- [D-Link](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/d-link/): D-Link cameras are inexpensive and reliable with 1080p video, smart home integration, and local storage options. They lack advanced features like 4K video.
- [Arlo vs Arlo Pro Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-arlo-pro/): Arlo Pro offers superior 1080p video, CVR, and Activity Zones over Arlo's 720p resolution. Both provide free 7-day cloud storage and work with Alexa.
- [Ring vs Ring Plus Video Doorbell Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-vs-ring-pro/): Ring Plus is better with LED night vision and a slimmer profile, but costs $50 more than the basic Ring. Both offer reliability and app integration.
- [Amcrest](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/amcrest/): Amcrest offers a wide range of affordable, high-quality security cameras, but lacks features like auto pan-tilt. Vivint cameras are a better choice.
- [Ring Security Camera Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/reviews/): Ring cameras feature 1080p HD, clear night vision, motion alerts. Prices start at $5/month for cloud storage. Unlimited recording and monitoring at $20/month.
- [Swann](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/swann/): Swann cameras are affordable but feel cheap. Nest Cams from ADT offer better value. Swann's 4K struggles with Wi-Fi; consider 1080p with NVR for stability.
- [Wyze Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/wyze/): Wyze cameras are budget-friendly, starting at $23.99. They offer smart features, but lack advanced AI like Nest Cam. Cloud storage is optional at $1.99 monthly.
- [Reolink Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/reviews/): Reolink cameras offer solid design and features but have app issues. Argus 3 Pro shines with 2K resolution. Argus 2 and 3 are discontinued.
- [Ring Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/): Ring cameras are affordable, start at $55.99, and offer 1080p video with Alexa integration. Indoor cams lack options, but outdoor cams are highly rated.
- [Samsung Wisenet Security Camera Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/samsung/reviews/): Samsung Wisenet cameras offer budget-friendly options with features like facial recognition and two-way talk but lack cloud storage and direct purchase options.
- [Samsung Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/samsung/): Samsung security cameras are not the best choice; Nest cameras with ADT are recommended. SmartThings cams are basic but affordable, starting at $19.99.
- [Best Wireless Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/wireless/): SimpliSafe tops the list with a 9.3/10 SecureScore, offering theft prevention and intruder intervention. ADT and Ring follow closely, both at 9.2/10.
- [Best Outdoor Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/outdoor/): SimpliSafe's AI camera leads 2025 with threat detection and deterrence, while ADT's Nest cams offer crisp 1080p views and alerts for packages and pets.
- [Best Indoor Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/indoor/): ADT tops the list with versatile product options, high ease of use, and superior video quality, followed by Lorex for comprehensive video security.
- [Best Identity Theft Protection Services with Restoration](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/restoration/): We tested identity theft services; Identity Guard excels in fraud prevention and restoration. LifeLock offers best customer service; Aura tops restoration coverage.
- [Reolink](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/): Reolink cameras are affordable, versatile, and easy to install, but Nest Cams by ADT are preferred for quality. Reolink lacks advanced features.
- [Ring Doorbell Elite](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/elite/): The Ring Video Doorbell Elite now costs $350, down from $499. It offers Ethernet connectivity, 1080p HD resolution, but lacks AI facial recognition.
- [Lively Jitterbug Phone Costs and Smartphone Pricing [year]](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/greatcall/jitterbug/): Lively's Jitterbug Smart4 offers a large screen and improved voice commands, but its internet can be unreliable. Flip2 is pocket-friendly with senior perks.
- [Vivint Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/cameras/): Vivint cameras offer premium features like 4K resolution and active deterrence with customization, but they're pricey and require professional installation.
- [Ring Floodlight Cam](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/floodlight-cam/): Ring Floodlight Cam offers bright 1500-lumen LEDs, sharp 1080p HD video, and two-way talk. It needs hardwiring but lacks advanced AI features. Costs $249.
- [Ring Spotlight Camera](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/spotlight-cam/): Ring’s Spotlight Cam delivers excellent 1080p video and ultra-bright LEDs for top-notch night vision. It’s easy to install, but the app can be glitchy at times.
- [Ring Stick Up Cam](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/stick-up-cam/): Ring Stick Up Cam: versatile, affordable, customizable, but lacks facial recognition and Google Assistant support. Great video quality and easy installation.
- [SimpliSafe Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/cameras/): SimpliSafe offers top-notch security cameras with AI capabilities, but they work best with pricey monitoring plans. Expect $99-$199 for their cameras.
- [Ezviz Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ezviz/reviews/): Ezviz cameras offer budget-friendly security with decent video quality and useful features, but they require adjustments for optimal performance and lack free cloud storage.
- [Ezviz Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ezviz/): Ezviz cameras offer budget-friendly options with clear HD video and smart motion detection, but lack professional monitoring and are only sold by third-party sellers.
- [Lorex Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/lorex/reviews/): Lorex cameras offer up to 4K resolution with no monthly fees, but lack professional monitoring. They excel in features but can be overwhelming to set up.
- [Lorex Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/lorex/): Lorex offers affordable, high-quality security cameras with no monthly fees. Their cameras feature up to 4K video, smart detection, and weather resistance.
- [SimpliSafe vs CPI Security Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-cpi-security/): SimpliSafe beats CPI Security with nationwide coverage, no contracts, and cheaper prices. CPI is limited to the Southeast and requires upfront equipment purchase.
- [Vivint vs Xfinity Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-vs-xfinity/): Vivint beats Xfinity in customer service, features, and value, making it our top home security pick with a SecureScore™ of 9.1 out of 10.
- [Compare Identity Theft Protection Companies](https://www.safehome.org/compare/identity-theft-protection/): LifeLock tops identity theft protection with a 9.6/10 SecureScore, offering comprehensive features like stolen funds replacement and dark web monitoring.
- [Best Medical Alert Systems Worn as Watches](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/watches/): Our experts tested and ranked the best medical alert watches, with Medical Guardian, Bay Alarm Medical, and Apple finishing in the top three.
- [Best Mobile Medical Alert Systems](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/mobile/): Bay Alarm Medical ranks first for mobile medical alert systems in 2025, offering reliable emergency response, followed by Medical Guardian and MobileHelp.
- [Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Blink Home Security Cameras [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/black-friday/): Amazon's Blink offers Black Friday deals: Blink Mini at $17.99, Blink Video Doorbell at $29.99, and bundles up to 62% off. Don't miss out on these discounts!
- [SimpliSafe vs Xfinity Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-xfinity/): SimpliSafe beats Xfinity in value and customer service; however, Xfinity offers better home automation and bundling options. SimpliSafe is our top pick.
- [Ring vs Abode Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-vs-abode/): Ring is better than Abode with a SecureScore of 9.2 vs. 8.0; Ring excels in customer service, value, features, and ease of use.
- [Ring vs Blink Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-vs-blink/): Ring beats Blink in this Amazon brand showdown with more options, better features, and similar pricing. Ideal for those seeking comprehensive home security.
- [Vivint Black Friday Deals [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/black-friday/): Vivint Black Friday 2025: Save $125 on Doorbell Camera Pro and get 3 months free monitoring, but spend $599.99 minimum. Offer may not extend to Cyber Monday.
- [SimpliSafe Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/black-friday/): SimpliSafe Black Friday 2025 offers 70% off plus a free outdoor camera. Packages start at $75 with new Active Guard feature for outdoor protection.
- [ADT Black Friday Deals](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/black-friday/): Save 60% on ADT Plus systems with Trusted Neighbor feature. Security Starter now $199, Video Essentials $199. Google Nest gear discounted too.
- [Zmodo Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/zmodo/reviews/): Zmodo cameras offer affordable security with clear 1080p video, simple setup, and no required subscription. However, they have limited features and some app issues.
- [LifeLock Alternative](https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-alternative/): LifeLock's premium plan is pricey but includes essential features. Alternatives Aura, Identity Guard, and IdentityIQ offer similar protections at lower costs.
- [Best Identity Theft and Credit Protection Services](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/credit/): Aura is the best credit monitoring service with comprehensive features, while LifeLock excels in credit locks. Identity Guard is AI-driven for proactive protection.
- [Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Families](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/families/): Aura is the top pick for family identity theft protection with its user-friendly app and investment monitoring, followed closely by LifeLock and Identity Guard.
- [Equifax Hands-On Review in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/equifax/reviews/): Equifax's credit monitoring shines, but its dated site hampers use. No mobile app and lacks social media alerts. Strong credit monitoring, but needs updates.
- [Complete ID Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/complete-id/reviews/): Complete ID by Costco offers robust identity protection at low costs but is only for members. Enrollment is closed; existing users should consider alternatives.
- [ProtectMyID Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/protectmyid/reviews/): AAA's ProtectMyID, powered by Experian, offers solid identity theft protection but lacks in sex offender monitoring and is only available to AAA members.
- [IDX Privacy and Identity Review](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/myidcare/reviews/): IDX offers robust privacy and identity protection, but lacks in affordability and comprehensive features compared to competitors like Aura and Identity Guard.
- [AllClear ID Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/allclear-id/reviews/): AllClear ID offers decent identity protection, but lacks features like social media monitoring. Only worth it if you get it for free through work.
- [Unbiased Reviews You Can Trust](https://www.safehome.org/unbiased-reviews/): SafeHome.org reviews top home security systems like ADT, SimpliSafe, and Vivint, offering unbiased insights to help you choose the best fit for your needs.
- [Best Affordable Medical Alert Systems](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/affordable/): Bay Alarm Medical tops the list for affordability with no hidden fees and free spousal monitoring. Medical Guardian and Lively also offer budget-friendly systems.
- [Identity Guard® Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/identity-guard/reviews/): Identity Guard offers comprehensive identity theft protection with features like $1M insurance, dark web monitoring, and family plans. Prices vary; app needs improvement.
- [Best Medical Alert Bracelet Systems](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/bracelets/): Bay Alarm Medical has the best medical alert bracelet with a SecureScore of 9.3/10, offering waterproof, redundant monitoring, and free spouse coverage.
- [Best Medical Alert Systems Worn as Necklaces](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/necklaces/): In 2025, the best medical alert necklaces are Bay Alarm Medical for couples, Medical Guardian for battery life, ADT for affordability, and MobileHelp for GPS.
- [Best Medical Alert Systems With GPS](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/gps/): Bay Alarm Medical tops GPS medical alert systems in 2025 for its 72-hour battery and water resistance; Medical Guardian offers the longest battery life.
- [The Best Identity Theft Protection Services of [year]](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/): In 2025, Aura and LifeLock lead identity theft protection with robust tools and insurance. Identity Guard offers affordability, while IdentityIQ excels in credit protection.
- [Best Medical Alert Systems with Fall Detection](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/fall-detection/): Bay Alarm Medical offers the top fall detection system, scoring 9.3/10, with 24/7 emergency support. Medical Guardian follows with versatile equipment options.
- [LifeLock vs. ProtectMyID Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-protectmyid/): LifeLock surpasses ProtectMyID with more comprehensive monitoring, $3M insurance, and 24/7 support, making it worth the higher cost despite ProtectMyID's free plan.
- [LifeLock vs. Zander Identity Theft Protection Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-zander/): LifeLock offers superior credit monitoring and up to $3M insurance, making it worth its higher price compared to Zander's $1M coverage and limited monitoring.
- [LifeLock vs Identity Guard® Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-identity-guard/): LifeLock edges out Identity Guard with a SecureScore of 9.6 vs. 9.3, thanks to superior cybersecurity features and additional insurance coverage.
- [LifeLock Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/reviews/): LifeLock offers up to $3M identity theft coverage, but only highest tier has 3-bureau monitoring. Prices rise after first year; best features in premium plan.
- [Google Nest Camera Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/nest-camera/reviews/): Google Nest Cam 2025: Versatile, reliable, but pricey with clear 1080p video and AI alerts. Lacks color night vision. Worth it if integrated with Nest Aware.
- [Ring Alarm Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ring-alarm/reviews/): Ring Alarm 2nd Gen is affordable with easy DIY setup but lacks advanced features. New sensors are smaller, Ring Protect Pro offers good value at $20/month.
- [AllClear ID](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/allclear-id/): AllClear ID offers free Basic and paid ProPlus plans ($8.50/month) with optional ChildScan. Free plans may lack credit monitoring and insurance.
- [ProtectMyID Identity Theft Protection Pricing [year]](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/protectmyid/): ProtectMyID by AAA offers affordable identity protection with three plans: Essential is free, Deluxe at $10.95/month, and Complete at $17.95/month.
- [Best Medical Alert Systems](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/): Bay Alarm Medical tops the list for best overall medical alert systems, Medical Guardian excels in fall detection, and ADT offers outstanding security options.
- [Identity Guard®](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/identity-guard/): Identity Guard offers robust identity theft protection with plans from $7.50/month. The Ultra plan includes credit monitoring, social insight, and white glove recovery.
- [Experian IdentityWorks Identity Theft Protection Plans and Pricing for [year]](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/experian-identityworks/): Experian IdentityWorks costs more than rivals but excels in credit monitoring. Offers credit monitoring, SSN alerts, and up to $1M insurance for identity fraud.
- [Philips Lifeline vs. Medical Guardian [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-philips-lifeline/): Medical Guardian tops Philips Lifeline with faster response times, better tech, and no installation fees. SecureScore™ 9.1 vs. 8.2. More device options, too.
- [Complete ID](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/complete-id/): Complete ID no longer accepts new customers. Existing customers benefit from $8.99/month for Executive Costco members, but family plans aren't available.
- [ADT Medical Alert System Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/adt-health/reviews/): ADT's medical alert system is reliable but lacks an app and incurs a $99 activation fee. Fall detection costs extra, and its range is limited to 600 feet.
- [Zander](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/zander/): Zander Insurance focuses on recovery and $2M coverage, lacks credit monitoring. Affordable but trade-offs exist. Ideal for budget-conscious users.
- [LifeLock Identity Theft Protection Pricing and Plans [year]](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/): LifeLock's Ultimate Plus plan offers $3M coverage, 3-bureau monitoring, and unique fictitious identity alerts. Bundling with Norton 360 raises costs.
- [IdentityForce](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/identityforce/): IdentityForce's UltraSecure + Credit plan, at $34.90/month, offers comprehensive three-bureau credit monitoring, while UltraSecure lacks credit features.
- [Buying Guide for Identity Theft Protection Services](https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/): Identity theft affects 33% of U.S. adults, costing an average of $1,343 per incident. Top protection services include LifeLock, Identity Guard, and Aura.
- [Nest Camera](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/nest-camera/): Nest Cams are pricey, starting at $99.99, but offer features like facial recognition with a Nest Aware subscription. Expect solid build and 1080p resolution.
- [Ring Alarm](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ring-alarm/): Ring Alarm offers affordable DIY security with camera options but lacks advanced automation. Professional monitoring is $20/month; equipment starts at $244.95.
- [MobileHelp vs. Medical Guardian [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-mobilehelp/): Medical Guardian excels with faster response times and advanced tech, while MobileHelp is budget-friendly with essential features. Both offer fall detection.
- [Medical Guardian vs Bay Alarm Medical Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-bay-alarm-medical/): Medical Guardian edges out Bay Alarm Medical with faster response times and advanced tech, but Bay Alarm Medical offers more affordable, user-friendly options.
- [LifeStation vs. Medical Guardian [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-lifestation/): LifeStation and Medical Guardian compared; Medical Guardian wins with superior features and a SecureScore of 9.1/10.
- [Medical Care Alert vs. Medical Guardian [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-medical-care-alert/): Medical Guardian excels in technology, flexibility, and support, outperforming Medical Care Alert according to our tests and reviews. SecureScore™: 9.1/10.
- [Best Home Security Systems with Doorbell Cameras in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/doorbell-cameras/): Ring, Arlo, and Nest lead the pack with smart doorbell cameras offering 2-way talk, HD video, and package detection
- [Best Cellular Home Security Systems in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/cellular/): SimpliSafe, Frontpoint, and Vivint stand out for reliable cellular security systems with built-in backup and remote access
- [CPI Security Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cpi-security/reviews/): CPI Security offers high-quality video monitoring and smart home features, but it's expensive, has limited availability, and requires professional installation.
- [SimpliSafe Alternative](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-alternative/): Frontpoint is the top SimpliSafe alternative, offering wireless equipment and more integrations, but at a higher cost of $44.99 compared to SimpliSafe's $14.99.
- [ADT Alternative](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-alternative/): SimpliSafe is a top DIY home security choice over ADT for affordability, while Vivint excels in advanced equipment. Frontpoint offers great home automation.
- [Best Home Security Systems with Monitoring](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/with-monitoring/): Vivint, ADT, and SimpliSafe offer top-rated security systems with 24/7 professional monitoring and police dispatch
- [Lively Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/greatcall/reviews/): Lively offers reliable medical alert devices and phones, but subscriptions provide the best value with features like on-call nurse support and quick response times.
- [Medical Guardian Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/medical-guardian/reviews/): We tested Medical Guardian's alert systems, and a connection issue led to police at our door. Despite this hiccup, the response time averaged 23 seconds.
- [Bay Alarm Medical Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/bay-alarm-medical/reviews/): The Bay Alarm Medical SOS Smartwatch is affordable and reliable but lacks premium features like a caregiver tracking app and has a short 16-hour battery life.
- [Lifeline Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/philips-lifeline/reviews/): Lifeline offers reliable senior alert systems with fall detection, but higher costs and limited range may be drawbacks for budget-conscious users.
- [ADT Health](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/adt/): ADT Medical Alert Systems start at $26.99/month with no equipment fees, but a $99 activation fee applies. Options include basic, plus, and on-the-go plans.
- [Medical Alert Review, Cost and Pricing in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/medical-alert/): Medical Alert offers affordable systems starting at $19.95/month, but lacks features compared to competitors. Best for budget-conscious with a landline.
- [Lively Medical Alert Systems and Cell Phones for Seniors](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/greatcall/): Lively offers budget-friendly medical alert devices starting at $24.99/month, with the Mobile2 providing reliable fall detection and urgent response. Equipment costs $79.99.
- [Medical Guardian Alert Systems: Cost, Features, and More](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/medical-guardian/): Medical Guardian offers five alert systems, with plans starting at $32.95. The MGMove smartwatch is a standout. Fall detection is an extra $10 monthly.
- [MobileHelp Medical Alert System Pricing and Full Review – [year] Recommendations](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/mobilehelp/): MobileHelp offers affordable medical alert systems with no contracts. The Home Duo bundle at $44.95/month saves $25 monthly compared to buying separately.
- [Life Alert](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/life-alert/): Life Alert costs $49.95/month, lacks fall detection, and requires a 3-year contract. Alternatives like Bay Alarm Medical offer more features for less money.
- [Bay Alarm Medical Alert System](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/bay-alarm-medical/): Bay Alarm Medical offers four alert systems starting at $19.95/month, featuring SOS Smartwatch and SOS Home for emergency aid at the push of a button.
- [The Best Security Systems for the Deaf in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/deaf/): Ring, SimpliSafe, and Nest support deaf users with visual alerts, smart notifications, and easy app integration
- [Lifeline](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/philips-lifeline/): Lifeline's medical alert systems cost more but offer reliability, fall detection, and GPS. AARP members get 15% off. Monthly plans start at $27.95.
- [ADT Pulse](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/pulse/): ADT is phasing out Pulse for the improved Control system with Command panel, built-in Alexa, and geo-fencing. Expect more features and better integration.
- [Best Home Security Systems for Rural Areas in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/rural/): SimpliSafe, Ring, and Arlo offer reliable rural home security with cellular backup and long-range wireless sensors
- [Best Home Security Systems That Work With Apple in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/apple/): Abode and ecobee SmartCamera work with Apple HomeKit, offering top-tier security for Apple-centric homes
- [ADT vs Alarm.com Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-alarm-com/): ADT wins over Alarm.com thanks to its full-service options and perks, despite the need for a 3-year contract. Alarm.com offers flexibility but varies by vendor.
- [The Best Home Security Systems in [year] With No Monthly Fees](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/no-monthly-fee/): Wyze, Eufy, and Arlo offer the best no-monthly-fee security systems with self-monitoring and local storage
- [Ring Deals](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/deals/): Ring offers affordable home security with discounts like 20% off for military, medical, teachers, and students. Prime Day and Black Friday have great deals too.
- [The Best Security Systems for New Construction Homes](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/new-construction/): Vivint, ADT, and Brinks offer pre-wiring options and long-term smart integration for new home construction
- [Ooma Home Security Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ooma/reviews/): Ooma offers affordable home security with easy DIY setup, but lacks a keypad and siren. Custom modes and geofencing are pluses, but limited smart integrations.
- [Best Home Security Systems that Work with Google Home](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/google-home/): Nest Secure, ADT, and Abode offer best-in-class Google Home integration for smart, voice-activated home protection
- [The Best Security Systems for Large Homes](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/large-home/): Vivint, ADT, and Ring excel at protecting large homes with expansive sensor coverage and multi-camera support
- [Ring vs Arlo Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-vs-arlo/): Ring beats Arlo with better value and full home protection. Ring offers entry sensors and environmental detection, while Arlo excels in camera features.
- [Comparing Brinks vs. Vivint: Which One is Better?](https://www.safehome.org/compare/brinks-vs-vivint/): Vivint beats Brinks with advanced smart home automation, but both offer professional monitoring and high-quality equipment. Vivint's edge is in home automation.
- [Best Outdoor Security Systems in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/outdoor/): Arlo, Blink, and Lorex offer weatherproof outdoor cameras with night vision, motion sensors, and cloud storage
- [Advertising Disclosure Language](https://www.safehome.org/earnings-disclosure/): 
- [ADT vs DIY Home Security Systems Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-diy-security/): ADT is preferred over DIY home security systems for its professional installation and 24/7 monitoring, despite higher costs and less installation flexibility.
- [Best Home Security Systems for Vacation Homes in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/vacation-home/): Ring, SimpliSafe, and Arlo provide remote-access security ideal for protecting vacation homes from afar
- [About SafeHome.org](https://www.safehome.org/about/): A Trusted Authority on Home and Personal Security Learning about the latest security products and trends just got a whole...
- [Best Home Security Systems for Pet Owners in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/pet-owners/): SimpliSafe, Ring, and Frontpoint offer pet-friendly motion sensors and alerts to keep your furry friends safe
- [Best Home Security Systems That Work With Alexa in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/alexa/): Ring Alarm, Abode, and ADT integrate seamlessly with Alexa for full voice-controlled home security
- [ADT Deals](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/deals/): ADT offers lowered prices on security systems with packages starting at $199 and monitoring as low as $24.99/month, plus free DIY installation.
- [SimpliSafe Deals](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/deals/): SimpliSafe offers 30% off new systems, plus a free indoor camera and two months of monitoring. Refurbished gear can save you up to 30% more.
- [Best Home Security Systems for People With Poor Credit Scores in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/poor-credit/): Ring, Wyze, and SimpliSafe don’t require credit checks, offering great security systems for all credit profiles
- [Best Home Security Systems for Seniors in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/elderly/): Bay Alarm Medical, SimpliSafe, and ADT offer senior-friendly security with emergency buttons and easy-to-use controls
- [Best Home Security Systems for Renters of [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/apartments/): SimpliSafe, Cove, and Ring are top security systems for apartments thanks to easy installs and renter-friendly plans
- [SkyBell Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/skybell/reviews/): SkyBell offers feature-rich video doorbells with 1080p HD and night vision but lacks wireless options and has a confusing website. Costs $199 with no fees.
- [ADT vs Brinks Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-brinks/): ADT beats Brinks with no-contract options, advanced Nest Cam features, and medical alert devices. Brinks requires a 36-month contract and lacks these perks.
- [Guardian Home Security Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/guardian/reviews/): Guardian Protection offers great equipment and customer service but requires long-term contracts and has slow response times. Prices aren't transparent.
- [Brinks Home Security Review](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/brinks/reviews/): Brinks offers reliable security with fast response, but the 3-year contract and basic app may deter DIY fans. Equipment is top-notch but pricey.
- [Brinks Home Security Cost & Pricing](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/brinks/): Brinks home security systems start at $500, with monitoring fees between $39.99 and $49.99 monthly. Free video doorbell on signup with a 36-month contract.
- [abode Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/abode/reviews/): Abode offers sleek security with home automation via CUE. The iota Gateway impresses with a built-in camera but lacks a touchscreen. Pro plan unlocks features.
- [Arlo Pro 4 Security Camera Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/arlo/reviews/): The Arlo Pro 4 offers 2K resolution, AI detections, and Wi-Fi connectivity but requires a subscription for full features. It's reliable but pricey at $199.99.
- [ADT vs Smith Thompson Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-smith-thompson/): ADT offers more choices and features than Smith Thompson, with a SecureScore™ of 9.2/10. Smith Thompson is cheaper but limited to Texas.
- [Best Doorbell Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/best/): Best 2025 doorbell cameras: SimpliSafe for intruder prevention, ADT for integration, and Ring for variety. Top picks with standout features and value.
- [Best Home Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/): SimpliSafe tops 2025's home security cameras for intruder prevention with a 9.3 SecureScore™, followed by ADT and Lorex.
- [Compare: Adt vs. Cox Homelife](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-cox-homelife/): ADT and Cox Homelife are reliable home security businesses. However, both are quite different. Here we explain why.
- [Arlo Security Cameras vs. abode Security Systems](https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-abode/): Arlo and abode are two high-quality home security systems. This comparison will help you to determine which is the right pick for you.
- [ADT vs Vector Security Comparison ](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-vector-security/): ADT is the better choice over Vector Security, offering lower prices, better equipment, DIY installation, no long-term contracts, and superior mobile apps.
- [ADT vs Guardian Protection Comparison ](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-guardian/): Choosing the right home security system can be difficult. Here is a comparison of ADT and Guardian to see how they compare.
- [SimpliSafe vs Blink Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-blink/): SimpliSafe outshines Blink with superior equipment and professional monitoring. SimpliSafe's Intruder Intervention and flexible plans make it the top choice.
- [Ring Video Doorbell Review](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/reviews/): The Ring Video Doorbell 3 offers great video quality and easy setup with wired or wireless options. However, it has a bulky design and lacks advanced smart alerts.
- [Kuna Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/kuna/reviews/): Kuna's stylish security lights offer decent features but high up-front costs. Limited camera choices and weak smart home integration may deter some buyers.
- [CPI Security](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cpi-security/): CPI Security costs $499.99 upfront, with monitoring plans at $29.99-$49.99/month. Offers pro installation and smart home integration. Based in Charlotte.
- [Guardian](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/guardian/): Guardian Protection offers quality home security with 24/7 monitoring but comes with high upfront costs. It's reliable but expect to pay more initially.
- [SkyBell vs Ring Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/skybell-vs-ring/): Ring beats SkyBell with better features, more models, and longer cloud storage, but SkyBell offers free video storage and RapidSOS integration.
- [SkyBell](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/skybell/): SkyBell offers affordable, easy-to-install doorbell cameras with free cloud recording, no monthly fees, and 1080p HD video. Ideal for remote access via smartphone.
- [Protection 1 Home Security System Review](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/protection-one/): Protection 1 was acquired by ADT in 2017, and it now sells ADT equipment. It's best to buy directly from ADT for better value and modern features.
- [Zmodo Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/zmodo/): Zmodo cameras are affordable with solid 1080p video, but night vision is weak. No subscription needed, but for better tech like Nest, prepare to spend more.
- [Blink vs Arlo Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/blink-vs-arlo/): Arlo is better than Blink for security cameras, offering advanced features, 4K resolution, and professional monitoring. Blink is budget-friendly but limited.
- [Cox Homelife Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cox-homelife/reviews/): Cox Homelife offers free equipment but hides fees and requires a 2-year contract. It's not available in all states and lacks smart home integrations.
- [AT&T Digital Life Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/att-digital-life/reviews/): AT&T Digital Life now offers only one plan with no cameras or home automation, costing $549.99 upfront and $39.99/month. It requires a 2-year contract.
- [Canary Camera System Review](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/canary/reviews/): Canary cameras offer a sleek design, air quality monitoring, and AI detection, but high costs and occasional setup issues. Flex is versatile; Pro includes siren.
- [Arlo](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/arlo/): Arlo cameras offer high-quality video, but they come at a premium price. The Arlo Pro 5S 2K costs $249.99, while the Essential Indoor is $99.99.
- [Arlo vs. Google Nest Comparison [year]](https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-nest/): Google Nest outshines Arlo with smarter AI and facial recognition, despite Arlo's superior camera specs. Nest's seamless ADT integration seals the deal.
- [Nest](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/nest-secure/): Nest Secure was discontinued in April 2024, but you can still use Nest products with ADT, which offers integration with Nest cameras and thermostats.
- [Ring](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/): Ring doorbells are affordable and feature-rich. The cheapest model is $99.99, and cloud storage costs $3/month. They integrate best with Alexa.
- [Ring vs. Google Nest Home Security Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-vs-nest/): Ring beats Google Nest due to 24/7 monitoring, more camera options, and cheaper storage. Google Nest excels in smart features like facial recognition.
- [ADT vs Bay Alarm Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-bay-alarm/): ADT vs. Bay Alarm: How Do They Compare, and Which Is Right for You?
- [Blink](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/): Blink cameras are affordable, ranging from $35 to $100, offering features like 1080p HD video, two-way talk, and smart home integration with Alexa.
- [Kuna](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/kuna/): Kuna offers stylish security cameras disguised as light fixtures but lacks robust features compared to Arlo. Its AI detection is subscription-based.
- [Xfinity Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/xfinity-comcast/reviews/): Xfinity Home offers smart security but suffers from high prices and poor customer service. Equipment is solid, yet monitoring costs range $55-$70 monthly.
- [Xfinity](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/xfinity-comcast/): Xfinity Home Security offers packages from $40/month with professional monitoring. Limited equipment and service areas are drawbacks, but bundling saves money.
- [Abode](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/abode/): Abode offers affordable, DIY home security with no long-term contracts. Kits start at $168.99. Opt for professional monitoring at $22.99/month if desired.
- [AT&T Digital Life Home Security System](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/att-digital-life/): AT&T Digital Life was discontinued in 2022. Customers could switch to Brinks for better cams and keypads. The service had no smart home features.
- [Cox Homelife](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cox-homelife/): Cox Homelife bundles home security starting at $29.99/month with automation in the "Preferred" package. Includes installation fees and requires broadband.
- [Canary](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/canary/): Canary cameras offer HD video, person detection, and climate monitoring. The Flex model is wire-free and weatherproof, while Pro adds a siren. Pricing: $99-$199.
- [ADT vs CPI Security Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-cpi-security/): ADT beats CPI with better equipment, service, and pricing. ADT offers advanced home automation, a 6-month money-back guarantee, and lower monitoring fees.
- [ADT vs Google Nest](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-nest/): ADT beats Google Nest in most categories, with a SecureScore of 9.2/10. ADT offers professional installation, full home security, and 24/7 monitoring.
- [Vivint vs Nest Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-vs-nest/): Vivint beats Nest with free professional installation, lifetime warranty, and lower costs. Nest discontinued; Vivint offers more features and better ratings.
- [ADT vs Xfinity Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-xfinity/): ADT outshines Xfinity in home security with superior customer service, longer industry presence, and advanced equipment, despite similar pricing.
- [Vivint vs. Ring Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-vs-ring/): Vivint wins with advanced automation and professional monitoring, while Ring offers budget-friendly DIY options. Both are top choices for home security.
- [SimpliSafe vs. abode Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-abode/): SimpliSafe wins with a SecureScore of 9.2/10 due to lower cost and ease of use, while abode offers smart home integration and flexible monitoring.
- [SimpliSafe vs Arlo Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-arlo/): SimpliSafe outperforms Arlo with a complete security setup and 24/7 monitoring, while Arlo excels in camera quality but lacks comprehensive security gear.
- [SimpliSafe vs. Vivint Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-vivint/): SimpliSafe is affordable with DIY installation and advanced monitoring, while Vivint offers premium home automation at a higher cost. Our pick: SimpliSafe.
- [Comparing ADT vs Ring](https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-ring/): ADT's smart home integration and professional monitoring make it the superior choice over Ring, despite Ring's lower costs and DIY setup flexibility.
- [SimpliSafe vs Ring Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-ring/): SimpliSafe tops Ring with a more robust system, higher SecureScore, and better customer service, despite Ring’s wider camera options and lower starting price.
- [SimpliSafe vs Nest Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-nest/): SimpliSafe wins over Nest with more affordable packages, a higher SecureScore™ of 9.2/10, and flexible month-to-month contracts. Nest has been discontinued.
- [Medical Alert Systems Buying Guide](https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/): Medical alert systems like Medical Guardian and LifeFone offer fall detection and GPS tracking, with prices from $19.95/month. Equipment fees may apply.
- [A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding and Purchasing Motion Sensors](https://www.safehome.org/motion-sensors/): Motion sensors are key to home security, detecting motion to trigger alarms or lights. Types include PIR, microwave, and dual-tech sensors for various needs.
- [Doorbell Camera Buying Guide](https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/): Vivint Camera offers advanced motion detection and facial recognition, while Ring Video Pro provides excellent video quality and customization.
- [Smart Lock Buying Guide [year]](https://www.safehome.org/smart-locks/): Smart locks improve security with keyless entry using Bluetooth, biometrics, or Wi-Fi. Brands like August and Schlage offer options from $50 to $300.
- [Everything to Know About Security Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/): The best home security cameras of 2025 include Arlo for smart features, Lorex for local storage, and Ring for affordable cloud plans. Explore our top picks.
- [Home Security Promotions & Sales](https://www.safehome.org/sales/): SafeHome. org regularly monitors* sales and promotions to help customers find the best deals on home security and smart home...
- [Best Home Security Systems with Great Customer Service in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/customer-service/): Cove, SimpliSafe, and Frontpoint earn top marks for customer service, offering fast support and transparent policies
- [Best No-Contract Home Security Systems](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/no-contract/): SimpliSafe, Ring, and Cove top the list of no-contract security systems with flexible plans and pro monitoring options
- [Best Wireless Home Security Systems](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/wireless/): Ring Alarm, SimpliSafe, and Cove are the best wireless security systems—easy to install and great for renters
- [Best Home Security Systems with Cameras](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/cameras/): Arlo, Lorex, and Ring offer the best home security cameras with 2K–4K resolution, night vision, and motion alerts
- [Best Security Systems Without Monitoring in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/without-monitoring/): Eufy, Wyze, and Arlo offer the best unmonitored security systems with app alerts, motion detection, and no monthly fees
- [Best Professionally Installed Home Security Systems of [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/professional-installation/): Vivint, ADT, and Brinks provide professional installation with expert setup, wiring, and in-home support
- [Best DIY Home Security Systems of [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/diy-install/): SimpliSafe, Ring Alarm, and Abode offer the best DIY security systems—easy to install, no drilling, no pro help needed
- [The Best Security Systems With Home Automation of [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/home-automation/): Vivint, ADT, and Abode are the best home security systems with automation—control lights, locks, and thermostats remotely
- [Most Affordable Home Security Systems in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/affordable/): Wyze, Ring Alarm, and SimpliSafe offer the best affordable home security without compromising essential features
- [Best Home Security Mobile App](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/mobile-app/): SimpliSafe, Ring, and Vivint offer the best mobile apps for home security, enabling full control and instant alerts
- [Best Home Security Companies With Fast Response Times in [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/response-times/): ADT, SimpliSafe, and Vivint lead in fast response times, often dispatching emergency services in under 30 seconds
- [Vivint vs. ADT Security System Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-vs-adt/): Vivint excels in smart home automation with proprietary equipment but requires contracts. ADT offers better monitoring with flexible, no-contract options.
- [SimpliSafe vs Frontpoint Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-frontpoint/): SimpliSafe offers similar features to Frontpoint but at a lower cost, with better app ratings and a month-to-month contract, making it our preferred choice.
- [SimpliSafe vs ADT Comparison](https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-adt/): ADT has more going for it with a top-rated app, advanced home automation, and a six-month money-back guarantee, making it our top pick over SimpliSafe.
- [Compare Home Security Companies](https://www.safehome.org/compare/): Compare top systems side by side to find the best fit for your needs. See features, pricing, and expert ratings all in one place.
- [Link Interactive Reviews](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/link-interactive/reviews/): Link Interactive offers flexible DIY home security with automation features. It scores 7.6/10 based on research and product testing.
- [Privacy Policy of SafeHome.org and all related websites](https://www.safehome.org/privacy-policy/): SafeHome.org Privacy Policy details how personal data is collected, used, and shared, including opt-out options and rights for CA, CO, and VA residents.
- [Vivint Home Security Review](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/reviews/): Vivint offers top-tier smart home security with high-tech features and professional installation, but it comes with high costs and long-term contracts.
- [An Honest Review of ADT Home Security](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/reviews/): ADT remains a top security system with new DIY options, price cuts, and Google Nest devices, but lacks local storage and has contract obligations.
- [SimpliSafe Security System Review [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/reviews/): SimpliSafe offers affordable home security with standout features like video verification and live camera monitoring, challenging big names like ADT and Vivint.
- [ADT Pricing in [year]: Home Security Equipment, Monitoring, and Installation Fees](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/): ADT's home security offers packages from $269 with monitoring costs between $24.99 and $49.99 monthly, including options for DIY or professional setup.
- [SimpliSafe Pricing, Plans, and Package Costs [year]](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/): SimpliSafe's 2025 packages start at $250. The most expensive, the Beacon, costs $730, offering 2 cameras. Discounts often apply, making them more affordable.
- [Vivint Home Security Cost & Pricing](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/): Vivint is pricey but offers high-tech security with professional installation and 24/7 monitoring. Contracts are long and costs can add up with equipment needs.
- [Frontpoint Home Security Review](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/frontpoint/reviews/): Frontpoint offers a solid security system with standout features like smart home integration, but lacks a touchscreen panel and has pricey monitoring at $49.99/month.
- [Frontpoint Home Security System](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/frontpoint/): Frontpoint offers affordable security with DIY setup. Packages start at $70, but monitoring is pricey at $49.99/month. No self-monitoring option available.
- [Contact](https://www.safehome.org/contact/): 
- [Guide to Security Systems](https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/): SimpliSafe stands out in 2025 for affordability and DIY setup, while ADT excels with comprehensive monitoring. Vivint leads in smart home integration.

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## Posts


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# Detailed Content


## Pages

### No-Subscription Smart Doorbell Comparison and Recommendations

> We discuss smart home tech that helps dementia patients stay safe, independent, and connected – plus tips for gradual integration.

- Published: 2025-08-08
- Modified: 2025-08-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/best/no-subscription/



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### Safety Checks for Multi-Generational Homes

> Get safety tips from experts on how to keep every member of multi-generation homes safe, from lighting to fall detection and emergency response.

- Published: 2025-08-07
- Modified: 2025-08-07
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/multigenerational-home/



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### Technologies and Gadgets to Help Patients with Dementia and Alzheimer's

> We discuss smart home tech that helps dementia patients stay safe, independent, and connected – plus tips for gradual integration.

- Published: 2025-08-07
- Modified: 2025-08-07
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/dementia-patient-tech/



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### Guide to Smart Locks With Emergency Power Options in [year]

> With most smart locks relying on batteries for power, we found the best smart locks with backup power options.

- Published: 2025-08-07
- Modified: 2025-08-07
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/smart-locks/external-battery-backup/



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### How to Reduce Your Energy Bill with Smart Security Lighting

> Using smart lights alone can help reduce your energy consumption, but these proven strategies can help you save on electricity costs even more.

- Published: 2025-08-07
- Modified: 2025-08-07
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/energy-saving/



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### Do Alexa and Google Assistant Devices Compromise Your Privacy?

> While Amazon and Google take privacy seriously, our security experts highlight ways to improve your privacy when using smart speakers and displays.

- Published: 2025-08-07
- Modified: 2025-08-07
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/disable-smart-speaker/



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### What Happens To Your Smart Home When Power and Internet Goes Out?

> During power outages, backup battery, cellular communication, and local security camera recording will keep your home protected.

- Published: 2025-08-06
- Modified: 2025-08-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/outages/



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### Our Favorite Landlord-Approved Smart Home Security Solutions for Renters

> Smart home security solutions for renters are not only possible, but also affordable. You can get started for less than $100.

- Published: 2025-08-06
- Modified: 2025-08-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/portable-solutions-renters/



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### Expert Tips for Preventing False Alarms in Noise-Triggered Devices

> Glass break sensors, security cameras with noise sensors, and smart smoke alarm listeners are prone to false alarms. Here’s how to prevent accidental triggers.

- Published: 2025-08-06
- Modified: 2025-08-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/reduce-false-alarms/



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### Battery Backup Solutions for Your Security System

> After months of testing, we found the four best battery backup solutions to keep your security system powered during outages.

- Published: 2025-08-06
- Modified: 2025-08-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/battery-backup/



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### Seasonal Outdoor Safety for RVs and Campers

> Different seasons present different security challenges to RV owners. Follow our tips to keep your RV safe on the road, at campgrounds, and in storage.

- Published: 2025-08-05
- Modified: 2025-08-05
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/rv-outdoor-tips/



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### Edge vs. Cloud Processing in Smart Cameras: Which Is Right for Your Home?

> We compare the privacy, speed, and costs of edge and cloud processing in smart cameras to find the right fit for your home.

- Published: 2025-08-05
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/edge-vs-cloud/



---

### How to Test & Calibrate PIR Motion Sensors

> From checking batteries to ensuring your security cameras are well-positioned, this maintenance plan will help you keep your home security system running smoothly.

- Published: 2025-08-05
- Modified: 2025-08-05
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/maintenance-plan/



---

### How to Test & Calibrate PIR Motion Sensors

> Our home security system testers outline how to properly test, calibrate, and troubleshoot security system PIR motion sensors.

- Published: 2025-08-05
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/motion-sensors/calibrate-pir-sensors/



---

### Upgrading Legacy Alarm Systems Without Full Replacement

> In this guide, our home security experts discuss various upgrades you can give your existing home security system without breaking the bank.

- Published: 2025-08-05
- Modified: 2025-08-05
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/upgrade-old-alarm-system/



---

### Home Office Safety Checklist: A Guide to Securing Your Workspace At Home

- Published: 2025-08-05
- Modified: 2025-08-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/home-office-checklist/



---

### Should You Invest in a Carbon Monoxide Monitor With Mobile Alerts

> With mobile alerts, modern carbon monoxide sensors can alert you to toxic gases, keeping everyone in your home safe — even pets.

- Published: 2025-08-04
- Modified: 2025-08-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/co-monitor-smartphone-alerts/



---

### A Guide to Setting Up A Security System for Tiny Homes

> With limited space and power source, we found that wireless, battery-powered security equipment is best for tiny homes.

- Published: 2025-08-04
- Modified: 2025-08-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/tiny-home-guide/



---

### AI-Powered Home Security: What’s Coming in 2026?

> After looking at AI security trends, we expect 2026 to bring new AI features that will make security systems more predictive, personalized, and surprisingly affordable.

- Published: 2025-08-04
- Modified: 2025-08-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ai-powered-security/



---

### Understanding Identity Theft Insurance

> Learn how identity theft insurance works, what it covers, and how to choose a policy that protects you from costly data breaches and fraud.

- Published: 2025-08-04
- Modified: 2025-08-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/insurance-guide/



---

### John Carlsen

- Published: 2025-05-16
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/john-carlsen/

John Carlsen is a Utah-based home security expert specializing in security cameras, smart home devices, and DIY security systems. He spent the last 10+ years testing, researching, and reviewing smart security products for big publications such as CNET, TWICE, Android Police, Home Theater Review, SafeWise, ASecureLife, and Top Ten Reviews. Using his Bachelor’s degree in Communications, with an emphasis in Journalism, from Utah Valley University, John leverages in-depth research into security industry sales tactics, pricing practices, contract terms, and customer satisfaction for his reviews. Where possible, he supports his research with hands-on tests — often evaluating multiple products at once in his home office — using scientific principles that are easy to reproduce. After thoroughly researching and oftentimes spending up to a month with a security product, John writes about his experience and research in a direct manner. He avoids wordplay and meaningless specifications to get straight to the points that his readers care about most. Every recommendation is paired with the positives and negatives of the product based on John’s personal experience and verifiable facts. That way, you can make the best decision for your home’s security. SafeHome. org Contributions Since joining SafeHome. org’s panel of experts, John has contributed his home security expertise in numerous guides and reviews, including: Best Indoor Security Cameras of The Top 3 Vivint Alternatives in Our Experience with Vivint Professional Installation

---

### Livestream

- Published: 2025-05-01
- Modified: 2025-06-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/livestream/



---

### RV Security Systems

> ADT Self Setup is best for RVs with 9.2/10 SecureScore. SimpliSafe offers easy DIY setup. Cove is budget-friendly. All support self-monitoring.

- Published: 2025-01-24
- Modified: 2025-02-05
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/rv/



---

### NordStellar

> NordStellar excels in threat management with real-time dark web monitoring and actionable insights but lacks pricing transparency and attack path analysis.

- Published: 2025-01-12
- Modified: 2025-01-28
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/nordstellar/



---

### Joshua Lee

- Published: 2024-11-18
- Modified: 2024-11-18
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/joshua-lee/

Joshua Lee has over two decades of experience in law enforcement and currently serves as an active-duty police sergeant for a municipal police department in Arizona, supervising the Complex Financials Investigations and Asset Forfeiture Group. For over eight years, Joshua also served as an instructor and trainer at the 911 Operator Academy in Arizona, where he taught Introduction to Criminal Law to 911, fire, and police dispatchers. He continues to use his expertise on emergency response procedures in providing insight about this crucial aspect of home and personal security to our team at SafeHome. org. Joshua has also earned certifications in cyber investigations, threat forensics, cyber crime investigations, and anti-money laundering. He is a certified fraud examiner and an adjunct professor at multiple schools teaching criminal justice, law, and technology, among other topics.

---

### Wes Hartkemeyer

- Published: 2024-11-18
- Modified: 2024-11-18
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/wes-hartkemeyer/

Wes Hartkemeyer’s career in public service began with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. He earned this while also undergoing training at the Chippewa Valley Technical College Police Academies. Since 2017, Wes has proudly served as a patrol officer with the Madison Police Department. He works alongside approximately 500 officers responding to emergency and non-emergency calls for the police and fire service throughout the county. Wes’ time with the department has allowed him to hone his expertise in personal protection and become a Licensed Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB) certified instructor. This accreditation lets him share his knowledge with other officers. In addition to his public duty, Wes is also passionate about technology. He founded Ireport, a software platform that creates standardized electronic reports to reduce paperwork for police departments. Wes has also spoken at events on various topics relating to public safety through technology and law enforcement transformation. Today, Wes uses his extensive experience in home safety to advise SafeHome. org team of home security experts.

---

### Christopher Norman

> For almost two decades, Christopher Norman has supported the elderly as an aide to a nurse, registered nurse, and nurse practitioner. He is currently the primary care provider for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly in Central New York (PACE CNY) and maintains memberships in multiple professional organizations while furthering his education in older adult and holistic care.

- Published: 2024-11-18
- Modified: 2025-04-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/christopher-norman/

For almost two decades, Christopher Norman has supported the elderly as an aide to a nurse, registered nurse, and nurse practitioner. He is currently the primary care provider for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly in Central New York (PACE CNY) and maintains memberships in multiple professional organizations while furthering his education in older adult and holistic care. Christopher earned his Master’s degree with Honors at Yale University and completed an Advanced Practice Nurse Fellowship in Geriatrics at New York University. He has also gained on-the-job experience working with dementia patients and their families during his time at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. In his spare time, Christopher practices spiritual development and enjoys yoga. He loves this hobby so much that he became a certified yoga instructor.

---

### Home Invasion Prevention: 10 Ways to Stop Criminals from Choosing Your Home

> A well-lit home, smart locks, and no visible expensive items deter burglars. Use a safe for valuables and consider monitored security systems for peace of mind.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/stop-criminals-from-choosing-your-home/



---

### How to Burglar Proof Your Home

> Burglar-proof your home with bright lighting, smart locks, and visible security cameras. Trim shrubs and keep valuables hidden to deter intruders effectively.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/burglar-proof-your-home/



---

### 5 Things Burglars Do NOT Want You to Know

> Burglars avoid homes with an American flag, open garages invite theft, dark homes are targets, doorbell cameras deter, and security systems are affordable.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/5-things-burglars-do-not-want-you-to-know/



---

### Window Lock Guide

> Window locks aren't all safe. Double-hung windows need modern locks. Keyed locks and window bars boost security. Avoid cheap locks; they break easily.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/window-locks/



---

### 5 Sneaky Tricks to Keep Burglars Away While You’re on Vacation

> Use smart lighting, hold your mail, install window sensors, use a video doorbell, and fake TV to deter burglars while you're on vacation.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vacation-burglary-prevention/



---

### 5 Child Identity Theft Statistics Every Parent Should Know

> Children are often victims of identity theft by people they know. Axton Betz-Hamilton's mother stole her identity, a common scenario for many kids.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2024-12-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/child-identity-theft-protection/



---

### These Celebrity Home Security Systems Will Blow Your Mind

> Kim Kardashian uses armored vehicles for protection, Dr. Dre has a moat, and Tom Cruise employs a sniper. Celebrity security can be extreme and expensive!

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/celebrity-home-security-systems/



---

### Beware of These 4 Toxic Household Gasses

> This guide reveals four toxic household gases: carbon monoxide, radon, VOCs, and formaldehyde. It details their sources and offers prevention tips.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/toxic-household-gasses/



---

### These Are the 9 Most Dangerous Christmas Toys Ever Made (and Some of Them Are Still for Sale)

> These toys pose hazards: CSI Fingerprint Kit (asbestos), Lawn Darts (injuries), Flubber (rashes), Kite Tubes (fatal), and Water Beads (choking). Stay safe!

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/most-dangerous-toys/



---

### 5 Smart Home Dangers To Look Out For

> Smart homes can be hacked easily, causing privacy breaches. Upgrade your router to WPA3, use smart hubs for bulbs, and disable unauthorized voice purchases.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/smart-home-dangers/



---

### Is Wi-Fi Hurting My Young Children?

> Wi-Fi is generally safe for adults, but caution is advised for kids due to their susceptibility to radiation. Limit exposure by keeping devices away.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/wifi-dangers/



---

### Yes, Baby Monitors Can Be Hacked. Here’s What to Do About It.

> Baby monitors can be hacked via Wi-Fi or analog frequencies. Switch to non-Wi-Fi models or secure your network with strong passwords and regular updates.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/stop-baby-monitor-hacking/



---

### These 3 Steps Could Save Your Life During a Home Invasion

> Stay quiet, lock your door, text 911 if possible. Avoid confrontation and save yourself, not possessions. Plan escape routes now for potential home invasions.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/survive-home-invasion/



---

### Can Smart Lights Really Deter Burglars? Here’s the Scoop.

> Smart lights with real-time alerts and random scheduling deter burglars more effectively than traditional timers or leaving lights on.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/smart-lights-burglary-deterrent/



---

### 3 Home Robots That Can Keep Burglars at Bay

> Amazon's Astro uses machine learning to map your home and recognize faces, Ring's drone patrols while you're out, and Moorebot's Scout offers budget mobility.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ai-robots-home-security/



---

### How to Detect a Spy Cam in Your Hotel Room

> Learn how to detect hotel hidden cameras. Spy cams often hide in smoke detectors or clocks. Always check suspicious objects, especially near beds and bathrooms.

- Published: 2024-09-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hotel-spy-camera-detection/



---

### Paul Frew

- Published: 2024-09-04
- Modified: 2024-09-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/paul-frew/

Paul Frew is a home security expert living near Sydney, Australia. He is one of those guys you’ve seen lined up on day one when any new piece of technology is launched, whether it’s a new PlayStation or the latest Ring Video Doorbell. When Paul’s not camped outside, keeping warm over a cup of coffee, he’s spending his time researching the latest developments in security cameras, video doorbells, and large-scale home security systems. Paul has clocked up thousands of hours of study on these devices and combines it with his personal experiences to provide readers with in-depth reviews and educational guides so they can make an informed decision about the best solution for their needs and budget. Paul Frew testing a security camera Paul has been a writer for over ten years, covering various technology topics, including VPNs, scams, and identity theft protection services. He started his career by writing for video game websites and publications in Australia. But while spending hours reviewing the latest Call of Duty is fun, his passion is simplifying complex topics so everyone can understand and enjoy them. Paul also dabbles in video editing and loves visiting local craft breweries to sample their latest creations. He’s also still playing video games. But just don’t ask him what his KD ratio is; it’s a sensitive subject. Articles Written by Paul: Aura Vs. LifeLock Cove Vs. SimpliSafe Cove Vs. Ring Aura Vs. Identity Guard Cove Vs. Vivint

---

### Life Alert vs. Medical Guardian: [year] Expert Comparison

> Medical Guardian outperforms Life Alert with better tech, lower prices, and superior emergency response, earning a 9.1 SecureScore™.

- Published: 2024-09-03
- Modified: 2025-05-05
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-life-alert/

If you’re buying a medical alert system for yourself or an aging loved one, your first choices might be from brands you recognize. In that area, Life Alert and Medical Guardian are two of the biggest competitors. However, in our years of testing medical alert systems, we’ve learned that it’s always best to look past the company’s reputation and deeper into what they offer. The top priority is giving you or your loved one the best protection you can get, so we compared Life Alert and Medical Guardian based on that merit. We looked at their equipment, their features, and even how quickly they respond to medical emergencies. On top of that, though, you also want to get good value for money. So, we compared their packages, pricing, and contract terms. In the end, Medical Guardian came away with the victory, but if you want to find out how we came to that conclusion, you’ll have to keep reading. Medical Guardian is currently our top-pick medical alert system provider for . They have the latest in technology, including the MGMove smartwatch we reviewed recently. Even if you’re looking for a simpler medical alert system, though, Medical Guardian is still our preferred choice. The MGHome Landline is more affordable than its Life Alert counterpart by more than $20 per month, while offering as good — if not better — protection. Our medical alert system specialist testing the MGMove smartwatch. Overview of the Life Alert vs. Medical Guardian Comparison Life Alert and Medical Guardian are long-time industry leaders. You might remember Life Alert from their catchphrase, “Help! I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up! ” that is still popular in pop culture to this day. Meanwhile, the younger but more vibrant company, Medical Guardian, is always making headlines for their innovation. Today, these two companies offer similar life-safety solutions for seniors, from simple, at-home medical alert systems to on-the-go systems. In fact, a quick glance at their websites might make you think they offer the same products. That couldn’t be further from the truth, though. Our tester holding up the MGHome Cellular base station. Here are some key points of comparison between Life Alert and Medical Guardian: Both companies offer cellular and landline options for at-home medical emergency monitoring, but Medical Guardian’s at-home devices have some of the longest ranges in the medical alert system industry (up to 1,400 feet). Both also offer on-the-go systems with GPS. Medical Guardian includes GPS features in all its mobile systems (three options total), while Life Alert offers only one mobile option that has GPS features (HELP on-the-go + GPS). Both companies also offer smartphone apps. However, Life Alert’s app hasn’t been updated since 2018, while Medical Guardian’s apps manage to stay on the cutting edge with frequent updates (including new functionalities for caregivers, like location tracking). In the technology department, only Medical Guardian offers a medical alert smartwatch between the two, although Life Alert has a well-functioning mobile medical alert system. While both tend to have higher prices than most other brands, Medical Guardian made our list of the most affordable medical alert systems thanks to its budget-friendly equipment. LifeAlert doesn’t charge an up-front equipment fee, but they require a much higher monthly fee and a one-time membership/activation fee. Life Alert vs. Medical Guardian: How They Compare For this comparison, we’ll look at five key areas to help you determine which of the two is the better option for you or your loved one. These are the main things we considered: At-home equipment and pricing On-the-go equipment and pricing Add-on features Emergency response time Mobile apps Let’s get started. At-Home Equipment and Pricing At-home systems are pretty simple. You get a base station that connects to either a landline or cellular network, plus a help pendant that triggers the base station to send out an alert when pressed. Price-wise, here’s how the at-home systems from Life Alert and Medical Guardian compare. At-Home Medical Alert System Features Life Alert Medical Guardian Equipment Price $0 $149. 95 Monthly Monitoring Fee Starts at $69. 95 $31. 95 (Landline) to $38. 95 (Cellular) Optional Fall Detection No +$10 Per Month Activation Fee $197 No Activation Fees Both Life Alert and Medical Guardian offer at-home medical systems with landline or cellular connectivity. We recommend cellular connectivity, unless you live in a rural area where cellular coverage is sparse. Life Alert’s $0 equipment fee sounds enticing, but the truth is that the equipment is not really free. You’ll lease it, and the price is charged together with your monthly monitoring fee. That’s why there’s such a huge disparity between Life Alert’s monitoring fee and Medical Guardian’s monthly cost. And, take note, Life Alert also charges a one-time membership fee — $197 in our case. So, all in all, we think Medical Guardian is more affordable. Another thing to note is that Medical Guardian lets users add a medical alert button with built-in, automatic fall detection for $10 per month. Among older adults in the U. S. , 1 in 4 experience accidental falls each year, so we believe fall detection is a must-have feature. Unfortunately, Life Alert doesn’t offer fall detection, which is odd given its “Help! I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up” catchphrase. >> Also See: Our Top-Pick Medical Alert Systems With Fall Detection Our Medical Guardian at-home and on-the-go systems before unboxing. Where Life Alert has a leg up on the competition is with its voice pendants. The Micro Voice Pendant (add-on), in particular, is a help button you can wear around your neck. It connects to the at-home base unit, and, during emergencies, you can use the wearable device to speak with the monitoring center. We find this kind of feature useful in certain situations, but, if the wearer falls unconscious, it’s still of no use. That’s why we prefer Medical Guardian’s fall detection. We’d also like to compliment Medical Guardian for having an impressive range. The cellular-connected MGHome system we tested has a 1,400-foot open-air range. While walls in the house did intervene with the signal, we were able to trigger the system from anywhere in our 2,000-square-foot home. The farthest the signal reached was our neighbor’s front porch. Of course, Life Alert’s 1,000-foot range is nothing to sneeze at. But, overall, Medical Guardian takes the cake. Winner: Medical Guardian Because of Medical Guardian’s range, we recommend it to more active seniors who stay mostly at home. It’s also good for users who have epilepsy or other conditions that allow them to stay mobile but make them prone to emergencies. On-the-Go Equipment and Pricing On-the-go systems are more varied, but, essentially, you’ll get an emergency button that is either connected via cellular signals or to a mobile base station that can provide cellular connectivity. Both Life Alert and Medical Guardian offer the latter, although Medical Guardian offers a more advanced mobile medical alert system in MGMove — a smartwatch. Mobile Medical Alert Systems Life Alert HELP on-the-go + GPS Medical Guardian MGMini Medical Guardian MGMove Equipment Fee $0 $149. 95 $199. 95 Monthly Fee Starts at $89. 95 $39. 95 $42. 95 Fall Detection No +$10 Per Month +$10 Per Month GPS Tracking Yes (Included) Yes (Included) Yes (Included) Activation Fee $197 $0 $0 When it comes to price, the on-the-go systems from both brands follow the same structure as their at-home counterparts. That means, with Life Alert, there’s no equipment fee, but there is a much higher monthly fee than Medical Guardian and a membership/activation fee. When it comes to hardware, Life Alert is actually ahead in terms of battery life. It claims that the voice pendant never needs recharging and can last up to 10 years that way. We were unable to confirm this because we’ve only been testing it for over a month, but we have yet to charge the device. Meanwhile, we charge the MGMini every four or five days, and the MGMove smartwatch every night. Life Alert also claims that its mobile pendant can use any major cellular network, whereas Medical Guardian relies on AT&T, which has one of the largest coverage areas in the country. But, in case you live or frequent outside AT&T’s coverage, Life Alert is worth considering. We recommend the MGMove to users looking for a stylish (yet safety-focused) mobile medical alert system. On the other hand, the MGMini is smaller than Life Alert’s mobile pendant, and the MGMove smartwatch is much sleeker. We recommend it to those who don’t want to be seen wearing a medical alert button or simply have a strong fashion sense. We also found both the MGMini and MGMove more high-tech. They both have fall detection built into them — you just have to activate it for an additional $10 per month. The MGMini, just like Life Alert’s Micro Voice Pendant, supports two-way talk right on the device. The real winner, in our opinion, is the MGMove smartwatch, because it’s not just a medical alert system. It doubles as a fitness and weather tracker, plus it has optional voice messaging and reminders function (useful for seniors who take medication) if you pay an additional $5 per month. Don’t expect it to be as good a smartwatch as the Apple Watch, but it’s certainly one of the most advanced mobile medical alert systems right now. >> Read More: The Best Medical Alert Smartwatches of Winner: Medical Guardian Life Alert might be the better option for users who tend to be forgetful because of its 10-year battery life. For most older adults, however, we recommend Medical Guardian’s MGMini or MGMove because they offer fall detection and have more advanced features. Add-On Features Most medical alert system providers offer additional features for additional cost to those who need them. Unfortunately, Life Alert doesn’t offer many add-ons, but the main add-on they offer for their at-home systems is quite interesting. It’s a wall-mounted help button for places where a fall might occur, like in the shower or the bottom of the stairs. It’s not the only wall-mounted help button we’ve tested, but it’s one of the few that has built-in two-way talk so you can speak with emergency responders during a fall. Life Alert’s help button is also water-resistant, so you can keep it in the shower. Just don’t submerge it in the tub. The two-way talk feature won’t work. Learn more about the best waterproof help buttons here. We had to pay an extra $5 per month for voice messaging and reminders functions, despite these features being built into the MGMove smartwatch. As for Medical Guardian, there are several add-ons available depending on your system. We saw that fall detection ($10 per month) is available no matter which type of system you have, which is a great thing. On top of that, some systems support: Voice-Activated Wall Buttons ($4. 99/Mo): Water-resistant wall buttons you can activate by pressing or yelling “help me, help me. ” Elite 911 ($9. 99/Mo): A mobile, cellular-connected voice box with two-way talk you can carry around the house or outside, with one-button activation to reach emergency response. Wireless Wall Button ($2. 99/Mo): A simple, water-resistant, wall-mounted help button without two-way talk. Lockbox ($2. 99): A lockbox to go near your front door where you can keep spare keys so responders can enter your house without breaking the door during emergencies. OnGuard Alerts ($2. 99/Mo): An alerting feature that sends email and text alerts to your circle during emergencies, including information about your whereabouts if you have a mobile system with GPS. Messaging and Reminders ($5/Mo): Useful add-ons exclusive to the MGMove smartwatch. Overall, we think Medical Guardian offers more (in sheer numbers) and more useful add-on features. Winner: Medical Guardian Emergency Response When we tested Life Alert and Medical Guardian, we made sure to run some emergency simulations to see how fast and how well they respond. This is crucial — you’ll want to make sure you or your loved one gets the help needed during emergencies as quickly and efficiently as possible. With Life Alert, the experience was hit or miss. They responded as quickly as about 30 seconds after pressing the help button, but there were also a couple of times when they responded after almost two minutes. That’s a really long time for emergencies, in our opinion. Meanwhile, Medical Guardian’s response time was about 20 seconds. Not only was it faster, but it was also more consistent. Out of the 10 times we tested their response, the response time never exceeded 30 seconds. Winner: Medical Guardian Mobile Apps Lastly, let’s talk about their mobile apps. We like that the Life Alert app is simple. The home page features a large, red emergency button that calls for help when pressed for three seconds. We also like that it’s linked to the user’s account, which means that when the alert comes in, the monitoring center will know the user’s identity, medical history, and other relevant information. On the downside, though, we find the app clunky, old, and — quite frankly — in desperate need of a revamp. The last time it was updated was in 2018, and there’s still no Android version. We also didn’t see mentions of the app anywhere on Life Alert’s website, so it’s likely that it’s no longer part of their main offerings. MyGuardian app We found the Medical Guardian app way more useful during our Medical Guardian testing. To be clear, it doesn’t have a “call for help” function like the Life Alert app. It’s mostly a management app that seniors and their caregivers can use to monitor their medical alert systems. But, it has useful tools such as activity planning and group chats. These, in our opinion, are more needed than a virtual help button. If you’re providing care for a loved one, you can use the MyMedicalGuardian app to monitor the battery life of devices such as the MGMove and MGMini. This way, you can remind them to charge their devices when needed. Winner: Medical Guardian Recap: Life Alert vs. Medical Guardian After testing both systems, we can confidently say that Medical Guardian is better overall than Life Alert. It outdid Life Alert in almost every key area. It’s more affordable long term, its at-home systems have wider coverage, all its systems support fall detection, and it has an innovative app for seniors and caregivers alike. We also found Medical Guardian more responsive. Plus, it gives you more options than Life Alert for at-home and on-the-go use. Life Alert is not by any means a bad medical alert system. But, if you ask us based on our experience with both systems, Medical Guardian is clearly the better choice for most users. Medical Guardian vs. Life Alert FAQs

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### Medical Guardian MGMove Review [year]

> The Medical Guardian MGMove is a stylish smartwatch with SOS, 24/7 monitoring, and location tracking. It costs $199.95 plus a $39.95 monthly fee.

- Published: 2024-08-07
- Modified: 2024-08-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/medical-guardian/mgmove/



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### Medical Guardian MGMini Review [year]

> Tested MGMini: great for basic use, but fall detection fails often. Location tracking impresses. Monthly plan starts at $39.95 plus $149.95 upfront.

- Published: 2024-08-06
- Modified: 2024-08-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/medical-guardian/mgmini/



---

### Cove vs. Vivint [year]

> Vivint's AI technology, professional installation, and smart home integration make it superior to Cove, despite higher costs. Vivint scores 9.1/10.

- Published: 2024-08-05
- Modified: 2025-01-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/cove-vs-vivint/

Cove and Vivint are almost polar opposites. Vivint security systems use the latest technology installed by professional technicians to protect every inch of your home. As for Cove, the equipment might not be as high-tech, but it’s reliable. Plus, you can install all the devices yourself and be up and running in less than an hour. So which one do you choose? Home security technology is rapidly evolving. New features like security cameras distinguishing between a random person and a family member who regularly pops in are becoming an expectation. Even during our time with Vivint, we felt like we were living in the future with the advanced features and how it incorporates AI into its devices. We’re talking about a bright future like The Jetsons instead of the wastelands of The Last of Us. But not everyone might be comfortable trusting AI in the home, which is why there are also great alternatives like Cove available. With Cove, you can design your own home security system and install the devices yourself. If you need more equipment, it’s easy to integrate it. We still think Vivint is the better home security system, but in some scenarios Cove is a good option. Allow us to explain. Everything that came with our Vivint home security system. How Are Cove and Vivint Similar? Cove and Vivint have more in common than being home security systems. These are some of the features both offer. Professional Monitoring To keep our equipment from being collections of bricks, we had to pay for a monitoring plan with both Cove and Vivint. These plans connect your devices to a monitoring center that is staffed with security professionals who respond to system alerts. Each monitoring plan is part of a larger package, and there are key differences between the packages from Cove and Vivint. With Cove, there were two options to choose from. Both include 24/7 monitoring, protection from fires and flooding, text notifications, 24/7 customer support, 24-hour battery backup, and smartphone control. If you choose the cheaper plan, you miss out on camera support, Alexa and Google Home voice control, and the monthly equipment reward. Cove’s $5 per month equipment reward is a great feature if you plan on expanding your home security system in the future. Plus, the $5 credit rolls over at the end of the month if it isn’t used. We used our credit on a new indoor camera, which we integrated with our security system in around three minutes. If we wanted to do the same thing with Vivint, we would have had to pay for a technician to install the camera for us. We’d love to tell you how many plans Vivint has, but they don’t advertise them anywhere. What we learned after our conversation with a sales consultant is that you get 24/7 monitoring, cellular backup, and intrusion detection, to name a few. Home automation, security camera features, and cloud storage cost extra if you want this included in your package. >> Recommendations: The Best Professionally Monitored Home Security Systems Cellular Backup If your Wi-Fi tends to drop out at the climatic moment of the latest binge-worthy TV show, you can rest assured your security system will stay online even if your Wi-Fi cuts out just as someone’s getting bumped off in “Only Murders in the Building. ” In these instances, Cove and Vivint will connect to the cellular network to keep your home security system online. It even stays operational during a power outage, as Cove and Vivint’s control hubs have a backup battery that lasts for 24 hours. The Cove control panel connects to the hub and lets you control every aspect of your security system. User-Friendly Apps While Cove and Vivint have a control hub, we could manage every aspect of our security system through their apps as well. Some of the commands we used most in the apps were: Arm and disarm the system Receive notifications Livestream from the cameras Review footage from the cloud Speak to visitors from the video doorbell Adjust sensors and connected devices The best part was that with both apps, we didn’t have to be connected to our home Wi-Fi to operate our systems. We could’ve been sitting on the couch in our living room or lying on a pool lounge chair at a resort, waiting for our third cocktail to arrive, and the app would’ve worked as long as it was connected to the resort Wi-Fi or a cellular network. >> Read More: Best Home Security System With a Mobile App Vivint’s app alerts you to everything from unwanted visitors to windows left open. Voice Activation When we left our phone in the other room, we could still get status updates or see what was happening on the cameras by using Alexa or Google Assistant voice commands. (We have both in our home, don’t judge us. ) Both voice assistants allowed for voice-controlled arming and disarming, but we found more use for Vivint’s integration. That’s because Vivint works with non-Vivint smart home devices we already have, such as the Nest Thermostat and our Yale smart lock. Thanks to that, we were able to create a routine we named “Good Night! ” that arms Vivint to Home mode, locks the front door, and sets the temperature to 72 degrees. Whenever we’d go to bed, we could just say “Alexa, good night! ” to trigger all those actions. You’ll need to pay for Cove Plus, which is an extra $10 a month, if you want to use Google and Alexa to operate your system. When we tested Cove, we used Alexa and Google Home to arm and disarm our system as well as get status updates. Storage Cove and Vivint offer multiple storage options for the footage their cameras capture. With Cove, you can insert a microSD card up to 128 GB into most of the cameras. This will give you approximately 120 hours of 4K footage. Alternatively, you can save videos to the cloud but there is an extra subscription cost for this service. Vivint sells a DVR that lets you save up to 10 days of 24/7 video recording. You can even watch the footage on your smartphone. If you don’t want the DVR, most of the security cameras can store 20 to 90-second clips for up to 14 days. There is also a slot for SD cards, but the storage limit is different for each camera type. We ended up paying for cloud storage, which stores video clips and photos for up to 30 days. The extra cost was added to our professional monitoring fee. Cove and Vivint Differences There are significant differences between Cove and Vivint that may make it easier to decide which home security system is right for you. These are the three that stand out most. Installation The biggest difference between Cove and Vivint is how equipment gets installed. With Cove, we could either pay up to $129 for a professional to do it or set up the system ourselves. We’re always looking for ways to save on our home security, so we installed our system, and we’re glad we did. Cove’s devices are some of the easiest to install and don’t require any trade skills. We got our system up and running in about 20 minutes with just a handful of tools, which shows us that installing a home security system is easier than you might think. Our tester installed Cove security cameras on their front porch. As for Vivint, we needed to arrange an appointment with a specialist to come out and configure our devices. Professional installation was needed, and it wasn’t free. We paid $200 for the service. On the bright side, we’ve seen Vivint offer free professional installation deals before. So if you see one like that, grab it. You’ll save a lot of money. If you plan on moving homes soon, wait until you’re in your new place to get a Vivint system. Otherwise, you’ll need to fork out another $129 for someone to install it again. Contracts When we got our Cove system, we didn’t need to sign our name on any dotted lines. All we had to do was pick our equipment, choose a monitoring plan, set up the devices, and let it do its thing. There were no contracts, so we could cancel our plan any time. It was slightly more complicated with Vivint. The main reason was that their equipment was expensive, so we chose to finance it. This meant that in addition to the monthly monitoring costs, an additional payment with a contract was required to pay off the devices. A Vivint contract can last up to five years. The silver lining is that unlike other security systems, which lock you into plans and then hike the price yearly, Vivint charges the same amount for the life of the agreement. This also acts as a buffer against periods of rapid inflation. Even if everything else around you is getting more expensive, your Vivint monitoring fee will remain the same. If you have the money to pay for the devices upfront, you don’t need to sign a contract with Vivint. You can pay month-to-month like you would with Cove. >> Check Out: The Ins and Outs of Home Security Contracts Smart Home Add-Ons If you want to transform your place into a Smart Home, you’ll want to choose Vivint. Cove doesn’t integrate with third-party devices besides Alexa and Google Assistant. Vivint, on the other hand, offered us a range of smart devices they sell directly, including: Smart thermostats Lighting controls Smart garage controls Smart locks We even integrated third-party equipment we already had installed in our house, such as smart locks, light bulbs, and other Z-Wave-compatible devices. When we tested Vivint, we set up automations so that we never forgot to switch off lights, lock doors, or arm our security system. Some of the notifications we could activate from the Vivint app. Comparing Monitoring Costs As we mentioned earlier, you need a monitoring plan for your Cove and Vivint equipment to work. A lot of the features within the plans are similar, but there are a few that could make your decision about which security system to buy a little easier. Cove Monitoring Costs Here’s an overview of Cove’s two monitoring plans, both of which are available for every Cove system: Feature Cove Basic Cove Plus Alexa and Google Home voice control No Yes Camera support No Yes $5 per month equipment reward No Yes Smartphone control Yes Yes Cellular backup Yes Yes Text-based alerts Yes Yes 24/7 alarm monitoring Yes Yes Environmental monitoring Yes Yes 24/7 customer support Yes Yes Equipment warranty 1 year Lifetime (as long as you’re subscribed) Price $19. 99 per month $29. 99 per month You’re not missing out on much if you choose Cove Basic. However, some bonuses like the lifetime warranty and equipment credit in Cove Plus can reduce the cost of your Cove security system in the long term. However, if you plan on including security cameras in your security system, you’ll have no choice but to subscribe to Cove Plus. We ran into the same situation when we tested ADT, which only has one monitoring plan for camera support. The good news is that Cove’s plan is cheaper than the ADT package, which comes in at $44. 99 per month. Although it does include a lot of extra features, such as video verification and custom alerts. >> Learn More: ADT Packages, Plans, Cost & Pricing Vivint Monitoring Costs Monitoring fees with Vivint start from $29. 99 per month and can go as high as $50 per month if you include automation features and cloud storage. Regardless of the plan, you’ll get 24/7 professional monitoring. We got to experience this feature when we went out to a late dinner and an alarm triggered at 11 p. m. Vivint’s monitoring team quickly got in touch with us to see what was going on. Fortunately, we also bought security cameras. We pulled up our indoor camera feed and saw that it was just the babysitter, so we called off the alarm. But it was good to know we would get a fast alert in case it was a criminal. Equipment Costs Cove and Vivint let you build your own home security system. These are some of the products we recommend from each company: Device Cove Vivint Hub $150. 00 $399. 99 Alarm panel $150. 00 N/A Motion sensor $50. 00 $100. 00 Key remote $30. 00 $50. 00 Glass-break sensor $50. 00 $100. 00 Window sensor $15. 00 $50. 00 Smoke and carbon monoxide detector $95. 00 $100. 00 Flood sensor $50. 00 $50. 00 Panic button $30. 00 $50. 00 Outdoor camera $129. 99 $399. 99 (Outdoor Camera Pro) $649. 98 (Spotlight Pro + Outdoor Camera Pro) Indoor camera First one is free, and every additional camera is $59. 99 $149. 99 (Indoor Camera) $249. 99 (Indoor Camera Pro) There is a significant price discrepancy between Cove and Vivint. But there’s also a big difference in the quality of the equipment. Vivint’s devices are state-of-the-art and powered by AI to keep your home safe while Cove’s are designed with a lower price point in mind. Cove has partnered with Eufy to offer serviceable products with some good features. The outdoor camera can distinguish between people and objects using AI. But the indoor camera can’t, so when our curtain gently blew in the breeze, it triggered a recording. This made it difficult to go through our clips and find the moments we wanted to keep. All the equipment we purchased for our Cove security system. Our cameras from Vivint were top-of-the-line. They featured powerful zooming and impressive image quality no matter the time of day. Impressively, the outdoor cameras were able to identify prowlers and light them up with a spotlight for both the camera and nearby potential witnesses to see. The camera’s spotlight can follow a suspicious person until they move out of range, lighting them up like a lone figure on a Broadway stage the entire time. We tested this by having our friend slowly creep by our house and sure enough, our Vivint spotlights pointed them out. Vivint’s AI technology can distinguish between humans and animals. We love cat videos as much as the next person. But we don’t want to review hours of footage every time our cat gets the zoomies and triggers the cameras. Plus, it saves on storage space. What Happens When an Alarm Is Triggered? Cove and Vivint use the internet or a cellular backup connection to notify their respective monitoring services. Monitoring agents will then reach out to you over text to see if it's a false alarm. If you don't respond, an agent will call you to check in. If needed, they may contact first responders to respond. We saw the results firsthand when we were running scenarios on our Cove setup. Let’s just say we didn’t cancel an alarm quickly enough resulting in the cops showing up at our front door. Despite our mistake, we felt a little safer knowing how fast the cops would arrive in a real emergency. Cove’s InstaText is an automated service that sends you a text message to confirm or cancel a triggered alarm. It’s included in both Cove monitoring plans. Cove also has three monitoring centers across the U. S. so that someone is always available in an emergency. We set up the Vivint system to send text alerts to us and our listed contacts. While we were on vacation, we included our nephew who was housesitting for us in our listed contacts. That way, he would get our security system’s alerts as well and could check them out for us immediately. Cove and Vivint don’t respond to just security alerts though. They offer equipment that monitors safety concerns such as fire and gas leaks and can call fire and medical responders to the scene. Cove or Vivint: Which One Should You Choose? Cove is an excellent, affordable security system you can not only design but install yourself. It might not have an extensive range of equipment or smart home automation features, but it has the standard features you need to protect you and your home. However, if you want a more comprehensive security system, we recommend Vivint. Its AI-powered equipment can integrate with all your smart home devices. You can check if doors are closed properly, turn on a fan when you need fresh air, and manage every aspect of your equipment in its app. Plus, your Vivint cameras won’t record every movement that occurs. It’s smart enough to know the difference between you hanging around outside and a suspicious loiterer. While you might pay a little extra, the safety measures and peace of mind it offers are priceless. Frequently Asked Questions

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### Cove vs. Ring [year]

> Cove offers superior equipment and monitoring, while Ring excels in integrations and cost. Our pick: Ring Alarm for its flexibility and affordability.

- Published: 2024-08-02
- Modified: 2025-01-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/cove-vs-ring/

A lot of homeowners these days prefer DIY home security, where they get to pick their security equipment, install it themselves, and control how they are monitored. Cove and Ring both offer reliable DIY security systems, but which one is better? Video doorbell cameras are just one component of a complete home security system. They keep an eye on parcels that are left on your doorstep, let you know when your food has been delivered, and alert you when that annoying neighbor starts heading towards the front door. And when it comes to video doorbells, Ring is the name that rings the loudest. Ring has one of the best home security systems you can install yourself, too, in Ring Alarm. But is Ring’s security equipment as reliable as other reputable brands like Cove? You can also pick and choose the Cove products you need to keep your home safe and set everything up on your own. So is Ring or Cove better? We bought security systems from both brands and tested them over a month to find out. Here’s everything we learned. A warm welcome from Cove with instructions on how to set up our security system. >> Check Out: Ring Home Security Camera Review Cove and Ring Similarities Cove and Ring share many similarities on paper, but these are the ones that stood out to us when testing both systems. DIY Installation Cove’s and Ring’s products were already synced to the base station when we took them out of the box, which made it effortless to set up our system. We didn’t worry about getting stuck in the process either, because we knew we had the apps’ step-by-step installation instructions to fall back on. We got both systems up and running in under 20 minutes, because the majority of products are wireless. A bigger system may take longer than 20 minutes to install, but it shouldn’t take more than an hour. For most devices, all we had to do was pick a spot, stick the device to the surface, and configure it in the main hub. Installing the Ring Floodlight Cam While we installed our Cove equipment in under 20 minutes, we had to wait for the monitoring center to call us to active the security system. We gave them ten minutes before calling them ourselves. Unfortunately, we were on hold for 20 minutes before speaking to a customer support staff member. Professional Installation If you’re not the DIY type, Ring and Cove can install your security system for you. Cove contracts HelloTech, which will not only set up the system, but also talk you through how each device works. The cost for that courtesy starts at $129. Ring uses OnTech to install its security systems. Prices are fixed based on the equipment you need to set up. The costs aren’t advertised, so you’ll need to get in touch with the company for a personalized quote. We have nothing against partnering with a third-party service provider to take care of customers’ installation needs, but the best professionally installed security systems often come from brands that offer in-house installation services. Read our ADT review, for example, to find out why we hold their installers in high regard. No Contracts Unlike other security systems, there are no lock-in contracts with either Ring or Cove, but that doesn’t mean the same thing for both companies. With Ring, having no contract means you can opt to pay for professional monitoring with cloud storage for your cameras or just cloud storage, or opt to pay nothing at all and still self-monitor your security system. We got a 30-day trial of the professional monitoring service, but for a couple of weeks after that expired, we self-monitored our system just to test out what it can do. With Cove, you have no option to self-monitor. You can opt in and out of the professional monitoring service (starting at $19. 99 per month), but if you opt out, you won’t be able to use the security system until you opt back in. That’s why throughout our testing period, we maintained a professional monitoring subscription. There’s a stark difference there between Cove and Ring, but either way, you get flexibility from both companies. That’s why they both made our list of the best no-contract home security systems. Integrations With Google and Alexa Since Ring is an Amazon product, it integrated easily with the Amazon Echo Show 8 we tested, and it works with all other Alexa devices too. It also worked with our Google Home devices. Cove can connect to your smart-home devices as well. Some of the voice commands we liked using with both systems include: Show camera footage Adjust motion sensitivity Disable alarms Arm and disarm the security system Record footage Get a status update on devices Review notifications Controlling Ring with Alexa Voice commands and integrations work on all Ring plans. With Cove, however, the features are available only in the Cove Plus subscription, which costs $29. 99 per month and is the highest subscription package from the brand. Useful Apps We used the Ring and Cove apps to manage our security system while we were relaxing on the couch watching Netflix on our Apple TV. One time while we were at a coffee shop, we got an alert that someone was at our door. We just pulled up the app and saw that it was the UPS guy dropping off our Amazon order. Cove App Dashboard Another way we used the app was to schedule times to arm and disarm our system. We set it up to automatically arm at 8:30 a. m. Monday through Friday when we leave for work and disarm at 5:30 p. m. when we get home. Ring gave us an additional feature we could use to share footage with our neighbors. It was helpful when we noticed suspicious activity and wanted to let our neighbors know to stay alert. We’d say that Ring’s app is so much better than that of Cove. The reason we say that is that Ring’s app works with all Ring devices, from doorbell and security cameras to the security system itself. Because Cove gets its cameras from a third party (Eufy), we had to use the Eufy app to monitor our security cameras. Cove’s app shows that they’re working on fully integrating the cameras, but as of now, the Cove and Eufy apps are still required. Cove and Ring Differences During our testing we also noticed some significant differences. We recommend taking note of them as it can help you choose the right security system for your home. Third-Party Integrations Unfortunately, Cove doesn’t integrate with other third-party security equipment. It’s disappointing compared to Ring’s wide range of integrations. We linked our sirens, light switches, dimmers, deadbolts, and garage door controls to our Ring security system. That let us operate all our smart devices from one place instead of creating a dedicated folder on our phone with all the apps like we had to with Cove. Some of the third-party brands Ring integrates with include Dome, Leviton, GE, Kwikset, and Chamberlain. Storage Ring gave us cloud storage for 60 days’ worth of footage from our security cameras with all monitoring plans. There is one plan that provides cloud storage for only one camera. While testing Cove, we got only one day of cloud storage. You’ll need to purchase a separate subscription, Cove Cloud+, which gives you 30 days of clips for $2. 99 per month per camera. Fortunately, we had a microSD card in our Cove cameras that let us avoid that extra monthly cost. We got the largest 128 GB microSD cards, which is about 120 hours of 4K footage. >> Read More: Best Cloud Storage Home Security Cameras of Cove's indoor and outdoor cameras are made by Eufy and are tiny, powerful, and affordable. Monitoring Costs Comparison For Cove products to function, we needed to buy a monitoring plan. If you choose to go with Ring, you can avoid paying a monthly fee by self-monitoring, but it will mean you miss out on some other features. Cove Monitoring Costs Cove doesn’t have self-monitoring like Ring or SimpliSafe. But we always tend to opt for professional monitoring anyway just in case we miss an alert while we’re sleeping or on vacation. For monitoring, Cove offers Cove Basic and Cove Plus. One of the key differences between the two plans is the camera support. So if you need security cameras, you really only have Cove Plus as your option. Here’s a breakdown of both Cove monitoring plans. Features Cove Basic Cove Plus Smartphone control Yes Yes Cellular backup Yes Yes Text-based alerts Yes Yes 24/7 alarm monitoring Yes Yes Camera support No Yes Alexa and Google Home voice control No Yes Equipment warranty 1 year Lifetime (as long as you’re subscribed) Price $19. 99 per month $29. 99 per month Ring Monitoring Costs We’ll admit it. We were tempted to go with Ring’s free plan. It includes live view, real-time notifications, and keypad arming and disarming. But as we said earlier, we always feel safer with a professional monitoring plan. So we chose the Standard cloud storage package and paid extra for professional monitoring ($10 per month) bringing the total cost to $19. 99 per month. The first thing you’ll notice is that Ring’s monitoring plans without add-ons are cheaper than Cove while including a lot of useful features. Let’s take a closer look at each option. Basic Standard Premium Number of devices covered One camera Unlimited devices Unlimited devices Video event history 180 days 180 days 180 days Person and package alerts Yes Yes Yes Live stream limit per session Default (10 mins) Extended (30 mins) Continuous (no limit) Cellular backup (for Ring Alarm) No Yes Yes Alarm professional monitoring No +$10/month +$10/month 24/7 recording No No Yes (select cameras only) Price per month $4. 99 $9. 99 $19. 99 All Ring plans are essentially self-monitoring plans unless you pay the extra $10 per month for professional monitoring. Keep in mind that this service is only available with the Standard and Premium plans. When an alarm is triggered, Ring will send emergency responders to your location. For added security, you can pay an extra $99 per month on top of the subscription for highly trained security professionals to live monitor your security cameras and make a call when you need emergency assistance. All Ring plans entitle you to 10% off select products at Ring’s online store. Alternatively, wait for the next Prime Day deals on Ring products when the company offers its biggest discounts. Comparing Equipment Costs Cove and Ring let you build your own security system to suit your home. If you rent an apartment, for example, you may be limited in what devices you can install. If you own a large house, you’ll want to set up outdoor cameras to monitor the perimeter. Ring Spotlight Cam Below is a comparison of the prices of popular security devices from both companies. Device Cove Ring Hub $150 $249. 99 Alarm panel $150 $49. 99 Motion detector $50 $29. 99 Key fob $30 - Glass-break sensor $50 $39. 99 Window sensor $15 $9. 99 Smoke detector $95 $34. 99 Flood sensor $50 $34. 99 Panic button $30 $20. 99 (1st gen) $29. 99 (2nd gen) Outdoor camera $129. 99 $99. 99 (Stick Up Cam) Indoor camera First one is free, and every additional camera is $59. 99 $79. 99 (Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam) We spent more putting together our Ring home security system than our Cove system. Ring gave us the option to buy refurbished products to save a few bucks, but we bought new products. While the normal prices are more expensive than Ring, Cove regularly runs sales with discounted products and free devices thrown in. We got 70 percent off our equipment plus a HD camera. Not bad. All of the Cove equipment we purchased for our home security system. One advantage Ring has over Cove is its product range. There are multiple types of indoor and outdoor cameras, including wireless, solar-powered, and hardwired. If you plan to purchase multiple items, bundle packages are also available. Below is an overview of Ring’s equipment packages. Ring Package What’s included Cost Connected Basic Kit Video Doorbell (2nd gen) Stick Up Cam Battery $199. 98 Connected Enhanced Kit Battery Doorbell Plus Spotlight Cam Plus Battery $319. 98 Connected Deluxe Kit Wired Doorbell Pro (Video Doorbell Pro 2) Floodlight Cam Wired Pro $479. 99 Protected Basic Kit Video Doorbell (2nd gen) 5-piece Alarm Security Kit $299. 98 Protected Enhanced Kit Battery Doorbell Plus 8-piece Alarm Security Kit $454. 91 Protected Deluxe Kit Wired Doorbell Pro (Video Doorbell Pro 2) 14-piece Alarm Security Kit $694. 85 Whole Home Basic Kit Video Doorbell (2nd gen) Stick Up Cam Battery 5-piece Alarm Security Kit $399. 97 Whole Home Enhanced Kit Battery Doorbell Plus Spotlight Cam Plus Battery 8-piece Alarm Security Kit $624. 90 Whole Home Deluxe Kit Wired Doorbell Pro (Video Doorbell Pro 2) Floodlight Cam Wired Pro 14-piece Alarm Security Kit $944. 84 Apartment Starter Kit Indoor Cam (2nd gen) Peephole Cam $189. 98 Ring has additional starter kits, including pet cameras, doorbell bundles, and lighting packages. Having access to those options is helpful if you’re not sure what products you need for a security system. It’s also easy to add extra devices at any time if you want more protection. Ring Video Doorbell 3, Installed What Happens in an Emergency? Regardless of which Cove plan you choose, you’ll get access to the RapidSOS system, which instantly sends you personnel relevant to your emergency. You’ll also speak with someone from the monitoring center, who will confirm you need assistance so no one’s time is wasted. While we were testing the system, we ended up with the cops at our front door since we didn’t cancel an alarm quickly enough. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but it made us feel safe knowing the police would show up immediately if there was an actual issue. Cove also sends a text message within 30 seconds of an alarm being activated. You can respond via SMS to cancel the alarm or confirm you need emergency assistance. If you want the same treatment from Ring, you’ll need the Standard or Premium plan plus the professional monitoring add-on. Depending on the emergency, there are different types of responses. Burglary: The monitoring center will try to call emergency contacts. If no one answers or they don’t know the password, police will be dispatched. Smoke alarm: They will call the first emergency contact, and they’ll send the fire department if no one responds. Panic alarm: If you press the panic button on the keypad, they will try to reach the first emergency contact. If they don’t answer or they provide the wrong password, police are sent to the location. Duress alarm: No alarm sounds during this response. Police are immediately advised to attend the premises. SOS alarm: The monitoring center attempts to call the first emergency contact. If they don’t receive a response, they will send appropriate service. Carbon monoxide alarm: The fire department is instantly dispatched, and the monitoring center will call emergency contacts. Flood or freeze alarm: You’ll receive alerts or automated calls advising you of the situation. Cove uses the same technology as your phone to digitally transmit details to 911 dispatchers. It means you won’t need to provide as much information verbally and they can send help to your location faster. Cove or Ring: Which Is Better? Ring has a broader selection of security products, cheaper monitoring plans, and a free option if you want complete privacy. Meanwhile, Cove has better security equipment and a more reliable professional monitoring center thanks to the RapidSOS technology. It might not be able to connect to third-party products like Ring, but you can get everything you need from Cove to protect your home and the people in it. FAQs

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### Cove vs. SimpliSafe [year]

> SimpliSafe outperforms Cove with better features, easier setup, and more flexible monitoring options. SimpliSafe's Active Guard is a standout feature.

- Published: 2024-07-25
- Modified: 2025-01-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/cove-vs-simplisafe/

Cove and SimpliSafe are two of the easiest DIY security systems on the market. You can have them up and running in under an hour. But which one should you buy for your home? Setting up a home security system is easier than you think. Some brands like Cove and SimpliSafe barely require any tools to install devices. We think the hardest part is picking the perfect spot on the doors and walls to stick your sensors. Instead of mounting them to the walls, some of the cameras can sit on mantles or bookcases to get the perfect view of the room. When we bought Cove and SimpliSafe security systems, we were up and running in less than an hour. But during our testing, we found ourselves favoring SimpliSafe over Cove. It was easier to choose a system, the equipment looked nicer in our home, and the professional monitoring services were more innovative. But there’s a lot to like about Cove as well. Let’s dive deep into the similarities and differences between these DIY home security systems. How Are Cove and SimpliSafe Similar? A quick glance at Cove’s and SimpliSafe’s offerings reveals several similarities. The equipment is effortless to install, you don’t need to worry about being locked into a long-term contract, and you can control your system with your voice. Plus, they both have excellent apps that make it easy to monitor your surroundings. A sampling of SimpliSafe equipment on my dining room table. Preprogrammed Equipment Installing your Cove or SimpliSafe equipment is painless. You can be up and running in 20 minutes, depending on how many devices you’ve purchased. For both systems, you’ll start by setting up the primary hub, which is as easy as configuring a new mobile phone. You’ll proceed through a series of screens, setup pins, and activate devices. If you have sensors, they stick to surfaces with a strong adhesive. You can mount outdoor cameras following the instructions, but they usually only require drilling a couple of holes. The keypads are also simple to set up, since the app has a step-by-step guide. Cove has partnered with Eufy, which supplies indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cameras. The cameras are durable and offer 2K resolution, but the video doorbell has some lagging issues and isn’t ideal for lengthy conversations when you’re not home. Professional Installation Cove and SimpliSafe pride themselves on being DIY security systems, but you can arrange for someone to install your devices professionally. For SimpliSafe, the cost starts at $125 and varies depending on the number of items. Cove will cost you a minimum of $129. It’s a good safety net to have. However, we’ve always found the best professionally monitored security systems come from brands with their own installers rather than relying on third-party providers. If you prefer someone else to take the lead on installation, check out our reviews on ADT or Vivint. Everything we got with our Cove security system No Contracts Neither security system requires you to sign a lengthy contract or sign up for a minimum time period. The added bonus is that you don’t need to stress over things like early termination fees or extra costs if you want to change your plan. The one difference is that SimpliSafe allows you to self-monitor, that is, forgo professional monitoring completely. We tried self-monitoring SimpliSafe ourselves, and if you’re really in a pinch and can’t afford paying a monthly fee, it’s a really good alternative. In fact, SimpliSafe is one of the best security systems that offer self-monitoring as an option. On the other hand, Cove equipment stops working as soon as you end your monitoring subscription. Smart Integrations Cove and SimpliSafe can connect to your Alexa or Google Assistant. You can control your systems using your voice with commands for arming your system, activating door locks, or getting a status update. Both brands require a monitoring subscription for voice control. You’ll get some extra benefits, but you should weigh whether you’ll be shouting at Alexa or Google Assistant to manage your system or using the app. Keep in mind that neither Cove nor SimpliSafe integrates with third-party devices like lights and thermostats. You’ll need to operate them separately or consider a different security system, such as ADT. Great Apps SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera App The Cove and SimpliSafe apps are so easy to use that we even had our Grandpa turn them on and off when he was house sitting while we were on vacation. We could even use the apps to set up schedules, manage alerts, and adjust device settings. Some of the other things you can do include: Add new equipment to your security operations Arm and disarm systems Watch recordings from your cameras Check the status of the equipment Schedule when to arm and disarm based on sleep schedules or vacation times. >> Read More: Cove Home Security Review Where Do Cove and SimpliSafe Differ? The key differences between Cove and SimpliSafe are the monitoring costs and the features included with their packages. Cove Monitoring Costs Features Cove Basic Cove Plus Camera support No Yes Alexa and Google Home voice control No Yes Smartphone control Yes Yes Text-based alerts Yes Yes Cellular backup Yes Yes 24/7 alarm monitoring Yes Yes Equipment warranty 1 Year Lifetime (as long as you’re subscribed) Price $19. 99 per month $29. 99 per month Some of these features you might have seen in every home security professional monitoring plan such as 24/7 alarm monitoring and cellular backup. But there are a few unique features in Cove’s packages that need further explanation. Camera support: If you plan on getting security cameras, you’ll have no choice but to sign up for Cove Plus. It’s similar to ADT, which only has one plan that supports security cameras. Cove InstaText: You can use InstaText to confirm or cancel a triggered alarm, even before the monitoring center calls you. All you have to do is respond by SMS to verify if you need assistance. Alarm verification: Instead of using text messages, you can use Cove devices to communicate with the monitoring center. $5-per-month equipment reward: If you didn’t buy enough equipment, you can add more devices to your security system at any time. Cove will even chip in $5 a month to cover the costs. >> Read More: Cove Security System Pricing Here are my specialized Cove Routines on the app. SimpliSafe Monitoring Costs Feature Free Plan Camera Recording Only Standard Plan Core (formerly Fast Protect) Plan Pro Plan Pro Plus Plan Livestreaming Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 24/7 Professional Monitoring No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Cellular Connection No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Environmental Monitoring No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Remote Control Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Notifications Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Secret Alarms No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Video Verified Alarms No No No Yes Yes Yes Indoor Active Guard Monitoring No No No Yes Yes Yes Outdoor Active Guard Monitoring No No No No Overnight (8 PM to 6 AM) 24/7 Unlimited Cloud Storage No 10 cameras No 10 Cameras 10 Cameras 10 Cameras Smart Home Integrations No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Monthly Cost Free $9. 99 $21. 99 $31. 99 $49. 99 $79. 99 One of the biggest differences between Cove and SimpliSafe is that SimpliSafe has a free self-monitoring plan. It includes security camera live streaming and notifications. While it’s a great option to have, we always recommend opting for a professional monitoring service as you’ll miss out on features like: Cellular connection: If your Wi-Fi drops out every now and then, your security system will remain online courtesy of the cellular network. Secret alarms: You can choose to notify specific individuals when an alarm goes off. It’s handy if there is a home invasion and you don’t want the intruders to know they’ve tripped the system. Video-verified alarms: If your system is triggered, you and the monitoring center will get a notification featuring a video clip. That can speed up response times for authorities. Active guard protection: Monitoring agents can access the two-way audio in the wireless indoor or outdoor camera during an active alarm to further assess the situation and deter criminals. >> Check Out: SimpliSafe Pricing, Plans, and Packages How Much Does Equipment Cost? We love that Cove and SimpliSafe have an a la carte menu of equipment you can choose from. Both brands walk you through each step so you don’t forgot to add a specific device to your cart. Cove makes life a little easier by having you answer questions about your living situation, including whether you have pets or not. Cove then recommends the equipment you should buy based on these answers. It’s a big help if this is your first time buying a home security system. SimpliSafe Essentials Kit SimpliSafe takes a different approach by offering pre-built packages in addition to the build-your-own method. The packages start with the Foundation, which includes a base station, keypad, entry sensor, and motion sensor. Each offering builds onto it by adding devices such as outdoor cameras, key fobs, and panic buttons. More on that later. For now, let’s compare the equipment costs. Device Cove SimpliSafe Hub $150 $129. 99 Alarm panel $150 $69. 99 Motion detector $50 $34. 99 Key remote $30 $24. 99 Glass-break sensor $50 $39. 99 Window sensor $15 N/A Smoke detector $95 $44. 99 Carbon monoxide detector $95 $69. 99 (smoke and CO detector) Flood sensor $50 $19. 99 Panic button $10 $19. 99 Medical pendant $30 N/S Outdoor camera $129. 99 $199. 99 Indoor camera $59. 99 $99 for wired version; $149. 99 for wireless version Video doorbell $99. 99 $169 Extra siren $150 $59. 99 SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera on Garage This is not the only equipment SimpliSafe offers. Its range is far more extensive and includes: Temperature sensor: $29. 99 Panic button: $19. 99 Extra yard signs: $3. 99 With both brands, you can create your own unique security system. Cove doesn’t have packages to choose from, but SimpliSafe has multiple plans that suit any type of home. Refurbished Systems 9-piece kit: $413. 92 12-piece kit: $473. 89 11-piece kit: $658. 90 16-piece kit: $832. 86 The Foundation ($249. 96) Base station Keypad Entry sensor Motion sensor The Starter ($279. 94) Base station Keypad 3 entry sensors Motion sensor The Hearth ($409. 91) Base station Keypad Key fob 3 entry sensors Motion sensor Auxiliary siren Smoke detector The Lighthouse ($479. 93) Base station Keypad 3 entry sensors Motion sensor Outdoor camera The Knox ($489. 87) Base station Keypad Key fob 6 entry sensors 2 motion sensors Auxiliary siren Smoke detector The Haven ($529. 86) Base station Keypad Key fob 4 entry sensors 2 motion sensors Auxiliary siren Panic button Freeze sensor Smoke detector Water sensor The Beacon ($729. 90) Base station Keypad 4 entry sensors 2 motion sensors 2 outdoor cameras >> Learn More: SimpliSafe Security System Review How Do They Compare in an Emergency? You can rely on both systems when alarms are triggered. With SimpliSafe, you’ll need to alert the authorities yourself if you’re on the Free or Camera Recording Only plans. If you’re spending the extra cash on monitoring, however, the company will contact emergency services for you. It will also give them helpful details such as the number of offenders, descriptions, and their location in or around the home. Cove, meanwhile, uses RapidSOS technology to send the services you need. It means faster response times and different tactics depending on the type of emergency. If your smoke alarm starts blaring, for example, the fire department is instantly alerted. If someone is trying to break in, the police will get a message to head your way. The Cove motion sensor turns red the second it detects movement in the area. In both instances, paying the extra monthly fee for monitoring means you’ll get the attention you need if you're in an emergency situation. SimpliSafe’s professional monitoring is run by Rapid Response. The company serves customers across the country using wireless connections and cellular platforms as a backup. Meanwhile, Cove has three monitoring centers across the U. S. so that someone is always available to respond to your alarm. Cove or SimpliSafe: Which One Should You Choose? Cove and SimpliSafe are excellent DIY security systems. Both have a range of high-quality products and exceptional monitoring services, and they’re quick to alert authorities in an emergency. But we believe SimpliSafe is the better choice. Features such as Active Guard offer a new level of protection indoors and outdoors. Plus, Cove also offers just two monitoring packages, and only one if you’re using security cameras. Plus, SimpliSafe makes it easier to buy a security system. The pre-built packages provide everything you need for any property type. It’s also simple to add extra devices if you need them in the future. While it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to buy a Cove system either, it was slightly more challenging to set up. If you’re ready to build your security system from the ground up, we recommend heading to SimpliSafe’s website to get started. FAQs About Cove vs. SimpliSafe

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### Aura vs. IdentityForce [year]

> Aura offers better value than IdentityForce with more features at a lower cost, including home title monitoring and superior child protection tools.

- Published: 2024-07-25
- Modified: 2025-01-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/identityforce-vs-aura/

Aura and IdentityForce are both great identity theft protection services. However, despite IdentityForce being a TransUnion brand, we found that Aura provides many of the same services at a cheaper overall cost. What’s more, it includes additional tools to protect your identity online. IdentityForce isn’t the only identity theft protection agency owned by one of the three major credit bureaus. IdentityWorks is owned by Experian, and Equifax offers its own identity theft protection service. You can read our review of Equifax’s ID protection and our review of IdentityWorks to see what our hands-on experience with both of these services was like. Here’s what we found when we personally tested out these two popular products. Aura & IdentityForce Prices Both services provide great value, but we like Aura more. It provides more convenient and extra features compared to IdentityForce. Plus, most of its subscriptions are cheaper. Aura Aura has a plan for everyone. Here’s a quick overview of Aura’s plans and pricing: Aura Subscription Monthly Cost Annual Cost Kids $13/month $120/year ($10/month) Individual $15/month $144/year ($12/month) Couple $29/month $264/year ($22/month) Family $50/month $384/year ($32/month) The Kids plan leans toward parental controls and online safety instead of protecting a child’s identity online. It includes features like screen time limits, internet usage reports, and in-game voice and text monitoring. The Individual, Couple, and Family subscriptions provide access to all of Aura’s identity theft protection features. The only difference is the number of adults covered by each subscription — Individual covers one adult, Couple covers two adults, and Family covers five adults and an unlimited number of kids. Aura’s prices are affordable, but please keep in mind that they renew at a different year after one year (this doesn’t happen with IdentityForce). The renewal price is subject to the renewal rate at the time. We saw that the renewal prices become more expensive if you are on a monthly plan, so it’s best to opt for a yearly plan to get better savings. We really like how Aura includes a 14-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee on all of its annual plans for additional assurance. >>Read More: Aura Identity Theft Protection Review IdentityForce The most important decision you’ll need to make when purchasing an IdentityForce product is whether you want to pay extra for credit monitoring. Here’s how much IdentityForce’s plans cost with and without credit monitoring: Plan Monthly Cost Annual Cost UltraSecure Individual $19. 90 $199. 90 UltraSecure+Credit Individual $34. 90 $349. 90 UltraSecure Family $24. 90 $249. 90 UltraSecure+Credit Family $39. 90 $399. 90 All of IdentityForce’s plans include dark web monitoring, identity theft insurance, and access to a restoration specialist who can create an action plan and resolve cases of fraud. IdentityForce has Individual and Family plans. The Family plan only covers two adults and up to 10 children. If you’re looking for identity theft protection for the entire family, Aura is a better pick since its Family subscription covers up to five adults and an unlimited number of kids. But you’ll need to pay extra for TransUnion credit reports and three-bureau credit monitoring. For the additional costs, you’ll also get phishing and botnet monitoring along with quarterly three-bureau credit reports. IdentityForce provides a 30-day free trial to help you choose the right option, but only for the UltraSecure subscriptions. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee (like Aura does). Aura & IdentityForce Feature Comparison Aura and IdentityForce are both really feature-rich. In this section, we’ll cover their identity theft protection and credit monitoring features, as well as any extra security and child protection tools they offer. Identity Protection You get great identity theft protection features with both Aura and IdentityForce. Here’s a quick breakdown of what kinds of tools you get access to with both services: Identity Theft Feature Aura IdentityForce Identity Theft Insurance Yes (up to $1 million per user) Yes (up to $2 million per user) Identity Restoration Yes Yes Dark Web Monitoring Yes Yes Breach Notifications Yes Yes Personal Information & SSN Monitoring Yes Yes Home Title Monitoring Yes No Criminal Records Monitoring Yes Yes The main difference is how both services handle identity theft insurance. We think Aura is better since it provides up to $1 million per subscription user. On the other hand, IdentityForce’s entire insurance amount is split between subscription users. For example, the UltraSecure subscription with the Family plan provides $1 million for two adults, so each user is covered by $500,000. But other than that, Aura and IdentityForce are pretty tied. In addition to all of the features in the above table, you also get extras. This includes USPS address change monitoring (alerts you if your mail has been redirected through USPS) and lost wallet assistance. Aura also comes with home title monitoring, which monitors your property tiles for signs of fraud, and alerts you if it detects any changes to existing titles. While IdentityForce lacks that, it provides access to social media identity monitoring (which Aura doesn’t have). This feature scans your social media accounts for potentially offensive posts, comments, and stories – suggesting violence, inappropriate content, discriminatory statements. Those could be signs that someone else is posting using your social media accounts, which could damage your reputation. Credit Monitoring You get in-depth credit monitoring and protection with both Aura and IdentityForce. Here’s a quick look at their main features: Credit Monitoring Feature Aura IdentityForce Transaction Monitoring Yes Yes Bank Account Monitoring Yes Yes 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring Yes Yes (only on UltraSecure+Credit plan) Monthly Credit Score Yes Yes (only on UltraSecure+Credit plan) 401(k) & Investment Account Monitoring Yes Yes (only on UltraSecure+Credit plan) Credit Lock Yes Yes (only on UltraSecure+Credit plan) We consider Aura more convenient because it provides access to these features on all of its subscriptions. With IdentityForce, you only get basic credit monitoring via its cheapest subscription. But we want to note that IdentityForce sometimes outperforms Aura when it comes to alerts. For example, it sends you alerts about potential fraud (withdrawals, deposits, duplicate transactions) related to your brokerage and 401(k) accounts. Aura, on the other hand, only alerts you if your investment account information has been leaked on the dark web. Additional Security Features Aura and IdentityForce both provide access to additional tools that protect your data and devices. For example, both services come with an antivirus, which protects your device from malware infections, and blocks potentially malicious links and websites. FYI: Aura’s antivirus works on Windows, Mac, and Android (IdentityForce’s antivirus is only on Windows). Aura’s antivirus also comes with a Safe Browsing browser extension for additional device protection. You can get similar digital protections with your identity theft protection through a NortonLifeLock plan. Check out our LifeLock review to learn more about this close competitor to Aura. And you get access to a password manager with both Aura and IdentityForce. This is an app that allows you to securely store your passwords. In addition, it also makes it easy to generate strong logins. You also get a virtual private network (VPN) with both services. This is an online app that secures your internet traffic, and prevents malicious actors from detecting your real-time location by hiding your IP address. Aura’s VPN is powered by Hotspot Shield (a popular VPN that Aura owns) — it’s very fast, really secure, and it works on desktop, mobile, and smart TV devices. IdentityForce provides its own VPN service, but it’s only available on mobile. FYI: In addition to Hotspot Shield, Aura also owns Identity Guard, FigLeaf, PrivacyMate, and Intrusta. We’ve tested Identity Guard on its own as well, and although it doesn’t quite meet Aura’s standards, it gets close. But Aura also has a few more additional security tools: Data removal. Aura contacts data brokers that collect your personal data and sell it to advertisers. It then requests the removal of your data from their databases. Email Alias. Protects you from potential spam and scams by allowing you to generate and use a fake email to sign up on websites. Spam call and message protection. Aura provides protection against phone scams and robocalls. You get free access to this feature via the Family subscription. On the other subscriptions, it’s available as a paid add-on. Child Protection Aura is much better for keeping your kids safe online compared to IdentityForce. With the Family subscription, you get access to online account and SSN monitoring for your kids, as well as credit freeze support. In addition, Aura alerts you about known or new sex offenders that are within a one mile radius of your address. IdentityForce also has sex offender monitoring, but it only alerts you if a sex offender moves into your neighborhood. What’s more, Aura has 24/7 in-game voice chat and text monitoring for 200+ popular PC games — this helps protect your kids from cyberbullying and predators. Also, the service comes with parental controls too, which let you block inappropriate content and websites, limit and schedule device screen time, and pause internet access. >>Read More: Keeping Kids Safe in the Digital Age Comparing Aura & IdentityForce’s Privacy Policies Given the volume of information we provided Aura and IdentityForce when signing up, we checked each company’s privacy policy first. We wanted to make sure they stored our data responsibly and minimized the spread of our data. Aura’s Privacy Policy The privacy policy for Aura is straightforward. We skipped straight to the section about how they use our data and whom they initially share it with. As many of the features come powered through third-party providers like Circle, some sensitive information is shared with them to help ensure effectiveness. However, it also states Aura may provide your personal data to partners for offers. It doesn’t sell this information, however, and there are restrictions around how they can use these details to present promotions to you. IdentityForce’s Privacy Policy IdentityForce’s privacy policy is dicier. The first section that made us nervous referred to using our information for special offers or promotional and marketing materials (including sweepstakes and contests) on behalf of IdentityForce or third parties. No federal consumer data protection law covers every piece of private information. Instead, there are several acts to protect specific data sets. Some examples are HIPAA, which protects medical records, and COPPA, which regulates the collection of sensitive data from children under 13. Once you register for IdentityForce’s events, you agree to their rules. One includes using your name, voice, or likeness in marketing efforts. While Aura used our data for offers, it couldn’t use our details in marketing materials without additional consent. There is also a section titled discussing how the company sells or shares personal data. Fortunately, it refers to transferring your personal data to credit reporting agencies in a way that may be considered a sale under specific state privacy laws and regulations. Verdict: Aura or IdentityForce? Both services are feature-rich and also provide access to extra security tools, like an antivirus, a password manager, and a VPN. But Aura’s security tools are better, and it also provides access to child protection features (making it a great pick for families). Not to mention most of Aura’s subscriptions are more affordable than IdentityForce’s plans. IdentityForce might be a better pick if you want more in-depth financial monitoring alerts. Or if you’re only interested in securing your PC (IdentityForce’s antivirus service only runs on Windows). Overall, no matter which Aura plan you choose, you’ll get everything you need to protect your identity online. That’s why it's our preferred choice. FAQs

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### Aura vs. Identity Guard [year]

> Aura outperforms Identity Guard in identity theft protection, offering all features in every plan, including VPN and antivirus, making it the top choice.

- Published: 2024-07-08
- Modified: 2025-01-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/identity-guard-vs-aura/

Aura and Identity Guard are among the best identity theft protection services in . They come with all of the essential features you need to protect your identity and financial data. And they also provide access to additional tools you don’t get with other services. While both services are great, we think Aura comes out on top. We really like how all of its subscriptions provide access to the same features. What’s more, Aura also comes with additional features for protecting your online data, securing your devices, and keeping your kids safe online. For the full picture, we recommend reading the rest of this guide. We go over Aura and Identity Guard’s pricing models and features, and show you what sets these services apart from each other. Aura & Identity Guard Prices Before figuring out which one is right for you, let’s make sure they can fit in your budget. We’ll go over Aura and Identity Guard’s subscription tiers, prices, and refund policies. Aura Aura Dashboard Aura has a plan for every member of the family. You can choose something just for the kids or a package that protects just you, you and your significant other, or everyone under your roof. The included features are tailored to the individuals on the plan. Here’s what each Aura plan costs: Aura Subscription Monthly Cost Annual Cost Kids $13/month $120/year ($10/month) Individual $15/month $144/year ($12/month) Couple $29/month $264/year ($22/month) Family $50/month $384/year ($32/month) The Kids subscription only provides access to parental controls and child safety tools for video games. The Individual, Couple, and Family subscriptions all have the same identity theft protection and credit monitoring features. The only difference is how many adults they cover — the Individual plan is for one adult, the Couple plan for two adults, and the Family plan for five adults and unlimited kids. We also need to mention that all of Aura’s subscription prices renew at a different rate after one year (subject to the prevailing rate at the time). We noticed that the renewal prices become noticeably steeper if you pay monthly, so we strongly recommend getting an annual plan for the best savings. You can try any Aura plan free for 14 days, and there is a 60-day money-back guarantee when you pay annually. >> Check Out: Aura Identity Theft Protection Plans and Pricing Identity Guard Identity Guard Dashboard Identity Guard has three subscription tiers, and it also offers an Individual or a Family plan. The individual plan covers one adult, and the Family plan covers up to five adults and an unlimited number of kids. Here’s a quick overview of Identity Guard’s subscription costs: Identity Guard Subscription Monthly Cost Annual Cost Value Individual: $8. 99/month Family: $14. 99/month Individual: $90/year ($7. 50/month) Family: $150/year ($12. 50/month) Total Individual: $19. 99/month Family: $29. 99/month Individual: $200. 04/year ($16. 67/month) Family: $300/year ($25/month) Ultra Individual: $29. 99/month Family: $39. 99/month Individual: $300/year ($25/month) Family: $399. 96/year ($33. 33/month) The most significant differences among Identity Guard’s plans are the included features. The Value tier provides basic protection, but it includes $1 million in identity theft insurance. You’ll also get data breach notifications, dark web monitoring, and high-risk transaction monitoring. But that’s about it. The Total package adds three-bureau credit monitoring and updates you on your monthly credit score. The Ultra tier offers more extensive protection, with monitoring for your credit and debit cards, 401(k), investments, and home title. You can also lock your credit card if any suspicious activity occurs. Identity Guard doesn’t come with a free trial like Aura has. But it still provides a 60-day money-back guarantee when you pay for a year up front. >> Read More: Identity Guard Reviews Aura & Identity Guard Feature Comparison Aura and Identity Guard have similar features when it comes to identity and credit protection. We’ll go over what essential tools you get with each service, and what the main difference between the two is. Identity Protection Both Aura and Identity Guard provide very good identity theft protection. Here’s a quick look at what kind of features you get with each service: Identity Theft Feature Aura Identity Guard Identity Theft Insurance Yes (up to $1 million per user) Yes (up to $1 million per user) Identity Restoration Yes Yes (only via Ultra plan) Dark Web Monitoring Yes Yes Breach Notifications Yes Yes Personal Information & SSN Monitoring Yes Yes Home Title Monitoring Yes Yes (only via Ultra plan) Criminal Records Monitoring Yes Yes (only via Ultra plan) There is one noticeable difference, though. All of Aura’s subscriptions come with the same identity theft protection features. On the other hand, Identity Guard includes the bulk of its features in its Ultra subscription. Its Value and Total subscription are missing certain features, such as home title monitoring, identity restoration, and criminal records monitoring. That makes Aura more convenient, but Identity Guard would still be a good pick if you’re on a budget and only want basic identity theft protection. Credit Monitoring Both services come with great credit monitoring and protection features. Here’s a quick overview of what you get with both Aura and Identity Guard: Credit Monitoring Feature Aura Identity Guard Transaction Monitoring Yes Yes Bank Account Monitoring Yes Yes (only via Total and Ultra plans) 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring Yes Yes (only via Total and Ultra plans) Monthly Credit Score Yes Yes (only via Total and Ultra plans) 401(k) & Investment Account Monitoring Yes Yes (only via Total and Ultra plans) Experian Credit Lock Yes Yes (only via Ultra plan) Aura once again provides more convenience, as it provides access to all credit monitoring features via all subscriptions. Identity Guard only provides basic transaction monitoring via all subscriptions — the rest of its features are only available via its Total and Ultra subscriptions. Additional Security Features In addition to identity theft protection and credit monitoring, Identity Guard also offers a few extra security services. This includes a password manager and Safe Browsing. The password manager lets you secure and generate strong logins, and Safe Browsing is a browser extension that provides protection against phishing websites, ads, and ad trackers. However, Aura also includes those security features. And on top of them, it has additional services: Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN hides your IP address and encrypts your internet traffic to make it unreadable. VPNs also allow you to access sites that are not available in your location. We tested the VPN when we reviewed Aura, and the service performed very well. It maintained very fast speeds, it passed all of our leak tests, and it worked very well with popular streaming sites. Antivirus. This is a security app that protects your device from malware infections. It also prevents you from accessing malicious sites and links. Data removal. Aura requests the removal of your personal data from data brokers, which collect and sell it to advertisers. Email Alias. Generates fake emails when you sign up on certain websites, which protects you from potential data breaches and spam. Spam call and message protection. Aura uses AI to protect you from phone scams. This feature is included with the Family subscription, and available as a paid add-on on the other subscriptions. Child Protection We believe Aura is a better way to prevent your kids from becoming a part of any child identity theft statistics. Identity Guard provides online account and SSN monitoring for kids, but that’s about it. Aura’s Family subscription provides all of the above, and it also offers credit freeze support if you need to protect your kids’ credit files. Plus, Aura also sends you alerts about known and new sex offenders within a one mile radius of your address. What’s more, Aura’s Family subscription comes with parental controls. This lets you filter inappropriate content and sites, view reports about your child’s online history and device usage, pause internet access, and set and schedule screen time limits. Some families draw up agreements with their children for the amount of time they can be on devices, the time of day they can go online, and what type of activities they can do on the internet. We dive into it further in our article on keeping kids safe in the digital age. We also like how Aura helps you keep your kids safe from predators and cyberbullying when playing video games. The service does this via 24/7 in-game voice and text monitoring (and this feature also covers 200+ popular PC games). Comparing Aura & Identity Guard’s Privacy Policies Clicking on the Identity Guard privacy policy takes you to the Aura privacy policy page, which is helpful when comparing the two products. It can also be confusing, though, since there is no reference to Identity Guard within it. Aura being the parent company of Identity Guard is the missing context. Fortunately, there is nothing else that can be misunderstood within the document. It is easy to jump to sections about the information they collect, how they use your personal information, and who they share it with and why. The only line that rang an alarm bell for us was, “We may provide your personal data to partners to confirm your eligibility for joint or co-branded offers or to communicate and administer such offers (e. g. verify eligibility, assess effectiveness of joint offer, etc. ). ” One of Aura’s features is the ability to request your personal info be removed from data brokers — companies that sell your information to advertisers and telemarketers. It goes on to say partners can only use the data Aura provides to communicate, evaluate, improve, and administer the offer. Since other partners, such as Circle and Kidas, power some of Aura’s services, you should also note that your information will be shared with them. If that concerns you, Aura and Identity Guard may not be the best solution for you. We were OK with it, since we would sign up for any of the partner services on their own. Verdict: Aura or Identity Guard? Identity Guard provides very strong identity theft protection and credit monitoring, but its offerings don’t stack up compared to Aura. Advanced features such as credit lock, three-bureau credit monitoring, and 401(k) monitoring are available with all Aura subscriptions, whereas they are included only in Identity Guard’s more expensive subscription tiers. You also miss out on online protection tools such as a VPN and antivirus, as well as parental control features. The addition of a 14-day free trial also means you can try any Aura plan before you commit. With annual plans, that 14-day free trial turns into a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can fully experience the product to ensure it’s right for you. For all those reasons, we recommend choosing Aura over Identity Guard for your identity theft protection needs. FAQs

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### Aura vs. LifeLock

> Aura is better than LifeLock for identity theft protection in 2025 due to its affordability, straightforward pricing, and comprehensive features across all plans.

- Published: 2024-07-05
- Modified: 2025-09-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-aura/

Aura and LifeLock are pretty tied in terms of value. Aura is more affordable, and its pricing structure is more straightforward. However, after putting the two head to head, we found that LifeLock offers better protections overall. Norton 360 powers its device protection suite, keeping users safe from hackers, malware that steal data, and privacy snoops. Of course, you shouldn’t make a decision based on the bottom line alone. Identity protection covers a wide scope, so let’s compare Aura and LifeLock based on key aspects such as pricing; identity, credit, and device protections; and most importantly, how they treat users’ privacy and data. Aura vs LifeLock: The Main Takeaway After testing both LifeLock and Aura, we can say that they are two of the best options in the industry. They clearly have different strengths, though. Why Choose LifeLock If you want the best quality protection, and you’re willing to invest in it, we recommend LifeLock. In particular, we recommend their LifeLock with Norton 360 bundles. These plans include cybersecurity tools such as antivirus software, a password manager, and a VPN. And with a name like Norton delivering those features, you can be sure you’re getting top-notch protection. On top of that, LifeLock offers identity theft insurance worth up to $3 million. That alone makes its premium plans worth it. With our Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus plan, we’re covered up to $1 million each for stolen funds, legal fees, and personal expenses in case we fall victim to identity theft. Why Choose Aura Don’t get us wrong. Aura is not bad at all. It also offers cybersecurity tools, and when it comes to insurance, it covered us for up to $1 million. The difference is that because Aura is more affordable, you can’t expect the same quality as LifeLock. Really, Aura’s greatest strength is its affordability. All plans are all-in-one. You don’t need to bundle in a separate cybersecurity package like you have to with LifeLock. Pricing starts at $12 per month (when paid annually). We also think Aura is better for large families, because the Family Plan starts at $32 per month. This plan covers up to five adult family members and unlimited children. In comparison, LifeLock’s family plans protect up to two adults and five children only. Aura & LifeLock Prices Comparing their prices side by side, it’s clear that Aura is the more affordable option. There’s more to the story, though. It’s not only about the price, but also how much value they give for your money. In that regard, we think both services are worth it. You get a ton of features at affordable prices from Aura, and you get top-quality protection from LifeLock’s premium plans. Aura Aura Dashboard Aura makes it easy to choose a plan that suits you and your family. Here’s a quick look at Aura’s subscriptions: Aura Subscription Monthly Cost Annual Cost Kids $13/month $120/year ($10/month) Individual $15/month $144/year ($12/month) Couple $29/month $264/year ($22/month) Family $50/month $384/year ($32/month) The Kids subscription only comes with parental controls and other tools for keeping kids safe online. Plus, it lets you monitor an unlimited number of kids and devices. But it doesn’t provide any type of identity theft protection or credit monitoring. The Individual, Couple, and Family subscriptions all come with the same identity theft and credit protection tools. The only difference is that the Family subscription also includes all features available in the Kids plan. Also, each subscription covers a different number of users — Individual covers one adult, Couple covers two adults, and Family covers five adults and an unlimited number of children. Aura also comes with a free 14-day trial for all of its subscriptions, which provides enough time to see if the service is right for you. Plus, if you get an annual plan, you’ll also be covered by a 60-day money-back guarantee. >>Read More: Aura Identity Theft Protection Review LifeLock Norton LifeLock Dashboard LifeLock has tiered subscriptions with plans tailored for individuals, couples, and families. But it also has a subscription that’s bundled with some of Norton’s other services. So, its pricing can be a bit confusing. To keep things simple, let’s start with an overview of the main LifeLock subscriptions: LifeLock Standard LifeLock Advantage LifeLock Ultimate Plus Individual Plan (Monthly Cost) $11. 99/month $22. 99/month $34. 99/month Individual Plan (Annual Cost) $89. 99/year ($7. 50/month) $179. 88/year ($14. 99/month) $239. 99/year ($19. 99/month) Family Plan 2 Adults (Monthly Cost) $23. 99/month $45. 99/month $69. 99/month Family Plan 2 Adults (Annual Cost) $148. 87/year ($12. 49/month) $287. 88/year ($23. 99/month) $395. 88/year ($32. 99/month) Family Plan 2 Adults + 5 Kids (Monthly Cost) $35. 99/month $57. 99/month $79. 99/month Family Plan 2 Adults + 5 Kids (Annual Cost) $221. 87/year ($18. 49/month) $359. 88/year ($29. 99/month) $467. 88/year ($38. 99/month) In addition to those subscriptions, there’s also the Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus subscription. This plan provides limited identity theft protection and credit monitoring, as well as access to an antivirus, password manager, VPN, and parental controls. It’s only available via an annual plan that costs $99. 99/year. Aura also has similar extra security features, but it conveniently includes them on all of its subscriptions, so you don’t need to purchase a separate one. There’s a 30-day free trial for all LifeLock-only subscriptions, and a 7-day free trial for the Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus subscription. The service backs all annual plans with a 60-day money-back guarantee, and all monthly plans with a 14-day money-back guarantee. >>Learn More: LifeLock Review: A Hands-On Test in Aura & LifeLock Feature Comparison Aura and LifeLock are both very feature-rich. We’ll go over how they handle identity theft protection, credit monitoring, extra security features, and child protection in this section. Identity Protection It’s pretty much a draw between the two services since they both have essential and extra identity theft protection features. Here’s a quick look at some of the features Aura and LifeLock offer: Identity Theft Feature Aura LifeLock Identity Theft Insurance Yes (up to $1 million per user) Yes (up to $3 million per user) Identity Restoration Yes Yes Dark Web Monitoring Yes Yes Breach Notifications Yes Yes Personal Information & SSN Monitoring Yes Yes Home Title Monitoring Yes Yes Criminal Records Monitoring Yes Yes Both services provide great identity theft insurance. We have to note that LifeLock’s insurance is more comprehensive. Not only does it go up to $3 million per user, but its Family Plan (2 Adults + 5 Kids) even offers identity theft insurance for children (up to $1. 05 million per child) — this is something very few identity theft protection services offer. On top of all features mentioned in the above table, Aura and LifeLock also come with more tools for keeping your identity safe. They also have USPS address change monitoring, lost/stolen wallet protection, and ID verification monitoring. LifeLock also has a few extras that Aura doesn’t, like social media monitoring, phone takeover monitoring, and file-sharing network searches (this means LifeLock looks for personal data leaks on file-sharing networks). We do think that Aura is more convenient since it includes access to all identity theft protection features on all of its subscriptions. LifeLock’s subscriptions, however, are tiered — for example, the cheapest subscription (Standard) doesn’t come with phone takeover monitoring and file-sharing network searches. Credit Monitoring Both Aura and LifeLock come with essential credit monitoring and protection features. Here’s what you get with each one: Credit Monitoring Feature Aura LifeLock Transaction Monitoring Yes Yes Bank Account Monitoring Yes Yes 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring Yes Yes (only on Ultimate Plus plan) Monthly Credit Score Yes Yes 401(k) & Investment Account Monitoring Yes Yes (only on Ultimate Plus plan) Credit Lock Yes Yes It’s great that both services provide triple-bureau monitoring, but Aura definitely comes out on top. That’s because all of its subscriptions include triple-bureau monitoring. With LifeLock, only the most expensive subscription (Ultimate Plus) offers triple-bureau monitoring — the other plans only provide one-bureau monitoring. And LifeLock’s Ultimate Plus subscription is much more expensive than all of Aura’s subscriptions. FYI: Three-bureau credit monitoring is the gold standard for identity theft protection services. It provides alerts of any changes that occur on reports from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Check out our roundup of the best credit monitoring services to see which providers meet our standards. Once more, Aura gets bonus points for providing access to all credit monitoring and protection features on all of its subscriptions. With LifeLock, you’ll need to pay steeper prices to get access to more features. For example, credit reports and scores are only available on the Advantage and Ultimate Plus subscriptions, and 401(k) and investment account monitoring is only available on the Ultimate Plus plan. Additional Security Features Aura and LifeLock both provide access to extra security features. This includes an antivirus and a password manager. The antivirus protects your device against malware infections, and the password manager secures your logins. Each service also has a VPN, which secures your internet traffic and hides your real-time location by masking your IP address. But we think Aura provides a better deal. It includes these security tools on all of its subscriptions. With LifeLock, however, you only get these tools via the Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus. Unfortunately, that subscription comes with very limited identity theft protection — for example, it only has one-bureau monitoring and up to $25,000 in stolen funds reimbursement. But we think Aura provides a better deal. It includes these security tools on all of its subscriptions. With LifeLock, however, you only get these tools via the Norton 360 bundles, which are more expensive. On top of that, Aura also comes with other security features: Email Alias. Lets you create and use a fake email when you sign up on certain websites. This protects you from spam emails and scams. Data removal. Aura requests the removal of your data from data broker databases. Data brokers add your personal data to those databases, and then sell it to advertisers. Spam call and message protection. Aura uses AI to protect you from robocalls and phone scams. This tool is included for free with the Family subscription, and is available as a paid add-on on the other subscriptions. Child Protection Both services are among the best identity theft protection services for children on the market. Aura and LifeLock both scan billions of public records to determine if someone else uses your child’s SSN. In addition, they both offer help with freezing your child’s credit. They also both provide access to parental controls, which let you filter content and sites, schedule screen time, and monitor device locations. But Aura is more convenient since it includes the parental controls in its Family subscription. With LifeLock, parental controls are only available via the Norton 360 bundles. Aura also has some extra child protection features that you don’t get with LifeLock: Safe Gaming. Receive alerts when kids are threatened via in-game voice or text messages on over 200 popular PC games. Sex offender geo-alerts. Aura alerts you about new or known sex offenders that are present within a one mile radius of your address. >> Read About: 5 Child Identity Theft Statistics Every Parent Should Know Comparing Aura & LifeLock’s Privacy Policies To keep you safe, identity theft protection services need to collect a lot of your personal information. But before we started handing it over, we looked into what Aura and Norton do with it. Aura You won’t need a lawyer present to decipher Aura’s privacy policy. It’s presented well and easy to read. But one line that stands out is that Aura can use your data to promote co-branded offers with partners. This may include contacting you about services from companies it thinks you might be interested in. However, it restricts the usage of your details to communicating, evaluating, and improving offers. While Aura may share your data with partners, it clearly states in its privacy policy that it does not sell your information as defined by the Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA). This line didn’t surprise us, as some of Aura’s services are white labeled. Its VPN is a reskin of Hotspot Shield, and Circle powers the parental controls. Even the gaming and cyberbullying alerts are backed by ProtectMe by Kidas. So, some of your details are shared with these partners to power them. LifeLock LifeLock’s privacy policy is very straightforward about what data the service collects. This includes account data, device data, identity data, service data, and more. The privacy policy makes it clear that LifeLock only uses this data to authenticate your account, deliver you the services you have selected, communicate with you, troubleshoot issues, and improve the LifeLock service. Since LifeLock is a Norton product, we also checked out Norton’s general privacy policy. We found that the company shares your data with: Data analytics providers Payment processors Public authorities and legal proceedings Social media and internet platforms Restoration services But none of these raised alarm bells for us, as most identity theft protection services partner with third-party providers to improve their services. LifeLock experienced a data breach in December 2022. It didn’t affect other Norton products, but customers using the password manager had financial and personal information leaked. FAQs

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### Anthony Travaglia

- Published: 2024-05-28
- Modified: 2024-05-28
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/anthony-travaglia/

Anthony Travaglia has nearly two decades of experience in the police force, during which time he served as patrol officer for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He responded to a variety of calls throughout his career, including traffic stops, break-ins, burglaries, robberies, and more. Now retired, Travaglia has extensive experience in home safety and personal security. Travaglia uses his boots-on-the-ground experience to help people live safely in their homes. He brings a unique perspective to SafeHome, with the ability to get inside the minds of burglars and package thieves. (You might not think your basement egress window is a problem, but Travaglia says put a glass-break sensor on it! ) When he’s not sharing his crime-fighting and home-safety tips and tricks, you’ll find Travaglia putting together real estate deals, cooking, traveling, or enjoying a show on the Las Vegas strip.

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### ADT Troubleshooting Guide

> ADT troubleshooting guide reveals fixes for common issues like power loss, radio interference, and sensor malfunctions. Reset and test methods included.

- Published: 2024-03-14
- Modified: 2024-09-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/troubleshooting/



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### Security Camera Laws, Rights, and Rules

> Security camera laws are murky; bedroom cams often break privacy laws more than neighbor cams. Bedrooms have high privacy expectations compared to yards.

- Published: 2024-03-14
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/laws-rights/



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### Vivint App

> The Vivint app lets you control all your smart home devices from your phone, automate tasks, and improve security. It's like having your own personal JARVIS!

- Published: 2024-03-12
- Modified: 2024-11-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/app/

How often do you need to get off the couch to turn off a light or lock a door? How often do you forget to shut off a light or lock a door at night? Wouldn’t it be so much easier if you could control all your home’s smart devices from your phone? Well, with the Vivint app, you can do all that and more. We personally tested the Vivint app for several weeks, digging into all the features and nuances, and we resurfaced with a much better idea of where the app excels and where it falls short. Vivint App Notifications In this guide, we’ll take you from getting the Vivint app on your phone to automating your smart home security system. We’ll get as close as we can to turning the Vivint app into your own personal JARVIS from “Iron Man” by covering the following topics: What is the Vivint app? How to download and set up the Vivint app Using the Vivint app Connecting devices to the Vivint app Automating your home with the Vivint app Wrapping it up >> Dive Deeper: Vivint Smart Home Security Review What Is the Vivint App? The Vivint app gives you complete control over every smart device in your home. It’s like having your very own personal remote for your entire home security system and any other smart devices you own. Whether you want to check your home security cameras, lock your doors, or change the temperature in your home, you can do it all from the Vivint app. Should You Use the Vivint App or Vivint Classic? As you’d expect, the Vivint app has evolved over the past decade. It used to have a basic user interface that was clunky to navigate. It also lacked what are now key features such as automation capabilities and shortcuts. If you’re used to the old interface and don’t want to change, you should download the Vivint Classic app instead of the “Vivint” app. If you’re new to Vivint, however, go for the current version. It’s important to note that the iOS version of Vivint Classic hasn’t been updated since 2016. The Android version got an update in 2021, but it was just a basic security update. The reviews of these ‘zombie’ apps clearly show the updated interface is the better way to go. The Vivint app has more than four stars on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, while Vivint Classic doesn’t go over three stars. How to Download and Set Up the Vivint App You know how Tony Stark can control everything in his house with just a few taps on a touch screen? The Vivint app is just like that. As long as your devices have smart home automation capabilities, the Vivint app can control it. While it can’t turn you into Iron Man, of course, but it can definitely make your home feel ready for the future. Let’s dive into downloading and setting up the Vivint app to give you more control over your home security system. Downloading the Vivint App Downloading the Vivint App on iPhone If you’ve ever put an app on your phone, you already know the process for downloading the Vivint app. But we’ll break it down step by step just to make sure. Open your app store: Start by opening your device’s app store. Android devices can use the Google Play Store and iOS devices can use the Apple App Store. Find the Vivint app: At the top of your app store, type “Vivint” into the search bar and tap the “Search” button. Once you find the Vivint app, open the page. Download the app: With the Vivint app page open, click the “Install” or “Get” button at the top. Pressing the button starts the download, but you may need to enter your password to confirm your download, depending on your device’s settings. Open the app: Once the download completes, the Vivint app should be on your device’s home screen or app screen. Tap the icon to open the app. During the Vivint installation, your professional installer can help you get the Vivint app on your phone and set up if you need some in-person help. Our Vivint installation tech, Don, was super helpful in that regard. Photo of our Vivint Installation Specialist, Don Creating an Account for the Vivint App Before you can start using the Vivint app to control your Vivint home security system, you need to create an account. Below is how to set up an account to start using the Vivint app. Creating the primary user account: When you purchase a Vivint security system, your professional installer creates a primary user account from the Vivint control panel. Get your remote access invite: After setting up the primary user account, the professional installer also sends a “remote access invite” to your email address. Using this email, you can connect your Vivint account to your control panel. Click the link in the email: Open the remote access invite email, and click the link. It will prompt you to set a password for the Vivint account associated with your email address. Log in to the Vivint app: Go to your mobile device and open the Vivint app. With the app open, log in to your Vivint account using the email and password you linked to your control panel in the previous step. Adding Users to the Vivint App Multiple people will likely need access to the smart devices in your home, but that doesn’t mean you need to give them access to everything. When you add a user with the Vivint app, you get to set their permission levels. That means they can control only what you let them. To add new users to the Vivint app, follow the below steps. Open the Vivint app: Go to your mobile device’s home screen and open the Vivint app. Press the shield icon in the menu at the bottom of the screen. Select “Add User”: Press the three-bar icon in the top-left corner of your screen. Select “Users,” then “Add User. ” Input the user’s name: When you click “Add User,” a window to input the user’s name and four-digit PIN will show up. That’s how they’ll access their account. Allow app access: After creating the account, slide the “Allow Mobile Access” toggle to the right so they can access the Vivint app. Set permissions: You can give the new user admin permissions by sliding the “Admin” toggle to the right, or you can fine-tune their permission level from the “Users” screen you navigated to in Step 2. Once on the “Users” screen, just select the user’s name and adjust the permission toggles based on what they need to access. There’s a rule in cybersecurity called the Principle of Least Privilege, which states that users should have the fewest privileges necessary to fulfill their role. Take the concept to heart when giving permissions to additional users by limiting their permissions as much as possible. Of course, they still need enough permissions to do everything they need to in the app. Using the Vivint App Once you get comfortable using the Vivint app, it’ll quickly feel like second nature. With a bunch of different screens, though, it can feel a bit overwhelming the first time you open the app. So I’ll guide you through every screen you’ll use. Security Center Acting as the home screen of the app, you’ll use the security screen as your home’s digital command center. From the security screen, you can navigate to the other screens and perform essential security actions. Arm and disarm your security system: Tap and hold the shield icon at the center of the screen. Dragging it to the left arms your system for Stay Mode, which means you’re staying home and it should ignore motion sensors. Dragging it to the right fully arms the system, which is perfect for when you’re leaving the house. To disarm the system, move the shield back to the center and drag it down. Control smart locks and garage doors: Swipe down to reveal toggle buttons for each of your smart locks and the garage door. Toggling to the right locks the device, while toggling to the left unlocks it. Sound the alarm: In case of emergencies, you can trigger the alarm by tapping the speaker icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Tap it again to turn off the alarm. >> Check Out: Smart Lock Buying Guide Thermostat Control This screen gives you full control over your Vivint Smart Thermostat. To access it, tap the thermostat icon on the home screen. Change between Heat and Cool Mode: You can switch the thermostat between Heat and Cool Mode, and set different temperatures for each mode. Use the “+” and “-” buttons to set the desired temperature for each mode. Control fan settings: By pressing the “Fan” button in the bottom-right corner, you can toggle the fan on or off. Choose a program: Programs are predefined settings for your thermostat. They adjust the fan settings or set the thermostat to Heat or Cool Mode or a specific temperature. Security Cameras On this screen, you can see everything your security cameras see and use all your cameras’ features. Viewing the Vivint Outdoor Camera in the App View live feed: The default view is the live footage from your cameras or Vivint video doorbell. You can touch a video feed to interact with it and swipe up from the bottom of the screen to record clips. Review past footage: Use the “Rewind” button to review past recordings. You can also record clips while looking at past recordings. Capture a snapshot: Sometimes you need only a picture of what your camera sees. To take a snapshot, press the camera icon and the Vivint app takes a picture of the current feed you’re looking at. Use two-way audio: If your camera is equipped with a speaker and supports two-way audio, you can talk through your security cameras by pressing the microphone icon. Adjust camera settings: Press the gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen to adjust settings for each camera. >> Learn More: Best Home Security Cameras of Vivint App - Doorbell Chime Settings Devices Here you can control and adjust settings for all your smart home devices, such as smart lights and appliances. You’ll also find controls for the Vivint Car Guard, which allows you to identify mechanical problems and check your car’s location, gas level, battery condition, and recall alerts. Activity Monitoring This screen provides a detailed log of every event that affects your Vivint system. It shows you the date and time of every event your security system notices, as well as every interaction with your smart devices. That includes smart door locks locking or unlocking, security cameras detecting motion, any changes to your security system settings, and much more. Vivint App Event Recordings You can use the log to find out when your kids get home from school, monitor when pet sitters arrive and leave, or find out who keeps changing the thermostat settings. Press the filter icon in the top-right corner to sort your activity log based on the date and time of an event or the type of activity recorded. Connecting Devices to the Vivint App A smart home security system is only as smart as the devices connected to it. The Vivint app acts as the central nervous system for your smart security, but it first needs to learn to communicate with your smart devices. That’s where the Smart Hub panel comes in. Think of the Smart Hub panel as the party host, introducing new guests to an existing crowd. Once it makes the introductions, the existing crowd can tell the new guests exactly what to do to fit in. The professional installer for your Vivint system should help you set up your primary connection — kind of like the first invite to a party. We’ll show you how to add new devices after the initial setup. Vivint offers compatibility and integrations with a bunch of third-party smart devices. Step 1: Disarm Your Vivint Security System Before you can add a new device, you need to disarm your security system. That will let new connections be made between your Smart Hub panel and the new device. It will also prevent any accidental alarms. You can disarm your security system from the home screen of the Vivint app. Step 2: Power Up Your Device Plug in your new device and give it a few minutes to power up. While you’re waiting, you can daydream about how much easier your life will be once you connect the device to your Vivint setup. Or you could make a cup of tea if that’s more up your alley. Step 3: Go to Your Smart Hub Panel Once your camera is powered up, head to your Smart Hub panel. From the home screen, tap the three-dot icon in the bottom-right corner. That will open a menu of options. In the menu, press the “Devices” button on the left side of the screen. For security purposes, you’ll be asked to input your PIN. It’s the same PIN you use to disarm your security system from the Smart Hub panel. Once you input your PIN, you’ll be on the “Devices” screen, which lists all your currently connected devices. Step 4: Add Your New Device Now that you’ve made it to the “Devices” screen, there should be an “Add New Device” button on your screen. Pressing the button will send you a few prompts to set up the new device. First you’ll need to select the type of device you’re adding, such as a smart light, smart lock, or smart security camera. Keep following the prompts until you reach the end. Automating Your Home With the Vivint App To make the most of your smart home security system, you need to automate tasks to get them off your plate. You can customize your security system to respond to specific conditions, notify you of defined events, and set up shortcuts that bundle actions together. Let’s dive in and start making your life easier. Vivint App Customized Recordings Creating Custom Routines A custom routine is how you automate a specific portion of your home. They define conditions that need to be met for a specific action to take place. As a basic example, you could set your smart locks to lock and unlock at specified times. For a more advanced example, you could set your driveway security camera to record any time your car turns on. Here’s a step-by-step guide for creating your first custom routine: Open the app: Of course, you need to open up the app before you can create a custom routine. Navigate to custom actions: From the main screen, press the three-bar icon in the top-left corner of the screen, and then select “Custom Actions. ” When you open it, you’ll find a few predefined rules you can turn on or off if you want. Create a new rule: Press the “+” icon in the top-right corner of the screen to start the process of creating a new rule. Set the action: Specify the action you want your smart devices to take when conditions are met. It could include locking or unlocking a door, turning on a security camera, or even triggering your security system’s alarm. Define the condition: Set the conditions that need to be met for the action to take place. A condition could be an unlocked door at a specific time, for example, or a motion detector triggering. Finalize the rule: With the action and condition defined, finalize the custom rule. Go back into the “Custom Actions” menu to toggle the rule on or off. According to Energy Star, using your smart home devices through automated workflows can reduce your energy bills. Automating your home saves you money too! Vivint App - Custom Actions Customize Notifications In addition to automating actions based on conditions, you can also set triggers for the Vivint app to send push notifications. The notifications alert your phone, keeping you up to date on your home’s activity regardless of your location. You can set up a custom notification from the “Custom Actions” screen, and then select the “Notifications” tab. From there, press the “+” icon and follow the prompts to create a new notification. You’ll set a condition for the notification just like you set a condition for the custom routine. >> Read About: The Top Home Security System With a Mobile App Creating Shortcuts Do you find yourself regularly turning on all your kitchen and dining room lights when you cook dinner? Do you always lock every door before bed? In either scenario, shortcuts will make your life easier. A shortcut groups multiple actions together in a single button so you can turn on multiple lights, lock all your doors, or turn on groups of security cameras. Navigate to shortcuts: Open the Vivint app and press “Shortcuts” on the home screen menu. Select “Settings. ” Add a shortcut: Press the “+” icon in the top-right of the screen to start creating a new shortcut. You’ll need to come up with a name for your new shortcut. Set actions: Choose all the actions you want to happen when you activate the shortcut from the prompted menu. It shows all the actions you can group together. Create the shortcut: After you select all your actions, hit “Create Shortcut” to add a new shortcut to the “Shortcuts” screen. With those three home automation features, you’ll save time and make your life a bit easier. They’ll also make it way less likely for you or your family to leave without locking the doors or arming the security system. And even if they do, you can take the actions remotely with the Vivint app. Wrapping It Up Now that you know how to use the Vivint app, you can take full control of your Vivint smart home system and your other smart devices from anywhere. It acts as the mobile brain to your home, keeping you updated on any new activities and alerting you of any events. You can even start automating your home to really enter the future of smart home technology. Start embracing the future of smart home technology by diving into the Vivint app and seeing the full value that smart devices can bring. You’ll be able to up your home’s security while making your life easier.

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### How to Install a Home Security System: It’s Easier Than You Think

> You can install a home security system yourself in minutes. Just stick sensors and set up a control panel. Don't forget to test and post alarm signs.

- Published: 2024-03-07
- Modified: 2024-10-18
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/how-to-install/



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### Vivint Troubleshooting Guide

> Reset your Vivint Smart Hub to fix common issues, troubleshoot the app, and resolve camera problems before contacting tech support. Follow these DIY steps.

- Published: 2024-03-05
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/troubleshooting/



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### How Does a Motion Detector Work?

> Motion detectors evolved from WWII radar, now key in security systems. They detect changes via various technologies, enhancing safety with integration options.

- Published: 2024-02-16
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/motion-detector-guide/



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### How to Effectively Place Security Sensors in Your Home

> Install security sensors above eye level, avoid direct sunlight and heat sources, and use recessed or camouflaged options for stealth and effectiveness.

- Published: 2024-02-15
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/effective-sensor-placement/



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### Does My Wireless Security System Still Work If the Internet Goes Out?

> Wireless systems need Wi-Fi or cellular backup. Vivint and Cove offer reliable options during outages, but Eufy and Wyze may fail without internet.

- Published: 2024-01-24
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/wireless-system-work-power-out/



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### How to Connect Ring With Alexa and Watch Ring Footage on Echo Show

> Link your Ring camera to Echo Show by linking accounts, enabling the Ring Alexa Skill, and using voice commands like "Alexa, show me the front door."

- Published: 2024-01-24
- Modified: 2024-10-18
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/connect-ring-alexa/



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### Home Safety Guide

> Most prowlers avoid homes with cameras and alarms. A security system deters intruders and gives more control over home safety.

- Published: 2024-01-11
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/



---

### What Do Carbon Monoxide Detectors Do and How Do They Work?

> Carbon monoxide detectors, like those from SimpliSafe, detect CO, an odorless gas that can be deadly. They save lives by alerting you before symptoms appear.

- Published: 2024-01-10
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/carbon-monoxide-detector/



---

### How to Set Up Arlo Security Cameras

> Arlo cameras are user-friendly with HD video; Essential line is budget-friendly, Ultra offers 4K, and Go 2 is Wi-Fi free. Installation is simple via the app.

- Published: 2023-12-15
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/arlo/set-up/



---

### The Mind of a Burglar

> Burglars favor unprotected homes. Over 80% are male, often younger. Visible security deters them. They scout, plan, and act fast, usually within 10 minutes.

- Published: 2023-12-13
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/mind-of-burglar/

When most people think about security cameras, they immediately start seeing dollar signs. But that knee-jerk response isn’t always justified. As technologies have progressed and DIY home security has become more popular, you can protect you family and your property these days without breaking the bank. Just how affordable can security cameras be? Well, we think you’ll be surprised. Reolink Argus Cameras Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to figure out exactly how much it’s going to cost you. Security camera pricing is all over the map, and sometimes the same brand will have budget-friendly equipment alongside account-draining, feature-laden cameras that you may or may not even need. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help you simplify your search and zero in on the brand that’s right for you. If you’re looking for cameras that aren’t going to break the bank, check out our guide to the best affordable security cameras of 2023. There you’ll find equipment that will provide you all the protection you need without having to dip into your retirement account. Camera Equipment Costs If you’re thinking about purchasing security cameras from some of our favorite budget-friendly brands, you might be looking at around $25 for an individual, plug-in indoor camera. If you’re looking for high-end outdoor equipment with all the bells and whistles, you might be paying upwards of $400 per unit. But if you’re looking for a network of cameras, naturally, you’re going to pay more. We’ve seen it done effectively for as low as $200, but depending on the size of your property, the equipment you want, and your specific security needs, you could easily spend upwards of $4,000. Those are pretty wide ranges, we know. But again, we’re talking about an industry that’s brimming with variety, with all kinds of new and advanced technology hitting the market at rapid-fire speed. For a more detailed breakdown, here’s a look at pricing on a handful of popular security cameras: Snapshot of Security Camera Pricing Camera Key Features Price Ring Spotlight Cam Pro 3D Motion Detection Integrated Spotlights Built-In Siren $229. 99 Arlo Pro 5S 2K 2k Resolution Color Night Vision Battery Operated Sale: $199. 99 Blink Outdoor Two-Year Battery Life Simple DIY Set Up Two-Way Audio Sale: $63. 99 Wyze Cam Outdoor V2 1080P Color Night Vision PIR Motion Detection 6-Month Battery Life $119. 99 Google Nest Cam AI-Powered Alerts Familiar Face Feature DIY-Install Sale: $139. 99 Amcrest Outdoor POE 5MP Resolution 98-Foot Night Vision Range Two-Way Audio $57. 99 Swann Pan and Tilt Pan and Tilt Functionality Two-Way Talk 1080P Resolution $99. 99 Lorex 2K Wired Floodlight Cam Integrated Floodlight 2K Resolution Smart Detections $249. 99 Canary View 1080p Resolution Motion Alerts Night Vision $99. 99 Reolink E1 Pro Pan and Tilt Function Two-Way Audio 2K Resolution Sale: $82. 67 Zmodo 1080p Indoor and Outdoor Camera AI-Powered Motion Detection 1080p Resolution Night Vision $39. 99 Keep in mind that these costs only cover equipment; when you look deeper into cloud video storage, installation, and other extras, the individual costs will climb higher per camera. Blink Mini Packaging Camera Installation Costs These days, most security cameras are DIY, which means you probably won’t need to pay for professional installation. If you do want to add this, though, we suggest looking into an Arlo camera, which offers professional installation as an add-on to the brand’s cloud storage subscription. For more on what Arlo is all about (and they’re definitely about quality! ), check out our full Arlo camera review. Certain brands, like ADT and Vivint, actually require professional installation. You can expect to pay between $100 and $200 for a technician to professionally install your security camera(s) and home security system. To learn more about what these companies bring to the table, we recommend reading our roundup of Vivint pricing and our in-depth look at ADT’s packages and plans. Vivint Outdoor Camera Video Quality Security Camera Monitoring Costs If you’re comfortable monitoring your cameras yourself, you’ll save money overall – especially if you use local storage. You can pay around $25, for example, and get a micro SD card with a decent amount of storage that will probably last you several months (unless you’ve got 12 cameras connected to it, of course). Failing that, you’ve always got the cloud; almost every camera brand out there offers monthly cloud storage through a subscription. Those costs are usually pretty reasonable (about $5 per month), but we do recommend paying special attention to the fine print here, as some plans offer extra features that you can’t get otherwise. Ring, a leader in this space, makes cloud storage pretty easy and affordable, with some storage offered free of charge through Ring Protect. When we tested and reviewed Ring cameras, we upgraded to the $4-per-month subscription that got us 60 days of video history, video sharing, and snapshot capture. That was more than enough for our purposes; we chose not to spring for the $10-per-month plan, which adds 24/7 recording and an extended warranty. Beyond that, our best advice for comparing camera pricing is to read the fine print, understand what your needs are, and be patient. You’re sure to find the right price – and the right setup. While you’re at it, visit our home security camera buying guide for an even deeper look at pricing. And to find the perfect security camera for your budget and lifestyle, we also recommend digging into our latest guide on the best home security cameras out there.

---

### What to Do If You Have a Lost or Stolen Package

> Amazon packages often go missing due to delivery issues or theft. Protect your deliveries with a video doorbell, report theft to police, and request refunds.

- Published: 2023-12-13
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/lost-stolen-package/

When most people think about security cameras, they immediately start seeing dollar signs. But that knee-jerk response isn’t always justified. As technologies have progressed and DIY home security has become more popular, you can protect you family and your property these days without breaking the bank. Just how affordable can security cameras be? Well, we think you’ll be surprised. Reolink Argus Cameras Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to figure out exactly how much it’s going to cost you. Security camera pricing is all over the map, and sometimes the same brand will have budget-friendly equipment alongside account-draining, feature-laden cameras that you may or may not even need. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help you simplify your search and zero in on the brand that’s right for you. If you’re looking for cameras that aren’t going to break the bank, check out our guide to the best affordable security cameras of 2023. There you’ll find equipment that will provide you all the protection you need without having to dip into your retirement account. Camera Equipment Costs If you’re thinking about purchasing security cameras from some of our favorite budget-friendly brands, you might be looking at around $25 for an individual, plug-in indoor camera. If you’re looking for high-end outdoor equipment with all the bells and whistles, you might be paying upwards of $400 per unit. But if you’re looking for a network of cameras, naturally, you’re going to pay more. We’ve seen it done effectively for as low as $200, but depending on the size of your property, the equipment you want, and your specific security needs, you could easily spend upwards of $4,000. Those are pretty wide ranges, we know. But again, we’re talking about an industry that’s brimming with variety, with all kinds of new and advanced technology hitting the market at rapid-fire speed. For a more detailed breakdown, here’s a look at pricing on a handful of popular security cameras: Snapshot of Security Camera Pricing Camera Key Features Price Ring Spotlight Cam Pro 3D Motion Detection Integrated Spotlights Built-In Siren $229. 99 Arlo Pro 5S 2K 2k Resolution Color Night Vision Battery Operated Sale: $199. 99 Blink Outdoor Two-Year Battery Life Simple DIY Set Up Two-Way Audio Sale: $63. 99 Wyze Cam Outdoor V2 1080P Color Night Vision PIR Motion Detection 6-Month Battery Life $119. 99 Google Nest Cam AI-Powered Alerts Familiar Face Feature DIY-Install Sale: $139. 99 Amcrest Outdoor POE 5MP Resolution 98-Foot Night Vision Range Two-Way Audio $57. 99 Swann Pan and Tilt Pan and Tilt Functionality Two-Way Talk 1080P Resolution $99. 99 Lorex 2K Wired Floodlight Cam Integrated Floodlight 2K Resolution Smart Detections $249. 99 Canary View 1080p Resolution Motion Alerts Night Vision $99. 99 Reolink E1 Pro Pan and Tilt Function Two-Way Audio 2K Resolution Sale: $82. 67 Zmodo 1080p Indoor and Outdoor Camera AI-Powered Motion Detection 1080p Resolution Night Vision $39. 99 Keep in mind that these costs only cover equipment; when you look deeper into cloud video storage, installation, and other extras, the individual costs will climb higher per camera. Blink Mini Packaging Camera Installation Costs These days, most security cameras are DIY, which means you probably won’t need to pay for professional installation. If you do want to add this, though, we suggest looking into an Arlo camera, which offers professional installation as an add-on to the brand’s cloud storage subscription. For more on what Arlo is all about (and they’re definitely about quality! ), check out our full Arlo camera review. Certain brands, like ADT and Vivint, actually require professional installation. You can expect to pay between $100 and $200 for a technician to professionally install your security camera(s) and home security system. To learn more about what these companies bring to the table, we recommend reading our roundup of Vivint pricing and our in-depth look at ADT’s packages and plans. Vivint Outdoor Camera Video Quality Security Camera Monitoring Costs If you’re comfortable monitoring your cameras yourself, you’ll save money overall – especially if you use local storage. You can pay around $25, for example, and get a micro SD card with a decent amount of storage that will probably last you several months (unless you’ve got 12 cameras connected to it, of course). Failing that, you’ve always got the cloud; almost every camera brand out there offers monthly cloud storage through a subscription. Those costs are usually pretty reasonable (about $5 per month), but we do recommend paying special attention to the fine print here, as some plans offer extra features that you can’t get otherwise. Ring, a leader in this space, makes cloud storage pretty easy and affordable, with some storage offered free of charge through Ring Protect. When we tested and reviewed Ring cameras, we upgraded to the $4-per-month subscription that got us 60 days of video history, video sharing, and snapshot capture. That was more than enough for our purposes; we chose not to spring for the $10-per-month plan, which adds 24/7 recording and an extended warranty. Beyond that, our best advice for comparing camera pricing is to read the fine print, understand what your needs are, and be patient. You’re sure to find the right price – and the right setup. While you’re at it, visit our home security camera buying guide for an even deeper look at pricing. And to find the perfect security camera for your budget and lifestyle, we also recommend digging into our latest guide on the best home security cameras out there.

---

### How to Connect Google Nest to Your Google Home

> Connect your Google Nest Hub to the Home app, automate tasks, save on energy, and enjoy seamless integration with smart devices, enhancing home security.

- Published: 2023-12-13
- Modified: 2024-09-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/connect-nest-google-home/



---

### Burglary vs. Robbery: What’s the Difference?

> Burglaries are about illegal entry with intent to steal, while robberies involve force or threats. In 2022, there were 847,522 U.S. burglaries.

- Published: 2023-12-13
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/burglary-vs-robbery/

When most people think about security cameras, they immediately start seeing dollar signs. But that knee-jerk response isn’t always justified. As technologies have progressed and DIY home security has become more popular, you can protect you family and your property these days without breaking the bank. Just how affordable can security cameras be? Well, we think you’ll be surprised. Reolink Argus Cameras Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to figure out exactly how much it’s going to cost you. Security camera pricing is all over the map, and sometimes the same brand will have budget-friendly equipment alongside account-draining, feature-laden cameras that you may or may not even need. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help you simplify your search and zero in on the brand that’s right for you. If you’re looking for cameras that aren’t going to break the bank, check out our guide to the best affordable security cameras of 2023. There you’ll find equipment that will provide you all the protection you need without having to dip into your retirement account. Camera Equipment Costs If you’re thinking about purchasing security cameras from some of our favorite budget-friendly brands, you might be looking at around $25 for an individual, plug-in indoor camera. If you’re looking for high-end outdoor equipment with all the bells and whistles, you might be paying upwards of $400 per unit. But if you’re looking for a network of cameras, naturally, you’re going to pay more. We’ve seen it done effectively for as low as $200, but depending on the size of your property, the equipment you want, and your specific security needs, you could easily spend upwards of $4,000. Those are pretty wide ranges, we know. But again, we’re talking about an industry that’s brimming with variety, with all kinds of new and advanced technology hitting the market at rapid-fire speed. For a more detailed breakdown, here’s a look at pricing on a handful of popular security cameras: Snapshot of Security Camera Pricing Camera Key Features Price Ring Spotlight Cam Pro 3D Motion Detection Integrated Spotlights Built-In Siren $229. 99 Arlo Pro 5S 2K 2k Resolution Color Night Vision Battery Operated Sale: $199. 99 Blink Outdoor Two-Year Battery Life Simple DIY Set Up Two-Way Audio Sale: $63. 99 Wyze Cam Outdoor V2 1080P Color Night Vision PIR Motion Detection 6-Month Battery Life $119. 99 Google Nest Cam AI-Powered Alerts Familiar Face Feature DIY-Install Sale: $139. 99 Amcrest Outdoor POE 5MP Resolution 98-Foot Night Vision Range Two-Way Audio $57. 99 Swann Pan and Tilt Pan and Tilt Functionality Two-Way Talk 1080P Resolution $99. 99 Lorex 2K Wired Floodlight Cam Integrated Floodlight 2K Resolution Smart Detections $249. 99 Canary View 1080p Resolution Motion Alerts Night Vision $99. 99 Reolink E1 Pro Pan and Tilt Function Two-Way Audio 2K Resolution Sale: $82. 67 Zmodo 1080p Indoor and Outdoor Camera AI-Powered Motion Detection 1080p Resolution Night Vision $39. 99 Keep in mind that these costs only cover equipment; when you look deeper into cloud video storage, installation, and other extras, the individual costs will climb higher per camera. Blink Mini Packaging Camera Installation Costs These days, most security cameras are DIY, which means you probably won’t need to pay for professional installation. If you do want to add this, though, we suggest looking into an Arlo camera, which offers professional installation as an add-on to the brand’s cloud storage subscription. For more on what Arlo is all about (and they’re definitely about quality! ), check out our full Arlo camera review. Certain brands, like ADT and Vivint, actually require professional installation. You can expect to pay between $100 and $200 for a technician to professionally install your security camera(s) and home security system. To learn more about what these companies bring to the table, we recommend reading our roundup of Vivint pricing and our in-depth look at ADT’s packages and plans. Vivint Outdoor Camera Video Quality Security Camera Monitoring Costs If you’re comfortable monitoring your cameras yourself, you’ll save money overall – especially if you use local storage. You can pay around $25, for example, and get a micro SD card with a decent amount of storage that will probably last you several months (unless you’ve got 12 cameras connected to it, of course). Failing that, you’ve always got the cloud; almost every camera brand out there offers monthly cloud storage through a subscription. Those costs are usually pretty reasonable (about $5 per month), but we do recommend paying special attention to the fine print here, as some plans offer extra features that you can’t get otherwise. Ring, a leader in this space, makes cloud storage pretty easy and affordable, with some storage offered free of charge through Ring Protect. When we tested and reviewed Ring cameras, we upgraded to the $4-per-month subscription that got us 60 days of video history, video sharing, and snapshot capture. That was more than enough for our purposes; we chose not to spring for the $10-per-month plan, which adds 24/7 recording and an extended warranty. Beyond that, our best advice for comparing camera pricing is to read the fine print, understand what your needs are, and be patient. You’re sure to find the right price – and the right setup. While you’re at it, visit our home security camera buying guide for an even deeper look at pricing. And to find the perfect security camera for your budget and lifestyle, we also recommend digging into our latest guide on the best home security cameras out there.

---

### Will Your Home Security System Work in a Power Outage?

> Wi-Fi-based security systems fail in power outages; cellular or landline systems stay online. Backup power like UPS or generators can help maintain security.

- Published: 2023-12-13
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/power-outages/



---

### How to Cancel Your Home Security Contract

> Canceling a home security contract can be tricky; expect fees up to 75% of the remaining term. Transfer or relocate to avoid costs. Check your contract details.

- Published: 2023-12-13
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cancel-contract/



---

### Can Tenants Install Security Cameras?

> Yes, renters can install security cameras, but check your lease for restrictions, avoid drilling holes, respect privacy laws, and consider wireless options.

- Published: 2023-12-11
- Modified: 2025-07-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/can-tenants-install/



---

### Guide to Home Security Contracts

> Home security contracts often include a 36-month term, monthly fees, and equipment ownership clauses. No-contract options like SimpliSafe offer flexibility.

- Published: 2023-12-05
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/contract-guide/



---

### Step-by-Step: How to Install the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell

> Install the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell with ease: unbox, wire, and configure using the app for motion alerts, two-way audio, and 1080p video.

- Published: 2023-12-05
- Modified: 2024-08-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/doorbell/install/



---

### How Do Wireless Security Cameras Work?

> Wireless cameras are budget-friendly, easy to install, and keep homes safe, but can lack wired systems' image quality. Local storage is cheaper, but riskier.

- Published: 2023-12-05
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/how-wireless-cameras-work/



---

### Troubleshooting Ring Doorbell Issues

> Having trouble with your Ring Doorbell? The guide covers common issues like Wi-Fi and power problems and offers practical solutions for each.

- Published: 2023-12-01
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/troubleshooting/



---

### Dealing With Hostile Neighbors

> Deal with hostile neighbors by staying calm, documenting issues, and using security cameras. If needed, involve authorities or seek mediation for resolution.

- Published: 2023-10-19
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-safety/hostile-neighbors/

When most people think about security cameras, they immediately start seeing dollar signs. But that knee-jerk response isn’t always justified. As technologies have progressed and DIY home security has become more popular, you can protect you family and your property these days without breaking the bank. Just how affordable can security cameras be? Well, we think you’ll be surprised. Reolink Argus Cameras Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to figure out exactly how much it’s going to cost you. Security camera pricing is all over the map, and sometimes the same brand will have budget-friendly equipment alongside account-draining, feature-laden cameras that you may or may not even need. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help you simplify your search and zero in on the brand that’s right for you. If you’re looking for cameras that aren’t going to break the bank, check out our guide to the best affordable security cameras of 2023. There you’ll find equipment that will provide you all the protection you need without having to dip into your retirement account. Camera Equipment Costs If you’re thinking about purchasing security cameras from some of our favorite budget-friendly brands, you might be looking at around $25 for an individual, plug-in indoor camera. If you’re looking for high-end outdoor equipment with all the bells and whistles, you might be paying upwards of $400 per unit. But if you’re looking for a network of cameras, naturally, you’re going to pay more. We’ve seen it done effectively for as low as $200, but depending on the size of your property, the equipment you want, and your specific security needs, you could easily spend upwards of $4,000. Those are pretty wide ranges, we know. But again, we’re talking about an industry that’s brimming with variety, with all kinds of new and advanced technology hitting the market at rapid-fire speed. For a more detailed breakdown, here’s a look at pricing on a handful of popular security cameras: Snapshot of Security Camera Pricing Camera Key Features Price Ring Spotlight Cam Pro 3D Motion Detection Integrated Spotlights Built-In Siren $229. 99 Arlo Pro 5S 2K 2k Resolution Color Night Vision Battery Operated Sale: $199. 99 Blink Outdoor Two-Year Battery Life Simple DIY Set Up Two-Way Audio Sale: $63. 99 Wyze Cam Outdoor V2 1080P Color Night Vision PIR Motion Detection 6-Month Battery Life $119. 99 Google Nest Cam AI-Powered Alerts Familiar Face Feature DIY-Install Sale: $139. 99 Amcrest Outdoor POE 5MP Resolution 98-Foot Night Vision Range Two-Way Audio $57. 99 Swann Pan and Tilt Pan and Tilt Functionality Two-Way Talk 1080P Resolution $99. 99 Lorex 2K Wired Floodlight Cam Integrated Floodlight 2K Resolution Smart Detections $249. 99 Canary View 1080p Resolution Motion Alerts Night Vision $99. 99 Reolink E1 Pro Pan and Tilt Function Two-Way Audio 2K Resolution Sale: $82. 67 Zmodo 1080p Indoor and Outdoor Camera AI-Powered Motion Detection 1080p Resolution Night Vision $39. 99 Keep in mind that these costs only cover equipment; when you look deeper into cloud video storage, installation, and other extras, the individual costs will climb higher per camera. Blink Mini Packaging Camera Installation Costs These days, most security cameras are DIY, which means you probably won’t need to pay for professional installation. If you do want to add this, though, we suggest looking into an Arlo camera, which offers professional installation as an add-on to the brand’s cloud storage subscription. For more on what Arlo is all about (and they’re definitely about quality! ), check out our full Arlo camera review. Certain brands, like ADT and Vivint, actually require professional installation. You can expect to pay between $100 and $200 for a technician to professionally install your security camera(s) and home security system. To learn more about what these companies bring to the table, we recommend reading our roundup of Vivint pricing and our in-depth look at ADT’s packages and plans. Vivint Outdoor Camera Video Quality Security Camera Monitoring Costs If you’re comfortable monitoring your cameras yourself, you’ll save money overall – especially if you use local storage. You can pay around $25, for example, and get a micro SD card with a decent amount of storage that will probably last you several months (unless you’ve got 12 cameras connected to it, of course). Failing that, you’ve always got the cloud; almost every camera brand out there offers monthly cloud storage through a subscription. Those costs are usually pretty reasonable (about $5 per month), but we do recommend paying special attention to the fine print here, as some plans offer extra features that you can’t get otherwise. Ring, a leader in this space, makes cloud storage pretty easy and affordable, with some storage offered free of charge through Ring Protect. When we tested and reviewed Ring cameras, we upgraded to the $4-per-month subscription that got us 60 days of video history, video sharing, and snapshot capture. That was more than enough for our purposes; we chose not to spring for the $10-per-month plan, which adds 24/7 recording and an extended warranty. Beyond that, our best advice for comparing camera pricing is to read the fine print, understand what your needs are, and be patient. You’re sure to find the right price – and the right setup. While you’re at it, visit our home security camera buying guide for an even deeper look at pricing. And to find the perfect security camera for your budget and lifestyle, we also recommend digging into our latest guide on the best home security cameras out there.

---

### Best Facial Recognition Cameras in [year]

> The best facial recognition cameras of 2025 include Lorex 4K Outdoor for top equipment, Wyze Cam v3 for budget, and Nest Cam for smart home integration.

- Published: 2023-10-17
- Modified: 2025-03-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/facial-recognition/



---

### Blink Video Doorbell Review [year]

> The Blink Video Doorbell is affordable and easy to install, but lacks standout features. It offers basic functionality with no subscription, costing $59.99.

- Published: 2023-09-11
- Modified: 2024-09-03
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/blink/reviews/



---

### Best Cameras for Image Quality: A Buyer’s Guide

> Lorex 4K cameras offer top image quality, but ADT is recommended for overall security. Wyze v3 is a budget choice; Vivint provides premium features.

- Published: 2023-08-24
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/image-quality/



---

### Burglar Alarms Going Off Randomly? Here’s How To Fix It.

> Burglar alarms often go off due to low batteries, pets, or dirty sensors. Fixes include replacing batteries, cleaning sensors, or recalibrating pet detection.

- Published: 2023-08-16
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/false-alarms/



---

### Eufy Dual Video Doorbell Review [year]

> The Eufy Dual Video Doorbell impresses with dual cameras and facial recognition, but is pricey at $259.99 to $300. Night vision and latency need improvement.

- Published: 2023-08-01
- Modified: 2025-04-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/eufy/reviews/



---

### Zosi Security Camera Review and Pricing [year]

> Zosi cameras offer good daytime quality but struggle at night. Affordable yet need power supply. Battery models are best, but setup can be challenging.

- Published: 2023-08-01
- Modified: 2025-07-22
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/zosi/



---

### Kwikset Halo Touch Review and Pricing [year]

> The Kwikset Halo Touch is a Wi-Fi-ready smart lock with fingerprint access for $240. It lacks a door sensor, so the auto-lock feature might cause issues.

- Published: 2023-07-26
- Modified: 2025-07-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/smart-locks/kwikset-halo-touch/



---

### Wyze Lock Bolt Review: A Smart Lock With a Fingerprint Scanner for $70? What’s Going on Here?

> The Wyze Lock Bolt is a budget-friendly Bluetooth smart lock with a fingerprint scanner, but lacks Wi-Fi and smart home integration. Priced at $74.

- Published: 2023-07-26
- Modified: 2023-08-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/smart-locks/wyze-lock-bolt/



---

### The Best Hidden Cameras in [year]

> The Vidcastive 4K Mini Spy Camera is the top pick for hidden cameras in 2025, offering exceptional video quality and 19-hour battery life.

- Published: 2023-07-25
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/hidden/



---

### How to Recover Lost or Stolen Items

> Learn how to recover lost or stolen items; use CCTV, tracing apps, or report to police. Prevention is key—install security systems and use GPS trackers.

- Published: 2023-07-20
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/recover-lost-or-stolen-items/



---

### Your Security Cameras Can Be Hacked. Here’s How to Protect Yourself.

> Security cameras can be hacked; change default passwords, use strong passwords, set up 2FA, and use trusted brands like SimpliSafe, Vivint, and Google Nest.

- Published: 2023-07-20
- Modified: 2025-07-22
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hacking-protection/



---

### What to Do After a Home Burglary

> After a burglary, prioritize safety, call the police, notify your insurance, and review security measures like cameras and alarms to prevent future incidents.

- Published: 2023-07-10
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/what-to-do-after-home-burglary/



---

### How to Turn Your Old Phone Into a Home Security Camera

> You can turn your old phone into a home security camera using the Alfred app. It’s free, includes motion detection, two-way talk, and a loud siren.

- Published: 2023-06-27
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/turn-old-phone-into-security-camera/



---

### Eufy Home Security Review and Pricing [year]

> Eufy's latest security system offers AI face recognition and solar charging but lacks motion sensors in the starter kit. Prices are higher than Simplisafe.

- Published: 2023-05-31
- Modified: 2025-04-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/eufy/



---

### Security Cameras for College Dorms

> You can install a security camera in your dorm if both roommates agree and it records only when you're absent. SimpliCam, Lorex 2K, and Ring are top picks.

- Published: 2023-05-31
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/college-dorms/



---

### IDX Identity Theft Protection Subscription and Pricing Options

> IDX Identity offers credit monitoring, dark web scanning, and identity recovery services, but it’s pricey compared to competitors like LifeLock and Aura.

- Published: 2023-04-20
- Modified: 2024-12-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/myidcare/



---

### Geeni Security Cameras Review [year]

> Geeni cameras are affordable with good picture quality and night vision, but lack cloud storage and advanced features. Owned by Merkury Innovations.

- Published: 2023-04-18
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/geeni/reviews/



---

### I’m Selling a House. Can I Use Hidden Cameras to Record Potential Buyers?

> Recording potential homebuyers is risky; it's often legal but can backfire. Hidden cameras are mostly okay, but audio recording needs consent in many states.

- Published: 2023-04-10
- Modified: 2024-07-31
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hidden-cameras-home-sellers/

So you know you want to set up security cameras around your property. You might even have a camera manufacturer or model picked out. Heck, you might even have the cameras unboxed and ready to go. Good for you — you're one step closer to keeping your family and your property safer. One question that pops up, though, is where exactly will you put these cameras? How many cameras do you need? And how can you cover your property most efficiently while still getting the best functionality of your devices? Don't worry — we're here to help. But before we start telling you exactly where to drill those pilot holes, let's take a moment to think through some considerations. Wyze Cam v3 Pro. What Types of Cameras Are You Buying? So the good news is setting up a network of professional-grade home security cameras has never been easier. Manufacturers have made it their business to be as DIY as possible — learn more about that in our review of Arlo's offerings — and installation is usually easy enough that if you can use a power drill, you can set up your cameras. If you're not super handy, there are plenty of camera manufacturers that offer professional installation. Make sure you check with the provider to see what your options are. You're also going to need to consider the way your home is set up. If the areas you want to protect won't be receiving a good Wi-Fi signal, like over a detached garage, you might consider a PoE — or powered over Ethernet — option. You'll find there are a few to check out in our review of Lorex's cameras. You're also going to want to really think about how you're going to be using these cameras, as this will inform your decision on the feature list you'll need. Some of those features might include: Two-way audio Wide-angle lens Color night vision Smart alerts Person detection Package detection Live feed Floodlights Motion sensors Alarms For example, if you're going to be putting a camera on your front door, you might want package detection and two-way audio so you can talk with delivery drivers. If you want to make sure no one is using your backyard as a cut-through at night, you might want floodlights and person detection. All security cameras aren't created equal, so you're going to want a pretty good idea of what you want yours to do before you start your shopping. Now with this in mind, let's get to the question at hand. Where Should I Put Security Cameras on My Property? No two properties are alike, no two situations are alike, and no two homeowners are alike. That means it's going to be pretty difficult to tell you exactly where you should put your cameras without having us over to your house. But here are some security camera placement locations in order of importance. An Arlo Pro 3 security camera mounted outside. Entryways The first order of business is making sure all entryways to your home are covered. This means your front and back doors, side doors, and garage or crawlspace. If you're looking to keep burglars out, most security experts would agree doorways are the starting point. Windows Once your doorways are covered, make sure your windows are, too. If entryways (doors) aren't an option, intruders will likely use a window as their next way in. Focus on ground-floor windows, and ones that aren't street-facing — those are the most vulnerable. Another way to protect your windows is to install glass break sensors. These devices listen for the specific frequencies of shattering glass and will alert you if someone's breaking in. Driveway While it's not as critically important as the first two on our list, a great place for a camera is above your garage looking down your driveway. Intruders are going to want to make a quick escape, and if that's impossible due to your driveway being covered by a camera, they might move on somewhere else. External structures If you have a detached garage or a garden shed, you might also consider pointing a security camera toward it. These structures on your property are easy pickings for criminals looking to make a quick buck. They're usually not as secure as the main home — sometimes only protected by a padlock or deadbolt — and they usually have some pretty valuable stuff inside, like your power tools or lawn equipment. So now that you understand the where of security camera placement, let's talk a little about the how. We recommend walking around your home while you put yourself in the mindset of a package thief or burglar. Where are the vulnerable areas? Are there bushes or hedges they might hide in? Are there especially dark or shadowy areas? If you were a burglar, how would you break into your home? Those are the places you should mount security cameras. Security Camera Placement Best Practices While you're coming up with your placement plan, there are a few concepts to keep in mind when installing your security cameras. We're going to go through the best practices here, but we also suggest you follow any tips from the manufacturer of your specific cameras. You'll be able to find those in the user's manual. Canary Flex Mounted on Wall Height When it comes to mounting your security cameras outside, you're going to need a ladder. Why? Because you want to make sure you're mounting your security cameras about 8-10 feet off the ground. Not only will this give you good visibility, it will prevent potential burglars from easily tampering with or disabling your cameras. Obfuscation Some people think that hiding their security cameras is a good idea, but let's think through this. One of the major benefits of having a security camera system is to keep burglars from picking your home. If you've expertly hidden your cameras, all you're doing is ensuring you have great footage of the break-in. Make sure they're visible for the greatest security impact. You want would-be intruders to see that your home is protected. This can make them think twice before targeting it. Studies show that visible external security cameras result in a 50 percent or more reduction in crime. If the criminals know you're watching them, they're far less likely to try and break in. If you're worried that your security cameras are going to be unsightly and decrease your property value, don't be. Plenty of manufacturers these days offer small, sleek units that will blend right in with your existing exterior. Check out our review of the SimpliCam. These cameras are well-designed and unobtrusive but noticeable enough to make a would-be intruder think twice. Lighting Before installing any outdoor security system, you’ll want to consider how things look on your property once the sun goes down. Is there a lot of ambient light, or is it pitch black? Do you have some motion sensor lights already installed that you could piggyback off of, or do you need to get a camera with an integrated spotlight like we found in our Ring Spotlight Camera analysis? You want to make sure your cameras are working well and seeing everything, no matter the time of day. Cover You're going to want to make sure that whatever cameras you're purchasing are weatherproof, but you're also going to want to consider cover when you're placing them. A camera stuck on top of a fence post isn't going to last as long as one mounted under an awning. Not only will you improve the life of your cameras by giving them a bit of cover, you're going to make sure they're still seeing everything, even if the weather turns foul. Check and Recheck Once you've installed your cameras, make sure you're testing their placement. Get out and walk around your property and check your playback. See where the blind spots are, and adjust if necessary. Do this in the daytime, and do it at night. You won't have to do it forever, but you will want to make sure you've done enough legwork and fine-tuned adjustments to ensure your cameras are providing you with the security you think they are. It's important to consider your camera's field of vision. Around 160 degrees is good, but some rotating models can offer close to 360 degrees of vision. It all depends on what you need it for. There you have it. That's everything you need to know about the placement of security cameras around your property. We just have one final thought before we go. Final Thoughts on Security Camera Placement As we’ve said, each home is different and each property owner's security needs will be different. The best thing to do is read this guide, read the recommendations of your camera manufacturer, and apply some critical thinking. If you were a burglar, how would you get into your home? What would stop you? Of course, we think the answer you're going to come to is some well-placed security cameras. And if you're thinking the same, you should head over to our list of the best security cameras of . There you'll find exactly what you need to keep your family and belongings safe.

---

### Can You Install Hidden Cameras in the Office?

> Hidden cameras in offices are mostly illegal, audio recording needs consent, and ADT, Vivint, and Frontpoint are the top business security systems.

- Published: 2023-04-10
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hidden-cameras-office/

So you know you want to set up security cameras around your property. You might even have a camera manufacturer or model picked out. Heck, you might even have the cameras unboxed and ready to go. Good for you — you're one step closer to keeping your family and your property safer. One question that pops up, though, is where exactly will you put these cameras? How many cameras do you need? And how can you cover your property most efficiently while still getting the best functionality of your devices? Don't worry — we're here to help. But before we start telling you exactly where to drill those pilot holes, let's take a moment to think through some considerations. Wyze Cam v3 Pro. What Types of Cameras Are You Buying? So the good news is setting up a network of professional-grade home security cameras has never been easier. Manufacturers have made it their business to be as DIY as possible — learn more about that in our review of Arlo's offerings — and installation is usually easy enough that if you can use a power drill, you can set up your cameras. If you're not super handy, there are plenty of camera manufacturers that offer professional installation. Make sure you check with the provider to see what your options are. You're also going to need to consider the way your home is set up. If the areas you want to protect won't be receiving a good Wi-Fi signal, like over a detached garage, you might consider a PoE — or powered over Ethernet — option. You'll find there are a few to check out in our review of Lorex's cameras. You're also going to want to really think about how you're going to be using these cameras, as this will inform your decision on the feature list you'll need. Some of those features might include: Two-way audio Wide-angle lens Color night vision Smart alerts Person detection Package detection Live feed Floodlights Motion sensors Alarms For example, if you're going to be putting a camera on your front door, you might want package detection and two-way audio so you can talk with delivery drivers. If you want to make sure no one is using your backyard as a cut-through at night, you might want floodlights and person detection. All security cameras aren't created equal, so you're going to want a pretty good idea of what you want yours to do before you start your shopping. Now with this in mind, let's get to the question at hand. Where Should I Put Security Cameras on My Property? No two properties are alike, no two situations are alike, and no two homeowners are alike. That means it's going to be pretty difficult to tell you exactly where you should put your cameras without having us over to your house. But here are some security camera placement locations in order of importance. An Arlo Pro 3 security camera mounted outside. Entryways The first order of business is making sure all entryways to your home are covered. This means your front and back doors, side doors, and garage or crawlspace. If you're looking to keep burglars out, most security experts would agree doorways are the starting point. Windows Once your doorways are covered, make sure your windows are, too. If entryways (doors) aren't an option, intruders will likely use a window as their next way in. Focus on ground-floor windows, and ones that aren't street-facing — those are the most vulnerable. Another way to protect your windows is to install glass break sensors. These devices listen for the specific frequencies of shattering glass and will alert you if someone's breaking in. Driveway While it's not as critically important as the first two on our list, a great place for a camera is above your garage looking down your driveway. Intruders are going to want to make a quick escape, and if that's impossible due to your driveway being covered by a camera, they might move on somewhere else. External structures If you have a detached garage or a garden shed, you might also consider pointing a security camera toward it. These structures on your property are easy pickings for criminals looking to make a quick buck. They're usually not as secure as the main home — sometimes only protected by a padlock or deadbolt — and they usually have some pretty valuable stuff inside, like your power tools or lawn equipment. So now that you understand the where of security camera placement, let's talk a little about the how. We recommend walking around your home while you put yourself in the mindset of a package thief or burglar. Where are the vulnerable areas? Are there bushes or hedges they might hide in? Are there especially dark or shadowy areas? If you were a burglar, how would you break into your home? Those are the places you should mount security cameras. Security Camera Placement Best Practices While you're coming up with your placement plan, there are a few concepts to keep in mind when installing your security cameras. We're going to go through the best practices here, but we also suggest you follow any tips from the manufacturer of your specific cameras. You'll be able to find those in the user's manual. Canary Flex Mounted on Wall Height When it comes to mounting your security cameras outside, you're going to need a ladder. Why? Because you want to make sure you're mounting your security cameras about 8-10 feet off the ground. Not only will this give you good visibility, it will prevent potential burglars from easily tampering with or disabling your cameras. Obfuscation Some people think that hiding their security cameras is a good idea, but let's think through this. One of the major benefits of having a security camera system is to keep burglars from picking your home. If you've expertly hidden your cameras, all you're doing is ensuring you have great footage of the break-in. Make sure they're visible for the greatest security impact. You want would-be intruders to see that your home is protected. This can make them think twice before targeting it. Studies show that visible external security cameras result in a 50 percent or more reduction in crime. If the criminals know you're watching them, they're far less likely to try and break in. If you're worried that your security cameras are going to be unsightly and decrease your property value, don't be. Plenty of manufacturers these days offer small, sleek units that will blend right in with your existing exterior. Check out our review of the SimpliCam. These cameras are well-designed and unobtrusive but noticeable enough to make a would-be intruder think twice. Lighting Before installing any outdoor security system, you’ll want to consider how things look on your property once the sun goes down. Is there a lot of ambient light, or is it pitch black? Do you have some motion sensor lights already installed that you could piggyback off of, or do you need to get a camera with an integrated spotlight like we found in our Ring Spotlight Camera analysis? You want to make sure your cameras are working well and seeing everything, no matter the time of day. Cover You're going to want to make sure that whatever cameras you're purchasing are weatherproof, but you're also going to want to consider cover when you're placing them. A camera stuck on top of a fence post isn't going to last as long as one mounted under an awning. Not only will you improve the life of your cameras by giving them a bit of cover, you're going to make sure they're still seeing everything, even if the weather turns foul. Check and Recheck Once you've installed your cameras, make sure you're testing their placement. Get out and walk around your property and check your playback. See where the blind spots are, and adjust if necessary. Do this in the daytime, and do it at night. You won't have to do it forever, but you will want to make sure you've done enough legwork and fine-tuned adjustments to ensure your cameras are providing you with the security you think they are. It's important to consider your camera's field of vision. Around 160 degrees is good, but some rotating models can offer close to 360 degrees of vision. It all depends on what you need it for. There you have it. That's everything you need to know about the placement of security cameras around your property. We just have one final thought before we go. Final Thoughts on Security Camera Placement As we’ve said, each home is different and each property owner's security needs will be different. The best thing to do is read this guide, read the recommendations of your camera manufacturer, and apply some critical thinking. If you were a burglar, how would you get into your home? What would stop you? Of course, we think the answer you're going to come to is some well-placed security cameras. And if you're thinking the same, you should head over to our list of the best security cameras of . There you'll find exactly what you need to keep your family and belongings safe.

---

### Geeni Cameras and Pricing [year]

> Geeni offers affordable security cameras and home automation, but lacks advanced features and cloud storage. Reliable yet basic for budget-conscious users.

- Published: 2023-03-29
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/geeni/



---

### Do You Have to Tell Guests About Hidden Cameras in Your Home?

> Hidden cameras are legal in most states, but you must inform guests in Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, and Michigan. Avoid placing them in private spaces.

- Published: 2023-03-23
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hidden-cameras-consent-laws/



---

### Are Hidden Cameras Legal in Your Home?

> Hidden cameras are legal in most states unless placed in private areas like bathrooms. Outdoor cameras can’t be aimed at neighbors’ homes intentionally.

- Published: 2023-03-23
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/hidden-cameras/



---

### ADT Self Setup Review [year]

> ADT Self Setup offers high-quality DIY security with Google Nest products. It's pricier than competitors but provides excellent monitoring. Ideal for ADT fans.

- Published: 2023-03-14
- Modified: 2025-01-14
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/reviews/self-setup/



---

### Nest Doorbell Review [year]

> The Nest Doorbell impresses with its AI features and sleek design, but lacks color night vision and 4K resolution; priced at $179.99, it’s a solid choice.

- Published: 2023-01-24
- Modified: 2023-12-14
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/nest-doorbell/reviews/



---

### Where Should I Place My Security Cameras?

> For effective security, place cameras at entryways, windows, driveway, and external structures. Prioritize visibility and weatherproofing for optimal coverage.

- Published: 2023-01-06
- Modified: 2025-07-22
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/placement/

So you know you want to set up security cameras around your property. You might even have a camera manufacturer or model picked out. Heck, you might even have the cameras unboxed and ready to go. Good for you — you're one step closer to keeping your family and your property safer. One question that pops up, though, is where exactly will you put these cameras? How many cameras do you need? And how can you cover your property most efficiently while still getting the best functionality of your devices? Don't worry — we're here to help. But before we start telling you exactly where to drill those pilot holes, let's take a moment to think through some considerations. Wyze Cam v3 Pro. What Types of Cameras Are You Buying? So the good news is setting up a network of professional-grade home security cameras has never been easier. Manufacturers have made it their business to be as DIY as possible — learn more about that in our review of Arlo's offerings — and installation is usually easy enough that if you can use a power drill, you can set up your cameras. If you're not super handy, there are plenty of camera manufacturers that offer professional installation. Make sure you check with the provider to see what your options are. You're also going to need to consider the way your home is set up. If the areas you want to protect won't be receiving a good Wi-Fi signal, like over a detached garage, you might consider a PoE — or powered over Ethernet — option. You'll find there are a few to check out in our review of Lorex's cameras. You're also going to want to really think about how you're going to be using these cameras, as this will inform your decision on the feature list you'll need. Some of those features might include: Two-way audio Wide-angle lens Color night vision Smart alerts Person detection Package detection Live feed Floodlights Motion sensors Alarms For example, if you're going to be putting a camera on your front door, you might want package detection and two-way audio so you can talk with delivery drivers. If you want to make sure no one is using your backyard as a cut-through at night, you might want floodlights and person detection. All security cameras aren't created equal, so you're going to want a pretty good idea of what you want yours to do before you start your shopping. Now with this in mind, let's get to the question at hand. Where Should I Put Security Cameras on My Property? No two properties are alike, no two situations are alike, and no two homeowners are alike. That means it's going to be pretty difficult to tell you exactly where you should put your cameras without having us over to your house. But here are some security camera placement locations in order of importance. An Arlo Pro 3 security camera mounted outside. Entryways The first order of business is making sure all entryways to your home are covered. This means your front and back doors, side doors, and garage or crawlspace. If you're looking to keep burglars out, most security experts would agree doorways are the starting point. Windows Once your doorways are covered, make sure your windows are, too. If entryways (doors) aren't an option, intruders will likely use a window as their next way in. Focus on ground-floor windows, and ones that aren't street-facing — those are the most vulnerable. Another way to protect your windows is to install glass break sensors. These devices listen for the specific frequencies of shattering glass and will alert you if someone's breaking in. Driveway While it's not as critically important as the first two on our list, a great place for a camera is above your garage looking down your driveway. Intruders are going to want to make a quick escape, and if that's impossible due to your driveway being covered by a camera, they might move on somewhere else. External structures If you have a detached garage or a garden shed, you might also consider pointing a security camera toward it. These structures on your property are easy pickings for criminals looking to make a quick buck. They're usually not as secure as the main home — sometimes only protected by a padlock or deadbolt — and they usually have some pretty valuable stuff inside, like your power tools or lawn equipment. So now that you understand the where of security camera placement, let's talk a little about the how. We recommend walking around your home while you put yourself in the mindset of a package thief or burglar. Where are the vulnerable areas? Are there bushes or hedges they might hide in? Are there especially dark or shadowy areas? If you were a burglar, how would you break into your home? Those are the places you should mount security cameras. Security Camera Placement Best Practices While you're coming up with your placement plan, there are a few concepts to keep in mind when installing your security cameras. We're going to go through the best practices here, but we also suggest you follow any tips from the manufacturer of your specific cameras. You'll be able to find those in the user's manual. Canary Flex Mounted on Wall Height When it comes to mounting your security cameras outside, you're going to need a ladder. Why? Because you want to make sure you're mounting your security cameras about 8-10 feet off the ground. Not only will this give you good visibility, it will prevent potential burglars from easily tampering with or disabling your cameras. Obfuscation Some people think that hiding their security cameras is a good idea, but let's think through this. One of the major benefits of having a security camera system is to keep burglars from picking your home. If you've expertly hidden your cameras, all you're doing is ensuring you have great footage of the break-in. Make sure they're visible for the greatest security impact. You want would-be intruders to see that your home is protected. This can make them think twice before targeting it. Studies show that visible external security cameras result in a 50 percent or more reduction in crime. If the criminals know you're watching them, they're far less likely to try and break in. If you’re worried that your security cameras are going to be unsightly and decrease your property value, don’t be. Plenty of manufacturers these days offer small, sleek units that will blend right in with your existing exterior. Check out our review of SimpliSafe’s cameras. These cameras are well-designed and unobtrusive but noticeable enough to make a would-be intruder think twice. Lighting Before installing any outdoor security system, you’ll want to consider how things look on your property once the sun goes down. Is there a lot of ambient light, or is it pitch black? Do you have some motion sensor lights already installed that you could piggyback off of, or do you need to get a camera with an integrated spotlight like we found in our Ring Spotlight Camera analysis? You want to make sure your cameras are working well and seeing everything, no matter the time of day. Cover You're going to want to make sure that whatever cameras you're purchasing are weatherproof, but you're also going to want to consider cover when you're placing them. A camera stuck on top of a fence post isn't going to last as long as one mounted under an awning. Not only will you improve the life of your cameras by giving them a bit of cover, you're going to make sure they're still seeing everything, even if the weather turns foul. Check and Recheck Once you've installed your cameras, make sure you're testing their placement. Get out and walk around your property and check your playback. See where the blind spots are, and adjust if necessary. Do this in the daytime, and do it at night. You won't have to do it forever, but you will want to make sure you've done enough legwork and fine-tuned adjustments to ensure your cameras are providing you with the security you think they are. It's important to consider your camera's field of vision. Around 160 degrees is good, but some rotating models can offer close to 360 degrees of vision. It all depends on what you need it for. There you have it. That's everything you need to know about the placement of security cameras around your property. We just have one final thought before we go. Final Thoughts on Security Camera Placement As we’ve said, each home is different and each property owner's security needs will be different. The best thing to do is read this guide, read the recommendations of your camera manufacturer, and apply some critical thinking. If you were a burglar, how would you get into your home? What would stop you? Of course, we think the answer you're going to come to is some well-placed security cameras. And if you're thinking the same, you should head over to our list of the best security cameras of . There you'll find exactly what you need to keep your family and belongings safe.

---

### Can Security Cameras See Inside Cars?

> Yes, security cameras can see inside cars, but clarity depends on resolution, lighting, glass type, tint, and distance from the camera.

- Published: 2023-01-06
- Modified: 2024-07-30
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/cars/

Like many folks today, you’re probably increasingly concerned about your privacy. And for good reason. It’s estimated that the average American is caught on camera about 250 times per week, and there are about 1 billion — that’s with a B — security cameras in use around the world. That’s a lot of surveillance. So you probably realize that you’ll be on camera when you’re out and about, shopping in stores, or walking to the park. But what about when you’re driving in your car? Can security cameras see you there too? Well, it depends. Let’s unpack this issue a little further, though. One of the determining factors is the quality of the camera and its purpose. If you’re interested in the technical capacities of these devices, you might want to read up on security camera audio capabilities. Just How Good Is the Camera? If your neighbor has a basic security camera watching over their entryway, it probably won’t be able to make out the color of your eyes as you drive down the street past their house. However, if a municipal red light camera catches you blowing through that intersection, yeah, it’s likely that camera can make out enough detail to convict you. It really depends on how the camera was designed and what its purpose is. Lorex Outdoor Camera Installed That said, there are really five considerations regarding whether or not a camera is going to be able to see inside a car. Camera Resolution Without getting too far into the weeds, a camera’s resolution is essentially a technical descriptor of how much detail it’s able to capture. The industry standard these days is 1080p, which is perfect if you want to see exactly who’s approaching your house or identify the make and model of the car belonging to the guy who just stole your package. However, some manufacturers — like the one in our Lorex review — offer 2K and even 4K models, which make it possible to capture much finer detail. Simply put, the higher the camera’s resolution, the more likely it is that it can see inside cars. Lighting While modern security cameras have some really impressive high-tech features, they aren’t magic. They require light to work. If the lighting in the area being recorded is poor, the image quality is going to suffer. Now some cameras — like the one we found when we analyzed Arlo — have exceptional low-light and night-vision capabilities, but a security camera simply isn’t going to see as well at midnight as it will at noon. Arlo Pro 3 Video Quality Type of Glass Many modern cars have what’s called privacy glass. Privacy glass is created by adding a dye during the glass manufacturing process, which results in — you guessed it — darker glass. The darker the glass, the harder it’s going to be to see through with a security camera. This dovetails nicely into our next item. Window Tint Similar to privacy glass, a window’s tint effectively darkens the glass. However, unlike privacy glass — which is a pricier process — a tint is applied as a film over existing transparent glass. The benefit here is cost, of course, but also customizability. Different levels of tint can be applied, as well as different reflective finishes. The darker and more reflective it is, the harder it’s going to be on security cameras. Distance Even the most advanced security cameras on earth aren’t going to be able to make out what’s going on in a car if it’s too far away. OK, maybe top-secret orbital spy satellites can, but nothing that’s going to be sitting on your neighbor's gate. If you’re concerned that a security camera might be taking an unnecessary peek at what you’re doing in your car, the farther you can be from it, the less likely it is to be capturing meaningful detail. The most powerful camera on earth, the LSST, has a resolution of 3. 2 gigapixels. That means that once it’s operational, it will be able to take a photo of a single speck of dust on the moon. So now that you understand the factors at play, let’s talk about why security camera manufacturers and property owners might want cameras that can see inside cars. Why Would You Want a Camera to See Inside a Car? Simply put, a lot of illegal activity goes on in cars. That’s why it’s in law enforcement’s best interest to deploy cameras that can look through automotive glass in crime-prone areas like empty parking lots and garages. The Ring Floodlight Cam Similarly, these property owners don’t want their resources being used for nefarious purposes. If security cameras are in use, criminals are less likely to hang around. If you’re concerned that your cameras might not be capturing all they could, make sure you read up on security camera placement. It’s just as important — if not more important — than the types of cameras you’re using when it comes to security functionality. Now, with that said, we are big proponents of privacy, and we really don’t like the argument that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about. We get that you might not want someone watching you eat your lunch in your company’s parking lot while you’re listening to a podcast, so here’s how to shield yourself a little better. How Can You Stop Security Cameras From Seeing Inside Your Car? First, take into account what we just discussed about the factors that determine if a security camera can see into your car. Consider tinting your windows, and consider how far away you are from visible security cameras. You likely won’t be able to tell how high-tech the cameras are, but if you’re not directly under them, you’ll likely have a little privacy. Also, don’t bother trying to jump through any hoops in attempts to block a security camera like shining a laser pointer at it or purchasing some kind of jammer. Those are illegal and probably a scam. And if you damage someone else’s property, you’re likely to find yourself in some legal hot water. Final Thoughts on Security Cameras and Cars Long story short — yes, security cameras can see inside cars. However, there are plenty of factors determining just how clearly the picture will come through, and there are steps you can take if you’re concerned about your privacy. And if you’re considering getting some security cameras of your own, a great place to start would be our roundup of the best security cameras of . There you’ll find top-tier cameras that can see just about anything.

---

### When Were Security Cameras Invented?

> Security cameras started in the 1920s in Russia for Kremlin surveillance; today, they offer HD video, smart alerts, and integrate into smart homes globally.

- Published: 2023-01-06
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/history/

Most of us have always lived with security cameras watching over us at retail shops and public spaces, but in the grand scheme of things, these devices are still relatively new. Only about a century old, security cameras have grown from clunky pieces of technology to the lean, sleek, smart designs we know today. But let’s hop in the time machine and head all the way back to when a moving picture was a novel idea. Moving Pictures: 1878 to 1900 The idea of motion pictures has been around for quite some time and predates the security camera by around 50 years. Eadweard Muybridge was the first to develop a motion picture camera, called the zoopraxiscope, in 1873, but it wasn’t until 1893 that the first public demonstration of a motion picture was achieved. By the early 1910s, the motion picture industry was born. Which sets the stage for the creation of the first surveillance cameras. The Early History: 1927 to 1942 It makes sense that surveillance equipment developed where and when there was a need for such activity. The first documented use case of a surveillance camera dates back to the Stalin regime in Russia. There, a scientist named Léon Theremin invented a wireless system that could connect a video camera and a monitor, and the first security camera was born. His invention was first used to watch visitors coming through the Kremlin, but the system’s popularity began to grow. If you’re interested in protecting your home like Stalin was protecting the Kremlin, check out our review of Lorex security cameras. They’re powerful, reliable, and highly customizable. Lorex Indoor Camera on Table Other totalitarian countries caught on, too. About 15 years after the Soviets created their system, the Nazis constructed one of their own. This system, designed by German engineer Walter Bruch, helped scientists observe the launches of V-2 rockets from the airfields at Peenemunde. Not the most prestigious start for security cameras, but it does get better from here. Growing Pains: 1949 to 1971 These rudimentary systems in Germany and Russia were a pretty far way off from what we’d consider a modern security camera system. The resolution was sub-par, and there was no capacity for recording, meaning they had to be constantly monitored. However, one American company, Vericon, saw opportunities with this new technology and began to manufacture them for industrial and commercial use. These systems also lacked the ability to record, but two years later, in 1951, the videotape recorder was invented. Using reel-to-reel magnetic tape, the VTR was able to record a live image and play it back — space-age stuff at the time. This massive piece of equipment debuted for public use in 1956, and cost $50,000 — or about half a million in today’s currency. If you’re trying to outfit your property with security cameras but also don’t want to spend half a million dollars, check out our review of Wyze. They’re our favorite affordable security cameras. The Wyze Outdoor Cam v2 outfitted with a solar panel. This was obviously out of reach for most consumers. That means the security industry exclusively evolved around large corporations and governments that could afford the equipment and had specific needs. However, as we know, technology tends to get smaller, faster, and more affordable. And that’s exactly what happened here. In 1968, Olean, N. Y. became the first community in the U. S. to install a security camera on its main street. The feed was broadcast directly to the local police station; however, these systems still required constant monitoring or a VTR to be effective. Until the videocassette came along. Video Killed the Radio Star: 1969 What really changed the game for security cameras was the invention of videocassettes. Smaller and cheaper than traditional VTR reels, these plastic-enclosed recording tapes could be swapped out quickly and reviewed immediately. The immediate effect was a mainstreaming of video surveillance. No longer was it only for massive corporations and governments with deep pockets — everyday people could incorporate these pieces of equipment into their home security system. Which brings us to the modern home security camera. Not modern as in modern, but modern nonetheless. The Modern Home Security Camera: 1969 to 1980 The first integrated security system for home use was developed by Marie Van Brittan Brown, also in 1969. The system used four peepholes, a sliding surveillance camera, a monitor, and two-way audio functionality — features we see in many modern security cameras of the day. Four days after Brown’s patent was granted, The New York Times ran an article on the invention. Brown went on to be cited in at least 32 patent applications, and she was eventually recognized with an award from the National Scientists Committee. This application of increasingly sophisticated CCTV networks and VCRs helped bring security cameras to average consumers who saw their value as crime deterrents. However, the cameras themselves were still bulky and unsightly. Tapes needed to be switched and archived, and technicians still had to watch for suspicious behaviors. That was set to change, though, using a bunch of ones and zeros. Let's Get Digital: 1987 to 1996 Just like the invention of the VCR, the advent of digital video recording was a massive game changer for security cameras. Kodak was the first to introduce digital cameras back in 1987, and digital video compression was developed in 1993. Apple also dipped its toes in digital imaging in 1994 with the QuickTake 100. Digital video has a lot of benefits over its analog neighbor. For one, the video quality does not degrade over time, nor does it take up as much space to archive. The cameras can be smaller, and they can record for months at a time before running out of space. The development of digital multiplexers in the mid-90s let a single DVR capture and save footage from multiple cameras, allowing the modern networks we’re familiar with today. A Google Nest outdoor camera running off solar power. If you’re looking for high-tech features, check out our review of Google Nest. They’re among the most technologically advanced cameras on the market today. But we’re not done yet. The first IP camera — the Axis NetEye 200 — hit the shelves in 1996. Since it ran using internet protocol, it removed the need for a closed-circuit system, and instead transmitted footage wirelessly over a computer network. This was the foundation of the modern Wi-Fi cameras that lots of us probably have in our homes. Which brings us to today. The Present and Future of Security Cameras Today’s security cameras are almost indistinguishable from their century-old predecessors. Consumers now have access to extremely high video resolutions, smart notifications, color night vision, two-way audio, and a host of other features to help protect their families and their belongings. The cameras of today are simple to set up and just as easy to use. Footage can be streamed from pretty much anywhere in the world using a smartphone. And they can even integrate into a smart home, allowing for all types of automation. Our SimpliSafe Wireless Indoor Camera features a privacy shutter that automatically closes when we’re at home Interested in setting up some cameras for yourself? A great place to start is our roundup of this year’s best security cameras. There you’ll find something for just about every need and every budget.

---

### Can Security Cameras Record Audio?

> Security cameras can record audio, but legality varies by state. Most effective when subjects are nearby; ambient noise may affect clarity. Check local laws.

- Published: 2023-01-05
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/audio/

You might be interested in keeping tabs on the things going on outside your home, and one of the best ways to do that is by setting up a few security cameras. But sometimes video isn’t enough. Sometimes you need to hear what’s going on, too. So let’s address our first question right now. Do Security Cameras Record Audio? The good news is that, technologically speaking, a lot of modern security cameras can record audio. Some even allow you to talk back and hold conversations in real time. This functionality is super helpful if a stranger is at your door and you’re not quite sure if you want to open up. Here’s a list of the reviews of some of our favorite cameras with two-way audio: SimpliCam Lorex Ring Wyze Canary So, yes, today’s sophisticated security cameras will be able to record audio. But should you? Is It Legal to Record Audio With a Security Camera? Oddly enough, the laws differ pretty significantly when it comes to recording audio versus video. Unless you’re purposefully using your security camera to invade someone else’s privacy, you’re free to record all the video you’d like. However, when it comes to audio, there are some state-by-state considerations. The Ring Video Doorbell If you live in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah, or Washington, you’re going to need to be careful. All-party consent is required before you can record sound legally, meaning you can get into trouble if your security camera is picking up the conversations of passers-by. So, if you’re interested in recording audio as part of your home security system and you live in one of the states listed above, we recommend researching your local laws carefully. If you live in an all-party-consent state, you might even consider calling your local law enforcement agency’s non-emergency contact to make sure everything’s above board. If you’re illegally recording audio, it’s not going to be admissible as evidence in court, and you might even find yourself in legal trouble. Now, if you want to record audio and you’re not going to do it illegally, let’s talk about what you can realistically expect. Security Camera Audio Recording Capabilities Real life isn’t like the movies where you can click a button that says “enhance” and suddenly garbled, hushed whispers will suddenly sound like they’re coming through a megaphone. So, with that in mind, it’s unreasonable to expect your security camera to be able to pick up what song that guy is humming to himself while he’s walking his dog past your driveway. Most audio functionality is really only going to work if a person is standing in close proximity to the camera. Reolink claims to have cameras that can pick up clear audio from up to 6 meters away, but we couldn’t really confirm or deny that in our Reolink review. We’ve found that most security camera audio recorders do best when the subject speaking is within 10 feet of the microphone. Reolink Argus 2E installed above front porch That said, security camera audio capabilities are getting better. One of our favorite security camera manufacturers, Arlo, has been experimenting with noise cancellation technology that digitally removes the background noise from meaningful audio. It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly getting better. You can read more about them in our hands-on Arlo Pro 3 review. Finally, some cameras, like we saw in our review of the Blink Mini, have noise detection capacities, where they will alert you if they hear something over a certain decibel threshold. This is great functionality if you want to know exactly what it was that went bump in the night. Certain security systems — like we saw in our Vivint sensor review — come with glass-break sensors that work much in the same way. They are tuned to listen for the high-pitched frequencies of breaking glass and will sound if they detect something — or someone — coming through your windows. Final Thoughts on Security Camera Audio If you’re looking for a security camera with audio capability, you’re in luck. There are loads to choose from, and two-way audio is quickly becoming a standard feature on most middle-of-the-road to high-end cameras in the industry today. ADT Outdoor Camera Mounted That said, make sure you live in a state where audio surveillance won’t get you into trouble. There is a lot of gray area here, so be sure that what you’re doing won’t get you into trouble, or make it so your footage is unusable if you need to bring it to court. Do your research and seek out professional guidance if you can’t get a clear answer. Finally, don’t expect too much. Ambient noise, passing cars, lawnmowers, and leaf blowers are all going to interfere with your ability to record clear audio. Remember, you’re not in a recording studio; you’re outside in your front yard.

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### Can I Block My Neighbor’s Security Camera?

> Your neighbor's security cameras are legal if they’re for security and in public view. Try talking, blocking views, or mediating, but avoid illegal tampering.

- Published: 2023-01-05
- Modified: 2024-07-31
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/neighbors/

Everyone has a story about a bad neighbor or two. Maybe they like to throw parties that go late into the night. Maybe they keep an impressive collection of junk cars and broken dryers on their front lawn. Maybe they stop you every time you leave your condo and lock you into hour-long conversations when you’re already running behind, Doris. Don’t ask. Argus Eco in Our Driveway But one particular bad neighbor stands out — the extra paranoid guy with the array of security cameras pointed in every direction. What exactly is he trying to keep an eye on? Is it you? If your neighbor is putting up security cameras, maybe you need to think about doing the same. If you’re in the market, check out our guide to the best security cameras of . You might be wondering if you can block your neighbor’s security cameras, or if what they’re doing is even legal in the first place. Isn’t it an invasion of your privacy to be recorded by this weirdo every time you check the mail? We’re going to answer all of those questions and more, so don’t worry. Let’s start with the legal question because that’s going to determine your next steps. The Legality of Security Cameras As uncomfortable as it might make you, your neighbor is well within their right to put up security cameras on their property, even if they happen to be pointing toward your property. There is some nuance to this, but it all gets down to their purposes for having the cameras, and your reasonable expectation of privacy. Your neighbor, just like you, is a property owner. They get to choose how they would like to protect their property from would-be thieves, just like you do. They might opt to build a fence or put in an alarm system; or they might outfit their doors and windows with smart locks and sensors. In fact, they might’ve just opted to put in a camera or two. As long as the primary purpose for the cameras is security, legally speaking, they’re free to do whatever they want. The next issue is your expectation of privacy. Simply put, if you’re out in public, you have none. You can be recorded by anyone at any time, as long as it’s not in gross violation of your rights. That means if the area being recorded by your neighbor’s cameras is within public view — your front yard that’s visible from the street, for instance — you have very little ground to stand on if you choose to ask them to remove it. If their camera records audio, there might be a bit of a loophole depending on the state you live in. Some jurisdictions are two-party consent states when it comes to audio recording. If you don’t explicitly agree to have your voice recorded in a private area in one of these states, what they’re doing could be illegal. That said, we’re not lawyers; we’re security experts. Lorex Outdoor Camera Installed As we mentioned, there is some gray area here. If your neighbor put a camera on a 10-foot pole to see over your fence and record what’s going on in your backyard pool, you have a bit more room to complain. There’s no real security reason for that camera, and it’s broaching on your expectation of privacy. If you can demonstrate this type of overstep, you might be able to legally compel them to remove the camera. So with that in mind, let’s discuss what you can do. How to Block Your Neighbor's Security Camera Now that you understand the legality of your neighbor’s cameras, let’s talk about what you can do to rectify the situation. We’re going to start with the simplest solution first. Talk to Your Neighbor You might be rolling your eyes right now, but hear us out. Most people don’t want to be jerks, and your neighbor might not realize how uncomfortable their cameras are making you. Collect yourself and knock on their door. Some advice, though: Don’t approach the situation with hostility. Instead, go on a fact-finding mission. Ask them why they’ve installed the cameras, and if they realize they’re pointed at your property. Let them know the situation is making you a little uneasy, and tell them you want to come to a compromise that makes everyone happy. If your neighbor is a reasonable person, this might be all you need to do. According to psychological research, most people don’t realize when they’re being offensive. If the offensive behavior is pointed out, most people are likely to become embarrassed and reverse course. Now, we give this advice knowing full well that some neighbors are going to be unreasonable. If the situation is delicate, or if you fear you might be unsafe speaking with your neighbor face to face, obviously skip this step. Move on to No. 2. SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Block the Camera’s View Take a look at where the camera is pointing, and try and get a sense of what it can see. Is there any way you can plant some hedges or maybe extend your fence to prevent it from seeing onto your property? Can you get some better blinds, maybe, to prevent it from seeing into your living room? Hey, you were thinking about building that pergola anyway – maybe now is a good time to start that project. Just make sure that whatever modifications you make are on your own property. Keep in mind that a lot of modern cameras have extremely wide-angle lenses and long ranges, meaning they’re seeing a lot more than what’s directly in front of them. Read more about this in our review of Lorex’s security cameras. Seek the Help of a Mediator If tensions are high between you and your neighbor, there might be community services available to help you mitigate the situation. Look into local conflict resolution and mediation services. These are often nonprofit organizations that seek to intervene in the early stages of a dispute to avoid escalation or the involvement of authorities. Speak to Local Law Enforcement If nothing else works, you might need to get in touch with your local police. Call the non-emergency number, and ask them what they recommend. Keep in mind, though, that this will likely escalate tensions further between you and your neighbor, and unless they are doing something blatantly illegal, the police aren’t going to be able to help you. Your city might have non-emergency public safety officers that can help deal with these types of situations. Look into your resources before calling the officers in blue. Note this is just general advice. Since every situation is unique, it’s all about getting creative with the solution. Before we conclude, though, we need to tell you what not to do. Don’t Do Anything Stupid Regardless of how you feel about them, those cameras are your neighbor’s property. If you tamper with them, vandalize them, or destroy them, it’s your door the police will be knocking on. And guess what? Your neighbor is going to have plenty of evidence it was you. The same goes with “hacks” you’re going to read about in online forums. Yeah, you can maybe blind an infrared sensor with a laser pointer or LED, but how exactly are you going to rig that up? How can you make sure it’s shining directly into the camera’s sensor? Do you want to set up a super powerful spotlight that shines directly onto your neighbor’s security camera at all times? Seems like a huge headache waiting to happen, and it probably won’t work anyway. A lot of “advice” will tell you to “block the infrared sensor” by shining light at it. This won’t work on a lot of modern cameras since most of them now use color night vision. Check out our review of the Arlo Pro 3 to learn more. And finally, no, you’re not going to somehow “jam” their security camera. Anyone trying to sell you a security camera “jammer” is probably a “scammer. ” You can purchase Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular disruptors from sketchy sources. However even if they work — and that’s a big maybe — they’re likely not going to be powerful enough to do anything but mess up your own network unless you’re paying thousands of dollars for them. Oh, and they’re also super illegal, as per FCC regulations. So don’t even go there. Arlo Pro 3 Cameras Final Thoughts on Blocking Security Cameras So here’s the long and short of it. Unless your neighbor is deliberately trying to spy on you — and you can prove it — there’s probably nothing you can do to force them to take down their cameras. Your best bet is to talk with them face to face, or if that doesn’t work, think outside the box about how you can shield your property from their camera’s view.

---

### Defender Security Cameras Review

> Defender cameras offer 4K and 2K resolutions for affordable prices, but the Phoenix model lacks features. Bundling saves more, but reliability is mixed.

- Published: 2023-01-05
- Modified: 2025-02-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/defender/



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### Ring Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals [year]

> Ring cameras are on sale with up to 50% off this Black Friday 2025 on Amazon and Ring’s site. Deals include Indoor Cam for $29.99 and bundles for $249.99.

- Published: 2022-11-07
- Modified: 2024-11-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/black-friday/



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### Ecobee Smart Security Review & Pricing Guide [year]

> Ecobee Smart Security is a solid choice for uncluttered home protection with cheap $10 professional monitoring, but lacks video doorbell and automatic sirens.

- Published: 2022-05-23
- Modified: 2023-10-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ecobee/



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### Window Alarm Sensors

> Window alarm sensors detect opened or broken windows, triggering alerts or alarms. Pair with glass-break sensors for comprehensive home security.

- Published: 2022-05-19
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/motion-sensors/window/



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### Door Alarm Sensors

> Door alarm sensors use reed switches and magnets to alert you when doors open, costing between $10-$200. They're essential for home security.

- Published: 2022-05-18
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/motion-sensors/door/



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### ADT Video Doorbells — Plans, Features, and Pricing in [year]

> ADT's video doorbell costs $200 and is included in their $1,049 Video & Smart plan with a $59.99/month monitoring fee, requiring a 24-36 month contract.

- Published: 2022-05-18
- Modified: 2025-02-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/adt/



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### What Is Vandalism?

> Vandalism is intentional property damage, like graffiti or slashed tires. It's a crime with varying penalties. Security measures can deter vandals.

- Published: 2022-05-12
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vandalism/



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### What Is Home Invasion?

> Home invasions are rare but dangerous; most involve someone the victim knows. Protect yourself with security systems, cameras, and deterrents.

- Published: 2022-05-11
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/home-invasion/



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### How Much Does a Home Security System Cost?

> You can set up a basic home security system for $200-$300, but advanced options with professional monitoring can run $500-$1,000 plus $20-$50 monthly fees.

- Published: 2022-05-10
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cost/



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### Who Invented the Home Security System?

> Marie Van Brittan Brown invented the first modern home security system in the 1960s, using TV surveillance and a two-way microphone.

- Published: 2022-05-10
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/history/



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### ADT Video Doorbell Review [year]

> ADT's video doorbell offers 180-degree views and infrared night vision, but its 720p resolution and lack of motion zones fall short compared to competitors.

- Published: 2022-05-10
- Modified: 2024-08-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/adt/reviews/



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### Best Security Cameras for Apartments in [year]

> In 2025, SimpliSafe tops the list for apartment security cameras with its affordable DIY setup and intruder deterrence features. ADT and Lorex follow closely.

- Published: 2022-04-22
- Modified: 2025-07-22
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/apartments/



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### Best Solar-Powered Security Cameras of [year]

> ADT, Lorex, and Ring lead in solar-powered security cameras for 2025. ADT offers seamless integration, Lorex provides versatile options, and Ring excels with equipment.

- Published: 2022-04-22
- Modified: 2025-07-22
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/solar/



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### Best Security Cameras for Businesses in [year]

> The best business security cameras in 2025 are ADT for professional monitoring, Lorex for features, and Ring for customization, with each scoring 9.2/10.

- Published: 2022-04-20
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/business/



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### ADT Home Security Cameras Pricing and Features [year]

> ADT's security cameras offer 1080p HD video, two-way audio, infrared night vision, and AI detection. Monitoring costs $45.99 to $59.99 monthly.

- Published: 2022-04-20
- Modified: 2024-10-01
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/adt/



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### Best Security Cameras With No Subscription in [year]

> ADT and Lorex offer top security cameras without fees, featuring reliable quality and no subscription. Wyze and Zmodo provide affordable options.

- Published: 2022-04-13
- Modified: 2025-04-17
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/no-subscription/



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### Best PoE Security Cameras of [year]

> Lorex offers the best PoE security cameras with top-notch features and user experience. Zmodo provides budget-friendly options, while Night Owl is reliable.

- Published: 2022-04-13
- Modified: 2025-03-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/poe/



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### ADT Home Security Cameras Review [year]

> ADT security cameras offer solid 1080p video, weatherproofing, and integration with Google Nest. Their plans start at $45/month with professional installation.

- Published: 2022-04-06
- Modified: 2025-07-25
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/adt/reviews/



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### Best 4K Security Camera System

> Lorex offers the best 4K security cameras with versatile options, Arlo excels in DIY installation, and Google Nest provides excellent tech but lacks true 4K.

- Published: 2022-04-05
- Modified: 2025-03-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/4k/



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### Aura Identity Theft Protection Review

> Aura offers comprehensive identity theft protection with VPN, antivirus, and password manager. It includes $1M in insurance but comes at a premium price.

- Published: 2021-11-02
- Modified: 2025-08-13
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/aura/reviews/



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### Aura Identity Theft Protection Brand

> Aura Identity Theft Protection includes anti-tracking, email masking, and ad-blocking. It offers $1M insurance, a VPN, and antivirus with flexible plans.

- Published: 2021-11-01
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/aura/



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### SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Review

> SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera impresses with 1080p video, AI features, and strong construction but falls short due to high costs and limited standalone functionality.

- Published: 2021-10-22
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/simplisafe-outdoor-camera/



---

### Home 2021

> SafeHome is the #1 trusted resource for home security and safety. Our experts share tips and ways to protect yourself and your family.

- Published: 2021-08-26
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/



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### Wyze Home Monitoring: Packages, Plans and Costs

> Wyze Home Monitoring offers the cheapest security at $59.98 for the starter kit with $5/month monitoring, but lacks ADT's and Vivint's advanced features.

- Published: 2021-08-26
- Modified: 2024-06-18
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/wyze/



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### Wyze Home Monitoring Review

> The Wyze Home Monitoring system offers low-cost equipment and monitoring but lacks cellular backup and advanced smart home integration.

- Published: 2021-08-26
- Modified: 2023-10-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/wyze/reviews/



---

### Max Sheridan

- Published: 2021-07-26
- Modified: 2024-09-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/max-sheridan/

Max Sheridan brings over two decades of writing experience to our team. He has spent 1,000-plus hours researching VPNs, identity theft protection, and various topics in cyber technology. Previously, Max was an investigative journalist, and he is also a published novelist. He earned a B. A. in Classics from the University of Virginia and an M. A. in Classics from the University of Illinois. He currently lives in Nicosia, Cyprus. Articles Written by Max: The Identity Theft Protection Guide Identity Guard Review

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### Reolink Argus 2E Review

> Reolink Argus 2E is a budget-friendly, weatherproof camera with 1080p HD, two-way talk, and local/cloud storage. Limited features but reliable. $74.99.

- Published: 2021-06-24
- Modified: 2024-08-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/argus-2e/



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### SimpliSafe Prime Day 2024 Deals and Special Discounts

> SimpliSafe Prime Day 2025 cuts prices by 50%, with systems starting at $99.99. Check Amazon and SimpliSafe's site for the best deals on affordable security.

- Published: 2021-04-26
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/prime-day/



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### Prime Day 2024: Ring Alarm Deals

> Ring Alarm's Prime Day 2025 offers 40% off, with kits starting at $119.99. It's a top DIY pick, despite fewer advanced features.

- Published: 2021-04-26
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ring-alarm/prime-day/



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### Arlo Camera Prime Day [year] Deals

> Arlo Prime Day 2024 offers huge savings on top cameras: Arlo Ultra 2 pack is $419.99, Pro 5S pack $299.99, and Essential Indoor Wired $59.99.

- Published: 2021-04-22
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/arlo/prime-day/



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### Doorbell Camera Prime Day [year] Deals and Discounts

> Prime Day 2025 offers up to 63% off on video doorbells. Best deals include Ring at $49.99 and Blink at $29.99. Arlo and Nest offer advanced features.

- Published: 2021-04-21
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/prime-day/



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### Nest Cam Prime Day [year] Deals

> Nest Cam Prime Day 2025 offers up to $80 off. Key deals: Nest Cam (wired) at $69.99, Nest Cam (battery) at $124, and Nest Doorbell (battery) at $119.99.

- Published: 2021-04-19
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/nest-camera/prime-day/



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### Ring Camera Prime Day Deals [year]

> Ring Prime Day 2024 offers up to 50% off, with Indoor Cams at $29.99 and Floodlight Cam Plus at $119.99. Best buys: Indoor Cam, Stick Up Cam.

- Published: 2021-04-16
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/prime-day/



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### IdentityIQ Subscription Plan Pricing

> IdentityIQ’s top plan costs $29.99/month, offers triple-bureau credit monitoring, but lacks financial account monitoring. Dark web and identity alerts included.

- Published: 2021-04-12
- Modified: 2024-12-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/identityiq/



---

### Reolink Argus 3 Pro Camera Review

> Reolink Argus 3 Pro offers 2K HD, motion spotlight, and color night vision but lacks advanced motion features and continuous recording. Priced at $109.99.

- Published: 2021-03-31
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/argus-3-pro/



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### Reolink E1 Outdoor Camera Review

> Reolink E1 Outdoor offers 5MP resolution, PTZ, and weatherproof design for $100. Pros include color night vision and two-way talk; cons are wired setup and sluggish features.

- Published: 2021-03-31
- Modified: 2024-08-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/e1-outdoor/



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### Lorex Doorbell Camera Review

> Lorex's 2K video doorbell offers stellar video quality, color night vision, and local storage without monthly fees. However, installation can be challenging.

- Published: 2021-02-08
- Modified: 2025-08-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/lorex/reviews/



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### How Much Are Security Cameras?

> Ring tops security cameras with features like 3D motion detection and built-in siren for $229.99. Blink offers budget-friendly options at $63.99.

- Published: 2021-02-08
- Modified: 2024-07-30
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/cost/

When most people think about security cameras, they immediately start seeing dollar signs. But that knee-jerk response isn’t always justified. As technologies have progressed and DIY home security has become more popular, you can protect you family and your property these days without breaking the bank. Just how affordable can security cameras be? Well, we think you’ll be surprised. Reolink Argus Cameras Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to figure out exactly how much it’s going to cost you. Security camera pricing is all over the map, and sometimes the same brand will have budget-friendly equipment alongside account-draining, feature-laden cameras that you may or may not even need. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help you simplify your search and zero in on the brand that’s right for you. If you’re looking for cameras that aren’t going to break the bank, check out our guide to the best affordable security cameras of 2023. There you’ll find equipment that will provide you all the protection you need without having to dip into your retirement account. Camera Equipment Costs If you’re thinking about purchasing security cameras from some of our favorite budget-friendly brands, you might be looking at around $25 for an individual, plug-in indoor camera. If you’re looking for high-end outdoor equipment with all the bells and whistles, you might be paying upwards of $400 per unit. But if you’re looking for a network of cameras, naturally, you’re going to pay more. We’ve seen it done effectively for as low as $200, but depending on the size of your property, the equipment you want, and your specific security needs, you could easily spend upwards of $4,000. Those are pretty wide ranges, we know. But again, we’re talking about an industry that’s brimming with variety, with all kinds of new and advanced technology hitting the market at rapid-fire speed. For a more detailed breakdown, here’s a look at pricing on a handful of popular security cameras: Snapshot of Security Camera Pricing Camera Key Features Price Ring Spotlight Cam Pro 3D Motion Detection Integrated Spotlights Built-In Siren $229. 99 Arlo Pro 5S 2K 2k Resolution Color Night Vision Battery Operated Sale: $199. 99 Blink Outdoor Two-Year Battery Life Simple DIY Set Up Two-Way Audio Sale: $63. 99 Wyze Cam Outdoor V2 1080P Color Night Vision PIR Motion Detection 6-Month Battery Life $119. 99 Google Nest Cam AI-Powered Alerts Familiar Face Feature DIY-Install Sale: $139. 99 Amcrest Outdoor POE 5MP Resolution 98-Foot Night Vision Range Two-Way Audio $57. 99 Swann Pan and Tilt Pan and Tilt Functionality Two-Way Talk 1080P Resolution $99. 99 Lorex 2K Wired Floodlight Cam Integrated Floodlight 2K Resolution Smart Detections $249. 99 Canary View 1080p Resolution Motion Alerts Night Vision $99. 99 Reolink E1 Pro Pan and Tilt Function Two-Way Audio 2K Resolution Sale: $82. 67 Zmodo 1080p Indoor and Outdoor Camera AI-Powered Motion Detection 1080p Resolution Night Vision $39. 99 Keep in mind that these costs only cover equipment; when you look deeper into cloud video storage, installation, and other extras, the individual costs will climb higher per camera. Blink Mini Packaging Camera Installation Costs These days, most security cameras are DIY, which means you probably won’t need to pay for professional installation. If you do want to add this, though, we suggest looking into an Arlo camera, which offers professional installation as an add-on to the brand’s cloud storage subscription. For more on what Arlo is all about (and they’re definitely about quality! ), check out our full Arlo camera review. Certain brands, like ADT and Vivint, actually require professional installation. You can expect to pay between $100 and $200 for a technician to professionally install your security camera(s) and home security system. To learn more about what these companies bring to the table, we recommend reading our roundup of Vivint pricing and our in-depth look at ADT’s packages and plans. Vivint Outdoor Camera Video Quality Security Camera Monitoring Costs If you’re comfortable monitoring your cameras yourself, you’ll save money overall – especially if you use local storage. You can pay around $25, for example, and get a micro SD card with a decent amount of storage that will probably last you several months (unless you’ve got 12 cameras connected to it, of course). Failing that, you’ve always got the cloud; almost every camera brand out there offers monthly cloud storage through a subscription. Those costs are usually pretty reasonable (about $5 per month), but we do recommend paying special attention to the fine print here, as some plans offer extra features that you can’t get otherwise. Ring, a leader in this space, makes cloud storage pretty easy and affordable, with some storage offered free of charge through Ring Protect. When we tested and reviewed Ring cameras, we upgraded to the $4-per-month subscription that got us 60 days of video history, video sharing, and snapshot capture. That was more than enough for our purposes; we chose not to spring for the $10-per-month plan, which adds 24/7 recording and an extended warranty. Beyond that, our best advice for comparing camera pricing is to read the fine print, understand what your needs are, and be patient. You’re sure to find the right price – and the right setup. While you’re at it, visit our home security camera buying guide for an even deeper look at pricing. And to find the perfect security camera for your budget and lifestyle, we also recommend digging into our latest guide on the best home security cameras out there.

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### How to Install Security Cameras

> Ring tops the list for best home security cameras. DIY installations are easy, but professional installs offer convenience, especially for outdoor setups.

- Published: 2021-02-04
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/how-to-install/

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: Most security cameras are easy to install. Older versions of home security systems and cameras often included complex equipment, leading some folks to call on a professional for installation and setup. But with an industry brimming with newer, smarter, DIY cameras, it’s now easier than ever for anyone – regardless of technical expertise – to install cameras. Ring Stick Up Cam Sometimes, it’s nothing more than placing the device on a shelf, as in our photo above. But with so many cameras to choose from, and so many features, extras, and occasional tech hiccups you might encounter along the way, it’s always wise to begin the installation process with a healthy dose of patience. That’s even true for gearheads like us! In this How To Install Security Cameras guide, our team breaks down everything you can expect from your home security camera installation experience, including how to position and display your camera, how to get the best viewing angles, what tools and resources to use, and key differences we found among the many cameras we’ve installed over the years. Let’s get started. Camera Location: Where to Display, and How to Angle Many of us have a specific reason for wanting to add a security camera. Maybe you’ve seen a jump in package thefts around your neighborhood lately, and you need more outdoor coverage. Or, perhaps your elderly mother just moved in with you, and you worry about her safety while you’re at work. Installing security cameras, for our team, ends up working kind of like a dance. We test out one angle or corner, take a couple of steps back, and make changes as we go. Repeat as needed. Reolink Argus 2 Camera on Shelf Here are a few other considerations when determining your camera’s angle and position: Think about entry and exit points, like front and back doors, gates, or garages. Check for glare from lighting in the area. Try not to angle the camera directly toward any lighting. Check for blind spots, and add more cameras if needed. Angle the camera downward. Secure the camera tightly using the included hardware. If you’re placing a camera outside, try to position it out of reach from the passersby. Keep your focus specific when going into the installation process, take your time, and don’t be afraid to take down the camera setup and try again if you have to. What You’ll Need to Install Security Cameras If you’re adding DIY cameras to your home, in many cases, everything you need in addition to the camera itself is included in the box. This typically includes a couple of screws, some mounting hardware, a base that screws onto the camera, an instruction manual, and batteries if you purchased a wireless camera. Blink Indoor Equipment This all-in-one setup is particularly appealing for folks who prefer a hands-off approach to technology. If you fit this description, you’re in luck; there’s certainly no shortage of cameras to choose from here. For starters, we were impressed with Blink, the Amazon-owned brand of DIY cameras that run on long-life batteries. Check out our full Blink camera review to learn all about our experience testing those cameras, which also happen to be quite affordable. And if you’re leaning toward wire-free cameras but you’re not sure which one, check out our roundup of the best wireless security cameras to help you narrow it down. Beyond the fully DIY configurations, though, you might encounter some complexities if you’re installing wired cameras, which may require more tools and/or resources, like extension cords or ethernet cables. Wired cameras don’t have a battery backup and must be plugged in. We’ve found that this limits us somewhat, as we can’t just install the camera anywhere we want. But on the plus side, you don’t have batteries to charge or replace. For more tips on choosing the right camera, check out our security camera buyer’s guide. If you’re planning to hang a wired camera on a wall or mount it from a ceiling, for instance, you’re going to need, at the very least, a drill and a ladder. Beyond that, we always advise installing security cameras with at least one other person. This way, one person can be on the ground as a test subject, while another can be closer to the camera, moving or testing angles. How to Install Security Cameras: DIY vs. Professional Installation In our experience testing and reviewing cameras, we’ve found that installations fall into one of two categories: DIY or professional. The former category is much bigger, and growing. In DIY cameras, you’ll find an easy, straightforward installation that only takes 10 minutes or so. Of course, there’s always the occasional ladder to climb, or a couple of turns with the drill, but we’ve reviewed DIY cameras that make this step pretty easy, too. Canary Flex Mounted on Wall Cameras with professional installation, by and large, come from security brands that package cameras as a system. This may or may not include alarms, sensors, a keypad, and other security equipment. If you’re looking to add a whole-home system with cameras, like the Alder security system we reviewed recently, you’ll have the option to schedule a professional installation at the same time that you order your system. With professional installation, an installation technician will come into your home to get your camera installed correctly. This is great because you don’t have to worry about proper placement or climbing ladders. But on the other hand, it can cost money and it’s not always convenient to wait around for the tech’s visit. If you would rather do away with the added expense of hiring a pro, we can say that SimpliSafe provided one of the easiest installations we’ve ever had in a security system during our tests. In our SimpliSafe review, we were charmed by the stick-on equipment and wireless security cameras that allow for easy installation and relocation. Note, too, that we also see numerous brands that allow the user to choose between DIY and professional installation. That, of course, comes down to your own skill level (or patience level, as the case may be). But we always like having the option at checkout. Setting up our SimpliSafe Wireless Indoor Camera took less than five minutes Indoor vs. Outdoor Installation On the whole, it’s easier to install indoor security cameras than outdoor. Why? For one, we’ve noticed that indoor cameras tend to display better on surfaces, such as fireplace mantels and bookshelves. And even when we decide to mount an indoor camera on a wall, that process is no more difficult than hanging, say, a diploma above your office desk. Outside, things might get a bit more complex – but not anything you can’t handle. You’ll want to pay special attention to glare, as we mentioned earlier, but also look for objects that might be blocking your view – and be willing to climb back up and tinker with angles a few times to get it right. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention security cameras with lighting. We only mention this because – be warned – this is where you might need some hardwiring done. Before reviewing the Ring Floodlight Camera, for example, we sprung for a professional installation, because neither of us is particularly schooled in electrical matters. Ring Floodlight Cam Mounted Outside We simply asked a technician who’d done work for us in the past to return to install it for us. But now, we can’t imagine our back yard without it; this camera has become a critical tool in our own personal “ring” of security and one we recommend often, so it was definitely worth the $100 or so we were charged for installation. Same thing goes for Vivint. But Vivint smart home security systems actually require professional installation. Their feature-rich outdoor camera is pretty sophisticated, and wired, so we welcomed the help. You can read more about Vivint’s professional installation in our hands-on Vivint Review. And here’s a look at the Vivint tech, Don, installing our new security camera. Installation Specialist, Don, Installing the Vivint Outdoor Camera How to Set Up Your Security Camera: Wired vs. Wireless We’ve arrived at setup, the part of the installation process where the cameras can connect to our smartphone and we can begin recording video and monitoring our space. All we really have to do here is download the app that corresponds to our camera, scan a QR code, sit back, and let the technology do what it’s made to do. Installing the Reolink Argus 3 Since the majority of cameras we review are Wi-Fi cameras, we always suggest having your Wi-Fi network credentials handy before beginning any camera setup. This way, you’ll be ready when the app prompts you to insert your Wi-Fi name and password, and the camera can begin recording in no time. This process, we’ve found, tends to vary slightly if you’re adding cameras that feed into a base station or hub. This was the case with Arlo cameras, but all it really meant for us when we tested and reviewed Arlo, one of our favorite camera systems, was about 2-3 minutes of additional setup time. Overall, we appreciate the benefits of hub-based systems like this, as they do a great job smoothing out communication with our Wi-Fi to reduce buffering and connectivity issues. This also adds to the easy installation, meaning you could be up and running with an Arlo system in under a half hour. Arlo Pro 3 Mounted Outside Final Thoughts We’ve covered the essentials of what you can expect out of your security camera installation. We’ve discussed the general setup process, any tools or hardware you might need, and some crucial differences we found between brands. But when all is said and done, do bear in mind that not every installation experience is going to be easy and hassle-free. Indeed, we run into plenty of hiccups with technology, from everyday Wi-Fi slowdowns to irritating setup snags. Luckily, we’ve been able to get help for any issue we were having with our cameras using the resources brands provide on the support pages of their websites. And if we can’t find it there, we’ve found that picking up the phone and giving the company a call is a fine solution, too. If you’re still having trouble installing security cameras, it might be time to bite the bullet and hire a pro. For more comparison shopping, take a look at our roundup of the best professionally installed security systems. We also recommend reading our guide to the best home security cameras available. There, you’ll find lots of information on Ring Cams, our top pick for home surveillance, and plenty of other highly-rated, DIY-friendly devices. So until next time, we hope this guide on How to Install Security Cameras has empowered you to safeguard your home and family.

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### Blink Outdoor Camera Review

> Blink Outdoor Camera 2025 Review: A reliable, budget-friendly camera with DIY setup, 1080p video, two-way talk, and 2-year battery life, but lacks advanced motion features.

- Published: 2021-01-15
- Modified: 2024-08-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/reviews/outdoor/



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### Blink Mini Reviews

> The Blink Mini Camera is budget-friendly at $34.99, easy to set up, and integrates with Alexa but lacks advanced features and requires a subscription for cloud storage.

- Published: 2021-01-05
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/reviews/mini/



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### YI Cameras

> YI cameras are affordable but lack key features like 4K video and smart home integration. Kami offers better integration with Alexa and Google Assistant.

- Published: 2020-12-17
- Modified: 2024-08-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/yi/



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### Jenny Wisniewski

- Published: 2020-12-16
- Modified: 2022-04-19
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/jenny-wisniewski/

Jenny Wisniewski is a medical alert system expert with a passion for connecting seniors with solutions to age safely in place. She knows how complex and confusing aging can be for seniors and their loved ones, so today she combines her lived and professional experience in elder care to help seniors navigate the challenges ahead. Jenny has spent over two years and hundreds of hours researching topics of concern to both older adults and caregivers including safety and security. Her experience in the industry has also included regular social media and blog post writing in elder care consulting. She is passionate about helping families find the peace of mind that technology, such as medical safety devices, can provide. With this in mind, Jenny’s research and writing on medical alert systems are widely read and trusted by seniors and caregivers across the country. Although currently based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jenny attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English/journalism and political science. Soon after, she studied for a teaching certificate and went on to teach high school English. Today, as a writer and medical alert system expert, Jenny feels as though she has returned to her roots. When she’s not helping seniors, Jenny spends her time practicing yoga, hiking with her dog, and searching for her next favorite book. Articles Written by Jenny: The Best Medical Alert Systems in Medical Guardian Review A Review of ADT Medical Alert Systems Bay Alarm Medical Review

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### YI Home Security Camera 3 Review

> The YI Home Camera 3 is affordable at $25, offers clear 1080p video, and emergency response, but lacks mounting options and has finicky motion detection.

- Published: 2020-11-16
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/yi/reviews/



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### Cove Home Security Review [year]

> Cove offers easy setup and quality gear, but camera installation issues and shipping delays marred our experience.

- Published: 2020-11-06
- Modified: 2025-07-30
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cove/reviews/



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### Reolink Argus 3 Review

> Reolink Argus 3 is wire-free, solar, has color night vision, and a spotlight. It's flexible but lacks advanced motion features. Priced at $109.99 without solar.

- Published: 2020-11-04
- Modified: 2024-08-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/argus-3/



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### Reolink Argus Eco Review

> Reolink Argus Eco is a budget-friendly outdoor camera with HD video, night vision, two-way talk, and smart home integration. Lacks continuous recording.

- Published: 2020-10-30
- Modified: 2024-08-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/argus-eco/



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### Ring Indoor Cam Review

> Ring Indoor Cam review: compact design with 1080p HD video, night vision, and motion alerts. Priced at $59.99. Some audio lag and short power cord.

- Published: 2020-08-19
- Modified: 2024-08-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/indoor-cam/



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### Arlo Doorbell Reviews

> The Arlo Video Doorbell impresses with its advanced features like AI integration and a wide viewing angle, all for under $150. It offers great value and performance.

- Published: 2020-08-13
- Modified: 2025-03-18
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/arlo/reviews/



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### Rob Gabriele

- Published: 2020-08-13
- Modified: 2025-06-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/rob-gabriele/

Rob Gabriele is a top home security expert living in Indianapolis, Indiana. Previously at the USAToday network in New York, his background lends well to writing unbiased home security system reviews and other resources. He has over 5,000 hours of industry research, and he's written nearly 1,500 reviews and guides on home security. He has appeared in the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, TIME Magazine, CBS News, and elsewhere. He's also appeared on local news stations to offer his expertise and recommendations on home security and personal safety. Rob has a passion for taking complex tech information and turning it into easy-to-read and enjoyable content (there’s no sense in learning if it's not fun! ). You might even say he "demystifies" home security technology so that millions of people can find the right solutions to protect themselves and their families. Rob has a BA in Mass Communication and a Master’s of Science with an emphasis on writing. When he's not crafting premier content in home security and personal safety, you'll find Rob reading, writing novels, playing chess, and enjoying the great outdoors. Trusted by Major Publications: Rob Gabriele has been cited by several major publications for his expertise in home security. A selection of these publications and media outlets include: NBC News The Washington Post The Wall Street Journal TIME Magazine Better Homes & Gardens Money. com CBS News US News & World Report Realtor. com TheStreet. com In the News: Rob appeared on NBC News to share his expertise on the growing issue of hidden cameras being discovered in homes and on private property nationwide. Rob was featured on WTHR 13 News to teach people how to spot hidden cameras in their hotel rooms or Airbnb rentals. Rob has also been featured on WILX Channel 10 News to speak on the effectiveness of home security equipment in keeping children safe at home. Watch the video and read more HERE. Rob Gabriele on WILX Channel 10 News Articles Written by Rob: The Best Home Security Systems of ADT Home Security System Review Vivint Smart Home Review American Fear Study The Safest and Most Dangerous College Campuses

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### Derek Prall

- Published: 2020-08-10
- Modified: 2023-07-20
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/derek-prall/

Derek Prall is a home security expert and author living in Atlanta, Georgia. As a lifelong tech enthusiast, Derek now uses his knowledge of security solutions to help people live safely in their homes. He has spent more than 1,000 hours researching video doorbells, security cameras, and whole home security systems. Today, Derek writes in-depth guides and reviews to help folks find a solution that makes sense for their budget and security needs. Born in Atlanta, Derek hopped north to attend Furman University where he received degrees in both English and Communication studies. Soon after graduation, he made a bigger move — this time to New York City to strike it big as a novelist. Things don’t always go as planned, so before long Derek shifted his focus and began researching and writing almost exclusively in the tech space. And over the next decade, Derek would carve out quite a name for himself as a trusted voice in home security. When he’s not writing for SafeHome. org, Derek enjoys spending time with his wife and their two crazy cats. He’s a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt, loves watching “Jeopardy! ,” and enjoys a dram of nice whiskey from time to time.

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### Accessibility

- Published: 2020-07-31
- Modified: 2022-03-30
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/accessibility/

Safehome. org is committed to making our website's content accessible and user friendly to everyone. If you are having difficulty viewing or navigating the content on this website, or notice any content, feature, or functionality that you believe is not fully accessible to people with disabilities, please call our Customer Service team at (877) 297-8021 or email our team at info@safehome. org with "Disabled Access" in the subject line and provide a description of the specific feature you feel is not fully accessible or a suggestion for improvement. We take your feedback seriously and will consider it as we evaluate ways to accommodate all of our customers and our overall accessibility policies. Additionally, while we do not control such vendors, we strongly encourage vendors of third-party digital content to provide content that is accessible and user friendly.

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### Jaime Fraze

- Published: 2020-07-21
- Modified: 2022-04-22
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/jaime-fraze/

Jaime Fraze is an experienced digital editor in the tech, business and food spaces, having produced content for clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to fledgling nonprofits for more than 15 years. As a contributor to SafeHome. org, Jaime has parlayed her meticulous attention to detail and dedication to unbiased and accurate content into every review she writes. As a wife and mother of two, Jaime is also highly attuned to the need for seamless, high-quality home security and the vast technological advances the industry has made over the years. As a homeowner, she understands that the feeling of safety in your own home is priceless. She also understands that the process of obtaining that feeling of safety – whether it's buying a couple of cameras or investing in a full-fledged security system – can be confusing and overwhelming. Jaime is constantly striving to ensure that every piece of content she produces has met SafeHome. org's rigorous standards, and that her readers come away with the power to make better, smarter decisions. A native of Philadelphia, Jaime graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in English concentrating in journalism. She began her career as a beat reporter for a small newspaper in rural North Carolina, covering education before pivoting to the copy desk. In the years that followed, Jaime went on to manage copy desks at three more newspapers around the country before pivoting once again to the world of public relations and digital marketing. More recently, as content marketing editor for a boutique digital media agency in Atlanta, Jaime was instrumental in creating, managing and publishing engaging content for a wide range of audiences, while also co-managing client websites, blogs and workflows. In her spare time, Jaime enjoys reading, yoga and searching for the best doughnuts in town. Articles Written by Jaime: Best Home Security Cameras in Lorex Security Camera Review The Best Wired Security Camera Systems Best Video Doorbell Cameras

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### https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/lorex/reviews/

> Blink cameras are affordable, easy to set up, and offer decent video quality. They lack advanced features, have limited night vision, and require a Sync Module.

- Published: 2020-07-21
- Modified: 2025-08-13
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/reviews/



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### Guides

> SimpliSafe and Vivint top security reviews; Ink Business Unlimited and Venture X rank as best credit cards. Bay Alarm Medical stands out in alert systems.

- Published: 2020-06-23
- Modified: 2022-04-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/research/guides/



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### Studies

> Sex Offender Registry Statistics 2024: California leads in registered offenders; Vermont has the fewest. 38% willing to share security feeds with police.

- Published: 2020-06-23
- Modified: 2022-04-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/research/studies/



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### Research

- Published: 2020-06-23
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/research/



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### Equifax Identity Theft Protection Pricing and Subscription Options in [year]

> Equifax ID protection starts at $16.95/month with three tiers. Complete Premier offers dark web monitoring and $1 million insurance but lacks a mobile app.

- Published: 2020-06-22
- Modified: 2024-12-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/equifax/



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### Alder Review

> Alder offers a reliable DIY home security system with a 7-inch touchscreen panel and 24/7 monitoring but lacks smart home features and has a buggy mobile app.

- Published: 2020-03-30
- Modified: 2024-12-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/alder/reviews/



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### Alder Home Security Pricing

> Alder offers fast response times averaging 3.4 seconds, with no upfront equipment fees, starting at $39.99/month for a 36-month contract.

- Published: 2020-03-30
- Modified: 2024-12-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/alder/



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### Careers

- Published: 2020-03-13
- Modified: 2023-06-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/careers/



---

### Editorial Guidelines and How We Review

- Published: 2020-01-24
- Modified: 2025-01-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/editorial-guidelines/



---

### Terms of Use

> SafeHome.org offers comprehensive reviews of top security systems like SimpliSafe, ADT, and Vivint, highlighting safety features and cost comparisons.

- Published: 2020-01-17
- Modified: 2025-01-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/terms-of-use/

Last Updated: 1/10/2020 SafeHome. org 12130 Millennium Drive, Ste 600 Los Angeles, CA 90094 Thank you for using SafeHome. org’s website. Access to and use of SafeHome. org’s sites are provided subject to the following Terms of Use: These Terms of Use apply to this website, and SafeHome. org. In addition, the owner of SafeHome. org owns several other domain names that point to this site, and we will from time to time add new sites (collectively, “we”, “us” or “our website”) that may or may not be listed in the Terms of Use. PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF USE CAREFULLY, AS YOUR USE OF THIS SITE, ITS SERVICES AND ANY OTHER SafeHome. org SERVICES CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS OF USE AND THE PRIVACY POLICY POSTED ON THIS SITE WHOSE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN AS THOUGH FULLY SET FORTH BY REFERENCE. BY ACCESSING OR USING ANY PART OF THIS WEBSITE OR THESE SERVICES, YOU ACCEPT, WITHOUT LIMITATION OR QUALIFICATION, THESE TERMS OF USE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ALL OF THE TERMS OF USE SET FORTH BELOW, YOU MAY NOT USE ANY PORTION OF THIS WEB SITE OR THESE SERVICES. SafeHome. org may, in its sole discretion, modify or revise these Terms of Use at any time by updating this web page. You are bound by any such modification or revision and should, therefore, visit this page periodically to review the terms. All references, protections, benefits and limitations of liability set forth in these Terms of Use and applicable to SafeHome. org apply equally to SafeHome. org's owner. 1. NO FINANCIAL ADVICE; RISK We do not provide tax, legal or investment advice. SafeHome. org does not guarantee the safety or legality of the information provided or the products or services offered. You should exercise as much caution as you would typically exercise with any purchase of products or services. The above is not intended as an all-inclusive list of risks or a substitute for independent legal or financial advice. 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### The Best Home Security Systems in [year] — Tested by Experts

> After months of testing, the results are out. The best home security systems of 2025 are ADT, SimpliSafe, and Vivint.

- Published: 2020-01-14
- Modified: 2025-09-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/



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### Andrew Garcia

- Published: 2019-12-18
- Modified: 2023-07-20
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/author/andrew-garcia/

Andrew Garcia is an experienced Editor with a deep knowledge of home security systems, IoT and smart home technologies. Early in his career, Andrew worked as Electronic Sales Senior at Best Buy. In his leadership role, he sold computers, hardware and software, and smart home security systems. Working at Best Buy sparked Andrew's passion for new technology and the way it improves lives. In 2011, Andrew graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a BA in Business. Within weeks of graduating, he was managing two multi-million dollar brands at a consulting firm. Over the net several years, Andrew worked with digital agencies offering development and strategic direction. As the Digital Marketing Manager at a software company, Andrew was instrumental in researching, editing, and publishing engaging content to reach a wide audience. Today, with a sharp eye and intellect, Andrew writes, edits, and polishes articles, guides, and resources to meet SafeHome. org's rigorous Standards. He understands that unbiased, fact-based content is the key to growing our readership. And he's passionate about serving our readers - from the community as a whole, right down to the individual. For Andrew, no challenge is too great, and no reader concern too small. His unwavering dedication to SafeHome. org and our growing audience is evident in all he does.

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### Best Wired Security Cameras

> Lorex offers the best outdoor wired security cameras with 4K resolution and free local storage, ideal for reliable home protection without monthly fees.

- Published: 2019-11-15
- Modified: 2025-09-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/wired/



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### Lorex Cyber Monday Deals [year]

> Lorex's Cyber Monday 2025 deals offer up to $200 off on purchases over $2,000, plus additional savings with Site Crasher discounts and Outlet Clearance sales.

- Published: 2019-11-03
- Modified: 2024-11-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/lorex/cyber-monday/

Cyber Monday isn’t the only time you can get a great deal on a security camera. Brands like ADT and SimpliSafe have specials throughout the year, with as much as 60-percent off. Sometimes, they even throw in a free camera. Learn more in our best home security systems guide. Looking to install premium, industry-grade security cameras in or around your home? If you are, Lorex is a good choice. Lorex security camera systems boast up to 4K image quality, night vision, temperature sensors, and plenty more advanced technology. Their extensive security lineup includes indoor and outdoor cameras, and even baby monitors. As you’d expect, these systems aren’t cheap. They range from between a couple hundred dollars all the way up to $5,000 and more! Which is why most security pros looking to build out their camera surveillance systems have got their eyes peeled for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when just about every top security brand under the sun offers some kind of discount. Deals for both days are here (see our Lorex Black Friday page), so let’s talk about Cyber Monday savings and how you can maximize them. Building a home security system with Lorex indoor cameras What Are Lorex Cyber Monday 2024 Deals? Lorex’s Cyber Monday deal is an extension of its Black Friday offer. That is, you’ll save up to $200 if your spending reaches a certain amount. If your cart total is $1,000 or more, you’ll save $50. If it’s more than $1,500, Lorex will take $100 off of it. And if it’s $2,000 or more, you’ll save $200. We know, that’s probably not as big as you were expecting. But that’s just one of the many deals from Lorex. You can also stack it with Site Crasher deals and Outlet Clearance Sales. Site Crashers are discounts applied to specific security cameras and security camera systems. For individual cameras, you can save as much as $100. For camera systems, however, you can save over $400. As for the Outlet Clearance sale, you can take up to 50-percent off of packages that include refurbished items. These open-box deals are in limited quantities, but Lorex makes sure to check each refurbished item. You’ll also enjoy the same return privileges and warranties as if you buy brand-new Lorex products. Lorex might be pricier than other home security camera systems on the market, but it delivers the goods. Read more about how Lorex cameras performed in the field in our hands-on Lorex review. Getting ready to unbox a Lorex wireless outdoor smart camera What Cyber Monday Sales Did Lorex Offer in the Past? Over the past few years, we’ve seen Lorex deals and discounts ranging between 10 percent to 36 percent off on Cyber Monday. (If 36 percent sounds dinky, just remember that the average Lorex security system costs over $1,000. That's a $360 savings. ) For example, last Cyber Monday, we saw Lorex slash their basic 1080p security surveillance camera system with four outdoor cameras (normally $499) by $180. 66. That’s a total savings of 36 percent. But the deals didn’t stop there. Lorex also played Santa with their premium camera systems, discounting their 32-channel 4K Ultra HD Nocturnal IP NVR System by 28 percent. In other words, a security system that normally went for $4,999. 99 was $1,410 off on Cyber Monday! But don’t worry. If a $3,500 security system isn’t in the cards, Lorex typically offers plenty of deals in the mid-tier price range as well. And if you’re just looking for a camera or two, you can get out the door for under $200. Taking your first steps in home security? Many of our readers are. Which is why we put together a completely free, totally comprehensive Home Security Camera Guide. Terminology, features, brands, prices. It’s all in there. Lorex wireless outdoor camera screen resolution Are There Promo and Discount Codes? In our experience, Lorex often doles out promo and discount codes during special sales. However, it looks like they are not doing that right now. The up to $200 discount on cart totals is applied automatically if you reach the spending requirements. And the Site Crasher deals are also applied on-the-spot. We do recommend signing up for Lorex’s newsletter though. They sometimes send promo codes that you can apply at checkout to enjoy additional savings. They often range from 10- to 20-percent – they’re not that big, but they could be a nice addition if you’re keeping tabs of how much you’re saving on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. How to Get the Best Lorex Camera Cyber Monday Deals You know what they say, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. ” Those words are all too true for Cyber Monday shopping. With more people looking for the best Lorex Cyber Monday deals than ever before, the competition for a once-in-a-year deal will be stiff. But that’s ok. We’ve outlined a few tried-and-true tactics to use this Cyber Monday to find the lowest prices on Lorex cameras available. Even if you don’t already have a Lorex camera or camera system on your wishlist though, it’s not too late to start looking for the right one to buy. Take a look at our Lorex security camera pricing page, which will give you a nice overview of the available options. We also recommend that you take a look at our list of top-rated security cameras of 2024. Lorex sits near the top of that list, and it will give you a deeper understanding of Lorex’s advantages and drawbacks, especially compared to other options. And of course, read our hands-on review of Lorex security cameras.

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### Lorex vs Reolink Comparison

> Lorex cameras have better build quality and a superior app, making them our top choice over Reolink, despite similar prices and specs.

- Published: 2019-11-03
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/lorex-vs-reolink/

We get it. Looking through Lorex and Reolink’s websites makes it seem like they offer nearly identical products and services. They both offer DIY security camera systems with optional cloud storage available for specific camera models. The specs on their cameras are fairly similar, too, with both providers offering cameras with up to 4K resolutions, multiple lenses, pan and tilt functionality, and built-in lighting. Those similarities are exactly why we decided to test Lorex and Reolink cameras in our home: to see if they’re just as similar in use as they are on paper. What we found surprised us. Lorex cameras are easier to use with a better build quality, and they cost about the same as comparable cameras from Reolink. Let’s dig into all the details that made us like Lorex better than Reolink. >> Read More: Reolink Security Cameras Review Here’s our Lorex Indoor Camera posed for a photo shoot. An Overview of Lorex vs. Reolink Before we dig into the details, we want to highlight the similarities and differences between Lorex and Reolink. Similarities Between Lorex and Reolink Like we said, on the surface, Lorex and Reolink have a lot in common. If you’re just looking at the specs of the cameras, it can seem like their products are almost identical. So, here are the highlights of Lorex and Reolink’s similarities: Camera Specs: Reolink and Lorex offer a wide range of camera options with just about every camera spec imaginable from ultrawide 180-degree fields of view and 4K resolution to color night vision and dual-lens cameras. Cloud Storage Options: You can buy a cloud storage subscription from either Reolink or Lorex to remotely store your video recordings, but both limit their cloud storage capabilities to specific camera models. Local Storage: Every Reolink and Lorex camera has the option to store video footage locally, allowing you to forego any monthly fees and either store video clips or 24/7 footage. Although, only Lorex made our list of the best security cameras with no monthly fees. Lack of Professional Monitoring: That means you’ll need to be ready to check alerts every time your cameras identify activity. Needless to say, you won’t find either provider on our list of the best professionally monitored security systems. DIY Installation: Be ready to install your own cameras if you buy from Reolink or Lorex. Neither company offers professional installation. If you want their cameras installed for you, you’ll need to coordinate with a third-party installer. Business Security Solutions: Both Reolink and Lorex offer business security solutions with large video storage options. Lorex even made our list of the best security cameras for businesses. >> Check Out: Best DIY Home Security Systems in Differences Between Lorex and Reolink Reolink’s low prices meant we could test a few of their cameras without going over budget. Despite their similarities on paper, living with Lorex and Reolink cameras was a very different experience. Here are the main differences we found after using Lorex and Reolink cameras in our home: Mobile App Quality: We’re big fans of Lorex’s app. It makes it easy to review footage, watch our cameras’ live streams, and adjust the settings on our cameras. We can’t say the same for Reolink. Their app is clunkier and less intuitive. Camera Build Quality: It’s not that the build quality of Reolink cameras is bad, but Lorex is a notch above. That’s more to do with Lorex offering some of the most robust and hardy cameras we’ve tested, though. Facial Recognition: If you want cameras that can recognize faces, you’ll need to go with Lorex. They’re one of the few providers to offer cameras with facial recognition technology, putting them on our list of the best facial recognition cameras. Money-Back Guarantee: Both companies offer a return policy, but we prefer Lorex’s as it’s a complete money-back guarantee for 30 days. If you return a Reolink camera because you don’t like it, you’ll need to pay for the return shipping. No Monthly Fee Features: Reolink locks their rich notifications feature behind their cloud subscriptions, whereas Lorex offers all the features in their cameras for free. Cellular Cameras: Only Reolink offers cellular cameras. Those are cameras you don’t even need to connect to your Wi-Fi. Lorex vs. Reolink: A Comprehensive Comparison Now that you know the high-level similarities and differences between Lorex and Reolink, let’s dive deep into the details. Here, we’ll compare our experience buying and using Reolink and Lorex cameras. Equipment Pricing We tested the Reolink Argus Pro 3 and used it as our outdoor camera above our garage. With the massive range of cameras both Reolink and Lorex offer, they also vary in price by a lot. Oddly enough, they both have the same starting price, though, with cameras as low as $49. 99. So, let’s start there by comparing the value they provide on their budget cameras. Both are 2K cameras with two-way audio and person, pet, and vehicle detection. The Reolink camera comes with a built-in spotlight as it’s an outdoor camera, while the Lorex one is an indoor camera. However, to get alerts telling you whether it was a person, pet, or vehicle that triggered an alert with the Reolink camera, you’ll need to subscribe to one of their cloud storage plans. Lorex includes that for free. Specs-wise Reolink has the Lorex camera beat, but, when it comes to using the camera, we prefer rich notifications for free. Those notifications help us pay attention to the alerts that matter without getting overwhelmed and ignoring them all. This comparison holds true for every camera price point between Reolink and Lorex. Reolink may have better specs, but the usability of Lorex is better, and we think usability is more important than specs. Winner: Lorex Reolink and Lorex offer solar-powered security cameras so that you don’t need to worry about charging batteries. Check out our review of the Reolink Argus Eco camera to read about our experience using their solar panel. Camera Options We tested two Lorex cameras, an indoor and outdoor model, to better understand their lineup. Reolink has a lot of camera options. Somehow, though, Lorex has even more. We started to feel overwhelmed looking through Lorex’s options when trying to pick cameras for our home. But, that means you can find a Lorex camera to fit almost any of your needs. And, Reolink is pretty much the same. They also have tons of camera options with everything from ultrawide cameras with 4K clarity and built-in lighting to simple cameras with minimal extras. One area where Reolink shines above Lorex, though, is their selection of cellular-based cameras. Lorex doesn’t offer any while Reolink offers several cellular cameras. That makes them a good option if you don’t have Wi-Fi or if you have an area in which you want security cameras that is far away from your house, like a barn or workshop. On the other hand, Reolink does not have cameras with facial recognition technology. So, it really comes down to which features you need in your cameras. Winner: Draw If you opt for a cellular camera, expect to pay a monthly fee. They rely on cellular network data to transmit footage and send alerts. Reolink’s cellular plans start at $5. 99 per month. For more cellular-based security options, check out our roundup of the best cellular home security systems. Mobile App When monitoring your own security system, which you’ll have to do with either Reolink or Lorex, the mobile app matters a lot. It’s how we get notifications when our cameras notice activity, review our live feed and recorded footage, and adjust our cameras settings. In the case of Reolink and Lorex, it’s also where we got our installation guide for our cameras. We wish we could say Reolink and Lorex make great mobile apps, but we can’t. Only Lorex makes great mobile apps. Reolink’s app left a lot to be desired. Their layout for checking our live feeds is difficult to navigate — unless you only have one camera — and looking for recorded clips feels like using Yahoo instead of Google. Lorex’s mobile app let us fine-tune every aspect of our home security systems — even their sound sensitivity. Winner: Lorex >> Learn More: How to Turn Your Old Phone Into a Home Security Camera Storage Options Whether you go with Reolink or Lorex, you’ll have plenty of storage options. They both offer internal storage through a microSD card in their cameras, an NVR setup where your footage is stored in a hard drive outside the camera, or cloud storage. Lorex also offers a DVR setup that’s similar to NVR except it requires wiring instead of a connection through Wi-Fi. For cloud storage, you’ll need to pay a monthly fee. So, here’s a comparison between Lorex and Reolink’s cloud storage plans: Cloud Storage Plans Reolink Lorex 30 Days for One Device $5. 99 Per Month $2. 99 Per Month 30 Days for Five Devices $6. 99 Per Month N/A 30 Days for 10 Devices $10. 99 Per Month $9. 99 Per Month 30 Days for 20 Devices $15. 99 Per Month N/A Winner: Draw Lorex’s prices include a microSD card with all compatible cameras, unlike Reolink where you need to purchase it separately. While we appreciate that Lorex includes one for free, they tend to only include 16 or 32 GB of storage, though. So, we’d still recommend buying at least a 128 GB microSD card anyway. Installation We installed our outdoor Lorex camera underneath our second-story deck to watch our backyard. How difficult installing Reolink or Lorex security cameras is depends entirely on whether you get cordless, wireless, or wired cameras. Cordless cameras are the easiest to install. They’re battery-powered and connected through Wi-Fi or cellular. That means all you need to do is mount the camera where you want it, which involves securing a mounting bracket and then attaching the camera to that mounting bracket. It took us about five minutes to install these types of cameras from Reolink and Lorex. Wireless cameras include a power cable, so you need to more carefully plan out where you mount these cameras. Our Lorex wireless camera came with a 10-foot power cable and a 10-foot USB extension cable, so we needed to mount it within 20 feet of a power outlet. Reolink does not offer any wireless cameras with power cords. Next up are wired cameras. Reolink and Lorex both offer Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) cameras, which means they only require one cable for both sending notifications and videos as well as receiving power. But, that requires even more careful placement as you’ll need to get them within distance of an Ethernet plug instead of an outlet. Our home only has one Ethernet plug and our router is attached to it. To install these cameras, we needed to carefully route an exceptionally long Ethernet cable from our router to our cameras. Winner: Draw >> Learn About: Wireless Security Cameras and How They Work PoE cameras are mostly used in businesses, with the cameras being added as a more permanent fixture to the business. That allows them to route the cable through the wall, hiding the cable entirely. Of course, you can do this in your home, too, but you might need to call in some pros to help. Lorex vs. Reolink: Which Camera Brand Should You Choose? In most cases, we’d recommend Lorex. The main reason for that is the better quality of their mobile app. It might seem silly, but you’re going to be using that mobile app on a daily basis whether you go with Lorex or Reolink. So, the quality of it really does make a huge difference. And, Lorex’s mobile app is a big step above that of Reolink. Now, there are a few niche cases where we’d recommend Reolink. For one, if you need a cellular camera to protect an outdoor structure, like a barn or workshop, that’s outside the reach of your Wi-Fi, Reolink is one of the few companies to offer that. Or, if you need cloud storage for more than 10 cameras, Reolink has a plan that supports up to 20 cameras, while Lorex’s plans cap out at 10. FAQs About Lorex vs. Reolink

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### Lorex vs Amcrest Comparison

> Lorex beats Amcrest with a higher SecureScore, superior video quality, and better customer service, making it our top pick for home security systems.

- Published: 2019-11-03
- Modified: 2023-06-28
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/lorex-vs-amcrest/

Are you stuck trying to figure out which home security system is the best fit for you and your home? We have news for you: You’re not alone! So how are you supposed to select the best one when they all look so similar? Although similarities do abound between security systems, you may be surprised to learn that each is also unique and different. We’ve tested and tried two renowned home security systems, Lorex and Amcrest, and put together a helpful comparison that will explain the similarities, differences, pricing, and features you can expect from either brand. Lorex Cameras Lorex and Amcrest Similarities After trying out and reviewing Lorex security cameras, we were pleasantly surprised at the number of similarities shared with their esteemed challenger, Amcrest. One noteworthy perk to both Amcrest and Lorex security cameras is that they both offer superior video quality as they capture 4K video. Many companies charge for installation, which means that rather than paying upfront for equipment costs, security companies will charge you a monthly bill. Unfortunately, tying yourself to a monthly plan can be quite the pain, especially in today’s world, where most businesses work on a subscription or contracted basis. As mentioned above, neither company requires professional installation (DIYers, rejoice! ). Not only does this mean that you’ll be able to skip the cost associated with a professional install, but you’ll also not have to worry about scheduling a time that works for both you and them. For those who fall into the not-so-tech-savvy crowd, try not to feel too intimidated. Both Lorex and Amcrest come with detailed instructions so that you can easily install the systems by yourself. Additionally, there are plenty of resources out there to help you, from guides on security camera installation to nifty instructional videos on home automation. Amcrest Indoor Pan-Tilt Camera Installation fees can cost up to $100. In fact, companies often require a professional to do the work for you. While they provide excellent technicians, it may be cheaper if clients had the option to install the system by themselves. If you decide to relocate, it’s sometimes more convenient if you’ve chosen a company that allows DIY installation. Unfortunately, even though you won’t have to pay for any installation fees, both systems tend to be quite expensive. Along with the equipment costs, you’ll also have to consider the monthly fees associated with certain features and monitoring services. Another strong perk shared between Lorex and Amcrest is that they both have multiple storage options for that seemingly endless supply of surveillance footage. Many do not realize just how much space is needed for the hundreds of hours that your cameras will capture. Prior to making your purchase, you should consider how many days’ worth of footage you may actually need (or feel comfortable having). Whether it's days, weeks, months, or years; you need to make sure you have ample storage space to support it. Amcrest Packaging Key Differences Now, let’s dive into what exactly sets these two apart (the good and the bad). First off, you’ll likely notice that Amcrest offers a wider selection of equipment overall, from cameras and baby monitors to drones and GPS trackers. Be sure to thoroughly look at all of the equipment offered by each company. You may wish to expand or enhance your system later down the road. If this ends up being the case, you’ll want to make sure that the company you're choosing has the equipment available that you might wish to add later on. Another difference you should take note of is that Lorex only provides wireless connection, while Amcrest offers both wireless and hardwired options. Wireless systems can be easier to install and their devices also have plenty of flexibility when it comes to their layout on your property, allowing easier access for monitoring and control. With that said, hardwired systems tend to be a bit more reliable and do not necessarily require good cell service or Wi-Fi to operate correctly (this can especially be a perk for more rural areas). Lorex Indoor Camera Another way that Amcrest stands out is the fact that they provide weatherproofing for their equipment, an essential feature because outdoor cameras must endure outside elements like storms and high summer temperatures. Using an indoor camera outdoors is a quick and easy way to ruin an expensive piece of equipment. Compared to Amcrest, Lorex is superior when it comes to video quality as their cameras capture 4K video. High-definition video quality can mean all the difference when trying to see exactly what is happening. For example, high-quality cameras allow you to clearly see when an intruder breaks into your home or if someone steals your mail. There should be no second-guessing when the safety of your home is at stake. Be sure to choose equipment that produces images that are high-quality enough for you to clearly see. Lorex also offers SD card compatibility and external hard drives to store surveillance video footage. Amcrest has a cloud-based storage system that can handle both NVR and DVR, depending upon your preference. And finally, Amcrest is not as widely compatible with third-party equipment, whereas Lorex is slightly more flexible. Most people looking to achieve more home automation prefer to use equipment that is compatible with third-party companies. This compatibility makes it much easier to integrate other equipment and programs. Our Favorite Features Features serve as an essential part of just about every home security system on the market today, adding extra levels of convenience and safety that go above and beyond your basic setup. Both Lorex and Amcrest offer a wide array of options that will take your system up a notch, giving it that “wow” factor which is sure to impress friends and neighbors alike. We’d love to list them all, but that didn’t seem very practical. Instead, we’ve narrowed it down to some of our favorites to give you an idea of what you have to look forward to with each option. Lorex Doorbell Camera on the table Some of the features you can expect with Lorex include video doorbell cameras, night vision, temperature sensors, the cloud security camera app, local storage via external hard drives, two-way communication features, and more. Amcrest, on the other hand, offers quite the home security spread. They not only feature the latest high-tech cameras and gadgets, but also multiple mobile apps, cloud storage of video files, NVR and DVR storage, Wi-Fi connectivity options, video doorbells, full HD resolution, wide viewing angles, and two-way communication features. Pricing: What to Expect Now for the fun part ... how much should you plan on budgeting for a Lorex or Amcrest system? Let’s start with a positive. Lorex offers a refund on any of their products as long as they are returned within 60 days (plenty of time to try them out for yourself). Each of the cameras will cost less than $100; however, the entire system can cost up to $3,000 or more (ouch). Try not to panic! Since the system will be tailored to your individual needs, the equipment and cloud storage costs will vary, likely resulting in a much lower price. With Amcrest, indoor monitors start at around $65 per piece, while the price for one outdoor camera is roughly $85. Some of their cameras are pricier than others, costing up to approximately $250 apiece. As with Lorex, after you factor in the cost of cloud storage and additional services, you can possibly expect to pay a few Ks for your entire system. Amcrest Outdoor Camera and Box How to Choose the Best System to Fit Your Needs Even after your endless hours of research, it can still be hard to confidently make that final decision. There are an insane amount of options in the home security marketplace today and it can feel almost impossible to peruse them all. So here’s our advice: If you’re still struggling to determine which system is right for you, write down a list of priorities, such as automation, price point, outdoor features, etc. This list will guide you as you check against the features and equipment each company offers. Hopefully, we’ve helped to make your search a little easier. When it comes to the safety of your home, you should not cut corners. A home security system should leave you with the peace of mind that you and your family are safe and secure.

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### Lorex vs Night Owl Comparison

> Lorex is preferred over Night Owl for its 4K video, professional monitoring options, and advanced features, despite both offering DIY installation and no monthly fees.

- Published: 2019-11-03
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/lorex-vs-night-owl/

Lorex and Night Owl are camera-based, home security systems. Both offer advanced technology to homeowners and renters who are interested in managing their systems on their own. While Lorex has been around for several years, Night Owl is the new kid on the block that is quickly gaining in popularity. Each system offers a variety of features that allow you to customize your system to fit your home. Systems are installed by the homeowner and can be monitored through the company's app that can be downloaded to your phone or tablet. Overview: Lorex vs Night Owl Lorex and Night Owl are home security systems that rely on top of the line surveillance cameras to keep eyes on your home, 24-hours a day. Both systems are designed to be monitored by the homeowner through their technologically advanced app. Neither company requires a contract and will not force you to allow a technician to come to your home. All of the equipment from either company must be purchased upfront. There are no monthly fees for either financing or professional monitoring. Both companies offer bullet and drone cameras Installation may be confusing if you don't follow the directions Lorex offers 4K video quality Night Owl is compatible with Google Assistant Cameras from both companies offer long-range night vision Similarities: Lorex vs Night Owl Both Lorex and Night Owl both offer local storage with SD cards and security-grade hard drives. Each system offers two-way voice communication that allows you to communicate with individuals who are within range of the camera. Video recording can be customized to meet your individual needs. This includes continuous recording, motion-activated recording or recording that is set to a special schedule. Mobile apps are included for added convenience so you can monitor your system from anywhere. Equipment is purchased upfront There are no month-to-month fees Extensive catalog of devices Customizable systems to accommodate all your needs Apps for iOS and Android platforms Differences: Lorex vs Night Owl Both Lorex and Night Owl offer wireless systems, but Night Owl also offers the option for a hardwired system. Night Owl is also compatible with Google Assistant allowing for more consistent home automation. Lorex has been in business longer than Night Owl. Both Lorex and Night Owl offer a wide variety of devices that allow you to create the ideal home security system for your home. Night Owl, however, offers a smart hub that integrates all of the devices into one complete home security system. Night Owl is compatible with Google Lorex can be professionally monitored by third-party monitoring centers Night Owl offers devices that are wired as well as wireless Lorex offers temperature sensors Night Owl offers both DVR and NVR Features The features offered by Lorex include the convenient mobile app, local storage with external hard drives, temperature sensors, easy to use equipment, two-way voice communication, and night vision. Push notifications are sent to your mobile app whenever alerts are triggered. Night Owl offers both NVR and DVR, as well as cloud storage. Two-way voice communication is available with both the cameras as well as the video doorbells. Night vision is also a popular feature. With their voice-activated feature, you can access your system with Google Assistant. Contracts Neither company requires a long-term contract or financing plan because all of the equipment must be purchased upfront. Pricing With Lorex, you choose the number of devices you need to create the ideal home security system for your property. Equipment starts at $99 and can add up to over $3,000 depending on the size of your home. All equipment is purchased upfront with no monthly fees. Night Owl allows you to purchase cameras for as low as $200 or customize entire systems buying a few pieces of at a time. Buying a la carte can cost you over $1,000. Cameras can range in price from $80 to well over $200. Wireless Gateway systems and Hybrid Security systems can range in price from $400 to $600. Night Owl does not offer professional monitoring and all the equipment is paid for at the time of purchase. Equipment Lorex offers a wide range of cameras that are highly advanced in terms of technology and features. Both bullet and dome cameras are offered, as well as indoor and outdoor security cameras. PTZ and HD MPX security cameras are also offered. Night Owl offers both indoor and outdoor security cameras. They also have a video doorbell and a wireless security hub for complete home automation and integration with other smart devices. Installation Lorex and Night Owl offer instructions for the installation and set up of their home security systems. Systems are designed to be installed by the homeowner. Emergency Connections Both Lorex and Night Owl security cameras are meant to be monitored by the homeowner. Both offer video recording that allows you to see what is going on at your home through the convenience of a mobile app. If an event occurs, it is up to you to inform the authorities. Summary: Lorex vs Night Owl Lorex offers state of the art technology with all of its devices. If you want to create a personalized home security system that is designed specifically for your home, Lorex is the top choice. Night Owl is a good system if you want a wired system. Its cameras offer a variety of features and can integrate with smart home systems.

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### Lorex’s Black Friday Deals [year]

> Lorex's 2025 Black Friday sale offers up to $300 off on security systems and $130 off on video doorbells, with free shipping and extended returns.

- Published: 2019-10-15
- Modified: 2024-11-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/lorex/black-friday/



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### ADT Cyber Monday Deals

> Save $440 on ADT's Front Door Protection package this Cyber Monday 2025. Includes sensors, Nest Doorbell, Yale Smart Lock. No contracts, flexible DIY options.

- Published: 2019-10-15
- Modified: 2024-11-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/cyber-monday/

If you’re searching for professional installation, best-in-class monitoring, and a name you can trust, then you’d be wise to consider ADT. When we reviewed ADT, we found they offered world-class security with powerful add-on features. It’s also more flexible to users now, as ADT has began offering DIY security systems. But we understand this home security juggernaut can be a bit pricey. Our guide to ADT’s costs and packages clearly demonstrates that. Not to worry, though, ADT has dropped their prices significantly for Cyber Monday. Let’s take a look at what you can get. ADT App Controls What Deals Are ADT Offering on Cyber Monday? If you’ve always had your eye on an ADT Self Setup package, Cyber Monday is the perfect time to hit that buy now button. The biggest savings are on the Front Door Protection package. It includes: 1 Base 3 Door/Window Sensors 1 Motion Sensor 1 Google Nest Doorbell (battery) 1 Yale Smart Lock 1 ADT Yard Sign 1 ADT Window Stickers (Pack of 4) ADT+ app Trusted Neighbor ADT’s Trusted Neighbor launched in 2024 and unlocks doors and disarms security systems when eligible visitors come to your home. We used it to let our brother into the house while we were on vacation so they could take care of our dog and water the plants. The Front Door Protection plan is normally $719, but you can get it for $279 on Cyber Monday, which is a saving of $440. If you don’t need everything in the Front Door Protection package, you might want to take a look at the Video Essentials bundle, which is only $199 (down from $349) and comes with: 1 Base 3 Door/Window Sensors 1 Motion Sensor Camera choice of the Nest Doorbell. Nest Cam (battery) or Nest Cam (indoor) 1 ADT Yard Sign 1 ADT Window Stickers (Pack of 4) ADT+ App If you already have security cameras, the final ADT package for sale is the Security Starter bundle. It removes security cameras but comes with motion sensors. It’s also $199 and includes: 1 Base 3 Door/Window Sensors 1 Motion Sensor 1 ADT Yard Sign 1 ADT Window Stickers (Pack of 4) ADT+ App You can add additional equipment to all of these packages. The best part is that ADT is discounting all extra equipment by 30 percent. This includes products from the Google Nest range. So if you missed out on a Google Nest discount on Black Friday, you might find a better deal here. All plans require you to subscribe to an ADT monitoring plan, which ranges from $29. 99 to $44. 99 per month. But this isn’t a bad deal either. There are no contracts, and you get to try out one of the best professional monitoring security systems in the industry. It sounds good to us. What ADT Deals Should I Look for on Cyber Monday? In addition to standard home security equipment packages, you should also keep an eye out for ADT’s security cameras. But for this, we suggest going to the Google Store. In case you didn’t know, ADT now offers Google Nest security cameras. If you have Nest Cams – even if they didn’t come from ADT – you’ll be able to integrate them into your security system. Google Nest is known for doling out pretty good Cyber Monday deals, so check out the Google Store and compare it to ADT’s deals come Cyber Monday. Security cameras ensure you’re not low-hanging fruit. Studies show that visible security cameras are extremely effective in deterring would-be criminals. ADT also offers an impressive suite of home automation features, so keep a lookout for smart tech on the cheap. And if you or a loved one is aging at home, it might be worth looking into Cyber Monday sales on ADT’s medical alert systems. How Do I Get the Best ADT Cyber Monday Deals? First off, start shopping early. Cyber Monday deals were rolled into ADT’s Black Friday sales, and they’re calling it all Cyber Week. But even though it’s one whole week, you wouldn’t want to wait until the last minute to make your purchase. ADT offers indoor and outdoor security cameras. But if you’re looking for video surveillance, read our guide to the best security cameras in the business. We also recommend checking out our in-depth guide to the best home security systems. Next, be sure to follow ADT on social media. Sometimes, ADT posts additional deals for its followers. Another place to check is ADT’s website. Finally, before all of this, make sure you’ve done your homework. Research what you’d like to purchase and have a game plan in place. Like we said, these deals can go fast, so you don’t want to be deciding on what you need day-of. How Can I Save on ADT Home Security Today? ADT regularly runs deals and promotions throughout the year. So, if you miss out on Cyber Monday, it’s not the end of the world. But while these sales are on, we recommend taking full advantage of them. Especially the Front Door Protection package, which offers the best savings of $440.

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### NortonLifeLock Cyber Monday Deals [year]

> LifeLock Cyber Monday 2025 offered Norton 360 + LifeLock Select Plus for $69.99, saving $120. Ultimate Plus was $239.88, a 42% discount.

- Published: 2019-10-15
- Modified: 2024-12-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/cyber-monday/

There are plenty of reasons why NortonLifeLock sits in our list of best identity theft protection services. From its generous insurance of up to $3 million to its thorough dark web monitoring scans. We also like how easy it is to freeze our TransUnion credit file. But one thing we’re not big fans of is the price. There’s no sugar-coating it. NortonLifeLock is expensive, especially when compared to services like Aura and Identity Guard. One sneaky way to get around the costly plans is to wait for a sale, and one of the biggest is Cyber Monday. You’ll have to wait until December 1, 2025, for NortonLifeLock’s next Cyber Monday sale. But let’s take a look at the savings Norton offered in 2024 so you know what to expect. LifeLock plans come with Norton 360, premium malware protection for your whole family. What Were the LifeLock Cyber Monday Deals in 2024? Most Cyber Monday deals only last one day, but with LifeLock, you’ll continue to enjoy it for a whole year. That’s because the best Cyber Monday deals from LifeLock are on its yearly subscriptions, particularly those that include Norton 360 in the bundle. One shining example is the Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus. If you sign up on any normal day, a one-year subscription costs $189. 99. But if you signed up during Cyber Monday 2024, it would have only cost you $69. 99. That’s $120 in savings and with that rate, the average cost is only $5. 83 per month. That’s for Norton 360 – Norton’s most premium offering – and LifeLock Select – an entry-level identity protection subscription. Norton even discounted its best offering – Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus. You could have even gotten LifeLock Ultimate Plus on its own. Here’s how much these services were advertised for during Cyber Monday. Pricing Norton 360 + LifeLock Ultimate Plus LifeLock Ultimate Plus Total due for first year $299 $239. 88 Average rate (1st year) $25/month (28% off) $19. 99/month (42% off) Renewal price (2nd year onwards) $364. 99 $339. 99 Average rate (2nd year onwards) $30. 42/month $28. 33 By the way, those are the same prices LifeLock offered on Black Friday. We like these types of deals because they last the entire year. Just pay the amount, and your rate for the next year is pretty much guaranteed. Just who has been spending the most on Black Friday over the past few years? The answer isn’t baby boomers or Gen Xers. It’s actually millennials, according to the Washington Post. What Cyber Monday Deals Has LifeLock Run in the Past? In the past, we’ve seen Norton hand out discounts of up to 52 percent to all new customers on all LifeLock plans. That includes family plans. On Cyber Monday 2024, Norton discounted Ultimate Plus for Family with Kids by 51 percent, which is a saving of over $300 on a yearly subscription. LifeLock has also been known to offer Cyber Monday discount codes, promo codes, and coupons to sweeten the deal. And here’s another trick of the trade. Sometimes LifeLock scatters those codes throughout the year. LifeLock’s dark web monitoring feature alerts you if hackers have exposed your personal data How Do I Find the Best LifeLock Cyber Monday Deals? Identity theft and credit fraud are on the rise, which means more people are in the market for identity theft protection services than ever before. This is good news and bad news. It’s good news because increased competition forces providers to keep developing better products. It also drives down prices, especially on big sale days like Cyber Monday. But it’s “bad” news in the sense that those deals go fast. So, if you want to save big on the next Cyber Monday, you’ll need a game plan, especially if LifeLock products are on your wish list. Make your Cyber Monday wish list now. If you’re not sure which plan is the right one for you, we’ve tested all of LifeLock’s premium ID theft protection plans. U. S. shoppers on the hunt for big Black Friday and Cyber Monday bargains are responsible for 21. 2 percent of all Black Friday searches. Germans, who came in second place, still lag pretty far behind at 12. 9 percent. Recap and Other Ways to Save December 1, 2025, will come sooner than you think. So now is the time to do your research and pick a NortonLifeLock subscription that suits your needs. This way, once the Cyber Monday deals are released, you can add the plan to your cart and enjoy 12 months of huge savings. Remember, you don’t have to wait for Cyber Monday. Norton also offers discounts throughout the year. You can even try out the service for yourself with a LifeLock 30-day free trial – and yes, it’s available for family plans. Once your free trial expires, all you need to do is count down the days to the big sales day.

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### SimpliSafe Cyber Monday Deals [year]

> SimpliSafe slashes prices by 70% on all security systems for Cyber Monday 2025, plus a free outdoor camera and a month of professional monitoring.

- Published: 2019-10-14
- Modified: 2024-11-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/cyber-monday/

SimpliSafe offers practical, streamlined home security systems and accessories. Their affordable DIY equipment takes only minutes to set up. There are no long-term contracts, and professional monitoring starts at just $21. 99 per month. So how could SimpliSafe get any cheaper? Cyber Monday, of course! Cyber Monday is coming on December 2 – the first Monday after Thanksgiving. As a DIY home security system, SimpliSafe sells its packages online. Cyber Monday is a day of online deals, and SimpliSafe is participating with one of its biggest deals to date. They’re slashing all security systems by 70 percent and throwing in a free outdoor camera valued at $199. 99 as well as one month of professional monitoring, which normally costs $31. 99. This is one Cyber Monday deal you don’t want to miss out on, so let’s take a look at it so you know what to do to claim it. Getting started with SimpliSafe. SimpliSafe 2024 Cyber Monday Deals SimpliSafe packages offer the best all-around value in home security, but that doesn’t mean they’re rock-bottom cheap. That’s where holiday deals come in. SimpliSafe hasn’t pulled any punches for Cyber Monday. You can save up to 70 percent on any SimpliSafe package – including the build-your-own bundles – and get a free outdoor security camera. SimpliSafe is even throwing in a free month of professional monitoring. Let’s take a look at how much these packages cost today: SimpliSafe packages 70-percent off + free outdoor camera Regular price The Beacon $219 $729. 90 The Lighthouse $144 $479. 93 The Haven $159 $529. 86 The Knox $147 $489. 87 The Hearth $123 $409. 91 The Starter $84 $279. 94 The Foundation $75 $249. 96 Considering a new home security system? Check out our Complete Home Security System Buyer’s Guide for a breakdown of the whole process: from home security basics to the best brands on the market. SimpliSafe's base station at night. Until When Are These Deals Available? SimpliSafe’s Cyber Monday deals are available until midnight – or at least that’s what the website says. It had been saying that since before Black Friday started. There’s an element of suspense there. No one really knows until these deals will last except SimpliSafe. But we do know one thing: They won’t last forever. So, take action now. Don’t forget that when we reviewed SimpliSafe, it got nothing but the highest marks. So Cyber Monday is the perfect chance to get one of the top security systems at a lower price. What Cyber Monday Deals Did SimpliSafe Offer in the Past? SimpliSafe rarely lets customers down. From cameras and security add-ons to whole home security systems and its Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. In case you’re wondering, here’s a breakdown of the SimpliSafe Cyber Monday deals we’ve seen over the past few years. One recent special offer gave customers a free indoor security camera. Cameras aren’t cheap, so a free camera is quite the deal. SimpliSafe has also offered percentage discounts, like 15-20 percent off new systems. But the best deal we’ve seen is a one-time discount of 50 percent off a whole SimpliSafe home security system. That was valid for ready-made SimpliSafe bundles (like the $250 The Foundation, which SimpliSafe slashed down to $120) or systems you put together yourself. That’s what makes this Cyber Monday deal so good. Since we started covering SimpliSafe’s Cyber Monday specials, we’ve never seen them discount its packages or equipment this much. So we recommend you take advantage of the offer while you can. How Do I Get the Best SimpliSafe Cyber Monday Deals? Did you know the typical Cyber Monday shopper spends an average of $335 online? It’s true, and it goes to show that millions of people are hungry for once-a-year deals. Unfortunately, Cyber Monday deals don’t grow on trees. They have time limits, quantity limits, and other limits, too. So it’s important to approach Cyber Monday with a basic strategy if you want the best prices on SimpliSafe home security. We recommend the following tips and tricks to get the best SimpliSafe deals. Use a free online price-comparison tool like our Top Home Security Picks for , which will show you how much the best brands cost, side by side. Sometimes what seems like the best deal is only smoke and mirrors. Set a budget, and stick to it. If you don’t make a budget for Cyber Monday, you risk spending money on products you don’t need. Prepare a shopping list. Know what you need before you go shopping. That way, you won’t overspend and you won’t forget a thing. SimpliSafe wireless keypad It used to be that Black Friday was exclusively for in-store sales and Cyber Monday was for online shopping. Over the years that line has blurred with thousands of shoppers flooding the web on the Friday after Thanksgiving to take advantage of difficult-to-find, once-a-year deals. How Can You Save on SimpliSafe Home Security Today? That’s everything you need to know about SimpliSafe’s Cyber Monday deal. Now that you have all the information, the only thing left to do is to head to the SimpliSafe website and pick the system that suits your needs. You can also build your own system if you prefer. Don’t forget, you’ll get a free outdoor security camera worth $199. 99. So you can design your package around this device. SimpliSafe will also add one month of free professional monitoring to the cart. The best part is that SimpliSafe monitoring plans don’t have any contracts. So if you decide after 30 days that you don’t need it, you can cancel the plan and continue to use your equipment. This Cyber Monday deal won’t last for long. But if you miss out, there are always SimpliSafe deals running throughout the year featuring discounted security systems and free products. They won’t be as big as the deals available today, but they offer a way for you to save money anytime you need a SimpliSafe security system.

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### Vivint Cyber Monday Deals

> Vivint's 2025 Cyber Monday deal offers up to $245 savings with three months free monitoring and a discounted doorbell camera, if your package is $599+.

- Published: 2019-10-14
- Modified: 2025-06-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/cyber-monday/

When we say Vivint is redefining home security, we mean it. Vivint is all about top-of-the-line home security and automation. These systems have all the features without the fuss of some of the other brands out there. Vivint offers professional installation, indoor and outdoor security cameras, plenty of smart features, and a lifetime warranty. That said, Vivint is not cheap. So smart consumers like you would be wise to wait until the biggest online shopping day of the year to purchase the home security system of their dreams. Cyber Monday – a day dedicated to the biggest online deals – and Vivint’s Cyber Monday deals are here. All Equipment in the Vivint Home Security System What Deals Does Vivint Offer on Cyber Monday? We cover Vivint’s Cyber Monday sale year after year, and this year’s Cyber Monday deal is particularly great. It includes up to three months of free professional monitoring (capped at $120 total) and a steeply discounted Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro. That video doorbell costs $250 on regular days; right now, it’s only $125. If you’re keeping count, that’s $245 in total savings. You have to meet one requirement though: Your Vivint package should cost $599 or more. But don’t worry; you won’t have any difficulties reaching that threshold. Even a simple Vivint security system can cost $500, and with each sensor ranging from $40 yo $100, you’ll be looking at a $600 cart total in no time. How to Get the Best Vivint Cyber Monday Deals You can save hundreds of dollars on home security if you take advantage of Vivint’s Cyber Monday sale, but you have to do it right. Hopefully, you did some pre-planning and you already know what you want. But if not, we suggest you start there. As we said above, you’ll need to contact Vivint to take part in the sale. And if you call in without a specific system or package in mind, they might try to upsell you. Our Vivint review is a great place to start. Also, it pays to call in as early as you can. That doesn’t seem to be the case this year, but some of the Vivint Cyber Monday deals we’ve seen in the past were either limited-time deals or available only in limited quantities. You don’t want to risk missing out, especially given how much Vivint systems cost throughout the year. Lastly, check Vivint’s website and social media pages. They don’t do this every year, but sometimes, they drop exclusive deals and promo codes all throughout Cyber Monday. Vivint Door and Window Sensor Will There Be Deals After Cyber Monday? Whether it’s Vivint’s Black Friday sales or Cyber Monday deals, we make it easy to find the best savings on home security. That said, we don’t always recommend waiting around for those days to purchase a security system. If you happen to be shopping for one now, great! The Vivint Cyber Monday sale will make the purchase easier on your wallet. However, if you don’t need a new security system right now, but are planning to buy one shortly, you don’t have to wait until the next Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Vivint is one of the top security systems, and like its peers, it offers discounts throughout the year. They may not be as big as Vivint’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, but paying a little is much better than leaving your home unprotected for months in the name of discounts.

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### Best Motion Sensor Security Cameras

> SimpliSafe excels in deterring intruders with smart detection, ADT shines with facial recognition, while Lorex offers versatile motion cameras.

- Published: 2019-10-10
- Modified: 2025-08-13
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/motion/



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### Best Night Vision Security Cameras of [year]

> Night Vision Security Cameras 2025: ADT and Lorex lead with top scores, offering Google Nest integration and long-range color vision. SimpliSafe ranks lower.

- Published: 2019-10-10
- Modified: 2025-05-30
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/night-vision/



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### Upgrading Existing Home Security System

> Upgrading your home security is easy; most systems like SimpliSafe allow for new features, equipment, and 24-hour monitoring, enhancing protection effectively.

- Published: 2019-10-09
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/upgrade/



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### Moving With ADT

> If you’re moving with ADT, you’ll need a new contract and equipment at your new place. Existing ADT setups can be activated with a call to ADT.

- Published: 2019-10-09
- Modified: 2023-09-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/moving/

Moving into a new place involves all kinds of stressors: packing, transporting your belongings, setting up utilities at your new home, clearing out your old home, and lots more. You certainly don’t need the added stress of figuring out what to do about home security. If you’re an ADT customer, here’s how to go about transitioning from your old home to your new one. Or, if you’ve just moved somewhere that has ADT equipment, here’s how to get it set up. ADT Home Security Equipment ADT Customers Who Are Moving If you're a current ADT customer who’s moving, call ADT right away (at least 30 days before your move date, if possible) to find out what they can do to protect you in your new home. They always have special deals for movers, and they’ll want to do what they can to retain your business. It’s a good idea to check the reviews for your local ADT authorized dealer before signing a new contract. That local dealer will be the one managing your ADT experience from installation to ongoing customer service, so you’ll want to have confidence in them as a long-term partner. As for your contract, you’ll likely have to cancel it and sign a fresh one at your new address. That’s because contracts are specific to the location where the alarm system is installed. ADT will set you up with a new contract at your new place. They’ll walk you through the whole process and discuss any options. When it comes to the security equipment at your current house (cameras, sensors, and the like), you’ll generally leave that stuff behind. If you want service at your new home, ADT will install fresh equipment there, based on exactly what you need for the current layout, but don't worry about the cost because ADT often has deals for movers who choose to stay with ADT. ADT Indoor Camera (left) and Outdoor Camera (right) Setting Up ADT at Your New Home If the place you’re moving into already has ADT equipment installed, you can work with ADT to activate service using the existing equipment and anything new you want to add. This could mean a nice savings in up-front costs — especially since you’ll be getting equipment made by top manufacturers like GE and Honeywell. In some cases, ADT can set you up for service using equipment you already own from another security company. So if the place you just moved into is equipped with a security system of any kind, just call ADT to see if they can work with it. Why choose ADT? Whether there’s already ADT equipment at your place or not, ADT is definitely worth considering for your new home. The company has a stellar reputation, competitive rates and great equipment. Plus, ADT's professional equipment installation takes the stress of having to set up a security system on your own off of your shoulders. We rank them high on our list of the top home security systems of . That means we believe they’re a top-notch choice. That said, they’re not for everyone. They do require long-term contracts and professional installation, so they’re typically a better choice for those who plan to stay put for a few years. And the basic package doesn’t offer smartphone controls via the app, so if that’s important to you, you’ll need to choose a higher-tier package or a different security company. ADT’s advanced packages, however, have it all — app controls, 24/7 monitoring, home automation, and video recording. These higher-tier plans are where ADT really shines, and they’re well worth it for those who are willing to pay a little more for a premium system, customer service, and professional monitoring. ADT integrates with Alexa and Google Assistant so you can easily control your security system with your voice. And because ADT runs on the Z-Wave platform, it’s compatible with hundreds of smart products, like lights, speakers, and more — meaning you can connect all your smart devices and control them with the ADT app. ADT Moving FAQs

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### A Beginners Guide to Home Automation

> Home automation simplifies life with IoT, AI, and machine learning. It boosts convenience, safety, and sustainability but poses cyber risks. Costs vary widely.

- Published: 2019-10-09
- Modified: 2023-05-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-automation/

When people think about a smart home, they usually picture something reminiscent of the Jetsons. Voice-activated, mechanized breakfast assembly bars. Exercise equipment that puts itself away at the wave of a hand. Video monitors that descend from the ceiling when your wife calls on her way home from her job managing the sprocket factory. We’re not quite there yet, but there have been some pretty incredible leaps forward in the home-automation industry. They have been made possible, in part, by a concept called the Internet of Things (IoT). The smart-home industry has also been pushed forward by leaps and bounds by advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies. Before we discuss them, though, let’s understand the concept of home automation itself. What Exactly Is Home Automation? Home automation is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the addition of smart devices to a home, apartment, condo, or wherever else someone lives that takes a manual task and makes it automatic. It could be as simple as adjusting the thermostat if the humidity gets too high or as complicated as a “bedtime” voice command that lowers the lights, turns off the living room TV, switches on the outdoor motion-activated floodlights, and turns on the bedroom fan. Experts disagree on the exact origins of the “smart” home, but many argue it can be traced back to the 1975 release of X10, a home-automation platform that used radio frequency bursts through a home’s existing wiring so users could remotely control devices using a command console. These actions all have something to do with remote control, scheduling, or self-learning. Let’s take a look at some examples to better understand the concepts: Remote control: Turning off your TV with your smartphone. Scheduling: Setting your security cameras to switch on at night. Self-learning: Your home learns to cool the house to 72 when you’re home, but let the temperature rise to 78 when you’re not there. Individual systems operating using one of these three mechanisms is pretty neat, but things get really interesting when the systems start communicating with each other and working together. To do that, they all need to be working on the same network. That brings us to the next important concept: the Internet of Things. Understanding the Internet of Things If you have a traditional understanding of the internet, you may think it’s the place you go to check your email using your computer. You’re not wrong, but your conception of the internet is greatly limited. All sorts of devices are now internet-connected, and with the right coaxing can share data with other things that can all learn from each other. Hence the Internet of Things. In 2021, there were more than 10 billion — that’s with a b — active IoT devices. For context, there are only 7. 8 billion people on earth. The things in your home with sensors, processing ability, and software can connect over the internet or some other communications network — like Z-Wave or Bluetooth — to automate processes. With the right technology, these home networks can even learn about your habits and predict what you want. That’s where artificial intelligence and machine learning come into play. What Are AI and Machine Learning, and What’s the Difference? You may have heard of the terms before, but you may not have a firm grasp of what they are or how they work outside of science fiction. Let’s start by defining them. Artificial intelligence: Simply put, this is the ability of computers to think like a human and perform tasks on their own. Machine learning: This is the process by which a computer establishes, develops, and refines its intelligence. Notice the words in bold. Artificial intelligence allows your video doorbell to recognize a package, but its ability to refine what is a package and what isn’t is based on machine learning. Both are important and related concepts when we’re talking about smart homes, so let’s define that now. What Qualifies as a Smart Home? Simply put, a smart home is one that benefits from some form of home automation. There is no real threshold for what exactly qualifies as a smart home though. If you have a thermostat that adjusts itself, that could be considered a smart home. If you have every item in your house networked to the point where your lights turn on when your alarm clock goes off, your toaster oven starts cooking your bacon, and your digital assistant greets you with “good morning, captain,” congratulations. Also that’s pretty smart. The global smart-home industry was estimated to be worth $62. 69 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 27 percent from 2022 to 2030. Homes are smart and getting smarter. The long and short of it is this: A smart home is one where you leverage technology to make your life a little easier. Whether it’s your dryer sending an alert to your phone that your laundry is done or your security camera recognizing a stranger is approaching and telling your doors to automatically lock, a smart home works for its owner instead of the other way around. That brings us to our next point: There are many benefits to smartening things up at home. What Are the Benefits of Home Automation? There are tons of reasons you may want to invest in home automation, but they generally fall into five categories. Convenience. This is one of the primary reasons people start down the smart-home path. It just makes life a little easier when your home automates all the mundane tasks you used to have to do on a day-to-day basis. If your robot vacuum knows to sweep the kitchen every Saturday, it means you don’t have to. Safety. A lot of smart-home technology is centered around your home’s security system, and there's a good reason for that. No one piece of security equipment will protect your home comprehensively, but a network of pieces of equipment all working and thinking together can. Sustainability. It may seem inconsequential, but a lot of energy is wasted when you leave the lights on or keep your AC running when you’re gone for the weekend. A truly smart home will adjust itself to your habits and make sure your environmental impact is a little lighter. Savings. You waste a lot of money when you leave things running unnecessarily. Your smart home will improve your economic efficiency by helping you remember to turn things off or down when they’re not needed. The “wow” factor. Let’s be honest: Home automation is cool. How neat is it that your home recognizes you and automatically adjusts itself to your preferences when you walk in the door? That’s some Star Trek stuff right there. Let’s assume you’re convinced to start building out your smart home. How do you begin? With all the equipment, things can be a little daunting. Where Do I Start? The best place to start is by understanding your goals. Automation for automation’s sake isn’t all that smart. Start by considering what’s most important to you. Are you looking for an advanced security system? Are you trying to minimize your environmental impact while saving money? Are you just interested in the “wow” factor of having a house that responds to voice commands? Is it a little bit of everything? The answers to these questions will help you determine how to tackle your smart-home project. Once you figure out your needs, remember to start small. The good thing about smart-home technology is that it’s synergistic, meaning each item you add will build to a sum that’s greater than its parts. If you purchase a video doorbell today, later you can buy security cameras that communicate with it. Then you can get a hub that will announce the name of the person coming to your door, and a smart lock that will open when the familiar face is recognized. And that’s not just a hypothetical example. Read our review of Google Nest Cameras to see it in action. Going from “Little House on the Prairie” to “2001: A Space Odyssey” isn’t easy. There are two paths you can take, and that decision will depend on your budget and how handy you are. DIY or Professionally Installed? Back in the day, security systems and other home tech had to be professionally installed. That’s no longer the case. If you’re handy with a level and power drill, you can head to a big-box retailer and have a pretty solid smart system set up this weekend. There are plenty of companies that cater to this approach. Read our review of Frontpoint if you want to learn more. Never try to do work outside your comfort or skill level. Improperly installed electronics can be a hazard to your safety, as well as the safety of your property. If you can’t tell the difference between a screwdriver and a soldering iron, you may want to go the professional installation route. There are a few benefits to this approach that we detail in our review of Vivint, but they include not having to get your hands dirty and getting the advice of someone who really knows what they’re talking about when it comes to home automation. When considering which type of home-automation system you want, there are some things to keep in mind. We’ve gone over some already, but let’s talk about one of the biggest. Are There Any Dangers of Having a Smart Home? Your smart home will likely incorporate your physical security system, but there’s a threat that lots of people don’t consider when automating their home: digital attacks. Each piece of equipment in your smart home is internet-connected, which means it is a vector for cyber attack. If a hacker makes their way onto your network, your private data — bank accounts, passwords, etc. — are vulnerable. If a hacker penetrates your home network, you’re definitely at risk for identity theft. If you want to prevent this nightmare from happening to you, consider investing in an identity theft protection service. If you’re interested in building out a home-automation network, it’s best to invest in a VPN that has router-level protection. That will make your data nearly invisible to cyber criminals and protect your data while you’re protecting your property. How Much Does Home Automation Cost? It’s a great question, but it doesn’t have a definite answer. You could spend a couple hundred bucks on some affordable security cameras, or you could spend tens of thousands of dollars outfitting your home with every technological bell and whistle available. The question, really, is how much do you want to spend? We understand that’s an unsatisfying answer. According to research from Angi, the average home-automation system costs around $800. Like we said, though, that figure can fluctuate pretty wildly depending on your wants and needs. So that begs the question: Is it even worth pursuing in the first place? Is Home Automation Worth It? This is a question only you can answer. How much do you value your security? How much do you value your time? How much do you want to save on your power bill? How much do you want to impress your friends and family when they come over? The question of value is subjective. When you consider the benefits and costs, however, the former outweighs the latter in our calculus. If you agree, there’s no time like the present to get started. Check out our guide to the best home-automation security systems for more information.

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### Best Battery-Powered Security Cameras

> ADT, Lorex, and Ring top our list of battery-powered security cameras for 2025, offering strong features like facial recognition, 4K resolution, and ease of use.

- Published: 2019-10-07
- Modified: 2025-09-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/battery/



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### Best Cloud Security Cameras

> In 2025, SimpliSafe leads with top cloud plans offering monitoring, ADT excels in video verification, and Google Nest provides standout facial recognition.

- Published: 2019-10-07
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/cloud/



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### Vivint vs Alder Comparison

> Vivint beats Alder with superior smart home equipment, design, and technology, but Alder shines with faster emergency response times. Vivint is our top pick.

- Published: 2019-10-02
- Modified: 2024-10-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-vs-alder/

Vivint vs. Alder Comparison: A Lesser-Known and a Long-Standing Brand in the Home Security Industry: Where Do Each Stand? Alder Security Equipment It's easy to assume that the most widely known home security provider also equates to the market’s finest; however, that's not always the case. Brands in the limelight like Vivint are there for a reason, of course. But don’t pass over the underdogs who might very well give those industry superstars a run for their money. Vivint Smart Home Equipment Up-and-comers like Alder, which was founded in 2008, are proving to be strong contenders when it comes to quality home security services. In the case of Alder, the company stands out for their alert response time and how it ensures the proper personnel are dispatched during an emergency. To be clear, Vivint is no slouch in this regard. The longstanding front-runner has proven to be responsive and reliable. So, how does Vivint compare with a younger and fast-growing rival? Well, we decided to investigate for ourselves and you just may be surprised at what we found. Similarities Between Vivint and Alder Vivint and Alder each provide quality home security monitoring services to homeowners across the country, easily earning top spots in our ranking of the best home security systems. Although each excels in certain areas over the other, we uncovered many similarities that we didn’t expect to find. Vivint has been in business since the late ‘90s, but in the past few years they’ve really scooped up quite the market share. This is due largely in part to their high-quality equipment and smart home integrations. Home Automation First off, both companies understand that the core reason for technology’s existence is to make our lives easier, and one such technological advancement has taken the home security industry by storm: smart home automation. Vivint and Alder each use home automation in conjunction with their home security service, so that you can easily control your system around the clock. Vivint’s home automation options include automated door locks, thermostat settings, and so much more. Alder is more limited but does offer automation integrations with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Vivint Smart Lock Options As an added bonus, both Vivint’s and Alder’s home security systems are wireless and their mobile apps allow you to access your security cameras to see what's happening in real-time. Environmental Hazard Detection As big proponents of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide monitors, we were excited to find that both Vivint and Alder systems have environmental hazard detection features — which can be lifesaving. You’ll not only be protected in the event of a fire or carbon monoxide leak, but also alerted to air quality issues that can impact your health. Vivint Smart CO/Smoke Detectors Contracts Unfortunately, both Vivint and Alder are home security providers that require those pesky long-term contracts, unless you pay for the equipment up front. Alder provides a variety of contract options, but they encourage homeowners to invest in the five-year term. Vivint expects no less than a 48-month term, but contracts can go as long as a 60-month term (yikes). A saving grace: One benefit to a Vivint contract is that you can opt-out should you decide to pay for the equipment outright. If long-term commitments aren’t really your thing, you may want to check out one of the top contract-free home security systems instead. Installation Installation options is one area that distinguishes Vivint from Alder. With Vivint, you're locked into having professionals install your home security system. Alder gives you a choice. If you choose the DIY route, you can have a basic Alder system set up in about half an hour. If you don't trust yourself to properly install an Alder security system, you can have professional installers do it for you. We always find a sense of peace when a company professionally installs equipment for you, especially something you really don’t want to mess up. With a home security system, any mistakes you make with a DIY installation could very well lead to false alarms, an intrusion, or worse. If you’re on a budget, or simply like to get your “hands dirty,” note that Alder also offers DIY installation if preferred. When we set up our Alder system, it only took 20-30 minutes to get up and running. You can either quickly install the Alder home security yourself (no tools required) or have the pros do it for you. Vivint, though, requires professional installation. Equipment Faceoff: Vivint vs. Alder Now, for our favorite part: Let’s talk features and tech! Overall, both Alder and Vivint matched up pretty well, with each offering state-of-the-art components incorporating elements of home automation backed up by equipment warranties. However, Vivint definitely has a leg up when it comes to smart options and a more complete solution, even with a basic package. Also, we found the Vivint equipment had superior construction. Features A major selling point for Vivint is their home automation capabilities, including features like Vivint door locks and smart thermostats. Additional options for their home security system include the following: Vivint Door/Window Sensor A customized remote for the system Motion sensors Garage door switches Entry sensors Indoor/outdoor cameras Environmental detection Doorbell video with two-way communication Vivint is into home automation for those who would like to complement their smart home with thermostat and door-lock features. Alder is still catching up with home automation features, but isn’t too far behind. Alder Security Camera Options Unfortunately, Alder doesn’t quite have bragging rights (yet) when it comes to home automation. During our recent review of Alder, however, we did find features that could partially automate your home (like Alexa and Google Home compatibility), so it may only be a matter of time until they catch up. The home security equipment provided by Alder was not as extensive as our package from Vivint, but did include: Alder Panel Entry sensors Motion sensors Video surveillance Environmental detection Doorbell with video and two-way communication Customer Service Showdown Good customer support is vital (to every company really), and poor service reflects badly on the provider, to the point it can overshadow great products. In our own experience, Vivint has the upper hand in this regard. With Alder, we were put on hold for longer than our call with Vivint, 30 minutes total, but thankfully we had friendly and helpful support in the end. In terms of customer service, Alder sometimes gets poor reviews for their support system. Vivint, on the other hand, has a customer service team that will bend over backwards for you (just don’t try to get out of your contract early! ). Package Pricing: Vivint vs. Alder Sometimes, companies don’t like to give blanket price quotes without seeing the home first and determining the specific homeowner's needs. Both Vivint and Alder forced us to take our investigation one step further... by making a phone call. Although we could only garner a price range (which, of course, is subject to change), we were at least able to uncover an estimate of what you can expect to spend. We found a basic Alder security package costs around $40 to $50 per month for the equipment and 24/7 professional monitoring. If you’re able to purchase the equipment up front, however, the monitoring will only cost $24. 99 and you won’t have to sign a contract. For specific pricing, we recommend chatting with Alder directly. This way, you can find a customized equipment package tailored to you. As for Vivint’s pricing and packages, monitoring plans start at $29. 99 per month. You can either pay for the equipment upfront, or finance it over the course of a four- or five-year contract. Vivint’s equipment is higher quality than Alder’s and therefore more expensive, but you do get what you pay for. As with Alder, if you’re able to pay for Vivint’s equipment up front (we’re talking $700-$1,800), you’ll save some money in the long run and avoid a lengthy contract requirement. Emergency Connections for Vivint and Alder Probably one of the most important aspects of any home security system is their response time when receiving an alert. Otherwise, a home security setup is pretty pointless. Neither Alder nor Vivint were found lacking when it came to emergency connectivity. Both feature broadband and cellular capabilities. As far as good response plans go, we found Alder is the standout. In fact, Alder has made a name for themselves in the home security industry for how they react to alerts. They immediately notify you and anyone on your contact list if an alert is triggered. However, Alder will not only notify the authorities in the event of an emergency, but they will also make sure the teams dispatch. Alder has earned a reputation in the home security industry for its rapid response to alerts. Vivint doesn’t lapse in this category by any means, but Alder outshines much of the competition. Vivint will also notify you immediately should an intrusion occur and will alert the proper authorities as needed. While testing Vivint, we experienced response times that were around 30 seconds on average. Alder was just slightly faster. Vivint vs. Alder: Who Wins the Day? Vivint and Alder are both comparable home security providers; however, Vivint has the edge due to smart home equipment and overall design. Vivint is also more advanced with their technology and equipment, while still being easy to use. Alder isn’t too far behind, though! They are working their way to offering full home automation and are beginning to increase their equipment offerings. Also, they are quickly gaining recognition for having a quick and reliable response time to alerts, and that’s a big deal. Our verdict: Vivint, hands down. Read our full Vivint review. Still need help with your decision? Check out our handy Home Security Comparison Tool which will refine results based on your specific needs.

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### Best IFTTT Compatible Home Security Systems of [year]

> Abode, Ring, and Arlo support IFTTT, letting you customize smart home routines and triggers with ease

- Published: 2019-10-02
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/ifttt/



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### Best Office Security Systems in [year]

> ADT, SimpliSafe, and Cove provide top-tier office security with intrusion detection, cameras, and pro monitoring

- Published: 2019-10-02
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/office/



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### Blue by ADT Doorbell Camera Review

> The Blue by ADT Doorbell Camera is discontinued; ADT now offers the Google Nest Doorbell, which integrates seamlessly with their new DIY ADT Self Setup system.

- Published: 2019-08-15
- Modified: 2025-03-17
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/doorbell/



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### Best Waterproof Medical Alert Systems

> Bay Alarm Medical, Medical Guardian, and ADT offer the best waterproof medical alert systems. Bay Alarm is the easiest to use, Guardian has the longest range.

- Published: 2019-08-14
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/waterproof/



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### Ring Alarm for Business

> Ring Alarm doesn't offer business-specific systems, but its DIY kits can secure businesses affordably. No professional fire/CO monitoring available.

- Published: 2019-08-13
- Modified: 2023-04-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ring-alarm/business/



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### Vivint Installation

> Vivint's installation was thorough but pricey, with Don impressing us with his professionalism. Despite minor communication issues, we rate it 9.4/10.

- Published: 2019-08-13
- Modified: 2025-03-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/installation/



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### Do Medical Alert Devices Have Bluetooth?

> Bluetooth-enabled medical alert systems offer wire-free convenience, GPS tracking, and no monthly fees, making Bay Alarm Medical top-rated for 2025.

- Published: 2019-08-12
- Modified: 2023-05-31
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/bluetooth/

Medical alert systems provide a variety of benefits for seniors, and other individuals that use medical alerts. The different types of systems available to those in need of a medical alert system vary, depending on individual preferences, the user’s lifestyle, and other possible factors. One option that medical alert system users, or their loved ones, likely consider is whether a particular medical alert device or app features Bluetooth technology. Today’s modern features, including Bluetooth technology-enabled medical alerts, potentially helps individuals choose the option, and features, that is best for their specific needs. How do Medical Alerts with Bluetooth Work? The technology behind Bluetooth eliminates the need for a jumbled, tangled mess of cables that often connect one device to another, and potentially works to improve communications between devices, or apps. Bluetooth technology has a variety of applications, including in health care. Medical alerts sometimes feature Bluetooth technology, giving users certain freedoms possibly not previously available in earlier systems, or devices. It sends wireless data between devices that are Bluetooth-enabled, without the need for a modem or router. Chron contributor Edward Mercer explains that Bluetooth technology allows medical alarm users the ability to control their device wire-free, that it simplifies data sharing, and allows for saving valuable time when used for healthcare reasons. GPS trackers, a popular medical alert feature for seniors that often venture away from home, automatically report your route and location when you choose devices and apps with Bluetooth technology. There are advantages beyond the fact that Bluetooth offers wire-free technology for medical alerts. What are Some Benefits of Medical Alert Options Featuring Bluetooth? Medial alerts with Bluetooth provide individuals with stylish, discreet, easy-to-use medical alert options, compared to a larger home-based station that potentially requires a landline phone, and possibly wearing an unattractive, bulky pendant. Custom alerts allow you to set up your medical alerts designed for your needs, and avoids the one-size-fits-all standard systems, devices, and apps of some alerts or alarms. Medical alerts with Bluetooth technology potentially provide modern features such as movement sensors, fall detection, GPS tracking, vitals monitoring, medication reminders, fitness tracking, home security for individuals with medical alert needs, and other features. You no longer have to worry about issues such as whether the system will work during a power outage, whether your loved one is in danger when driving, out for a walk, or if there is a risk of the person falling without anyone knowing about it. Choose a medical alert with Bluetooth connectivity option, and you do not have to fear going out of the small range of some base medical alert system units. Bluetooth-enabled medical alerts eliminate difficulties associated with setting up and using some systems, or the lack of mobility of some systems. Once you connect the medical alert app to your Bluetooth-enabled device, your medical alert capabilities go wherever you go. Some individuals choose a wearable Bluetooth medical alert such as a button or bracelet. When you press the help button, your Smartphone initiates calls, and text messages to your pre-selected contacts. Consider the benefit of not having to pay monthly monitoring fees since the Bluetooth medical alert technology works with your Smartphone, and not a system that requires monthly monitoring by a medical alert system company. Are There Disadvantages to Bluetooth-Enabled Medical Alerts? You likely do not want a cheap Bluetooth-enabled product sold at a cheap wholesale price. There are a variety of medical alerts with Bluetooth available at an affordable cost. There is possibly some concern that medical alert users will not know how to use Bluetooth technology. A reputable company offering the Bluetooth-enabled medical alert option typically provides easy-to-understand instructions. How do I Choose a Medical Alert Option with Bluetooth Technology? Read about each medical alert option with Bluetooth technology carefully. Make sure that you understand how the technology works, and if it will work properly with your phone or device. Do your research, and choose your medical alert with Bluetooth from a provider that you know is legitimate, and available to help if you need assistance. Make sure that there is a legitimate company website, with information about the company. Search the website for comprehensive medical alerts with Bluetooth information that you need to make an informed decision. There is an outstanding variety of features available with today’s medical alert devices, and apps, including those that offer Bluetooth technology. Choose Bluetooth-enabled medical alert options, and feel confident that you likely have the best features available for your personalized medical alert needs.

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### Vivint Business Security Solutions

> Vivint excels in business security with customizable systems, smart automations, and AI-powered cameras but falls short with high costs and short trial periods.

- Published: 2019-08-06
- Modified: 2025-03-07
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/business/

A business security system is not exactly the same as a home security system, but there are a few things we want to see from both. We want them to come from a reputable company, to offer cutting-edge equipment and technology, and to have reliable features and monitoring. Vivint is one of the best home security systems that offer all those, and the good news is, they also offer business security solutions. But are their business security solutions as good as their home security offerings? We explored the options Vivint offers, and we can say it beats most of the competition when it comes to features and all-around connectivity. We even named it one of the best business security systems of . However, we saw some drawbacks when it comes to things like cost and contract length. If you want to find out if Vivint is the right security system for your business, keep reading as we share with you our hands-on review. Vivint’s home security equipment is just as effective in business environments as it is in homes. Vivint Pros & Cons Consider Your Type of Business Let’s be clear: Vivint isn’t for every company. Whether it’s budget constraints, scale, or timing, some situations don’t call for a bespoke, end-to-end smart security system. Smaller companies may be particularly concerned about cost. If that’s your business, we recommend a more affordable DIY system like Frontpoint or abode. We recommend Vivint to more established businesses seeking to have high-end, wireless equipment and smart connectivity. We especially like their security cameras that offer crime-deterrent features powered by AI. These are no normal security cameras; we know because we tested Vivint ourselves. Just a quick disclaimer though, we tested Vivint as part of a home security package. Vivint offers the same equipment for businesses, but prices and contract details might be a little different than we encountered. If you think it might be a good fit, Vivint can get your office or commercial space outfitted with surveillance cameras, intrusion sensors, smart thermostats, smart locks, a modern touchscreen control panel, smartphone controls, and more. How Vivint Protects the Workplace After using Vivint, we can see how it can protect your company from all sorts of criminal activity and bad actors. For instance, the cameras may be helpful against lawsuits from customer slip-and-falls, and they can also help identify a thief stealing merchandise. Vivint can notify you of a security breach (even at 3 a. m. ), and it might make your employees feel safer and let you sleep a little easier at night. Here’s a sample of the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro’s nighttime video quality Now, don’t get us wrong, Vivint isn’t a magic bullet. But having a security system in place is always a good idea — whether it’s Vivint or another leading brand like ADT. That said, let’s dive into Vivint’s packages for businesses and what it’s like using the system on a daily basis. Vivint Equipment Prices for Businesses We spent roughly $1,400 for our Vivint setup, but keep in mind that we bought just about everything Vivint sells. If you run a small to mid-sized business, expect to pay between $1,000 - $2,000 in upfront equipment costs. Ah! But you’re a businessperson, so you know the importance of keeping cash-on-hand for a rainy day. With this in mind, you can keep your money, sign a Vivint contract, and spread those payments out over 4 to 5 years. You don’t have to purchase everything upfront. As of August 2024, Vivint offers financing options exclusively through Fortiva. You might find Vivint promoting a “Vivint for Business Package. ” But it doesn’t come with nearly enough equipment, even for a small business (see below). So we recommend customizing a system from the ground up. Some of the equipment we’ve used and would highly recommend include Vivint’s Outdoor Camera Pro, recessed door sensors, and their glass break sensors and smart locks. These products will go the distance to protect any place of business. Vivint Business Package Includes: 1 Touchscreen Panel 3 Door/Window Sensors 1 Motion Detection 1 Key FOB 1 Vivint Yard Sign Now, if you have a large business — like an expansive factory space, retail outlet, or a commercial center — you’ll probably spend upwards of $3,000 to $5,000 for a Vivint security system with multiple cameras. So if you’re building an empire, you might want to look into CCTV systems like Lorex (we’ve reviewed Lorex in depth here) to use in conjunction with Vivint. One advantage of a wired-up security camera system from Lorex is that you can hook up the cameras to a DVR for continuous recording. Some businesses need recordings for more than just emergencies such as nighttime break-ins, and that’s where continuous recording comes in handy. It lets you keep around-the-clock recording for things such as employee theft, customer slip-and-falls, and even productivity monitoring. We didn’t test the Car Guard, but our Installation Specialist let us take a picture of the device, designed to be plugged into an OBD-II port. We should also note that Vivint offers an accessory called the Car Guard, which can help extend your business security solution to your vehicles. It’s essentially a tracking device that can also notify you about vehicle breakdowns, break-ins, and maintenance needs. It has a GPS and cellular chips to stay connected to your main Vivint system. We haven’t tested the Car Guard, but it could be a good addition to businesses such as warehouses and logistics where vehicles play a big part in the operation. Vivint 24/7 Monitoring for Businesses In addition to equipment costs, you’ll also need to sign up for one of Vivint’s monthly monitoring plans. The company doesn’t allow self-monitoring, so your system will be connected to a professional monitoring center at all times. And this comes at a price. Monitoring starts at $29. 99 monthly for residential customers. But for businesses, Vivint monitoring starts at $39. 99 per month, which is reasonable from what we’ve seen. This plan includes advanced protection with smart automations. If you want video support, the monthly fee bumps to $49. 99, which again is average for the industry. Here’s our most recent roundup of Vivint plans and prices. Vivint Monitoring for Business Plan Features Smart Security Smart Control Protection Level Intermediate Advanced Intrusion Protection Yes Yes 24/7 Cellular Monitoring Yes Yes Smart Automations Yes Yes Video Support No Yes Monthly Fee $39. 99 $49. 99 Professional Installation One thing that Vivint does right is professional installation. We welcomed a Vivint technician, Don, into our place to set us up with a new system. You can read all about our installation experience here, but just expect a positive experience from start to finish. We’d recommend setting aside a couple hours for a ‘Smart Home Pro’ to get you squared away. If you have a bigger building or office space with lots of doors and windows, you’ll want to carve out 4-5 hours. It’s a fairly involved process, but then again, it’s a very advanced system. And in our opinion, it beats having to install it yourself. In addition, we appreciate that Vivint technicians are trained to stick around after the installation job to show you the ropes and teach you how to use the system. It’s not very complicated to use, in our experience, but you’ll want to know how each component works so you can maximize your use of them. Our Installation Specialist, Don, Installing the Vivint Outdoor Camera 24/7 Cellular Monitoring Keep in mind that all Vivint systems need a broadband internet connection. If your place of business doesn’t have one yet, you need to take care of that ASAP before setting up a Vivint system. It doesn’t need to be super-fast. The system itself doesn't need a lot of data to send out alerts, and the security cameras only require 2 Mbps of speed each to stream and record. Even when our internet is acting up, we can still access our live camera feeds. The need for an internet connection isn’t really a downside, though, because Vivint also has a cellular backup connection, in addition to battery backup. It’s one of the best security systems with cellular communication that can continue to work when the power and internet is down. Just a word of caution, Vivint’s cameras do run off Wi-Fi. The cameras have a slot for a microSD card so they can keep recording when your internet is down, but alerts won’t be available. Cellular backup enables only the system to send alerts to you and the monitoring centers. Cameras will stop streaming and sending recordings to the cloud during power and internet outages. In testing the Vivint alarm, we experienced 35 second response times on average. That’s the time it takes for an emergency response agent to call if (or when! ) your business is targeted by burglars. Keep in mind that 35 seconds is right in line with the industry average for responsiveness. A Smarter Workplace If business has been good and you have the budget to invest, another benefit of Vivint is their smart home automations. Smart home, smart office, it’s all the same. You’ll be able to remotely manage your thermostat with Vivint’s Element Thermostat ($169), lock and unlock your doors from virtually anywhere with Vivint’s Kwikset Smart Locks ($159), ensure your lights turn off automatically at close of business using Philips Hue smart lighting ($79+), and integrate Alexa or Google Home for hands-free voice control. We know, it’s a lot. Speaking of integration, Vivint just happens to be one of the best security systems for Google Home. Vivint offers smart locks from Kwikset and Yale, and could be good for securing and managing access to your office. Note that Vivint also runs on the Z-Wave protocol, meaning you can integrate hundreds of third-party smart devices into your smart office ecosystem. The smart device categories compatible with Vivint include: Locks Lighting Thermostats Window blinds Home appliances Cameras Switches and plugs Remotes We were pretty impressed by the ease-of-use and how it all integrates into the Vivint app. So if we weren’t around to access our devices on the Smart Hub, we just pulled out our smartphone and a few swipes later we had Vivint doing our bidding. It might not be Einstein smart, but Vivint certainly makes the honor roll. We understand that Vivint isn’t the cheapest smart platform available — but you really get what you pay for here. Compared to other top brands we’ve tried, Vivint is the most intelligent and most streamlined system we’ve used. If your customers are making purchases in your place of business or you’re meeting clients there, having a top-of-the-line smart system can add a bit of shine to your brand. Here’s an example of an automated action we created for our Vivint system. Vivint also has plenty of native smart features. These include custom actions and notifications. For instance, if you have smart lights, you can set a custom action that automatically turns on your office lights when your system is disarmed. You can configure dozens of these native smart rules — more than with any other security brand. In other words, Vivint offers total control over your business environment and security. Vivint Cameras for Business We wrote a hands-on review of Vivint cameras where we share the ins and outs of our experience, so we won’t go too deep into it here. That said, we think smart surveillance is one of Vivint’s biggest strengths, so we’d be remiss not to mention it! If your business isn’t located in the best area of town (or really, even if it is) you’ll want to pay close attention here. Vivint Indoor Camera - Secure the Office or Interior The Vivint Indoor Camera has a 12-ft. power cord and plenty of great features. We really liked the One-Touch Callout button. If one of your staff members needs immediate attention, they can push the button on top of the camera and it will send a notification to your mobile app. You can then open the app and view the live-stream footage to see what all the fuss is about. You can also view live video any time you want, as well as use two-way talk to communicate with staff. Other standout features of the Vivint Indoor Camera include 1080p HD resolution, 155-degree field of view, 10x zoom, motion-triggered notifications, night vision, and video recording. But at the $199 price tag, we would have liked to see some more AI features such as facial recognition. While it has person and pet detection, as well as customizable zones, we think it should be able to do more for that price. Overall, we think it’ll do a fine job protecting your inventory and employees. Would we recommend it over Ring cameras? Probably not. Outdoor Camera Pro - Secure the Parking Lot and Exterior If you’re serious about securing the perimeter of your business, you’re going to like this 4K HDR camera. It boasts one of the sharpest images we’ve seen from any device, and it even has motion-activated deterrent features like LED lights and an 85-dB siren. Plus, it has artificial intelligence that detects and wards off lurkers, which can be pretty helpful at night when your parking lot or business front should be empty. This is a huge plus for business owners. Think about it... why not warn a burglar before they shatter your window? We know those insurance deductibles can be a doozy. Our Outdoor Camera Pro prior to being installed outside. Other features of the Outdoor Camera Pro include two-way talk, night vision, 3x zoom, and smartphone access and controls. With your perimeter alarm set, the camera will notify you if it detects someone coming into range. Pop into the app and you can trigger your alarm right there, or let them know you’re watching with two-way talk. We could go on, as we think this is Vivint’s best product in the lineup. We just wish it were a little cheaper. It comes with a $399 price tag (gulp! ), which is pricey compared to other outdoor cameras on the market. Then again, when we consider Vivint’s functionality and connectedness, the price of the Outdoor Camera Pro really doesn’t seem all that bad. If you need multiple cameras to watch over your building, we recommend checking out the Arlo Pro 3 two-pack bundles priced at $500. That’s four top-of-the-line cameras for $1,000. This turns out to be $600 cheaper than buying four of Vivint’s outdoor cameras. We tested and reviewed the Arlo Pro 3, and it’s one of our favorites. You can read our full Arlo camera review here. Doorbell Camera Pro Note that Vivint also offers a smart doorbell called the Doorbell Camera Pro. Most businesses don’t have a traditional entryway with a doorbell. But if your business is in a converted home or an office park suite, then this video doorbell might be worth looking into. Like other Vivint equipment, it won’t disappoint. You can read our full take on the Doorbell Camera Pro here. While designed for homes, the Doorbell Camera Pro can also secure some places of business. A Few Gripes We Have with Vivint By now, you can probably tell that Vivint is a safe bet for businesses. But before we wrap up, we have some (relatively minor) gripes to share with you. First, we don’t love Vivint’s contract terms. Although contracts are to be expected with professionally installed security systems, we’d rather go month-to-month. Of course, you don’t have to sign a contract, but if you want to go footloose and contract-free, you’ll have to purchase your equipment upfront. And this will cost $1,000 at least, depending on the size of your place of business. That’s a lot of money, no matter how much business is booming. Cold feet about signing contracts? Us too. So we really dig into Vivint’s contract terms and talk about what to expect in our Vivint contract guide. You might find that it’s not all that bad. Price and contracts aside, we also wish Vivint offered a 30-day refund or cancellation period like most systems we’ve used. Instead, they only give you three days to try it out. So a quick tip is to have the system installed on Monday or Tuesday, that way you’ll have the remainder of the work week to test it out. You and your staff can get a good feel for it, and then make the final decision by Friday EOD. Three days should be enough time to decide whether or not Vivint is right for your business. Finally, one last area of improvement is in regard to their customer service. One time when we spoke to customer service, we got bounced around from agent to agent for a solid 10 minutes. We typically don’t run into problems with Vivint’s tech support team, but this was on the sales side of their business. Not a deal-breaker, but we still think it’s worth pointing out. Our Final Verdict on Vivint for Business If your business is fairly well-established, then you really can’t beat a Vivint smart security system. These highly-intelligent, user-friendly alarm systems can protect your business against all sorts of nefarious activity — including robbery, merchandise theft, insurance fraud, employee theft, embezzlement, you name it. But we think Vivint really excels when it comes to automations and customizations. We were most impressed by the connectedness of the system, and how all of our devices synced in the mobile app for one-stop access and control. The Smart Hub touchscreen control panel is quite the looker, too. We think you’ll really like the way it adds a modern touch to the office environment. Just be ready to pay a pretty penny for it. That said, if you can swing it in your expense budget, you’ll certainly be in for a treat with Vivint.

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### GEICO Identity Theft Protection

> GEICO's identity theft protection is affordable with essential features but lacks advanced tools like 401(k) monitoring and social media alerts.

- Published: 2019-08-06
- Modified: 2024-12-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/geico/



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### Medical Alerts for Epilepsy

> Medical alert systems for epilepsy offer 24/7 emergency access, GPS tracking, and fall detection. Bay Alarm Medical is rated 9.3/10 for epileptic solutions.

- Published: 2019-08-06
- Modified: 2024-10-01
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/epilepsy/

For 3. 4 million Americans, living with epilepsy means knowing that a seizure could occur at any moment. Many wear medical ID bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry as a means of identifying their medical status in the event of a seizure while out of the home. While medical ID jewelry serves an important need, it is not a medical alert device, although it is sometimes confused as one. The difference is that a medical alert system or device enables you to press a button that will immediately connect you to an emergency monitoring center. Even if a seizure renders you unable to communicate, a monitoring center agent will be able to identify your location and send emergency services. Learn why medical alert systems are an ideal alternative or addition to medical ID jewelry for individuals with epilepsy. What Is Epilepsy and When Is Emergency Help Needed? Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes recurring seizures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a seizure as a short change in an individual’s brain activity. Epilepsy is sometimes referred to as a seizure disorder. When a seizure occurs, a person may stare straight ahead or appear confused or drowsy. or falling asleep. Some people have more serious seizure activity such as falling, shaking, or losing awareness of their surroundings. The cause of the majority of epilepsy cases is unknown. However, a few known causes include stroke, a brain tumor, a brain infection from a parasite, traumatic brain injury, or a genetic or neurological disorder. Not all seizures require medical attention, but immediate emergency help is needed if a seizure lasts more than five minutes or when multiple seizures occur close together and the person doesn’t recover between seizures. Medical help may also be needed if an injury results from a fall during the seizure or if the seizure occurs while in a body of water. For these situations, a medical alert system can quickly and effectively summon help for the person in need. Benefits of Medical Alert Systems for People with Epilepsy As mentioned previously, the primary benefit of a medical alert is 24/7 access to an emergency monitoring center. These centers employ trained associates who know how to efficiently problem solve and send emergency help when necessary. With some systems, predesignated family members, friends or other caregivers are also contacted. Importantly, the monitoring center agents have several tools at their disposal. The first is a digital file with previously submitted personal information that the associate can utilize and pass on to an emergency dispatcher. This includes health history, allergies, a list of medications, contact information, and possibly a key code to gain access to your home. Monitoring center associates also use GPS location detection, so that if you are away from home, have a seizure and need medical attention but are unable to communicate your location, the associate can quickly determine and transfer it to emergency services. Some providers even offer advanced location detection — using GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular data — to pinpoint your location with even better precision. To learn about a few systems that do location tracking well, read about Best Medical Alert Systems with GPS. Helpful Add-On Products and Services for Those Living with Epilepsy Because a seizure could lead to a fall and related injuries, automatic fall detection is the most important add-on for those living with epilepsy. Using a variety of sensors, the device will detect a fall and automatically contact the emergency center. A monitoring center associate will then contact the user to assess the situation. If the individual is confused or unable to speak, the associate will send emergency services. A medical alert system with fall detection can truly save lives. In addition, most people diagnosed with epilepsy are on at least one medication. Some providers offer apps that include medication reminders, helpful to the person taking one or more meds. A few providers even offer telehealth services or partner with driving services, beneficial for the person who is unable to drive. In fact, most states regulate driver’s license eligibility for those diagnosed with diabetes. Individuals are usually required to be seizure free for a specific amount of time, per a doctor’s evaluation. Considerations for Selecting the Right Medical Alert System There are a variety of medical alert systems available today, each with its own equipment, services, monitoring, and options for accessories or additional devices. The key is finding the system that works best for you. The medical alert system that is best for you is not necessarily the ideal system for your neighbor or relative. You have to choose the ideal system for your needs. For example, are you a person that stays close to home or only goes out with a companion? does not leave home often, without someone with you? An at-home system, with either a landline or cellular connection, will likely be a good choice for you and will cost you less than what you would pay for an on-the-go system. One thing to consider is the system’s range, or distance that you can travel from the base unit while wearing a help button. Most systems offer a range of at least 300 feet, fine for a cozy home. For a larger home or yard or even the ability to wander over to the neighbor’s yard, you may need a larger range. The highest that we have seen is 1,400 feet. On the other hand, if you are someone who goes out independently, you will probably want an on-the-go system. Several types are available, so you can choose the type that fits your needs, lifestyle, and preferences. One note of caution — while medical alert smartwatches include several nice benefits, most do not come with fall detection, a critical feature for those living with epilepsy. Hopefully, we have convinced you of the benefits that come with a medical alert system when you are living with epilepsy. Your next step is learning about the many options that are on the market today. Head over to our synopsis of The Best Medical Alert Systems of to read about our top picks.

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### AAA Identity Theft Protection

> AAA identity theft protection is free for members via ProtectMyID by Experian. Upgrades add features like child monitoring. Non-members need AAA membership.

- Published: 2019-08-05
- Modified: 2024-12-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/aaa/



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### Chase Identity Theft Protection

> Chase offers free identity protection via Credit Journey, but lacks premium services. For better protection, consider Aura, LifeLock, or Identity Guard.

- Published: 2019-08-05
- Modified: 2025-01-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/chase/



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### Wells Fargo Identity Theft Protection

> Wells Fargo's ID theft protection is limited and pricey, lacks features like dark web monitoring. Better, cheaper options are LifeLock and Identity Guard.

- Published: 2019-08-05
- Modified: 2024-12-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/wells-fargo/



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### Discover Identity Theft Protection

> Discover Identity Theft Protection costs $15/month but lacks coverage depth. Aura offers more features like a VPN and password manager for $12/month.

- Published: 2019-08-05
- Modified: 2025-01-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/discover/



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### USAA Identity Theft Protection

> USAA's identity theft protection is limited, lacking proactive features like dark web monitoring. Consider Aura or Identity Guard for comprehensive coverage.

- Published: 2019-08-05
- Modified: 2024-12-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/usaa/



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### The Best Medical Alert Systems for Diabetics – Tested in [year]

> Bay Alarm Medical ranks as the best alert system for diabetics in 2025 due to its reliable monitoring, equipment variety, and quick response features.

- Published: 2019-07-24
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/diabetics/



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### Vivint Sensors

> Vivint sensors are reliable but pricey, with options like door/window, motion, glass break, and environmental sensors. Professional installation is required.

- Published: 2019-07-24
- Modified: 2025-06-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/sensors/



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### The Best Long-Range Medical Alert Systems – Tested in [year]

> Bay Alarm Medical tops our list with a 1,000-foot range, while Medical Guardian offers the longest at 1,400 feet for comprehensive at-home coverage.

- Published: 2019-07-23
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/long-range/



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### LifeLock Free Trial

> LifeLock offers a 30-day free trial with standalone plans or 7 days if bundled with Norton 360. Cancel auto-renew to avoid charges after the trial.

- Published: 2019-07-22
- Modified: 2024-12-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/trial/

LifeLock is an excellent identity theft protection service. But if you’re still on the fence about signing up for it, we’d like to mention that the provider comes with a free trial. So, you could use it to try the service risk-free. That said, LifeLock’s free trials are a bit confusing. That’s mainly because the product is available as a standalone purchase, or as part of a bundle. We’ll cover everything you need to know about that in this guide. LifeLock Essentials LifeLock is among the best identity theft protection services on the market. It has essential credit monitoring and identity protection features, and also includes useful advanced identity protection tools, like home title monitoring, social media monitoring, and fictitious identity monitoring. However, LifeLock’s product line can be a bit of a head-scratcher. It has several plans, and not all of them are displayed together on the provider’s pricing pages. What’s more, LifeLock can also be bought as a standalone product, or bundled together with Norton 360, a really good antivirus. And all of that will influence the duration of your free trial. If you get just LifeLock, you’re eligible for a 30-day trial. But if you go for the NortonLifeLock bundles, you only get a 7-day trial. We think that combining Norton 360 and LifeLock is the best way to experience LifeLock. ID theft and malware protection should go hand in hand. Besides, if you absolutely don't want Norton 360, you can downgrade to a LifeLock-only plan once the trial period is over (more on this below). However, there's one downside if you choose to trial the bundle, as we’ll explain below. Keeping your devices free of bugs, ransomware, and assorted bad code is a huge part of good digital hygiene. But take it from the pros: staying bug-free is almost impossible without some kind of malware protection software. LifeLock Free Trial: 7 or 30 Days? To try LifeLock for 30 days, you need to choose a LifeLock-only plan, either the Standard, Advantage, or Ultimate Plus. It doesn't matter if you choose a monthly or yearly subscription, the first 30 days will be free and LifeLock will charge your payment method only once the trial is over. The Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus bundle only has a 7-day trial, and it also requires you to choose a yearly subscription. The same rules apply: you won't be charged in the first seven days, but once the trial is over, you'll automatically get a bill for a one-year subscription of your plan of choice. Keep in mind that the bundle only includes either LifeLock Select, which is similar to LifeLock Standard (entry-level), or LifeLock Ultimate Plus (top-tier). There’s no middle ground – you either go for the cheapest or the most expensive LifeLock subscription to bundle with Norton 360. LifeLock Free Trial Breakdown Trial Your Plan Options 30-day free trial LifeLock Standard LifeLock Advantage LifeLock Ultimate Plus 7-day free trial Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus Insider Tip 1: Cancelling Your LifeLock Free Trial If you don’t want to continue with LifeLock, the first thing you’ll need to do is deactivate auto renewal. You can do that by signing in to your LifeLock account, and then clicking “Manage my account. ” As long as you do that before your trial ends, you will not be charged, but you get to keep the trial up to the last day. Otherwise, if you get charged, you have one more option: request a refund. Now, the period during which you can request a refund depends on your subscription. If you purchased an annual subscription, you can request a refund up to 60 days after LifeLock charged you. We recommend that you do it sooner rather than later, though, as refund requests can take several days to process. On the other hand, if you went with a monthly subscription, you have 14 days to cancel and request a refund. Totally new to ID theft protection? Welcome aboard. Check out our ID Theft Protection Buyer’s Guide to learn about all the types of ID theft out there and what you can do to start protecting yourself. Insider Tip 2: Downgrading Your LifeLock Subscription After the Trial Period If you test LifeLock and like what you see, and want to continue without Norton 360, you can cancel your bundled subscription. After that, you can sign up for any of the available LifeLock-only subscriptions. That’s worth pointing out for readers who might have their own virtual private network (VPN) subscription with malware protection. There is no reason, in other words, why you can’t combine best-in-class ID theft protection with a first-rate VPN. To downgrade to a LifeLock-only plan from your Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus plan after the trial period, you’ll need to cancel your bundle subscription and register for a new plan. You’ll also need to download a new desktop application. LifeLock Plan Pricing If you choose to trial a LifeLock-only plan for 30 days, you can pick from three tier-based subscriptions: LifeLock Standard, LifeLock Advantage, and LifeLock Ultimate Plus. All subscriptions come with a monthly and a yearly plan. Now, if you trial the NortonLifeLock bundle for seven days, your options are more limited. The bundle only comes with LifeLock Select, a subscription that’s similar in features to LifeLock Standard, and LifeLock Ultimate Plus. In addition, you can only sign up via the annual plan. LifeLock Plans and Pricing Breakdown Subscription 1-Month Plan Price 1-Year Plan Price (1st yr. ) 1-Year Plan Price (After Renewal) LifeLock Standard $11. 99 per month $89. 99 ($7. 50 per month) $124. 99 per year ($10. 41 per month) LifeLock Advantage $22. 99 per month $179. 88 ($14. 99 per month) $239. 99 per year ($19. 99 per month) LifeLock Ultimate Plus $34. 99 per month $239. 88 ($19. 99 per month) $339. 99 per year ($28. 33 per month) Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus N/A $69. 99 $189. 99 per year Norton 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus N/A $299. 99 $364. 99 per year All those plans are for individuals. LifeLock also offers options for couples (two adults) and families (two adults and up to five kids). See our LifeLock pricing guide for more information. LifeLock Plan Features It’s true that one major difference in LifeLock’s plans is the amount they’ll reimburse you for in the event of actual stolen funds. With the Ultimate Plus plan, you can receive up to $3 million. But, honestly, the stars would have to be seriously misaligned for you to get scammed to the tune of a cool mil during your LifeLock trial period. So we’d say the extra stolen fund reimbursement isn’t a huge incentive to trial Ultimate Plus. However, while you’re choosing a LifeLock option to trial, it’s worth considering what kind of protection you’re going to want over the long haul. Ever wonder how companies like LifeLock actually get your identity back for you if it does get stolen? They send in ID Restoration Specialists. Restoration Specialists will work with you to restore your identity anywhere it’s been compromised. For instance, while all three LifeLock packages come with privacy and dark web monitoring, data breach alerts, and ID and Social Security alerts, LifeLock Ultimate Plus is the only plan that gives you triple-bureau credit monitoring. Check out our LifeLock review for the full story on why triple-bureau credit monitoring might come in handy. Here’s the short version. We have three agencies that issue credit reports in the U. S. (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian). If there’s a problem with just one of them — and you’re unaware — you could be in for some serious financial trouble down the line. If you think you wouldn’t be able to sleep at night without complete credit monitoring, we’d definitely recommend trialing Ultimate Plus. Otherwise, the lighter, less expensive Select or Advantage plans would be our free trial choice. LifeLock Features by Plan Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus LifeLock Standard LifeLock Advantage LifeLock Ultimate Plus Features Stolen Funds Reimbursement up to $25,000 SSN Monitoring Single-Bureau Monitoring Stolen Wallet Protection Access to Norton 360 antivirus suite Stolen Funds Reimbursement up to $25,000 SSN Monitoring Single-Bureau Monitoring Stolen Wallet Protection Stolen Funds Reimbursement up to $100,000 SSN Monitoring Single-Bureau Monitoring Stolen Wallet Protection Fictitious Identity Monitoring Stolen Funds Reimbursement up to $1,000,000 SSN Monitoring Triple-Bureau Monitoring Fictitious Identity Monitoring 401(k) Activity Monitoring Home Title Monitoring Sex Offender Registry Reports LifeLock Ultimate Plus monitors your credit at all three credit bureaus as well as your savings and home title. Fraudsters can hack their way into your home title and use it to take out loans in your name. That’s where home title monitoring is a lifesaver (available with LifeLock Ultimate Plus). With your house title under lock and key, if a thief ever uses it for nefarious purposes, you’ll get an instant alert. LifeLock’s Free Trial Compared Considering that many identity protection services don't offer a free trial, LifeLock's up to 30-day trial is pretty generous. We're talking about 30 days of free service. Plus, once your trial ends and you start paying, you'll get 60 days to cancel and request a refund (if you go with a yearly plan; 14 days if you choose a monthly option). IdentityForce also offers a 30-day free trial, but only for the UltraSecure subscriptions. And Experian’s identity theft protection service has a free trial for its Premium and Family subscriptions, but it’s only for 7 days. Is LifeLock’s Free Trial Worth It? Yes, as LifeLock provides some of the best free trial options on the market. The 30-day trial you get with its standalone product gives you more than enough time to test out the service to make sure it’s right for you or your family. The 7-day trial is also pretty good, but we’d only recommend getting it if you really want to get access to other Norton security tools, like its antivirus and password manager. Plus, don’t forget — even after the trial is over, you’re still covered by a 60-day refund if you bought a long-term plan (and a 14-day refund if you got the monthly plan). LifeLock Free Trial FAQs Does LifeLock have a free trial? Yes, it does, for both its monthly and yearly plans. How many days can I test LifeLock for free? That depends on which plan you try. If you trial a LifeLock-only plan, you have 30 days regardless of whether you go with a monthly plan or a yearly plan. But if you go with the Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus bundle, you only have seven days. Can I trial all of LifeLock’s plans? Yes, you can trial all LifeLock plans. LifeLock-only plans — Standard, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus — come with a 30-day free trial. The Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus bundle, meanwhile, comes with a seven-day trial. If I trial Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus, can I downgrade to a basic plan? Yes, but you have to cancel your Norton 360 subscription first and then sign up for your new plan. Does my free trial come with a VPN? Yes, the Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus subscription comes with a VPN. And you can install and use the VPN on up to 10 devices.

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### LifeLock vs Discover Identity Theft Protection Comparison

> LifeLock outshines Discover with more features and better cybersecurity. Discover is cheaper and ideal for families, covering up to 10 kids at no extra cost.

- Published: 2019-07-17
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-discover-identity-theft-protection/

As the threat of identity theft continues to grow, smart consumers are looking to protect themselves using protective and preventive services. A number of businesses and membership organizations are also taking these dangers seriously and are offering their customers access to identity theft monitoring. Discover is one of these companies. While they’re best known for their credit cards and other financial services, they also offer an identity theft protection service that shouldn’t be overlooked. In our opinion, it can hold its own against some of the industry’s top names like Identity Guard, IdentityForce, and one of the biggest names in the game, NortonLifeLock. LifeLock was founded in 2005, but the company has since been acquired by Symantec — the same people that brought you Norton antivirus. Now called NortonLifeLock, the service has become one of the most popular identity theft protection platforms on the market. And for good reason. It offers some of the most comprehensive coverage out there, and a suite of bonus features and cybersecurity offerings that make it really stand out. Can Discover hold a candle to NortonLifeLock? Let’s take a deep dive into both services and see how they stack up against each other. Discover and NortonLifeLock: The Similarities — Powerful Credit Monitoring and Identity Protections First things first, we need to establish some context. For the purposes of this comparison, we will be using NortonLifeLock’s premier tier of service, called Ultimate Plus. This is their most expensive tier at $29. 99 per month for the first year, and it’s also the service that offers the most features. For an in-depth look at the ins and outs of these features, we recommend checking out our full review of NortonLifeLock. Norton LifeLock Device Security Now that that’s out of the way, we have to say these services are similar in a lot of ways. For one, both offer triple-bureau credit monitoring — a must-have in our opinion. Why? Glad you asked. Credit monitoring is one of the best ways to detect identity theft. Unexpected drops in your credit score can be indicative that someone has opened up a line of credit or taken out a loan using your identity and welched on the bill. It’s important to monitor all three bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to make sure you catch this activity early before major damage can be done. There are myriad identity protection services out there, and each one approaches credit monitoring a little differently. To help you find the right service, we’ve compiled a list of this year’s best credit monitoring services. Both services also offer payday loan alerts, notifying you of accounts that open in your name from the top payday lenders — a favorite attack vector for identity thieves since they usually require less documentation to establish a loan than traditional outlets. This is good news for anyone looking for comprehensive identity theft protection. Norton LifeLock – Welcome to Norton Both services also offer intensive identity protections including address change alerts, criminal court alerts, and dark web monitoring. These are critical services that when vigilantly monitored can prevent identity theft from occurring in the first place, and we’re happy to share that both NortonLifeLock and Discover feel complete in these categories. That said, there are some crucial differences in the way both companies approach identity theft protection. Let’s unpack those now. NortonLifeLock vs Discover: The Differences — Features, Bonuses, and Preventative Measures First and foremost, we have to address the fact that in order to access Discover's services, you have to be a Discover card-holder. This puts them at an automatic disadvantage since NortonLifeLock is available to anyone. However, Discover is a relatively popular financial institution, so odds are you might already have an account. If not, we can’t recommend one way or the other if you should open one only to have access to their identity theft protection services — probably not, but that’s up to you to decide. Discover Sign In Page That said, you’re going to notice a big difference in the cost and tiers of protection. While NortonLifeLock offers four levels of protection: Standard, Select, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus, Discover is much more simple, offering only one plan. And at only $15 per month, Discover’s plan is cheaper than LifeLock’s Ultimate Plus, which will run you $29. 99 per month for the first year, then $34. 99 per month after. Discover also edges out NortonLifeLock by offering credit balance and card limit and utilization alerts. Not only can this help you identify if identity theft has taken place in near real-time, but it can also help you stay on track financially when you set limits and alerts in accordance with your budget. We always like when services offer tangential tools like this. There’s a lot to consider when selecting an identity theft protection service. To help, we created an in-depth Identity Theft Buyer’s Guide on how to choose a plan that makes sense for you. But with that in mind, NortonLifeLock blows Discover out of the water when it comes to add ons — particularly as it relates to cybersecurity. With a NortonLifeLock subscription, you’ll have access to antivirus software, safe browsing, and even a virtual private network. Not super surprising offerings from a company owned by a cybersecurity firm. If you’re not familiar, Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs for short, essentially spoof the physical location of your computer, obfuscating your computer’s digital signature, making it much harder for hackers to break into your network. We love this, because not only does NortonLifeLock offer powerful identity theft monitoring tools, they’re also offering preventative measures to safeguard you against identity theft attacks in the first place. Discover Monitoring Features But speaking of monitoring tools, with Discover, you’ll have access to monthly credit summaries of your activity with all three bureaus — the closest comparison with LifeLock is annual three-bureau credit reports. Keeping an eye on these reports with regular frequency will ensure there are no discrepancies or mistakes that might be negatively impacting your credit score, and is certainly best practice in our opinion. Point to Discover, here. And add another point for Discover’s identity verification alerts. This is a particularly unique protection we’ve only seen offered here. Discover will actually alert you if someone correctly answers any Experian verification questions to access or create an account in your name — a sure sign of identity theft. But by monitoring this and addressing it early, it can be taken care of before any major damage can be done. Finally, it’s also worth pointing out that Discover offers its services for free for up to ten children of the account holder. Great news for the budget-conscious large family, as adding LifeLock Jr. to an existing account is an additional $5. 99 per month per child. If you have a few kids you want protected with NortonLifeLock, the costs are going to add up quickly. But do you really need to protect your children? After all, they aren’t really participating in the financial world yet. The short answer is yes. Absolutely yes. After all, children are a primary target of identity thieves because they are, in essence, a blank slate. Because they don’t have anything established like property or bank accounts, their identities are easy to steal. Add to that the fact that the fraud is likely to go undiscovered for years, and you’ll understand why children are so often preyed upon by fraudsters. Discover isn’t the only identity theft protection service built with families in mind. We’ve compiled a guide to the best identity theft services for protecting children. So that about does it with the differences between NortonLifeLock and Discover. Both are solid choices, but Discover might be a little better for a family, while NortonLifeLock is better for the tech-savvy who are looking to be a little more proactive on the prevention side of things. Now the next section is a little uncomfortable to think about, but it’s critically important to understand. What happens if your identity is stolen? If worse comes to worse, which service is better to have in your corner? This is definitely something to consider when comparing identity theft protection plans. Discover and NortonLifeLock: Resolution and Restitution — Complete Peace of Mind The good news is both Discover and NortonLifeLock are pretty similar in terms of offering financial restitution should your identity be stolen. Both offer up to $1 million in insurance to cover stolen funds, but NortonLifeLock takes it a little further by also offering up to $1 million to pay for lawyers and other experts. Worth pointing out again, though, we’re talking about their Ultimate Plus plan here — NortonLifeLock’s lower tiers of service offer less insurance. We’ll get into that in the next section, though. Both services also offer round-the-clock access to U. S. -based identity restoration specialists that will see your case through from incident to resolution. These specialists will help guide you through conversations with financial institutions and with the credit monitoring bureaus themselves to get your identity restored. In our opinion, this peace of mind is really what these services are all about, and one of their most valuable aspects. Both NortonLifeLock and Discover’s offerings in this regard are more than acceptable, and you’ll be in good hands with either service. Now finally, let’s talk about protection packages and selecting the service that’s right for you. NortonLifeLock vs Discover: Pricing, Packages, and Tiers of Service As we mentioned before, NortonLifeLock has four tiers of service — Standard, Select, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus. We’ve made this handy chart so you can compare them, or you can read our NortonLifeLock plans and pricing guide for a more comprehensive look. NortonLifeLock Plans LifeLock Services Standard Select Advantage Ultimate Plus Credit Monitoring Single Bureau Single Bureau Triple Bureau Triple Bureau Annual Credit Report and Scores No No Single Bureau Triple Bureau Credit Lock No No Yes Yes Sex Offender Registry Reports No No No Yes Stolen Funds Reimbursement Up to $25,000 Up to $25,000 Up to $100,000 Up to $1 Million VPN Not Provided Up to 5 Devices Up to 10 Devices Unlimited Devices Monthly Price $9. 99 $9. 99 $19. 99 $29. 99 Discover, as we said, is a little more straightforward. There is only one tier of service and one flat rate — $15 per month. Here’s what you’ll get: Discover’s Identity Theft Protection Plans Detection Notification Resolution Triple-Bureau Credit Monitoring Monthly Triple-Bureau Activity Summary U. S. -Based Fraud Resolution Specialists Dark Web Monitoring Digital Dashboard Up to $1 Million in Reimbursement Credit Balance, Limit and Utilization Alerts Mobile App X Change of Address Alerts X X Criminal Court Alerts X X We’ve worked with numerous identity theft protection services in the past, and we have to say, Discover isn’t one you should overlook. To their credit, Discover really does give NortonLifeLock a run for its money when you compare its features to its cost. Discover and NortonLifeLock: The Final Wisdom So which service is right for you? It’s tough for us to say with confidence, but we give the nod to NortonLifeLock. Both NortonLifeLock and Discover offer robust protections both in terms of finances and critical pieces of identifiable information. It’s worth considering that Discover is only available to card-holders, while NortonLifeLock’s premier plan is one of the most expensive (but comprehensive) services on the market today. That said, NortonLifeLock’s services, features, and bonuses edge out Discover, while Discover’s ability to cover up to 10 children at no additional charge might make the choice easy for someone with a large family. Ultimately, it’s about selecting the service you feel the most comfortable with that matches your personal habits and situation the best. For our money, we’d go with NortonLifeLock, but we certainly understand why Discover would be appealing to some consumers. That said, when looking for the identity theft protection service that’s right for you, it always helps to comparison shop. There are tons of identity theft protection services on the market, which is why we’ve built this handy ID theft protection comparison guide. We suggest starting there to find the service that’s right for you. FAQs About Both Services

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### ADT Sensors

> ADT sensors include door, window, motion, and glass break types. Recessed door sensors are discreet. ADT app allows customization, but pro install is needed.

- Published: 2019-07-16
- Modified: 2023-10-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/sensors/

ADT has been innovating home security systems for over a century, and while its offerings evolved tremendously throughout the years, one thing remained the same: its reliance on sensors. For over 50 years now, ADT's security systems have utilized sensors to protect their customers' homes from burglaries and intrusions. So we thought, why not feature these sensors and explain what they do and why they're important? That's precisely what we're doing in this review. Also called door/window sensors, these affix to your entry points with peel-and-stick adhesives. When the alarm is set and your door opens, the alarm sounds and the burglar high-tails it out of there (that’s the hope anyhow). Keep in mind that ADT requires professional installation, so a technician will outfit your home with these sensors, meaning you don’t have to lift a finger. But... you’ll also be paying between $99-$199 for the service. With that said, once your system is up-and-running, you should have app-based smartphone controls if you chose the ‘Smart’ or ‘Complete’ tiers of service (the ADT app isn’t included in their basic ‘Secure’ plan). Armed with the mobile app, you can totally customize your individual sensors and set up notifications to suit your needs. Note that many cheaper DIY home security brands don’t offer this functionality. We snapped the pic below to show you what the sensor settings looks like in the app. ADT App - all Sensors View If you want to dig deeper into ADT’s features and tech, we wrote an in-depth review of ADT home security systems. One last thing worth mentioning about ADT’s Door/Window sensors is that you can connect them directly into your home automation system. The ADT Pulse system uses Z-Wave technology, so your ADT sensors will communicate with the smart hub. If you’re not a smart home enthusiast, here’s what we mean: you can, for instance, set your cameras to record, lights to turn on, and garage door to automatically close when a sensor is tripped. Pretty neat! Recessed Door Sensors ADT also offers recessed door sensors, which we highly recommend if you own your home. These sensors embed into your door frame, making them virtually invisible when the door is closed. Remember how we mentioned the “groundbreaking” feature... this is it. We love it, and you simply won’t see it offered by 95% of the companies out there. ADT Door and Window Detector Sensor Sure, recessed door sensors are a bit more invasive to install; the ADT tech will need to bore a hole into your door. But we think you’ll like the streamlined aesthetic, and you won’t need to worry about a peel-and-stick sensor falling at 3 AM causing your alarm to sound (trust us, this is never fun). So recessed door sensors are the bees knees in our book. If you’re interested in these premium sensors, we’d also suggest reading our hands-on Vivint smart security review, which is another top brand that offers recessed sensors. Motion Sensors Like all home security companies, ADT also sells motion sensors. These are mounted inside your home, and like the name implies, they detect motion from moving objects. If you’re a pet owner, you can set your ADT motion sensor to be less sensitive depending on the size of your dog or cat. After all, the last thing you want is a barrage of false alarms when you’re away at work (that’s not a burglar, that’s Bruiser! ). Just like the entry sensors, you can also set your motion sensor to automatically turn on your smart lights when it detects movement. This alone will likely give an intruder a good startle. ADT Motion Sensor Unlike ADT’s door/window sensors, we actually like their motion sensor design. It’s fairly discrete, and when mounted in a corner, the white sensor blends in pretty well. The ADT motion sensor certainly gets the job done, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. The motion sensor sold by ADT can cover a room as large as 35’ by 40’. Depending on your ADT service tier and equipment, you can also set up a number of helpful motion-activated smart home automations. To dig deeper, check out our guide to ADT home automations. Glass Break Sensors If you opt for ADT’s glass break sensors, these neat little devices will sound your alarm if a burglar tries to force entry by smashing a window. With a tiny built-in microphone, a glass break sensor can detect the high-pitch frequency of shattering glass. Your alarm will sound, and you’ll get one of those instant notifications we’ve been talking about. You just might sleep a little easier at night. ADT Glass Break Sensor While we like the added layer of protection that ADT’s glass break sensors offer, they also have their limitations. For instance, if you accidentally break a wine glass at your next dinner party, the sensor might mistake it for a security breach, and the next thing you know your siren is blaring and the good vibes are gone (talk about a party foul). Just something to think about! Keep in mind that glass break sensors can hear a widow breaking from up to 25 ft away. Environmental Sensors ADT offers a number of environmental hazard sensors backed by their award-winning 24/7 professional monitoring. You can get smart smoke detectors that you can check on via ADT’s mobile app, along with other devices like water/flood sensors and carbon monoxide (CO) sensors. Thankfully, other than buying the individual sensors, you don’t really have to pay to play, as ADT’s plans all come with environmental monitoring. We’re used to seeing only upper-tier plans offer this kind of peace of mind, so kudos to ADT here. ADT Water Leak Detector Sensor Place ADT’s wireless water/flood sensors behind your washing machine and under your kitchen sink. At the first sign of a water leak, you’ll get an instant mobile alert and the monitoring center will receive the signal. From what we’ve seen, most home security companies offer environmental monitoring. And it’s well worth the initial investment to keep the floodgates from opening. Garage Door Sensors If you’ve ever accidentally left your garage door open overnight (oops), then you know just how handy ADT’s garage sensors truly are. You can set your system to automatically close your garage door after sunset. And if you’re away for the day wondering whether or not you closed your garage, you can always pop into the mobile app to find out. If it’s open, a simple flick of the thumb and the ADT app will close it remotely. For some people, this extra protection might seem overkill. But it’s important to remember that an open garage door is like a juicy cut of prime rib to burglars and thieves. It makes their mouth water... and nobody wants that. Not in our neighborhood anyway. ADT Sensor Prices The price you pay for ADT sensors will totally depend on where you purchase them. For instance, if you buy through ADT directly, you’ll most likely pay full price (we’ve seen $100+ price tags on entry sensors). But you might catch a deal if you go with an ADT authorized dealer. Considering their lengthy contract terms and professional installation, ADT is best suited for homeowners who don't see a big move coming within the next two or three years. But should you decide to relocate while under contract with ADT, moving with ADT is made easier by their discounts for moving customers. For more advanced sensors — like their smart smoke detector — expect to pay around $60. And the ADT Pulse Garage Door Controller will likely run you $80+ depending on where you shop. But again, although these products are made by the likes of GE and Honeywell, the prices are surprisingly affordable. The equipment isn’t as cheap as SimpliSafe and similar DIY home security systems; but this is ADT we’re talking about, a tried-and-true home security company that’s been around since Ulysses S. Grant sat in the Oval Office. In other words, your home is in good hands with ADT. To learn more about their equipment cost and service plans, we highly recommend reading our ADT cost and pricing guide. It’s where we get into the nitty-gritty, brass tacks of owning ADT. Final Words on ADT Sensors As you can see, ADT offers a whole suite of sensors for its users. From door/window sensors, motion sensors, and glass break sensors, to environmental sensors and garage door controllers — ADT definitely has what it takes to secure your home. While it’s not the cheapest option for total home protection, we think it’s worth it to have ADT’s 24/7 professional monitoring in your corner. Similar to other security systems we’ve tested, you’ll be able to customize your ADT sensors in the Pulse mobile app. But remember, unlike the other guys, ADT offers those innovative recessed door sensors that we raved about. All things considered, if you want to send criminals running for the hills, then we think ADT is one of your best options available... with two caveats... you’re an established homeowner and you don’t mind signing ADT’s contract. If that’s you, you can’t go wrong here. To explore other popular systems we’ve used, check out our complete guide to the best home security systems on the market today.

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### ADT vs SafeTouch Comparison

> ADT outshines SafeTouch with superior security features, transparent pricing, and nationwide coverage, making it the top choice for home security systems.

- Published: 2019-07-12
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-safetouch/

There’s no getting around it. ADT offers higher quality services and products than SafeTouch at similar, and sometimes lower, prices. While it’s great to support local businesses, we only want the best of the best when it comes to our home’s security and that’s what ADT delivers. We get it. You’re spending a significant amount of money on a home security system. Wouldn’t it be great to keep that money in your community by going with a local provider like SafeTouch? They only serve the Jacksonville area in Florida and Georgia, whereas ADT’s a nationwide brand. So, we decided to test ADT and SafeTouch in our home to find out if shopping locally pays off for home security. As much as we’d like to tell you to support a local business, we found too big of a disparity between the quality of equipment and services that SafeTouch and ADT offers. In this guide, we’ll break down all the details so you can see exactly why ADT remains our favorite security system. >> Read More: A Complete Guide to Home Security System in ADT vs. SafeTouch: Comparative Overview of Home Security Systems Before we dig into the details, we want to provide a holistic overview. That way, as we compare each aspect of SafeTouch and ADT in detail, you’ll be able to see those details in context with their overall system. Main Similarities Between ADT and SafeTouch Even though we like ADT more than SafeTouch, they still share a few commonalities. Here are the main similarities between ADT and SafeTouch: Payments: Both ADT and SafeTouch offer financing options for their equipment. They allow you to bundle equipment and monitoring into a combined monthly payment with a maximum financing term of 60 months. Professional Monitoring: Not only do ADT and SafeTouch both offer professional monitoring, but they both run their own monitoring service. That means when you get a call about an alert, you’ll be talking to a member of their staff instead of a third-party company. Although, only ADT made our list of the best professionally monitored security systems because of its nationwide network of 12 monitoring facilities. Wide Range of Available Equipment: You can get almost any type of security equipment you need from both ADT and SafeTouch. ADT makes their own equipment, whereas SafeTouch sells Alarm. com equipment. Return Policies: When you buy an ADT or SafeTouch system, you have a trial period for the equipment so you can make sure it works for your home. ADT offers a six-month money-back guarantee. SafeTouch only offers 30 days. Main Differences Between ADT and SafeTouch After using both systems, we were surprised at the number of discrepancies between each company (some good and some not-so-good). Here are the main differences between ADT and SafeTouch that got our attention: Price Transparency: All of ADT’s pricing is readily available on their website, from their equipment costs to their monitoring fees. SafeTouch hides their pricing behind a required phone call. Installation Options: SafeTouch requires professional installation and that comes with a fee. ADT allows you to install your own security system for free, but they still offer professional installation if you need it. Contract Length: You don’t need to sign a contract at all with ADT as long as you’re willing to install your own system. SafeTouch requires a minimum 36-month contract. Camera Features: There’s no getting around it. ADT’s security cameras are more feature-rich. They offer Google Nest Cams which have facial recognition technology. Check out our Google Nest Cams review for all the details on why we like these innovative cameras as well as their drawbacks. Mobile App Quality: ADT made one of our favorite security system mobile apps. They make it easy to adjust any settings for your system, set up home automations, and respond to alerts. We found SafeTouch’s mobile app to be a bit clunky with a dated interface. Service Area: The service area for SafeTouch is very limited. They only offer security solutions for people in the Jacksonville, FL area which extends into Georgia. ADT offers their service nationwide. ADT vs. Safetouch: In-Depth Comparison of Home Security Systems Now that we’ve gone over the basics, let’s take a deeper dive into the many similarities and differences between ADT and SafeTouch. First on the agenda: contracts. Contracts Nowadays, only SafeTouch requires a 36-month minimum contract. ADT allows customers to forego a contract entirely, if they so choose. We decided to opt for ADT’s contractless system when we last tested ADT Self-Setup. Their professionally installed systems, however, still require a long-term contract. ADT’s Contract Overview We can review some of our contract details in the Account Management tab on ADT’s mobile app. If you opt to sign one, an ADT contract has upsides and drawbacks. If ADT raises their monitoring rates, you can choose to opt out of your ADT contract without any cancellation fees. That’s a protection we rarely see. There’s also a theft protection guarantee where ADT will reimburse you $500 for your homeowner’s insurance deductible if there’s a burglary in your home while your ADT system is active. The drawbacks are fairly typical for the industry with one of the biggest being the cancellation fees. If you cancel early, you’ll need to pay a hefty cancellation fee equal to up to 75 percent of the remaining amount owed. That includes the monitoring fees for the length of the contract. There are also penalties for missing payments or a breach of contract that can result in ADT repossessing your equipment and a ding on your credit score. >> Learn About: The Ins and Outs of Home Security Contracts SafeTouch Contract Overview Unlike ADT, you’ll need to sign at least a 36-month contract if you want a SafeTouch security system. That contract includes at least a $29. 95 per month fee, an early termination fee, and a required pre-payment of the first month. While they don’t include a theft protection guarantee like ADT, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. We prefer ADT’s six month guarantee, but it’s better than nothing. If your SafeTouch equipment is damaged or not working as it should, you can always take advantage of SafeTouch's lifetime warranty. Pricing Now, on to our “favorite” part: pricing. While you usually get what you pay for, we regularly find providers in the home security industry that offer great deals and others that we think over charge. Neither ADT nor SafeTouch overcharge, but we find ADT offers better deals. Let’s break down the details: >> Check Out: The Most Affordable Home Security Systems of ADT’s Costs and Payment Options ADT’s monthly fees for monitoring range from $24. 99 to $49. 99 per month. That does not include equipment costs or installation fees if you opt for professional installation. For equipment costs, ADT’s prices start at $269 for a starter pack to build off of. Here’s an overview of ADT’s equipment packages: ADT Package Included Equipment Price Customizable Starter Pack ADT Base Station 1x Entry Sensor $269 Security Starter Pack ADT Base Station 3x Entry Sensor 1x Motion Sensor $349 Outdoor Video ADT Base Station 2x Entry Sensors 1x Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) 1x Google Nest Doorbell (battery) $648. 98 Front Door Protection ADT Base Station 3x Entry Sensor 1x Motion Sensor 1x Yale Smart Lock 1x Google Nest Doorbell (battery) $718. 98 If ADT’s prices seem high, don’t worry, these are their retail prices. ADT regularly runs massive sales that can cut the price of these packages down by more than half. SafeTouch Costs and Payment Options Unfortunately, SafeTouch keeps their pricing close to their chest. Just to find out how much they charge for a basic security system can feel like trying to get state secrets out of a highly trained federal agent. That’s why we did it for you, but they were adamant that their pricing varies for each customer. So, while we can give you a rough idea, you’ll need to call SafeTouch yourself for accurate pricing. After our consultation with SafeTouch, we learned that their monthly rates start at $29. 95 per month. But, that’s only if you already have home security equipment installed in your home and they may charge a fee to activate your equipment. Since SafeTouch requires a minimum 36-month contract, the price of your equipment will be added to that monthly monitoring rate. Professional installation for your equipment ranges from a flat rate of $99 to $199. Installation fees can be pricey; however, through professional installation, ADT and SafeTouch ensure that your system is working as it should. Also, techs will install equipment in suitable locations to ensure your devices work as effectively as possible. Equipment and Features How do you know if the price tag of your security system is worth it? Well, you look at what you’re getting for the price. And that’s what we’re going to do here by comparing all of the equipment and features offered by ADT and SafeTouch. Overall, we found that ADT offers higher quality equipment with more advanced features. ADT Equipment and Features Just about any security equipment you could need, ADT offers. Every piece of equipment we’ve tested from ADT leads the industry as well. They keep evolving as well. For instance, we used to complain about their security cameras, but they partnered with Google a few years ago and now offer Google Nest Cams which are some of our favorite security cameras. Here’s an overview of the equipment and features you can expect from an ADT security system: Mobile App: Like we mentioned earlier, ADT makes one of our favorite mobile apps in the home security industry. We use it to not only control our ADT system, but also all of the smart home equipment in our house. SMART Monitoring: As part of ADT’s 24/7 professional monitoring service, you get access to their SMART monitoring capabilities. That means instead of calling you about alerts, they send a group message that includes everyone in your house. Anyone in your home can respond while keeping everyone on the same page. Medical Emergency Systems: The company offers medical alert units with two-way communication, perfect for seniors or others prone to medical emergencies. Video Verification: If you buy Google Nest Cams through ADT and subscribe to their Complete Monitoring plan, ADT’s monitoring agents will verify alarms using the footage from your cameras so that they can get emergency personnel to your house quicker. All ADT security systems use Google Nest security cameras. Security Sensors: Entry and motion sensors make up the backbone of an ADT security system so much so that they offer two versions of their entry sensor. They also offer glass break sensors, although Google Nest Cams can also detect the sound of shattering glass. Environmental Sensors: ADT provides smoke, heat, water leak, and flood sensors. They also have a carbon monoxide detector. Keychain Fob: With this small keychain fob device, you can either arm or disarm your security system with ease. Smart Home Integration: ADT offers some of their own smart home equipment through their Google partnership, but they can also integrate with thousands of third-party smart home devices. Trusted Neighbor: Speaking of smart home capabilities, we like the way ADT uses the facial recognition in the Google Nest Cams with their Trusted Neighbor feature. It allows you to automatically let specific people in your home at certain times or during alarms. We used it to let our cleaner in every Wednesday at 9:30 a. m. and our neighbor during active alarms. SafeTouch Equipment and Features When directly comparing with ADT’s equipment and features, SafeTouch doesn’t offer quite as much. Their equipment is also designed and created by a third party instead of in-house like ADT. Here’s what SafeTouch offers in terms of equipment and features: Crash & Smash Protection: Some burglars try to break home security equipment to prevent an alarm from sounding. SafeTouch detects these efforts and automatically sends an alert to their professional monitoring center if someone tries to break the control panel. Security Sensors: Just like ADT, SafeTouch offers the security sensors we look for including entry sensors, motion sensors, and glass break sensors. Home Automation Devices: SafeTouch offers home automation devices including smart thermostats, smart plugs, garage controllers, and smart door locks, however, they cannot integrate with thousands of third-party smart devices like ADT can. Mobile App: With the app, you can remotely control your security system whenever and wherever using your smartphone. Cloud Storage Options: This feature is useful if you want to save surveillance videos for future use. Lifetime Warranty: One thing SafeTouch offers that ADT lacks is a lifetime warranty. It’s included in their monitoring plan. That means as long as you maintain an active monitoring subscription from your equipment installation date, all equipment will stay under warranty. ADT vs. SafeTouch: Installation It used to be that ADT required professional installation just like SafeTouch. They now offer DIY installation for all of their equipment. You can still get it professionally installed, but it’s an option. SafeTouch, on the other hand, still requires professional installation. They charge the same fees for professional installation as ADT, too, at $99 to $199. Of course, we like the option that ADT provides, but even if you go for professional installation, we thought the experience was better with ADT too. Sure, they both have in-house technicians. It’s just that ADT’s 150 years of experience really shows. For instance, when we had our ADT system installed, they added brown covers to our entry sensors they installed on our brown door to better match our decor. That’s one of the reasons we put them at the top of our list of the best professionally installed security systems. >> Learn More: How to Install a Home Security System: It's Easier Than You Think Here’s what the brown cover on our ADT entry sensor looked like against our brown door. Professional Monitoring It’s tough to self-monitor a security system. Every single time an alert gets set off, you need to pull out your phone, check the live feed of your cameras and then determine a course of action. Or, if you don’t have security cameras, you need to physically go to your house to see what set off the alarm. Thankfully, both ADT and SafeTouch offer 24/7 professional monitoring services to help you respond to alerts. They both use an in-house monitoring team, too, which we appreciate. As a nationwide brand, though, we felt more confident in ADT’s monitoring service. If there was a natural disaster at one of their monitoring centers, they still had eleven others to pick up the slack. SafeTouch only runs one monitoring center, so if it goes down, your monitoring goes down too. ADT is recognized in the industry for fast and reliable response. While testing their systems, we experienced 30-second response times on average, which is slightly faster than the industry average of 35 seconds. ADT vs. SafeTouch: Which Security System Is Best for Me? To put it bluntly, we recommend ADT over SafeTouch in just about every circumstance. Unless you have your heart set on supporting a local business, ADT offers better services and products at lower prices. There’s no getting around it. There’s also the aspect of transparency. SafeTouch makes it intentionally difficult to acquire pricing until you're talking to a salesperson. That’s a practice we want to see gone from the home security industry. ADT makes all of their pricing from their equipment to their monitoring fully transparent, which we appreciate. While we wouldn’t recommend SafeTouch if ADT isn’t right for you, that doesn’t mean you’re out of options. Head over to our list of the best ADT alternatives to find the best option for your needs. FAQs About ADT vs. SafeTouch

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### NortonLifeLock Black Friday Deals [year]

> NortonLifeLock slashed prices up to 52% on all plans for Black Friday 2025, making it cheaper than Aura and Identity Guard for the first year.

- Published: 2019-07-12
- Modified: 2024-12-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/black-friday/



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### ADT Smart Locks

> ADT's Smart and Complete plans include smart locks with keyless entry, app control, and integration with Alexa and Google Assistant, starting at $49.99/month.

- Published: 2019-07-09
- Modified: 2024-07-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/locks/

By now you’ve surely heard of smart locks, but what exactly are they? Simply put, they’re electronic alternatives to manual locks. Instead of opening a smart lock with a key, you open it by entering a code on the lock’s keypad, or by tapping the unlock button in the mobile app. The value of this is twofold: convenience and safety. No more fumbling for keys or stashing a spare under the mat for out-of-town visitors. You and your guests can simply enter a private code to unlock the door. Or, you can lock and unlock your door remotely using your smartphone. That means you no longer have to race back home to check the door when you suddenly have that nagging worry that you forgot to lock it. You can just check your lock’s status on your phone. If it’s not locked, tap a button and, voila, security restored. So what does ADT have to offer in the field of smart locks? Here’s everything you need to know about ADT’s offerings. Get a crash course in smart locks with our smart locks buying guide. Kwikset Smart Locks ADT and Kwikset Smart Locks ADT offers smart locks manufactured by Kwikset, a well-known brand with a strong reputation in the industry. Kwikset smart locks are easy to install and integrate seamlessly with other smart home equipment. (Read more about Kwikset in our Best Smart Locks of roundup. ) ADT smart locks run on four AA batteries. You’ll automatically be notified when the batteries are getting low, so you can easily replace them before they die. The locks have a built-in keypad that glows at night, making it easy to see the numbers and punch in your code. And don't worry; ADT's smart locks will fit right in with your front door's decor. You can choose from three design styles — polished brass, satin nickel, and Venetian bronze. ADT smart locks work by connecting to your home internet via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Z-Wave. This gives you the ability to lock and unlock them with the keypad or app. It also gives you the ability to integrate your smart locks into your home automation system so you can use them in collaboration with cameras, lights, and other smart equipment. Most smart locks, including ADT’s, also have a key slot for opening the door the old-fashioned way. This gives you an alternate way to access and secure your home should there be any issue with the electronic function. ADT Home Security Plans With Smart Locks ADT security system packages, which all include 24/7 professional monitoring, are installed and managed by local ADT authorized dealers, so the customer experience can vary somewhat from one location to another. But there tend to be three main security system packages to choose from: Secure, Smart, and Complete. If you want smart locks as part of your system, the Secure plan is not an option because it doesn’t offer support for smart home automation — a necessity for smart locks. You’ll want to choose from the Smart or Complete plan. (You can read about our experience trying ADT in the home in our full ADT home security review. ) Both the Smart and Complete plans come with a touchscreen control panel, a motion detector, and three door/window sensors — plus a smart door lock and smart plug. The Complete plan also includes an indoor HD video camera and a video doorbell camera. With either of these plans, you can add on extra security equipment as needed, including other home automation devices like smart light bulbs, smart switches, and smart thermostats. ADT Smart packages start at $49. 99 a month, and Complete packages start at $59. 99 a month. (These prices have the cost of the included equipment wrapped into them. ) There will also be installation and activation fees (professional installation is required), plus the cost of any additional equipment you want to add on to your system. Those fees can vary, but installation is generally in the ballpark of $99-$199, and activation around $125. If your standard door lock requires a bit of finesse to work — like lifting the handle a bit or pushing on the door to position it right — then you'll need to adjust your door in the frame to eliminate those issues before installing a smart lock. That's because the smart lock will be electronic, and it needs to be able to operate without manual intervention. ADT Pulse Remote Door Lock Smart Locks and Home Automation ADT sells more home automation products than any other security company. That’s why we rank them among the best home automation security systems. The perks of ADT smart locks go well beyond the convenience of keyless entry. Using the ADT Control app (an improvement over the older ADT Pulse app), you can monitor and control your locks, and use them in combination with your other smart devices. Here are some of the things you can do with your smart locks: Get mobile alerts. You can set the app to send you mobile alerts when certain events occur, like when someone unlocks the door. If you have a video camera as part of your system, you can then check the app to see exactly who has entered your house. If you have a video doorbell, you can not only view and speak to the person at your door, but you can use the app to deactivate the lock and allow them inside. Set personal access codes. Even if you don’t have a video camera as part of your system, you can track who enters your home using custom access codes. Just program the lock to assign a different access code to each person who has authorized entry — family members, dog walkers, repairmen, etc. — and you’ll be able to track each entry and exit by person in the app. Create custom automations. Using the app, you can put all your smart devices to work by creating an automated series of events you can trigger at the tap of a button. For example, you can set up an automation to prep your home when you leave for the day that locks your door, turns off the lights, and lowers the thermostat. Control your locks with your voice. ADT works with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can arm your alarm and control your smart locks with a simple voice command. Read more about ADT’s smart home integrations in our ADT home automation guide. Are Smart Locks Safe? It’s reasonable to wonder about the safety of smart locks, considering they’re electronic devices that are connecting to your home internet. Are smart locks hackable? Since they're connected to the internet, they are, but there are several technologies built into smart locks to thwart hacking attempts. First of all, ADT uses 128-bit AES encryption, making their smart locks practically hack-proof. This is the industry standard encryption that online shops use to protect their customers' payment information. ADT also uses two-factor authentication. This means if a new device attempts to log in to your account, you’ll be texted a verification code to authorize or deny access. Most smart locks will time out after someone enters the wrong code too many times in a row, much like an online account may lock you out after too many failed password attempts. This is a safety measure to prevent someone from walking up to your door and trying endless access codes in hopes of getting lucky. An additional security measure you’ve got working for you with ADT smart locks: Z-Wave technology. This is often considered safer than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth because it uses a proprietary code that allows for strong encryption. ADT locks also employ a bump guard to prevent anyone from unlocking them using a bump key. (A bump key is a device commonly used by criminals to open traditional pin tumbler locks. ) And keep in mind that you can reprogram your smart lock at any time, which is akin to rekeying a standard lock. It’s a big convenience — and a nice added protection — to be able to do this yourself rather than having to call a locksmith.

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### Vivint Door Locks

> Vivint's Kwikset 888 SmartCode smart lock offers remote control and custom automations, but requires a Vivint system and monitoring plan.

- Published: 2019-07-09
- Modified: 2025-03-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/locks/

Smart locks are some of the greatest smart home inventions. They made flipping through keys and hiding spares under the doormat things of the past. However, there’s a way to make smart locks provide even more value to your smart home, and that is by pairing them with a home security system such as Vivint. Vivint actually offers some of the best smart locks on the market. It doesn’t make the equipment itself, but it installs and integrates smart locks from Kwikset. When we tested Vivint, we had the pleasure to test one of the available smart lock models – the Kwikset 888 SmartCode shown below. Here’s everything you should know about our experience. Never hide keys in a hide-a-key rock — you know, those synthetic rocks that are made to resemble real rocks. That’s one of the first places a criminal will look for hidden keys. The inner and outer faceplate of the Kwikset 888 SmartCode prior to installation Vivint Smart Lock - Kwikset 888 SmartCode Vivint works with Kiwkset’s 888 SmartCode Electronic Deadbolt with Z-Wave Technology. Technically, the Vivint smart home system is compatible with all Kwikset smart locks since they run on the Z-Wave protocol, but that particular model was what Vivint offered us when we bought our Vivint security system. That said, take note that it’s one of Kwikset’s older models. If you order from Vivint now, there’s a chance they’d send you a newer model, particularly the 260 SmartCode. Don’t worry, it shares a lot of the same features as the Kwikset 888. The Kwikset 888 comes in three different colors: Satin Nickel, Venetian Bronze, and Polished Brass. If you have a color preference, we suggest you tell your Vivint sales rep, otherwise they’ll just bring the Satin Nickel. At least, that was our experience. Vivint Smart Lock Color Options Like Vivint’s indoor and outdoor cameras, this smart lock connects to your home’s Wi-Fi. But note that it’s a battery-powered device, so you will have to change out batteries every so often. This is par for the course in the world of smart locks. The Kwikset SmartCode 888 is powered by 4 AA batteries. From our experience with this brand, the batteries should last upwards of 6-months to a year, depending on how often you open and close your door. The Installation Process If you buy this smart lock with a Vivint smart home system, your Vivint technician will install it for you. Easy-peezy. In fact, Vivint requires professional installation, which is fine by us. We had a nice fellow named Don get us all connected (we snapped a pic of him below). You can read about our Vivint installation experience here. Trust us, it’s more exciting than it sounds. That being said, we’ve installed Kwikset locks in the past, and as far as DIY security products go, it’s relatively fast and easy. With the 888 SmartCode, there’s no hardwiring or drilling. It replaces your existing deadbolt and only takes a few minutes to install. Vivint’s installation is a premium service, and we suggest making the most of it by asking your technician to help you set up automations and custom actions. Photo of our Vivint Installation Specialist, Don How It Works The Basics Let’s start with, well, the basics. As a smart lock, the Kwikset 888 let us lock and unlock our front door from the Vivint app. That’s mostly for opening the door from anywhere – for example, to let our dog-walker in to pick up our pet while we’re at work. As a side note, Vivint is one of our best security systems for pets, and that feature right there is an example of why we picked it. To access our door on a daily basis, we prefer to use the built-in keypad. We set up a unique code for each user in the house so we can keep track who last opened or closed the door. There’s five of us living in the house, each with a unique code. But the truth is, the Kwikset 888 can handle up to 30 users. What’s more, you can set up temporary codes for guests, house cleaners, trusted neighbors, etc. Even at its most basic use, we think the Vivint door lock adds a touch of convenience and peace of mind to everyday life. While you don’t need a physical key to use the smart lock, keep a copy of your backup key with you all the time. You’ll need it if the lock runs out of battery and you become unable to use the keypad or app to unlock it. The Not-So-Basics Beyond the basic functionality, Vivint’s smart locks really come to life as part of the Vivint smart home ecosystem. Imagine coming home and entering the key code, and the moment the deadbolt turns, your Vivint alarm system disarms, your thermostat switches to your preferred temps, your living room lights turn on, and your window blinds open. What kind of sorcery is that? That right there is Vivint’s smart home chops. Needless to say, the Kwikset 888 SmartCode is a solid product, but it’s 10x better when integrated with Vivint. If you really want to take Vivint’s smart lock to the limits, then you’ll want to get other Z-Wave compatible smart devices. Vivint sells some of the most sophisticated (yet easy to use) equipment we’ve seen, like their Outdoor Camera Pro, smart garage door controller, the smart Element Thermostat, and Philips Hue smart lighting. Expect to pay between $100 and $500 for smart home products, depending on the items you choose. Vivint Smart Locks Features Smartphone Controls After using Vivint for a solid month, we really have to commend the company on their mobile app. Sure, their systems come with the Smart Hub touchscreen panel (which is also pretty slick), but the app is where we spent most of our time controlling the Vivint system and smart lock. You’ll notice at the bottom of your mobile app dashboard a little icon that says “Front Door” with a lock/unlock toggle. This gives you one-touch locking and unlocking — whether you’re at your office or halfway across the world on vacation. Armed with a Vivint lock, this means you can let people in your home at the last second. This came in handy when our friends from out of town rolled in unexpectedly while we’re out to get some groceries last winter. We just opened the app and hit “unlock” so they can come stay warm inside while waiting for us. We also issued them a digital key code. Anyway, here’s a quick look at Vivint’s dashboard. The Vivint Smart Home app’s thoughtful design made navigating to our smart lock access quick and easy. Vivint also sends instant mobile alerts whenever someone comes in or out. These may be helpful in certain cases, but honestly, we ended up disabling these notifications because it was always just family coming and going. That said, if you batten down the hatches and leave town on vacation, it’s probably wise to turn on your smart lock notifications. Unique Access Codes So, we gave our out-of-town friends unique access codes. As mentioned earlier, the Kwikset 88 supports up to 30 of these codes, so there’s no problem even if plenty of people come and go. You can even use this if you’re running a vacation home rental – we should know because we tested and have confirmed that Vivint is one of the best security systems for vacation homes. The only thing is, if you’re creating codes for guests, make sure you delete the ones that are not in use anymore. As best practice, take back their access after they leave. You wouldn’t want a guest taking home a copy of your house keys; it’s the same for Vivint’s virtual keys. That said, if you really need a smart lock that gives you unlimited user key codes, try August. Vivint doesn’t offer this lock, but it’s Z-Wave compatible just like the Kwikset 888 is. You can (unofficially) pair the lock with your Vivint system and control its locking and unlocking function using the touch screen keypad from Vivint or the Vivint app. Any other function, though, will have to be done through the August app, including issuing user codes. When picking a smart lock, look at encryption. Smart locks, like any internet-connected smart devices, are not hack-proof. Look for devices that use at least 128-bit AES (bank-grade) encryption. Also, don’t rely on just a four-digit key code. The Kwikset 888 from Vivint let us set key codes up to five digits long. Access Logs Within the app, you’ll also find an Access Log that keeps a record of who’s coming and going. We found this to be helpful — but we think you’ll really love this feature if you have service workers, like dog-walkers, stopping by. Wondering why Sparky keeps wetting the doggy-bed? Check the app and you just might find that your dog walker isn’t as reliable as you thought. You can also check the activity log to see what time your teens are getting home from school and who’s sneaking out at night (kids these days). The Vivint smart lock tracks each access code and displays the activity timeline in the app. Voice Control with Alexa & Google Home We’ve used our Amazon Echo with Kwikset smart locks before, and we found this integration to work great for hands-free voice control. Just say, “Alexa, tell Vivint to lock my front door,” and voila! — you’re safe and secure. Vivint is compatible with Alexa and Google Home voice assistants, and we highly recommend setting up this skill. Just note that Alexa or Google will not unlock your door to let you or anyone else in, even if you use the magic word. Why not? Well, could you imagine the security risk? A burglar could yell through your front door “Alexa, unlock my door,” and they’d have free rein. We would call that a dumb lock. You can set Vivint to sound the alarm after 3 failed attempts at the keypad. Now, you probably shouldn’t set this rule while family is in town, or while visitors are still trying to memorize their codes (can you say false alarms? ). But we recommend enabling this extra layer of security when you have no visitors and business is usual on the homefront. Custom Actions As mentioned, Vivint and Kwikset operate on the Z-Wave platform, which means you can integrate all sorts of devices into your smart home ecosystem and have them communicate on the same wave-length, if you will. But to really automate your home, you’ll need to get acquainted with Vivint’s Custom Actions. You’ll find this in the ‘Settings’ dropdown in the app, and it’s the reason Vivint is high up on our list of the smartest security systems. Vivint App - Custom Actions For instance, want to lower the temperature when you leave your home in the morning? Just set it as a Custom Action in the Vivint app. These custom actions, or rules, can get pretty granular. We were able to set our indoor camera to record whenever our front door unlocks; we set all cameras to record when our alarm sounds; and we even set our Kwikset smart lock to automatically lock when our house is armed in “Home” or “Away. ” These custom rules allowed us to really tailor Vivint and its components to fit our daily routines. You’ll find dozens of these custom actions in the app, which really helps to supercharge the Vivint smart lock experience. In fact, we can say that Vivint does customizations and smart home automations better than any home security brand on the market. It’s understandable if you’re not into the whole smart home thing, but embracing it can be a real time and money saver. Consider that your home could be in a different state when you’re away, and it opens up all kinds of possibilities for energy saving, security and more. You’d think, because of how mainstream home automation has become, that custom actions are a common sight in home security systems. That’s not the case, though. Very few security systems offer custom, automated actions. One other example is ADT, which offers a unique feature that includes smart locks called Trusted Neighbor. Learn more about it in our hands-on ADT review. Works with Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro Vivint’s smart lock also integrates with the company’s Doorbell Camera Pro. We won’t get into all the features and tech of the video doorbell here (you can check out our hands-on Vivint doorbell review for that), but just know that these components work together to protect your entryway and watch over the castle. One action you should definitely enable, though, is setting your smart lock to automatically lock when the doorbell camera detects a person. This will ensure that you and your family are safe and secure when it matters most. Our Vivint doorbell notifies us of package deliveries, and we use those to know when to unlock the door to protect our packages from theft. Of course, there are other things you can do with both a smart lock and smart doorbell from Vivint. For example, the Vivint doorbell can send you notifications whenever it sees packages being dropped off at your doorstep. If you take a hands-on approach to your home security, that means you can unlock your door and instruct the delivery personnel to leave your package inside – all from the Vivint app. The truth is, a smart lock and video doorbell combo can be powerful to fight against package theft. Around the Clock Monitoring Can you just buy a Vivint smart lock, set it up, and call it a day? Unfortunately, Vivint will only set you up with a Kwikset smart lock if you purchase their smart home security system and sign up for a 24/7 monitoring plan. If you want smart home support, you’ll have to get their mid-tier plan which runs $39. 99 per month. And honestly, if you’re OK with paying $39. 99 per month, we recommend bumping up to Vivint’s Smart Control plan for $49. 99 per month. It’s just a few dollars more, but this premium plan offers video support. Vivint Smart Lock Pricing So... how much does a fancy smart lock even cost? Typically, we see prices range between $125 on the low end, and upwards of $300+ for high-end devices. Vivint’s Kwikset 880 SmartCode comes in at $179. 99. We think it’s a fair price, but keep in mind that you’ll need to buy it as part of a home security system, along with entryway sensors, the Smart Hub, and probably a security camera or two. Have a look at Vivint’s latest prices here. Compared to buying a standalone smart lock, the price of a Vivint home security package is much higher. But then again, Vivint has positioned itself as a premium option for people who have the means to invest in top-of-the-line products. Vivint, like most home security companies, also targets homeowners more than renters. However, if you currently rent, not to worry, we’ve found lots of great home security options for renters. Bottom Line on Vivint Smart Locks You can’t be everywhere at once. That’s the beauty of smart locks — they let you lock and unlock your door from virtually anywhere. And although you can get a standalone electronic door lock, we definitely recommend checking out Vivint and their mid-tier smart lock option, the Kwikset SmartCode 888. It comes with plenty of native features, like one-touch lock/unlock, Unique Passcodes, and an in-app Activity Log. But once you integrate it into your Vivint smart home system, you’ll “unlock” custom features you never even knew were possible. Is it the perfect smart lock? Not really. We’d like it if it didn’t come with strings attached (see our complete guide on Vivint contracts), and it would be nice if Vivint allowed us to install it on our own. With that said, is Vivint’s smart lock worth your time and money? We’ll answer that with an emphatic “Yes. ” FAQs

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### Ring Home Automation

> Ring doesn’t fully integrate with Google Home; Alexa is seamless. HomeKit requires HomeBridge. Best products include video doorbells, alarm systems, and cameras.

- Published: 2019-07-09
- Modified: 2023-12-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/automation/

You probably know that Ring is a popular home security and smart home company owned by Amazon. But did you know Ring was originally called Doorbot and got its start from a crowdfunding campaign way back in 2012? Fast forward to February of 2018, and Ring was purchased by Amazon for somewhere in the ballpark of $1. 5 billion. Today, we can say that Ring is one of the most trusted names in smart security and home automation. Its flagship products are its video doorbells — one of the most popular and one of our favorites is the Ring Video Doorbell 3. We also recently reviewed Ring’s security cameras. But we’re here today to talk about Ring’s smart home automations and how you can use Ring to build out a smart home ecosystem. Ring Doorbell 3 Components Before we get into the automation side of things, though, let’s take a look at a few key products Ring offers. Ring’s Flagship Products Video Doorbells Security Cameras Spotlight Cameras Floodlight Cameras Security Systems Flood and Freeze Sensors Smoke Alarms Ring — A DIY Attitude One of Ring’s selling points is that their smart home equipment is super easy to install and set up, making the company a preferred choice for DIYers. A lot of their equipment doesn’t even need to be hard-wired, meaning set up is a breeze. For the more complicated installs, though, Ring offers a tremendous amount of resources both on their website and in the Ring app. So don’t be intimidated by setting up smart devices or wiring one of Ring’s doorbells — we promise it’s easier than it sounds! While Ring prides itself on ease of installation, that doesn’t mean precautions don’t need to be taken. Make sure power is turned off whenever working with electricity, and be sure to wear personal protective gear like gloves and eyewear. So what Ring equipment is right for you? Good question. Ring’s product list seems overwhelming, especially Ring’s doorbell camera lineup. But luckily the company offers several bundled packages for extra convenience and savings. Let’s have a look at what some of these include. And note that most of Ring’s equipment has at least some smart home automation features (and we’ll get to that, too! ). >> Related: Troubleshooting Guide for Ring Doorbells Smart Equipment Packages Package Name Included Equipment Price Everyday Kit Video Doorbell 3 and Two Floodlight Cams $597. 99 Everyday Pro Bundle Video Doorbell Pro and Two Floodlight Cameras $647. 99 Doorbell Camera Kit Video Doorbell 3, Spotlight Cam, and Solar Security Sign $349. 00 Eight-Piece Alarm Security Kit + Video Doorbell Video Doorbell and Eight-Piece Alarm System $339. 99 14-Piece Deluxe Alarm Protection Kit Video Doorbell 3, Solar Sign, Spotlight Cam, and 14-Piece Alarm System $649. 99 Keep in mind that we also tested and reviewed the Ring Alarm security system. Although Ring Alarm has somewhat limited smart home capabilities, we still found it to be a great DIY system for basic intrusion protection. After picking out the products or bundle that’s right for you, there are quite a few ways to link this equipment to your established smart home services and products. Let’s take a look at how Ring works with some of the best home automation platforms out there. Ring Video Doorbell 3 Installed Ring and Google Home — The Bad As of very recently, Ring does work with Google Home, but you might experience limited functionality. Very basic features are available through Google Assistant, and by connecting Ring Devices to Google Home, you can access your Ring devices with voice commands like you’re Captain Kirk on the bridge of the Enterprise. It’s certainly a cool feature, but according to the Google and Ring support message boards, this functionality is spotty at best, and more advanced functions simply don’t work. If you’re planning to integrate smart devices with an existing Google Home platform, you might want to consider Vivint’s smart home security systems or Cove’s options. Or better yet, take a look at our latest in-depth resource on our top 5 favorite security systems that work with Google Home. Alexa and Ring — The Good Not surprisingly, Ring plays much better with Alexa since both products are owned by Amazon. And as an added bonus, by connecting your Ring devices to your Amazon Echo, you can utilize the voice assistant feature. It’s a pretty straightforward process, too. Once you have downloaded the Alexa app to your smartphone, open it up and then follow the steps there to link your Ring device. Once this is done, you can then activate and interact with your Ring device using voice commands by simply telling Alexa what you would like to do. For instance, “Alexa, tell Ring to arm my home! ” Just note that for obvious security reasons, Alexa (or Google Home for that matter) won’t disarm your alarm. That would make it all too easy for criminals to gain access to your home. We’re big fans of Ring’s Alexa integration; it’s one of the better features that Ring brings to the table. If you’re curious about other systems with this functionality, we recently wrote a roundup of the best home security systems that work with Alexa. Cybersecurity is increasingly important in automated homes, as hackers can use nearly any connected device as an attack vector. Make sure you’re protected by keeping everything up to date, installing firewalls, and using antivirus software. Ring and Apple HomeKit — The Bypass The short answer here is that Ring does not work with Apple HomeKit, but that doesn’t mean Mac users should be dismayed. By employing a HomeBridge, HomeKit users can link their Ring devices to their Apple smart products. This just takes a little extra initiative. Without getting into the technical weeds, HomeBridge is a piece of software that translates commands between HomeKit and products that aren’t officially supported by it. Ring devices can connect to the bridge without much hassle or integration work. For an added bonus, HomeBridge is open source and free to use. It’s not exactly a seamless integration, but it’s an option. Now, if you’re searching for equipment that works like a charm with HomeKit, check out our latest guide to the top home security systems that work with Apple. Ring and SmartThings — Growing Connectivity SmartThings is a pretty neat piece of app work from Samsung. Like other bridges, it essentially helps users connect disparate smart home devices onto a single network that can be controlled by one single app. This is super handy if you're trying to connect multiple different devices and have them all play nice together. Even better, the list of supported devices continues to grow. The app can now connect to the Ring Video Doorbell, the Ring Video Doorbell 2, and certain floodlights. Although not all Ring products are supported (just yet), the majority of core products are. Ring and IFTTT — The Chain of Command If This Then That, or IFTTT for short, is a web-based service that allows users to create chains of conditional statements triggered by changes that occur within other web services or devices. Sounds complicated, but it’s really not. Want to turn on your Ring floodlights if it’s past sunset and you ordered pizza through your app? IFTTT’s got you covered. This is honestly one of our favorite ways to link various smart hardware together. All you have to do is download the app and link it to your Ring account. Ring and Other Smart Devices One of the more interesting aspects of Ring Home Automation is the lineup of products that you can integrate into the Ring app. Here’s just as sampling of products outside the Ring line of devices that can be controlled from the same platform. Smart Device Function Price Schlage Connect Smart Deadbolt, Z-Wave Plus Enabled Lock and unlock doors from the Ring App $199. 99 Yale Real Living Assure Lock SL With Z-Wave Plus Manage and Monitor Keyless Entry into Your Home $219. 99 Chamberlain Next-Gen Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener Control and monitor your garage from anywhere $499. 00 Chamberlain Smart Garage Control Secure garage door from anywhere and receive real-time activity notifications $39. 98 Thanks to the Ring Alarm Hub running off the Z-Wave protocol, Ring integrates with a variety of products from various smart home automation companies — you don’t have to only use Ring’s hardware. This is really important if you’re looking to build out a smart home ecosystem, with smart lights and locks, smart thermostats, garage openers, you name it. Ring Protect Subscription Plans Regardless of how they are networked, in order to get the most out of Ring’s devices, you’ll have to subscribe to Ring Protect — the company’s subscription plan. Note that there are two tiers of service here, Basic and Plus, so let’s break them down. And if you want the full rundown on these plans, take a look at our latest Ring Protect Plans Guide. Ring Protect Plans & Pricing Service Basic Plus Motion-activated notifications Yes Yes Real-time video with Live View Yes Yes Two-way talk Yes Yes Lifetime theft protection Yes Yes Video history for 60 days Yes Yes Video saving and sharing Yes Yes 24/7 professional monitoring for Ring Alarm No Yes Extended warranties for all devices No Yes Discounts on other Ring products No Yes Price $3 per month or $30 per year $10 per month or $100 per year Ring devices will still work without a subscription to Ring Protect, but with severely limited functionality. We recommend signing up. We’ve tested plenty of home security systems over the years, and we have to say that $10 is the lowest monthly cost we’ve seen for smart home connectivity. Of course, you still have to purchase the equipment separately, but once you have it installed, you’re paying around the same price you’d pay for supersizing a McDonald’s meal. Not bad at all! Ring Video Doorbell 3 Overall Value of Ring For most people, going with Ring is a really solid choice. They’re one of the most trusted names in the industry, and all of their products are workhorses — especially their home security system. As you’ll learn in our roundup of Ring Alarm packages and prices, some items can get a little pricey, but the trade-off is that the monthly subscription price to keep the devices working their best is absolutely rock bottom. Add to that the monitoring and support added through Ring Protect, and you’ve got yourself a really powerful platform for smart home security. Ring users also have access to a social media app called Neighbors that works like a digital neighborhood watch. People can connect to discuss crimes in the area, suspicious activities, and best practices for staying safe. Overall, we think Ring is a great choice for the DIY crowd looking for a little extra connectivity without breaking the bank. Frequently Asked Questions

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### ADT Home Automation

> ADT offers smart home automation with Z-Wave compatibility, Alexa, and Google Home integration, but lacks Apple HomeKit support. Contracts are required.

- Published: 2019-07-05
- Modified: 2023-10-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/automation/

Over the years, ADT has worked to offer a number of home automation solutions for folks who want something more than just home security. The company, which is known for its high-quality security systems with reliable monitoring, now provides a variety of ways to connect and manage a complete smart home. Today, ADT sells a handful of home automation products — everything from smart thermostats and smart lighting, to smart smoke detectors, cameras, and more. These smart devices are all managed using either the ADT touchscreen control panel or mobile app (for us, we prefer controlling our system with our smartphone). You’ll be able to control your lights or close your garage door remotely, from pretty much anywhere in the world. ADT also integrates with Google Home and Amazon Alexa for hands-free voice assistance. Don’t worry, we’ll get into all of ADT’s home automation capabilities in this guide. ADT has been around since the 1800’s, making it the most long-standing home security company and one of the most trusted names in the industry. Z-Wave Protocol Say it in your best nerd voice: Z-Wave Protocol. Since ADT runs on the Z-Wave platform, this means their systems are compatible with hundreds of different smart products. If you’re just dabbling with smart home technology, this might not seem like a big deal. But if you ever foresee building out a complete smart home ecosystem, having the Z-Wave protocol could make all the difference when it comes to really geeking out. And ADT has it in spades. This wireless protocol enables all Z-Wave smart devices to seamlessly communicate with one another. And it will allow you to add new smart gizmos and gadgets to your system over time, as your budget allows (and as your spouse allows! ). So we were quite happy to learn that ADT is built on Z-Wave. The ADT Control App Dashboard Like all the best smart home security systems, ADT offers an app — aptly named the ADT Control app — that conveniently houses all of your commands. This means you can access and control each of your devices with a simple flick of a thumb. Now, is ADT’s app the best we’ve seen? No, that accolade goes to Vivint’s smart home system (check out our full review of Vivint). But you’ll still be able to customize modes, set automations, check on sensors, stream live security camera footage, dim lights, dial-in the thermostat, and on and on — all from the ADT app. Of course, the app is where you’ll arm and disarm your system as well. So if you’re anything like us, you’ll spend a good amount of time fiddling with features and watching video footage in the app. See below for an image we snapped of the app’s dashboard. ADT App Options Menu Professional Installation Before we dive into all the different smart products and integrations that ADT offers, it’s important that you know it’s all installed by the pros. This means you won’t have to roll up your sleeves or break a sweat. But... it does mean you’ll need to pay a pesky installation fee (between $99 and $199) and wait around for an installation tech to set you up. Not the end of the world, and honestly, we prefer professional installation for smart home products. Your ADT install technician will get your smart smoke detector, smart locks, and other intelligent gadgetry up-and-running. And they’ll do it right the first time. Finally, before they leave, they’ll even show you the ropes on how to use your new home automation system. Worth it. Although professional installation usually costs between $100-$200, we think it’s worth it for folks who aren’t confident with DIY projects. ADT’s professional installation takes the guesswork out of getting up and running. And if pro install interests you, check out our roundup of the best professionally installed security systems. And if you want to see how ADT stacks up to DIY systems, see our ADT vs DIY home security comparison. ADT’s Smart Products Keep in mind that while ADT sells a lineup of neat products, their Z-Wave system can support a seemingly endless array of third-party devices. As long as a smart home product is Z-Wave compatible, there's a good chance it will work with your ADT system. With that said, ADT currently offers the following smart home automation devices: Smart Light Bulbs Smart Thermostats Smart Locks Smoke Detectors Smart Switches Live Video (doorbell, indoor, and outdoor cams) Touchscreen Control Panels ADT Smart Home Integrations ADT Works with Alexa ADT home security systems work with Alexa, Amazon's voice assistant. Simply say, “Hey Alexa, tell ADT to arm my home” to arm your system. Just note that you can’t disarm your system using Alexa. (And good thing! If you were able to disarm using voice control, a burglar could potentially yell through the front door “Alexa, disarm my system” to gain easy entry. ) You can also access other connected, smart home features using ADT’s Alexa integration. To get going with this, you’ll need to add the ADT smart home skill to your Alexa app or through your Amazon account. Once you do, you can ask Alexa to provide a wide range of services for you, including helping you to connect to your system from any area of your home. Keep in mind that ADT Pulse systems work with Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, and Echo Input devices. We’re big fans of ADT’s Alexa integration; but honestly, we’re seeing this pairing offered more and more by smart home security systems. Love your Alexa? We know that some people are inseparable with Amazon’s voice assistant. If that’s you, we recommend heading over to our guide on the best home security systems that work with Alexa. ADT Plays Well with Google Home If you’re considering purchasing an ADT security system and monitoring plan, and you already have Google Home products, you may be happy to know you can connect the two with seamless ease. ADT works great with Google Assistant, allowing you to use your voice to control a variety of functions with your ADT Pulse system. Using nothing but your voice, you can ask Google Assistant products, including your Google Home, to arm your home security system. And similar to the Alexa integration, you can control your home’s ambiance (lighting, temperature, etc. ) by flexing those vocal cords. Just remember, while this is a neat convenience to have, it’ll cost you for the Google smart products. The entire setup process is quick and easy, taking about five minutes in the ADT Control app. And once in place, you can use it for most ADT functions. Here are other highly-rated security systems that work with Google Home. ADT & Apple HomeKit If you are using the Apple HomeKit line of products, you may run into concerns connecting it to your ADT system. Currently, there is no way to link ADT with Apple HomeKit. However, this doesn’t mean this integration will not be available in the future. Apple continues to make its products more competitive and compatible and, at some point, we think it’ll provide access to ADT systems. That said, you can use your ADT Control App on your Apple smartphone and Apple Watch. Yes, that means you can arm your home and turn on the lights with your watch (pretty slick, right? ). If Apple compatibility is important to you, you can check our our list of the best security systems compatible with Apple. ADT & Google Nest Integration In addition to working with Google Assistant, ADT has developed a closer relationship with the Google Nest smart home ecosystem. Google Nest offers smart home products, including smart thermostats, smart security cameras, and video doorbells with facial recognition. If you have an ADT system, you can integrate a number of Google Nest products such as the Nest Cam (wired), Google Nest Thermostat, and Google Nest Doorbell (battery). One other aspect of ADT’s Google Nest integration is that its new DIY security system, ADT Self Setup, offers Google Nest equipment for video monitoring and home automation. The full line of Google Nest Cam and the Google Nest Doorbell (battery) work with ADT Self Setup. You can also buy Google Nest smart speakers and displays straight from ADT Self Setup and link them to your security system. If you’re a fan of Google Nest, ADT is one of the best options for smart home security for you. ADT & IFTTT Integration IF This Then That, or IFTTT for short, is another great option for customizing your home automation features with ADT. You can enable this integration in the ADT Control app. With IFTTT, a type of internet-based smart home protocol, you can create various connections to your smart home features and devices, including your ADT home automation products. There are more than 100 IFTTT channels available, giving you plenty of intelligent actions and automations to choose from. For instance, you can ask your system what the temperature is outside, and you can even set your system to automatically disarm at sunrise... but only if the garage door is closed. We like the flexibility here, as you can get pretty granular with IFTTT. If you’re a die-hard IFTTT user, we recommend looking into our review of the best IFTTT home security systems. ADT Now Supports Sonos Smart Speakers Sonos smart speakers now integrate with the ADT Control app. You can play your favorite tracks, crank up the volume, and put your favorite playlist on shuffle straight from the app. We’ve seen this pairing listed on ADT’s website, so the two companies are definitely collaborating to bring you a smarter home (and we like it! ). We tested these systems in-home and wrote an in-depth review of ADT. It’s worth a read if you’re looking to learn more about what it’s like living with ADT day-to-day. ADT Home Automation Cost & Fees So... how much is ADT home automation going to cost you? Great question. And although ADT is one of the more expensive security systems with 24/7 monitoring we’ve used, they have reasonable monthly prices for security and smart home automation. And... unlike many DIY brands, you don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to get started with ADT. Just pay by the month, and you’re in business. Here’s our latest shakedown of ADT’s prices, packages, and plans. And see below for a highlight-reel list of ADT’s subscriptions and monthly fees. ADT Home Security and Automation Plans ADT Packages Price ADT Secure $27. 99 per month ADT Smart $36. 99 per month ADT Complete $52. 99 per month ADT Custom Package Variable To get smart home automation support, you will have to choose either the ADT Smart or ADT Complete plan. While the ADT Secure plan offers intrusion protection, environmental protection, and basic voice control integrations, it does not offer the suite of smart home integrations we list in this guide. You’ll have to get ‘Smart’ or ‘Complete’ for that. Also, there are a few other costs to consider before pulling out your pocketbook. For instance, you’ll have to factor in installation and activation fees. And if you want to purchase smart devices — like thermostats, lights, smart locks, etc. — then you’ll need to purchase those items upfront. It can add up, but then again, you are here because you’re interested in transforming your house into a smart home, right? Here are the additional costs and fees associated with ADT home automation: Extra Costs and Fees Other ADT Expenses Cost Introductry Costs $125 Installation Fees $99 to $199 Add-On Equipment Variable ADT Contracts One last thing that’s worth mentioning is that ADT requires a contract. Now, this really shouldn’t scare you away, as this allows your costs to be spread out over months and years. Some companies require you to purchase your smart home equipment up-front, which can cost hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars. No thanks. ADT’s contracts are 36 months minimum, unless you live in California. If you’re in the Golden State, you’ll only be on the hook for 24 months. We understand that contracts aren’t always fun, so if you’d rather a home security system with more flexibility, check out our roundup of the top security systems with no monthly fees and no contracts. ADT offers a 6-month money-back guarantee. So if you find that their system isn’t a great fit for you and your budget, you can always cancel and get your money back. Just be sure to read the fine print or speak with an ADT representative to get all the details. Final Words: Is ADT Home Automation Worth It? We think ADT is worth it, but only for certain people. Since the company requires professional installation and long-term contracts, we typically only recommend ADT to established homeowners. If you’re a renter, you’d be better off with a DIY system like SimpliSafe or Frontpoint. (You can read our in-depth SimpliSafe review to learn more about the growing trend of DIY security. ) But if you care about reliable monitoring, and you have the money to spend on smart products, you’ll have a field day with ADT’s home automation capabilities. Since it works on the Z-Wave platform, you can integrate literally hundreds of smart products into your home. It also works with Alexa and Google Home for voice controls, and it even connects with IFTTT, Sonos smart speakers, and Samsung SmartThings for good measure. So yes, we definitely think ADT is worth your consideration for home automation. But if you want security + automation, you might want to read our guide to the best home automation security systems available.

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### Vivint Home Automation

> Vivint offers top-tier smart home automation, integrating with Alexa, Google Home, and Z-Wave. It's pricey and requires professional installation.

- Published: 2019-07-04
- Modified: 2025-06-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/automation/

Just starting to explore Vivint? If so, you’re probably finding that it’s more than capable of turning the everyday home into something special. We’ve been testing Vivint in our own home for nearly a month now, learning all about its smart automations and integrations. And we can honestly say that it’s the single most advanced — yet easy to use — home automation system we’ve ever had our hands on. Now that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. For instance, Vivint equipment is a bit pricey, and they do require professional installation which might be a turnoff for you. Don’t worry, we’ll discuss its shortcomings, but we’ll be focusing mainly on its strengths (it’s hard not to with Vivint! ). From Amazon Alexa voice control, to Kwikset smart locks, and everything in-between — after living with their products we can say that Vivint is a great option for homeowners who don’t mind spending a little extra for the smartest home on the block. Let’s find out why! Vivint Smart Home Equipment Vivint Works With the Following Smart Products & Platforms: Nest Thermostat Google Home Amazon Echo Philips Hue smart lighting Kwikset smart locks Garage door controller Z-Wave IFTTT Installing Vivint Smart Home First things first... installation. Since Vivint requires professional installation, we had a Vivint technician stop by our home for a professional install. If you’ve read our full hands-on review of Vivint, you’ll know that it took Don (our tech) a few hours to install the Vivint security system, indoor and outdoor cameras, a garage door controller, and the list goes on. In the end, we were glad we didn't have to do the installation ourselves. Not that we’re terrible with power tools,but it’s good to know our security system was set up by someone who’s done it many times before. To be clear, there are many great DIY options out there. Some systems let you do a DIY install, and some put the monitoring completely in your hands. Vivint goes the other route. The monitoring service is compulsory and the end-to-end installation experience ensures that your Vivint security system is set up correctly. That comes at a price, but it also gave us peace of mind, watching Don install things like Vivint’s Smart Garage Controller. Don, the Vivint Installation Technician, installing our Smart Garage Controller Once our equipment was all set up, we were able to control everything from Vivint’s mobile app and Smart Hub. It’s worth mentioning here that Vivint does have one of the most integrated systems on the market. That means it all just... well... works. We opened the app and everything was right there to swipe, arm, disarm, turn on/off, or whatever else we wanted to do. Here’s a look at the Smart Hub perched on our desk, with its Ping Camera sidekick... Vivint Smart Hub and Ping Indoor Camera You have options when it comes to controlling your Vivint smart home. You can pop into Vivint’s user-friendly mobile app, or use the 7” Smart Hub touchscreen panel, or you can even use your voice with Amazon Alexa or Google Home. Our Experience with Vivint Home Automation Built on Z-Wave Protocol You’ll be glad to know that the Vivint platform operates on the Z-Wave protocol. This means any Z-Wave devices (smart lights, locks, thermostats... even smart toasters! ) can integrate into your Vivint smart home system. We typically recommend looking for a home automation platform that works with Z-Wave, as there are countless smart devices that work on the Z-Wave protocol. So it’s kind of a big deal that Vivint is all ready to run with Z-Wave right out of the box, as it were. That said, note that Vivint isn’t compatible with Zigbee, which is unfortunate but actually pretty common. We’ve used a lot of smart home systems to date, and we’ve found that only premium systems — like those from Vivint, ADT, and Frontpoint — offer Z-Wave compatibility. So don’t expect it from every brand out there. Smart Garage Controller Another smart feature we used was the Linear garage door controller. We don’t think we purchased this upfront; rather, we think maybe our Vivint technician upsold us on this (sneaky guy), but we’re glad he did. This device allowed us to open and close our garage with our smartphone, from virtually anywhere. Vivint Smart Garage Controller For us, it worked great as an extra layer of security. If we were unsure of whether or not we closed the garage door, we just popped in the Vivint app to see. Notice the little “Overhead Garage” icon at the bottom of our dashboard. A quick tap is all it takes to close the cave. Vivint Smart Home App Vivint and Smart Thermostats Vivint claims they are “Green, in more ways than one. ” Of course, they’re referring to how you can save the planet and save money by getting one of their smart thermostats. You can choose the Vivint Smart Thermostat ($169) to help with energy spend, or go with the more affordable Nest Thermostat E ($119) which has a neat frosted display that we like. Vivint sells both of these devices, and both allow you to control your temps from the dial, your smartphone, and even your voice. It’s important to note that Vivint does play well with Nest products, which is always a plus in our book. Philips Hue Integration Here’s another popular device for home automation. Being able to remotely control and automate your lights is more than just a flex. It can help to set a relaxing mood after a long day, or a romantic mood for a big date night. Smart lighting can also make your house safer, lighting up dark areas around your home at night. We tried to order some Philips Hue smart lights from Vivint, but they were completely sold out, which was a bit disappointing. Not a big deal, though, as we had a Honeywell smart switch and a couple of Nutone bulbs that work with Z-Wave. So we were able to set our lights to dim automatically at 7 pm, just in time for our nightly viewing of Braveheart (what? it’s a classic). And keep in mind these products seamlessly connect right into the Vivint app. Although we couldn’t score Philips Hue lights this time around, we’ve used these smart LED bulbs in the past, and we have (mostly) positive things to say about them. Since Philips Hue comes with a little hub with a built-in speaker, you’ll enjoy native hands-free voice control. And of course, there’s the Vivint app integration, which means you can control your lights from your smartphone, set your lighting to turn on automatically when you come home, automatically dim for movie night, and the list goes on. But it’s not cheap — you’ll pay upwards of $79. 99 or more for Hue. Works with Smart Locks We’re also really liking the Vivint/Kwikset partnership. If you’re not familiar, Kwikset is one of the leading smart lock brands. They have an extensive list of products, but as far as we know, Vivint only sells the SmartCode 888 model ($139) which we show here... Vivint Smart Lock Options In our experience, these smart locks are top notch even without the Vivint integration. But if Vivint sets you up, you’ll be able to lock and unlock your door from the app, get instant alerts when you leave your door open, etc. You can also give out up to 30 unique access codes, which is enough for the kids, the dog-walker, caretakers, and your in-laws (maybe scratch that last one). At any rate, we’re all about smart locks, as keys just feel so last year. Vivint and Amazon Alexa Let’s be honest, Amazon’s Alexa needs no introduction. It’s the most popular voice assistant on the market, so it’s no wonder that most home security companies offer this integration. With Vivint, the integration only took us a few minutes, and it allowed us to arm and disarm our system by voice. One night, we couldn’t find our smartphones to arm our system, and the Smart Hub panel was clear across the house. So a simple “Alexa, ask Vivint to arm my system” was all it took to secure the castle. We used Alexa for all sorts of other tasks, too. For instance, we had voice control over our garage door, smart lock, cameras, you name it. Just keep in mind that you’ll want to get the Complete skill, not the Basic skill. The Basic skill can only control smart lights and thermostats, while the Complete skill controls more devices than you can shake a stick at. For security reasons, you can’t disarm your home or unlock your doors with Alexa. If you could, a would-be burglar could come to your doorstep and shout “Alexa, disarm my home! ” and he’d have a field day in your home. We mostly use Alexa by way of Amazon’s Echo device. You could get an Echo Show smart display, but we recommend saving your money since Vivint comes with a touchscreen smart panel anyway. Note that other brands, like Ring Alarm and SimpliSafe, play well with Alexa. But the truth is, Vivint has a vast range of capabilities compared to those more basic systems, so you can simply do more with your voice. Vivint and Google Home We’re not big Google Home users, but Vivint also brings this integration to the table. Since Google Home is now technically Google Nest, you can bet that all Nest products will work just fine here. So you can say things like, “Hey Google, am I protected? ” or “Hey Google, arm Vivint to away. ” If you’re already running a Google Nest smart home ecosystem at your place, then we’d also recommend checking out ADT and Brinks, both of which play well with Google. In fact, ADT, Brinks, and Vivint are all on our list of the best security systems that work with Google Nest. As with Vivint, you’ll be able to use your Google Home Hub, Google Home Mini, Nest Hub, and similar products with these brands. Vivint also sells a smart smoke detector, flood and freeze sensor, and CO detector. If it works in your budget, we always recommend getting set up with environmental hazard detection, as they can save your house and your life. Vivint Smart CO/Smoke Detectors Choosing the Right Vivint Subscription Not all Vivint monitoring plans are created equal. In fact, the lower-tier plan doesn’t support smart home automation at all. That’s why it’s important to know what to ask for. If you want to get the most out of Vivint, we definitely recommend the Smart Home Video plan. It’s only a few more dollars per month than the middle-tier plan, but it lets you set up Vivint’s award-winning Outdoor Camera Pro, as well as their doorbell camera and indoor camera. At the very least, though, you’ll need the Smart Home plan if you want access to home automation features. Here’s a look at Vivint’s latest plans and pricing. Vivint Smart Home Monitoring Plans Smart Security Smart Home Smart Home Video Intrusion Protection Yes Yes Yes Smart Home Capabilities No Yes Yes Video Support No No Yes Monthly Price $29. 99 $39. 99 $44. 99 Vivint Contracts It’s also worth mentioning that you’ll need to purchase all of your Vivint equipment upfront, otherwise you’ll have to sign a 4- to 5-year contract with the company. This, along with their higher-than-average equipment prices, has always been our biggest hangup with Vivint. That said, their smart systems usher in a whole new experience that you just don’t get with even the best DIY brands. So again, if you’re a homeowner who wants the Mercedes of home security, we think this is the best option out there for home security and smart home automation. Our Verdict on Vivint Automation Yes, home automation isn’t a necessity, but the cost of the technology has come down a lot in recent years, making it a small investment that provides big returns. Specifically, it can save time, save money, and make you safer. You can wake up every morning to a hot pot of coffee. Your home heating and cooling can adjust to avoid wasting energy. You’ll know if you accidentally left the garage door open. The folks at Vivint have delivered the goods and offer everything (and then some) when it comes to smart home automation. We were able to control our garage door and thermostat from our smartphones, and since Vivint runs off the Z-Wave protocol, we have almost limitless device integrations (we’re talking well into the hundreds). We also liked the voice control options with Amazon Echo and Google Home. But really, we’re seeing hands-free voice control from almost every brand nowadays. Where Vivint really excels is with their mobile app and Smart Hub; all of our smart home equipment integrated into one easy-to-use platform, which we could instantly access from the app or hub. And remember, with Vivint you can set custom rules and customize your notifications to your heart’s content. So if you have Vivint on your mind, just be sure to spring for their Smart Home plan so that you can access all of this and more. We think you’ll be more than happy with the end-to-end experience that Vivint is well-known for.

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### Ring Monitoring

> Ring's new Protect Pro plan costs $20/month for professional monitoring, moving features from the Plus plan, which is now $10/month without monitoring.

- Published: 2019-07-04
- Modified: 2023-06-30
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ring-alarm/monitoring/

It seems like everyday we're digging into some shiny new Ring products. We’ve tested everything from their uber-popular doorbell cameras, to their security cams and Ring Alarm system, and even their new smart lighting options. The equipment is pretty solid, but what about their monitoring plans? Do they have an option that makes sense for your pocketbook and home security preferences? Great questions! We took Ring’s free and paid subscription plans for a test drive. Starting at only $3 per month and maxing out at $20 monthly, we have to say that Ring’s subscription is downright cheap. But the plans really couldn’t be more different — as they each serve a very specific purpose. Sign up with the wrong plan and you risk not having the protection you need. Unboxing Ring Alarm So let’s start with the pros & cons and then jump into Ring’s affordable, no-contract monitoring plans to see which one (if any! ) makes sense for you. Pros Low-cost monitoring No contracts, cancel anytime 60-day video history Smartphone controls Lifetime Theft Protection 24/7 professional monitoring (with Plus plan) Free self-monitoring option Cons Response times could be faster No access to AI features Wi-Fi with cellular backup (not 100% cellular) Ring Monitoring Plans & Prices Similar to our top-rated security system SimpliSafe, Ring is all about keeping things simple and affordable. We appreciate the straightforward options, and we had no problems finding a plan that worked for us. So... what’s it going to be? Do you have a new Ring Alarm that you want monitored by the pros? We recently spent close to 100 hours testing the Ring Alarm system powered by Ring's monitoring, and although we didn't get the fastest response times, we thought it was a steal for only $10 a month. That being said, we have bad news for you: Ring recently launched a new plan tier, the Ring Protect Pro plan, that costs $20 a month. They moved some of the features of the Ring Protect Plus plan to the Protect Pro plan, including professional monitoring. So now, if you want professional monitoring, the price you'll have to pay is $20 a month. It's still affordable, but not as affordable as it was. However, if you’re just looking to get video support for a Ring Video Doorbell or a couple of Ring Cams, then Ring Protect Basic will do the trick for only $3 per month. That’s half the price of a Pumpkin Spice Latte in exchange for home protection (a good trade in our book! ). Here’s a rundown of your options, along with the most up-to-date Ring prices. Ring Subscription Ring Protect Basic Ring Protect Plus Ring Protect Pro Protection Level Basic Intermediate to Advanced Advanced Devices Supported 1 Unlimited Unlimited Connection Type Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Wi-Fi + Cellular Backup Professional Monitoring No No Yes Network and Connectivity Features (powered by eero) No No Yes 3 GB Monthly 4G Backup No No Yes Contract Terms No Contract, month-to-month No Contract, month-to-month No Contract, month-to-month Monthly Price $3 $10 $20 Yearly Price $30 $100 $200 Do I Need a Ring Protect Plan? Technically, no, you don’t need to pay for a Ring Protect subscription to use any of your Ring products. You’ll still get standard features like instant mobile alerts, live-streaming video, and two-way talk without a monitoring plan. In fact, we self-monitored our Ring Alarm for several months for free. With that said, you should know that we don’t recommend it — especially considering how affordable Ring’s monitoring is. Although you’ll have access to basic features without a Ring Protect subscription, you’ll be up-the-creek if your home is targeted and you’re unable to call the police yourself. With Ring Protect Basic, you’ll at least have video recording so that you can save and share hard evidence if a burglar breaks into your home or a porch pirate helps himself to your Amazon packages. Ring Alarm App Trust us, we recently had someone on the prowl in our area trying car doors in the wee hours of the morning. A high-quality video of the perpetrator would go a long way in recovering stolen possessions. At any rate, it’s much better than no evidence! So while you don’t necessarily need a Ring Protect plan, you’re better off with one. The question is... which one? Which Ring Plan is Best? So which Ring plan is best for you and your family? Well, this depends on the Ring equipment you have installed. If you’re outfitted with a doorbell camera or 1-2 Ring security cameras, then Ring Protect Basic at only $3 monthly is your best bet, which provides cloud storage for one camera or doorbell. If you have multiple Ring cameras, then Ring Protect Plus is for you, as it provides cloud storage for an unlimited number of Ring cameras. Just keep in mind this does not include professional monitoring — rather, it’s a video recording and sharing plan. The main differentiator between Protect Plus and Protect Pro is professional monitoring. The Plus plan includes cloud history for unlimited cameras, while the Pro plan includes active monitoring in addition to cloud storage. Now, if you go with the Ring Alarm or the Ring Alarm Pro, you'll want the Protect Pro plan, as it's the only plan with 24/7 professional monitoring. This connects your system to Ring's monitoring partner for emergency response and dispatch. Ring Protect Basic We’ve been subscribers of the Basic plan in the past. It’s one of the best subscriptions in the industry for video recording and sharing, and we think its biggest strength lies in the mobile controls. With the Ring app on our smartphone, we were able to access our Video Doorbell 3 and Ring cameras with a few swipes of the finger. We could view live stream footage, capture images, save video clips, download video, and share footage with friends, family, neighbors, and even the police. Ring Protect Plus Basic and Plus actually offer the same benefits: 60 days of video history for Ring cameras. The only difference is that Plus provides cloud storage for unlimited cameras and doorbells, while Basic only provides the same for one. So, who do we recommend Ring Protect Plus to? It's simple: If you have more than three Ring cameras or doorbells, go with the Plus plan. If you have four cameras, at $3 per month each with Basic, you'll be paying $12 a month. With Plus, you'll only pay $10, so it's simple economics. Ring Protect Pro The Ring Protect Pro plan is reserved for those who have a Ring Alarm or Ring Alarm Pro system. It's the only plan with professional monitoring, which enables Ring to call for help on your behalf in case of emergencies. And don't worry, Ring Protect Pro also offers cloud storage for unlimited cameras, so it's all you'll need even if you have cameras and a Ring Alarm system. Moreover, the Protect Pro plan offers much more value if you have the Ring Alarm Pro system, which has a base station that doubles as an eero 6 router. If you have this system, you'll unlock additional features such as network threat protection and a 3 GB per month backup cellular data for when your internet goes down. Consider taking advantage of Ring’s 30-day free trial of the Protect Plus plan. After all, you don’t get much cheaper than free. If you don’t like it, just be sure to cancel before your free trial ends. We recently sized up Ring Alarm and compared it to other systems like Frontpoint and Abode, and while these other systems definitely have their strengths, we’ve found that Ring really stacks the value when it comes to monitoring. In our experience, there’s no other monitoring that really compares... not at this price point anyway. And if you’re wondering how the three Ring plans measure up in features and value, here are the main things to consider: Snapshot of Ring Plan Features Feature-Set Free Plan Basic Plan Plus Plan Pro Plan Instant Mobile Alerts Yes Yes Yes Yes Live-Stream Video Yes Yes Yes Yes 60-Day Video History No Yes Yes Yes Video Saving & Sharing No Yes Yes Yes Snapshot Capture No Yes Yes Yes 24/7 Professional Monitoring No No No Yes Extended Warranty No No Yes Yes A Few Gripes We Have With Ring Monitoring Whether you sign up for Ring’s base plan for ultra-cheap video support, or whether you choose the Pro plan for video + intrusion monitoring, we think you’ll be happy with the service. With that said, we did find a few chinks in the ol' armor. No deal-breakers, but it's important to know what you're getting into. For instance, while testing the Protect Pro plan, we experienced 30-40 second response times on average. If you’re not familiar, that’s the time it takes for the emergency response agents to call you when your alarm goes off. Don't get us wrong, 30 seconds isn't bad — in fact it’s pretty standard for the industry. However, we were told by a Ring agent that they won’t even attempt to call before the 30-second mark (yikes). Of course, we’re aware that this 30-second rule helps cut back on false alarms, but if there’s a real break-in or emergency, those precious seconds could really cost you. Honestly, we didn’t love hearing this from the folks at Ring. But we’ve come head-to-head with this same policy from other home security companies, too. So don’t be too put off by it. When signing up with Ring Protect Pro, you’ll be asked to give a “safe word” or verbal PIN. Be sure to choose something memorable, as you’ll have to give it to a Ring agent when your system is triggered. Another area where we found Ring could use improvement is with their connection speeds and reliability. Like many DIY home security brands, Ring uses a Wi-Fi connection with cellular backup. It’s decent, but we much prefer a 100% cellular connection, like what we’ve seen from SimpliSafe. Cellular signals aren’t affected by power outages or slow internet speeds, so cellular monitoring is just plain better than Wi-Fi. That said, this isn’t a huge deal for us, as we’ve been using Ring for years without problems. It’s just something to bear in mind. Ring Monitoring: Putting it All Together We’ve spent hundreds of hours testing Ring products and services. And in our experience, it’s hard to beat the ‘bang for your buck’ factor that Ring offers. The Protect Plus plan only costs $10 per month for high-quality video support, while the Protect Pro plan runs $20 monthly for video support plus 24/7 professional monitoring. Both options are about 55% cheaper than the industry average. Not bad. Ring Alarm App Activity Don’t forget that you can save even more money if you pay annually. But if you pay by the month, you can cancel your service at any time without penalty. That’s the beauty of no-contract monitoring, which we’re seeing more and more these days. In other words, Ring isn’t the only company serving up flexible subscription plans. We’ll leave you with this: Ring’s monitoring isn’t bulletproof, but all things considered, we found that this uber-popular home security company delivers big when it comes to security camera and home alarm system monitoring. We’re excited to continue testing and reviewing their products for years to come.

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### Cove Security System Pricing [year]

> Cove's security system costs $400-$500, with no contracts and 24/7 monitoring at $19.99 or $29.99 monthly. Equipment sales often cut prices by 30-70%.

- Published: 2019-07-01
- Modified: 2025-07-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cove/



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### Ring Floodlight vs Spotlight 

> Ring Floodlight Cam is our top pick for home security; it offers 2000 lumens and a 105 dB siren to deter intruders effectively.

- Published: 2019-06-10
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-floodlight-vs-spotlight/

Thieves prefer to lurk in the shadows where they can’t be seen. That’s why security cameras with lights are great for home security, and Ring, one of the best security camera providers, offers two of them – the Ring Spotlight Cam and the Ring Floodlight Cam. Which do you choose? A light is a light is a light, right? Nope. Ring’s Spotlight Cam and Floodlight Cam both shed light on your home security needs, but they perform very different functions. That means you can’t just close your eyes and pick between them. You have to understand exactly what they do so you can choose the one that best fits your particular home security needs. Luckily, you have us to sort it all out for you. Below, we get into exactly what these two cameras do and don’t do, so you can make the most informed decision possible. Can’t choose between these two cameras? No worries. The Floodlight Cam and Spotlight Cam work well together. Keep reading to find out where to place each one for maximum effectiveness. The Ring Floodlight Cam Ring Outdoor Cameras Overview The best way to distinguish between these two cameras is to talk about what each one is designed to do. We’ll get into all the finer points of each device, but let’s start with the key difference between them. Ring Spotlight Cam: The Spotlight Cam is built to provide soft, focused lighting. It can help you get in late at night without tripping in the dark or startle a potential burglar when it shines a spotlight on them. Ring Floodlight Cam: In contrast, the Floodlight Cam provides bright and broad lighting. It can illuminate your entire front yard and instead of just startling a potential burglar, it can temporarily blind them in the middle of their heist as their eyes adjust to the sudden light. Which one do you need? Maybe you need both. It all depends on your particular home security needs. To understand those, you have to take the time to consider all of your property’s vulnerabilities. Ring Floodlight vs Ring Spotlight: Similarities There’s a lot to consider beyond these two cameras’ fundamental differences. It turns out, for example, that they have a number of features in common, like similar power options and subscription plans. Given that these are both Ring cameras, they’re both available with the same basic monitoring options. If you don’t need to record footage, you can self-monitor your cameras for free. Alternatively, you can add a Ring cloud storage plan that costs $4. 99 per month for one camera or $9. 99 per month for unlimited cameras. You can also add professional monitoring to the $9. 99 plan for an extra $10 per month, which includes video verification. The Ring app also works with these two cameras. That app is 100 percent free and provides you with real-time alerts and live footage even if you’re self-monitoring your system. In addition, the app allows you to activate and deactivate the cameras, and you can use it to take advantage of their two-way talk capabilities. Finally, Ring offers its cameras with several power options. In the case of the Spotlight Cam, that means three different models – a plug-in model, a battery-powered model, and a solar-powered model. The Floodlight requires more juice, so the options are limited to a plug-in model and a hardwired model. If that’s not enough choice, you can also get either camera in “Plus” or “Pro” varieties. Plus provides some bonus features like custom motion zones and PIR motion sensors. Pro comes with an even more advanced version of motion detection – 3D motion detection, powered by radar. Ring Spotlight Cam at Twilight Ring Spotlight vs Ring Floodlight: Differences For all their similarities, though, these cameras serve very different functions, and so they also have key differences. Let’s take a look at the most significant of these – their features and their prices. Features The Floodlight Cam is designed to stop potential burglars in their tracks. In addition to the 105 dB siren that comes standard with Ring cameras, it has two 2,000-lumen lights on both sides. Put these two features together, and you’ve got a pretty powerful one-two punch, powerful enough to rattle even the bravest home invaders. The Floodlight Cam is great for stopping burglars; the Spotlight Cam, on the other hand, provides a more welcoming atmosphere. Of course, any light, even a soft, gentle one, is going to make thieves think twice about attacking your home. Generally speaking, bad guys prefer the shadows. And just having a light lets them know you probably have other defenses as well. Regardless of which product you choose, you can’t go wrong with adding additional lighting to your property. Security lights are one of the best ways to fend off burglars, after all. Dig into the details, and you’ll find even more differences between these cameras. Let’s take them one at a time. And for the sake of completeness, we’ll also provide you with specifics on the Pro and Plus models. Spotlight Cam Plus Color Night Vision Customizable Motion Detection Two-Way Talk Motion Activated Notifications Built In Siren Spotlight Cam Pro 3D Motion Detection Enhanced Audio Dual-Band WiFi Two-Way Talk Built-In Siren Floodlight Cam Plus Color Night Vision 2000 Lumen Floodlight 105 dB Siren Motion Activated Notifications Two-Way Talk Floodlight Cam Pro Color Night Vision 3D Motion Detection Dual-Band WiFi Enhanced Audio 105 dB Siren One last thing: both the Floodlight and Spotlight Cams come with multiple power options. On this score, the Spotlight Cam is a little more flexible. You can buy a wired version and plug it into an outdoor outlet, or you can go with a battery-powered version for easier installation. You can even connect the battery-powered version to a solar panel from Ring for continuous charging. The Floodlight, on the other hand, requires more power because of its brighter lights. Your only options are a plug-in version that plugs into a wall outlet or a wired version that literally needs to be wired to a junction box. We recommend the latter if you have existing floodlights that you want replaced with a floodlight-equipped camera. Pricing As you’d expect, the pricing on these devices differs based on which model you select and which power source you want to use. Here’s a quick breakdown of what that looks like: Camera Price Plug In Spotlight Cam Plus Starting at $149. 99 $169. 99 Spotlight Cam Pro Starting at $229. 99 $229. 99 Floodlight Cam Plus Starting at $179. 99 $199. 99 Floodlight Cam Pro Starting at $249. 99 $249. 99 Ring doesn’t run as many sales as SimpliSafe, but it’s almost always offering a discount on one or two of its cameras, including the Spotlight and Floodlight Cams. Right now, for example, you can save $40 off a Spotlight Cam Pro. When it comes to the Floodlight, you can save $60 no matter which version you choose. There’s no guarantee how long these prices will last, but if you bookmark our guide to Ring’s sales and discounts, you can always find their best deals. What We Think It’s tough to go wrong with Ring, no matter what kind of camera you’re looking for. They offer some of the best security cameras on the market today, and at quite affordable prices. The company’s Spotlight and Floodlight cameras are especially powerful, though. If you’re looking for outdoor coverage, you get both a reliable, hearty camera and the bonus of lighting in emergency situations. You do want to think through your specific needs, though. The Floodlight Cam works great for straightforward security. You can be sure its bright lights and high-dB siren will frighten off even the bravest would-be burglars. Not everyone needs that kind of protection, though. Or maybe you need a different sort of camera to complement the Floodlight, a camera that can help illuminate a path for you when you come home late at night. In that case, the Spotlight Cam is definitely the better choice. As always with home security, it always comes down to finding the best equipment to suit your situation.

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### LifeLock vs. Equifax Comparison

> LifeLock offers superior identity theft protection over Equifax, with more features, better insurance, and 24/7 support, despite similar pricing.

- Published: 2019-06-01
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-equifax/

You might think Equifax would provide great identity theft protection since they’re one of the three major credit bureaus. But, after comparing them to LifeLock, we found their service lacking in several key categories. With over 20 million people in the U. S. falling victim to identity theft in one year, you’re smart to look for an identity theft protection service. During your search, you’re bound to come across LifeLock and Equifax. They’re two household names — with LifeLock being known for their identity theft protection service, while Equifax is known for being one of the three major credit bureaus. But, do either of them offer good protection? And, which one’s better? We tried each service for one month to see how they protect identities on a day-to-day basis and figure out which one’s better. After the test, we decided we like LifeLock better, as they offer more comprehensive protections and safety nets in the form of insurance. We know that won’t convince you, though, so we’re going to dig into all the details of each service to help you decide which one’s right for you. >> Read About: Best Identity Theft Protection Services in Equifax compiles information on over 800 million individual consumers and more than 88 million businesses worldwide. Along with our LifeLock subscription, we also got access to Norton360 to protect us from digital threats. Overview: LifeLock vs. Equifax Both LifeLock and Equifax offer similar core features like Social Security number monitoring and fraud alerts, but when it comes to execution, these companies are on opposite ends of the spectrum. When we reviewed Equifax, we found it to be a much more utilitarian service, foregoing the frills and perks we saw when we looked at LifeLock. Both services are complete and their coverage is — in our opinion — more than adequate, but you get a lot more features when you choose LifeLock. Before we dive into the details, we want to highlight the key similarities and differences between these two identity theft protection services. >> Learn More: A Comparison of Identity Theft Protection Services Similarities Between Equifax and LifeLock As big travelers, we appreciate that Equifax scanned our passport numbers as part of their Web Protect feature. While we much prefer LifeLock over Equifax, they do have a lot in common. Here are the key similarities between Equifax and LifeLock’s identity theft protection services: SSN Monitoring: We expect SSN monitoring from every identity theft protection service we test. It’s the core feature of identity theft protection, so we’re glad to see that LifeLock and Equifax offer it. Dark Web Monitoring: Taking things a bit further, both LifeLock and Equifax scour the dark web for your information and alert you if they find any data leaks related to your identity. Identity Restoration Services: If you do fall victim to identity theft while subscribed to either LifeLock or Equifax, their experts will help you recover your identity. Three-Bureau Credit Monitoring: While it’s not included in every plan for either provider, Equifax and LifeLock both make three-bureau credit monitoring available in their more premium subscriptions. Stolen Funds Reimbursement: LifeLock and Equifax will reimburse you if any of your money gets stolen as a result of an identity theft incident. Family Plans With Child Identity Monitoring: Your kids are vulnerable to identity theft, too. That’s why LifeLock and Equifax offer child identity monitoring and insurance, which is surprisingly uncommon in the industry. Although, only LifeLock made our list of the best family identity theft protection services. Differences Between Equifax and LifeLock There’s a lot in common between Equifax and LifeLock, but, after we put each service to the test, we noticed a few key differences, including: A Free Plan: One thing that’s nice about Equifax is that they offer a free plan. It only includes credit monitoring for their own credit bureau, though. LifeLock charges for any amount of protection. Crime Alerts: Criminal identity theft occurs when someone uses your identity when committing a crime. LifeLock monitors for criminal activity associated with your name, so you can clear your name before further action is taken by the authorities. Equifax does not offer this form of monitoring. Cybersecurity: Since LifeLock was bought by Norton, they started offering comprehensive cybersecurity bundles with some of their identity theft protection subscriptions. Even Equifax’s premium subscriptions do not include any cybersecurity tools. Home Title Monitoring: Identity thieves can fraudulently use your home title to take out loans in your name leveraged against your house. LifeLock monitors for this type of fraud, unlike Equifax. Social Media Monitoring: Someone who hacks into your social media accounts can use them to scam your close friends and family. To prevent this, LifeLock includes social media monitoring in their premium plans, something Equifax did not offer us. 24/7 Customer Support: To get in contact with Equifax, you need to call them during their business hours. LifeLock offers 24/7 phone support and a live chat. LifeLock vs. Equifax: A Detailed Breakdown Now that we’ve covered a high-level overview of LifeLock and Equifax’s similarities and differences, let’s dig into the details with a point-by-point comparison. Pricing After buying our Equifax subscription, we had to “purchase” WebDetect to activate their internet monitoring feature. Surprisingly, LifeLock and Equifax charge similar rates. That surprises us because of how many more features LifeLock offers than Equifax. Both also offer a discount for paying for a full year upfront, which we recommend since they both give prorated refunds — meaning, they’ll refund you for any unused months in your annual subscription. LifeLock also offers a 60-day full money-back guarantee on their annual subscriptions. LifeLock’s Pricing We won’t sugarcoat it: LifeLock’s pricing can get confusing. They offer four tiers of service, although two of the tiers are almost identical with the only difference being that one gives you the option of adding Norton 360. Here’s an overview of LifeLock’s pricing: LifeLock Services Standard Select Advantage Ultimate Plus Credit Monitoring Single Bureau Single Bureau Single Bureau Triple Bureau Annual Credit Report and Scores Not Provided Not Provided Single Bureau Triple Bureau TransUnion Credit Lock Not Provided Not Provided Provided Provided Fictitious Identity Monitoring Not Provided Not Provided Provided Provided Home Title Monitoring Not Provided Not Provided Not Provided Not Provided Identity Restoration Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Milllion Up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Reimbursement Up to $25,000 Up to $25,000 Up to $25,000 Up to $25,000 Personal Expense Compensation Up to $25,000 Up to $25,000 Up to $100,000 Up to $1 Million Norton 360 Unavailable +$0. 83 Per Month +$2 Per Month +$5 Per Month Price Starts at $7. 50 Per Month Starts at $7. 50 Per Month Starts at $14. 99 Per Month Starts at $19. 99 Per Month One thing to note about LifeLock’s pricing is that they charge more when you renew your plan. The prices we listed above are for your first year. Expect their prices to increase by about 30 percent upon renewal. >> Check Out: Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Couples LifeLock lets you turn any of their plans into a family plan as well. We recommend selecting an actual family plan before checkout, though, as they charge more if you add an adult or children at checkout instead of selecting a family plan. For instance, buying an annual Advantage plan for two adults costs $23. 99 per month, whereas adding another adult at checkout would bring that price up to $30. 19 per month. Equifax Pricing Equifax makes their pricing simpler than LifeLock, although we didn’t think we got as much value from their plans. Here’s an overview of Equifax’s plans and pricing: Equifax Service ID Patrol Complete Premier Complete Family Plan Covered Adults One One Two and Four Children Triple-Bureau Credit Monitoring Yes Yes Yes Triple-Bureau Credit Scores and Report Yes Yes Yes Internet Monitoring Yes Yes Yes Fraud Alerts Yes Yes Yes Equifax Credit Lock Yes Yes Yes 24/7 Access to Equifax Credit Score and Report No Yes Yes Equifax Credit Score Monitoring No Yes Yes Identity Restoration Services No Yes Yes Stolen Funds Replacement Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million ID Theft Insurance Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million Price $16. 95 Per Month $19. 95 Per Month $29. 95 Per Month You can get two free months for any Equifax plan by paying for one year upfront. They also offer a completely free plan, but that only includes a monthly report of your credit from Equifax. Winner: LifeLock Features LifeLock’s modern design made it easy for us to access and use all of their features. We’ve been saying it all along, but LifeLock really does offer a ton more features than Equifax. Here’s a side-by-side comparison between the features that LifeLock and Equifax offer: Feature LifeLock Equifax SSN Monitoring Yes Yes Three-Bureau Credit Monitoring Yes Yes Lost Wallet Assistance Yes Yes Buy Now Pay Later Alerts Yes No Fictitious Identity Monitoring Yes No Phone Takeover Monitoring Yes No Bank Account Application Alerts Yes No Investment Account Alerts Yes No Home Title Monitoring Yes No That’s not even all of the features that LifeLock offers, and we didn’t include any features offered by their Norton 360 bundles. We only highlighted the main features offered by LifeLock above, but it still shows how much more monitoring they offer than Equifax. More monitoring means they can catch more forms of identity theft before it cascades out of control. Winner: LifeLock >> Read More: Recovering Lost or Stolen Items While both LifeLock and Equifax offer three-bureau credit monitoring, only LifeLock made our list of the best credit monitoring services. That’s because they include other monitoring to protect your credit score, like bank account application alerts and investment account alerts. User Experience Our experience using Equifax suffered due to their outdated interface. For identity theft protection services to work, you need to go through an onboarding process. That involves inputting all of the information you want the service to monitor. If they don’t know your SSN, they can’t monitor it — and that goes for all of your information. This process can easily take several hours with a poorly designed user experience, and it can get frustrating, too. Trust us, we know. We went through the entire onboarding process for both services, and, while neither was the worst we’ve had to deal with, we much preferred LifeLock. It has a more modern user interface, which makes the program easier to navigate. We also liked the layout and tooltips they provided along the way. Since they offer so much more in terms of monitoring, though, they needed more of our information than Equifax for us to use all of their features. That made the onboarding process a bit longer, but it was less frustrating, too. Winner: LifeLock Customer Support We could easily chat with LifeLock’s customer support about our notifications for further assistance. When we assess customer support services, we always look at availability and the quality of support. On both accounts, we liked LifeLock better. Their phone support is available 24/7, and they offer a live chat. Equifax limits their phone support from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m. Monday through Friday and 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. Saturday and Sunday. Those are EST times. They also do not have a live chat at all. As for the quality of support, LifeLock’s agents gave us faster responses and were regularly able to resolve our support requests on our first contact. We will say, we’d recommend their phone line for any complicated support requests. The live chat seems to consist more of sales agents than technical support. With Equifax, they usually needed to direct us to a higher tier of support to resolve our issue, which meant we had to wait on hold most of the time we needed help. Winner: LifeLock 24/7 support is extremely important for identity theft protection services. When you notice suspicious activity, you need to take action immediately to minimize any potential impact. With 24/7 support, you can always get the help you need as soon as you notice something wrong. Insurance and Restoration LifeLock made it easy for us to submit a claim for their identity theft insurance right on their dashboard. It’s hard to beat LifeLock’s up to $3 million insurance, which is why it’s our favorite identity theft restoration service. That $3 million is spread across three different categories, and it’s only available with LifeLock’s premium plan. So, you get $1 million to cover identity recovery expenses, $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement, and $1 million in personal expense reimbursement. The stolen funds reimbursement and personal expense reimbursement go down with each tier below the premium plan, but, even at the lowest of $25,000 for each, they still beat Equifax’s flat $1 million insurance. While we prefer LifeLock’s insurance, we like how Equifax allows their $1 million insurance to be used for either recovery expense or stolen funds reimbursement. That means if you have $500,000 of expenses from identity theft and the thief stole $500,000 from you, Equifax would cover it all. With LifeLock’s mid-tier plan, however, you’d get all the expenses reimbursed but only $100,000 of your stolen funds reimbursed. As for restoration services, we were not able to test the restoration efforts of either company ourselves since our identity wasn’t stolen while we were subscribed to either service. But, each company provides you with an ID theft restoration expert to guide you through the entire restoration process. You can expect them to tell you exactly who you need to call to get your identity back as well as pre-fill any forms. So, all you need to do is sign forms and attend any necessary in-person meetings. Winner: LifeLock >> Learn More: Best Alternatives to LifeLock Identity Theft Protection in LifeLock vs. Equifax — Getting Down to Brass Tacks Unless you’re looking for a free plan, we recommend LifeLock, hands down. For similar prices, LifeLock offers more monitoring to protect your identity and more insurance if it gets stolen. The only thing to watch out for is their price increases on renewal, which can easily catch customers off guard. It’s not even that Equifax’s service is necessarily bad, either. We’d put it in line with the average identity theft protection service, if not a little better. LifeLock’s protection is just some of the best we’ve used, and that’s hard to compete with — even for Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus. FAQs About Both Services

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### Best Hardwired Home Security Systems in [year]

> ADT, Lorex, and Swann lead the best hardwired security systems—reliable, tamper-resistant, and ideal for large homes

- Published: 2019-05-22
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/hardwired/



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### Home Security Quiz

> This home security quiz highlights crucial steps like using deadbolts, securing sliding doors, and having monitored security systems to enhance safety.

- Published: 2019-05-06
- Modified: 2025-01-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/quiz/

How secure is your home? It’s a more complicated question than you might think. Investing in a great security system is the most effective way to make a big upgrade in your space’s safety and security, but a lot of other details matter, too. There are tons of little things that can make your space more appealing or more accessible to crooks. That’s why it’s wise to run through a comprehensive home security checklist like the one below. We’ve turned our checklist into a simple quiz, so you can see at a glance how secure your space is while learning how to make it safer at the same time. Do you have a home security system and monitoring service? The most important thing that you can do to protect your home is to invest in a security system. Make sure that you subscribe to a monitoring service, too — a security system and alarm won’t do much good unless they’re connected to a service that will alert the authorities when a break-in occurs. Are cameras monitoring your space? Indoor and outdoor security cameras can help you spot intruders and other problems before they can hurt you or violate your space. Doorbell cameras can help you size up visitors before you open the door. And many modern surveillance devices can be connected to security systems and broader smart home setups. Are you warning crooks that your house is monitored? A security system will alert you and the authorities when someone tries to break in. But if you can turn back would-be intruders before they attempt a break-in, that’s even better. So make use of those yard signs and window decals. Crooks might just decide that your home isn’t worth the trouble. Do you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors? A smoke detector system, especially one that is connected to a monitoring service, can protect your home from the devastation of a fire. And don’t forget about deadly carbon monoxide: it’s odorless, which makes it all but impossible to detect without a proper detection device and system. Do you have a cell phone? If you have a landline, you may think that you’re always going to be in contact with the outside world. You can use it to call the police if you need them; maybe your home security system uses your landline, too. But crooks know that landlines can foil their plans, and they may cut your landline before they attempt a break-in. A cell phone can be a very valuable backup communications device. Plus, many modern security systems feature convenient smartphone apps. Are some of your lights on timers? In most cases, you turn lights on as you enter rooms and turn them off as you leave. But timed lights can play an important rule in home security. Exterior lights on timers will make sure that you never forget to illuminate your space, while both interior and exterior lights on timers can create the illusion that you are at home even when you’re out (especially if you stagger the times a bit for a more organic feel). Has your neighborhood had any break-ins lately? If your neighbors have suffered a break-in, you should be extra vigilant. For various reasons, including geographic convenience or similarities in home layouts and security systems, thieves may target different houses in the same neighborhood for repeated crimes. If your neighbors were stolen from, you could be next! Do you know all the neighbors surrounding your home? Who lives across the street from you? Who lives next door on each side? Whose backyard is opposite yours? Who rents the apartments next to, above, and below yours? The better you know your neighbors, the more likely they’ll be to let you or the authorities know if they see or hear anything suspicious. Is the neighborhood watch watching out for you? Neighbors can be important allies in protecting each others’ homes. A neighborhood watch program helps to formalize that relationship and ensure that nothing slips through the cracks. If there’s no neighborhood watch program protecting your street, maybe you should start one! Does a neighbor have keys to your home? We get it: if you get locked out, you don’t want to have to call a locksmith. But the more keys to your home that are floating around, the more vulnerable your space is to unauthorized entry. If you answered “yes” to this question, consider taking those keys back and opting for an outdoor key safe instead. Is your neighborhood well-lit? Streetlights and even other homes’ lights can help illuminate your space and potential paths of approach. If the street and the neighborhood are not well-lit at night, you’ll want to be especially vigilant about protecting your own space and lighting up the areas that you have control over. Can passersby see any of your valuables from the street? Crooks don’t break into homes for no reason — usually, they’re after valuable things to steal. If they can see valuable stuff through your windows without even stepping onto your property, then you’re taking too much guesswork out of the equation for exactly the wrong sorts of people. Can passersby or neighbors see your windows and doors? Doors and windows are potential access points for crooks. How easily can they size up your property’s points of entry? You should also keep in mind that windows can be seen into as well as out of. Be aware of potential prying eyes as you walk around or position valuables within your home! Is your home number clearly visible from the street? This is one case where you want to advertise something to passersby. If your alarm is tripped and the authorities are notified, you’ll want to make sure that they don’t waste any time trying to figure out which house is yours. This isn’t just a security concern: from the ambulance you call in a medical emergency to the guests you invite to your dinner party, it’s smart to make your address easy to see. Will you know who’s knocking? Someone’s at your door. But who? Can you take a look without opening the door? If you can use a peephole, nearby windows, or — best of all — a smart doorbell camera to double-check, then you’ll be a whole lot safer at home. Are your doors metal-clad or made of solid wood? The tougher and heavier your doors are, the more difficult it will be for the bad guys to get through them. And remember that glass doors aren’t just easier to break through — they also allow crooks to see into your home and size it up. Do you have deadbolt locks on all doors? Regular door knob locks are nice, but they’re barely going to slow down an experienced lockpicker. If you really want your space to be secure, you need to have — and use — deadbolt locks. Get ones with keyholes on the outside, so that you can use your deadbolt locks even when you’re away from home. Do your doors fit snugly in your door frames? Criminals can force doors open much more easily if there are gaps between the doors and their frames. Making sure that your doors are fitted properly in their frames can discourage would-be home invaders who hope to use a crowbar or other tool to pry open your door. Do you secure sliding glass doors with more than just one lock? Sliding glass doors are attractive and convenient, but they’re not the most secure spaces in your home. Don’t rely on their basic default locks! Add another more reliable lock, or fit a dowel into the track on the inside to block the door (or, better yet, do both). Do you secure your windows with more than just one lock? A home without windows would be a pretty ugly thing, but windows are also potential access points for crooks. Using a powerful secondary lock to each window will keep your home more secure. Have you locked down pet doors and other small vulnerabilities? Windows and doors are the obvious things to keep protected, but they’re not all that you have to worry about. Don’t forget about smaller potential entry points, including pet doors, vents, and mail slots. Crooks may be able to enter through these spaces or exploit them as part of a more complex strategy. Are your ladders locked up? Ladders are really useful for home improvement projects, hanging holiday lights, cleaning windows, and more. But they’re also really useful for accessing second-story windows and breaking into homes. If you’re keeping any ladders outside or in an unlocked shed, then you’re making it all too easy for even unprepared crooks to get into your home. Are points of entry well-lit at night? It’s easier to break into a home under cover of darkness. But if you keep your doorways well-lit, any sketchy activity will be more clearly visible to neighbors and passersby. You should also consider the lighting around your outdoor pathways, near windows, and anywhere else where crooks might approach, hide, or attempt a break-in. Do you have outdoor lighting pointed at your exterior walls? Don’t let criminals get close enough to your house to break in without being seen. In addition to lighting up obvious points of entry and outdoor pathways, be sure to light up walls that crooks may sneak along or climb. Do you have outdoor lights with motion sensors? Motion-sensor lights are convenient because they’ll automatically light your way as you walk by. But they serve another purpose, too: when they light up, you’ll know that something — or someone — set them off. They can be a valuable early warning system and can scare off would-be home invaders. Is there an unprotected house key hidden outside your home? Nobody likes getting locked out of their own home. But a house key under a planter or — even worse — underneath your welcome mat is an invitation to home invaders. Crooks are plenty familiar with these and even less obvious hiding places. Here’s a better idea: use an outdoor key safe that only you can access. Do you lock up your backyard? A fence and a gate can protect your backyard — as long as you remember to lock every gate! Keeping unauthorized people out of your backyard will keep would-be home invaders away from potentially vulnerable access points. Do you lock up outdoor valuables? Your home security system and deadbolts won’t do much to protect the valuable stuff that you leave outside of your home. Don’t let any crooks wheel your grill away or take off with your bicycle. Secure your outdoor valuables with locks, especially at night and when you’re out of town. Are your valuables stashed in a safe? If your home is invaded by a thief, he or she will attempt to grab as many valuable things as they can as quickly as possible. The damage that a home invasion can do will depend in part on how you protect your valuables within your home. Protecting your most important things in a safe will give them a much better chance of being spared in a break-in and theft. Do you lock up your home every night? Home invaders prefer to operate at night, when homeowners are less alert and when illegal activities are less visible to neighbors and other potential observers. That’s why it’s particularly important to keep your space locked up at night, even — and perhaps especially — when you are home. Do you lock up your home each and every time that you leave the house? Think carefully. Sure, you lock your place up when you go on vacation — but what about when you pop around the corner to the pharmacy? What about when you go out to do yard work for a few minutes, and end up distracted and chatting with a neighbor? Crooks don’t need much time to break in, and you won’t always be “right back” as planned. Always, always lock up! Do you stop your mail when you travel? It doesn’t take long to arrange for the post office to hold onto your mail and packages for the duration of your next trip. And that’s important, because thieves know that full mailboxes and untouched deliveries mean you’re out of town — which means it’s the perfect time to break in. Do you have an emergency escape plan? Virtually every building you step into, from your office to the local library, has escape routes posted. Does your home? Make sure that you and your family know how to get out of your space if a dangerous person enters. Escape plans can also be useful for other emergencies, such as housefires. Have you changed the locks since moving in? Do you know where every key to your home is? It’s impossible to know if you haven’t changed your locks since moving in. Your home’s past owners or tenants may still have keys. Those people may or may not be trustworthy, and they may very well have lost those keys or allowed them to fall into the wrong hands. Be smart, and change your locks! Do you keep a home inventory? Quick — what is in your house right now? Knowing what you own and keep in your space is valuable for all sorts of reasons. An up-to-date home inventory is crucial to getting a fair settlement from your insurance company in the event of a disaster, and the process of updating an inventory may help you catch thefts that you didn’t even know where happening. Are your medications hidden? Your medications are private. They’re also valuable and full of the potential for abuse. Keeping medications out of sight (and secured from your own children and other people) will keep others from abusing your medication and will reduce the incentive for any houseguests to return as home invaders in search of your prescription drugs. Do you shred your documents? Criminals can steal from you without ever entering your house. Identity theft is more common than ever, which is why it’s so important to make sure that you are destroying documents with potentially identifying information before you dispose of them. Protect your privacy and your finances by shredding papers that include information like your date of birth, social security number, bank account numbers, and more. Do you have fire extinguishers? Keeping your home safe isn’t just about stopping home invaders. Other disasters, such as fires, can be just as dangerous and just as devastating. Keeping a fire extinguisher around can help you stop fires in their tracks. Depending on the size of your home, you may want a few fire extinguishers in key locations. And don’t forget to test them periodically and make sure that they are in working order!

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### How Easy is the Installation of SimpliSafe?

> Installing SimpliSafe is extremely easy, taking about 20-30 minutes. Most components are wireless and need no tools, except the wired Video Doorbell Pro.

- Published: 2019-05-04
- Modified: 2025-07-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/installation/



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### Vivint Contracts

> Vivint contracts are 42-60 months, require professional monitoring, and have high equipment costs. Cancellation fees apply unless exceptions are met.

- Published: 2019-05-01
- Modified: 2025-03-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/contract/



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### ADT Contracts

> ADT security system contracts include details on term length, cancellation policies, and fees to help you understand your agreement upfront.

- Published: 2019-04-27
- Modified: 2025-03-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/contract/

The word “contract” usually makes people uneasy. Getting locked into a system or service with the only way out being to pay through the nose doesn’t sound like a good deal, and usually it isn’t. Thankfully, ADT doesn’t require a contract, although sometimes it’s in your best interest to sign one. That might sound counterintuitive, but signing an ADT contract gives you some guarantees you wouldn’t otherwise receive. Plus, locking in the best home security system in the industry helps keep your home stays protected for the long haul. What’s included in ADT’s contract that can benefit you and are there drawbacks, though? We’ll go through all that and more based on our personal experience having an ADT system installed in our home for the past two years. >> Learn About: A Guide to Securing & Protecting Your Home Do You Need to Sign an ADT Contract? We signed an ADT contract so we could get our system professionally installed. Before we dive into the details of an ADT contract, it’s important to note they’re no longer necessary. You can buy an ADT security system without signing any contracts. Even better, they no longer require a monthly fee with their new self-monitoring option, and you can install the system yourself to save on installation fees. There are still a few circumstances where an ADT contract is required, though. For example, if you: Finance Your Equipment: Without a contract, you’ll need to pay for all of your equipment upfront. Signing a contract lets you finance your equipment for up to five years, paying for it in monthly installments, pending a credit check. Take Advantage of Deals: Although not every deal requires a long-term contract, we have seen it in the past. Their deal at the time of writing included a free Nest Doorbell, and Nest Cam or Yale Smart Lock, did not require a long-term contract. However, we’ve seen a lot of special promotions in the past that require signing a three-year contract. Get Professional Installation: If you want professional installation, ADT requires a contract. We believe ADT’s professional security system installation is top notch, but if you’d rather not sign a contract, we tested ADT Self Setup and found it really easy to install. So, should you sign a contract with ADT? We find signing a contract is well worth it if a deal requires it or if you plan to finance your equipment. Signing an ADT contract is relatively low risk for a few reasons we’ll explain later, but namely their option to opt out of your contract during a rate increase. We’d recommend avoiding a contract though if you rent your home or if you plan to move in the near future. We certainly appreciate that ADT offers contract-free options now, but we’re not big fans of the fact that it still requires a contract if you want professional installation. We’ve tested security systems, such as SimpliSafe, that offer contract-free monitoring regardless of how the system is installed. So if you’re really looking to get professional installation but don’t want to sign a contract, check out our SimpliSafe hands-on review. We tested ADT in our home and found their protection, home automation, and video package to be stellar. It had lots of smart home features, and the ADT Pulse — now called ADT Plus — app made it easy to control everything right from our phone. How Much Does an ADT Contract Cost? Even though we think ADT’s contract is fair and adds some protections for buyers too, there are still fees for breaking the contract. So make sure you can afford it for its entirety before you sign. There are two components that impact the price of your ADT contract, your monitoring plan and the equipment you choose. Let’s start with monitoring. ADT offers three monitoring plans, and they charge different rates depending on whether you install your system yourself or have it professionally installed. Here’s a quick overview of how much you can expect to pay for a 36-month contract with ADT monitoring: Monitoring Plan Secure (professional monitoring) Smart (professional monitoring + smart home) Complete (professional monitoring + smart home + video) DIY Security Systems (no contract required) $24. 99 per month $29. 99 per month $39. 99 per month Professionally Installed Security Systems (contract is required) $34. 99 per month $39. 99 per month $49. 99 per month Assuming you plan to finance your equipment, which we recommend if you’re signing a contract anyway to bring down the up-front costs, you’ll also need to pay for your equipment in monthly installments. Here’s how much you can expect to pay per month for each of ADT’s three main packages if financed over a standard 36-month contract: ADT Package Security Starter Outdoor Video Front Door Protection Total Price $349. 00 $648. 98 $718. 98 Monthly Price $9. 69 $18. 03 $19. 97 Take note that some packages require a specific monitoring plan. Our ADT system includes security cameras, so ADT had us sign up for the top-tier monitoring plan, which is the only one that provides access to cloud video storage. Our base monthly fee is around $80. It’s $49. 99 for the “Complete” monitoring plan and around $30 per month for the Front Door Protection package with add-on sensors and additional security cameras. Once our contract is up and we’ve fully paid off the equipment, our ADT monthly bill will go down to $49. 99 for just the monitoring plan. >> Learn More: How Much Does a Home Security System Cost in ? ADT’s Complete monitoring includes all of ADT’s home automation capabilities. It doesn’t stop at ADT’s features, though. ADT “Complete” also comes with a Nest Aware subscription which unlocks the full capabilities of the integrated Google Nest cameras and cloud storage for their recordings. ADT Contract Length The standard ADT contract is 36 months, unless you live in California, where it’s only 24 months. Once the initial contract period is up, you will automatically roll over into a month-to-month contract that you can end at any time without penalties provided you give the company at least 30 days’ notice. You can also sign a contract for up to 60 months if you want to finance equipment over a longer period. Also worth noting is that there is a six-month, money-back guarantee on ADT security systems (just be sure to read the fine print). This means you’ll have plenty of time working with the system in your day-to-day routine to determine whether or not it’s right for you. >> Read More: Ins and Outs of Home Security Contracts One of the pieces of fine print to watch out for with the six-month, money-back guarantee is the required Quality Service Plan (QSP) extended warranty, which also requires professional installation. The fee for the QSP varies based on the size of the system. Drawbacks of ADT’s Contract When we’re asked if we want the good news or bad news first, we always go with the bad news. So, that’s what we’re going to do here by starting with ADT’s contract terms you need to watch out for. They’re primarily in place to protect ADT and can end up costing you if you’re not careful. Fees for Early Termination With ADT If you decide you want to end your contract early, this is considered an early termination, and it will cost you. You won’t be on the hook for the balance of your contract, but you will have to pay 75 percent of what the remainder would be, due in full upon the termination date. That includes monitoring and equipment fees, which adds up quickly. However, there are special offers for ending your contract early if you’re moving and will be setting up an ADT plan at your new home. Keep in mind there’s a clause for early termination when service charges are increased. (See “Options if ADT Increases Their Pricing” below. ) Some extenuating circumstances also let you cancel your contract early without fees, such as getting re-stationed as an active-duty military member. If you’re moving, heads up, ADT makes it really easy to take your system with you, meaning you won’t need to cancel the contract and pay to settle the account. With their DIY systems, you can just pack up your equipment and reinstall it in your new location after notifying them of your move. It’s not as easy with pro-installed systems as whether or not you can take your system with you depends on the generation of the system. ADT will have you leave older systems behind, but they offer great deals, such as a free security system, when moving. One of our colleagues who had an older ADT system had to move, and he was offered a new security system at a discounted price for his new home. However, he had to sign a new 36-month contract. Penalties for Missed Payments or Breach of Contract Just like most contracts you sign, like a car lease or mortgage, if you miss payment or fail to honor the terms of your contract, ADT can stop providing service. If this happens, they can also charge interest on your missed payments, especially if you financed your equipment. After 90 days of failing to pay, they can report you to a consumer reporting agency, which impacts your credit score. They can repossess your equipment, too. That might seem like a lot for a security system, but it’s typical of the industry and really any contract you sign. Just be sure you’re able to afford your system before signing a contract so you don’t get in over your head. ADT’s option to opt out due to price changes certainly makes that easier. Benefits of ADT’s Contract Now that we got the parts of the contract focused on protecting ADT, let’s talk about how you can use ADT’s contract to your advantage. Options if ADT Increases Their Pricing We will hand it to ADT here, if they increase their prices during your initial contract period, you have 30 days to object to the rate hike in writing. If ADT doesn’t adjust your price, you can terminate without a fee. This is a great protection, and we’ve only seen a few services — home security or otherwise — offer this type of language in their contracts. It makes your monthly payments reliable so you don’t need to worry about ADT ruining your budget due to a price hike. >> Read About: ADT Security Systems Packages, Plans, Cost & Pricing We bought an ADT security system with Google Nest Cams so “Complete” monitoring was included in our contract. Taking Ownership of Your ADT Equipment If you bought your ADT system a few years ago and signed a contract, ADT typically owns your equipment until you complete your contract. When we bought our ADT system about a year ago, however, ADT gave us ownership of the equipment outright even though we financed it. That’s their new policy. It’s like when you take out a car loan. The car’s yours, but the bank can repossess your car if you fail to make your payments. Theft Protection Guarantee ADT will pay up to $500 of your homeowner’s insurance deductible if you’re the victim of a burglary while your ADT system is active. It’s the only home security provider we recommend offering this type of guarantee. It shows ADT is confident their system will keep your home safe — and that they're willing to put their money where their mouth is if they're wrong. When you choose ADT, you're choosing 24/7 professional monitoring from the largest home security provider in the country. ADT ranks at the top of our list of best home security systems with monitoring. Our ADT entry sensors blended in nicely with our white doors. ADT Warranties All ADT equipment comes with a limited warranty, but you have the option to extend it. Limited Warranty ADT’s equipment comes with a limited 12-month warranty that covers manufacturing defects. However, once you install the equipment, that warranty drops to 90 days from the date of installation. That goes for DIY and professional installation. We wish ADT did better here considering we got a three-year warranty when we reviewed Frontpoint. SimpliSafe offers a three-year warranty too. Even Vivint, which requires a contract like ADT, has a 120-day warranty. That said, ADT has an optional extended warranty, and they do offer an impressive six-month money-back guarantee that you don't get with other top companies. So there are trade-offs. While your equipment is under warranty, ADT will repair or replace any defective part of the alarm system, including wiring, using new or functionally operative parts — at no cost to you. Although, if a technician needs to visit your home, you’ll get charged a flat rate of $99 and the limited warranty excludes battery replacement. >> Check Out: Compare Home Security Companies ADT’s Extended Warranty ADT offers two extended warranties. There’s the Quality Service Plan (QSP) we mentioned earlier and then there’s the Comprehensive Product Protection Plan. We always recommend the QSP since it unlocks the six-month money-back guarantee. It’s also free for systems under $1,000 and never goes about $20 per month for systems up to $3,000. This covers labor and materials for repairing or replacing equipment that breaks, although ADT can charge $99 if a repair requires a technician to visit your home. The Comprehensive Product Protection Plan includes the QSP but it extends the warranty to also cover any products you install yourself. This plan covers more types of damage too, such as accidental damage. It costs a bit more with rates starting at $10 per month, but we find it reasonable for a warranty that lasts as long as you pay for it. You can resolve many issues you might experience with your ADT system on your own. Since it’s now a DIY system, troubleshooting ADT equipment has become easier. Avoid Fees When Moving With ADT If you’re an ADT customer who’s moving, there are some great discounts you can take advantage of. Check ADT’s website for the latest deals, or better yet, give them a call (at least 30 days before your move date, if possible). They’re going to want to do what they can to keep you in the ADT family. ADT contracts are specific to the physical location where the alarm system is installed, so ADT will likely cancel your current contract (without early termination fees) and set you up with a new one at your new home. They’ll walk you through the whole process and discuss any options. If you bought a DIY system, you can usually take your system with you. Final Thoughts: Is Signing Up with ADT Worth It? Like we said at the beginning of the article, contracts can make people nervous. We understand, but after going through every word of this agreement with a fine-toothed comb, we can’t find any major red flags. ADT offers a generous six-month money-back guarantee, which gives your home security investment some protection. By the time the terms of the contract are in full swing, you’ll know that ADT can protect your home. If you move, the service will go with you, and if your rates go up, you can back out from that as well. So overall, yes, we will say that signing up with ADT is worth it. They’re one of the best home security providers out there, and the flexibility this contract offers is almost as good as the service itself. FAQs

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### ADT for Business

> ADT for Business offers customizable security with intrusion detection, video surveillance, and smart features starting at $49.99/month plus equipment costs.

- Published: 2019-04-25
- Modified: 2024-08-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/business/



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### Best Home Security Systems Without a Landline

> SimpliSafe, ADT, and Frontpoint provide modern security systems that work without landlines using cellular or Wi-Fi

- Published: 2019-04-24
- Modified: 2025-07-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/without-landline/



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### Best Identity Theft Protection Services for the Deceased

> LifeLock, Aura, and Identity Guard offer top identity theft protection for deceased family members, ensuring their info stays safe from fraudsters.

- Published: 2019-04-24
- Modified: 2025-03-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/deceased/



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### Best Identity Theft Protection for Business

> NordStellar tops for business ID theft in 2025 with top-tier dark web monitoring. LifeLock and Identity Guard follow with strong protection options.

- Published: 2019-04-23
- Modified: 2025-03-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/business/



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### SimpliSafe for Business

> SimpliSafe offers affordable DIY business security with fast setup, cellular monitoring, and smartphone control. It's ideal for small to medium businesses.

- Published: 2019-04-23
- Modified: 2025-07-22
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/business/



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### LifeLock Family Plan

> LifeLock offers three family plans: Select, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus, with up to $3M coverage for adults. Junior plans cover kids with $25K stolen funds.

- Published: 2019-04-21
- Modified: 2024-12-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/family/

LifeLock has one of the more comprehensive sets of identity theft protection packages. All of its plan tiers — Standard, Advantage, and Ultimate — can be sized for individuals, couples and families. On top of that, LifeLock offers the option to add children to any plan with its LifeLock Junior coverage, and there are also plans that allow you to cover seniors. Regardless of what your immediate family looks like, you should be able to find a LifeLock coverage plan that includes all of them. LifeLock’s Family Plans LifeLock offers three different levels of protection and pricing: Select, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus. You should choose the right level of protection that fits your family’s needs and budget. All three plans offer at least $1 million in identity theft insurance, which can be used to cover expenses incurred and money stolen as a result of identity theft. Here’s a look at some of the other features that are included in these plans. LifeLock Standard for Families The Standard Plan for families costs $18. 49 per month with the annual plan, billed for the first year at $221. 87, or $35. 99 month-to-month. This is LifeLock’s most basic tier and it includes: Up to $1,050, 000 coverage per adult and child Up to $1 million in coverage for lawyers and experts**** Up to $25,000 in stolen funds reimbursement**** Personal expense compensation of up to $25,000 for your losses**** U. S. -based identity restoration specialists to help you restore your identity if it is lost 24/7 live support if you experience an identification breach Lost wallet protection Help to reduce your exposure to personal information such as your Social Security number, address, and other details Alerts for personal information on credit applications Alerts for personal information that is found on the dark web Alerts for any change in address on the USPS Fake personal information alerts if there is some identity risk Utility account creation monitoring One credit bureau monitoring for any type of changes to your account. File-sharing network searches Guided child credit freeze LifeLock Advantage for Families The Advantage plan offers everything that the Standard plan offers, but it also includes the following for $29. 99 per month (billed annually): Up to $1. 2 million in coverage for each adult Up to $1,050, 000 coverage per child Up to $100,000 in personal expense compensation**** Up to $100,000 in coverage for stolen funds reimbursement**** TransUnion credit file lock Payday loan lock Phone takeover monitoring Alerts for criminal reports with your personal information Buy now, pay later alerts Credit scores and annual reports for each adult While there is an additional $10 per month charge for the Advantage plan, it does offer significantly more coverage. LifeLock Ultimate Plus for Families The highest level of protection is the Ultimate Plus plan. It offers more features at $38. 99 per month, including: Up to $3 million in coverage for each adult Up to $1,050, 000 coverage per child Up to $1 million in stolen funds reimbursement (up to $25,000 per child)**** Up to $1 million in funds for personal expense compensation (up to $25,000 per child)**** Up to $1 million in coverage for lawyers and experts**** Its features include everything in the Advantage plan as well as: Investment and retirement plan monitoring Personal information on file-sharing networks Sex offender registry with your name. Alerts for new bank account applications that contain your personal information Credit monitoring for all three credit bureaus Unlimited credit scores and reports from one credit bureau Home title monitoring Social media monitoring for each adult LifeLock's family plans cover up to two adult individuals and five children under the age of 18. Children under this plan don't get the same benefits as adults, however. For instance, instead of a $1,000,000 stolen funds reimbursement, each child only gets $25,000 covered. The same applies to personal expense compensations. But for legal fees coverage and expert identity restoration, each child is covered by a $1,000,000 policy. Some features, like home title monitoring, credit report and scores, phone takeover monitoring, and others are not applicable to children, as well. Here's a complete list of features your children will get with the Ultimate Plus family plan, the highest level of protection from LifeLock: Up to $25,000 stolen funds reimbursement Up to $25,000 personal expense compensations Up to $1,000,000 coverage for legal and professional fees U. S. -based identity restoration Identity and SSN alerts Stolen wallet protection File-sharing network searches Credit file detection As for the costs of the family plans, here's what we've gathered. Plans Standard Advantage Ultimate Plus Monthly plan $35. 99 $57. 99 $79. 99 One-year plan $221. 87 ($18. 99 per month) $359. 88 ($29. 99 per month) $467. 88 (38. 99 per month) Monthly renewal after the first year $35. 99 $57. 99 $79. 99 Yearly renewal after the first year $359. 99 ($29. 99 per month) $579. 99 ($48. 33 per month) $799. 99 ($66. 67 per month) LifeLock Junior Plan If the family plans seem too much for you, it might make more sense to buy coverage for each individual child rather than go for the family plan that covers up to five children. (You won't get a discount even if you protect just one child with the family plan. ) LifeLock has a Junior Plan, which is a child identity monitoring service. The LifeLock Junior plan includes protection for: Dark web monitoring for personal information Lost wallet protection Identity restoration support from U. S. -based specialists Stolen funds reimbursement (the dollar amount depends on the plan level selected in the adult plan) File sharing network searches Credit file detection, to let you know if your child’s Social Security number has been used to open an account At last check, the Junior plan was available for $5. 99 per month for the first year. Bundling Norton 360 Software with LifeLock Coverage One of the unique aspects of LifeLock is that it's owned by Norton 360. As you might expect, you can bundle your identity theft protection coverage with the iconic security software. Unfortunately, bundling a family plan with the software doesn't result in massive savings. In fact, the costs can skyrocket rather quickly. Let's say you want to buy the North 360 with LifeLock Ultimate Plus package for $25 per month billed annually, for an upfront total of $299. 99. This provides you with both the security software and LifeLock’s most comprehensive coverage. You can then add additional adults to your plan at the normal rates. So, if you just want to add your spouse, that'll be an additional $89. 99 upfront, for a subtotal of $ 389. 98. Each child you want to add with LifeLock Junior is an additional $50. 15 per year. As you can imagine, covering a large family this way can quickly add up to levels approach $1,000 per year. Lifelock Plans for Couples and Individuals Let’s get one thing straight: LifeLock is not interested in your domestic situation. The assumption might be that the “two-adults Family plan” (aka the “couples” plan) is for married people, or at least two people who have been dating long enough to get into a low-stakes financial arrangement. However, if you and your roommate want to share a couples plan, the company isn’t going to send out a team of investigators to bust you. Yes, the LifeLock plan for couples plan is for any two adults living within the same household. The couples plan offers the same features as the individual plans, but for two people instead of one. Its pricing is as follows: Standard: $23. 99 monthly or $149. 87 for the first year Advantage: $45. 99 monthly or $287. 88 for the first year Ultimate Plus: $32. 99 monthly or $395. 88 for the first year While there is a significant increase in price from the Standard to the Advantage plan, the latter helps to ensure that the person living with you stays safe from identity theft. And since the potential financial effects of identity theft can be life-changing, both partners in a relationship need to be protected. Final Thoughts LifeLock's plans are not the most affordable, but if you're looking to protect your entire family, LifeLock has great offers in store. You just have to be smart in picking the right plan for your family’s situation, as well as understand each of your family member's needs and risks. *LifeLock does not monitor all transactions at all businesses. **Terms apply to all LifeLock plans. ***The credit scores provided are VantageScore 3. 0 credit scores based on data from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion respectively. Any one bureau VantageScore mentioned is based on Equifax data only. Third parties use many different types of credit scores and are likely to use a different type of credit score to assess your creditworthiness. ****Reimbursement and Expense Compensation, each with limits of up to $1 million for Ultimate Plus, up to $100,000 for Advantage and up to $25,000 for Select, when purchased in Norton 360 with LifeLock plans. And up to $1 million for coverage for lawyers and experts if needed, for all plans. Benefits under the Master Policy are issued and covered by United Specialty Insurance Company (State National Insurance Company, Inc. for NY State members). Policy terms, conditions and exclusions at: LifeLock. com/legal.

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### LifeLock Senior

> LifeLock Senior is discontinued. Check LifeLock’s current offerings for identity theft protection plans and credit monitoring services.

- Published: 2019-04-17
- Modified: 2024-08-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/senior/

LifeLock Senior is no longer a part of LifeLock's offerings. Head over to our guide to LifeLock's plans to see LifeLock's current offers. Overview LifeLock Senior is designed to help adult children monitor their older parent’s identification information. It offers a comprehensive list of features to help do this including data breach notifications, court record scanning, and lost wallet protection. The company’s services are designed to be easy to use, too, with a uniquely designed app that makes navigation easy for both the individual and the adult children. LifeLock Senior offers USPS address change verification, home title monitoring, new accounts (as well as significant changes to existing accounts), and credit card activity alerts. It can also help individuals to reduce the number of pre-approved credit card offers they receive. Features & Services LifeLock Senior has a wide range of protection tools available to support senior needs. However, it also does a good job of making these tools very easy to use overall. Here are some of the key features available to those who subscribe to LifeLock Senior. Wide Range of Threat Detection The company’s technology is streamlined and effectively designed to address most needs. It allows for the detection of threats for a number of sources. This includes bank and credit card activity that may be out of the norm such as cash withdrawals or transfers. It can also manage retirement account activity including investment accounts and 401ks. It helps to monitor changes to the home’s title, bank account takeover, and new account establishment using the individual’s identification. Dark Web Monitoring The dark web is one of the hardest to monitor areas for identity theft, yet this is where many losses occur. LifeLock Senior works to monitor any access to personal identification on these portals, minimizing the risk that your Social Security number, name, or other personal data will be bought or sold by illicit users. Up to $1 Million in Coverage The policy offers several types of coverage options. It provides up to $100,000 in personal expense compensation****, which occurs if wages, documents, or travel costs are incurred as a result of identity theft. It provides up to $100,000 for stolen funds****, which occurs in any instance of money being stolen. It also offers $1 million in lawyer and expert coverage**** to help individuals who are the victim of identity theft to obtain the necessary experts to help them to resolve their cases. 24/7 Live Support Available If there is a concern, the system sends an alert to the user. This can be done over the phone, through a text message, or through an email, depending on the way the user wants to be contacted. This 24/7 life member support is there for any need that may occur even one that you learn about in the middle of the night. What’s more, these services are available through a U. S. -based identity restoration specialist. This makes communicating with those about your losses easy to do. Ease of Use One of the key features that make LifeLock Senior ideal is that an adult child can help. It can send alerts to that person if the senior would like. Additionally, the technology is very easy to navigate and use both on a personal computer or on an app on a smartphone. While it does require several steps to access various alerts, most seniors who can use a smartphone app will find no trouble with this version. Customer Service A variety of benefits exist in choosing LifeLock Senior over other products. The customer service aspect is one of them. With professionals available 24 hours a day to provide assistance, the company is there immediately if there is a problem. Additionally, all of the representatives are based in the U. S. , which makes communication easy to do. LifeLock also offers great information online through the member area and a toll-free number for additional questions. Value The LifeLock Senior plan is $19. 99 per month, plus additional costs for taxes. There are no additional fees or anything else to purchase. Summary For adult children who are worried about other people stealing the identity of their senior, LifeLock Senior works very well. Though it can seem a bit pricey for some, it offers comprehensive identity theft protection. It can provide a wide range of supportive services if there is a breach in data as well. *LifeLock does not monitor all transactions at all businesses. **Terms apply to all LifeLock plans. ***The credit scores provided are VantageScore 3. 0 credit scores based on data from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion respectively. Any one bureau VantageScore mentioned is based on Equifax data only. Third parties use many different types of credit scores and are likely to use a different type of credit score to assess your creditworthiness. ****Reimbursement and Expense Compensation, each with limits of up to $1 million for Ultimate Plus, up to $100,000 for Advantage and up to $25,000 for Select, when purchased in Norton 360 with LifeLock plans. And up to $1 million for coverage for lawyers and experts if needed, for all plans. Benefits under the Master Policy are issued and covered by United Specialty Insurance Company (State National Insurance Company, Inc. for NY State members). Policy terms, conditions and exclusions at: LifeLock. com/legal.

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### SecureScore™

- Published: 2019-04-17
- Modified: 2025-01-14
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/securescore/



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### Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Couples

> The top identity theft protection services for couples in 2024 are NortonLifeLock, Aura, and Identity Guard, each offering tailored plans for comprehensive protection.

- Published: 2019-04-12
- Modified: 2025-03-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/couples/



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### Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Military

> Identity theft protection for military in 2025: LifeLock excels in restoration, Identity Guard uses AI for evolving protection, Aura offers complete fraud defense.

- Published: 2019-04-11
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/military/



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### Our Guide to Choosing a Home Security System

> Home security essentials include motion sensors, alarms, and cameras. Opt for wireless systems for easy setup. Consider monitoring for extra peace of mind.

- Published: 2019-04-09
- Modified: 2025-04-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/choose/

How to Choose a Home Security System You’ve worked hard to build the life that you have, and it’s understandable that you want to protect it from those who would do you harm. In America, a home is burglarized every 15 seconds. That’s an average of nearly 5,000 break-ins a day. If you don’t want to be part of that statistic, it’s important to invest in the best home security system that matches your preferences. Burglars like to break in during business hours, when they think their target will be at work. Robberies occur at a 6 percent higher rate between the hours of 6:00 a. m. and 6:00 p. m. That said, there are a multitude of products and services on the market that claim to help increase your safety. Finding the right home security system doesn’t have to be daunting, but it’s not a process to take lightly. So before you start picking out motion sensors and security cameras, it’s important to understand how each component will work in concert with the system as a whole. In this guide, we’re going to share everything you need to know to choose the right home security system. SimpliSafe Equipment Please answer this survey to help us better understand consumer shopping habits. View Survey. The Elements of a Home Security System When we talk about home security systems, we’re talking about combinations of hardware devices and monitoring services. Generally speaking, you’ll be paying your home security system provider for two things: the hardware that will detect intruders and other threats, and the monitoring services that will trigger calls to the authorities when your system detects a threat. You’ll pay for the former once and the latter on a month-to-month basis. However, you can also buy a self-monitored system and avoid monthly fees altogether. But before pulling out your credit card and jumping on the latest deal, you should keep your biggest needs in mind when choosing the best system for your home. So it’s best to start with these questions: Do you have a huge wooded backyard where prowlers might be lurking? You’ll probably need motion sensors and lights, as well as weatherproof outdoor cameras for video surveillance. Do you live in a ground-floor apartment with windows facing the street? You’ll need glass-breakage alarms and loud sirens. Do you regularly purchase items that are delivered to your home? Consider a video doorbell that will record porch pirates. A recent study found that nearly 30 percent of all online shoppers have had at least one package stolen. With that in mind, this hardware can detect threats in and around your home, but that doesn’t do you much good unless you have some way for those sensors to alert you and, more importantly, the authorities. Police Officer checking up on us thanks to Cove Monitoring We’ll talk more about monitoring services in a minute, but let’s first take a closer look at the hardware that you might see in a typical home security system. Entry Sensors What they do: Entry sensors are a staple of any comprehensive security system. These detect when doors or windows are opened and can be programmed to alert you under a variety of different conditions. How they work: Many of these small contact sensors come with adhesive backing for easy DIY mounting. And the vast majority of entry sensors use magnets to detect when windows or doors are open. When the magnets separate, the siren sounds and an alert is triggered. What they’re good for: Peace of mind. It’s a relief knowing that unauthorized entry into your home via windows or doors will automatically alert you or the authorities, especially when you’re away at work or on vacation. Alder and Ring Entry Sensors Motion Sensors What they do: Generally speaking, motion sensors sound an alarm and trigger mobile alerts that are sent to your phone when motion is detected inside of your home. How they work: These devices use lasers or infrared light. When the field or beam is broken, they’ll be tripped. Some of the most high-tech sensors can differentiate between people and animals, and can even detect body heat. Vivint Motion Sensor What they’re good for: Additional layers of security. Motion sensors aren’t your primary line of defense, but they can help make a decent home security system even more powerful. We like to set our system to “away mode” when leaving town. This way, the motion sensors are activated, and the inside of our home is protected. Motion sensors are a great additional layer of security, but be careful if you have children, pets, or roommates. You don’t want your motion detectors constantly being tripped for no reason. Learn more about these devices in our motion sensors buyers guide. Sirens and Alarms What they do: A good siren will draw attention to your home should an unwanted visitor make an appearance. Sometimes these are loud alarms (100+ dB), and sometimes authoritative voices will sound off. Every alarm system will have a siren, typically built into the control keypad or as a separate device, and you can also find home security cameras with sirens. How they work: Sirens work as active deterrents. Sirens and alarms should integrate with your other sensors and be programmed to detect suspicious activity. Most security systems can be programmed to work on a schedule and be armed at certain times of the day. What they’re good for: Alerting you to an intruder's presence, and scaring that intruder off. Unfortunately, the police usually can’t immediately respond to a burglary — most break-ins are over in minutes, if not seconds — but a loud alarm is usually enough to deter most criminals. Cove Alarm Security Cameras What they do: Security cameras can be mounted both indoors and outdoors to keep an eye on your property when you can’t. The best security cameras constantly record footage and back it up to the cloud through your monitoring provider so that it can be viewed later if a crime has taken place. You can self-monitor other cameras using a mobile app. How they work: Security cameras record either constantly or only when triggered by motion. That said, there are a wide variety of cameras out there. Some are better for recording at night. Some have huge fields of vision. Some come with sirens, and most have two-way talk. Modern security cameras even use artificial intelligence to distinguish humans from other moving objects, or even to detect familiar faces. However, the higher-end cameras can get a little pricey, so it’s important to understand your needs before shopping for a security camera. Frontpoint - Indoor Camera What they’re good for: Security cams are an effective deterrent, and the footage can sometimes be used as evidence. While a security camera isn’t as overt as an alarm going off when a door is kicked in, criminals will often notice them and pick a different property to burglarize. If the crook is still clueless enough to break in despite the presence of security cameras, though, the police may have enough evidence to find them. If you need some help shopping, check out our security camera buying guide. Not all security cameras are created equal. For the best protection, you’ll want equipment that records in high definition with some sort of night-vision functionality. You don’t want security cameras that work only half the time. Video Doorbells What they do: Video doorbells have come a long way in the past couple of years. The higher-end models will record visitors and allow for two-way communication, and some of the best ones will even alert authorities if a panic button in the associated mobile app is pressed. We’ve tested tons of these, and if you want to learn more about our favorite, check out our Ring Video Doorbell review. How they work: Video doorbells are either battery-powered or hardwired into your home’s electrical system. They replace the need for a traditional doorbell and integrate with your phone for management. They’re one of the few pieces of hardware that you’ll enjoy using on a day-to-day basis, as their function extends beyond security. You can learn everything there is to know about these great pieces of hardware with our doorbell camera buying guide. Ring Video Doorbell 3, Installed What they’re good for: Entryway management and protecting against porch pirates. As stated above, video doorbells have a wide range of functionality beyond protecting your property, but they’re really good at deterring people from stealing your packages. And — similar to other security cameras — they’re great for providing evidence to authorities if a crime does take place. Floodlights What they do: Most floodlights are motion activated and shine a brilliant light on movement in the darkness. Maybe it’s a raccoon, but it could also be someone sneaking onto your property using the cover of darkness. You can learn more about two of the best in our analysis of the Ring Floodlight Camera and our review of the Ring Spotlight Camera. How they work: If movement is detected, the floodlight will activate and light up the night. When placed strategically around your property, floodlights will make it so there’s nowhere to hide. And burglars hate to be seen. Ring Floodlight Cam Mounted Outside What they’re good for: Deterrence. A lot of criminals prefer to sneak around in the dark. If they’re suddenly lit up like the Las Vegas Strip, they’re likely to run. If you have a lot of land, it’s not essential that your floodlights cover every square inch of your property. Instead, focus on access points as well as any areas where visibility might be obscured. Atmospheric and Environmental Sensors What they do: Not all threats to your property and safety are physical. Sometimes your environment can become dangerous without your knowledge. These sensors will alert you if there is a carbon monoxide leak, if they detect smoke, if flooding occurs, or if other environmental threats are recognized. How they work: These sensors are calibrated to detect specific compounds or changes in your home’s atmosphere. They can be integrated into an overall security system or purchased as stand-alone devices. What they’re good for: Keeping you alive and safe. Carbon monoxide and smoke should not be taken lightly. Not to be dramatic, but these elements can kill very quickly if you’re not alerted to their presence. No home security system is complete without environmental sensors. If you’re interested, read about Frontpoint’s home security system, and check out our review of Vivint smart home security. Both have great environmental monitoring capabilities. Alder Smoke Sensor Glass-Breakage Sensors What they do: Sometimes thieves won’t bother with trying to shim a window open or pick a lock. Smash-and-grab criminals will instead bust out a window, hoping to get in and out of your property fast enough that they won’t be caught. Glass-breakage sensors will sound an alarm when a window breaks, deterring the criminal immediately and/or alerting authorities. ADT’s hardware is some of the best in the industry, and if you’re looking for the total package, read our analysis of ADT’s overall security offerings. How they work: These sensors rely on tiny microphones that detect the high-frequency sound of glass breaking. Once they’ve been triggered, they sound an alarm and/or immediately alert authorities, depending on how they’re monitored. Vivint Glass Break Sensor What they’re good for: Preventing smash-and-grab burglaries. If a criminal breaks your window, they’re likely trying to get in and out quickly. If an alarm sounds, they’re less likely to want to stick around. To safeguard your home, use these sensors in addition to entryway and motion sensors. Panic Buttons What they do: These wall-mounted or neck pendant devices immediately connect you to assistance, whether that is paramedics, the fire department, or police. How they work: Most panic buttons have different options for different types of emergencies and are directly connected to your service provider. Once the button is activated — usually holding it down for a few seconds to prevent false alarms — help will be dispatched immediately. SimpliSafe – Panic Button What they’re good for: Protection and peace of mind. Of all of the hardware on this list, panic buttons are the most underrated. They will immediately connect you with the help you need if there’s a life-threatening situation. If you're concerned that you might not be able to get to your panic button in time, several providers offer wearable devices. These are great for seniors or others who might become immobilized by a medical emergency. For more information on these life-saving devices, check out our guide to the best medical alert systems. Now that you have an understanding of the different elements of a home security system, it’s time to decide which pieces of hardware make the most sense for your living situation. If you live in an apartment, you probably won’t have much use for floodlights, and if there’s a lot of activity going on at your place throughout the day, motion sensors might not be right for you either. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, so being strategic is important. Tailoring Your System to Your Home Understanding the way your home is set up and knowing your vulnerabilities are two of the most important concerns when setting up a comprehensive home security system. You don’t really need glass-breakage sensors on second-story windows, do you? You’re probably going to want to point a security camera at your shed in the back where you keep your expensive lawn equipment, right? There are a few things to keep in mind, so let’s discuss the basics. Points of Access This should be your starting point. Go around your home and identify windows, doors, and any other points where a criminal could potentially gain access. Then determine how many entry sensors and glass-breakage sensors you’ll need. You want to make sure every point of entry is covered — you’d be surprised how resourceful criminals can be. When considering what type of hardware you need to protect yourself, it helps to think like a criminal. If you were going to break into your home, how would you do it? The Size of Your Space Next, consider the size of the property you want to protect. How many motion detectors, security cameras, and other pieces of equipment do you need so that there are no blind spots? That will depend, in part, on how much ground you have to cover. Size up your space and consider your options. The bigger your home, the more equipment you may want to consider. Thankfully, almost every security company offers kits that come with multiple sensors. For example, SimpliSafe offers seven entry sensors and one motion sensor in its essentials kit, and additional hardware is relatively inexpensive. Check out our SimpliSafe review for more information. SimpliSafe Wireless Keypad Menu What’s at Home? Do you have kids? Pets? Valuables? Collectibles? What you have in your home may shape your security preferences. Motion detectors aren’t too useful when you have kids and nannies running around during the day — remember, motion sensors are most useful when you’re out of town — but cameras that will allow you to check in and monitor things while you’re at work might be useful. The best indoor cameras that we’ve found include Nest, Arlo, and Ring. You may want extra carbon monoxide or motion detectors in certain areas of your home, or a system that allows more home automation controls for things like your smart thermostat or smart lights. Special Cases Do you care for an elderly relative? Do you have a health condition, like diabetes or seizures, that might require immediate assistance? There are plenty of products on the market for special use cases. This isn’t something you need to obsess over — we’re not trying to inspire paranoia here — but you should definitely consider all the outcomes you want to protect against. abode iota Cam Recordings These elements are all important to consider, but as we’ve said before, every situation is different. Consider your needs, consider your unique property, and consider having a professional come to your home to give you a consultation. Many service providers, like Vivint and ADT, offer walk-throughs and hardware recommendations. With that in mind, let’s discuss your provider options as well as how you’re going to manage your new home security system. Home Security Providers There are a multitude of home security system providers out there. They’ll all differ on available hardware, costs, and application. However, one of the most important distinctions you’ll see is whether or not the provider offers professional monitoring. Like we said above, a home security system will only deter criminals unless it is professionally monitored. If you choose 24/7 professional monitoring, this service will immediately dispatch emergency services if something is amiss. Having professional monitoring can also help you cut down on instances of false alarms. There’s nothing quite as embarrassing as having to tell a police officer you forgot your disarm code. If you’re looking for a great, professionally monitored alarm system, check out our Cove home security system breakdown. Now, this service will cost you. Depending on what you’re looking to monitor, expect to pay anywhere between $10 and $60 per month. If that’s not in your budget, it’s perfectly acceptable to monitor your own system and avoid the monthly payment. Although some people believe the peace of mind offered by professional monitoring is invaluable, we see benefits to both monitored and unmonitored systems. ADT App Camera View Once you’ve decided on how you’re going to monitor your system, you’re going to need to control it. There are several ways to accomplish this, which we’ll discuss below. Management: Keypads, Control Panels, and Apps Almost every home security provider will offer some kind of setup for managing your security system. This is where you’ll arm and disarm the system, deactivate false alarms, view security camera footage, and check activity logs. Many traditional security systems make use of a keypad or touchscreen control panel, which is generally installed inside your home near your main point of entry. This makes it easy to arm or disarm the alarm. That said, many modern systems offer mobile apps that convert your smartphone into your digital command center. Some of the best mobile security apps in the game include those from Vivint, ADT, and Frontpoint. While there are pros and cons to each type of system, it’s important to understand your options. If you’re looking for a system that can be controlled by your phone, you might also be interested in integrating your security system into a greater smart home system. Smart Home Connectivity Home security systems are getting smarter. Many now use wireless connections to keep you up to date through apps and keep your security hardware online and functional. Since so many modern systems feature network connectivity, it makes sense that some can play nice with — or even include — connected home devices that don’t have much to do with security at all. A lot of modern home security solutions now include smart home features, like the ability to turn your lights on and off from afar, lock and unlock doors remotely, and adjust your thermostat from your phone. While these functions don’t necessarily have security implications, they do add convenience. The more connections you have, the more vulnerable your network becomes to cybercrime. If you’re setting up a smart home, make sure you protect yourself with a virtual private network. Now that you have a pretty good understanding of what a security system looks like and what you’re likely to need, we can discuss the elements that make one system better than another. A lot of these have to do with preference, but some elements are objectively superior. Vivint Smart Hub and Ping Indoor Camera What Differentiates Security Systems? Virtually all home security systems offer intruder sensors, monitoring capacity, and in-home alarms. Most offer the other devices we covered above, either in established home security bundles or as add-ons. So what’s the difference? What sets some systems apart? There are a few distinctions to not. Wireless versus hardwired: One of the most important distinctions between different security systems is found in how they stay connected. The wired-versus-wireless distinction applies to both connected sensors and the connection between your system and the company monitoring it. And which wires are used matters, too; some older systems rely on landline phone lines, for instance, to reach the monitoring service. That said, if you don’t live near a city, you might consider one of the hardwired systems found in our guide to the best rural home security systems. It’s important to note that wireless is the way of the future (and the present, for that matter). We recommend wireless home security systems in 90 percent of cases. The fact is, wireless systems are easier to set up, which you can often do yourself in a matter of minutes, which brings us to our next point. Professional versus DIY installation: Depending on which system you choose, you may be setting up and connecting sensors and control panels yourself. If you’re not that handy, though, check out our list of the best home security systems with professional installation. As you might expect, the top DIY wireless security systems are simple to install. Generally speaking, with this type of system, you won’t have to worry about drilling holes in your wall or soldering wires to get your new system up and running. Still, as you shop, you may want to consider your tech-savviness and your willingness to put in the time to get things up and running. Don, the Vivint Installation Technician, installing our Smart Garage Door Opener Self-monitoring options: As we mentioned above, you can expect to pay a monthly fee to have your security system provider monitor your system’s sensors. But some systems also give you powerful options to monitor things yourself. You can also, of course, set up some self-monitoring options on your own. You don’t need a home security contract to buy a webcam and set up a security monitoring system of your own. Prices and contracts: Ah yes, the ultimate differentiating factor: price! Depending on which security system you choose, you may pay different prices for hardware, installation, and monthly monitoring services. Since each case is unique, it’s difficult for us to predict what it might cost you. Typically, though, you can expect to pay hundreds of dollars if you’re purchasing and assembling a comprehensive home security system from scratch. If this sounds a little steep, there are more affordable options available. Check out our guide to the best affordable security systems for more information. For a more clear understanding of what you’re looking at price-wise, here’s a quick rundown of our favorite systems and their starting costs. Keep in mind, though, that these are base prices. The more hardware you add, the more you’ll spend. Home Security Costs System Price (starting at) Vivint Smart Home $599 ADT Security $99* SimpliSafe Home Security $189 Cove Security $130 Brinks Home Security $399 * Including $25 activation fee And then there’s the contract. A typical home security contract will lock you in for three years of service, but some companies require a longer commitment. Others forgo long-term contracts entirely and let you subscribe month to month. Most companies that do this, though, require that you pay the equipment in full up-front, so there'll be a higher upfront cost. That's about it. Now that you have all the information you need, it’s time to start shopping around for the right home security solution for your specific situation. Before you go, though, we have one last resource for you. There are a lot of factors to consider as you choose a security system, but we can help you narrow things down. Our security system comparison tool allows you to plug in your information and let our expert findings and experience guide you in making the best decision for your situation. Making Your Decision There’s certainly a lot to consider when choosing a security system for your home. Which hardware will you need? Can you install it yourself? Do you want it monitored professionally? Are you going wireless? How much are you willing to spend? All of these questions need to be answered to narrow things down, and we understand if the process seems daunting. It’s a critically important process, though. Break-ins, home invasions, and burglaries are some of the worst things you can go through in this life. They’re deeply unsettling, and the physical, emotional, and economic trauma of going through such an ordeal can last for years. Stay smart and stay safe!

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### Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Children

> LifeLock offers strong cybersecurity for children, Identity Guard uses AI for family protection, and Aura includes parental controls and cyberbullying alerts.

- Published: 2019-04-03
- Modified: 2025-03-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/children/



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### Best Business Security Systems

> ADT, Vivint, and SimpliSafe lead as the best security systems for small businesses, offering pro monitoring and mobile control

- Published: 2019-04-02
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/business/



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### Best Home Security Systems for Garages in [year]

> Alcidae Garager 2, Chamberlain MyQ, and Wyze Cam v3 are top picks for garage security and smart integration

- Published: 2019-04-02
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/garage/



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### SimpliSafe Home Automation

> SimpliSafe offers easy home automation with Alexa and Google Nest but lacks IFTTT and Z-Wave. Best with Pro plans for full features like video verification.

- Published: 2019-03-24
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/automation/



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### Prime Day 2024: Sales and Deals on Ring Doorbell Cameras

> Prime Day 2025 offers up to 50% off on Ring Doorbells, with the Battery Doorbell getting the biggest discount. Bundles also feature up to 48% savings.

- Published: 2019-03-13
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/prime-day/



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### Blink Camera Prime Day Deals [year]

> Blink cameras dominate Prime Day 2025 with up to 63% off. Top picks: Blink Mini 2 for $19.99 and Outdoor 4 for $37.99. Perfect for budget-friendly security.

- Published: 2019-03-12
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/prime-day/



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### Prime Day [year] Deals on Home Security Systems

> Ring Alarm kits are 40% off, SimpliSafe systems are 50% off, abode components up to 48% off, and Arlo kits are 35% off during Prime Day 2025.

- Published: 2019-03-12
- Modified: 2025-07-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/prime-day/



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### Deep Sentinel Review

> Deep Sentinel offers a unique security system with live guards monitoring cameras to deter intruders. It's pricey at $60/month, but effective and proactive.

- Published: 2019-03-06
- Modified: 2025-07-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/deep-sentinel/reviews/



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### Deep Sentinel

> Deep Sentinel, backed by Jeff Bezos, uses AI and human intervention to stop crimes before they happen. It costs $399 upfront and $60 monthly for monitoring.

- Published: 2019-03-06
- Modified: 2023-08-03
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/deep-sentinel/



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### Nest Secure Alternative

> Nest Secure is discontinued. ADT, SimpliSafe, and Frontpoint are top alternatives, with ADT offering Google Nest integration and superior monitoring.

- Published: 2019-03-02
- Modified: 2025-05-07
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/nest-secure-alternative/

Note: Google has discontinued Nest Secure. So, we recommend checking out our list of the best home security systems to explore your options. What do you do now that Nest Secure has joined the likes of Google Hangouts and Google Buzz? You could sign up with our top pick, ADT, which integrates the latest Nest Cams and thermostats. But, it’s not the only replacement worth considering. SimpliSafe shares many similarities with Nest Secure and improves upon it with innovative professional monitoring features like Intruder Intervention. Frontpoint is also a great alternative if smart home automation is what you’ll miss most about Nest Secure. Let's break down each brand and help you choose the right one. The last components of our Nest Secure security system. Best Google-Friendly Alternative: ADT If you have the latest Google Nest equipment, you might be able to integrate it with an ADT security system. Even some Nest Aware features are included in ADT subscriptions, including facial recognition and cloud storage. In fact, we believe ADT is better overall than Nest Secure ever was, especially when it comes to professional monitoring. ADT has 12 fully redundant monitoring centers across North America that are ready to respond if your alarm is activated. Even during its peak, Nest Secure never had its own monitoring centers; it piggybacked with Brinks Home for monitoring. The Nest Cam (indoor/outdoor, battery) we ordered for our ADT security system. Similarities The closest replacement for Nest Secure is ADT. Nest Cams and thermostats are compatible with ADT. And, the rest of ADT’s equipment — from entry sensors to hazard detectors — blends perfectly with Google’s product lineup. >> Check Out: ADT Review ADT’s professional monitoring plans also build upon Nest subscriptions. You can still use features like Familiar Faces. However, this feature works even better with ADT’s Trusted Neighbor. You can disarm smart locks and the security system when registered guests approach the house. It’s perfect for dog walkers who take your pooch out while you’re at work or if you don’t feel like getting off the couch to let people in. Differences ADT isn’t identical to Nest Secure. ADT has upgraded its sensors for a modern look, but these devices don’t offer the same functionality as Google’s equivalent. For example, the sensors can’t detect pets or allow selective arming. ADT’s entry sensors are a little larger than the old Nest sensors, but they are just as reliable. However, ADT has a more extensive range of devices to secure your home. In addition to entry sensors, you can get: Motion detectors Glass break sensors Smart locks Keychain remotes Water and temperature sensors Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors Heat detectors Not sure what devices you need for a home security system? ADT offers free in-home consultations. An expert will assess your home and recommend the best equipment to secure the property. Another difference is that ADT works best with a professional monitoring plan. You can choose to monitor the system yourself, like Nest Secure, but only after paying one month of any ADT plan. We always recommend paying extra for a subscription so you don’t need to call for help when you need it. >> Compare: The Best Monitored Home Security Systems in Pricing Another difference between ADT and Nest Secure is the pricing. The good news is that Nest products cost the same with ADT as through the Google store. Some of the products you can buy include: Google Nest Doorbell (battery): $179. 99 Google Nest Cam (indoor, wired): $99. 99 Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery): $179. 99 Google Nest Cam with Floodlight: $279. 99 The bad news is that ADT monitoring plans are more expensive than Nest Secure. But, you are getting more bang for your buck with ADT. For starters, you get 24/7 professional monitoring, and not just for home security. If you have smoke detectors, ADT will contact the fire department. Or, if you have an emergency pendant, ADT can organize medical assistance. Here’s an overview of ADT’s professional monitoring plans: Secure Smart Complete 24/7 Intrusion, Hazard, and Environmental Monitoring Yes Yes Yes Cellular Backup Yes Yes Yes Voice Control Yes Yes Yes Smart Home Automations No Yes Yes Camera Support No No Yes Monthly Cost With DIY Installation $24. 99 $29. 99 $39. 99 Monthly Cost With Professional Installation $34. 99 $39. 99 $49. 99 ADT is as close as you can get to replicating a Nest Secure system. However, we consider it an upgrade with the broader equipment range and professional monitoring service. But, if you decide it’s not a good fit, you can take advantage of ADT’s six-month money-back guarantee and try another Nest Secure alternative on our list. Best DIY Alternative: SimpliSafe Touted as the best DIY home security system, SimpliSafe promises affordable and simple home security right out-of-the-box. They offer more package and pricing options than Nest, and their lineup of equipment is easier to use (and install). SimpliSafe offers add-ons galore, from smoke detectors and panic buttons to glass-break and temperature sensors. Not looking for all the bells and whistles? Basic setups (that won’t break the bank) are also available, and you can customize each system to your heart’s content. A simple SimpliSafe system we bought for testing — but we might add some more devices later. Similarities After testing and reviewing SimpliSafe, we found that their system was pretty comparable to its Nest counterpart. Along with competitive pricing, both SimpliSafe and Nest Secure are DIY setups complete with reliable equipment, such as indoor and outdoor cameras, and more. SimpliSafe offers professional installation services if you’re not comfortable doing it yourself or want an expert to choose the best places to set up your devices. Installing a home security system is easier than you think, especially with SimpliSafe. Most of the equipment is wireless or plugs into an outlet. The most challenging device is the video doorbell because it needs access to your existing electrical wiring. >> Learn: How Easy Is It to Install SimpliSafe? Like Nest Secure, SimpliSafe doesn’t require any contracts. This fact may be crucial in your decision-making process, especially if you’re renting or just now beginning to figure out what you need from a home security system. SimpliSafe offers an easy way out should you decide to “break up. ” We sat SimpliSafe’s Wireless Indoor Camera on the mantle so it had the best view of our living room. Differences Between the two systems, there are several differences worth noting. Nest Secure natively integrated with Google Assistant for voice control and automation features. While smart home integration is limited with SimpliSafe, don’t count them out SimpliSafe offers smart home components like smart locks, and it can connect to Amazon’s Alexa, the Apple Watch, and more. Versatility is another key difference you’ll find between the two systems. SimpliSafe offers more package and equipment options to choose from, as well as several different monitoring plans to boot. This will grant you the ability (and freedom) to pick and choose the package options that are ideal for you, as opposed to getting stuck with those pre-built setups that offer very little wiggle room. Installing our SimpliSafe as close to the door as possible so we can disarm the system quickly. Pricing So, how do these two leading DIY systems match up in terms of price? To start, both Nest Secure and SimpliSafe offer(ed) several options. Nest Secure equipment packages started from $399 and included the Nest Guard hub, two entry sensors, and two keychain fobs. SimpliSafe’s The Foundation package is $250 and comes with an entry sensor, motion detector, keypad, and hub. Like Nest Secure, SimpliSafe lets you add extra equipment at any time. Nest equipment ranges from $99. 99 for the Nest Cam (indoor, wired) to $279. 99 for the Nest Cam with Floodlight. It’s on par with SimpliSafe, which charges $249. 99 for the Wireless Indoor Camera and $199. 99 for the Outdoor Camera. However, SimpliSafe doesn’t offer as much variety as Nest. SimpliSafe runs sales almost year-round. The SimpliSafe Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are the best times to find a home security system. SimpliSafe monitoring plans have more flexibility. You can choose between self-monitoring packages similar to Nest Secure’s former options and professional monitoring. Here’s an overview of what SimpliSafe has to offer: Unmonitored Self-Monitoring With Camera Recordings Standard Core Pro Pro Plus Monitoring Type Self-Monitored Self-Monitored Professional Monitoring Professional Monitoring Professional Monitoring Professional Monitoring Cloud Storage No Unlimited for 30 Days No Unlimited for 30 Days Unlimited for 30 Days Unlimited for 30 Days Intruder Intervention No No No Yes Yes Yes Active Guard Outdoor Protection No No No No 8 p. m. to 6 a. m. 24/7 Price Per Month Free $9. 99 $21. 99 $31. 99 $49. 99 $79. 99 In comparison, Nest Secure’s subscriptions started at $8 per month or $80 per year. These self-monitoring plans included advanced features like facial recognition and sound detection. SimpliSafe’s professional monitoring plans take advanced features to the next level with Intruder Intervention and Active Guard Outdoor Protection. When the Wireless Indoor Camera or Outdoor Camera detects something suspicious, SimpliSafe monitoring agents will intervene and use the two-way audio speaker to scare them off. While SimpliSafe’s plans are more expensive than Nest Secure, they are still some of the most affordable options on the market. >> Compare: Most Affordable Home Security Systems in If you’re not happy with the system after purchase, Simplisafe offers you a money-back guarantee that applies for the first 60 days after the date of purchase. Plus, you won’t have to pay shipping costs for returning the equipment. This may relieve you of some of the stress and pressure of the purchase price. Best Home Automation Alternative: Frontpoint Next up on our list of possibilities is the Frontpoint home security system. Frontpoint offers several perks that aid in their successful competition with Nest Secure, the least of which may be their 100 -percent cellular technology (meaning your system stays online during internet and power outages). Frontpoint packages include a power supply battery that can last up to 24 hours, which is helpful in the event of a power outage. They also offer fire, water, and carbon monoxide monitoring, as well as smash-proof technology that ensures the system will continue to work even when smashed (accidentally or purposefully). Another attractive feature of Frontpoint is its pre-programmed capability to work right out of the box and its compatibility with both Alexa and Google Home. All Frontpoint equipment comes with a three-year warranty, which is one of the best on the market. In comparison, Nest cameras only have a 12-month warranty. Last but not least, Frontpoint offers professional security monitoring (24/7/365) that includes an automatic check of every sensor at every hour to make sure your system is working correctly. To top things off, the monitoring system works even if an intruder destroys your alarm system. Our Frontpoint equipment doesn’t look as sleek as Nest devices, but it’s more reliable since we love internet access and power. Similarities We recently tested and reviewed Frontpoint for ourselves and were impressed with not only their system as a whole, but also with the amount of overlap Frontpoint shares with similar setups, including Nest Secure. For starters, both offer and encourage “do it yourself” installation, which is likely a plus if you're tech savvy. But, if DIY projects are not really your thing, you do have the option to hire a professional to install either system. Our favorite Frontpoint feature is home automation. We created a series of automations for certain scenarios. For example, when we go to bed, Frontpoint will check the smart lock on the front door, switch off the lights, and arm some of the equipment, like entry sensors, to catch intruders in the act. Another standout Frontpoint feature is geofencing, which allows you to put up a wireless “fence” around your abode using your smartphone’s GPS. Basically, should you leave your house unarmed, you’ll get a reminder the minute you cross that virtual perimeter. Pretty cool, right? A view of the Frontpoint app and some of the “Scenes” or automation we created. Differences The biggest differences between Frontpoint and Nest Secure are the customization features and web app interface. While using Frontpoint, we were impressed with the number of automations available. And the overall feel of the mobile app and web app was really something else. It’s all so user-friendly and easy on the eyes. The other big difference is that Frontpoint requires professional monitoring to work. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means you won’t need to keep checking your phone for updates or call for help if an alarm is triggered — Frontpoint has you covered. >> Check Out: The Best Monitored Home Security Systems in Our Frontpoint Outdoor Camera was as easy to install as a Nest Cam. Pricing Frontpoint equipment packages start at $386. 93, which is on par with what a Nest Secure basic kit went for. However, Frontpoint offers a wider range of add-on equipment including smoke and heat detectors, garage sensors, and display hubs. Frontpoint’s wired indoor camera and wired outdoor camera are more expensive than the equivalent Nest Cams. Frontpoint only advertises one professional monitoring plan on its website — and it’s $49. 99 per month. But, if you look at the fine print, you’ll see the option to call and discuss plans from $14. 99 per month. Keep in mind, as with any à la carte situation, your costs can add up quickly, so research is your friend when determining which components you really need. The last thing you (or we) want is to break your budget and cause an entirely new set of worries. Final Thoughts on Nest Secure Alternatives As you can see, there are alternatives to Nest Secure out there, each similar and different in their own way. The key to making your choice is determining what features you need, what equipment is nonnegotiable, and how much you want to spend. There are systems that cater to every security need. From the equipment quality and smart home automation features to the price and ease of installation. If you’re still unsure, we recommend making the most of money-back guarantees until you find the right fit. FAQs

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### SimpliSafe Monitoring Plan Options and Monthly Costs

> SimpliSafe's Core plan offers the best value with 24/7 monitoring, app control, and video support for $31.99/month, balancing features and affordability.

- Published: 2019-02-06
- Modified: 2025-03-07
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/monitoring/



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### Blink Camera Deals

> Blink cameras are discounted with the Outdoor model at $63.99 and Mini at $24.99. SimpliSafe offers a free camera with system purchases.

- Published: 2019-02-01
- Modified: 2024-11-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/deals/



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### Arlo vs Reolink Comparison

> Arlo's superior app and audio detection edge out Reolink, despite Reolink's budget-friendly 4K cameras. Arlo offers professional monitoring; Reolink doesn't.

- Published: 2019-01-31
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-reolink/

Both Reolink and Arlo offer camera-based home security systems. Both companies’ cameras boast impressive specs, but we know that only tells half the story. That’s why we decided to test a few Reolink cameras and a few Arlo cameras in our home to see what these camera systems could actually do. After our tests, we decided we preferred Arlo, although neither provider ended up on our list of the best home security cameras. >> Read More: Everything You Need to Know About Security Cameras Overview: Arlo vs. Reolink We appreciate that Arlo included a window sticker with their Pro security camera to deter burglars. Arlo and Reolink each offer an impressively large lineup of security cameras with everything from 4K indoor and outdoor cameras to video doorbells. On the surface and once you dig a bit deeper, Arlo and Reolink have a lot in common. Needless to say, they’re big competitors servicing a very similar market of consumers who want security cameras for their home without requiring an investment in a full-scale security system. Similarities Between Arlo and Reolink Each brand offers multiple cameras that allow you to choose how technologically advanced you want to be with options such as: Color Night Vision: Although some cameras from each provider still use infrared night vision, both have color night vision cameras for indoor and outdoor use. 4K Resolution: If you want crystal-clear image quality, you can get cameras with 4K resolution from either provider. In fact, Arlo makes one of our favorite 4K security cameras. People, Package, Pet, and Vehicle Detection: To cut down on false alerts, Arlo and Reolink cameras can tell the difference between people, pets, packages, and vehicles. Wireless Models: You can install Arlo and Reolink cameras anywhere, as most models are wireless, which put each of them on our list of the best battery-powered security cameras. They both even offer cellular cameras, meaning they don’t need to be in range of your Wi-Fi. Cloud Storage Plans: The subscriptions for cloud storage are very similar between Arlo and Reolink, although Reolink does not offer a plan that supports unlimited cameras. Local Storage Options: You can forego cloud storage and still record your video footage using local storage with both Arlo and Reolink. Cameras With Wide Fields of View: With up to 180-degree fields of view on cameras from Arlo and Reolink, you won’t need many cameras to cover large areas of your property. Differences Between Arlo and Reolink They’re far from identical, though. Arlo and Reolink have some major differences, including: Mobile App Quality: Arlo’s app worked well for us during the entire time we tested their security cameras, whereas Reolink’s app could use some work. Professional Monitoring: Only Arlo offers professional monitoring, and it’s only for their security system (not the cameras). Home Security System: Reolink only offers security cameras. Arlo has a security system, but we’re not huge fans of it, as it uses an all-in-one security sensor that doesn’t quite fit the goal of a security system. Audio Detection: If you subscribe to Arlo Secure, the microphone in Arlo’s security cameras can identify fire alarms and other alerts in your home and send you a notification. If you’re looking for a professionally monitored security system, we’d recommend steering clear of Reolink and Arlo. Instead, go with one of our favorite monitored security systems. All of them offer top-tier professional monitoring, with some providers offering it for as low as $22 per month. Reolink vs. Arlo: A Detailed Comparison Now that you have an idea of the similarities and differences between Arlo and Reolink, let’s dive into the details. Equipment Pricing Here’s everything that came with our $150 Reolink Argus home security camera. While both Arlo and Reolink offer a wide range of security cameras that range in price by just as much, Arlo’s products tend to cost more for similar specs. For instance, Arlo’s 4K camera, the Arlo Ultra 2, costs $299. 99, whereas you can get a 4K Reolink camera for as little as $109. 99. Arlo’s Equipment Prices Just because Arlo’s equipment tends to cost more than Reolink doesn’t mean it’ll break the bank. They have low-cost cameras, too, such as the Essential, which starts at $49. 99. It’s just that Reolink’s prices are really good, so Arlo doesn’t quite beat them. Here’s how much Arlo’s cameras cost: Arlo Camera Model Price Resolution Field of View Essential Indoor HD $39. 99 1080p 130 Degrees Essential Wireless $49. 99 1080p 130 Degrees Essential Indoor 2K $79. 99 2K 130 Degrees Essential XL $99. 99 1080p or 2K 130 Degrees Pro 5S 2K $179. 99 2K 160 Degrees Go 2 $199. 99 1080p 130 Degrees Ultra 2 $299. 99 4K 180 Degrees Video Doorbell HD $79. 99 1080p 180 Degrees Video Doorbell 2K $129. 99 2K 180 Degrees A camera’s field of view shows how large of an area the camera can see. So, on a camera with a 180-degree field of view, the camera can see everything in front of it. Narrow-field-of-view cameras can miss activity that occurs on the camera’s peripheral. Reolink’s Equipment Prices There are a lot of camera models from Reolink. Too many, in fact, for us to list them all here. But, we’ll highlight a range of their models. Here’s an overview of Reolink’s camera prices: Reolink Camera Model Price Resolution Field of View Lumus $49. 99 2K 129 Degrees CX810 $109. 99 4K 111. 6 Degrees Video Doorbell (Battery) $119. 99 4K 180 Degrees E1 Outdoor Pro $129. 99 4K 100 Degrees Duo 3 PoE $179. 99 4K 180 Degrees Argus 4 Pro $199. 99 4K 180 Degrees Atlas PT Ultra $209. 99 4K 110 Degrees TrackMix LTE $279. 99 4K 96 Degrees Horizontal RLC-823S2 $329. 99 4K 360 Degrees We know that one of those Reolink cameras costs more than any Arlo camera, but that camera features a 360-degree field of view. Now, it’s not really a 360-degree field of view, but it can track moving objects and can pan 360 degrees. That makes it function as though it could see all the way around — as long as there aren’t two objects it’s trying to track at opposite ends of the camera at the same time. Even with this camera, we find Reolink offers better prices than Arlo. Winner: Reolink Subscriptions As far as subscriptions go, Reolink and Arlo are fairly similar, but we prefer Arlo’s options. They’re not our favorite subscriptions in the industry, as we feel like we get better value from Ring’s subscriptions or SimpliSafe’s subscriptions, as you’ll see in our Arlo vs. SimpliSafe comparison. They still beat Reolink’s options, though, as Reolink does not have a plan that supports unlimited cameras. Arlo also offers a professional monitoring plan, unlike Reolink. >> Learn More: Ring vs. Arlo Comparison - Which Is Most Secure? Arlo’s Subscriptions Subscribing to Arlo Secure unlocked Activity Zones in the mobile app for all of our Arlo cameras. With the Arlo Secure plan, you can use cloud storage and unlock all of your cameras’ capabilities. We recommend at least the self-monitoring plan so you can avoid false alarms caused by pets and vehicles. It also enables the microphone in your cameras to detect the sound of a smoke, CO, or other hazard alarms in your house. Then, it’ll send a notification to your phone so you can call for help if needed. While testing the Arlo Argus Pro, we went with an Arlo Secure plan. Arlo’s professional monitoring plan, Arlo Secure Premium, only supports the Arlo security system. So, if you’re just in the market for security cameras, we’d recommend the Arlo Plus plan instead. There’s also a subscription to essentially rent an Arlo security system and get professional monitoring called Arlo Total Security, but we don’t recommend it unless you only need a security system temporarily. You’ll end up paying more for the plan than you would have if you bought a security system outright. Here’s an overview of Arlo’s subscriptions: Arlo Subscription Plan Secure Plus for One Camera Secure Plus for Unlimited Cameras Secure Premium 60 Days of Cloud Storage Yes, for One Camera Yes, for Unlimited Cameras Yes, for Unlimited Cameras People, Package, Pets, and Vehicle Detection Yes Yes Yes Hazard Sensor Detection Yes Yes Yes 24/7 Professional Monitoring No No Yes Price Starts at $7. 99 per Month Starts at $17. 99 per Month Starts at $24. 99 per Month >> Learn About: Best Security Cameras With No Subscription in Reolink’s Subscription Just like Reolink offers a lot of cameras, they also offer a lot of subscription options. They all come down to different amounts of cloud storage and cellular data for their LTE cameras. We opted for the Standard LTE plan when we tested Reolink’s cameras, as our system only comprised three cameras. Here’s a look at Reolink’s subscriptions: Reolink Subscription Plan Price per Month Days of Cloud Storage Number of Cameras Supported Supports Cellular Cameras Standard LTE $6. 99 30 5 No Premier LTE $10. 99 30 10 No Business LTE $15. 99 60 20 No Single-Device LTE Plan (30D) $5. 99 30 1 Yes Single-Device LTE Plan (60D) $11. 99 60 1 Yes Standard LTE Plan Pro $24. 99 30 5 Yes Premier LTE Plan Pro $43. 99 30 10 Yes Business LTE Plan Pro $171. 99 60 20 Yes Winner: Arlo Smart Capabilities Arlo and Reolink both support people, pet, package, and vehicle detection, and both require a plan to activate it on their cameras. It’s not quite as good as facial recognition, like we got from Google Nest and Lorex cameras, but it definitely cut down on the amount of alerts we got. Without it, our phone would blow up with notifications every time something scurried or drove past our outdoor security camera. They both can also integrate into popular smart home ecosystems like Google Home and Amazon Alexa, with Arlo extending its integration capabilities to Apple HomeKit as well. Arlo also has the upper hand by offering audio detection with their cameras as well as the ability to detect the sound of other alarms in your house. Winner: Arlo Not only can our favorite smart home security systems integrate into popular smart home ecosystems, they can also automate your other smart home devices. We use it to automatically turn the lights on in our house during alarms to spook off potential intruders. Mobile App Quality We found Reolink’s mobile app to be kind of confusing and difficult to navigate. This is where Arlo really stands above Reolink pretty significantly. Sure, they both have a mobile app, but Arlo’s is better all around. It’s easier to navigate, easier to use, and has just as many features. There’s really nothing we sacrificed when we went from Reolink’s app to Arlo’s app, and we gained a much better experience. Winner: Arlo >> Read About: Best Home Security System With a Mobile App Local Storage Options We appreciate it when a security camera company offers local storage options. Most of them nowadays require a cloud storage plan if you want to record any clips, but Reolink and Arlo both offer options for local storage. We don’t recommend relying on local storage, but, instead, use it as a backup. When you only use local storage, it puts your videos at risk, as a burglar can take off with your camera and therefore the recording of their crime. By using it as a backup, though, you ensure you capture every moment even when your Wi-Fi goes down. Winner: Draw Summary: Arlo vs. Reolink Unless you’re on a tight budget, we recommend Arlo over Reolink for its better mobile app and audio detection capabilities. The mobile app might not seem like a big deal when you’re comparing systems, but it’s how you’ll use your cameras on a day-to-day basis. That’s where you’ll receive alerts, check live feeds, and review recorded clips. So, we take the quality of a security system’s mobile app very seriously. That said, if you can deal with a mobile app that’s a bit trickier to navigate, Reolink offers great deals on their security cameras. Their cameras offer some of the best value in the industry when looking at the specs-to-price ratio. Not many companies can claim to offer a 4K camera for about $100, but that’s Reolink’s everyday price. FAQs About Arlo vs. Reolink

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### Arlo vs Swann Comparison

> Arlo cameras outperform Swann with superior build quality, better video resolution, and advanced AI features, making them our top security camera choice.

- Published: 2019-01-22
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-swann/

Arlo and Swann security cameras are two of the most popular brands in the industry. Both offer a range of high-quality equipment, including 4K options. You can also use the cameras without a subscription plan. But there are several key differences that can help you decide which one is right for your home. For example, Swann can integrate with its home security equipment like motion sensors and sirens. But Arlo cameras have a better field of view and stronger smart home features. We think Arlo comes out ahead overall, but let’s break down the similarities and differences to see which one works best for you. >> Find Out: The Best Home Security Camera Companies of We bought two Swann Cameras to test and the NVR to store our footage. Arlo vs. Swann - The Similarities Even with all their differences, there are a considerable number of similarities between Arlo and Swann cameras. Listed below are some of the overlapping features and findings of the two brands. The view from our Arlo camera with all the lights inside the house turned off. Video Resolution - Both companies offer cameras that record high-resolution video images and have excellent night vision capabilities, two very important features. A fuzzy or grainy image will do you no good when it comes to recounting the events intended for capture by these devices. Quality images, day or night, is the name of the game. And both Arlo and Swann do well here. Indoor & Outdoor Cameras - You will also discover that both Arlo and Swann cameras can be used indoors or outdoors. That is, each brand offers indoor cameras as well as outdoor cameras that can withstand the elements. If you’re looking specifically to monitor the exterior of your home, we recommend checking out our roundup of the best outdoor cameras. Cloud-based Video Storage - Arlo and Swann both offer paid cloud-based video storage plans. This is important because videos can take up a lot of storage space, so internal storage does not always suffice. Multiple Camera Options - Keep in mind that some home security brands only sell a small handful of cameras. That’s not the case with these two popular security camera providers; each sell multiple options for both indoor and outdoor use. You can choose between wireless cameras, wired cameras, and you can really narrow your search by features and tech. Motion Detection - Depending on the camera model, you’ll get motion-based recording with Arlo and Swann. If a would-be intruder creeps within the camera’s field of view, the motion sensor trips and the camera immediately begins recording. Smartphone Controls - If you’re anything like us, you like to control your devices using your iPhone or Android smartphone. Thankfully, Swann and Arlo come with mobile apps that allow you to do just that. You can view live-stream footage and recordings, talk to visitors using two-way communication, and manage other features and functions remotely. We can customize Swann’s motion detection to reduce false alerts. So those are the main similarities we found when we put Arlo and Swann security cameras head-to-head. But we also found a number of differences that you should know about. Let’s cover those now. Read our full Swann camera review to really get to know their products and video storage options. Just be warned — their camera lineup is quite extensive. Patience is a virtue with Swann. Arlo vs. Swann - The Differences The main differences between the two camera brands lie in the equipment options and integration that are available with Swann cameras that you won’t find with Arlo. Whole Home Security - Swann provides the option to purchase an entire home security system, including door and window sensors, a remote-entry fob, an outdoor siren, and heat-sensing cameras. Arlo offers top-notch cameras, but they don’t offer a lot of other equipment to secure your home. Build Quality - After using both products, we have to say that Arlo cameras are built better. The materials are high-quality and the devices are built to last. Swann cameras aren’t built poorly, per se, but they just don’t inspire confidence the way Arlo cameras do. Camera Types - Swann takes the cake in this category. Arlo only has eight cameras to choose from (plus a couple of doorbell cameras), while Swann sells dozens, if not 100+, different cameras. You’ll have a wider selection with Swann compared to Arlo. DVRs and NVRs - Swann also offers lots of DVR and NVR options. So if you’re looking for a more professional-grade, multi-channel camera kit, then Swann has what you’re looking for. Arlo doesn’t have these types of setups. Video Quality - Arlo edges out Swann here. Now, Swann does have several cameras that offer 4K image quality, but we liked Arlo’s resolution better. It just came through more crisp and clear for us — and even Arlo’s 1080p HD cameras offer great video quality for our needs (and probably yours, too). Artificial Intelligence - Arlo delivers the goods when it comes to AI-based motion detection and facial recognition. With the Arlo Smart subscription, you’ll be able to enable smart person detection to always know who’s approaching your home. As far as we know, Swann doesn’t offer AI in any capacity. Our Arlo Pro 5S 2K is one of the easiest outdoor security cameras we’ve set up. To read more about Arlo, check out our in-depth Arlo camera review. In the review, you’ll get a better sense of what it’s like living with these cameras on a day-to-day basis. Features of Arlo and Swann It can be a tedious task to sift through all the different features to find the best camera to fit your needs. To help, we’ve come up with a quick-reference list for each camera and the benefits they offer. Let’s start with Arlo: Arlo Features and Tech Night Vision Technology: Arlo video surveillance cameras are equipped with night vision technology that allows the camera to record crisp images in the dark. After all, many burglaries happen after dark. Some models even have color night vision so you can make out every detail. Motion Sensing Technology: Arlo cameras are also equipped with built-in motion sensors. When the camera detects movement nearby, it will start recording. This will save on storage space, as it’s not recording every second of every day. Zone Targeting: This smart feature allows your camera to target the areas that matter most within your property line, so you’re not receiving alerts every time someone strolls past your house. Two-Way Voice Communication: This feature allows for the devices to be used much like a walkie-talkie. You can speak to visitors when you’re not home or try to scare off criminals who are trying to break in. iOS and Android Compatible Apps: It is important that the camera and its features can be operated from your mobile device. Since Arlo has an app that is compatible with both Android devices and iOS devices, compatibility will not be an issue. As mentioned, remote access and controls using your smartphone is important to look for. Arlo offers AI features in their cameras. Thankfully, just because Arlo’s cameras are more advanced in the features department doesn’t mean they’re more difficult to use. The app demonstrated how they work so we could use them effectively. Arlo’s night video quality is just as clear as it is during the day. Swann Features and Tech Zone Customization: Much like the Arlo video surveillance camera, the Swann camera will also let you customize your camera’s focus areas so your phone isn’t overloaded with motion alert notifications. Remote Fob: The remote fob allows for keyless entry and camera operation. This fob can fit onto your key ring and is easy to operate. Compatible Apps: Just like with the Arlo cameras, the Swann cameras can be monitored and operated from an app on your mobile device. The app is both iOS and Android-friendly so it will be compatible with your mobile device. Night Vision Technology: Swann cameras are also equipped with excellent night vision technology to record crisp and clear images after dark. Like Arlo, there are models with color night vision if you need it. Entry Sensors: Entry sensors will detect the breaching of doors or windows by an intruder. This is definitely an advantage that Swann has over Arlo. Motion Detection: As mentioned, motion detection is important because it allows for the conservation of storage space by only recording video when necessary. When motion is sensed, the camera will automatically point and record. We configured the sensitivity of our Swann devices in the smartphone app. Installation Arlo’s cameras are the easiest to install as most of them are battery powered. Even the Pro 5S 2K is wire-free. All we had to do was install the mount and slide the camera into the socket. We synced it to the Wi-Fi and were done in less than 15 minutes. Our Swann camera needed to be connected to the internal wiring Swann is a slightly different story. When you buy a kit, you get everything you need to do the installation yourself, which we really liked. Everything is color-coordinated to help you install the equipment properly. However it needs to connect to the internal wiring. So if you’re not comfortable around cables, we recommend hiring an electrician to set it up. >> Learn More: Wireless Security Cameras and How They Work For us, the fast and easy installation made Arlo’s products highly appealing and a clear choice when compared to the more traditional Swann system. Arlo vs Swann - Camera Cost & Fees The cost of the various cameras can also be tricky to sort through. To help clarify things a little, here is a look at how much the different cameras cost to help you with your decision: Arlo Pricing You can buy several different models in several different kits from Arlo. From the Arlo Essential to the Arlo Ultra — you can spend anywhere between $40 and $300 on a single camera. Arlo certainly isn’t the cheapest camera option out there, but then again, you tend to get what you pay for when it comes to home security products. Arlo has a range of cameras suitable for apartments to houses. If you can afford it, Arlo is one of the best home security cameras in the game. Note that Arlo has optional subscriptions that start at $7. 99 per camera or $17. 99 for unlimited cameras. It unlocks 60 day video history and smart features like person and audio detection. There’s also a premium plan that includes professional monitoring for $24. 99. Here’s a look at Arlo’s prices and fees. Arlo Camera Options Arlo Model Camera Type Cost Arlo Ultra 4K wire-free From $299. 99 Arlo Pro 2K HDR wire-free From $179. 99 Arlo Go 4G LTE Connectivity From $199. 99 Arlo Essential 2K or HD wire-free From $39. 99 You can buy Swann cameras on their own, or in bundles with other equipment like we did. Swann Pricing Shopping for a Swann camera can be overwhelming. Models range from the Master-Series 4K Dome Camera to the Extra 2K Wireless Camera. Pricing ranges from $119. 99 to $199. 99. You’ll also find multi-buy packages, bundles with storage devices, and home security systems. You can find out more in our breakdown of Swann camera prices. Swann Camera Options Swann Model Camera Type Cost Swann 1080p Alert 2 Pack 1080p HD hardwired $119. 99 Swann Thermal Sensing Bullet 4K Power of Ethernet $149. 99 Swann Master Series 4K Dome 4K HDR hardwired $119. 99 Swann 4K Add-on Bullet Camera 4K hardwired $149. 99 No Contracts One of the best things about these companies is that they do not require long-term contracts for equipment or monitoring. This means that you can avoid getting locked-in to a monthly payment, and you don’t need to show proof of good credit history to get started. However, it’s worth noting that most camera brands don’t require contracts these days. Pay up front and you’re good to go! >> Check Out: Best Security Cameras with No Subscription in Customer Service If something goes wrong or you have questions, we found the support pages on both Arlo and Swann’s websites to be helpful and straightforward. With Arlo, we found hundreds of answers to many common questions and a full knowledge base of almost 800,000 members to help ensure that the installation process goes smoothly. The answers provide a great starting point when you’re setting up and using your cameras for the first time. If you ever get stuck during the Arlo installation process you can consult the app or Arlo support page. In addition to the Arlo community, you’ll find how-to and installation videos, articles, downloadable manuals, and frequently asked questions, as well as a live chat function and a direct customer support line, so you can learn the best ways to use your equipment. Got a defective or malfunctioning part? You can open a case with Arlo’s team as long as your product falls within the one-year warranty period. >> Find Out: How to Set Up Arlo Security Cameras With Swann, we found their customer service to be good, but not great. You do get 24/7 phone support, which is rare for the security industry. You can also get in touch with an agent via live chat or email if you prefer. Representatives were friendly and professional, but as with many large corporations (Swann Communications is huge), the experience felt corporate and impersonal. When Should You Get Surveillance Cameras? If you do not already have security cameras installed, you should consider going with either Swann or Arlo. And another top-rated camera company is Ring. We did a deep-dive review of Ring Cameras, and we think they offer a whole lot of bang for your buck. Whichever camera system you choose, just remember that criminal activity like burglaries, break-ins, and package theft can happen in any neighborhood, at any time. That’s why it’s never a bad idea to protect yourself and your home with video surveillance. >> Learn More: Everything to Know About Security Cameras We found Swann’s night vision quality wasn’t as crisp as Arlo Swann vs Arlo - Our Final Thoughts Now that you have read a little bit more about Swann video surveillance cameras and how they compare to Arlo security cameras, your decision should be a little bit easier. As long as you have considered your specific needs and you have done your research, finding the right cameras should not be so overwhelming. One of our Swann indoor cameras watching over our living room. While keeping in mind that you really can’t go wrong with Swann or Arlo, we give the edge to Arlo. Our experience using Arlo’s cameras was thoroughly enjoyable, and we like their advanced features like AI-powered person detection. Also, if we’re being honest, their cameras look better than Swann cameras; of course, looks aren’t everything, but when you combine form with function, you have a winning combination. And that’s exactly what we found in Arlo. FAQs

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### Arlo Alternative

> Google Nest tops our list with a SecureScore of 8.5/10, offering superior features and tech. Arlo ranks lower at 7.6/10 but is more budget-friendly.

- Published: 2019-01-21
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-alternative/

The Arlo security camera is an attractive, affordable option that works well for many people. The company offers a large lineup of products – ideally suited for just about any needs you may have. Arlo is a 100 percent wireless system that is easy for most people to install on their own. Both indoor and outdoor cameras are available, with security lights and night vision options. This is an effective product for most needs, though it does have some limitations. With an easy-to-use, all-in-one app, it allows users to control it remotely, monitor the camera live from any location, and even sends alerts when there is a need. If you are unsure if the Arlo is right for your needs, consider these alternative options that may work for you. 1. Nest Cam The Nest Cam is a company owned by Alphabet, the company behind Google. It is well made, and there are plenty of features in both models. Arlo cameras are made by Netgear. It can be hard to compare cameras across the board since there are a number of options here. However, there are a few things that are different about these brands that you should take into consideration. The cost of Arlo cameras start at $179. 99 and can be as high as a thousand dollars depending on how many cameras you choose. You can purchase the Nest Cam indoor version for $99. 99. Arlo offers optional Smart Plans and Continuous Video Recording (CVR), which starts at $2. 99 per month. Nest also offers optional month-to-month cloud recording starting at $6 per month and continuous recording starting at $10 per month. Both models allow you to add more than one camera (with the Nest allowing an unlimited number of cameras to be added to the cloud plans). Both methods connect through Wi-Fi. They both feature night vision and can be set to avoid specific areas such as where pets are. Motion sensing is available with the Arlo. In addition, Nest cameras have person detection built-in, and if you subscribe to a cloud plan, you'll get facial recognition as well. Nest links to your Alexa-smart home applications whereas Arlo works with Alexa and Google Home. Nest’s cameras also have built-in features, such as detection of water, fire, freezing, carbon monoxide, and smoke. It’s also important to note that both the Nest Cam and the Arlo models are more expensive than other types of systems with comparable features. 2. Blink Blink is a lesser-known name in home monitoring and one that should be considered for those who are looking for a reliable solution and smartphone connectivity to their property. It’s specifically designed to be more affordable than other models. To do this, it starts off by not requiring hardwired installation – it is really a wire-free video home security camera and a comprehensive monitoring system. When comparing these products, consider the costs first. The Arlo starts at $99. 99 for the equipment whereas Blink is a bit more at $39. 99 but can go as high as $100 depending on your choice of cameras. Neither company requires a contract, though, instead providing month-to-month service. Also important, neither system comes with 24/7 monitoring services. Both of these systems connect to Alexa and Alexa-enabled devices. And, both offer easy, do-it-yourself installation and indoor and outdoor camera options. And if you're looking for battery-powered cameras, both brands have those in their lineups as well. 3. Zmodo Zmodo doesn’t get a lot of attention but it can be a good option overall for those looking for an even more affordable alternative to Arlo. It is a more basic company with fewer integration options, but offers a solid design. Like the Arlo, it requires only do-it-yourself installation. There are no contracts here either with both systems operating on month-to-month systems. When comparing them, recognize that both offer good camera quality, built-in motion sensors, and night vision. Both systems include night vision as well. The companies allow you to customize your camera setups to include more or a higher quality of cameras. Zmodo cameras are less durable, but they can be more affordable. It costs about $100 for a four-pack (though there are other options available. ) Arlo cameras cost a bit more, starting at $99. However, both companies do not provide for monitoring service and recording. Users can subscribe to the Arlo’s subscriptions if desired. Zmodo comes through with its overall versatility and low-cost cameras. The overall quality may be better with Arlo, but for those who want basic home monitoring, Zmodo can work well by offering an easy-to-use solution.

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### Ring Doorbell Alternatives

> Lorex Doorbell Camera offers the best picture quality, Google Nest excels in AI features, and Arlo delivers top value among Ring alternatives.

- Published: 2019-01-21
- Modified: 2025-04-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-doorbell-alternatives/

While Ring might be one of the biggest names in the game when it comes to video doorbells, that doesn’t mean they’re the only option you should consider. While it’s true that Ring makes some pretty killer doorbells that can fit the needs of pretty much any security need or budget, the fact of the matter is not everyone — the author included — is wild about their design. Add to that the privacy issues the company recently dealt with along with increasing monthly subscription prices, and you’ll see why it makes sense to consider some video doorbells from other manufacturers. Ring Video Doorbell 3, Installed Our experts have worked with countless video doorbells over the years and we’ve used that experience to develop this list of the three best Ring alternatives. So before you click “buy now,” make sure you read up on the competition. Doorbell cameras work best in conjunction with a security system. Read our SimpliSafe Video Doorbell review and discover its powerful capabilities when used with a SimpliSafe security system. Lorex Doorbell Camera – Our Choice for Best Video Quality Nest Video Doorbell – Or Choice for Best AI Features Arlo Video Doorbell – Our Choice for Top Features and Tech So let’s take a closer look at these three alternatives and see why we’d recommend them for consumers considering something other than Ring’s offerings. "With self-monitoring systems, if the homeowner is paying attention, the dispatch times are actually quicker than professionally monitored systems. However, if the homeowner is not monitoring their system, the alarm will only be dispatched when the homeowner notices. We just had a case where the homeowner caught a burglary on camera. His alarm sounded but was never dispatched because the homeowner was at a family event. When the homeowner finally noticed, it was too late. " Read more about Joshua Lee → Lorex Doorbell Camera — Best Picture Quality Let’s not beat around the bush. The primary reason you want a video doorbell is to be able to tell what’s going on beyond your front door with some reasonable amount of clarity. That’s where the Lorex Doorbell camera really shines. Lorex Doorbell Camera on the table In our review of the Lorex 2K QHD Wired Video Doorbell, we were pretty blown away by the picture quality this unit provided. If you haven’t seen the difference between 1080p and 2K resolution, it’s not negligible. This doorbell is able to pick up details other doorbells might miss, especially at long distances. This is really crucial when you consider the fact that video doorbells aren’t just a novelty — they’re functional pieces of security equipment. While we reviewed the 2K model, Lorex has since put out a 4K resolution video doorbell. If you really want to make sure you’re seeing everything there is to see, that would be our recommendation. But the resolution isn’t the only thing worth talking about here. Lorex’s doorbell captured a frame that spanned 164 degrees — that was more than enough to capture details across our entire front porch without any blind spots. Lorex Doorbell Camera Field of View One last point on the picture quality and we’ll move on. We do need to point out that the Lorex Video Doorbell is one of the few doorbell cameras that records in color night vision. When the sun went down, we were still watching a video feed that was sharper than a lot of the daytime footage we’ve seen from top-of-the-line security cameras. In sum, if you’re looking for a video doorbell that’s going to deliver the highest quality recordings possible, this is a model to consider. With that in mind, though, let’s talk a little about the drawbacks. First, out of Lorex's four flagship video doorbells, only one is battery operated. That means the other three are going to have to be hardwired. Now before you start immediately scrolling down, we do want to say that this isn’t as big of a job as you might think. The wired versions of Lorex’s doorbells work with your existing doorbell wiring — you just need to unscrew the old unit, connect two wires, and you’re off to the races. Installing the Lorex Doorbell Camera The other drawback is the price. While we wouldn’t say Lorex doorbells are prohibitively expensive, they aren’t necessarily cheap, either. Here’s a quick breakdown of their four video doorbells, their specs, and their prices. Lorex Video Doorbell Prices Video Doorbell Power Source Price Sale Price Lorex 4K Wired $199. 99 $179. 99 Lorex 2K Wired $199. 99 $149. 99 Lorex 2K Battery $179. 99 $129. 99 Lorex 1080p Wired $79. 99 N/A The good news is most homes won’t need multiple video doorbells — one is plenty for most folks — and Lorex is pretty consistently offering deals. We have more on that in our guide to Lorex’s pricing, but with a little shopper savvy, you can pick one of these units up for significantly less than the retail price. Looking for a video doorbell that offers more than just crystal-clear picture quality, though? Let’s talk a little about the Google Nest Video Doorbell. Google Nest Video Doorbell — Best AI Features If you’re looking for some technological bells and whistles, may we direct your attention to the Google Nest Video Doorbell. The Google Nest Doorbell This follow-up to the Nest Hello Doorbell offers improvements on both design and functionality. It also refined some of the more interesting features, namely the Nest Video Doorbell’s facial recognition feature. Now notice that I didn’t say person detection. Person detection is an AI feature that pretty much any higher-end video doorbell is going to offer these days. Google’s facial recognition, though, takes things a step further. Not only does it recognize people approaching your property, it learns who they are. Approaching the Nest Video Doorbell With a subscription to Nest Aware – $8 per month — your doorbell will start recognizing faces that show up at your door frequently. For us, that meant our partner, our friends, and the delivery guy from the pizza place in town. What can we say — it’s the best slice around. Now why would you want this functionality? Aside from the “cool” factor, it actually helps you quickly determine whether or not you need to respond to a smart notification on your phone. Being told that our partner was walking up didn’t raise any suspicion, while “unrecognized person” raised an eyebrow. Nine times out of ten it was just someone dropping off an Amazon package, but having your doorbell know the difference between a known party and a stranger is pretty impressive when it comes to security. The Nest Doorbell installed Now that we’ve heard the highlights, though, let’s talk about some of the drawbacks you might want to consider. Having personally tested the Nest Video Doorbell for a number of weeks, we can tell you that the battery life isn’t ideal — especially right out of the box. After we installed the Nest Video Doorbell on our front door, it was only about three weeks before we were taking it down again to charge up. A lot of this, though, had to do with the sensitivity settings. After setting some activity zones and decreasing the trigger thresholds for events, we were getting about a month and a half of juice out of the unit. If you don’t want to have to worry about recharging your unit, Google also offers a wired version of their Video Doorbell. Installation is a little more complicated, but you never need to mess with it again. Price is also a consideration. At $179. 99 retail, it’s one of the more expensive video doorbells out there. For context, Ring’s cheapest model is about $60, but you’re not going to get anywhere near the functionality you’d see with the Nest unit. For folks who are just looking for core features like person detection and package recognition, this doorbell might be more than you need. If so, let’s have a look at our third and final Ring Alternative — the Arlo Video Doorbell. Arlo Video Doorbell – Best Value Arlo Video Doorbell If you’re looking for an alternative to Ring’s line of doorbells, you shouldn’t overlook Arlo. It has some of the coolest features we’ve seen this year in a video Doorbell, and you can’t beat the price point. At only $150, this sleek little doorbell still outperforms most of its counterparts that cost twice as much. One of Arlo’s tag lines is that their doorbells “sees what others can’t,” which we found to be true. Its 1536x1536 resolution gets the job done, and more importantly, it gets it done reliably. While testing the Arlo Video Doorbell, we found it never skipped a beat. Arlo Doorbell The numbers in a digital camera’s resolution (ie: Number x Number) refer to the number of pixels in the image itself. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the more detailed the image will be. We were also impressed with Arlo’s two-way talk functionality that worked through our phone rather than push notifications from an app which can be easy to miss. While using the Arlo Video Doorbell, we were always able to know exactly when a visitor was at our door. “I recently went out of the country on vacation and my pest control company needed to get into the backyard. Unfortunately, we have a stubborn back gate. Instead of trying to call him, I used the two-way communication feature on my camera to tell him how to get in. Once he was in the backyard, I used the two-way communication feature again to tell him where our trouble areas were. I did this all from over 3,000 miles away. " The Arlo doorbell also offers some interesting advanced features like smart notifications, which can differentiate between people, vehicles, animals, and other types of motion. Although the technology isn’t perfect, this feature was helpful for us, as we live on a pretty busy road. Without being able to differentiate between different types of movement, our phone would be going crazy all day with false alerts, picking up motion of cars driving by, people walking their dogs, you name it. Arlo Doorbell Video Quality Also worth noting is the e911 function. This puts the Arlo Video Doorbell in a class of its own. If there’s an emergency, with a few clicks you can dial 911 from the app and be connected with a first responder. But what if you’re out of town and something happens? Don’t worry — Arlo knows. No matter where you are, the e911 call routes to the dispatch center closest to the address where the unit is located, meaning first responders will be able to help as quickly as possible, even if you’re on vacation in the Bahamas. Arlo Doorbell Call Options We also found that the Arlo Video Doorbell packages and add-ons are pretty unique, and for the price, there’s not an alternative Ring product that offers what Arlo does. At the end of the day, we can say that Arlo is a really impressive smart doorbell camera, and we think it’s a great alternative for anyone looking for non-Ring entryway monitoring and protection. The Bottom Line: Ring Doorbell Alternatives While your mind might immediately go to Ring when you’re thinking about video doorbells, you can see that there are plenty of options out there for people who are looking for features Ring simply doesn’t offer. We personally use a Nest Video Doorbell at our home — we like the facial recognition and the sleek look — but there are definitely other options out there that we’d encourage you to explore. One of the best starting points is our guide to the best video doorbells of . When it comes to security needs everyone is unique, so don’t feel like you need to go with the one-size-fits-all option. Do some research, and above all, stay safe!

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### Arlo vs Lorex Comparison

> Arlo is easier to set up and more affordable, while Lorex offers advanced tech with a Skype feature. Both provide excellent video quality and cloud options.

- Published: 2019-01-21
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-lorex/

Arlo and Lorex are both camera-based home security systems. While both are rather simplistic, Lorex is more technologically advanced offering a Skype feature and various types of settings in terms of recording video. Both offer cloud storage options and are easy to use. Arlo is much easier to set up however and is much more affordable depending on the level of security you are trying to achieve. Overview: Arlo vs Lorex Arlo and Lorex cameras offer a wide variety of features that include motion detection, continues recording, and cloud storage. Both can be easily installed by the homeowner and provide excellent picture quality even with the most basic of camera choices. There are several cloud storage options to choose from that will allow you to store videos for as long little or as long as you want. Lorex offers a Skype feature Both have a baby monitor feature Neither require contracts Lorex has a more complex set up process Arlo is easy to install Similarities: Lorex vs Arlo Arlo and Lorex offer motion detection sensors that are built into their cameras. Both systems can be customizes as to when recording takes place, be it continuous, scheduled or when triggered by the motion detection sensor. Cloud storage options are available that allow for both short and long-term options. Both systems offer effective night vision options Cloud storage can be purchased on a month-to-month basis Two-talk capabilities are offered by both High-quality video for both indoor and outdoor cameras Both systems are set up to handle multiple cameras at one time Differences: Lorex vs Arlo Even though both Arlo and Lorex systems use cameras as their main device, Lorex includes a 7-inch monitor that can be used for Skyping. While Arlo's apps can be used for both iOS and Android smartphones and devices, Lorex is not compatible with the Apple platform. Arlo is also capable of pairing with smart home devices while Lorex does have limitations. Lorex offers two-way communication Arlo is compatible with Alexa and other smart home platforms Lorex's more advanced cameras are not fully wireless Lorex offers local storage to a desktop computer Arlo allows for third-party integration Features Arlo offers a fully wireless home security system that includes night vision, baby monitor coverage, and support of as many as 60 cameras. Motion sensors are built into the cameras and will send notifications if an alert is triggered. Arlo's system is compatible with multiple platforms including iOS and Android. Lorex camera features include night vision, temperature control, Skype capabilities, and two-way communication. Lorex's platform pairs well with Android operating systems, not so much with iOS. They offer several cloud storage options. Contracts Neither company requires a contract or service agreement of any kind. Pricing Arlo's cameras range in price from $250 to $480, depending on where you purchase them from. You can possibly find them cheaper if you purchase from outlets like Amazon or Best Buy. There are two basic plans starting at $9. 99 a month of $100 per year for the Basic plan and $14. 99 per month or $149 per year for the Elite. Lorex cameras range in price from $99 to $3000 depending on the type and number you buy. There are no shipping fees and you can receive a full refund if everything is returned in 60 days. Storage fees are approximately $6. 99 a month or $70 for a year. Equipment Arlo offers the Arlo Pro and the Arlo Pro 2. Both offer high-resolution video and images in addition to two-way communication. The Arlo Pro 2 gives you the option to set up zones in high traffic areas. They also offer the Arlo security light. Lorex offers many different cameras that start at 1080p and increase in terms of resolution and quality. Lorex also includes a 7-inch monitor which can be used for Skyping. Lorex is well-known for having some of the most technologically advanced cameras in the industry. Installation Arlo is easy to install and use. Installation can be completed in just a few minutes. Lorex is a more complex system to install but is easy to use once it is up and running. Emergency Connections Arlo can be paired with devices for partial home automation. Third-party integration allows for notifications to both the subscriber's contact lists as well as emergency responders. Lorex is more of a self-monitoring system and will allow you to monitor your system from almost anywhere. It's up to you to notify emergency responders, however. Summary: Arlo vs Lorex Arlo is the best choice out of the two for homeowners who want a simple system that is affordable and customizable. Lorex is a good choice if you want top of the line cameras and the ability to Skype. It's costly, but worth the money if you want the best. Read our full review of Arlo Read our full review of Lorex

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### ADT vs Honeywell Comparison

> ADT is better for home security with 24/7 monitoring, professional installation, and six-month money-back guarantee, despite higher cost compared to Honeywell.

- Published: 2019-01-21
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-honeywell/

When shopping for a new home security setup, you need to find one that both offers the latest innovative features and still remains within your household budget. ADT and Honeywell are two of the industry’s best-known brands for reliability and advanced features, but each share a variety of similar and differing characteristics. We recently got our hands on ADT and Honeywell Home packages and decided to do some digging. Here are the ins and outs of each system to better help you choose the right option for you. Honeywell Home Security Similarities Between ADT and Honeywell Home After testing each system, we were surprised to find that ADT and Honeywell match up well as far as features go. They each offer the latest technological advancements, such as entry sensors and motion detectors, and the mobile apps for both companies give you the power to control their systems remotely. Honeywell and ADT also offer at least partial home automation, which is a plus in our book! To top things off, each company sells their systems through authorized dealers and provides the option for professional installation. Both ADT and Honeywell offer security services to businesses as well. Companies even receive almost all of the same features and benefits as homeowners do. Differences Between ADT and Honeywell Although both are excellent systems, we found that there are key differences between Honeywell and ADT that could be a deciding factor for you. Each company provides services to customers who sometimes have pretty different demands for what they need, making it difficult to compare the two at times. But, that’s what we’re here for! ADT vs. Honeywell — Pricing First off, ADT is more expensive than Honeywell overall. The lowest package starts at $29 per month for the essentials, and you have to pay a $99 installation fee up front. Their priciest package, with all the bells and whistles, costs $60 per month. Honeywell packages, on the other hand, range between $200 and $500 for the equipment. At first glance, it would appear that they are more expensive than ADT, but once you pay for your system, there are no more additional costs aside from what you’d pay a third-party monitoring service provider. Contracts When it comes to contracts, all ADT customers must sign a three-year contract for their services. We aren’t particularly fond of long-term contracts so it’s refreshing to see that, with Honeywell, no contract is required. However, you may need to sign an agreement with the monitoring service provider you end up choosing. That said, ADT does have a generous six-month money-back guarantee. So there’s always an out (at least in the first year). To learn more about ADT’s terms, head over to our guide on ADT Contracts. On the other hand, with Honeywell Home, you can find dealers who don't require contracts. Most do, though, and they're usually up to three years long. But if you're determined to avoid contracts, you'll likely find a dealer that can provide Honeywell products to you contract-free. 24/7 Professional Monitoring ADT offers professional monitoring services to alert the authorities if there is an emergency. By contrast, Honeywell does not provide any professional monitoring, which is typically essential to have a truly reliable home security setup. This doesn’t mean you're out of luck and left in a lurch! You just need to sign up for monitoring services with a third-party provider and you’ll be good to go. All ADT systems must be professionally installed and, unfortunately, you’ll be charged a one-time $99 installation fee for this service. Honeywell, on the other hand, does not install any of its own systems. Instead, their authorized dealers will offer you professional installation at a price point they determine is fitting. Luckily, you might have the option to install the system completely on your own, depending on the equipment involved and the dealer’s requirements (a relief for you DIYers). ADT owns and runs six monitoring centers for your convenience. These monitoring centers are complete mirrors of each other, so that in case one is unable to operate, the others can take over. This is called redundancy, and we find this pretty impressive as Honeywell does not have any of their own monitoring stations. To receive monitoring services through Honeywell, you must go instead through a third-party provider. ADT Home Security Equipment Top Features and Tech of ADT and Honeywell If you’re anything like us, you get excited about the latest innovations and tech developments, especially as it relates to the realm of home security. Both ADT and Honeywell offer some of the newest and coolest features in the industry, and we think you may be surprised to learn about some of the top benefits you can expect from each system. ADT Features and Tech By far, ADT is the industry leader when it comes to home security. They offer not only equipment sales and installation, but also service packages (six total) from a QuickConnect option to a Family one. Each security system package through ADT consists of a control panel, an indoor alert system, and a single touchpad that controls features throughout the home. ADT systems also include: High-Quality Equipment: As a leader in the home security industry, you can count on ADT to use the most modern and innovative equipment available to create your system. Motion Detectors: State-of-the-art motion detectors will alert you when there is any type of unusual activity happening outside your home. Indoor/Outdoor Cameras: Enjoy 24/7 surveillance in all areas of your home and property with indoor and outdoor cameras that are weather resistant. Integration of Devices From Other Brands: Do you want to add a doorbell video camera by Ring or a Google Nest thermostat? With ADT, integrating devices from other brands is easy. Window and Door Entry Sensors: Be alerted immediately if a door or window is opened in your home unexpectedly. Touchscreen Keypad: The simple and easy-to-use touchscreen keypad makes controlling your home security system less of a chore and more of a modern convenience. ADT Control Panel Remember, ADT offers a six-month money-back guarantee on all its security systems. That makes it refreshing when testing out a new device if you decide it’s not right for you. ADT offers high-quality equipment, and their packages are customizable to suit your home’s specific needs. Most packages include a touchscreen control panel, key fob, entry sensors, motion sensors, and environmental detectors. The company provides indoor and outdoor cameras, video doorbell viewers with two-way communication, and other devices for an extra cost. Other safety equipment, such as a panic button and carbon monoxide (CO) detector, can also be added. Personal note: We feel both of these are worthy investments, especially when it comes to CO. It’s hard to detect this odorless gas without a sensor, which is why it can be so dangerous for you and your loved ones. It becomes even more valuable with the addition of professional monitoring that can dispatch the proper authorities on your behalf in times of distress. With ADT’s home security systems, the professional monitoring center will be alerted if the system is triggered. They will notify emergency responders, and additional notifications can be sent to the user contact list. To learn more about ADT, take a look at our hands-on ADT review. Honeywell Home Features and Tech Honeywell is another well-known provider in the home security industry. The company manufactures its own systems, but does not monitor or install them directly. Although this might come across as an inconvenience, Honeywell makes up for it by offering you long-term savings on their security systems. They also include many benefits that make it a fierce competitor for ADT. Here are some benefits of Honeywell’s equipment: Camera Base Compatible with Alexa: Now, you can use your Alexa devices in your home to help control your home security system and easily change settings. Z-Wave Technology: The innovative Z-Wave technology allows you to control your lighting, thermostat, and other compatible devices or appliances in your home. Entry Sensors: Find out if your windows or doors are open with sensors that can detect movement. 60-Day Recording Capabilities: Go back and review activity inside or outside your home over the past 60 days with your Honeywell system. High-Quality Equipment: Similar to ADT, Honeywell is known for making high-quality devices made with the best materials available. Honeywell offers a one-year warranty on their home security systems, which is a plus as you never really know when equipment might decide to suddenly give out. Honeywell systems feature the innovative Lyric panel that includes a glass break and siren detector. Additional equipment consists of a base unit, touchscreen keypad, entry sensors, motion detectors, a Wi-Fi module, and a Z-Wave module for smart home automation. You’ll also have the option to add on equipment such as indoor/outdoor cameras à la carte. ADT vs. Honeywell: Cost and Fees Whether we like it or not, price is usually the determining factor for most when purchasing a home security system. Luckily, both companies offer reasonable base plans that will (at minimum) serve to keep your home safe. ADT Pricing ADT is pretty straightforward and offers four basic packages: The Basic plan costs $28 per month. The Basic + Wireless Connect plan costs $49 per month. The ADT Pulse + Video plan costs $59 per month. The ADT Pulse + Smart Home Connect plan is $60 per month. Note that you do not have to pay for ADT equipment up front. Rather, the equipment price is rolled into your monthly fee. ADT requires a three-year contract and charges a $99 installation fee up front. But honestly, this isn’t a deal breaker for us. To learn more about ADT’s offerings, check out our roundup of ADT’s pricing, packages, and plans. Honeywell Pricing Honeywell, on the other hand, has equipment packages that range between $250 to $500. The prices vary depending on the dealer you purchase from and, keep in mind, you’ll also have to pay separate fees for third-party professional monitoring. Honeywell’s systems may cost more out of the gate, but you’ll save money over time because there are no monthly fees involved. Honeywell also does not require customers to sign a contract because they do not offer professional monitoring services. On that note, if you subscribe to a third-party service, you might have to sign a contract with that specific company. Contracts, while sometimes annoying, are not a big deal for us so long as the monitoring is fast and reliable. This is why we appreciate a money-back guarantee that allows us to test out the systems first! Which Is Better: ADT or Honeywell? ADT and Honeywell are both excellent options for your home security setup; however, the one you choose highly depends on how much you are willing to pay and which features you genuinely desire for your home’s system. ADT is a popular choice because most folks are familiar with the brand (and the front lawn signs). They have gained a strong reputation over the years for being a reliable and dependable home security provider, offering a range of packages. Their systems include many of today’s top features, from touchscreen panels and entry sensors to indoor and outdoor cameras. ADT is also the best system if you’re looking for a dependable, well-rounded option that offers both professional installation and monitoring services. The company can provide you and your family with valuable peace of mind while you are home or away. Honeywell is also an excellent money-saving option for your home security needs. The company is well-known in the industry for its innovative Z-Wave technology — among other features — and is a good option if you’re hoping to save money over time. When all is said and done, if you’re looking for a reliable system that will be professionally installed and includes monitoring services with their monthly plan, we think ADT is your best bet. But suppose you’d prefer to shop around to find a more affordable monitoring service provider, avoid long-term contracts, and have the opportunity to install your system on your own? In this case, you may want to consider a Honeywell security system instead. Overall, both are well known and respected companies in the world of home security and, truthfully, you won’t go wrong with either option.

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### SimpliSafe Doorbell Camera

> SimpliSafe Video Doorbell offers 1080p HD, dual-motion sensors, and a 162° view for $169. No smart home integration, requires wiring, and optional $4.99/month cloud plan.

- Published: 2019-01-18
- Modified: 2025-07-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/doorbell/



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### Vivint Doorbell Camera

> Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro offers 1664p HDR, 180° FOV, Smart Deter tech, but needs a Vivint system. Not the cheapest, but solid for comprehensive security.

- Published: 2019-01-18
- Modified: 2025-03-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/doorbell/



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### Best Smart Locks

> August is the top smart lock for 2025, followed by Yale and Schlage. August offers easy installation, great design, and seamless smart home integration.

- Published: 2019-01-17
- Modified: 2025-08-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/smart-locks/best/



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### Wyze Cam Reviews

> Wyze Cam v3 offers great features like color night vision and person detection but lacks battery backup. The v3 Pro model is a better choice with 2K resolution.

- Published: 2019-01-16
- Modified: 2024-11-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/wyze/reviews/



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### The Best Nest Cam Alternatives

> Arlo cameras, offering up to 4K resolution and AI features, are top Nest Cam alternatives. Blink and Reolink provide budget-friendly options with local storage.

- Published: 2019-01-14
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/nest-cam-alternative/

What should you do if Nest Cams are out of your price range or don’t fit your needs? Thankfully, there are three excellent alternatives that are easy to install, don’t require subscriptions, and include AI features like person detection. In fact, some alternatives, like our top pick Arlo, have cameras with higher resolution video than Nest Cams. Blink and Reolink are two other alternatives we recommend. They are budget-friendly, they feature local storage options, and they have color night vision. Let’s take a closer look at each option to see how they compare to Nest Cams and why they might be a better fit for your needs. To get started, here are a few pros and cons of Nest Cams: 1. Best Video Quality Alternative: Arlo The Arlo Essential Indoor camera offers better video resolution than the Nest Cam (wired). Arlo might not be a household name like Google, we know it makes some of the best home security cameras on the market. From the budget-friendly Essential to the top-of-the-line Ultra, you should have no trouble finding a Nest Cam alternative you can set up on your own. In our hands-on review of Arlo, we were charmed by these well-built cameras, especially with the integrated spotlight, color night vision, up to 180-degree field of view, and 4K resolution. Moreover, Arlo’s equipment prices are competitive. The mid-range Arlo cameras we tested from the Arlo Pro lineup ranged from $150 to $200, while the Arlo Wired Floodlight – a direct competition of the Nest Cam with Floodlight – costs only $149. That’s $130 cheaper than its Nest Cam counterpart. Like Nest Cams, Arlo requires a subscription to access advanced features like person detection and cloud storage. Plans are $7. 99 per month for one camera and $17. 99 per month for unlimited cameras. That’s similar to our Nest Aware subscription – $8 per month per camera or $15 per month for unlimited cameras. Video resolution should not be the sole factor in the performance of your camera, but we have to hand it to Arlo here. The Arlo Pro 5S 2K we tested produces sharp 2K footage, with a 160-degree field of view and 12x zoom. In comparison, the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) offers 1080p resolution, 130-degree field of view, and 6x zoom. We were impressed with the quality of the video from our Arlo Pro 5S 2K compared to Nest Cams. If 2K footage isn’t enough for you, the Arlo Ultra 2 will get you an even more spectacular picture with 4K HDR, combined with an ultra-wide 180-degree viewing angle. It also features color night vision. The Nest Cam with floodlight is capable of color night vision, but the Ultra 2 has a sleeker design with its integrated spotlight rather than separate floodlights. >> Other Options: The Best 4K Home Security Cameras in With Nest, we expect to pay more in terms of individual equipment than other brands, with the top-of-the-line Google Nest Cam with floodlight retailing for $279. 99. The cheapest Nest Cam starts at $99. 99, while Arlo’s entry-level model begins at $49. 99. However, we recommend comparing Arlo to Nest side by side to ensure equivalent features, including their subscription plans. >> Read More: Nest Home Security System Cost and Pricing in We do have a word of caution should you choose Nest or Arlo cameras: You’re going to need a pretty strong Wi-Fi connection to keep all that data transmitting smoothly. If you’ve got that, you’re sure to be blown away by the image quality, as well as be impressed overall by your cameras’ performance, no matter what. If your Wi-Fi has a tendency to go out, we recommend checking out the Arlo Go 2. It can connect to 4G LTE networks during power or Wi-Fi outages. Prices start from $199. 99. 2. Best Budget-Friendly Alternative: Blink It didn’t take us long to set up our wireless Blink Outdoor camera – we just had to pick the perfect spot. Blink is one of our favorite entry-level options, and though it’s quite bare bones compared to the technology and features Nest Cams offer, we find that the brand offers great price-to-feature ratio given that most its cameras cost less than $100. Some might know Blink as the younger sibling of Ring security cameras, but Blink is also a strong camera system on its own. Blink doesn’t overwhelm you with dozens of camera options. You’ll find a few indoor and outdoor devices as well as a wired and wireless video doorbell. >> Check Out: The Best Video Doorbell Cameras of Blink’s cameras and packages are reasonably priced. You can walk away with a Blink Mini, Outdoor 4, and Video Doorbell for less than $300 to cover key areas throughout your home. Subscriptions are optional, but we recommend signing up. Prices start at $3 a month, which is cheaper than Nest Aware’s basic plan at $8 per month. That said, Google’s subscriptions offer more advanced features like facial recognition and sound detection. Most Blink cameras don’t even support those features, although the Blink Outdoor 4 we tested recently has person detection. The catch? You need a cloud subscription to access it. Blink cameras have plenty of strengths, but integrating with non-Amazon devices is not one of them. Sadly, not all brands play nice with each other – find out which ones do in our home automation guide. Our Blink Outdoor Camera with the Sync Module, which allows us to install our device up to 400 feet away. Of course, the Nest Cam range is going to cost you more than Blink’s offering. The high-end Nest Cam with floodlight retails for $279. 99. Blink’s Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera starts at $129. 98. So if you’re not interested in Nest’s advanced bells and whistles, Blink is a more affordable alternative. One of Nest’s advanced features is Activity Zones, letting you ignore areas with constant movement. 3. Best Outdoor Camera Alternative: Reolink An industry veteran, Reolink offers a much larger selection of equipment cameras than Nest Cams. In our Reolink review, we noted the ease of installing Reolink’s battery-powered range, the quality of the video resolution, and the extensive smart detection features available out of the box. As the Reolink Argus 3 Pro is wireless, we can install it outside ourselves. The first thing you’ll notice about Reolink is their extensive selection of cameras. It’s also clear that their cameras are budget-friendly while offering flexibility. For example, most devices come with advanced motion detection features without requiring a subscription. Even the cloud plans are affordable. Reolink’s wireless cameras run on batteries and require regular charging. So if you buy a Reolink camera, it’s important to remember to change the battery regularly. Check out our roundup of the best battery-powered cameras for more options. Additionally, many Reolink cameras deliver up to 4K resolution. Their Argus series, in newer releases, are equipped with PIR motion sensing technology, which allow the cameras we tested to distinguish humans from flying bugs or swaying branches in our front yard. When it comes to total home security, Reolink and Nest cameras are up to the task. We’ve experienced it first hand with Nest when we tested the latest ADT security system, which incorporates Nest Cams. Reolink exclusively relies on security cameras to protect your home over other equipment like entry sensors. >> Learn: How to Effectively Place Security Sensors in Your Home We chose the wired Google Nest Cam for our garage, as it doesn’t take up a lot of space. One of the hassles with outdoor cameras is changing or recharging the batteries. The Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) lasts up to seven months per charge. That’s on par with Reolink. The Reolink Altas PT Ultra is the standout with a battery that lasts over a year on a single charge. If you’d rather avoid climbing a ladder to replace Nest and Reolink batteries, consider solar panels. Both brands support external solar panels to extend battery life. Price-wise, a high-quality outdoor camera like the Reolink Argus 3 costs $70. Some of the high-end models cost over $300. With so many options available and optional subscriptions, you’re more likely to find something within your budget compared to Nest’s three-camera lineup. If you want cloud storage, plans range from $6 to $25 per month. The Reolink Argus 3, Argus 2, and Argus Eco cameras we personally chose to compare with Nest Cams. Final Thoughts on Nest Cam Alternatives There aren’t too many cameras that can match the precision and technical prowess of a Nest Cam. These cameras bring a new level of intelligence to the entire concept of home security – and that is a very big deal. But as you might have picked up on by now, these cameras are also pretty expensive. With a Nest camera topping out at almost $300, it’s a relief to know that there are viable alternatives out there, not only among the Arlo, Blink, and Reolink cameras we mentioned above, but across the entire industry as well. FAQs

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### The Top Three Alternatives to Vivint in [year]

> Vivint is one of the best home security systems on the market today. Here is a look at three alternatives to Vivint and how they stack up.

- Published: 2019-01-14
- Modified: 2025-04-25
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-alternative/

Vivint's eye-catching security cameras, quality equipment, and entry-level monitoring pricing are among its best traits, especially considering that every system comes with professional installation. Vivint's premium equipment and the excellent Vivint app keep it near the top of our security system rankings — as we noted in our Vivint review — but it also commands some of the highest prices you'll see among smart home security providers. While the brand's monitoring plans have reasonable starting costs, it quickly gets out of hand when adding multiple security cameras to your system. If those criticisms make you second-guess getting a Vivint system, you're in the right place. Let's explore three worthwhile alternatives to Vivint — ADT, SimpliSafe, and Frontpoint — to see if one fits your needs and budget better. Like all Vivint equipment, the $400 Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro is pricey. ADT: Best Vivint Alternative After testing ADT first-hand, it is our pick for the best home security system, making it our first choice for the best Vivint alternative. While ADT's status as the largest and oldest security company is part of its appeal, the lower equipment prices, shorter contract terms, and unmatched Google Nest integration give it a definitive advantage over Vivint. Let's dig into a few reasons why you should choose ADT. All ADT security systems use Google Nest security cameras. Similarities Between Vivint and ADT ADT is the only alternative on our list specializing in professional installation services like Vivint, which means setting aside time for a service appointment when buying your system. Still, having an experienced technician install your system is a nice perk compared to the DIY approach because they already know the setup process and have plenty of tools. Whether you choose ADT or Vivint, it's worth noting that professional installation also means a mandatory contract. ADT's contract is 36 months, while Vivint's lasts up to 60 months. On the bright side, both made our list of the best professionally installed security systems. You can expect an excellent home security mobile app experience from both brands. Testing both their apps, we found it easy to control smart devices, check camera feeds, and arm our system from our smartphones. We also found Vivint and ADT cameras more advanced than most other brands. They use smart detection to identify potential threats and various other measures to deter criminals. Plus, whether you're watching for a delivery or an unwelcome intruder, the security cameras have excellent image quality. Vivint and ADT also have the same core equipment selection, so you won't miss out on building an effective whole-home security system. But, ADT shines when we look at how it differs from Vivint. >> Compare: Vivint vs. ADT Differences Between Vivint and ADT ADT's most notable difference from Vivint is that professional installation is optional. The online shop defaults to DIY installation and a month-to-month contract when you select the option to customize your system. Vivint, on the other hand, required us to get our system installed by a Smart Home Pro, although it gave us the option to go with a month-to-month Vivint contract by paying for our equipment upfront. There's also a great selection of ADT equipment packages costing as little as $199 upfront. Meanwhile, Vivint's base equipment package typically costs at least $600 and includes fewer sensors. The average cost of ADT equipment is roughly half as much as Vivint's. Double-check that your ADT equipment package doesn't require a contract as part of a sales promotion — ADT puts a disclaimer and terms link under its deals. One of the best parts of an ADT security system is its native integration with Google Nest smart home devices like the Nest Thermostat and Google Nest Cam. In particular, the Google Nest security cameras give Vivint's pricey options a run for their money. While we'll still give Vivint's overall equipment quality the edge over ADT, there's only so much that basic security sensors can do, regardless of the cost. >> Check Out: Our Hands-On Review of the Google Nest Cams SimpliSafe: Best Budget Vivint Alternative SimpliSafe doesn't have an army of professional installers like Vivint, and that's the point. By focusing on DIY installation, SimpliSafe can offer some of the lowest equipment and monitoring prices on the market. We found the installation process easy enough during our SimpliSafe testing, but it's still more work than relying on a Vivint technician. Regardless, SimpliSafe is an excellent budget alternative to Vivint. Let's see how they stack up. >> More Budget Picks: The Best and Most Affordable Security Systems of SimpliSafe's wireless outdoor security camera is easy to install without running a power cable. Similarities Between Vivint and SimpliSafe As you might expect from most modern home security systems, SimpliSafe and Vivint offer a suite of sensors, security cameras, and app controls. Since fancy equipment isn't always enough to deter an intruder, they back up their offerings with 24/7 professional monitoring. Monitoring personnel can quickly summon emergency responders when your system triggers an alarm, especially when you can't. Another big similarity we saw is how both systems use security cameras as active deterrents. SimpliSafe and Vivint security cameras don’t just sit in the corner recording every important event; they can also drive away intruders through chimes and lights (for Vivint cameras) or even real human intervention through two-way talk (for SimpliSafe cameras). That's it for the similarities because everything else about SimpliSafe and Vivint is fundamentally different. >> Compare: SimpliSafe vs. Vivint SimpliSafe even offers an optional professional installation service starting at $124. 99, if that's the only thing keeping your focus on Vivint. Differences Between Vivint and SimpliSafe SimpliSafe's DIY installation sets it apart from Vivint by enabling lower overall equipment prices. For some perspective, SimpliSafe equipment costs less than half as much as similar options from Vivint. SimpliSafe currently offers seven ready-made equipment packages starting at $250 — $350, lower than Vivint's starter option. SimpliSafe's professional monitoring is generally more affordable, starting at $21. 99 monthly. In contrast, Vivint's base monitoring price is $29. 99 a month. Adding security cameras to either system boosts the monthly fee by $10. However, SimpliSafe's Core plan includes Intruder Intervention. We tested SimpliSafe with this plan, and any time our sensors detected potential intruders, the privacy cover on our Wireless Indoor Camera snapped open for live video verification. The one time SimpliSafe agents caught us on cam and thought we were intruders, they used two-way talk to try to dissuade us. This is, in our opinion, more powerful than Vivint’s Smart Deter technology, which uses lights and chimes to deter criminals. Unfortunately, SimpliSafe's most expensive monitoring plans — Pro ($49. 99 per month) and Pro Plus ($79. 99 per month) — are pricier than Vivint's. But, these plans have something better than Intruder Intervention: Active Guard Outdoor Protection. Instead of waiting for sensors to detect intruders, the Wireless Outdoor Camera uses AI to detect lurkers and trespassers before they even break in. Then, SimpliSafe agents can also use two-way audio to intervene. SimpliSafe's Pro plan limits real-time video verification to the night (8 p. m. to 6 a. m. ), while Pro Plus offers the service 24/7. To save more money with SimpliSafe, you can self-monitor the system for free with the SimpliSafe mobile app, including viewing live feeds from your cameras. However, you can't record videos without the Self-Monitoring with Camera Recordings plan for $9. 99 monthly. Self-monitoring means no professional assistance in emergencies, but it's a great way to save on monthly security costs. >> Related: The Best Security Systems You Can Self-Monitor Frontpoint: An Excellent Vivint Alternative Frontpoint's advantages over Vivint are less pronounced than those of ADT and SimpliSafe. While it ranks among the best home security systems, Frontpoint's monthly monitoring costs more than Vivint's. When we tested and reviewed Frontpoint, its equipment didn't quite match Vivint's quality, and recent price increases make Frontpoint equipment less appealing unless you score a discount. Still, it's an excellent alternative to Vivint that's worth exploring. You can get the Frontpoint Outdoor Camera for around $115 or lower with some of Frontpoint's promotional prices. Similarities Between Vivint and Frontpoint Unsurprisingly, the biggest similarities we found between Frontpoint and Vivint are monitoring and equipment selection. Aside from a different pricing structure, each provider's plan gives you 24/7 access to a monitoring station filled with trained professionals. They'll check on your home when an alarm goes off and trigger an emergency response if necessary. Both systems also gave us a fast emergency response during break-in simulations, especially with their text alerts (less than a 10-second response time). While Frontpoint's equipment list is smaller than Vivint's, its smart security sensors are equally capable of tracking doors, windows, motion, glass breaking, smoke, and water leaks. You won't see as many smart home automation options with Frontpoint, but it offers excellent controls in the Frontpoint app. Differences Between Vivint and Frontpoint Frontpoint has a pair of notable differences compared to Vivint: pricing and installation. At $49. 99 per month, Frontpoint's monitoring plan is roughly $20 more than Vivint's base plan. But, unlike Vivint, Frontpoint has only a single monitoring plan tier. You won't pay extra for security camera recordings or smart home integration. Frontpoint's plan is a better option for security cameras because it doesn't charge a separate fee for each camera like Vivint does. For example, you'll pay roughly $50 monthly to use three security cameras with either system, but each extra Vivint camera tacks on another $5. With six cameras, Frontpoint is still $49. 99 per month, while Vivint clocks in at $64. 99 monthly. Vivint and Frontpoint each require a contract, though Frontpoint's 36-month term is better than Vivint's 60-month plan. Unfortunately, Frontpoint doesn't offer a month-to-month contract option as Vivint does. The second key difference is that Frontpoint systems are DIY, though you can opt for third-party professional installation via HelloTech starting at $99. Otherwise, you'll need time to read the instructions to get every sensor and camera where they belong. DIY might save money, but it's not for everyone, especially if you're too busy to set up a security system. It's nice that Frontpoint's DIY install comes with lower equipment prices, though the company isn't as affordable as it used to be. We recommend looking for deals on the Frontpoint shop, which can put equipment packages as low as $69, which is very competitive against Vivint's minimum purchase of $600. >> DIY Picks: The Best DIY Security Systems of Summary of Vivint Alternatives ADT's excellent equipment and great prices make it an easy recommendation among Vivint security alternatives for anyone seeking similar quality and excellent professional installation. SimpliSafe is hard to beat if you want to save money without a contract. Plus, DIY installation means you'll set up the system on your schedule. Frontpoint falls roughly between our top two recommendations and Vivint, though its single-tier monitoring plan compares favorably against Vivint if you want a lot of security cameras.

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### Life Alert vs. Apple Watch: Are They Good Medical Alert Systems?

> Life Alert offers better emergency support than Apple Watch for seniors, but it's costly and lacks fall detection. Apple Watch is cheaper but not specialized.

- Published: 2019-01-14
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/life-alert-vs-apple-watch/

Comparing the Apple Watch and Life Alert is like comparing apples to oranges — they are nothing alike except for a few things. Having tested both, though, we found that they can provide safety to seniors. Just in a totally different way. So, in this comparison, we’ll discuss and compare our experiences with the Apple Watch and Life Alert to help you decide which is better for senior safety. You might think that the Apple Watch is nothing but an Apple-made smartwatch. But, looking at its features closely, we know it’s capable of pretty great things for medical emergency detection. It comes with built-in features like GPS tracking and fall detection, which are things we commonly see from mobile medical alert systems — including the Life Alert HELP on-the-go + GPS. That said, neither the Apple Watch nor the Life Alert mobile device made our list of the best medical alert systems of . They didn’t even make our list of the best mobile medical alert systems. That should tell you that there are holes in their services, but can they at least provide safety to seniors? And, if so, which of them is better? We’ll answer those questions as we discuss our experience testing both devices side-by-side. If you want the best service overall, we’d suggest reading our Bay Alarm Medical review. It’s our highest-ranked medical alert system that offers traditional systems (like Life Alert) and a medical alert smartwatch with functions designed specifically for older adults. That smartwatch also made our list of the best medical alert devices you can wear as a watch. Overview: Apple Watch vs. Life Alert We should make it clear that Apple doesn’t advertise its smartwatch as a medical alert device, though it comes with some useful features. But, to us, that’s the appeal. It’s not a device designed just for seniors and users with a medical condition. It’s a stylish and functional smartwatch. Life Alert, on the other hand, offers systems designed specifically for medical emergency detection. They have at-home and on-the-go systems; the former is for users who spend most of their time at home, and the latter offers mobile medical emergency monitoring. From that alone we can tell that Life Alert is going to be the more well-rounded solution for most older adults looking for a medical alert system. But, don’t count the Apple Watch out yet. Let’s delve deeper into what they can each do, how much they cost, and their upsides and downsides. >> Further Reading: What to Look for When Buying a Medical Alert System Apple Watch vs. Life Alert: Costs To keep the comparison as close as possible, let’s compare the Apple Watch to Life Alert’s mobile medical alert system: HELP on-the-go + GPS. With an Apple Watch, all you need is the equipment plus a cellular plan to get help when needed. The latest model with GPS and cellular built in starts at $499 — or about $42 per month over 12 months if you choose financing. A cellular plan from major cell carriers starts at about $10 per month. That means, over the first year, expect the cost to be around $620 to $650. But, since that covers the equipment price, the cost should go down significantly in the second year and onward. If your Apple Watch is a GPS-only model, you can still use emergency calling by connecting it to your iPhone — as long as your iPhone has a cellular plan. Apple Watch Costs Apple Watch Series 10 Equipment Cost $499 (GPS + Cellular Version) Monthly Cost ~$10 to $12 (Cost of Cellular Plan) Estimated Cost Over the First Year $620 to $650 Estimated Cost Over the Second Year ~$120 to ~$145 That might sound expensive, but, surprisingly, a mobile medical alert system from Life Alert can cost you more. There’s no equipment fee because the devices are leased, not owned. However, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee worth around $90 to cover the cost of the lease and monitoring. There’s also a one-time membership fee — in our case, it was $197. Life Alert Costs HELP on-the-go + GPS Equipment Cost $0 (Leased) Monthly Cost $89. 95 (Lease + Monitoring) One-Time Membership Cost $197 Estimated Cost Over the First Year $1,275 Estimated Cost Over the Second Year $1,080 You should also consider the fact that Life Alert, unlike the Apple Watch, requires a contract — usually three years. That means, if you sign up, you should be ready to pay the monthly fee for the next three years. With an Apple Watch, the only contract is with the cellular provider, and the cost is several times lower. Strictly comparing just the price, the Apple Watch is more affordable. While it requires an initial hardware investment higher than any medical alert systems we’ve tested, the monthly cost is really low. >> Other Options: The Most Affordable Medical Alert Systems of Apple Watch vs. Life Alert: How They Work During Emergencies The Apple Watch may be cheaper, but can it work like the Life Alert mobile system can as a medical alert system? How the Apple Watch Works Testing the Apple Watch as a makeshift medical alert system showed us that it’s capable of keeping older adults safe at home and outside. The main feature here is Emergency SOS — press the side button, hold for three seconds, and it will connect you to 911 emergency services. Again, all you need is a cellular plan. The Apple Watch can double as a personal safety device with the Emergency SOS function. The key thing to remember is that it calls 911, not a dedicated call center for medical emergencies. This means you might have to explain what’s going on to the operator so they know to send medical emergency responders your way, not police or fire. However, that’s not always possible, such as in cases like a stroke or epilepsy. >> Learn More: Medical Alert Systems for People With Epilepsy Another thing is that 911 operators don’t have access to your medical history, something a dedicated medical alert system provider such as Life Alert will have on file if you sign up. On the bright side, you can input your medical profile into your Apple Watch and choose to share it during an emergency call. You can (and should) also set the Apple Watch to display your profile so that on-site responders can access it. How Life Alert Works As a dedicated medical alert system, the Life Alert mobile system connects you to its call center that has access to your medical history when the emergency button is pressed. That’s as simple as it gets. Additionally, since the device has GPS, they can easily locate you. >> Other Options: The Best Medical Alert Systems With GPS The Life Alert HELP on-the-go + GPS pendants. One great thing about Apple Watch’s Emergency SOS is you can speak directly with 911 operators using the device. But, the thing is, you can do the same with Life Alert’s mobile unit. It has two-way talk and cellular capabilities built in. We also noted that the speakers on the Life Alert mobile unit are larger (and thus louder) than the speakers on the Apple Watch. This one’s a pretty minor difference, but it makes Life Alert better if the emergency occurs in a loud, crowded area. No question, Life Alert is the winner. While the Apple Watch also has GPS and two-way talk, Life Alert’s mobile system is better equipped to provide help during emergencies. Life Alert vs. Apple Watch: Extra Features Most medical alert systems come with add-on features such as fall detection, extra help buttons, and things like a lockbox for your spare keys so emergency responders can gain access to your home during emergencies. We didn’t expect the Apple Watch to have much of these extra features, and it doesn’t. It has fall detection, but, in our experience, it’s not as reliable as fall detection help buttons from traditional medical alert systems. It also has a reminder app that users can utilize to help remember when to take medications and an activity tracker to help seniors stay active. >> Our Top Picks: The Best Medical Alert Systems With Fall Detection Life Alert’s wall-mounted help button with two-way voice. That said, if you thought Life Alert would be the easy winner here, you’re wrong. Life Alert is one of the very few medical alert systems without fall detection. It also doesn’t offer many of the extra features we’ve seen from other brands. The only extra feature we found noteworthy is the wall-mounted help button with two-way voice. It’s water-resistant and was designed to go in places where a fall might occur — like in the shower or at the bottom of the stairs — and it has two-way voice so users can talk to the monitoring center via the button itself. It’s a tie; the Apple Watch and Life Alert both fall short when it comes to extra features. Life Alert vs. Apple Watch: Our Recommendations After testing both Life Alert and the Apple Watch for medical emergency monitoring, it’s clear that they are for different types of audiences. So, while we think Life Alert is better as a medical alert system, we can also recommend the Apple Watch as a workaround for some users. Who We Recommend the Apple Watch For The Emergency SOS feature can come in handy for users who already have an Apple Watch (or are planning to get one) and need only a general safety device. It’s not a specialized device for seniors or individuals prone to medical emergencies, but it’s a great backup for healthier, more active seniors. In fact, it’s not just for seniors. We think Emergency SOS is great for everyone. It connects you to 911, so it’s not just for medical emergencies. It’s a personal safety device. Who We Recommend Life Alert For On the other hand, we recommend Life Alert for people who need specialized care, especially older adults who might need a way to reach emergency help from home or while outside. Aside from their mobile system, the HELP on-the-go + GPS, they have an at-home medical alert system for seniors who spend most of their time at home. Life Alert also offers products designed specifically with senior needs in mind, like the wall-mounted help button with two-way talk. Is Life Alert or the Apple Watch the Right Fit For You? Between the two, we recommend Life Alert more than the Apple Watch for users looking for a medical alert system. That said, we don’t think either of them is the best for most users. The Apple Watch is simply not specialized enough to become a dedicated medical alert system, and Life Alert is expensive and lacking important features such as fall detection. So what do we recommend? A few other brands come to mind. One is Bay Alarm, as mentioned earlier, because it offers dedicated medical alert systems and a medical alert smartwatch. Medical Guardian offers those, too. See our Bay Alarm Medical vs. Medical Guardian comparison to compare the two.

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### Best Cheap Security Cameras

> SimpliSafe and ADT lead with budget-friendly security cameras; SimpliSafe offers flexible plans, while ADT includes free Google Nest cameras with deals.

- Published: 2019-01-09
- Modified: 2025-06-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/affordable/



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### Swann Security Camera Review [year]

> The Swann Security Camera Review reveals reliable cameras with strong visuals and heat-sensing motion detection, but limited smart features and mixed customer service.

- Published: 2019-01-05
- Modified: 2024-09-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/swann/reviews/



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### D-Link Reviews

> D-Link's cameras are affordable, smart, and easy to install but have clunky app issues, confusing model names, and lack advanced features like Ultra HD.

- Published: 2019-01-03
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/d-link/reviews/



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### Amcrest Reviews

> Amcrest offers affordable, high-quality cameras with up to 4K resolution. However, ADT is recommended for faster response times and better 24/7 monitoring.

- Published: 2019-01-03
- Modified: 2025-02-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/amcrest/reviews/



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### D-Link

> D-Link cameras are inexpensive and reliable with 1080p video, smart home integration, and local storage options. They lack advanced features like 4K video.

- Published: 2019-01-03
- Modified: 2024-09-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/d-link/



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### Arlo vs Arlo Pro Comparison

> Arlo Pro offers superior 1080p video, CVR, and Activity Zones over Arlo's 720p resolution. Both provide free 7-day cloud storage and work with Alexa.

- Published: 2019-01-03
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-arlo-pro/

Arlo and Arlo Pro are part of a camera-based home security system that is both effective and reliable. Both cameras offer a variety of features that are designed to allow the homeowner to monitor their home and communicate with those within range of the camera. The Arlo and Arlo Pro cameras are designed to provide efficient home security without the need for additional devices. Arlo Pro picks up where Arlo leaves off in terms of technology and compatibility. Overview: Arlo vs Arlo Pro Arlo and Arlo Pro cameras offer high-resolution images and video as well as two-way communication. Both cameras need to be accompanied by a base station that allows them to connect to your home's Wi-Fi network. Both cameras can be operated through a downloadable app that allows you to connect with them remotely. Both cameras also offer multiple options so you can choose how you are notified if the camera triggers an alert. Built-in motion sensors Seven days worth of free storage Indoor/outdoor cameras Easily installed by the homeowner No service agreements or contracts Similarities: Arlo vs Arlo Pro Arlo and Arlo Pro offer many of the same features but Arlo Pro takes the company's offerings a step further. Both cameras offer high-quality video and the ability to control the camera through a remote app. Arlo claims that the cameras they offer have all of the features you need to carefully and efficiently monitor your home. Both Arlo and Arlo Pro give you the option of self-monitoring or professional monitoring through a paid service. They also offer free cloud storage for seven days. Wi-Fi connectivity when paired with the hub A mobile app that can be downloaded to a smartphone or tablet Option to purchase more cloud storage space Extended battery life Pairs with Alexa Skill Differences: Arlo vs Arlo Pro While Arlo offers many useful features, Arlo Pro adds on to those features improving the system's efficiency and making your home more secure. Some of Arlo Pro's features can only be accessed if the camera is hard-wired into place. The biggest differences between the two cameras is the overall quality and detail that can be found in the Pro's video and captured images. Arlo Pro offers a CVR option that allows for non-stop recording Arlo Pro offers improved visual clarity Arlo basic does not offer “Activity Zones” that allows for better visibility in larger rooms Arlo Pro offers a three-second buffering mechanism Arlo offers 720p resolution while Arlo Pro offers 1080p Features Arlo's features include the ability to connect with SmartThings and other home automation devices including Alexa Skill. The 720p resolution allows for quality images and clear video. Arlo offers two-way communication and motion sensors that trigger the camera to turn on. Clips can be stored for up to seven days for free or longer if a cloud storage plan is purchased. Arlo Pro offers the same features as the Arlo basic camera with the biggest difference being the 1080p resolution. The Pro also allows for both CVR and the use of Activity Zones. Activity Zones allow you to target certain high traffic areas within one location. Arlo Pro also has the Look Back feature that offers three-seconds of buffering. Pricing The Arlo basic and its hub cost between $210 and $250, depending on where it is purchased. For $420, you can purchase a package that includes multiple cameras. Separately, an Arlo camera will cost close to $200. The Premier plan costs $9. 99 a month or $99 per year with 30 days of video and support for up to 10 cameras. The Elite plan costs $14. 99 per month or $149 per year and offers 60 days of video storage and supports 15 cameras. The Arlo Pro sells individually for approximately $180 (depending on where you purchase it). If you purchase the package, it will cost you anywhere from $369 to $480. The cloud storage subscription plans are the same as for the Arlo basic. Equipment The packages for both the Arlo and Arlo Pro systems include two cameras and a base unit. You also receive mounting equipment and accessories. Additional cameras can be added as desired. Summary: Arlo vs Arlo Pro The Arlo basic camera is a good choice if you want an easy to use, self-monitored system that provides quality video. If you prefer to have higher resolution and additional features over and above the basic offerings, the Arlo Pro will be the better choice.

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### Ring vs Ring Plus Video Doorbell Comparison

> Ring Plus is better with LED night vision and a slimmer profile, but costs $50 more than the basic Ring. Both offer reliability and app integration.

- Published: 2019-01-03
- Modified: 2025-09-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-vs-ring-pro/

Why Choose Ring Video Doorbells? When it comes to video doorbells, you might call Ring an overachiever. After all, this is the company that invented doorbell cameras. It doesn’t come as a surprise that they have eight different models. Most home security companies – ADT, SimpliSafe, even Vivint – offer one. That’s why we decided to compare Ring’s two most popular models. Before we get into it, a bit of explanation about how Ring labels its products is in order, just to keep things straight as we go. First, Ring offers three doorbell tiers, each one identified by its suffix (or lack thereof, as the case may be). The Ring (no suffix) is the entry-level version of the doorbell. The Ring Plus is the mid-tier version. The Ring Pro is the flagship version. You should also know that each of these versions comes in a choice of wired or battery-powered. Don’t worry, there’s not much difference between wired and battery-powered in terms of features, and when it’s relevant, we make sure to let you know. For now, though, let’s call the no-suffix version the Ring and the Plus version the Ring Plus. Now that’s sorted – onward! Ring Vs. Ring Plus: The Basics It’s pretty simple to bottom-line these two devices. As you would expect, the Ring Plus comes with more features than the Ring. It also comes with a higher price tag. There’s a lot that goes into the bottom line, though. For instance, just what extra features do you get if you’re willing to pay the Ring’s Plus’s higher price? Are those features worth the money? And just what is the Ring missing exactly? Sure, you’re saving, but will the Ring keep you safe? If you want answers to those questions, we’re going to have to dig a little deeper. Just to confuse things further, the Ring Plus Video Doorbell was previously known as the Ring Pro Video Doorbell. The company changed the name only recently when it released an all-new Video Doorbell that it has christened the Ring Pro. "From a law enforcement perspective, I am now expecting to see doorbell video footage on most of our calls for service. They are so common now that one of the first things I instruct officers to do is canvas the area looking for doorbells and video cameras. Most of the time, the officers can find some type of video footage of the suspect. As a police officer, I see countless videos of possible suspects walking up to someone's door, looking at the doorbell camera, and then walking away without attempting to do anything. Doorbell cameras are a great way to easily deter crimes. " Read more about Joshua Lee → Ring vs Ring Plus: Features and Similarities The Ring Plus definitely packs more features and technologies than the Ring, but you might be surprised by how much they share in common. Reliability: First up, both the Ring and the Ring Plus are durable, reliable devices. Quality home security equipment has a certain weight and heft. Our tests backed up that initial evaluation. There were no glitches, and both cameras stood up nicely to a couple of fierce thunderstorms that passed through our area while we were conducting our tests. Choice of Models: Both of these cameras came in two different models: wired and wireless. We know – more choices to make, right? Still, it gives you more options when you’re trying to decide which setup is right for you. You don’t want to try wiring a video doorbell, for instance, if you don’t have existing wiring to work with. DIY Installation:Speaking of wiring, both video doorbells are easy to install. If you’re going wireless, installation is a matter of turning a couple of screws. And while wired versions of these devices do require you to twist a couple of wires, installing ours only took about 40 minutes following the step-by-step instructions on the Ring app. Ring Doorbell Setup Motion Detection: Virtually all cameras use motion detection to trigger alerts and video recording. The real question is just how smart a device’s motion detection is. Both the Ring and the Ring Plus include custom sensitivity settings and detection zones. The neighbor’s cat likes to doze on our porch, but we used these settings to pretty much eliminate false alerts. App Integration:All of Ring’s products use the same Ring Always Home app, which we’re big fans of. It offers all the functionality we look for like customizable notifications and a simple event history with an easy-to-use interface. You can stream video from your doorbell no matter where you are as long as you have cell service. We’ve watched packages get delivered while we were on vacation hundreds of miles away. High-Quality Video: These two devices aren’t just similar in terms of basic operation. They also both provide high-quality video feeds. There are cameras on the market with higher resolution, but the 1080p HD you get with the Ring and the Ring Plus is more than enough to provide you with crystal-clear images. Ring Doorbell Motion Detection Field of View: Likewise, both cameras provide a wide field-of-view so you can be certain you won’t miss any potential threats. Both models offer a 150-degree viewing angle. Unless you come across a video doorbell that rotates, you’re not going to do much better than those numbers. Night Vision: Video doorbells go on the outside of your home. Duh, right? That means you probably want them to have solid night vision capabilities. Again, both the Ring and the Ring Plus fit the bill. Whether you’re looking to catch midnight porch pirates or welcome guests over for an evening soiree, both video doorbells provide night vision that’s almost as good as their daytime video feeds. Two-Way Communication: Ring’s two-way communication for both video doorbells (also called two-way talk) allowed us to speak with visitors at our door using nothing but our smartphone. Most doorbell cameras include this feature these days, but it’s still worth mentioning. No Local Recording: Unfortunately, Ring cameras don’t come with local storage options. It's one of the advantages Lorex has over Ring. DVR/ NVR and SD card options mean free Lorex recordings. To record footage on our Ring doorbell, we had to subscribe to their cloud storage plan, which starts at $4. 99 per month. Ring offers some of our favorite cloud storage plans. They all store video clips for up to 180-days. Most competitors only store clips for up to 30 days. The premium plan also comes with unique features like backup internet that allow your cameras to still record footage even if your Wi-Fi goes down. Lighting: Neither Ring Video Doorbell offers a built-in LED light, despite both offering color night vision. The color night vision works by capturing ambient light, unlike the Ring Spotlight Cam and Ring Floodlight Cam, which both have built-in lights. We found the doorbell’s color night vision to work well when a nearby street light was on, but in total darkness, it struggles to see more than a few feet. Smart Alerts: Although it requires a Ring Home subscription, both the Ring Video Doorbell and Ring Video Doorbell Plus offer smart alerts. That means they can tell you whether it’s a person, pet, or package at your front door instead of just that a motion was detected. Reasonably Priced: Even though the Ring Video Doorbell Plus costs a bit more, we still find that both models offer great value compared to other video doorbells. For example, the Ring Plus costs $150, whereas SimpliSafe’s video doorbell starts at $169. "I once responded to a call where an unknown male wearing a black mask was walking up to doors and then walking away. We stopped the male who had burglary tools in his backpack. He later admitted that he was looking for a home to burglarize but did not expect to see all the cameras. " Ring Doorbell Pro Differences Between Ring and Ring Plus If these two devices worked exactly the same, you’d buy the Ring every time. It’s cheaper. The fact is, though, that the Ring Plus costs more because it comes with more. Here’s a quick rundown of the key differences between these two devices. Size: Noticeable video doorbells can be a good thing. Studies show that surveillance cameras are an effective crime deterrent. The Ring Video Doorbell’s larger size makes sure criminals know they’re being watched. It can take away from the clean look of your home, though. Battery Charging: If you opt for the battery version of the Ring Video Doorbell, take note that the battery is not removable. You need to plug in the doorbell itself, which can be inconvenient if you don’t have an outlet near your door. The Doorbell Plus has a removable battery, so you can pop it out and bring it inside when it needs to be charged. Motion Sensor: According to Ring specs, both doorbells use the same Advanced Motion Detection system with Customizable Motion Zones. Despite that, we found that the Plus offers more accurate motion detection. The Ring Video Doorbell sent us delayed notifications a few times as well. Wired Version: Surprisingly, Ring does not offer a wired version of its Video Doorbell Plus. It’s only available battery-powered. That matters because Ring’s wired versions cost less and have a smaller profile. That said, the installation is more complicated. Cost: The security device with the most features is also going to cost more. After all, you get what you pay for. Ring Plus beats the Ring Video Doorbell in most categories, but the latter gets to shine when it comes to price. The price difference between Ring and Ring Plus versions can be up to $100. The Ring Wired Video Doorbell has a lower resolution than both the Battery Doorbell and Battery Doorbell Plus. It doesn’t offer head-to-toe coverage either due to its smaller viewing angle. These limitations help us better understand the $50 price tag. Ring Video Doorbell Ring vs Ring Plus: Cost Breakdown One of these cameras is more expensive than the other. One useful way of comparing them is to talk about exactly what you get for your money with each one. That’s easier said than done. The thing is, these two doorbells come in multiple different models. For instance, the Ring Video Doorbell comes in wired and wireless versions. Wired will cost you $49. 99. Wireless, $99. 99. The Video Doorbell Plus, on the other hand, costs $149. 99, and you’ll pay that no matter which version you choose. So let’s start with the easiest question first: What do you get for the extra $50 the Video Doorbell Plus costs? A slimmer profile Sharper color night vision A choice of faceplate designs Dual-band Wi-Fi for faster streaming Below are the latest costs of Ring’s different doorbells, including the Ring Video Doorbell and Ring Plus. And if you want to explore these devices further, have a look at our Ring Doorbell pricing guide. We’ve broken things down by power source. Ring Video Doorbell Breakdown Model Retail Price Video Doorbell Wired $49. 99 Battery Doorbell $99. 99 Battery Doorbell Plus $149. 99 Additional Cost Considerations You can always self-monitor your Ring cameras for free if you don’t need a cloud storage plan. You get real-time alerts any time they detect motion, and you can check live footage. Storage for one camera costs $4. 99 a month. Storage for unlimited cameras costs $9. 99 a month. We recommend signing up for a 24/7 professional monitoring plan. With one of these plans, you can be sure someone is watching your house day and night, and you don’t have to do it yourself. It costs $10 per month when added to the Ring Home Standard or Premium plan, which also includes cloud storage for unlimited cameras. Ultimately, though, you’ll pay the same prices no matter which video doorbell you select. Next, installation. Both the Ring Video Doorbell and the Ring Video Doorbell Plus are designed for DIY installation. They’re really easy to install, especially if you choose the battery power option. More importantly, you won’t need to pay a technician to come to your house. That’s the advantage of modern, DIY security products: They’re inexpensive because there are no installation costs tied to them. Want to know who’s at your door? Unfortunately, Ring can’t recognize faces, but one of its biggest rivals can. See our Google Nest Doorbell review and find out how Familiar Face Alerts works and how it improves doorbell alerts. It’s pretty remarkable. How They Work Ring video doorbells can be powerful tools in your security arsenal. Keep in mind, though, that they aren’t complete home security systems. They only monitor one small portion of your property, your front porch. That’s an important place to monitor. Still, they can’t tell you if someone tries to raise a window in your house or decides to see if your back door is unlocked. In addition, Ring video doorbells by themselves only watch your door; they can’t do anything about what they see. They’ll notify you if they spot suspicious activity, but you have to take action yourself. It’s up to you to pull up live-stream footage, evaluate the situation, and decide what to do. As we mentioned, you can invest in cloud storage so you can view saved footage. Or, you can invest in 24/7 professional monitoring for as little as $20 a month. All Ring doorbell cameras work the same way, and based on our tests, just a Ring doorbell camera might not be enough to protect an entire home. I’d recommend looking at Ring’s security systems, the Ring Alarm and Ring Alarm Plus. In addition to protecting your home with sensors, Ring’s security system works in conjunction with Ring cameras. You can even have the security system professionally monitored, something you can’t do with a Ring video doorbell or security camera. The Ring Alarm is a DIY home security kit that comes in packages that fit most home sizes. Expect to pay around $200 for equipment if you live in a smaller home, and upwards of $500 if you live in a larger home (still, this is a relatively affordable system). Also, the Ring Doorbells seamlessly integrate into the system. You can read more about Ring’s plans and packages here. Do Your Homework When it comes to protecting your home and keeping yourself informed, you should never settle for less than the best. That is why you should always have clear expectations in mind about what exactly you want your surveillance system to accomplish. There are so many options out there with a lot of different features to sort through. Just be sure that you install and set up your system correctly so that there is no room for avoidable failure. Are Video Doorbells Worth the Cost? A great video doorbell is a crucial component of any complete home security system. Just knowing who is on the other side of your front door makes you considerably safer. The fact is, most home invaders still use this entry. Do you need cameras for your backyard and the sides of your house? Sure, if you can afford them. It makes sense, though, to start with a video doorbell. In fact, these devices don’t just deter burglars. Your porch is where delivery services place your packages, and video doorbells allow you to keep an eye on them until you can get home and bring them in. Video doorbells can prevent anyone from loitering on your porch or in your yard. They can even hel In short, a video doorbell is a great way to improve the security of your home, whether as a stand-alone device or as an addition to a pre-existing security system. Ring has user-friendly equipment and interfaces that can be easily installed and integrated. This comparison should have you well on your way to choosing which of the two Ring models is right for you. Ring Doorbell vs Ring Plus: So Which is Better? Our recommendation? The Ring Plus since it comes with a replaceable battery, a higher resolution, and interchangeable faceplates. The replaceable battery and interchangeable faceplate significantly extend the doorbell’s lifespan. With the Ring Doorbell, once the battery starts to degrade in a few years, you’ll need a whole new doorbell. The Ring Plus is a quick fix. That said, there’s nothing wrong with saving $50 now and going with the Ring Battery Doorbell. We recommend that route if you’re unsure you want a video doorbell to begin with or are a renter as the longer lifespan of the Ring Plus isn’t valuable in both of those cases. Whichever video doorbell you go with, you’re buying it risk free thanks to Ring’s 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re still looking for something with a little more functionality, have a look at our guide to the best doorbell cameras on the market.

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### Amcrest

> Amcrest offers a wide range of affordable, high-quality security cameras, but lacks features like auto pan-tilt. Vivint cameras are a better choice.

- Published: 2018-12-29
- Modified: 2024-08-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/amcrest/



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### Ring Security Camera Review

> Ring cameras feature 1080p HD, clear night vision, motion alerts. Prices start at $5/month for cloud storage. Unlimited recording and monitoring at $20/month.

- Published: 2018-12-28
- Modified: 2025-08-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/reviews/



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### Swann

> Swann cameras are affordable but feel cheap. Nest Cams from ADT offer better value. Swann's 4K struggles with Wi-Fi; consider 1080p with NVR for stability.

- Published: 2018-12-16
- Modified: 2024-08-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/swann/



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### Wyze Cameras

> Wyze cameras are budget-friendly, starting at $23.99. They offer smart features, but lack advanced AI like Nest Cam. Cloud storage is optional at $1.99 monthly.

- Published: 2018-12-15
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/wyze/



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### Reolink Reviews

> Reolink cameras offer solid design and features but have app issues. Argus 3 Pro shines with 2K resolution. Argus 2 and 3 are discontinued.

- Published: 2018-12-14
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/reviews/



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### Ring Cameras

> Ring cameras are affordable, start at $55.99, and offer 1080p video with Alexa integration. Indoor cams lack options, but outdoor cams are highly rated.

- Published: 2018-12-14
- Modified: 2024-08-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/



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### Samsung Wisenet Security Camera Review

> Samsung Wisenet cameras offer budget-friendly options with features like facial recognition and two-way talk but lack cloud storage and direct purchase options.

- Published: 2018-12-13
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/samsung/reviews/



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### Samsung Security Cameras

> Samsung security cameras are not the best choice; Nest cameras with ADT are recommended. SmartThings cams are basic but affordable, starting at $19.99.

- Published: 2018-12-13
- Modified: 2024-07-31
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/samsung/



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### Best Wireless Security Cameras

> SimpliSafe tops the list with a 9.3/10 SecureScore, offering theft prevention and intruder intervention. ADT and Ring follow closely, both at 9.2/10.

- Published: 2018-12-12
- Modified: 2025-06-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/wireless/



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### Best Outdoor Security Cameras

> SimpliSafe's AI camera leads 2025 with threat detection and deterrence, while ADT's Nest cams offer crisp 1080p views and alerts for packages and pets.

- Published: 2018-12-12
- Modified: 2025-08-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/outdoor/



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### Best Indoor Security Cameras

> ADT tops the list with versatile product options, high ease of use, and superior video quality, followed by Lorex for comprehensive video security.

- Published: 2018-12-12
- Modified: 2025-04-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/indoor/



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### Best Identity Theft Protection Services with Restoration

> We tested identity theft services; Identity Guard excels in fraud prevention and restoration. LifeLock offers best customer service; Aura tops restoration coverage.

- Published: 2018-12-11
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/restoration/



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### Reolink

> Reolink cameras are affordable, versatile, and easy to install, but Nest Cams by ADT are preferred for quality. Reolink lacks advanced features.

- Published: 2018-12-11
- Modified: 2024-08-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/reolink/



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### Ring Doorbell Elite

> The Ring Video Doorbell Elite now costs $350, down from $499. It offers Ethernet connectivity, 1080p HD resolution, but lacks AI facial recognition.

- Published: 2018-12-06
- Modified: 2024-09-03
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/elite/



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### Lively Jitterbug Phone Costs and Smartphone Pricing [year]

> Lively's Jitterbug Smart4 offers a large screen and improved voice commands, but its internet can be unreliable. Flip2 is pocket-friendly with senior perks.

- Published: 2018-11-28
- Modified: 2025-06-03
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/greatcall/jitterbug/



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### Vivint Cameras

> Vivint cameras offer premium features like 4K resolution and active deterrence with customization, but they're pricey and require professional installation.

- Published: 2018-11-28
- Modified: 2025-07-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/cameras/



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### Ring Floodlight Cam

> Ring Floodlight Cam offers bright 1500-lumen LEDs, sharp 1080p HD video, and two-way talk. It needs hardwiring but lacks advanced AI features. Costs $249.

- Published: 2018-11-17
- Modified: 2024-10-01
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/floodlight-cam/



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### Ring Spotlight Camera

> Ring’s Spotlight Cam delivers excellent 1080p video and ultra-bright LEDs for top-notch night vision. It’s easy to install, but the app can be glitchy at times.

- Published: 2018-11-17
- Modified: 2024-07-31
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/spotlight-cam/



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### Ring Stick Up Cam

> Ring Stick Up Cam: versatile, affordable, customizable, but lacks facial recognition and Google Assistant support. Great video quality and easy installation.

- Published: 2018-11-17
- Modified: 2024-08-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ring/stick-up-cam/



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### SimpliSafe Cameras

> SimpliSafe offers top-notch security cameras with AI capabilities, but they work best with pricey monitoring plans. Expect $99-$199 for their cameras.

- Published: 2018-11-16
- Modified: 2025-08-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/cameras/



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### Ezviz Reviews

> Ezviz cameras offer budget-friendly security with decent video quality and useful features, but they require adjustments for optimal performance and lack free cloud storage.

- Published: 2018-11-13
- Modified: 2025-02-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ezviz/reviews/



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### Ezviz Cameras

> Ezviz cameras offer budget-friendly options with clear HD video and smart motion detection, but lack professional monitoring and are only sold by third-party sellers.

- Published: 2018-11-13
- Modified: 2024-07-30
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/ezviz/



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### Lorex Reviews

> Lorex cameras offer up to 4K resolution with no monthly fees, but lack professional monitoring. They excel in features but can be overwhelming to set up.

- Published: 2018-11-13
- Modified: 2025-02-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/lorex/reviews/



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### Lorex Cameras

> Lorex offers affordable, high-quality security cameras with no monthly fees. Their cameras feature up to 4K video, smart detection, and weather resistance.

- Published: 2018-11-13
- Modified: 2024-07-31
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/lorex/



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### SimpliSafe vs CPI Security Comparison

> SimpliSafe beats CPI Security with nationwide coverage, no contracts, and cheaper prices. CPI is limited to the Southeast and requires upfront equipment purchase.

- Published: 2018-11-13
- Modified: 2023-06-28
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-cpi-security/

When on the hunt for a home security system, the choice is sometimes tough, especially if the companies offer similar things. But that’s not entirely the case with SimpliSafe and CPI Security. Although both offer superior quality equipment, they each are quite different when it comes to customer policies and their demographic. SimpliSafe Base Station Closeup Shopping for a home security system is no easy feat. Especially in today’s day and age when the options are seemingly endless. Oftentimes you’re forced to claw through hours (upon hours) of research to unearth those distinguishable characteristics that set each system apart. And, honestly, you and most home security shoppers out there probably don’t have the time (nor the patience) for such endeavors. Well, that’s where we come in! We live for such undertakings and want to help you out the best way we know how. Recently, we took a deep dive into two popular home security offerings — SimpliSafe and CPI Security — and compared them side by side to see if one prevails over the other. Both offer an array of features that are hard to beat. But are either of these industry contenders the right match for you? Does CPI Security have what it takes to beat our top-rated DIY home security system SimpliSafe? Let’s find out! Read our in-depth SimpliSafe review to see why it’s a perennial favorite home security system of ours. SimpliSafe and CPI Security Home Security Systems Similarities Both SimpliSafe and CPI Security offer state-of-the-art, reliable home security systems packed with high quality equipment designed to offer optimal protection for you and your loved ones. Each company also has a variety of package options at varying price points, ensuring there is something for both big spenders and the budget-minded alike. Additionally, both offer an assortment of attention-grabbing features that could easily make or break a home security setup. SimpliSafe vs. CPI: Our Favorite Features During our recent review of CPI Security, we were taken aback at how closely their features aligned with SimpliSafe. Each employs the obvious — indoor cameras for example — along with some unexpected perks like motion sensors, smart locks, and video doorbells. SimpliSafe SimpliCam Indoor Both brands have 24/7 professional monitoring services, and you’ll also get a pretty quick response time from both (around the 30-second mark). Additionally, each company provides environmental monitoring, which can prove essential for overall home maintenance and upkeep, as well as (more importantly) the health and wellness of everyone living in your home. Multiple Package Options Simplisafe and CPI Security align in more ways than in features alone. Both companies offer a variety of home security package options to their clientele for optimum convenience, giving you the ability to customize your setup to your heart’s content. However, since each company offers top-of-the-line equipment, both home security providers can be pricey depending on which you choose (though CPI is certainly more expensive compared to SimpliSafe). Take heart: If your credit isn’t in the dumps, CPI Security provides financing options, and SimpliSafe offers deals and discounts throughout the year. SimpliSafe Wireless Keypad Update Some features you can count on with a basic SimpliSafe package include: Motion sensor Entry sensors Indoor video surveillance Base station Keypad While CPI Security offers features like: Entry sensors Control panel Indoor/outdoor equipment Motion sensor CPI Security – InTouch™ HD Outdoor Camera Differences Between SimpliSafe and CPI Security Right about now is where SimpliSafe and CPI Security go their separate ways and become two distinct entities in the home security marketplace, which will ultimately help your decision on who makes the cut. Reputable companies generally tend to align on the safety factors and what's essential for home protection. Where they tend to differ is in their policies, demographics, and sometimes technology. And this rings true for our two industry contenders here. While testing SimpliSafe, for example, we found that there was no escaping DIY installation (although you could always bribe a friend). Personally, we love getting our hands “dirty” so this wasn’t a dealbreaker for us. We were up and running within 20 minutes and found the overall experience more enjoyable than other top DIY home security systems we’ve previously tested. If you’re on the fence regarding self-installation, or simply prefer that others do the heavy lifting, CPI might be the better option. Their professional installers take the responsibility off your shoulders and will even walk you through the system once setup is complete. Talk about a win! Did You Know? You can install SimpliSafe equipment quickly with no tools in less than 30 minutes. In contrast, CPI provides professional installation to give you an added sense of security. Location, Location, Location Another key difference between the two revolves around location. SimpliSafe provides home security to customers across the entire United States. Their systems are user-friendly, provide 24/7 professional monitoring, and are available at several different price points. CPI Security, on the other hand, offers their home security setups to only certain parts of the southeastern U. S. Their restricted availability greatly limits the number of people who can benefit from their services. SimpliSafe serves the entire U. S. with its user-friendly security systems and 24/7 professional monitoring. Meanwhile, only the southeastern part of the country can benefit from CPI Security. SimpliSafe Is Commitment-Free, but CPI Security Is Not SimpliSafe also doesn't require their customers to sign a contract or follow specific terms, except that returns must be made within 60 days from purchase if you want to get your full money back. On the flip side, CPI is a rather unique setup. You’re required to either buy the equipment up front and then go on a month-to-month home security monitoring plan; or you can finance the equipment (pending credit approval) with no interest and go on a month-to-month service contract after paying for equipment. SimpliSafe offers multiple package options with equipment paid up front, while CPI allows customizable packages with the option of financing the equipment. Equipment Costs: Higher the Quality, Higher the Price SimpliSafe is known for designing and making their own state-of-the-art home security monitoring equipment to ensure the best quality for customers. Because of this high standard, you’ll have to pay the full price up front, which can range from a budget-friendly $230 and go beyond to a lofty $540, depending on your selection. A 24/7 basic professional home security monitoring package will cost around $14. 99, while their advanced interactive plan begins at $24. 99. Like SimpliSafe, CPI Security offers variety when it comes to its home security packages. However, unlike its competitor, CPI requires that you purchase the equipment up front either with cash or via financing. This is where things can get a little pricey... CPI Security packages start around $500 and can jump to around $1,000 if you decide to go premium. Compared to SimpliSafe, CPI can cost a pretty penny. But, if you’re on a budget (and also have a sizable credit score), there are options to be had. One of these options is to finance a CPI home security plan through the SmartPay program; however, a minimum payment of $499 is required along with credit approval. The terms of the plan vary depending on your package choices and preferred monitoring agreement. Once you own the equipment, you will select a month-to-month service plan for your system. SimpliSafe is by far superior to CPI Security when it comes to pricing and fees. When it comes to DIY installation, SimpliSafe is the best system on the market for fast and easy setup. Check out our full SimpliSafe installation guide to learn more. CPI Security – InTouch™ HD Indoor Camera Emergency Connectivity With SimpliSafe vs. CPI Security The ultimate endgame of having home security is to protect you and your loved ones from harm. So, without further ado, let’s talk about a final key difference uncovered between both front-runners: emergency connectivity. Now, both companies offer an ironclad response in the event of an emergency. But they differ in terms of operation and connectivity. SimpliSafe offers professional monitoring through C. O. P. S. , a monitoring company that serves a variety of customers across the U. S. . With 100 percent wireless capabilities and the use of a cellular platform as backup, C. O. P. S. ensures that when the system sends out an alarm, you get a notification and the local authorities are called into action. CPI Security, on the other hand, offers home security professional monitoring with both wireless or hardwired capabilities. When an alarm comes in, you get an instant notification as the authorities and EMS teams are dispatched immediately. SimpliSafe is 100 percent wireless with cellular backup for their professional monitoring services. CPI Security is wireless and hardwired but doesn’t offer cellular backup unfortunately. CPI Security – Mobile App SimpliSafe or CPI Security? Our Final Verdict The differences between SimpliSafe and CPI Security home security monitoring services might seem sparse, but even just a couple of key differences could prove to be game changers depending on your circumstances. First, if you don’t live within CPI’s service region then your decision (at least between these two) is a no-brainer; you’d go with SimpliSafe. But if you’re local to the southeastern part of the country, you might want to consider CPI Security. Each company offers reliable, high-standard home security systems that are serious about protecting you from harm. Neither will force you into a plan you can't afford or push for equipment you don't want, and budget-friendly options are available. CPI Security may have the upper hand when it comes to equipment options, but SimpliSafe is known for having high-quality devices. SimpliSafe is also cheaper, easier to use, and all-around more versatile. So in the end, SimpliSafe gets our vote when compared to CPI Security.

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### Vivint vs Xfinity Comparison

> Vivint beats Xfinity in customer service, features, and value, making it our top home security pick with a SecureScore™ of 9.1 out of 10.

- Published: 2018-11-12
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-vs-xfinity/

As a homeowner, knowing your home and property are safe and secure from would-be intruders provides the ultimate peace of mind. But how can you really ensure the safety of you and yours? After all, is it truly possible to know exactly what’s going on in your house inside and out? Why yes ... yes it is. With the right home security system, you can enjoy 24/7 monitoring with the ability to see what is happening on your property at any time, day or night. That fabled peace of mind is much more attainable than you think. Shopping for a home security system can be an overwhelming process. With so many different options to choose from, and each company claiming to be the best, it’s hard to know which is the right choice. To help you out, we’ve examined and scrutinized many different home security systems to find out what details matter and what to look for as a homeowner or renter. Recently, we tested and reviewed Vivint and Xfinity security systems to help you narrow down your options. Vivint Smart Home Equipment Vivint is one of our perennial favorite home security systems. While it’s not a perfect system, their professional installation service, reliable 24/7 monitoring, and high quality equipment makes it a top contender in our book. See our full Vivint review to learn more. Similarities Between Vivint and Xfinity For starters, both Vivint and Xfinity offer plenty of useful features every homeowner can enjoy. They overlap quite a bit when it comes to features and tech, offering aesthetically-pleasing devices that are both easy to use and well-designed. Each company offers 100% wireless security systems and prioritizes creating a seamless home automation experience for their customers. Comcast Xfinity Home Security Mobile App You might already know that security cameras are often the most crucial components of a great security setup, and thankfully Vivint and Xfinity both offer indoor and outdoor cameras for 24/7 surveillance of your entire property. Each company offers high-quality entry sensors that will alert you of intruders, even while you’re sleeping or away from home. Whichever of these two companies you choose, their professional installation techs will mount your hardware and get your system installed within a couple of hours. In fact, both require professional installation; so if you’re a DIYer, you might want to look into SimpliSafe or Cove security systems. Lastly, both companies sell environmental hazard sensors, so you’ll always be aware when there is a potential threat like fire, flooding, a carbon monoxide leak, and the like. Xfinity offers self-monitoring support starting at a reasonable price, $10 per month. The company’s comprehensive monitoring service costs $55 per month. Differences Between Vivint and Xfinity While many of the features and technology between Vivint and Xfinity prove to be similar, we did find some glaring differences when it came to availability, customer service, and contractual obligations. Most importantly, the availability of Xfinity is much lower than Vivint’s availability. Check Xfinity’s Plan Builder page to see if it’s available in your area. If not, you can stop reading this and look for a different home security option. Unfortunately, Xfinity customer service isn’t known to be very good, and it’s known to be pretty difficult to break a contract should you have to cancel service for any reason. Vivint, on the other hand, has a reputation for providing great customer service overall. Xfinity’s contracts tend to be much shorter than Vivint’s. While Xfinity only requires a two-year contract, Vivint requires four- to five-year contracts. (Hopefully you’re not afraid of commitment! ) You do have the option to purchase Xfinity’s equipment outright, and doing so will reduce the amount you have to pay monthly. You can also save money on an Xfinity security system if you bundle your internet, cable, and phone service with them. But perhaps the biggest difference between Vivint and Xfinity is the smart home automation features. Don’t get us wrong, Xfinity does offer some home automation capabilities. But while testing Vivint, we found their system to be incredibly streamlined, and the system makes it easy to connect multiple smart devices (like smart lights, thermostats, smart locks, garage controllers, etc. ) in building out a smart home ecosystem. Highlighting the Features and Tech We all know that having a reliable security system 24/7 is essential. If you’re going to invest in a home security system, you have to trust that it will work properly when you need it most (otherwise, what’s the point? ). Both Vivint and Xfinity are trusted in this regard since a triggered alarm will notify you and the monitoring center immediately, regardless of the time of day. With both providers having the basics covered, the next things you need to consider are the various features offered by each company. That’s where you can rely on our expertise to help you determine what’s most important to you. Understanding the features each brand brings to the table ensures you get the most bang for your buck. Vivint Ping Camera Mounted on the wall Best Vivint Features If you want a fully customized home security system, then Vivint should definitely top your list. You can equip your home with cameras that cover every square inch of your property, or just simply install sensors that monitor doors and windows. Regardless of your needs, Vivint can customize a package for you that includes any of the following features: 180-degree Doorbell Camera: With Vivint’s Doorbell Camera Pro, you’ll know exactly when a package is delivered. You can even talk to the delivery person via the doorbell if you have specific instructions on where to leave your package. The 180°x 180° viewing ensures you won’t miss any activity on your doorstep. With porch pirates on the rise these days, this is a win in our book! Indoor and Outdoor Cameras: Vivint has two of the best home security cameras we’ve seen. Features include person detection, night vision, two-way talk, active deterrents, and more. Smart Deter Technology: Prevention is the name of the game when it comes to security systems. The Smart Deter technology identifies and deters threats by illuminating light and creating a sound to scare off potential intruders. Security Sensors: Sensors add an extra layer of protection by monitoring your doors and windows. If an intruder attempts to break in, an alert will sound and alert Vivint’s monitoring team. Motion sensors and glass-break detectors are also available from Vivint. Two-Way Voice: If you want to know who’s at your door when you’re away from home, you can easily talk to them by using the two-way voice that’s built into Vivint’s doorbell camera. Smart Home Control: Depending on the plan you choose, you may be able to control everything from your thermostat, locks, and lights to cameras and the garage door, all from Vivint’s mobile app. Car Guard: Whether at home or out and about, Vivint’s Car Guard ensures your vehicle is always protected. Get disturbance alerts, track location, and diagnose issues all via your smartphone. Smart Device Connection: You can connect additional smart home devices directly to your Vivint system. These include Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Nest thermostats. Environmental Monitoring: Get added peace of mind with a fire, flood, and carbon monoxide safety alarm. If an alarm goes off, you’ll immediately be connected with Vivint’s monitoring team who can send emergency personnel if required. Xfinity Features Xfinity also offers plenty of features at different price points. One of the neat things about their security system is the ability to bundle it with other Xfinity services like TV and the internet. The end result is (almost) complete control of your Xfinity package from a single app. Below are some of the most important and exciting features you can enjoy with an Xfinity security system. Professional Installation: Xfinity’s professional installation service rivals that of Vivint and ADT. Your Xfinity technician will have your system up and running within two hours, and they’ll show you how to operate your system before packing up and leaving. Voice Controls: The convenience of using voice controls to turn on the lights, arm your security system, or review video recordings has never been easier with Xfinity’s voice controls. Door and Window Sensors: Further secure your home with door and window sensors and get real-time alerts if any are opened unexpectedly. Smart Device Integration: Some of the smart home devices you currently have can be integrated and used with Xfinity’s home security system. Recording and Reviewing Videos: The cameras record footage 24/7 and you can review your complete video history for up to seven days. Updated Technology: Xfinity offers the option to upgrade your old security system with the newest technology. Pet-Friendly Motion Sensor: Distinguish between intruders and your four-legged friends with Xfinity’s pet-sensitive wireless motion sensors. These can cover an area of approximately 50 ft x 50 ft. Zen Thermostat: Create custom “scenes” and adjust your home’s temperature from anywhere and everywhere, making it easy to save money on your energy bill year-round. Want to know what it’s really like living with Xfinity security? Read our full Comcast Xfinity home security review to get the full scoop. Vivint vs. Xfinity: Fees and Costs Now, for the budget-minded folks out there, how do these two stack up in terms of overall cost? On the surface, it may seem like Xfinity’s pricing is more competitive than Vivint’s; however, when you examine the features and additional costs, the opposite may be true depending on your security system configuration. Let’s take a look! Vivint Pricing Vivint doesn’t offer transparent pricing. To find out the current rates, you need to set up a phone consultation. But at last check, monitoring rates for Vivint start at $29. 99 per month. If you’re looking to add more advanced technology and monitoring, then you might pay roughly $39. 99 per month. This, of course, is assuming you purchase your Vivint equipment up front, which will cost a minimum of $599. If you’d rather spread your equipment cost over time, you can finance the equipment and bundle it into your monthly monitoring fee. If you go this route, you’ll likely be spending $50 to $75 or more per month. So if possible, we always recommend biting the bullet and buying your gear on day one. Vivint offers flexible options for those who purchase their equipment up front. But, take heed, if you choose to finance the equipment, you’ll likely be locked into a four- or five-year contract. If you’re curious about Vivint’s offerings and payment terms, head on over to our comprehensive Vivint Pricing Guide. Vivint Motion Sensor Xfinity Costs and Fees Xfinity offers three different tiers of equipment packages and two options for monitoring. Available for $360. 00 or $15 per month for 24 months, the Base Home System includes one touch screen controller, three door/window sensors, and one pet friendly motion sensor — all of which can be controlled using the Xfinity home app. The Complete Home System — available for $480 or $20. 00 per month for 24 months — expands on the base package, With five door/ window sensors, a wireless keypad, and one indoor-outdoor camera. The Ultimate Home System— available for $600 or $25 per month for 24 months — includes 10 door/ window sensors and two indoor-outdoor cameras, in addition to the wireless keypad, touch screen controller, and motion sensor. As we've already noted, Xfinity has a $10 per month self-monitoring service and a 24/7 monitoring service that is available for $55 per month. While the self-monitoring plan allows you to check in on your home with live and recorded video, the 24/7 monitoring service backs up your own monitoring with a team of trained professionals. One of the major selling points for Xfinity is the ability to bundle other services into one bill. However, if you do not have other Xfinity services, then you may not benefit as much and end up paying more. Final Call: Is Vivint or Xfinity Better? Drumroll, please ... After we tested and evaluated both home security companies, we believe Vivint is the superior home security system. But this does not mean Xfinity should be completely dismissed! There are still plenty of features and benefits that make Xfinity a better fit for some people, especially those looking to save money by avoiding a monitoring service. The ultimate decision will likely come down to the features and price points as you customize the system to suit your needs. The one thing that stands out to us with Vivint is their customer service and attention to detail, which can honestly be a game changer between companies. Vivint reps ensure that you know exactly what you’ll be paying each month and what features are truly suited for your home. After all, you probably won’t need the most deluxe package complete with multiple outdoor cameras for your one bedroom, top-floor apartment (unless you want to really secure your balcony). When pricing, features, and reliability are equal, customer service usually is what separates the great companies from the good ones, and that’s exactly where we stand with our Vivint vs. Xfinity comparison. Also, if you already have Xfinity services and want the convenience of bundling home security alongside them, then it might make more sense to do that. But for customers who desire the most innovative smart technology, Vivint is far and away the better choice. You might have to lock into a lengthy five-year contract, but that just means you’ll have one of the best home security systems protecting your home and family for at least five years, right? Also, remember that Vivint does offer different options to make moving your service a breeze if you get the urge to relocate. When all is said and done, Vivint edges out Xfinity in features, pricing, and overall value.

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### Compare Identity Theft Protection Companies

> LifeLock tops identity theft protection with a 9.6/10 SecureScore, offering comprehensive features like stolen funds replacement and dark web monitoring.

- Published: 2018-11-07
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/identity-theft-protection/

Pricing Breakdown: What Will Identity Protection Cost? Just because something is expensive doesn’t always mean it’s better — what’s really important is finding identity theft coverage with the features you want while not paying for superfluous functionality. In our experience, we’ve found that most services on the market offer different tiers of protection, and those tiers vary widely. In general, the most basic plans offer only the most essential features, while premium plans tend to throw in all kinds of added protections, like password managers and VPNs. The best approach is to find a service with the best range of plans, and then narrow it down to the plan that’s right for you at a dollar figure that makes sense for your budget. Also worth pointing out, there are a few services on the market that let you “try it before you buy it. ” The trial periods we’ve seen usually run between 7 to 30 days, and are really helpful in determining if a particular service is right for you. Just be careful to stay on top of it, though. Don’t forget to cancel before the trial period ends, otherwise, you’ll continue to get charged. Also, some companies offer a money-back guarantee if you don’t like the service. Now let’s have a look at the most important features you’ll want to look for in any identity theft protection plan. Core Features to Look for When Comparing ID Theft Protection There are tons of identity theft protection services on the market, and for the most part, they all offer core features with some unique bonuses, depending on which one you go with. Let’s take a look at both categories. We consider core features to be twofold: credit monitoring and identity protection. Keep in mind that any identity protection plan that doesn’t offer both probably isn’t worth your time, but all identity theft protection services that offer these core functions do so in various ways. First, let’s talk about credit monitoring. There are three main credit reporting agencies, also called bureaus, that keep track of your credit score. You probably know them as Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Credit monitoring will either be single-bureau, meaning the plan only monitors the report from one bureau, or triple-bureau, meaning you’ll have all three bureaus monitored simultaneously. Monitoring your credit score is a good indication of whether or not your identity has been compromised. A sharp, unexpected decline in your credit score can be a red flag that someone has taken out a loan or opened a new line of credit in your name and skipped out on the bill. We always recommend choosing a service or plan that offers triple-bureau monitoring. Skeptics will argue that any issues with your credit will show up with all three bureaus, so you only need to keep tabs on one, but the fact of the matter is the three credit bureaus determine scores based on disparate data sets using slightly different algorithms. By monitoring all three bureaus, you’ll have the best chance of catching unusual activity quickly and intervening before it becomes a major problem. In a similar vein, most identity protection plans worth their salt will also offer you access to your credit report. Again, this will either be single-bureau or triple-bureau, and we always prefer the latter. By having access to the report itself, you can ensure there are no discrepancies or mistakes negatively impacting your credit, so it’s important to not overlook this feature when comparing identity theft services. Finally, some identity protection services offer the ability to lock your credit file. We found this functionality when trying out Aura’s protection plan, for example. This, in our opinion, is one of the best methods out there for protecting your identity. Credit locks make it impossible for anyone to access your file unless it is first unlocked, meaning no unauthorized person would be able to take out a new line of credit or apply for a loan in your name. You don’t need an identity theft protection service to lock your credit files. You can do it by simply contacting one or more credit bureaus. Of course, going this route isn’t as fast or as streamlined as the best identity theft protection services make it these days, but it’s free and can save you a lot of headaches in the long run. A credit lock is different from a credit freeze. A lock can be toggled on and off in real-time, while a freeze takes longer to set up and longer to undo. Both options are available from each of the three credit bureaus. Now let’s move on to identity protection. These come in two forms as well; financial and personal. Quality identity theft protection services will offer both, but most do so in slightly different ways. Some services go a step further by monitoring retirement accounts and investment accounts but those are pretty rare. We found these options while reviewing Identity Guard, for example, and think they are worth looking into, especially if you've built up a strong retirement fund. Because your credit is based on your identity, it's also critical to protect that. Your Social Security number is at the core of your legal identity and pretty much every identity theft protection service will offer some form of Social Security number monitoring. Most will also offer change of address monitoring and monitoring for other personally identifying pieces of information like driver's license, medical ID, and passport numbers. Make sure to select a service that offers enough coverage that makes you feel comfortable. Trust us, you’d rather have too many features than too few! This does beg the question, though, where exactly are these services looking for your personal information? It depends on what they’re keeping an eye on, but for the most part, it’s either public records or the dark web. Public records have been around since the dawn of civilization. The internet has made accessing these records faster and more convenient, which is a double-edged sword for your identity. So-called data broker websites scour online public records and create profiles for public consumption. Some of these sites are financed by ads, and others offer paid access to the information they've collected. Scammers can use this publicly available information to trick you or people you know into giving away money or their own personally identifying information, such as their Social Security number. It is possible to remove your information from data broker websites by filing a removal request. However, filing a single removal request may not be enough. Anytime your public records are updated, such as when you buy a house, a data broker site will collect that information, potentially creating a brand new profile after you’ve had an earlier profile removed. Identity theft protection services are a great way to keep these sites from publishing your information because they continually scour the web and file removal requests on your behalf If you’re not familiar, the dark web refers to a part of the internet that isn’t crawled by search engines (meaning it won’t show up in, say, a Google search). Those sites are purposefully obfuscated, so you need a special browser to access them. This is where the majority of identity thieves operate, and where a black market of personal information is thriving. Some people use the terms “deep web” and “dark web” interchangeably; however, they refer to different areas of the Internet. The deep web is simply unindexed web pages, while the dark web is purposefully obscured. Together, they are orders of magnitude bigger than the surface, or everyday, web. So those are the core functionalities of any identity theft protection service worth consideration. And that brings us to the bonus features offered by some products. Here, the list becomes unmanageable in terms of scope and type of functionality. But we’ve taken the time to highlight a handful of our favorite features and services to consider while comparing identity theft protection companies. Let’s have a look! Credit score calculators: Some ID theft protection services offer a tool that will help you predict what will happen to your credit should you change your financial habits, pay off a loan, or encounter various types of economic hardship. We think these are super helpful for those looking to improve their financial situation. Equifax Credit Scores Dashboard Social media monitoring: Some services will keep an eye on your social media accounts for you, scanning for everything from evidence of hacking to inappropriate behaviors. For example, you can get an alert if a scammer is trying to impersonate you on Facebook. These are helpful tools for lots of people, but particularly parents who want to keep an eye on their kids’ digital presence without being too nosey. IdentityForce Social Media Monitoring Sex offender monitoring: Another great feature for parents, this scans police records and will alert you if sex offenders are living in your area, or if a new offender moves in nearby. A word of caution, though, in our years of reviewing these services we’ve only found a handful that actually work well. IDShield Sex Offender Registries Credit score tracking: Here’s another helpful tool for people looking to rebuild their credit. These are essentially dynamic charts that show changes to your credit scores over time. Again — incredibly helpful for folks looking to establish, rebuild, or improve their credit scores. Buying a house or looking to secure a sizable loan soon? If so, we recommend staying on top of your credit worthiness by tracking your credit score. PrivacyGuard Credit Monitoring Graph Preventative cybersecurity measures: A rarity, but still a favorite, some services like LifeLock offer preventative elements like virtual private networks (VPNs), secure browsing, and virus protection to users of their premium plan to help prevent their personal information from ending up in the wrong hands. Installing LifeLock Planning for Others: Can I Protect Loved Ones? While many consumers are looking to protect themselves as individuals, it’s worth pointing out there are services that will protect your whole family, too. In fact, most companies offer more of a ‘household’ plan that allows you to protect everyone living at the same address, regardless of relationship. Bad news if you want to protect kids or older parents who live across town. Great news if you have roommates and you’re feeling magnanimous. There are also services out there that offer great family rates and which focus specifically on children — a very important consideration for parents as kids are primary targets of identity thieves. Because children don’t have established credit, they are essentially “blank slates” for fraudsters, whose nefarious activities are likely to go unnoticed for years. Children are a favorite target of identity thieves because the crimes often go undiscovered until that child grows up and begins opening their own financial accounts. So if you’re looking to protect your loved ones (young or old! ), a great place to start is by reading our identity theft protection guide for children or our guide for families. Finally, when comparing identity theft protection, you also need to think about which service will be able to help you recover should the unthinkable happen. That is, you’ll want to consider the various recovery, insurance, and restoration options available if you fall victim to identity theft or financial fraud. We’ll discuss that next. Identity Theft Recovery and Restoration Generally speaking, the industry standard is to offer up to $1 million in identity theft insurance, which can mean different things depending on the service. We recommend reading the fine print concerning what the service will and will not cover. Some companies make delineations between insurance and stolen funds recovery, which is an added bonus. LifeLock also takes it a step further and offers up to $1 million to cover the costs of lawyers and other experts that might be necessary to resolve your case, but only when you select their premium tier. You can read all about their offerings in our LifeLock services and pricing guide. And this isn’t true of only LifeLock. You’d be wise to look at the coverage rate for the exact tier of service you’re purchasing from a company. Just because they say they offer $1 million in coverage doesn’t mean they offer that for every plan. If you’re going with a service’s most basic tier, the amount of insurance offered will likely be less. You also want to be cognizant of how a service will handle your case should your identity become compromised. Some services pride themselves on their support staff, and we found in our comprehensive review of Complete ID that they even ensure you’ll have a single dedicated case manager who will work with you from incident to resolution. Whichever service you decide to go with, we recommend making sure you view the product’s recovery and reconciliation plan as a key feature. In our view, at the end of the day, this peace of mind is really what you’re paying for. Customer Service: Will They Help When Help is Needed? Regardless of which plan you choose, you’ll want to make sure their customer service is up to snuff. We’ve found one of the best ways to test this is by calling in and speaking with their staff. If we’re treated well time after time, it’s a good sign that their team will give us great service when we need it most. Also worth considering is the amount of resources the service makes available to you. We always prefer a product that not only monitors and protects our finances and identity, but tells us why they are monitoring a piece of information, and how they are doing so. Transparency is always something we look for when comparing identity theft services. Which Identity Theft Protection Company is Right for Me? With so many different services on the market today, it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. The good news, though, is that we’re here to help. We’ve spent countless hours comparing and reviewing identity theft protection services to help you make an informed decision on which one would be best for your situation and lifestyle. Check out our popular resources below. Aura Aura vs Identity Guard - Aura isn’t as established as Identity Guard, but that doesn’t mean the newcomer can’t hold its own. Aura vs LifeLock - Aura stands up well to LifeLock, which is backed by antivirus heavyweight Norton. Aura vs IdentityForce - Heard about these two protection services? Our guide helps you figure out which one is best for you. Identity Guard® Identity Guard vs LifeLock – Identity Guard or LifeLock? Which is right for you? Check out our comparison and find out. Identity Guard vs Aura LifeLock LifeLock vs Discover Identity Theft Protection – Get premium protection offered by LifeLock, or the proven reputation of credit giant Discover. Find out which is better in our expert comparison. LifeLock vs Equifax – See which service we picked when we compared these two well known brands. LifeLock vs Identity Guard – Both LifeLock and Identity Guard are well respected services. See which one we chose as our favorite in our detailed comparison. LifeLock vs ProtectMyID – Which is better? LifeLock or Experian-owned, ProtectMyID? Read our comparison and find out. LifeLock vs Zander – Read our comprehensive comparison of LifeLock and Zander to see which one has the best offering. ProtectMyID ProtectMyID vs LifeLock – Does Experian-owned ProtectMyID stand up to LifeLock? Find out in our comparison of the two. Zander Insurance Zander vs LifeLock – Dave Ramsay heavily endorses Zander identity theft protection. Find out if LifeLock competes in our comparison of these services. The Big Picture: Which Service is Right for Me? Even though we’ve put in a lot of work studying and testing all the different plans out there, we can’t tell you what service is the best for your situation. Ultimately, you want to find an identity theft protection service that suits your assets. financial habits, and budget. Some folks might want something a little more involved, like LifeLock, or they might prefer a more “set it and forget it” service like Complete ID. At the end of the day, you want to feel protected without paying for features you don’t use. When push comes to shove, we recommend selecting a service that offers triple-bureau credit monitoring and robust identity protection features including dark web monitoring and financial account protection. You’ll also want to select a product that stands behind its services by offering identity theft protection insurance as well as lost funds remediation. We suggest using our resources above to comparison shop or checking out our guide to this year’s best identity theft protection services.

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### Best Medical Alert Systems Worn as Watches

> Our experts tested and ranked the best medical alert watches, with Medical Guardian, Bay Alarm Medical, and Apple finishing in the top three.

- Published: 2018-11-06
- Modified: 2025-09-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/watches/



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### Best Mobile Medical Alert Systems

> Bay Alarm Medical ranks first for mobile medical alert systems in 2025, offering reliable emergency response, followed by Medical Guardian and MobileHelp.

- Published: 2018-11-06
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/mobile/



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### Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Blink Home Security Cameras [year]

> Amazon's Blink offers Black Friday deals: Blink Mini at $17.99, Blink Video Doorbell at $29.99, and bundles up to 62% off. Don't miss out on these discounts!

- Published: 2018-11-06
- Modified: 2024-11-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/black-friday/



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### SimpliSafe vs Xfinity Comparison

> SimpliSafe beats Xfinity in value and customer service; however, Xfinity offers better home automation and bundling options. SimpliSafe is our top pick.

- Published: 2018-11-05
- Modified: 2023-06-28
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-xfinity/

Deciding which home security provider to go with can be pretty daunting. Who has the latest equipment? Who can I trust to protect my home and family? What is it like using the system on a day-to-day basis? To help you out, we’ve compared two well-known home security companies side by side: SimpliSafe and Xfinity. These big shots of the home security industry have a few significant differences in what they provide. Read on to feel more confident in deciding which system is right for you. Xfinity Complete Home Security System What Do SimpliSafe and Xfinity Have in Common? You’ll be surprised to find how closely each company compares with one another. Both SimpliSafe and Xfinity offer quality equipment, so you’re on the right path if high-tech gadgets are high on your wish list. SimpliSafe Equipment Some tech options offered by both include: Motion sensors Remote operation via mobile apps High-resolution indoor/outdoor video surveillance 100 percent wireless devices that run on a cellular connection Both companies are highly rated in terms of efficiency and effectiveness when it comes to preventing break-ins and deterring unwanted guests on your property. Talk about peace of mind! Both SimpliSafe and Xfinity also offer multiple packages and monitoring options that allow you to choose the setup that works best for you. A few more perks include: Entry sensors Cellular alerts Environmental protection 24/7 professional monitoring Security cameras Fast and reliable response Last but not least, each company offers cellular connectivity, enabling the system to notify both you and the authorities in case of an emergency. You and those you put on your contact list will receive either text or email alerts — you choose the method. The system will also alert local law enforcement so units can be dispatched to your home. In other words, both companies have your back should things go south. The motion sensor’s technology of SimpliSafe and Xfinity is pet-friendly. This means the motion sensor won’t send an alarm when your pet walks by. In fact, both motion sensors can detect the difference between humans and pets. Alright, so you’ve narrowed things down to two companies both with similar offerings and both appeal to what you’re looking for. Now, let’s show you how these industry icons differ so that you can decide which one has exactly what you need. SimpliCam with sleeve SimpliSafe Overview SimpliSafe is one of the simplest of advanced home security systems (hence the name). They offer environmental detection devices, a keychain remote, glass-break sensors, and 24/7 monitoring that is both effective and affordable. Their packages can also be self-monitored. As far as installation goes, unlike Xfinity, SimpliSafe is installed and set up by you. This may sound intimidating at first, but before you panic, hear us out: The entire system can actually be installed and become fully operational in less than an hour! It’s literally good to go straight out of the box, no tools necessary. This may sound especially appealing to you hands-on, techy folk who like to get your hands dirty. We tend to prefer DIY security systems over those that require professional installation. SimpliSafe Wireless Keypad SimpliSafe Pricing SimpliSafe is extremely transparent with its pricing (also unlike Xfinity), making it easy to make a decision focused on budget. They offer several equipment packages ranging in price from $183 to $391. Their 24/7 professional monitoring packages cost just $15 per month for the Standard plan and $25 for the Interactive plan. To learn more about their offerings, check out our SimpliSafe pricing page. SimpliSafe’s basic package includes the base station, a keypad, one motion sensor, and one entry sensor. And you can add additional equipment as needed. SimpliSafe also doesn’t require a contract of any kind: a major relief to those who have found themselves trapped in contracts in the past. SimpliSafe Base Station Closeup So what’s the downside we found with SimpliSafe? Limited home automation options and the fact that they only sell an indoor camera. We’d like to see SimpliSafe add a dedicated outdoor camera to their lineup, along with some smart home automation features beyond Amazon Alexa integration. SimpliSafe definitely trails Xfinity in the smarts department. Intrigued and want to learn more? Read our full review of SimpliSafe to find out why it’s our top-rated home security system. We share our full experience testing SimpliSafe for nearly 100 hours. Xfinity Overview Now as you can see from our product comparison chart above, Xfinity holds a SecureScore of 7. 6 in comparison to SimpliSafe’s 9. 3. Does that mean Xfinity should be overlooked? Not at all! The company certainly has some redeeming qualities. First, Xfinity offers many technologically advanced features that SimpliSafe does not. We’re talking smart lights, smart locks, custom actions, and the list goes on. They also give their customers the option of bundling everything at one time, including internet service, cable, phone, and home security. This could be a major draw for those of you looking for an all-in-one kind of deal. They are also compatible with several other brands that allow for full-home automation. Xfinity also provides professional installation. While we generally prefer DIY systems, this can be a relief to those who are less hands-on and more let-me-drink-my-coffee-while-you-do-the-dirty-work types. There is a one-time $99 installation fee, but we believe it’s worth it. Xfinity is owned by Comcast, a multibillion dollar communications company. Take a look at our in-depth Xfinity Home Security review to learn more about how they perform in the residential home security space. Xfinity Pricing When it comes to pricing, Xfinity is not the cheapest option on the market. The amount you owe up front will be determined by the package you choose and whatever add-ons you might select. Xfinity packages start at $29. 95 per month and increase as more equipment is added. Your price also increases per month after the first year of service. Now for you bundlers out there, discounts are available. In fact, bundling is a major draw for most Xfinity customers and the overall sign-up process is generally quick and simple. Downside: bills may fluctuate without explanation (eek). If you’re tech-savvy, Xfinity may be worth the cost. Although it is pricey, keep in mind that Xfinity's technology helps you have optimal control of your security system. One of Xfinity's more basic packages includes a touch screen controller, a motion sensor, three entry sensors, a wireless keypad, two indoor/outdoor cameras, a smart thermostat, and two light controls. Other pieces of equipment can be purchased and added to your package as desired. Comcast Xfinity Home Security Mobile App Overview Personally, we really like the scope of home automation that Xfinity offers. You could potentially access loads of smart features by connecting your third-party devices to your Xfinity system. These guys really offer some great tech. Unfortunately, unlike SimpliSafe, Xfinity does require a two-year contract, and they charge expensive fees if you decide to terminate your service before your contract ends. That said, you do have a 30-day money-back guarantee with Xfinity, so rest easy that you aren’t signing your life away. We didn’t exactly love that Xfinity has poor customer service ratings. However, some people don’t mind dealing with the occasional “Grumpy Gus” when calling their service providers; so again, it’s entirely up to you and what you’re looking for in your provider. Overall, we liked our experience with Xfinity. Their high-tech monitoring plans met our standards, but we personally feel like the price tag is a bit steep compared to SimpliSafe. Who to Choose? Ultimately, this really boils down to who you are as a customer. If you’re looking for a simple, do-it-yourself service with no contracts and affordable prices, SimpliSafe is definitely your best bet. But if you’re looking to bundle your home services together, don’t want to install anything yourself, and place value in home automation, Xfinity might be the better choice. Both offer reliable home protection with devices tailored to meet the needs of their customers.

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### Ring vs Abode Comparison

> Ring is better than Abode with a SecureScore of 9.2 vs. 8.0; Ring excels in customer service, value, features, and ease of use.

- Published: 2018-11-02
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-vs-abode/

Ring and Abode are two of the more basic home security systems, but they are also extremely effective. Ring offers a variety of devices but relies on its camera technology as it's primary line of defense. Abode is customizable on every level from the type of equipment you choose to the type of monitoring that best suits your needs. Overview: Ring vs Abode Ring and Abode are extremely effective in terms of preventing intruders and allowing you to see what is going on in your home. Both offer home automation options and are compatible with other wireless devices. Ring has set packages in place that allow you to choose the type of plan you need, while Abode allows you to mix and match devices (at a higher cost). Extensive home automation options Abode allows you to add multiple devices to a package No long-term contracts Ring is known for its video doorbell viewer Abode allow you to choose monitoring options that suits your needs Similarities: Abode vs Ring Ring and Abode are similar in their simplicity. Both are extremely easy to use and can be installed within a few minutes. There is very little that needs to be done in terms of setting up the system. Each system is designed to integrate easily with a variety of home automation devices. Neither requires a contract and 24/7 monitoring is an option, not a requirement. Ring's video doorbell viewer with two-way communication can be used alone or as part of a larger system Abode offers monitoring services that range from 3-days, 7-days, and longer depending on your needs Easy to install with minimum set up Both offer mobile apps Both offer video surveillance options Differences: Abode vs Ring Although both Ring and Abode have many similarities, their packages, pricing, and 24/7 monitoring services are significantly different. While Adobe offers a wide selection of devices, it can be expensive including the ones you want in your package. Abode's basic package does not include video cameras Ring's video doorbell viewer can be used as a stand-alone device Abode offers a 30-day return policy Ring's basic kit costs $199 Abode offers short-term monitoring options Features Rings is a fairly basic system, but allows you to add indoor/outdoor video cameras, the video doorbell viewer, and other devices to enable home automation capabilities. They also offer home lighting options. The 24/7 monitoring service is optional so you don't have to worry about extensive contracts. Abode's kits include standard equipment, but you can add a wide variety of devices such as indoor/outdoor cameras, entry sensors, motion detectors, and a variety of devices that are geared toward home automation. Contracts Neither company requires a long-term contract or service agreement and allows you to pay on a month to month basis if you decide you want 24/7 professional monitoring. Pricing Ring's basic system starts at $199. Packages can be purchased on a month to month basis or by the year. The Protect Basic Plan can be purchased for as little as $3 per month per camera or $30 per year per camera. The Protect Plus Plan starts at $10 a month or $100 per year and covers an unlimited number of cameras. Abode's Smart Security kit costs $199. There is no additional charge for the Basic set up. The Connect Plan costs $8 per month or $80 per year. The Connect + Secure Plan costs $20 per month or $200 per year. You can also choose 3-day and 7-day monitoring options for a price that depends on the number of devices you have in use. Equipment Ring's basic kit comes with a hub and keypad, two entry sensors, and a motion sensor. There are many add-on devices to choose from as well. They include floodlights, indoor/outdoor cameras, and video doorbells with two-way communication. You can also opt for solar panels and other accessories. Abode's Smart Security kit comes with a Gateway hub, entry sensor, motion sensor (indoor), key fob, and apps for both iOS and Android systems. You can also purchase glass break sensors that are triggered by vibration or sound, occupancy sensors, motion sensor with a camera and wide-angle lens. Installation Both systems are designed to be easy to install and even easier to use. In most cases, it takes less than 30 minutes to install and set up each system. Emergency Connections While both systems allow for personal monitoring (no emergency alerts to local authorities) both offer 24/7 professional monitoring. Adobe offers an “on-demand” option that allows you to turn the monitoring on/off for short periods of time. Summary: Ring vs Abode Ring is an affordable and easy to use home security system that offers effective coverage for both renters and homeowners. It's a good choice for someone who wants both simplicity and convenience. Abode is a good idea for renters and homeowners who don't need a wide selection of devices but want the option for on-demand, 24/7 professional monitoring coverage. Read our full review of Ring Read our full review of Abode

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### Ring vs Blink Comparison

> Ring beats Blink in this Amazon brand showdown with more options, better features, and similar pricing. Ideal for those seeking comprehensive home security.

- Published: 2018-11-01
- Modified: 2025-08-07
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-vs-blink/

Here’s a situation we don’t come across much: two home security brands offered by the same company. Granted, Amazon is enormous, but it’s still a bit unusual to find two entirely different home security options – Ring and Blink – sharing space under the same corporate umbrella. Unsurprisingly, Blink and Ring have a good deal in common. Both brands offer high-tech equipment at an affordable price; both are firmly focused on DIY home security; and both offer a wide range of products so it’s easy to get exactly what you need. These two brands also have some crucial differences, and if you want to choose which one is right for you, you need a solid handle on those. You’ve come to the right place. Below, we take a deep dive into these two home security brands, unpacking everything from installation processes to smart home features. By the time you’re done, we feel pretty certain that you’re going to know which of these two best suits your particular security needs. The more options, the better. Check out Lorex’s vast selection of security cameras in our Lorex review. See for yourself how Lorex security cameras are more high-tech than people give them credit for. Blink and Ring Features & Tech So we’ll just say it up front: Blink isn’t quite as impressive a system as Ring, especially when it comes to technology. Things aren’t entirely one-sided, though, as a close look at these two illustrates. Jaime Fraze Unboxing a Blink Security Camera Blink Features & Tech Blink doesn’t manufacture stripped-down cut-rate equipment. This is a company with enough high-tech tricks up its sleeve to stay competitive. For instance, High-Capacity Sync Modules: You can link an unlimited number of Blink cameras to your system, so it makes for an especially good option if you have a large number of spaces to monitor. Note that Blink’s battery-powered cameras require a Sync Module (hub), and each module is limited to 10 cameras. That’s still a lot of devices routed through one system. Blink Cameras Internal Storage:All Blink cameras feature local storage of up to 256 GB. That’s only a quarter of the capacity of the Lorex cameras we tested recently, but it beats Ring’s absence of local storage. To store footage with Ring, you need to sign up for one of their cloud storage plans. Affordable storage plans: If 256 GB isn’t quite enough for you, Blink also offers cloud storage plans with virtually unlimited capacity. In this case, you do have to pay a monthly subscription fee. However, that fee is just $3 per camera or $10 for unlimited cameras. To learn about our hands-on experience with Blink and what it’s like using the cameras day-to-day, have a look at our comprehensive Blink camera review. Easy DIY Installation: Despite needing to pair our Blink cameras with the Sync Module, it only took about five minutes using the mobile app. All we had to do next was put the cameras where we wanted them and they were ready to go. The whole setup took us about 15 minutes. 1080p HD Image Quality: All Blink cameras feature 1080p HD resolution. While it’s not the best, 1080p is clear enough to identify whoever or whatever happens by your home. We were even able to identify the neighbor’s cat digging up our front porch flower pots. Camera Selection: Blink doesn’t offer as many camera models as Ring, but they cover all bases. You can choose from several indoor and outdoor camera models featuring the core features we look for like built-in spotlights and person detection. They even have a video doorbell. In addition, you might want to check out the new plug-in Mini Pan-Tilt. It can cover a whole room thanks to its 360-degree field of vision which can be remotely accessed from the Blink app. It’s a Blink Mini with a mechanical mount that makes the camera pan and tilt. Being an Amazon brand, expect Blink to go on sale during big shopping days. Monitor our Blink Prime Day page and Blink Black Friday page in July, October, and November to catch wind of the latest deals. Ring Features & Tech Boxed Up Ring Security Cameras So now that we’ve seen what Blink has going for it, let’s turn to Ring’s assets. Sensors: Blink doesn’t have a full-home security system with sensors like Ring does. Strategically placed sensors can work just as well as cameras for securing your home, except they cost a lot less. Check out our hands-on review of Ring Alarm to see a full breakdown on Ring’s security system. Doorbell Cameras: Ring offers eight separate models, more than anyone else on the market. All of them work seamlessly with other Ring cameras and feature 1080p HD image quality or higher, night vision, and two-way talk (visit our complete Ring Video Doorbell review). Ring Video Doorbell 3, Installed Indoor/Outdoor Cameras: Blink offers a fair number of cameras, but Ring wins this category. Not only does Ring offer both indoor and outdoor models, but you can get them in wired, wireless, and solar-powered versions. Ring also offers spotlight cameras and floodlight cameras. There’s even a camera for your car. If you choose Ring, you can integrate your Ring doorbell and Ring Cams into your Ring Alarm system. To read about what it’s like using this complete system, we recommend reading our deep-dive review of Ring Cams. Home Automation: Ring offers home automation options, including full Alexa or Google Home integration. Plus, the system works with more than 10,000 smart home devices from Nest thermostats to Hue Philips light bulbs. With that kind of connectivity, you can set your air conditioner to come on the moment your garage door opens and never come home to a hot house again. Ring Floodlight Cam Mounted Outside Ring sells cameras with integrated lights for active deterrence. To learn more, check out our in-depth Ring Floodlight review, or for something more affordable, you can read about the Spotlight option in our review of the Ring Spotlight Cam. Blink and Ring Similarities For all their several differences, Blink and Ring also have a fair number of similarities. Affordability: Blink is undeniably cheaper. That said, we consider both affordable. Ring’s lowest-priced camera is $60, whereas Blink’s pricing starts at $30. Compare either to SimpliSafe, and that $30 difference looks small with SimpliSafe’s cameras starting at $150. HD Video: Every Blink and Ring camera features at least 1080p HD resolution. That’s the industry standard and it’s all you need to identify a porch pirate or a neighbor’s pet causing chaos. Sure, there are 2K and even 4K cameras out there, but they cost a lot more. Don’t believe us? Just take a look at our Lorex pricing guide. Ring Stick Up Cam Video Quality Wireless Home Security: Ring and Blink both offer wireless home security options. That makes installation a breeze. Installation only took us about five minutes per camera from either brand. If wireless capabilities are what you’re looking for, you can find more options in our best wireless home security systems guide. DIY Installation: You don’t just get a box full of equipment delivered to your door. Both Blink and Ring have put time and money into their packaging and instructions so that you know exactly what you’re doing every step of the way. They offer battery-powered and plug-in devices that anyone can install. Both companies also offer extensive tutorials online, so that it’s pretty much impossible to mess things up. Two-Way Talk: Every Ring and Blink camera and video doorbell features two-way talk, which we consider an essential feature. It has multiple uses such as scaring off intruders by letting them know cops are on the way and telling delivery drivers where to leave packages. Night Vision: Another high-tech feature we don’t want to live without? Night vision. All Ring and Blink cameras come with night vision. The quality of that night vision varies depending on how much you’re willing to pay, but both companies recognize that nighttime is when most threats occur and you need to be able to see what’s happening outside your home even if it’s dark. Ring Indoor Cam Night View Blink and Ring Differences Blink and Ring do have some overlap when it comes to their offerings, but there are several key differences that you need to consider before plunking down the credit card. You’ll note that almost all of these differences are in Ring’s favor, one reason why we chose them right up front as the better option. Camera Selection: Blink offers a total of seven products, including at least one indoor, outdoor, and doorbell camera. That’s not bad – SimpliSafe, for instance, sells just four camera models – but Ring sells seven products in the doorbell category alone. Fewer cameras certainly isn’t a deal-breaker by any means, but there’s no denying that Ring provides more options if you’re looking for specific home security solutions. Range of Protection: With Ring, you don’t need to limit your home’s security to only security cameras. You can add a wide range of sensors, install hazard alarms, and opt for professional monitoring. Blink only offers security cameras and self-monitoring subscriptions. Reputation: Ring has better name-recognition than Blink. They invented the video doorbell, after all. That said, there’s no doubt that Blink has more to prove, and that sometimes means you can get better deals. If you’re looking for reliability, though, you’re probably better off trusting Ring. Field of Vision: Ring has cameras that boast up to a 160-degree field of vision, while many of Blink’s cameras only offer 110-degree FOV. However, with their new Mini Pan-Tilt, Blink now offers one camera with 360-degree coverage. Intrusion Protection: Remember that Ring sells the Ring Alarm home security system. This puts another layer of security around your home, with door/window sensors, motion sensors, and a Z-Wave hub with a built-in siren. Unfortunately, you won’t get any of this with Blink. Professional Monitoring: With a Ring Alarm system, you can sign up with 24/7 professional monitoring through the Ring Protect Pro plan. Essentially, you’ll pay $20 per month and Ring’s partner monitoring center will monitor your security system for you. This is a huge advantage for Ring. Blink doesn’t offer professional monitoring, so if you go with them, you’ll have to stay on top of everything yourself. That includes checking notifications when they come in, reviewing footage, and alerting the authorities when necessary. Pet Monitoring: Ring’s newest product is a set of custom features tailored to pet owners. Not only does Ring let you see and talk to your pets when you’re away from home, it lets you set up a pet profile so Ring Neighbors can help you track them down if they should go missing. You can even set up your Ring Doorbell to keep track of when your furry friends come and go through the front door, so you’ll know exactly when the dog walker stops by to walk them. As you can see, we think Ring is an all-around better option compared to Blink cameras. Of course, Ring isn’t a perfect system, but there’s a reason why it ranks so high on our list of the best home security cameras available. In fact, there are several reasons! Ring vs Blink: Snapshot of Costs and Fees Right now, both Blink and Ring are running sales on select pieces of equipment. If you’re interested in purchasing either, now might be a good time to shop. The Blink Outdoor costs $99. 99, and buying in bulk gets you a discount. For indoor cameras, there’s the Blink Mini that costs $29. 99, as well as the Blink Mini 2 and Blink Mini Pan-Tilt that both cost $39. 99. Here’s our full rundown of Blink Camera pricing and packages. Now, when we compare those costs to Ring, we find that Ring is the more expensive option of the two. Ring Indoor starts at a reasonable $59. 99, but that’s still more than any Blink Mini model. From there, the outdoor cameras will run up to $249. 99 for the recently released Floodlight Cam Pro. Here’s where it gets tricky. If you’re looking at the bottom line, Blink is the more affordable option. It’s not always about the bottom line, though. Value is more important than price. Ultimately, Ring is worth the higher cost. It offers more options and better protections. You can get a complete rundown of all those options in our Ring Cam pricing guide. But, there’s no denying that Blink has the lower prices, as you can see below. Blink Pricing Breakdown Camera Features Price Blink Mini Smartphone controls via app Instant notifications Live video streaming Two-way talk HD video quality Indoor use only $29. 99 Blink Mini 2 Built-in LED spotlight Wide 143-degree field of view Person detection Two-way talk Indoor or outdoor use $39. 99 Blink Outdoor 2-year battery life Two-way audio Custom motion detection Works with Alexa Use indoors or outdoors 1080p HD video quality $99. 99 Blink Mini Pan and Tilt Pan-tilt functionality 360-degree field of vision Real-time alerts Two-way talk $39. 99 Blink Wired Floodlight Cam 2600 lumen floodlight AI-powered smart alerts Two-way audio $99. 99 Blink frequently runs sales for anywhere from 25 to 40 percent off. Be sure to bookmark our guide to Blink deals to stay up to date on all of the discounts. And for comparison, here’s a breakdown of some of Ring’s most popular camera equipment: A Look at Ring Cam Prices Ring Camera Power Source Equipment Cost Spotlight Cam Plus Battery, Wired, Solar, Plug In Starts at $149. 99 Spotlight Cam Pro Battery, Wired, Solar, Plug In Starts at $229. 99 Floodlight Cam Plus Wired, Plug In Starts at $179. 99 Floodlight Cam Pro Wired, Plug In Starts at $249. 99 Outdoor Cam Battery $79. 99 Outdoor Cam Plus Battery, Wired, Solar, Plug In Starts at $99. 99 Stick Up Cam Elite Power over Ethernet (PoE) $179. 99 Indoor Cam Plug in $59. 98 Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam Plug in $79. 99 Are Surveillance Systems Effective? The main goals of a video surveillance system are to deter potential threats, keep you informed, and to notify you in case of an emergency. They act as a deterrent when the cameras are visible. When a criminal knows that he or she cannot enter your home without being seen (and recorded! ), they will likely move on to target a different home. Blink Outdoor Camera Surveillance systems will also allow you to monitor your home while you are away. They’ll provide you with information such as whether you have packages waiting at the door, a visitor at your entryway, or a looky-loo trying to peek into your windows. Certain alerts and alarms will alert you in the case of an emergency situation as well. So there’s no denying the effectiveness of a camera system like Ring or Blink. Ring vs. Blink: The Bottom Line So there you have it: the good, the bad, and the ugly of these two camera-based security systems plus a comparison of those goods, bads, and uglies. But we know, what you really want is the bottom line. Which of these two systems do we prefer? Well, we spent several weeks testing both Blink and Ring systems, and while we like Blink, we give the edge to Ring in this battle. Ring’s products have a better build, and their cameras come with more features. Plus, it’s easy to expand your system with Ring. They make a wide range of home security devices including a number of different cameras. However, no security system is right for everyone. Blink has a lot going for it, too. We loved the resolution on Blink cameras, and Blink motion detectors are spot-on. Add in the fact that the company now offers an outdoor model, and you can count on Blink to keep you safe. So, here’s the real bottom line. When it comes to the security of your home, you should do your homework (that’s why you have us! ), weigh your options, and find the best system that makes sense for you, your family, and your budget. Make sure you keep in mind how many cameras you need, whether any will be used outside, how many home automation features you need, and whether or not you need a 24/7 monitoring service, and you can’t go wrong. Video Recording in the Ring App

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### Vivint Black Friday Deals [year]

> Vivint Black Friday 2025: Save $125 on Doorbell Camera Pro and get 3 months free monitoring, but spend $599.99 minimum. Offer may not extend to Cyber Monday.

- Published: 2018-11-01
- Modified: 2025-06-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/black-friday/



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### SimpliSafe Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals

> SimpliSafe Black Friday 2025 offers 70% off plus a free outdoor camera. Packages start at $75 with new Active Guard feature for outdoor protection.

- Published: 2018-11-01
- Modified: 2024-11-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/black-friday/



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### ADT Black Friday Deals

> Save 60% on ADT Plus systems with Trusted Neighbor feature. Security Starter now $199, Video Essentials $199. Google Nest gear discounted too.

- Published: 2018-11-01
- Modified: 2024-11-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/black-friday/



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### Zmodo Reviews

> Zmodo cameras offer affordable security with clear 1080p video, simple setup, and no required subscription. However, they have limited features and some app issues.

- Published: 2018-10-31
- Modified: 2024-07-31
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/zmodo/reviews/



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### LifeLock Alternative

> LifeLock's premium plan is pricey but includes essential features. Alternatives Aura, Identity Guard, and IdentityIQ offer similar protections at lower costs.

- Published: 2018-10-30
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-alternative/

LifeLock is our favorite identity theft protection service on the market today. When we last tested LifeLock, we appreciated their extensive monitoring capabilities that they keep expanding, large insurance, and an intuitive interface. There’s definitely a reason why they’re one of the biggest names in the industry right now. That said, though, the main value of LifeLock comes from their premium plan, which costs at least $19. 99 per month. It also takes a commitment to set up the amount of monitoring they offer. That’s why we’re going to recommend a few alternatives. After testing 20 different identity theft protection services, we found the three best LifeLock alternatives: Aura — Best Bundles Identity Guard — Best Fraud Resolution IdentityIQ — Most Flexible Insurance Now, let’s dig into the details so you can figure out which alternative is the best for you. >> Read More: A Guide to Identity Theft Protection Services 1. Aura — Best Bundles We received over 20 data breach alerts right after setting up Aura. Aura is one of LifeLock’s biggest competitions in terms of features and protections. It’s the closest identity protection capabilities we’ve found to LifeLock — except with a lower rate. Aura’s subscription plans are also simple and straightforward, something LifeLock struggles with. It does away with tiered plans and instead offers all-inclusive subscriptions for different household types. There’s one for individuals, couples, and families of up to five adults. There’s also an add-on digital protection plan for kids. Here’s how they look: Aura Identity Theft Protection Plans Plans & Features Individual (1 Aadult) Couple (2 Aadults) Family (5 Aadults, Uunlimited Kkids) Kids (Uunlimited Kkids) Identity Theft Insurance $1 Million $1 Million/Adult $1 Million/Adult No Social Security Number (SSN) & Personal Information Monitoring Yes Yes Yes No Dark Web Monitoring Yes Yes Yes No Home & Auto Title Monitoring Yes Yes Yes No Public Records Monitoring Yes Yes Yes No Lost Wallet Remediation Yes Yes Yes No 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring Yes Yes Yes No Financial Account & Transaction Monitoring Yes Yes Yes No Experian Credit Lock Yes Yes Yes No Expert Fraud Resolution Yes Yes Yes No VPN, Antivirus, Encrypted Vault, Password Manager, etc. Yes Yes Yes No Parental Controls & Safe Gaming No No Yes Yes Child SSN Monitoring No No Yes No Monthly Billing $15 $29 $50 $13 Annaul Billing $144 (Avg. $12/Month) $264 (Avg. $22/Month) $384 (Avg. $32/Month) $120 (Avg. $10/Month) What stood out to us the most when we compared Aura and LifeLock is the price of three-bureau credit monitoring. LifeLock requires their premium plan for it, which costs at least $19. 99 per month, whereas Aura includes it with all their plans, so you can get it as low as $12 per month. That goes for a lot of the monitoring features they both offer, but Aura offers it for cheaper, such as home title monitoring. The big thing you get for the extra price of LifeLock is the up to $3 million insurance per adult, whereas Aura’s caps at $1 million per adult. Another unique similarity we found when testing Aura and LifeLock is their cybersecurity tool bundles. The difference is Aura includes their cybersecurity tools in every plan except their child plan, whereas with LifeLock you need to add Norton 360 to one of their bundles. Aura’s option is definitely cheaper, but we like Norton 360’s cybersecurity tools more since Aura’s antivirus does not include a firewall and the VPN only connects to U. S. servers. Aura’s VPN lets us connect to U. S. locations only, whereas Norton 360 offers 30 locations. So, why choose Aura over LifeLock? For one, Aura’s family plan offers more value. It’s cheaper than LifeLock’s top-tier family plan (Ultimate Plus) with similar or better features — aside from LifeLock’s higher insurance. Aura’s family plan also covers up to five adults and unlimited children instead of two adults and five children. That brings even more value. The individual and couple plans also provide more value than LifeLock — offering three-bureau credit monitoring instead of one-bureau credit monitoring and nearly as much insurance as LifeLock’s Advantage plan for less money per month. >> Learn More: Aura vs. IdentityForce A firewall helps protect your computer from online threats that can steal information from your computer. They act as a barrier between you and malicious files that can result in your identity getting stolen if downloaded. 2. Identity Guard — Best Fraud Resolution Our Identity Guard dashboard shows us anytime a potential sign of identity theft pops up. Identity Guard is a top-notch service. When we compared Identity Guard and LifeLock, we found that their features rivaled each other with a similar price tag. We’ve broken down Identity Guard’s pricing and service plans, but, for quick reference, here’s a chart of the highlights for each of their service tiers: Value, Total, and Ultra. Identity Guard Plans Identity Guard Service Value Total Ultra $1 Million Identity Theft Insurance Yes Yes Yes Dark Web Monitoring Yes Yes Yes Bank Account Monitoring No Yes Yes Credit and Debit Card Monitoring No No Yes 401k and Investment Account Monitoring No No Yes Criminal and Sex Offense Monitoring No No Yes Address Change Monitoring No No Yes Title Monitoring No No Yes 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring No Yes Yes Monthly Price $8. 99 $19. 99 $29. 99 Annual Price $90 ($7. 50 Per Month) $200. 04 ($16. 67 Per Month) $300 ($25 Per Month) Pretty exhaustive, right? What you’re not going to get with Identity Guard is some of the more tertiary benefits offered in LifeLock bundles with Norton 360 such as their VPN, their virus protection, or their cloud storage. But, to be completely honest — while those are nice perks — we recommend going with a third party for those tools anyway. What is important, however, are key features like triple-bureau credit monitoring, triple-bureau credit reports, and bank account monitoring. When we tested and reviewed Identity Guard, we found this is what they do really well. Worth noting, though, you’ll only get triple-bureau protection if you go with Ultra protection — their most expensive plan — just like LifeLock. Well worth it for the peace of mind that you’ll be provided knowing all three credit bureaus are being monitored for discrepancies rather than just one. The person who steals your identity is not necessarily the person who uses your identity. Oftentimes, identities are sold by the thief on illicit marketplaces, and then the buyer uses the identity to commit fraud. That’s why most identity theft protection services offer dark web monitoring. It allows you to catch the attempted sale of your identity before it’s used. Identity Guard makes it easy to freeze your credit to stop thieves from opening accounts in your name. That premium plan also comes with one of our favorite features from Identity Guard: white glove fraud resolution. Now, you might think that’s the same as the identity restoration experts that most identity theft protection services provide, but it’s not. Identity Guard’s white glove fraud resolution means anytime you experience fraud — whether it’s a suspicious credit card transaction or a fraudulent line of credit — they’ll resolve the entire issue without requiring you to lift a finger. Well, you may need to sign a form they pre-filled for you to dispute a transaction, but they’ll basically handle it all. LifeLock provides similar service but only for identity theft incidents — not for all types of fraud, which Identity Guard includes in all plans. >> Read About: Aura vs. Identity Guard Identity Guard’s Watchlist page showed us the information they monitored and a risk assessment tool called Threat Questions. Another thing about Identity Guard we found really helpful was the Safe Browsing plug-in contained in the Ultra package. This is a comprehensive protection for your browser that protects against unwanted ads, HTTPS files, phishing and spam emails, and even unauthorized cryptocurrency mining. While NortonLifeLock offers its own take on safe browsing, it’s nowhere near as comprehensive as Identity Guard. That’s why Identity Guard ranks so high on our list of best identity theft services. 3. IdentityIQ — Most Flexible Insurance Despite the dated look, we were pleased with IdentityIQ’s dashboard, which clearly displayed all important information. In addition to covering the cost of lawyers and experts to recover your identity if it gets stolen, IdentityIQ also reimburses stolen funds after an identity theft event. Only LifeLock’s premium plan can cover up to $1 million of stolen funds, whereas all IdentityIQ plans offer that much coverage. IdentityIQ also offers all the traditional monitoring services and advanced monitoring capabilities of LifeLock to keep your identity safe. Here’s a look at IdentityIQ’s plans and pricing: IdentityIQ Plans IdentityIQ Service Secure Basic Secure Plus Secure Pro Secure Max Identity Restoration, Stolen Funds, and Personal Expense Insurance $1 Million $1 Million $1 Million $1 Million Credit Monitoring One Bureau One Bureau Three Bureau Three Bureau SSN Monitoring Yes Yes Yes Yes Synthetic ID Theft Protection Yes Yes Yes Yes Lost Wallet Assistance Yes Yes Yes Yes ID Theft Restoration Service Yes Yes Yes Yes Criminal Identity Theft Monitoring No No Yes Yes Credit Score Simulator and Tracker No No No Yes $25,000 Family Identity Theft Insurance No No No Yes Monthly Price $8. 49 $11. 49 $21. 49 $31. 49 Annual Price $86. 61 ($7. 44 Per Month) $117. 19 ($10 Per Month) $219. 19 ($18. 49 Per Month) $321. 21 ($27 Per Month) If you’re looking for an easy-to-use identity theft protection service, check out our IdentityForce review. They make one of our favorite identity protection desktop apps that makes it easy to leverage all of their features. But, it doesn’t come cheap, with plans starting at $19. 90 per month. Honestly, we find IdentityIQ’s Secure Plus plan not to be worth the price increases from their Secure Basic plan. The only thing it adds to the Secure Plus plan is an annual credit report. You can get a credit report from all three bureaus for free on a weekly basis through Annual Credit Report, so we don’t put any value on that benefit. We also don’t think the Secure Max plan is worth it. If you want a plan that offers coverage for your family, we recommend going with Aura instead. It costs about the same and offers $1 million insurance per adult instead of only $25,000. We tested IdentityIQ’s Secure Max plan so we could access all of their monitoring capabilities. All that said, we really like how comprehensive the coverage of their individual insurance is. Their $1 million coverage can be used toward lawyers and experts to recover your identity, reimburse any stolen funds, and reimburse personal expenses related to an identity theft incident. LifeLock separates the insurance for these categories. They still provide $1 million coverage in all tiers, but that can only be used for lawyers and experts. However, the Standard plan only covers $25,000 for stolen funds and personal expense reimbursement with the Advantage plan, upping that coverage to $100,000. The flexibility of being able to use IdentityIQ’s insurance for any of the three categories can be a major benefit depending on your personal circumstances. >> Check Out: Best Identity Theft Restoration Services Three Great LifeLock Alternatives, One Decision There’s no getting around the fact that LifeLock offers some of the most comprehensive identity protections with some of the largest insurance. That makes finding alternatives tough. It took us testing 20 different services to just find three, afterall. Through those tests, we found that Aura’s a great alternative if you’re looking for a family plan, Identity Guard for fraud resolution, and IdentityIQ for affordable insurance with wide coverage. Still not sure which LifeLock alternative is right for you? Check out our identity theft protection services buyers guide. In it, we cover the exact steps you need to take to figure out what you need from an identity theft protection service. That way, you can get the coverage you need to reduce your risk of identity theft and protect yourself if it gets stolen. FAQs

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### Best Identity Theft and Credit Protection Services

> Aura is the best credit monitoring service with comprehensive features, while LifeLock excels in credit locks. Identity Guard is AI-driven for proactive protection.

- Published: 2018-10-28
- Modified: 2025-06-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/credit/



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### Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Families

> Aura is the top pick for family identity theft protection with its user-friendly app and investment monitoring, followed closely by LifeLock and Identity Guard.

- Published: 2018-10-27
- Modified: 2025-03-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/families/



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### Equifax Hands-On Review in [year]

> Equifax's credit monitoring shines, but its dated site hampers use. No mobile app and lacks social media alerts. Strong credit monitoring, but needs updates.

- Published: 2018-10-27
- Modified: 2024-12-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/equifax/reviews/



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### Complete ID Reviews

> Complete ID by Costco offers robust identity protection at low costs but is only for members. Enrollment is closed; existing users should consider alternatives.

- Published: 2018-10-27
- Modified: 2024-12-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/complete-id/reviews/



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### ProtectMyID Reviews

> AAA's ProtectMyID, powered by Experian, offers solid identity theft protection but lacks in sex offender monitoring and is only available to AAA members.

- Published: 2018-10-27
- Modified: 2024-12-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/protectmyid/reviews/



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### IDX Privacy and Identity Review

> IDX offers robust privacy and identity protection, but lacks in affordability and comprehensive features compared to competitors like Aura and Identity Guard.

- Published: 2018-10-27
- Modified: 2024-12-28
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/myidcare/reviews/



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### AllClear ID Reviews

> AllClear ID offers decent identity protection, but lacks features like social media monitoring. Only worth it if you get it for free through work.

- Published: 2018-10-27
- Modified: 2024-12-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/allclear-id/reviews/



---

### Unbiased Reviews You Can Trust

> SafeHome.org reviews top home security systems like ADT, SimpliSafe, and Vivint, offering unbiased insights to help you choose the best fit for your needs.

- Published: 2018-10-16
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/unbiased-reviews/

Our Vision Our vision for our website was for it to be a place where consumers could go to find unbiased information that's presented in an easy to read and compare format. We offer thorough reviews, side-by-side comparisons, charts, and other detailed information needed to make the important investment into personal and family security. We knew this would not only help our users save time and money, but it would also help with making the most informed decision about which products and services would best suit their particular needs. How We Get Paid Although we receive compensation from our partners via our site, this compensation does not influence our reviews or rankings in any way. Our product testers, writers, and editors are not provided with any information about the companies we have affiliate relationships with. This ensures there is no bias towards any particular product or service they review. We have contributed hours to research, testing, and analyzing the products and services we represent before making a recommendation. The products and services we recommend to our users are the same ones we use ourselves. They are also the same ones we recommend to our personal loved ones. Furthermore, we do not include companies or brands that don't meet our high standard of quality. How We Review We review and rate companies, products and services found on our site by analyzing 5 primary categories: Customer Service, Value, Equipment, Features & Technology and Ease of Use. A Business Built on Trust We understand as a consumer, you have plenty of options. Therefore, we want to earn your trust. We would like to invite you to visit a few websites and fact-check our recommendations. We analyze and consider a number of external customer review organizations when creating our reviews about companies. Our goal is to offer current, accurate and completely unbiased reviews about the companies found on our site. In the home security and personal security industry, things change often. That's why we strive to update our content whenever a new product is released, a price changes, news breaks or a feature is rolled out. If We Don't Have What You Are Looking For If you are interested in a particular product or service that is not on our website, have some questions, or a specific buying problem, please contact us and our team will do whatever we can to help. We love to hear from our site visitors and value the time of each and every person. Our Goal Our goal is to provide consumers with the most comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date information possible so they can make the best choice for their needs and budget.

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### Best Affordable Medical Alert Systems

> Bay Alarm Medical tops the list for affordability with no hidden fees and free spousal monitoring. Medical Guardian and Lively also offer budget-friendly systems.

- Published: 2018-10-16
- Modified: 2025-08-25
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/affordable/



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### Identity Guard® Reviews

> Identity Guard offers comprehensive identity theft protection with features like $1M insurance, dark web monitoring, and family plans. Prices vary; app needs improvement.

- Published: 2018-10-10
- Modified: 2025-02-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/identity-guard/reviews/



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### Best Medical Alert Bracelet Systems

> Bay Alarm Medical has the best medical alert bracelet with a SecureScore of 9.3/10, offering waterproof, redundant monitoring, and free spouse coverage.

- Published: 2018-10-10
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/bracelets/



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### Best Medical Alert Systems Worn as Necklaces

> In 2025, the best medical alert necklaces are Bay Alarm Medical for couples, Medical Guardian for battery life, ADT for affordability, and MobileHelp for GPS.

- Published: 2018-10-10
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/necklaces/



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### Best Medical Alert Systems With GPS

> Bay Alarm Medical tops GPS medical alert systems in 2025 for its 72-hour battery and water resistance; Medical Guardian offers the longest battery life.

- Published: 2018-10-08
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/gps/



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### The Best Identity Theft Protection Services of [year]

> In 2025, Aura and LifeLock lead identity theft protection with robust tools and insurance. Identity Guard offers affordability, while IdentityIQ excels in credit protection.

- Published: 2018-10-05
- Modified: 2025-02-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/best/



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### Best Medical Alert Systems with Fall Detection

> Bay Alarm Medical offers the top fall detection system, scoring 9.3/10, with 24/7 emergency support. Medical Guardian follows with versatile equipment options.

- Published: 2018-10-04
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/fall-detection/



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### LifeLock vs. ProtectMyID Comparison

> LifeLock surpasses ProtectMyID with more comprehensive monitoring, $3M insurance, and 24/7 support, making it worth the higher cost despite ProtectMyID's free plan.

- Published: 2018-10-04
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-protectmyid/

We like that you can get ProtectMyID for free with a AAA membership, but paying for identity theft protection is still worth it. To show you how much more you can get with a paid plan, we compared it to our favorite identity theft protection service: LifeLock. Just because one option is free doesn’t mean it’s the best option. That’s what we found when we tested ProtectMyID to put it head-to-head against LifeLock. We were able to get ProtectMyID’s Essential Plan completely free since we’re a AAA member, but it lacked some crucial features like three-bureau credit monitoring. Plus, it only gave us $10,000 of insurance, which kept it off our list of the best identity theft protection services. When we tested LifeLock, it cost us about as much as ProtectMyID’s premium plan, but it included $2 million more insurance and more comprehensive monitoring. Just how much more comprehensive is LifeLock’s monitoring, though? Let’s dig in to find out. >> Read More: A Guide to Identity Theft Protection Services An Overview of LifeLock and ProtectMyID You can take advantage of LifeLock’s 30-day free trial on any of their plans — just like we did. LifeLock was founded in 2005. Since that time, the company was bought out by Symantec — the people behind Norton Antivirus. Now known as LifeLock, this identity theft protection service is one of the best on the market today, at least compared to the 20 services we’ve tested. LifeLock offers a complete range of financial and identity protection as well as a full suite of preventative cybersecurity measures. While ProtectMyID doesn’t boast the bells and whistles of LifeLock, the service is powered by Experian — one of the three major credit monitoring bureaus whose roots can be traced back to the early 1800s. That name certainly brings with it confidence and peace of mind that your protections are as close to the source as they can be. But, closer to the source doesn’t always mean better protections, as you’ll find out shortly. It also requires a AAA membership. Now that we’ve covered the background of each company, let’s go over the key similarities and differences between them. Similarities Between LifeLock and ProtectMyID ProtectMyID made it easy for us to add our information for their monitoring services. Whether you go for LifeLock or ProtectMyID, you can expect to get some similar features and capabilities. Here are the key similarities between LifeLock and ProtectMyID: Social Security Number (SSN) Monitoring: The core feature of identity theft protection is SSN monitoring, which both LifeLock and ProtectMyID provide. Three-Bureau Credit Monitoring: It’s not included in every plan for either LifeLock or ProtectMyID, but they both offer three-bureau credit monitoring. That ensures you’ll be notified of suspicious credit activity regardless of which bureau it’s through. It’s our favorite type of credit protection. Credit Lock: A credit lock puts a temporary hold on a specific credit bureau file while allowing you to unlock it instantaneously. LifeLock can lock your TransUnion credit file, while ProtectMyID can lock your Experian credit file. Optional Child Identity Monitoring: Both LifeLock and ProtectMyID offer plans that include identity monitoring for your children too. LifeLock even made our list of the best child identity theft protection services. Restoration Support: If your identity gets stolen while you have an active subscription with LifeLock or ProtectMyID, they’ll provide you with an identity restoration expert who will help you recover your identity. Cybersecurity Tools: While we much prefer the cybersecurity tools included with LifeLock, we can’t deny that ProtectMyID offers some cybersecurity tools too. You can keep an eye on all three of your credit files for free by pulling credit reports from each bureau. It’s available on a weekly basis through Annual Credit Report, although we find monthly to be adequate in most cases. Differences Between LifeLock and ProtectMyID LifeLock’s clean and modern dashboard gave us an overview of our credit score, alerts, and monitoring. Of course, there are reasons we like LifeLock better than ProtectMyID, and that’s because of their differences. We’ll start with a summary of the differences, and then we’ll dive into the details. Here are the key differences between LifeLock and ProtectMyID: Insurance Amount: The maximum insurance you can get from ProtectMyID is $1,000,000. LifeLock offers plans with up to $3,000,000 in insurance. Stolen Funds Reimbursement: If an identity thief steals money, such as by gaining access to one of your bank accounts, LifeLock offers up to $1,000,000 in stolen funds reimbursement as part of their insurance. ProtectMyID does not offer this type of protection. 24/7 Support: You can reach out to LifeLock’s support 24/7 either by phone or through a live chat. ProtectMyID only offers support over the phone during their business hours or by email. Free Plan: With a AAA membership, you can get free access to ProtectMyID’s Essential Plan, which includes $10,000 identity theft insurance and basic monitoring. LifeLock only offers paid plans. Availability: ProtectMyID is only available to AAA members, whereas LifeLock is available to anyone. Extra Monitoring Capabilities: LifeLock monitors a lot more of your information than ProtectMyID. Everything that ProtectMyID monitors, LifeLock also does. But, the latter also monitors things like your home title and investment accounts. >> Check Out: LifeLock Free Trial Offers in LifeLock vs. ProtectMyID: A Comprehensive Breakdown We covered the high-level overview, so you know we prefer LifeLock. Now, let’s dig into the details where we’ll discuss all the nitty-gritty aspects of both services that go into protecting your identity, as well as how much they’ll cost you, so you can pick the best option for you. There are a few cases where we’d recommend ProtectMyID over LifeLock even though most will be better off with LifeLock’s protection. Pricing You can use LifeLock’s 30-day free trial — just like we did — to run a complete scan of your identity with zero dollars down. Even though we prefer LifeLock, their plans cost a bit more than ProtectMyID. In our opinion, the increased price is well worth the extra capabilities you get. The only way ProtectMyID provides more value is with their free plan, of course, and if you need credit monitoring. They offer a plan with three-bureau credit monitoring for $10. 95 per month. Three-bureau credit monitoring from LifeLock costs a minimum of $19. 99 per month. It offers a lot more features that we think are worth it, but some only need credit monitoring. LifeLock’s Pricing First, let’s go over LifeLock’s pricing. We’re not including every capability they offer in the pricing table, but we’re highlighting a few key features that separate the plans. Even with only the features we list, though, it’s still more than ProtectMyID offers. We’ll do a deeper comparison of features shortly too. LifeLock Services Standard Select Advantage Ultimate Plus Credit Monitoring Single Bureau Single Bureau Single Bureau Triple Bureau Annual Credit Report and Scores Not Provided Not Provided Single Bureau Triple Bureau TransUnion Credit Lock Not Provided Not Provided Provided Provided Fictitious Identity Monitoring Not Provided Not Provided Provided Provided Home Title Monitoring Not Provided Not Provided Not Provided Provided Identity Restoration Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Reimbursement Up to $25,000 Up to $25,000 Up to $100,000 Up to $1 Million Personal Expense Compensation Up to $25,000 Up to $25,000 Up to $100,000 Up to $1 Million Norton 360 Unavailable +$0. 83 Per Month +$2 Per Month +$5 Per Month Price Starts at $7. 50 Per Month Starts at $7. 50 Per Month Starts at $14. 99 Per Month Starts at $19. 99 Per Month >> Read About: Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Couples ProtectMyID’s Pricing There are two things we really like about ProtectMyID’s pricing. First, they offer a free plan that includes some amount of insurance. That’s a good deal, if you ask us. Second, they offer some of the lowest prices for three-bureau credit monitoring. Aside from credit monitoring, their protections are relatively basic for an identity theft protection service. Here’s an overview of ProtectMyID’s plans and pricing: ProtectMyID Services Essential Deluxe Platinum Credit Monitoring Single Bureau Triple Bureau Triple Bureau Identity Theft Insurance Up to $10,000 Up to $1,000,000 Up to $1,000,000 Fraud Resolution Support Yes Yes Yes VantageScore Tracker No Yes Yes SSN Monitoring No Yes Yes Dark Web Monitoring No Yes Yes Experian Credit Lock No No Yes Social Media Monitoring No No Yes Monthly Price Free for AAA Members $10. 95 $15. 95 Winner: Draw >> Learn About: Best Family Identity Theft Protection in ProtectMyID’s Platinum plan includes monitoring for up to 10 children. However, it does not include identity theft insurance for them. LifeLock’s family plan costs more and only covers up to five children, but they include up to $1,050,000 insurance per child. Insurance and Restoration LifeLock has a dedicated page for submitting identity theft claims and restoring your identity. So, what happens if your identity gets stolen while subscribed to LifeLock or ProtectMyID? That’s where identity theft insurance and restoration services come in. ProtectMyID offers up to $1,000,000 insurance specifically for legal fees, lost wages, and transfer fees. LifeLock offers that same insurance, but it also covers any experts needed for your case. On top of that, they include up to $1,000,000 insurance to reimburse any stolen funds and up to $1,000,000 to reimburse any personal expenses. Needless to say, we like LifeLock’s insurance more. That extra insurance is also why it’s one of our favorite identity theft protection services for businesses. As for guidance, LifeLock and ProtectMyID both provide you with a U. S. -based identity restoration expert to guide you through the entire process of getting your identity back. They’ll walk you through everything from reporting the incident to preventing the thief from causing further damage. Winner: LifeLock Monitoring Capabilities ProtectMyID’s online exposure scan found out that one of our email addresses was leaked in a data breach. While identity theft protection services heavily advertise their insurance, we focus on their monitoring capabilities just as much. Even with identity theft insurance, we don’t want to deal with our identity getting stolen. With the best identity restoration services available, a stolen identity will still cause a massive headache. That’s why an ounce of prevention is really worth a pound of cure when it comes to protecting your identity. And, in that regard, LifeLock offers a lot more than ProtectMyID. Here’s a comparison between LifeLock and ProtectMyID’s monitoring capabilities: Feature LifeLock ProtectMyID SSN Monitoring Yes Yes Three-Bureau Credit Monitoring Yes Yes Social Media Monitoring Yes Yes Buy Now Pay Later Alerts Yes No Fictitious Identity Monitoring Yes No Phone Takeover Monitoring Yes No Bank Account Application Alerts Yes No Investment Account Alerts Yes No Home Title Monitoring Yes No This chart makes it clear how much more monitoring LifeLock offers than ProtectMyID and why we find the more expensive pricing well worth it. Winner: LifeLock Every LifeLock plan does not include every type of monitoring. They scale up with each tier. We recommend the Ultimate Plus plan for three-bureau credit monitoring, up to $3 million insurance, and all of their identity monitoring capabilities. Customer Support Every alert LifeLock sends comes with a guide for next steps and an option to chat with their experts for more guidance. If you sign up for an identity protection service, you should expect to be able to get in contact with your provider at any time. That’s why LifeLock offers 24/7 support by phone and a live chat. We can’t say the same for ProtectMyID. They only offer phone support during their business hours, and they do not have a live chat. ProtectMyID’s business hours in CST are 8 a. m. to 8 p. m. Monday through Friday and 10 a. m. to 7 p. m. Saturday and Sunday. It might not seem like a big deal since ProtectMyID is still available seven days a week, but we really prefer 24/7 support. You’re at an elevated risk of identity theft when traveling, and an identity theft incident when in a foreign country can cause major issues for you. And, if you’re in a different time zone, all of a sudden those normal business hours can become overnight instead of during the day. Those are the times you need support from your identity protection service the most, and, without 24/7 support, getting that help can be difficult. Winner: LifeLock Credit Protection We used ProtectMyID to temporarily lock our Experian credit file. ProtectMyID is run by Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus. As expected, their credit protection capabilities are pretty strong for affordable rates. You can get three-bureau credit monitoring for as little as $10. 95 per month, and even their free plan includes monitoring for your Experian credit file. Another protection they offer is the option to lock your Experian credit file. While LifeLock can’t necessarily beat ProtectMyID when it comes to credit protections, they at least match them. There’s three-bureau credit monitoring, albeit at a higher rate, and it includes a credit lock, except for your TransUnion credit file instead of Experian. Winner: ProtectMyID >> Learn More: A Comparison of Identity Theft Protection Services A credit lock is different than freezing your credit. When you freeze your credit, it takes time for them to reopen your credit file, which means if you need to apply for a line of credit, you’ll need to unfreeze it ahead of time. Credit locks allow you to turn them on or off almost immediately. LifeLock vs. ProtectMyID: The Takeaway In case we haven’t made it clear enough, we prefer LifeLock in almost every circumstance. They provide more monitoring services which catch identity theft attempts before they cause too much harm. It also provides you with more insurance and more available customer support. Not to mention, if you’re not a AAA member, ProtectMyID is not even an option. That said, if you are a AAA member, there are circumstances that can make ProtectMyID worth it. If you don’t have any budget for identity theft protection, ProtectMyID offers a free plan with basic protection. Or, if credit monitoring is your top priority, ProtectMyID’s plans include three-bureau credit monitoring for affordable rates. Even with that, though, we find the extra monitoring capabilities of LifeLock to be well worth the cost. If LifeLock’s not right for you, head over to our list of the best LifeLock alternatives for options with better value than ProtectMyID. FAQs about both LifeLock and ProtectMyID

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### LifeLock vs. Zander Identity Theft Protection Comparison

> LifeLock offers superior credit monitoring and up to $3M insurance, making it worth its higher price compared to Zander's $1M coverage and limited monitoring.

- Published: 2018-10-03
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-zander/

In our opinion, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to identity theft protection, which is why we prefer LifeLock. They offer that ounce of prevention in their monitoring capabilities and a pound of cure with up to $3 million insurance. Zander only offers up to $1 million insurance with minimal monitoring but at a lower monthly cost. LifeLock and Zander both offer above-average insurance coverage. That’s Zander’s main form of protection. They focus on making you whole again after an identity theft incident instead of preventing it from happening in the first place. Of course, we got some monitoring like Social Security number (SSN) monitoring when we tested Zander, but they only focus on your identity — leaving your credit vulnerable. While we still got plenty of insurance when we tested LifeLock to help us recover if our identity was stolen, they offer a lot more in terms of prevention than Zander. That’s why they’re our top choice for identity theft protection since they provide the best of both worlds with identity and credit monitoring. But, do you need the prevention LifeLock charges a premium for? Or, is Zander enough? That’s exactly what we’re going to help you find out by putting them head-to-head based on our personal experience testing both services. LifeLock vs. Zander: A High-Level Overview LifeLock showed us all the information they were monitoring for us and made it easy for us to add more. If you’ve looked into identity theft protection, you’ve probably already heard of LifeLock. They’re one of the biggest names in the industry, with their impressive insurance and long list of monitoring capabilities. As part of the Gen Digital family of products, LifeLock also offers bundles with Norton 360 to round out your identity and credit protections with top-tier cybersecurity tools. Zander Insurance doesn’t have the same name recognition as LifeLock, so they started working with finance celebrity Dave Ramsey. He endorses their identity theft protection service, which became their claim to fame. They also offer solid insurance coverage that reimburses more than just costs, recovering your identity like most of the industry. Now that you have some background, let’s cover the key similarities and differences between them before we dive into the details. >> Learn More: A Comparison of Identity Theft Protection Services We typically do not recommend bundling identity theft protection with cybersecurity tools. Most bundles either offer subpar cybersecurity tools or subpar identity theft protection. LifeLock is one of the few cases where both sets of tools are high quality. Similarities Between LifeLock and Zander To our surprise, these two companies have more in common than we would have thought, with their different backgrounds and approaches. Here are the key similarities between LifeLock and Zander: Insurance Coverage: LifeLock offers more money in insurance, but both offer above-average coverage since they both offer stolen funds reimbursement. Most companies in the industry only cover costs to recover your identity, such as lawyer fees. Strong Identity Monitoring: Although identity monitoring is the main type of protection Zander offers, it’s actually quite good and close to on-par with LifeLock. They each provide advanced monitoring that most competitors skip on, like home title monitoring and retirement account monitoring. Bundles With Cybersecurity Tools: Zander partnered with UltraVPN to offer a VPN and antivirus service in their premium plan. While we prefer the Norton 360 cybersecurity tools that come with LifeLock, we’re glad they both offer digital protections. Child Identity Protection: There are family plans from both Zander and LifeLock that include monitoring and insurance for your children. That’s why they both made our list of the best identity theft protection services for families. Recovery Specialists: If your identity gets stolen, Zander and LifeLock will provide you with an identity recovery specialist who will help you regain control of your identity. 24/7 Support: No matter the time or day, you can always get in contact with Zander and LifeLock by phone, as they both offer 24/7 support. LifeLock also offers a 24/7 live chat. Differences Between LifeLock and Zander All of our alerts from Zander were clearly displayed in the home page dashboard. Of course, there are distinguishing factors between them too, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to have a preference. Here are the key differences between LifeLock and Zander: Credit Monitoring: Every LifeLock plan includes some amount of credit monitoring with their premium plan, including three-bureau credit monitoring, whereas Zander does not offer any credit monitoring. Pricing: There’s no getting around it: LifeLock charges more for their services than Zander. In our opinion, it’s worth the premium price. Child Credit File Detection: If someone uses your child’s identity to take out a line of credit, they’ll also create a credit file. LifeLock monitors for this activity, whereas Zander only monitors their identity. Credit Reports: You’ll get a monthly credit report showing you all of your lines of credit from all three bureaus with LifeLock. They also provide you with your credit score. Zander does not offer credit reports. Criminal Fraud Detection: Some people commit identity theft by using your name when caught committing a crime. This can result in a warrant out for your arrest due to a crime you didn’t commit. Out of the two, only LifeLock monitors for these instances. Fictitious Identity Monitoring: A new approach to identity theft is using some of your information to create a fake identity. Then, the use of a fake identity is less likely to be caught. LifeLock monitors all of your information individually, so if someone uses your name and address, for instance, but a different SSN, they’ll still catch the fraud. >> Learn About: 5 Child Identity Theft Statistics Every Parent Should Know LifeLock vs. Zander: An In-Depth Comparison We’ve covered the highlights, now let’s dig into the details. There are a lot of reasons to like LifeLock and Zander. Even though we prefer LifeLock, that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. So, we’re going to discuss all the key factors you should consider when deciding between these two high-quality identity theft protection services. Pricing When it comes to pricing, we have to give it to Zander. They provide great value, with plans starting at $6. 25 per month. By comparison, LifeLock’s pricing starts at $7. 50 per month, but it includes one-bureau credit monitoring, which is missing even from Zander’s premium plan. That’s why we think LifeLock’s higher prices are worth it. They also both offer family plans that cover two adults and children for an extra fee. >> Read More: Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Children in LifeLock’s Pricing LifeLock’s plans come with a 30-day free trial that we used to fully test their capabilities. Like we said, if you’re looking for the lowest cost protection, you won’t be happy with LifeLock’s pricing. But, if you want comprehensive protection for reasonable prices, that’s where LifeLock shines. Here’s an overview of LikeLock’s plans and pricing: NortonLifeLock Subscription Plans LifeLock Services Standard Select Advantage Ultimate Plus Credit Monitoring Single Bureau Single Bureau Single Bureau Triple Bureau Annual Credit Report and Scores Not Provided Not Provided Single Bureau Triple Bureau TransUnion Credit Lock Not Provided Not Provided Provided Provided Fictitious Identity Monitoring Not Provided Not Provided Provided Provided Home Title Monitoring Not Provided Not Provided Not Provided Provided Identity Restoration Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million Up to $1 Million Stolen Funds Reimbursement Up to $25,000 Up to $25,000 Up to $100,000 Up to $1 Million Personal Expense Compensation Up to $25,000 Up to $25,000 Up to $100,000 Up to $1 Million Norton 360 Unavailable +$0. 83 Per Month +$2 Per Month +$5 Per Month Price Starts at $7. 50 Per Month Starts at $7. 50 Per Month Starts at $14. 99 Per Month Starts at $19. 99 Per Month Prepare yourself for a higher rate once your first annual subscription with LifeLock expires. Their renewal pricing is about 30 percent higher than their introductory prices. We also recommend subscribing to an annual plan over month-to-month, as it cuts the cost of a subscription by almost half. Zander’s Pricing While you won’t get quite as much protection from Zander, mainly a lack of credit monitoring, their prices are attractive. Here’s an overview of Zander’s plans and pricing: Service Essential Elite $1 Million Insurance for Recovery and Stolen Funds Reimbursement Yes Yes SSN Monitoring Yes Yes Dark Web Monitoring Yes Yes Home Title Monitoring No Yes Experian Credit Lock No Yes Antivirus and VPN No Yes Bank Account and Transaction Monitoring No Yes Price Starts at $6. 25 Per Month Starts at $10. 83 Per Month Winner: Zander Monitoring Capabilities Zander found our email address and our entire shipping address in a data breach from 2018. Strictly looking at LifeLock and Zander’s identity monitoring capabilities, they’re pretty similar. Zander almost matches up to LifeLock’s impressive monitoring. But, that’s not all we look at. We don’t just want to know if someone uses our SSN, we also want to know if someone takes out a line of credit in our name or uses our name after committing a crime. That’s the type of protection we only get from LifeLock. Here’s a comparison between LifeLock and Zander’s monitoring capabilities: Feature LifeLock Zander Insurance SSN Monitoring Yes Yes Home Title Monitoring Yes Yes Investment Account Alerts Yes Yes Bank Account Application Alerts Yes Yes One-Bureau Credit Lock Yes Yes Phone Takeover Monitoring Yes No Fictitious Identity Monitoring Yes No Buy Now Pay Later Alerts Yes No Social Media Monitoring Yes No Three-Bureau Credit Monitoring Yes No Winner: LifeLock >> Read About: A Guide to Identity Theft Protection Services If you’re on a tight budget, you don’t need to sacrifice credit monitoring by going with Zander. You can monitor your own credit by pulling free credit reports on a weekly or monthly basis from Annual Credit Report. Insurance and Restoration LifeLock gave us an entire dedicated page to submit and track any identity theft incidents. Most identity theft protection services, including LifeLock, use a separate company to provide their insurance. Zander, however, is an insurance company themselves, so you’re getting your insurance directly from them. In our opinion, that doesn’t make a difference, because either way they need to provide coverage according to their contract. We reviewed both of their contracts, and their identity theft coverage and stolen funds coverage are mostly the same. LifeLock also offers personal expense reimbursement, though, which is missing from Zander’s insurance coverage. All of Zander’s plans cover at most $1,000,000 per adult covered. LifeLock offers plans with up to $3,000,000 coverage per adult split equally between identity recovery expenses, personal expenses from identity theft, and stolen funds reimbursement. That’s what puts LifeLock at the top of our list of the best identity restoration services. For restoration, LifeLock and Zander offer the same service. They let us get in contact with their restoration experts 24/7 by phone. So, no matter when an identity event may have occurred, we could get the help we would’ve needed with either service. One thing we will note: LifeLock also offers a live chat for support. Winner: LifeLock LifeLock’s high insurance coverage also makes them our favorite identity protection service for businesses. Involving a business in an identity theft incident makes the recovery more difficult and can allow the thief to steal more funds. That extra insurance can keep your business afloat. Bundles With Cybersecurity To further protect your identity, LifeLock and Zander offer bundles with some cybersecurity protections. The cybersecurity bundles from both companies come with antivirus software, a VPN, and a password manager. Even though they’re the same services, we prefer LifeLock’s bundle, as Norton 360 provides higher-quality antivirus than UltraAV. We like their VPN more too but not by much. Norton’s antivirus has a virus protection promise, which we appreciate. Adding Norton 360 doesn’t even add much to a LifeLock plan, either. At most, it adds about $5 per month. Upgrading to a plan with cybersecurity tools from Zander costs about the same, but, in our opinion, for lower-quality protection. Winner: LifeLock >> Check Out: Comparing Aura vs. LifeLock in A VPN can help protect your identity, as one way identity thieves steal your information is by intercepting your data when you connect to the internet. They spoof networks so you think you’re connected to a safe one, and then when you, for instance, log in to your bank account, they can steal your credentials. Credit Protection On top of locking our TransUnion credit file, LifeLock also helped us freeze our Experian and Equifax credit files too. This is where LifeLock outshines Zander by a lot. LifeLock offers a lot of credit protections, and Zander offers almost none. The only credit protection we could get from Zander is a credit lock feature for Experian in their premium plan. LifeLock offers a credit lock too, except for TransUnion. That’s the extent of the similarities. On top of a credit lock, LifeLock also includes at least one-bureau credit monitoring with every plan, with the premium plan including three-bureau credit monitoring. That ensures if anyone tries to pull out a line of credit in your name, the monitoring will catch it when the creditor pulls a credit check — i. e. , before the line of credit gets approved. This lets you take action before any harm is caused. In addition to credit monitoring, LifeLock’s premium plan includes credit reports and credit scores for all three bureaus. This all makes LifeLock one of our favorite credit protection services. Winner: LifeLock NortonLifeLock vs. Zander: Our Recommendation LifeLock gave us a clean dashboard to manage every aspect of our identity protection. Even though we like LifeLock more, Zander’s still a solid choice — especially if you’re on a tight budget. We’d recommend their Essential plan, though, if you opt for Zander. Their Elite bundle does not add enough capabilities for almost twice the monthly rate, and, at that point, we’d recommend going for LifeLock. Zander offers undeniable value, but, if you can afford it, you get a lot more from LifeLock. We find the extra $14 per month for their premium plan compared to Zander’s Essential plan to be well worth it. You’ll get three-bureau credit monitoring and up to $3,000,000 insurance compared to Zander’s $1,000,000 and no credit monitoring. To sum it up, if you can afford it, go with LifeLock. But, Zander’s a solid, affordable option. For more options, check out our roundup of the best LifeLock alternatives. FAQs about Zander and NortonLifeLock

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### LifeLock vs Identity Guard® Comparison

> LifeLock edges out Identity Guard with a SecureScore of 9.6 vs. 9.3, thanks to superior cybersecurity features and additional insurance coverage.

- Published: 2018-10-03
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/lifelock-vs-identity-guard/

As identity theft becomes more prevalent, smart consumers are looking for ways to protect themselves. This mostly comes in the form of subscribing to an identity theft monitoring and prevention service. While this is a great step to take, we have to say that no two services are exactly alike. While there are numerous services that will simply get the job done, there are a few on the market that go above and beyond by offering robust protections. Two of the leaders in that category are NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard. While both are top-shelf services, they still differ in significant ways worth noting before you decide which one is right for you. So let’s unpack their services to get a better idea of what both brands offer and to see how they compare to one another. To start, let’s take a look at how NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard’s services are similar. The Similarities NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard: Two Sides of the Same Coin At first glance, these two services are nearly indistinguishable. In our review of NortonLifeLock and in our in-depth look at Identity Guard, we found both offer multiple tiers of service that range from basic monitoring to comprehensive protections. They are priced similarly, and both offer some tertiary, preventative cybersecurity protections. Please note — for the purposes of this comparison, we’re going to be looking at both NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard’s premier service plans. Now let’s break those down in detail. Financial Protection On the financial and credit-monitoring side of things, NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard are nearly one in the same. Their premium tiers of protection both offer triple-bureau credit monitoring — a must-have for us — as well as detailed account monitoring that goes beyond traditional checking and savings accounts, meaning both services also keep an eye on retirement and investment accounts as well, which is pretty unique in this space. Norton LifeLock – Welcome to Norton The different credit monitoring agencies use different algorithms and data sets to determine your credit score. Monitoring one of them can help prevent identity theft, but triple bureau credit monitoring is far more comprehensive and will alert you to suspicious activity much faster. With that in mind, here’s our list of the best credit monitoring services out there. Both services also offer transaction alerts, meaning you can be notified when amounts of money over certain limits are moved from your bank account. Not only is this functionality great for quickly identifying unauthorized purchases, but it can also help you stay on track budgetarily speaking. We always like it when services offer tools to help improve financial health, and both get points here for that. We’d also like to mention that NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard both give you the option to access credit freezes and credit locks. There are a few other services out there that have this functionality, but few offer as many additional protections and features. If you’re looking for another option with credit locks, check out our review of ProtectMyID, or our in-depth coverage of Equifax’s Identity Protection. Regardless of who you go with, though, the ability to lock your credit file is a huge tick mark in our “benefits” column. To understand why, though, we have to do a little exposition. Identity Guard Credit Freeze First of all, there’s a difference between a credit freeze and a credit lock, but both essentially accomplish the same thing — preventing anyone from accessing your credit report from the main reporting bureaus. Keep in mind that a lock can be toggled on and off in near-real time, while a freeze takes a little longer to set up and undo. Either way, this is one of the best things you can do to protect yourself from identity fraud. NortonLifeLock gives you the ability to lock your TransUnion file, and gives you information on how to freeze the other two. On the other hand, Identity Guard doesn’t offer a locking mechanism, but does give you all the resources you’ll need to set up freezes at the three bureaus. Slight advantage to NortonLifeLock here, but to be honest, the fact this is an included resource with both services is quite impressive. So that’s how NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard are similar on the financial side of things. Now let’s talk about how both services approach identity protection and monitoring. NortonLifeLock vs Identity Guard - Identity Protection Again, both services are in a league of their own when it comes to identity protection. They both, of course, offer industry-standard features like dark web monitoring for our address, our social security number, and log in information, but the way both services approach this protection is a little different. More on this later, though. For now, just know that both companies offer complete identity protection and monitoring services, and the attention to detail here is impeccable. If suspicious activity is detected, or your personal information is showing up in places it shouldn’t be, these services offer detailed, actionable alerts. Some plans we’ve tried really skimp on the details here, but not NortonLifeLock or Identity Guard, thankfully. That said, we do wish a little more attention had been paid to the preventative aspects of the alerts. Context is key here, and spelling out how to protect yourself from similar situations in the future would have been helpful. Identity Guard Dark Web Alert Finally, we wanted to talk about the preventative cybersecurity measures offered by both NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard. This category of service isn’t offered by many companies, so it’s definitely worth paying attention when it shows up. Identity Guard calls it’s offerings “Safe Browsing” and includes phishing protections, HTTPS protections, an ad blocker, a flash player blocker, and cryptocurrency mining protections. Compare that to NortonLifeLock, which offers cybersecurity features as well in the form of virus protection, a password manager, and access to a secure VPN. Crypto mining uses your computer’s power to develop a cryptocurrency for “miners” without your knowledge or permission resulting in severely decreased performance. We’ll discuss the different features in more detail in a bit, but ultimately, both NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard’s cybersecurity measures aim to prevent your personal information from becoming exposed in the first place, and this added layer of preventative protection is something unique. This is what really sets NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard apart from their competitors in the industry. Norton LifeLock Dashboard We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention the two services’ recovery and remediation offerings. Again, both align nearly perfectly. Identity Guard and NortonLifeLock both offer $1 million in stolen funds insurance and access to experts that will help resolve your case. Worth pointing out, though, NortonLifeLock does take it a step further, offering an additional $1 million in insurance to cover the costs of lawyers and other experts. Advantage NortonLifeLock, but for the average person, the differences in protection and recovery are negligible. So, that’s how these two services look similar. Now let’s discuss where they diverge. The Differences NortonLifeLock vs Identity Guard: Different Approaches, Same Goal One of the first differences we noticed between the two services is their approach to protection. While NortonLifeLock has a more passive “observe, report, react” methodology, Identity Guard takes a more “gamified” posture. Gamification refers to the application of game-playing elements like assigning scores and competition with others to encourage certain types of behaviors — in this case, establishing safer habits. Using a series of 32 questions about your personal life, financial behaviors, consumer habits, and access to healthcare, Identity Guard develops a Risk Management Score — a numerical value that informs you of your risk of becoming the victim of identity theft. This score is dynamic, meaning that as your behaviors change over time, your score will increase or decrease, giving you a feedback mechanism for making better decisions. We love this approach. We really think the attention to detail makes it an effective tool to become more proactive in your identity theft protections. Identity Guard Personal Information Breakdown Another area where Identity Guard outperforms NortonLifeLock is with its home title monitoring. Both services offer this feature, but Identity Guard’s protection is much more detailed and complete. But to discuss this, we first need to understand what’s being monitored here. There are several types of fraud that can occur involving your property, including deed fraud, which occurs when someone steals your identity, forges your name on a deed and takes your home to borrow against. Obviously, you want to protect against this unthinkable scenario. While NortonLifeLock keeps a passive eye on your title, Identity Guard gives you access to all of your tax information, your deed, even the latitude and longitude of your property. If title theft is a protection that’s important to you, Identity Guard has you covered in spades. Identity Guard Home Title Monitoring But just because we’ve sung the praises of Identity Guard, that doesn’t mean there aren’t aspects of NortonLifeLock that outshine it. Remember when we said we’d talk more about the cybersecurity elements of both? Let’s do that now. While it’s great they both offer preventative services, in our opinion Identity Guard’s pale in comparison to NortonLifeLock’s. Identity Guard essentially offers a browser plug-in, while NortonLifeLock provides a full suite of robust cybersecurity protections. While blocking ads and detecting unsecure web elements is helpful, a VPN blows that out of the water in terms of preventing cybercriminals from taking advantage of you in digital spaces. Advantage: NortonLifeLock. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. These work by spoofing the physical location of your computer to prevent hackers from accessing your network. NortonLifeLock also seems to have a greater focus on user’s online privacy. As such, they monitor over a dozen data brokers — companies that use your personal information to build detailed profiles of you to sell to marketers and advertisers — and can help remove these profiles on your behalf for a fee. While that has the immediate benefit of getting rid of targeted ads, it also means there won’t be repositories of your personal information floating around out there in unsecured spaces. This is a neat feature by NortonLifeLock, and one we’d really like to see more of. Finally, NortonLifeLock offers one of the best apps we’ve seen in this space. Identity Guard’s mobile experience is — well, fine — but NortonLifeLock really steps it up here. If protection on the go is something important to you, we’d highly recommend giving NortonLifeLock a closer look. Norton LifeLock – Attention Required That about does it for the major differences between the two services. As you can see, NortonLifeLock is a little more technical; a little more privacy-oriented while Identity Guard offers a more holistic, dynamic approach. And now that you have an in-depth understanding of what both are bringing to the table, we can discuss their plans and pricing. NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard Service Packages: Finding a Tailor-Made Solution It’s important to reiterate here — for the entirety of this comparison we were discussing both services’ premium plans. Both offer lesser tiers of service with pared down offerings for a smaller monthly fee, so if you’re not looking for all the bells and whistles but still want solid core protections for an affordable price, both NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard can cover you. Let’s look at the former first. NortonLifeLock offers four tiers of service that range from $9. 99 per month all the way up to $29. 99 per month. Also worth noting, those are just the prices for the first year. After 12 months, you’re going to see a slight increase in your monthly fee. While NortonLifeLock is the most expensive identity theft protection service we’ve seen so far, they also offer the most features. If you’re looking for something more affordable, consider Experian Identity Works. While testing and reviewing IdentityWorks, we found their services to be more than adequate for a reasonable price. If you’re curious and want to learn more, have a look at our IdentityWorks’ plans and pricing. As far as NortonLifelock goes, you can read more about the tiers of services in our NortonLifeLock plans and pricing guide, or take a look at our highlights chart below. NortonLifeLock Subscription Plans Service Standard Select Advantage Ultimate Plus Credit Monitoring Single Bureau Single Bureau Single Bureau Triple Bureau Bank Account Alerts No No Yes Yes Crimes In Your Name Alerts No No Yes Yes Annual Credit Report and Scores No No Single Bureau Triple Bureau Monthly Credit Score Tracking No No No Yes Credit Lock No No Yes Yes Checking and Savings Account Application Alerts No No No Yes 401k and Investment Account Alerts No No No Yes Bank Account Takeover Alerts No No No Yes Stolen Funds Reimbursement Up to $25,000 Up to $25,000 Up to $100,000 Up to $1 million VPN No Up to 5 Devices Up to 10 Devices Unlimited Devices Monthly Price $9. 99 $9. 99 $19. 99 $29. 99 You can also check out our roundup of Identity Guard’s costs and plans to get more detail, but you’ll notice their highlight list looks pretty similar to NortonLifeLock. Worth noting, though, while their premium service tier costs the same — $29. 99 per month — this is a fixed rate that will not increase after a year. Advantage Identity Guard! Identity Guard Subscription Plans Service Value Total Ultra Bank Account Monitoring No Yes Yes Credit and Debit Card Monitoring No No Yes 401k and Investment Account Monitoring No No Yes Criminal and Sex Offense Monitoring No No Yes USPS Address Change Monitoring No No Yes Title Monitoring No No Yes Credit Protection No Yes Yes 1-Bureau Monthly Credit Score No Yes Yes 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring No Yes Yes 3-Bureau Annual Credit Report No No Yes Monthly Price $7. 50 $16. 67 $29. 99 In terms of pricing and core features between Identity Guard and NortonLifeLock, it feels like an exercise in hair-splitting. Both are great services for similar prices — selecting one over the other is really a matter of figuring out which type of experience you prioritize. But if we had to choose, we’d give the edge to Identity Guard. NortonLifeLock Vs. Identity Guard: The Verdict Ultimately, we think the decision between NortonLifeLock and Identity Guard comes down to which features you’re going to get the most use out of. When looking at the premium plans for both, there are a lot of add ons and bonuses that — if utilized — are more than worth the price. However, if you’re not going to take advantage of, say, IdentityGuard’s title monitoring because you rent or you don’t want to mess with NortonLifeLock’s cybersecurity protections because you’re not really tech savvy, you’re going to be throwing away money. If you’re considering either, we recommend taking a closer look at the in-depth reviews we linked to at the beginning of this article. This will help you establish which features you’re looking for and which you don’t really care too much about. You might also consider reading our article on NortonLifeLock alternatives, or exploring other services you might not have considered. FAQs for Both Services

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### LifeLock Reviews

> LifeLock offers up to $3M identity theft coverage, but only highest tier has 3-bureau monitoring. Prices rise after first year; best features in premium plan.

- Published: 2018-09-24
- Modified: 2024-12-28
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/reviews/



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### Google Nest Camera Review [year]

> Google Nest Cam 2025: Versatile, reliable, but pricey with clear 1080p video and AI alerts. Lacks color night vision. Worth it if integrated with Nest Aware.

- Published: 2018-09-23
- Modified: 2025-02-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/nest-camera/reviews/



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### Ring Alarm Reviews

> Ring Alarm 2nd Gen is affordable with easy DIY setup but lacks advanced features. New sensors are smaller, Ring Protect Pro offers good value at $20/month.

- Published: 2018-09-23
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ring-alarm/reviews/



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### AllClear ID

> AllClear ID offers free Basic and paid ProPlus plans ($8.50/month) with optional ChildScan. Free plans may lack credit monitoring and insurance.

- Published: 2018-09-18
- Modified: 2025-04-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/allclear-id/



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### ProtectMyID Identity Theft Protection Pricing [year]

> ProtectMyID by AAA offers affordable identity protection with three plans: Essential is free, Deluxe at $10.95/month, and Complete at $17.95/month.

- Published: 2018-09-18
- Modified: 2024-12-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/protectmyid/



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### Best Medical Alert Systems

> Bay Alarm Medical tops the list for best overall medical alert systems, Medical Guardian excels in fall detection, and ADT offers outstanding security options.

- Published: 2018-09-18
- Modified: 2025-08-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/best/

You might recognize the name ADT as one of the best home security brands in the country. It’s been in business for over 150 years and is known for its superior equipment and best-in-industry response center. But how is its medical alert system? Well, we think it’s pretty good.

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### Identity Guard®

> Identity Guard offers robust identity theft protection with plans from $7.50/month. The Ultra plan includes credit monitoring, social insight, and white glove recovery.

- Published: 2018-09-12
- Modified: 2025-01-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/identity-guard/



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### Experian IdentityWorks Identity Theft Protection Plans and Pricing for [year]

> Experian IdentityWorks costs more than rivals but excels in credit monitoring. Offers credit monitoring, SSN alerts, and up to $1M insurance for identity fraud.

- Published: 2018-09-11
- Modified: 2024-12-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/experian-identityworks/



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### Philips Lifeline vs. Medical Guardian [year]

> Medical Guardian tops Philips Lifeline with faster response times, better tech, and no installation fees. SecureScore™ 9.1 vs. 8.2. More device options, too.

- Published: 2018-09-07
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-philips-lifeline/

Key Similarities 24/7 monitoring: Medical Guardian and Philips Lifeline both offer around-the-clock support. Mobile app: Both systems offer mobile apps with GPS tracking, professional support, and caregiver management. Flexible pricing: Both companies offer flexible pricing, ranging from $27. 95 to $44. 95 per month. Key Differences Years in business: Medical Guardian has been in business since 2005, while Philips Lifeline’s experience spans over 50 years. Product variety: Medical Guardian has five products, while Philips Lifeline offers only three. Fall detection: Medical Guardian offers fall detection for an extra $10 per month, while Philips Lifeline offers it for an extra $15 per month. As experts on medical alert systems, we’re here to help you on your journey to finding a high-quality medical alert device. Whether you’re looking for a company with a solid reputation, like Lifeline, or a more modern one that focuses on its technology, like Medical Guardian, you’ve come to the right place. Lifeline has been around for more than 50 years. Its history of providing medical alert systems for the public has been incredibly successful. Medical Guardian, on the other hand, is newer to the scene, with a strong focus on advanced technology and high-quality devices. In this review, we’ll get into all the details — big and small — so you can feel 100 percent sure about your decision. >> Also Read: Best Medical Alert Systems of Philips Lifeline vs. Medical Guardian: Company Overviews Our Experience We spent several hours researching, reviewing, and testing Medical Guardian and Philips Lifeline systems to give you a detailed overview of what you can expect. For starters, let’s talk about how easy it was to find information on each Medical Guardian device, add accessories, and check out. Every step of the way, we felt guided by all the resources without ever feeling overwhelmed or fooled into buying more than we needed. We purchased the MGMove smartwatch, MGMini, and the MGHome Cellular, thanks to the quiz found on Medical Guardian’s website. After answering a few questions, we were even more sure about our purchase. Medical Guardian product boxes Medical Guardian’s website is more robust than Philips Lifeline’s site. It’s packed with detailed descriptions, high-quality images, customer reviews, and an extensive FAQ page. The live-chat feature also gave us immediate access to support, which we relied on. The Philips Lifeline website was transparent and easy to digest. The only thing we didn’t like about it was how long things took to load. We tested it using different Wi-Fi networks and devices, including both mobile and desktop, and we still found the website to have a slow response time. Not a great user experience! Lifeline website homepage During the checkout process, we noticed that Philips Lifeline provided clear information about features, pricing, and add-ons. Like Medical Guardian, it also had customer reviews for extra peace of mind. A contact number is visible throughout the site in case you prefer one-on-one support over the phone. Both websites and companies felt informative and user-friendly, but Medical Guardian still felt like the superior choice because of how customizable all its packages were. We’ll get into that in a bit. Testing Response Times and Reliability After testing both systems, we found a significant difference in response times. When we tested our MGMove smartwatch, we got consistent results in the 10- to 20-second range. That’s actually much faster than the industry average of 30 to 60 seconds. When we tested our MGHome Cellular and MGMini, we got results in the 15- to 20-second range. We were impressed because no matter which Medical Guardian devices we tested, we always got a response time of under 20 seconds, making it one of the fastest on the market. Using MGMove smartwatch >> Read More: Medical Guardian MGMove Review On the other hand, Philips Lifeline falls between 30 and 60 seconds. Some users have even reported waiting a bit longer than 60 seconds to speak to a real human. That falls within the industry standard, but we naturally felt safer with Medical Guardian. Every second counts in an emergency. Privacy Policies We hate to lecture you about reading the fine print, but, as security experts, we always recommend reading it — even if it's just the highlights. Medical Guardian’s privacy policy states that it is committed to protecting its customers, partners, and team members, but the company collects and shares users’ personally identifiable information. We don’t love that, but we will give them points for transparency. Philips Lifeline also has a clear breakdown of how it collects and uses your data. When you visit its website, the company anonymously collects browser information to enhance marketing and user experience. Third-party websites are granted access to cookies that track your online activity on multiple devices. They also gather information when you make a purchase, apply for a job, file an incident, submit a review, take an assessment, participate in public forums, and register on their website. >> Read Next: Lifeline Reviews on Medical Alert Systems Customer Support When we got in touch with Philips Lifeline’s customer support, we found the representatives to be knowledgeable and courteous. We contacted them about both sales questions and troubleshooting devices. Both times, we were met with patient agents who were happy to help. You can contact them via phone and email. If you prefer to go the self-help route, the company also offers resources, product guides, and FAQs on its website. Needless to say, Medical Guardian’s customer support covers all the bases and more. The company is known for its quick response times and friendly support agents. You can get in touch with them via phone, email, and live chat. The website also features an impressive training hub, with product videos, extensive FAQs, and a customer portal where you can manage all your health and safety information. Costs Plans and Pricing Philips Lifeline devices lack the customization Medical Guardian offers, but they get the job done. The company keeps it simple with three functional and effective devices: In-Home, Mobile, and Smartwatch. Prices range from $99. 95 to $159, with a monthly service fee between $27. 95 and $39. 95. Medical Guardian devices range in price from $149. 95 to $199. 95. Its monthly service fees range from $32. 95 a month to $44. 95 a month. We like that the company has a broader selection of devices and add-ons that truly sets it apart. Showing off MGHome 2. 0 Below is an overview of Philips Lifeline’s and Medical Guardian’s plans and pricing. Medical Guardian System Device purchase Cost Includes MGClassic n/a $32. 95 per month 1 MGClassic device 1 silicone wristband 1 lightweight pendant 1 charger MGHome Cellular $149. 95 $37. 95 per month 1 MG Home Cellular device 1 silicone wristband 1 lightweight pendant 1 charger MGMini $149. 95 $39. 95 per month 1 MGMini device 2 lanyards 1 charging cradle 1 belt clip MGMini Lite $149. 95 $44. 95 per month 1 MGMini Lite device 1 wristband 1 charging cord 1 attached cord MGMove $199. 95 per month $39. 95 per month 1 MGMove device 1 charging station 1 charging brick with USB cable >> Also Read: Bay Alarm Medical Alert Systems Plans and Pricing Philips Lifeline System Device purchase Cost Includes HomeSafe $99. 95 $27. 95 per month 1 in-home device 1 help button 1 lockbox On the Go $99. 95 $39. 95 per month 1 mobile device with advanced GPS locator 1 charging cradle Smartwatch $199. 95 $34. 95 per month 1 smartwatch with integrated location tracking We also suggest checking out our guide to Lifeline’s plans and pricing to get a better sense of your options. Lifeline medical alert devices Special Deals You’ll get the best bang for your buck with Medical Guardian’s 12 Days of Deals, during which you can score multiple discounts over 12 days. Groupon is currently offering a 40 percent discount on Medical Guardian products. Philips Lifeline is granting first-time users one month free when they use the promo code PSFM01. If you’re looking to get the best device for as little money as possible, we suggest reading our guide to the most affordable medical alert systems. Our roundup of options is designed to get you the most bang for your buck. Medical Equipment and Features Comparison Lifeline has three simple yet effective products: the home system, the mobile system, and the smartwatch. Medical Guardian, on the other hand, is notorious for having a lot more to choose from. Both platforms offer GPS tracking, advanced fall detection, a mobile app, long battery life, and fast response times. Based on your personal tastes and the distinct features you’re looking for, one system may be more fitting than another. If fall detection is a top priority for you, but your budget doesn’t allow for an extra monthly payment, all is not lost. There are options that include fall detection at no extra cost. Take a look at our guide to the best medical alert systems with fall detection to find a plan that fits your needs. Feature Medical Guardian Philips Lifeline Fall detection Available on all devices for an additional cost Available on all devices for an additional cost GPS location tracking Advanced GPS tracking with pinpoint accuracy Basic GPS tracking on mobile devices Health tracking Available on smartwatch devices Heart-rate monitor and step tracking available Response time 20 seconds or less 30 to 60 seconds Device options Smartwatch, pendants, wristbands, in-home systems Smartwatch, necklace, in-home systems Mobile app features Comprehensive app Basic app functionality Battery life Up to 5 days on mobile devices Up to 4 days on mobile devices 2-way communication Available on all devices Available on all devices Accessories and Add-Ons Medical Guardian has some of the best accessories on the market, including discreet pendants that can be worn as necklaces or wristbands and voice-activated wall buttons for at-home safety. The add-ons are versatile, innovative, and great for any lifestyle. Lifeline also offers some great add-ons, including automatic fall detection with every plan. Both companies give customers a free lockbox (depending on special deals or plan type). Lockboxes are helpful in the event of an emergency, because first responders can use them to quickly and easily enter your home without damaging the front door. Mobile App Medical Guardian’s MyGuardian mobile app has every feature you need, plus some you haven’t even thought of. It includes location monitoring, activity alerts, task reminders, messaging, caregiver monitoring, and more. You’ll also have access to your client services portal, making it a breeze to pay bills and get in touch with customer care 24/7. MyGuardian app Lifeline’s mobile app is a bit simpler. Most importantly, though, it will give you and your caregiver access to the GPS system and direct customer assistance. You’ll also be able to test your system, update your contacts list, and contact support directly in the app. If you’d like a straightforward mobile app that covers all the basics, go with Lifeline. If you enjoy robust platforms with additional features, Medical Guardian is the way to go. Lifeline mobile app Final Verdict: Philips Lifeline vs. Medical Guardian After thoroughly testing and examining these two medical alert systems, we found a few key differences that could make or break your decision. Lifeline is better suited to people who want reliable yet simple features. The company’s longevity and proven track record give customers peace of mind knowing they’re in trustworthy hands. Medical Guardian is a newer company, but its advanced technology and innovation put it ahead of the game. With its sophisticated product lineup and cutting-edge systems, Medical Guardian is our top pick. Pick Philips Lifeline if you’d like... A simple, straightforward system that gets the job done. When we think of Lifeline, we think of a no-frills company with the prices of more robust ones. It’s a reputable choice for users who want reliable service, justifying its higher price points. All of its devices come with professional installation and a direct line of communication with trained responders. Pick Medical Guardian if you’d like... Top-of-the-line or modern equipment with a wider selection of devices and high-tech options. In our opinion, Medical Guardian’s advanced technology, fast response time, and excellent customer service make it the top contender. Philips Lifeline vs Medical Guardian FAQs

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### Complete ID

> Complete ID no longer accepts new customers. Existing customers benefit from $8.99/month for Executive Costco members, but family plans aren't available.

- Published: 2018-09-07
- Modified: 2024-12-20
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/complete-id/



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### ADT Medical Alert System Review [year]

> ADT's medical alert system is reliable but lacks an app and incurs a $99 activation fee. Fall detection costs extra, and its range is limited to 600 feet.

- Published: 2018-09-07
- Modified: 2025-06-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/adt-health/reviews/



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### Zander

> Zander Insurance focuses on recovery and $2M coverage, lacks credit monitoring. Affordable but trade-offs exist. Ideal for budget-conscious users.

- Published: 2018-09-06
- Modified: 2024-12-20
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/zander/



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### LifeLock Identity Theft Protection Pricing and Plans [year]

> LifeLock's Ultimate Plus plan offers $3M coverage, 3-bureau monitoring, and unique fictitious identity alerts. Bundling with Norton 360 raises costs.

- Published: 2018-09-05
- Modified: 2024-12-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/lifelock/



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### IdentityForce

> IdentityForce's UltraSecure + Credit plan, at $34.90/month, offers comprehensive three-bureau credit monitoring, while UltraSecure lacks credit features.

- Published: 2018-09-04
- Modified: 2024-12-18
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/identityforce/



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### Buying Guide for Identity Theft Protection Services

> Identity theft affects 33% of U.S. adults, costing an average of $1,343 per incident. Top protection services include LifeLock, Identity Guard, and Aura.

- Published: 2018-09-04
- Modified: 2025-03-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/identity-theft-protection/



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### Nest Camera

> Nest Cams are pricey, starting at $99.99, but offer features like facial recognition with a Nest Aware subscription. Expect solid build and 1080p resolution.

- Published: 2018-09-04
- Modified: 2024-09-03
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/nest-camera/



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### Ring Alarm

> Ring Alarm offers affordable DIY security with camera options but lacks advanced automation. Professional monitoring is $20/month; equipment starts at $244.95.

- Published: 2018-09-04
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ring-alarm/



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### MobileHelp vs. Medical Guardian [year]

> Medical Guardian excels with faster response times and advanced tech, while MobileHelp is budget-friendly with essential features. Both offer fall detection.

- Published: 2018-09-03
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-mobilehelp/

Key Similarities 24/7 monitoring: Both companies offer around-the-clock monitoring. Mobile and in-home options: Each company offers on-the-go and in-home devices. Fall detection: Both companies offer fall detection as an add-on Key Differences Device variety: Medical Guardian offers a wider range of device options with more advanced technology. Mobile app features: MobileHelp’s mobile app has fewer features and is more basic than Medical Guardian’s app. Response time: Medical Guardian has faster response times than MobileHelp. Battery life: Medical Guardian’s mobile devices typically offer longer battery life. Choosing the right medical alert system can certainly make your head spin, especially when there are so many great options on the market. Picking the right medical alert system will not only save you money and get you better features, but it can also make a difference in the safety of you or a loved one. As experts on medical alert systems, we’ve spent thousands of hours researching and testing systems to help you make the best decision. When it comes to MobileHelp and Medical Guardian, that’s also true. From rating features to comparing response times, we’ll help you determine which company is the best fit for you. In this article, we’ll go over pricing, plans, add-ons, accessories, privacy policies, user experience, customer support, and much more. >> Read More: Medical Guardian MGMove Review How MobileHelp works MobileHelp vs. Medical Guardian: Company Overviews Our Experience When it comes to user experience, Medical Guardian came out on top for a few reasons. MobileHelp offers a decent user experience, but it doesn’t match Medical Guardian’s offerings. Medical Guardian’s website is a lot more polished, modern, and user-friendly. When we purchased the MGMove smartwatch, the MGHome, and the MGMini, we found it to be one of the easiest checkout processes. We also never felt confused navigating the site, and we always walked away learning something new about the company’s products, services, and deals. Plus, the checkout process is seamless. We never questioned what each system came with or how much a plan cost. Medical Guardian lays everything out in the open. MobileHelp’s site, on the other hand, feels a lot more outdated and overwhelming to navigate. Don’t get us wrong — it’s still functional. We just weren’t excited by its user experience, and we felt like we had more questions than we did before visiting the site. Showing off MGHome 2. 0 >> Also Read: Bay Alarm Medical Plans and Pricing If you prefer an easy checkout process and modern touches, Medical Guardian may be better for you. That green flag also foreshadows a solid experience on the company’s mobile app, which we’ll get into later. Medical Guardian offers a short quiz directly on the company’s homepage that helps you quickly find out which device is best for you. Response Times and Reliability When we tested several Medical Guardian devices, we got consistently faster response times than we did with MobileHelp. When we tested the MGMove and MGHome devices, our results averaged about 20 seconds. When we tested the MGMini, we got response times of 20 to 25 seconds. MobileHelp response times, on the other hand, varied a lot more and ranged from 20 to 45 seconds. That’s still within a reasonable range, but it can affect how emergencies play out when every second counts. MGMini in the box Privacy Policies Rest assured that both companies take data security very seriously. They each do a solid job of explaining what they do with your data and how they share it — if at all. Medical Guardian’s policy is impressive and easy to read. From what we gathered, the company does not share any private or personal data with third parties without your consent. There are some necessary service details they may share, of course, but it’s limited and done to improve service. It’s the same at MobileHelp. The company also has a thorough and transparent privacy policy, and it promises never to share your data with third parties. It may share a few details with service providers for legal requirements, but your health data is safe. Customer Support Customer support is important, especially with services that pertain to your health or a loved one’s health. Whenever we got in touch with support agents at Medical Guardian, we felt helped, heard, and guided. The agents were always patient with our questions, and we never had to wait on hold for more than two minutes before speaking to a real human. You can get in touch via live chat, phone, and email. The company also offers a ton of help guides and online resources that have answered our questions plenty of times. We found that the best way to get answers for both Medical Guardian and MobileHelp is by calling. You will get responses when contacting them via email and chat, but calling will always be the fastest. MobileHelp also offers support via phone, email, and help guides. It offers a live chat option, but it’s not very reliable. When we used it, it seemed more like another form of email. It’s never been actual live chat support, but instead just a waiting game. We should note that other users have gotten the chat to work like a live form of communication. Another thing we found a bit disappointing about MobileHelp’s support options was that its guides aren’t as thorough or detailed as Medical Guardian’s. When it comes to speaking with agents, we’ve never had a negative experience. They are friendly, helpful, and patient. Getting through the automated sections of the call and waiting on hold has taken a bit longer than it takes with Medical Guardian, but it’s not a deal-breaker. Medical Guardian mobile app preview MobileHelp vs. Medical Guardian: Detailed Comparison Plans and Pricing Medical Guardian and MobileHelp offer a range of systems and pricing plans. Medical Guardian’s plans start at around $29. 95 per month, while MobileHelp’s plans start as low as $19. 95 per month. Medical Guardian Costs System Device purchase Cost Includes MGClassic n/a $32. 95 per month 1 MGClassic device 1 silicone wristband 1 lightweight pendant 1 charger MGHome Cellular $149. 95 $37. 95 per month 1 MG Home Cellular device 1 silicone wristband 1 lightweight pendant 1 charger MGMini $149. 95 $39. 95 per month 1 MGMini device 2 lanyards 1 charging cradle 1 belt clip MGMini Lite $149. 95 $44. 95 per month 1 MGMini Lite device 1 wristband 1 charging cord 1 attached cord MGMove $199. 95 per month $39. 95 per month 1 MGMove device 1 charging station 1 charging brick with USB cable Medical Guardian and MobileHelp both offer competitive pricing across their plans. If you have some doubts and want to be extra sure, however, check out our guide to the best medical alert systems to review industry-standard pricing. You may find another brand you want to try. MobileHelp Costs System Shipping Cost Includes MobileHelp Classic Free $19. 95 per month 1 in-home base station 1 waterproof pendant or wrist button 1 charger 1 lockbox MobileHelp Wired Home Free $26. 95 per month 1 wired home system 1 waterproof pendant or wrist button 1 charger 1 landline connection 1 lockbox MobileHelp Solo Free $41. 95 per month 1 portable device with GPS 1 wall adapter 1 waterproof pendant or wrist button 1 charger 1 lockbox MobileHelp Micro Free $29. 95 per month 1 small portable device with GPS 1 waterproof pendant or wrist button 1 charger 1 lockbox MobileHelp Duo Free $46. 95 per month 1 in-home base unit 1 mobile unit 1 waterproof pendant or wrist button 1 charger 1 lockbox MobileHelp Mobile Duo Free $49. 95 per month 2 mobile devices with GPS 1 waterproof pendant or wrist button 1 charger Who doesn’t love a deal? Every time we visited the Medical Guardian website over the past month, there’s been a new deal being offered. That isn’t new, since the company typically offers seasonal and holiday deals. If you’re interested and don’t see a deal, we suggest waiting for one to come along — if you have the privilege of waiting. MobileHelp also offers deals, but, from what we can tell, they aren’t as frequent. Medical Guardian and MobileHelp are both currently offering solid discounts. MobileHelp is offering $35 off its Classic and Solo Systems, as well as free expedited shipping, free equipment, and 50 percent off fall detention when you call. Medical Guardian is running a 12 Days of Deals sale, in which you’ll get free activation, free installation, free shipping, a free lockbox, and more. If you’re looking to get the best device for as little money as possible, we suggest reading our guide to the most affordable medical alert systems. Our roundup of options is designed to get you the most bang for your buck. MobileHelp current promotional offer Medical Equipment and Features Comparison If you want a system that isn’t basic, medical equipment and features are important. Medical Guardian stands out in this department, considering it has more advanced technology and a wider range of devices. It also has more modern and stylish options, such as smartwatches and discreet pendants — both with longer-lasting batteries. MobileHelp, on the other hand, offers slightly lower-cost devices and plans. That makes it a no-frills option and a lot more budget-friendly, which can be a great thing depending on your needs. We should also note that the lower cost of its plans also comes with trade-offs in terms of battery life and advanced features. Feature Medical Guardian MobileHelp Fall detection Available on all devices Available on all devices GPS location tracking Advanced GPS tracking with pinpoint accuracy Basic GPS tracking on mobile devices Health tracking Available on smartwatch devices Limited health tracking Response time 20 seconds or less 20 to 45 seconds Device options Smartwatches, pendants, bracelets, in-home systems Pendants, bracelets, in-home systems Mobile app features Comprehensive app with caregiver integrations Basic app functionality Battery life Up to 5 days on mobile devices Up to 30 hours on mobile devices 2-way communication Crystal clear, available on all devices Available on all devices Wi-Fi connectivity Available on select devices Not available Accessories and Add-Ons Accessories and add-ons are great for people looking to enhance the system they choose. Options such as fall detection and an extra pendant can be incredibly important, especially for people who are prone to falling or who need a more mobile option on hand. Both Medical Guardian and MobileHelp offer several accessories, with a few key differences. For starters, Medical Guardian offers more of a variety, catering to more needs. It has smartwatches, voice-activated wall buttons, and fall-detection pendants, and you can add lockboxes with every plan so emergency responders have a way to access your keys to get inside. MobileHelp also offers a range of add-ons, including fall-detection pendants, wall buttons, and lockboxes. One of our favorite add-ons is a service you get through the mobile app, which lets caregivers monitor a user’s status. Unfortunately, that’s all you can get. No stylish options like smartwatches or cute pendants (like Medical Guardian offers) — just standard systems that offer emergency help at the most basic level. MGMove on charging stand If fall detection is a top priority for you, but your budget doesn’t allow for an extra monthly payment, all is not lost. There are options that include fall detection at no extra cost. Take a look at our guide to the best medical alert systems with fall detection to find a plan that fits your needs. Mobile App We love a good mobile app, because it can make using a medical alert system that much easier and more enjoyable. Who said health can’t be fun or high tech? Between Medical Guardian’s and MobileHelp’s apps, we prefer the former. When we downloaded the MyGuardian app from Medical Guardian, we easily connected all three of our devices to it. Every time we opened the app, we were able to quickly switch between managing the MGMove smartwatch, the MGHome device, and the MGMini. Overall, the MyGuardian app is modern, easy to use, intuitive, and designed with seniors in mind. It also tracks your activity levels (like counting steps), allows you to chat with loved ones, has a billing portal, and allows you to manage reminders. And that’s just scratching the surface. Out of every medical alert system we’ve reviewed, Medical Guardian’s app has always come out on top. It offers more than any of its competitors without feeling overly complicated or overwhelming. Medical Guardian MGMove smartwatch MobileHelp also offers a mobile app called MobileHelp Connect, which allows caregivers to check the status of the device, view location information, and receive alerts if the user triggers an emergency. The app is useful, but it lacks some of the more advanced features found in Medical Guardian’s app, such as detailed activity tracking and a more intuitive interface. If Medical Guardian’s smartwatch alert system caught your eye and you’re always on the go, that type of device may be the best choice for you. We suggest reviewing our quick guide to the best medical alert systems worn as watches to see all your options. Apple made it on our list, but you’ll have to read more to find out why. Recap: MobileHelp vs. Medical Guardian To sum things up, we want to point out that both Medical Guardian and MobileHelp deliver on their promises. Everything they say their products will do is exactly what you can expect. MobileHelp, however, offers significantly less than Medical Guardian. It’s hard to beat Medical Guardian, because it has set the bar incredibly high for what a medical alert system company should be. That doesn’t mean it’s the best option for every individual, though, because there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to medical alert devices — or at least you shouldn’t look at it that way. Pick MobileHelp if you’d like... A no-frills system that offers protection at a more basic level. If you’re on a budget and you just want to feel peace of mind knowing help will come if you need it, this company is for you. It has both at-home and on-the-go devices to suit both sedentary and mobile lifestyles, and its systems are all straightforward and dependable without being overly complex. Pick Medical Guardian if you’d like... A variety of options and a plan that’s a lot more customizable. It has a great way of introducing a ton of features, accessories, and add-ons without overwhelming its customers. If we could describe Medical Guardian in three words, it would be intuitive, modern, and reliable. The company offers everything MobileHelp does, plus fun things such as activity tracking and messaging (depending on the device you get). Not to mention, its response times are also some of the fastest in the industry. MobileHelp vs Medical Guardian FAQs

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### Medical Guardian vs Bay Alarm Medical Comparison

> Medical Guardian edges out Bay Alarm Medical with faster response times and advanced tech, but Bay Alarm Medical offers more affordable, user-friendly options.

- Published: 2018-09-03
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-bay-alarm-medical/

Medical Guardian and Bay Alarm Medical offer medical alert pendants that allow family members and emergency response teams to be contacted in the event of a fall or other health issue. Each system is technologically advanced and offers quick response times. Key Similarities Medical Guardian and Bay Alarm Medical products are about the same price. Both Medical Guardian and Bay Alarm Medical are based in the U. S. Both Bay Alarm Medical and Medical Guardian offer 24/7 services. Key Differences Medical Guardian allows its wearers to message others in addition to just the company’s consultants. A few Medical Guardian products cost more than Bay Alarm. Bay Alarm does not use the mobile app to send push notifications. If you’re in the market for a medical alert system, you can’t go wrong with Bay Alarm Medical or Medical Guardian. The companies’ products are about the same price and offer similar value. Both companies, however, have certain qualities that surpass the other in terms of user accessibility, simplicity, and costliness. After testing the companies' products ourselves, we’ll break down which one will give you a better bang for your buck and make you a happier customer. Bay Alarm Medical vs. Medical Guardian: Company Overviews Bay Alarm Medical has been around since 2007, as a subsidiary of Bay Alarm. The company is known for its easy-to-learn products, reliable customer support, and low prices. Medical Guardian was established two years before Bay Alarm Medical, but its products are more high-tech. Much like Bay Alarm Medical, it has exceptional customer support and is one of the most reliable medical alert systems on the market. Looking at the Bay Alarm Medical smartwatch User Experience While trying Medical Guardian’s and Bay Alarm Medical’s products, we found that both had quick response times upon clicking the response button. With Bay Alarm Medical, we were able to get in contact with monitoring agents within 20 seconds using the SOS Smartwatch device. Our guide to the best medical alert systems will tell you how Bay Alarm Medical and Medical Guardian stack up against the top brands in the industry based on our hands-on testing. There wasn’t much of a difference with Medical Guardian, but its response times were slightly quicker. After pressing the response button on the Medical Guardian Home 2. 0, we had to wait only 17 seconds before getting connected. Privacy Policies One of the top concerns in the U. S. is privacy, especially when signing up for a new service. That’s not a concern with either Medical Guardian or Bay Alarm Medical. You will need to share information with the companies, but both follow strict cybersecurity policies that help prevent the data you share from leaking. Bay Alarm Medical doesn’t collect personal information from you unless you have already provided it. The company will have access to everything you include on the forms on the website. When we looked into its privacy policy further, we saw that Bay Alarm Medical will share your information with third parties, but only in ways that are outlined when you sign up for one of its plans. Transparency there was solid. Medical Guardian adheres to similar policies regarding your personal information. It may be shared with third parties, but it will often be for products or services that will probably interest you and your needs. Customer Support The websites for both Bay Alarm Medical and Medical Guardian offer clear ways to contact customer support. Medical Guardian We could reach out to Medical Guardian’s customer support by phone or through a live chat on the website. For the website’s live chat, you are only required to enter your name, although you can also submit your phone number. The company’s Life Safety Consultants are available seven days a week from 7:30 a. m. to 10 p. m. ET. Customer care is also offered all week, but the times differ between weekdays and weekends. From Monday to Friday, the hours are 9 a. m. to 8 p. m. ET, and on weekends they are available from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. ET. Testing Bay Alarm Medical home device Bay Alarm Medical We had more options when reaching out to Bay Alarm Medical, including email, live chat, and phone. The company’s customer support line is open seven days a week. From Monday to Friday, the lines are open from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m. ET. On Saturdays and Sundays, the line is open from 11 a. m. to 7:30 p. m. ET. To use the live chat on Bay Alarm Medical’s website, you will be prompted to leave your name, phone number, email, and an option to clarify whether you are already a customer. Bay Alarm Medical vs. Medical Guardian: Detailed Comparison Plans and Pricing Both Bay Alarm Medical and Medical Guardian have reasonably priced plans. Medical Guardian is the pricier of the two, but its more complex technology makes it worth the extra cash. If you’re in the market for a smartwatch, you may want to check out our review of the best medical alert systems worn as watches. Trust us, they’re not all made the same. We had a choice between on-the-go products and at-home options when we bought packages from both companies. Bay Alarm Medical Bay Alarm systems Bay Alarm Medical’s Home products are its cheapest options. The SOS Home plans include necessary devices without an up-front cost and range from $19. 95 per month to $39. 95 per month. Bay Alarm Medical also offers the SOS All-In-One 2 plan, which can be used both at home and on the go with prices that range from $39. 95 per month to $49. 95 per month. For people who are more active outside the house, SOS Mobile or Smartwatch options are the way to go. The SOS Mobile has plans that range from $29. 95 a month to $54. 95 a month. The SOS Mobile devices are usually $99. Right now, they’re on sale for $79 with any plan. If you’re looking for a fashionable device that can offer you more than help in an emergency, the SOS Smartwatch plans are your best, with plans ranging from $34. 95 a month to $59. 95 a month. The Mobile and Smartwatch plans also offer a 360° bundle that costs an extra $25 a month. The plan includes in-home protection and several accessories, making it one of the company’s best deals. Below is an overview of Bay Alarm Medical’s plans, prices, and features. Plans Device purchase Cost Includes SOS Home Landline n/a $19. 95 per month, $59. 85 quarterly, or $239. 40 annually 1 SOS Home device 1 wearable button SOS Home Cellular n/a $29. 95 per month, $89. 85 quarterly, or $359. 40 annually 1 SOS Home device 1 wearable button 1 neck lanyard 1 wristband SOS Home Cellular With Fall Detection n/a $39. 95 per month, $89. 85 quarterly, or $359. 40 annually 1 SOS Home device 1 auto fall-detection button 1 wearable button 1 neck lanyard 1 wristband SOS All-In-One $129 $39. 95 per month, $119. 85 quarterly, or $479. 40 annually 1 SOS All-In-One device 1 wearable button 1 neck lanyard 1 wristband SOS All-In-One With Fall Detection $129 $49. 95 per month, $149. 85 quarterly, or $599. 40 annually 1 SOS All-In-One device (with fall detection) 1 wearable button 1 neck lanyard 1 wristband SOS Mobile $79 $29. 95 per month, $89. 85 quarterly, or $359. 40 annually 1 SOS Mobile device SOS Mobile With Fall Detection $79 $39. 95 per month, $119. 85 quarterly, or $479. 40 annually 1 SOS Mobile device (with fall detection) SOS Mobile 360° Bundle $79 $54. 95 a month, $164. 85 quarterly, or $659. 40 annually 1 SOS Mobile device 1 SOS home device 1 wearable button 1 neck lanyard 1 wristband Optional fall detection SOS Smartwatch $159 $34. 95 per month, $104. 85 quarterly, or $419. 40 annually 1 SOS Smart Watch SOS Smartwatch With Fall Detection $159 $44. 95 per month, $134. 85 quarterly, or $539. 40 annually 1 SOS Smart Watch (with fall detection) SOS Smartwatch 360° Bundle $159 $59. 95 per month, $179. 85 quarterly, or $719. 40 annually 1 SOS Smart Watch 1 SOS home device 1 neck lanyard 1 wearable button 1 wristband Optional fall detection Medical Guardian Medical Guardian on-the-go systems Much like Bay Alarm Medical, Medical Guardian has plans that will cover you both at home and when you’re out and about. The cheapest plan is the MG Classic, which is the only plan that doesn’t have an up-front charge for the device. It costs $32. 95 a month. Medical Guardian’s other at-home device is the MGHome Cellular, with a monthly fee of $37. 95 on top of the $149. 95 up-front device fee. Medical Guardian’s on-the-go systems are its most expensive options. The MGMini is the cheapest, costing $39. 95 a month on top of the $149. 95 device fee. The MGMini Lite device is the same price as the MGMini, but it has a higher monthly fee of $44. 95 a month. It also, on the other hand, has a stronger battery life and a Wi-Fi positioning system that helps identify your location more accurately. The MGMove has the highest device fee, at $199. 95, but the monthly fee is the same as the MGMini, at $39. 95 a month. Below is an overview of Bay Alarm Medical’s plans, prices, and features. Plans Device purchase Cost Includes MG Classic n/a $32. 95 per month, $98. 85 quarterly, or $362. 45 annually 1 MGClassic device 1 silicone wristband 1 lightweight pendant 1 charger MGHome Cellular $149. 95 $37. 95 per month, $113. 85 quarterly, or $417. 45 annually 1 MG Home Cellular device 1 silicone wristband 1 lightweight pendant 1 charger MGMini $149. 95 $39. 95 per month, $119. 85 quarterly, or $439. 45 annually 1 MGMini device 2 lanyards 1 charging cradle 1 belt clip MGMini Lite $149. 95 $44. 95 per month, $134. 85 quarterly, or $494. 45 annually 1 MGMini Lite device 1 wristband 1 charging cord 1 attached cord MGMove $199. 95 $39. 95 per month, $119. 85 quarterly, or $439. 45 annually 1 MGMove device 1 charging station 1 charging brick with USB cable Medical Equipment and Features Comparison Bay Alarm home system Bay Alarm Medical is more beginner-friendly in terms of technology, with fewer add-ons resulting in a lower price than Medical Guardian. Medical Guardian’s products have a sleeker look, higher-powered tech, and better range than Bay Alarm Medical. Both companies’ products use GPS and Wi-Fi for location tracking and can be powered through landline or cellular. Here’s a comparison of the capabilities of Medical Guardian and Bay Alarm Medical’s equipment. Bay Alarm Medical Medical Guardian User interface Beginner friendly Intermediate friendly Can be used at home Yes Yes GPS location tracking Yes Yes Wi-Fi location tracking Yes Yes Caregiver app Yes Yes Range Up to 1,000 feet Up to 1,400 feet Connection type Landline; cellular (AT&T/Verizon) Landline; cellular (AT&T/Verizon) Fall detection Yes (as an add-on for $10 a month) Yes (as an add-on for $10 a month) Battery 5 days 5 days Water resistance Yes (IP67) Yes (IP67) Response times Within 25 seconds Within 25 seconds Response Times and Reliability While trying Medical Guardian’s and Bay Alarm Medical’s products, we found that both had quick response times when we pressed the emergency button. Bay Alarm Medical got us in contact with its monitoring agents within 20 seconds using the SOS Smartwatch device. There was a slight difference with Medical Guardian. After pressing the response button on the Medical Guardian Home 2. 0, we had to wait around 19 seconds before getting connected. That’s one second faster. If you’re still on the fence about what system you need, our medical alert system buying guide will tell you exactly what to look for in a device. If saving as much money as possible is your priority, skip ahead to our guide on the cheapest medical alert systems. We continued testing the products throughout the week, and the response times fluctuated. Sometimes Medical Guardian would have a quicker response time of around 17 seconds, and one time we had to wait 22 seconds for Bay Alarm Medical. We never had to wait more than 30 seconds to get in contact with either company’s monitoring agents. Accessories and Add-Ons Medical Guardian’s Smartwatch, the MGMove, offers plenty of additional apps, including an add-on for a Support Circle App. We liked the app, since it gave us access to a messaging app to contact our friends and family, as well as a reminders app. The MGMove also offers apps for counting steps, the weather, and, of course, telling time. It also let us pick from several distinct watch faces, including ones designed like a typical clock and others that feature the time in bold, easy-to-read numbers. Bay Alarm Medical’s Smartwatch option, the SOS Smartwatch, offers similar features, including step tracking, goal tracking, weather, and time. Unlike Medical Guardian, however, it didn’t allow us to contact anyone other than the company’s monitoring agents. Medical Guardian help dispatched Both Medical Guardian and Bay Alarm Medical offer automatic fall detection as an add-on for an additional $10 a month. You may be disappointed to learn that the feature costs extra, but it is worth the price — especially in severe emergencies where you are unable to move your body. If fall detection is a top priority for you and you don’t want to pay extra, check out our guide to the best medical alert systems with fall detection. Bay Alarm Medical also offers several add-ons when purchasing a device. $2 to $3 a month for an extended warranty $30 lock boxes $8 for Vial of Life emergency medical information $39 one-time fee for an extra help button $49 for an additional charge If you subscribe to one of Bay Alarm Medical’s annual or quarterly billing plans, you’ll receive free shipping when ordering your device. The annual billing plan also offers a free month. Medical Guardian offers similar add-ons. $6. 99 a month for a protection plan $2. 99 a month for an extra help button $2. 99 a month for enhanced emergency notifications You are also expected to pay for shipping for Medical Guardian products, which is around $12. 50. Shipping is free if you subscribe to an annual plan though. Mobile App Both Medical Guardian and Bay Alarm Medical offer apps for smartphones that allow caregivers and family members to keep track of your location. Bay Alarm Medical’s app technology is a bit more outdated than Medical Guardian’s. The Bay Alarm Medical app sends users notifications only through email, which got tedious. Medical Guardian sent us push notifications on our smartphones. Recap: Bay Alarm Medical vs. Medical Guardian When it comes to getting the assistance you need efficiently, you can’t go wrong with either Bay Alarm Medical or Medical Guardian. Bay Alarm Medical’s products aren’t as intricate or high-tech as Medical Guardian’s, but they’re the perfect choice for people who want an easy-to-use system. For those who want more from their medical alert system, Medical Guardian is the way to go. Pick Bay Alarm Medical if you’d like... Bay Alarm Medical devices are your best bet if you’re looking for affordability and an easy-to-navigate user interface. If you get overwhelmed by the mere sight of a collection of apps, you won’t have to worry about that with Bay Alarm Medical. Since the company’s offices operate on Pacific time, it’s the better option for people living on the West Coast. Pick Medical Guardian if you’d like... Medical Guardian devices are a perfect purchase if you aren’t worried about paying extra for something high-tech. Medical Guardian’s products have more of a learning curve, but if you have a lot of time on your hands and you don’t mind technology that is a bit more complicated than some of its competitors, it’s worth the higher price. Medical Guardian’s offices operate on Eastern time, which makes it the better option for people living on the East Coast or in the Midwest. Medical Guardian vs Bay Alarm Medical FAQs

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### LifeStation vs. Medical Guardian [year]

> LifeStation and Medical Guardian compared; Medical Guardian wins with superior features and a SecureScore of 9.1/10.

- Published: 2018-09-03
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-lifestation/

Key Similarities Emergency response: You’ll get 24/7 emergency monitoring services with both companies. Device options: Both companies have options for in-home and on-the-go systems, including wearables such as smartwatches. Customer support: Both companies offer help via phone, live chat, email, and help guides. Key Differences Advanced features: Medical Guardian offers more advanced options, such as automatic fall detection, GPS location tracking, health monitoring, activity tracking, and more. Technology and innovation: Medical Guardian has more advanced technology, allowing it to offer features such as built-in fall detection. Customization and add-ons: Medical Guardian provides more flexibility and customization than LifeStation’s no-frills plans. LifeStation and Medical Guardian are both standout medical alert system providers. They’re both reliable and have excellent reputations. After extensive testing, however, we found some big differences in user experience, response times, customer support, and technology. We spent hours researching, reviewing, and testing their products to give you a more well-rounded overview of each company. In this article, we compared them across several categories, including pricing, plans, accessories, features, privacy, and customer service. Let’s dive deeper to see which company is better suited to your needs. Check out our guide to the best medical alert systems to find out how LifeStation and Medical Guardian stack up against some of the top brands in the industry. LifeStation vs. Medical Guardian: Company Overviews We reviewed and tested products from both LifeStation and Medical Guardian. Both companies offered solid systems and plans, but Medical Guardian came out on top in a few more areas than LifeStation. User Experience When we grade user experience, we cover all aspects of a company and its products. We like to start this section with first impressions, which begin with each company’s website. Medical Guardian homepage If you’ve read any of our other reviews of Medical Guardian, this will come as no surprise: It has a superior website that’s not just modern and aesthetically pleasing, but also informative and easy to use. Buying from the company is easy and straightforward, and the same goes for finding out more about each product. The same applies to using its devices. The setup is always seamless and takes only a few minutes, if not less. We could go on about how much we enjoy using the mobile app and all its features, but we don’t want to spoil things (more on that below). All you need to know is that the user experience, from start to finish, gets five stars from us. Medical Guardian’s quiz can help you quickly find out which of its devices is best for you. You can find it in the top menu bar on the homepage. LifeStation homepage LifeStation, on the other hand, is known for being reliable, straightforward, and a lot more basic. That’s also how we describe everything from the website to the purchasing process. Every step of the way feels unfussy and bare-bones. We had to do a little extra digging to find out more information on what its plans and products include. It can be really overwhelming for some people, especially those who consider themselves less tech-savvy. LifeStation provides a simple and effective user experience, which is what counts at the end of the day. It may not offer the same amount of features or modern touches as Medical Guardian, but it delivers on its promises. >> Read More: Life Alert vs. Apple Watch Comparison Privacy Policies Privacy policies may be the last thing on your reading list, but they should never be overlooked. That’s especially true when you put so much of your medical history and personal information on the line using services like LifeStation and Medical Guardian. Fortunately, both companies take your privacy and data seriously. When we examined Medical Guardian’s privacy policy, we found that it collects your personally identifiable information, including your name, phone number, email, and address. It also may share that information with third parties, including its business partners, affiliates, and service providers. LifeStation also collects your data, but its privacy policy notes that it does not share any of your information with third parties. It promises never to share, sell, lease, or trade your personally identifiable information with third parties for commercial purposes. If you ask us, that makes LifeStation superior in protecting your data. >> Read More: Exploring Public Sentiment on the Balance Between Privacy and Safety in the Modern Era Customer Support using MGMove smartwatch LifeStation and Medical Guardian customer-support agents do a great job of being helpful, but there are a few differences we noted when we got in touch with agents at both companies. When we contacted Medical Guardian’s support (and we have several times for many reasons), we were never disappointed. Whether you’re setting up your device for the first time or you have a billing issue, the support staff is patient, professional, and eager to help. Medical Guardian’s resources extend beyond just human interaction. The company has an online resource center filled with video tutorials, FAQs, and detailed guides that make it easy to get the most out of your device. LifeStation makes for tough competition, though, considering it also provides 24/7 customer support. The company has earned a reputation for friendly and attentive customer support, and its team is known for being friendly, personable, and overly patient. Of course, we put that to the test. When we got in touch with a sales rep, we didn’t feel pressured into buying anything, and when we had a question about something other than pricing, they did their best to answer it. LifeStation vs. Medical Guardian: Detailed Comparison Pricing and Plans LifeStation and Medical Guardian have reasonably priced systems and plans in place. Medical Guardian is the pricier of the two, but we think its more complex technology makes it worth the extra cash. Medical Guardian mobile devices Medical Guardian System Device purchase Cost Includes MGClassic n/a $32. 95 per month 1 MGClassic device 1 silicone wristband 1 lightweight pendant 1 charger MGHome Cellular $149. 95 $37. 95 per month 1 MG Home Cellular device 1 silicone wristband 1 lightweight pendant 1 charger MGMini $149. 95 $39. 95 per month 1 MGMini device 2 lanyards 1 charging cradle 1 belt clip MGMini Lite $149. 95 $44. 95 per month 1 MGMini Lite device 1 wristband 1 charging cord 1 attached cord MGMove $199. 95 per month $39. 95 per month 1 MGMove device 1 charging station 1 charging brick with USB cable LifeStation products list If fall detection is a must for your medical alert system and you don’t want to pay extra for it, you may want to check out our guide to the best medical alert systems with fall detection. System Device purchase Cost Includes Sidekick Home Standard $12. 50 $35. 95 per month Free help button of choice (necklace or wristband) Option to add a lockbox for an extra $2. 95 per month Sidekick Home Select $12. 50 $43. 90 per month Protection plan Option to add a lockbox for an extra $2. 95 per month Sidekick Home Supreme $12. 50 $51. 85 per month Protection plan Fall detection Option to add a lockbox for an extra $2. 95 per month Sidekick Mobile Standard $12. 50 $39. 95 per month Option to add a lockbox for an extra $2. 95 per month Sidekick Mobile Select $12. 50 $47. 90 per month Protection plan Option to add a lockbox for an extra $2. 95 per month Sidekick Mobile Supreme $12. 50 $55. 85 per month Protection plan Fall detection Option to add a lockbox for an extra $2. 95 per month Sidekick Smart Wearable Medical Alert $12. 50 $47. 90 per month plus a one-time $99. 95 activation fee Option to add a lockbox for an extra $2. 95 per month Current Discounts Medical Guardian offers great savings with its 12 Days of Deals, during which you can score various discounts. You may also find a promo code available through Groupon. LifeStation is currently offering $100 off select systems. If you’re simply looking to get the best device for as little money as possible, take a look at our guide to the most affordable medical alert systems. You’ll be sure to get the most bang for your buck. Feature/Plan Medical Guardian LifeStation Device options In-home and on-the-go devices, including smartwatches and wearables In-home and on-the-go devices, including smartwatches and wearables Fall detection Available on most devices as an add-on Available on most devices as an add-on GPS tracking Yes, included in mobile devices Yes, included in mobile devices Wi-Fi connectivity Yes, depending on the plan Yes, depending on the plan Battery life 32 hours to 5 days, depending on the device and usage 32 hours to 5 days, depending on the device and usage Water resistance All devices are waterproof All devices are waterproof Range (in-home systems) Up to 1,400 feet from the base station Up to 500 feet from the base station Smartwatch option Yes Yes Voice-activated help No voice-activated help option Alexa integration for voice-activated help Mobile app Yes, MyGuardian Find My Loved One, which is strictly for sharing locations Medication reminders Available as an add-on Not available Health monitoring Available with select plans Not available Medical Guardian has some of the best fall-detection services on the market, with one exception. When we tested fall detection on the MGMini, it worked only one out of every 10 or 11 times. For some reason, fall detection doesn’t work that well on the MGMini, so keep that in mind. Response Times and Reliability When it comes to response times, Medical Guardian and LifeStation are quick and dependable. In our experience, Medical Guardian has a slight edge. Based on user reviews and our hours of testing, speaking to a real person and getting help takes an average of 20 seconds. In our tests, the longest we ever waited was 25 seconds, which is impressive. Unfortunately, LifeStation doesn’t have that same reputation. Most tests come back in the 25- to 30-second range, but some people have reported waiting upwards of 60 seconds before getting in touch with a real human. That could be detrimental in an emergency, when every second counts. MGMove add messaging Accessories and Add-Ons Both companies offer a range of accessories and add-ons to customize your system, but Medical Guardian offers a larger selection suited to many different needs. Whether you need a smartwatch with built-in fall detection, health monitoring, or a billing portal, Medical Guardian has you covered. LifeStation offers the basics, such as fall detection and GPS tracking, but it lacks customization and a range of options. Medical Guardian’s Premium Plan, for instance, includes a smartwatch option, but that’s not the case with LifeStation. Mobile App We are big fans of Medical Guardian’s MyGuardian mobile app, because it lets us do a lot without leaving us overwhelmed. It may not match up to other true smartwatches, like ones from Apple and Samsung, but it’s still impressive for a medical alert device. The MyGuardian app lets users share their location, send messages, manage reminders, set alerts, pay bills, and monitor their activity levels. LifeStation, on the other hand, doesn’t offer a mobile app in its truest form, which feels like a missed opportunity. Since it offers more high-tech device options, including a smartwatch, it’s really surprising that it still doesn’t have a fully functioning mobile app. It does, however, have an app called Find My Loved One that’s comparable to the Find My Friends app on most iPhones. We hate to call it an app, but it is one — just don’t expect much from it other than location sharing. Recap: LifeStation vs. Medical Guardian LifeStation has been in the medical alert industry for over four decades, making it reliable and credible. It’s known for its superior customer service and for always delivering on its promises. Medical Guardian has been around for half that time, but it has quickly managed to outrank most of its competitors in technology, features, and device options. After extensive testing, we can say that Medical Guardian is the better choice. Pick LifeStation if you’d like... A straightforward, easy-to-use system Integration with Alexa for voice-activated help No long-term contracts and transparent pricing A system that is simple and effective without needing advanced features Pick Medical Guardian if you’d like... A system with advanced features like GPS tracking and health monitoring The option to customize your plan with various add-ons and accessories A dedicated mobile app for real-time monitoring The option to use a smartwatch as your medical alert device LifeStation vs Medical Guardian FAQs

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### Medical Care Alert vs. Medical Guardian [year]

> Medical Guardian excels in technology, flexibility, and support, outperforming Medical Care Alert according to our tests and reviews. SecureScore™: 9.1/10.

- Published: 2018-09-03
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/medical-guardian-vs-medical-care-alert/

Key Similarities 24/7 monitoring: Both offer around-the-clock monitoring services. Fall detection: Both companies offer fall detection as an extra feature at an additional cost. Range of devices: Both companies have a variety of devices, from home-based systems to mobile options. Nationwide coverage: Both offer coverage across the United States with their mobile devices. Key Differences Pricing: Medical Guardian’s pricing plans are a lot more flexible and customizable. Mobile app features: Medical Guardian’s mobile app offers more advanced features, such as activity monitoring, GPS tracking, and messaging. Device variety: Medical Guardian provides a wider selection of wearables and high-tech equipment. If you’re looking for a smartwatch, check out our review of the best medical alert systems worn as watches. Surprisingly, Apple made our list, but you’ll have to read the article to find out more! If you’re in the market for a new medical alert system, you’ve come to the right place. Medical Care Alert and Medical Guardian are two of the most well-known alert systems, so deciding between them can be tough. In our expert opinion, both companies offer reliable solutions, but there are some key differences you should be aware of before making a decision. In this article, we get into everything you need to know about Medical Guardian and Medical Care Alert. Some of the categories we’ll go over include pricing, plans, customer-support options, and features. We’ll also dive deep into our personal experience testing the systems. Let’s get into it! Medical Care Alert vs. Medical Guardian: Company Overviews Our Experience After testing systems from both Medical Care Alert and Medical Guardian, we found them to be modern, reliable, and easy to use. The purchase and checkout processes on each website were straightforward and fairly clear. There were instructions each step of the way, eliminating any challenges we may have come across. Medical Care Alert, although functional, felt a bit outdated. Even its logo was a bit blurry at the top. Overall, we felt like the website could benefit from a design refresh to improve overall ease of use. Actually putting things in our cart and making a purchase, however, was seamless. On the other hand, we appreciated how streamlined the entire experience with Medical Guardian was. From browsing to buying, everything felt much more pleasant and easy. Bold colors on the user interface and modern fonts directed us to more information and helped us learn things more quickly. Medical Care Alert Products Medical Care Alert vs. Medical Guardian: Detailed Comparison Response Times and Reliability Response time is arguably the most important part of a medical alert system. If you use it during an emergency, the goal is to get help as quickly as possible. After testing several Medical Guardian devices for hours at home, we found that they consistently outperformed all other company reviews with a typical response time of 20 seconds or less. When we tested the MGHome Cellular, we began by pressing the red Help button. Less than a second later, we heard beeping sounds coming from our device. Within 20 seconds, a real human was on the other end of the line asking if we were OK. Showing off MGHome 2. 0 When we tested our MGMove and MGMini devices, we got the same response times (15 to 22 seconds). Sometimes we got connected to a real person and other times we got connected to an automated voice. Speaking to a real person naturally made us feel more at ease, but after asking the automated voice to speak to a real person, we were connected almost instantly. Knowing there would always be someone there to help if we were in an emergency made us feel a lot better. Testing the MGMove When we reviewed Medical Care Alert, we found many personal accounts reported response times between 20 and 45 seconds. That falls within the industry standard, but a slower response can be detrimental in an emergency. We also found that tests were routed to an automated voice instead of a real person more often than not. That’s one of the main things that puts us on edge when using an emergency help device. Plans and Pricing Medical Guardian and Medical Care Alert both offer plans that won’t break the bank. Medical Guardian offers a lot of custom options and flexibility, including month-to-month billing. Medical Care Alert also offers dependable choices with simple and to-the-point pricing without hidden fees or long-term commitments. Medical Guardian Medical Guardian has plans that can cover you while you’re both at home and on the go. Here’s an overview of Medical Guardian’s plans and pricing. System Device purchase Cost Includes MGClassic n/a $32. 95 per month 1 MGClassic device 1 silicone wristband 1 lightweight pendant 1 charger MGHome Cellular $149. 95 $37. 95 per month 1 MG Home Cellular device 1 silicone wristband 1 lightweight pendant 1 charger MGMini $149. 95 $39. 95 per month 1 MGMini device 2 lanyards 1 charging cradle 1 belt clip MGMini Lite $149. 95 $44. 95 per month 1 MGMini Lite device 1 wristband 1 charging cord 1 attached cord MGMove $199. 95 per month $39. 95 per month 1 MGMove device 1 charging station 1 charging brick with USB cable If you’re looking to get the best device for as little money as possible, take a look at our guide to the most affordable medical alert systems. You’ll be sure to get the most bang for your buck. Medical Care Alert System Device purchase Cost Includes Home Medical Alert n/a $29. 95 per month 1 2-way speakerphone 1 shower-safe button with 1,000-foot range 1 lockbox Fall detection option Wrist or pendant options Senior Smart Watch with GPS $149. 95 $39. 95 per month 1 shower-safe smart watch 1 quick charger 1 power cord and power block 1 lockbox Home & Away Mini GPS n/a $39. 95 1 shower-safe mini GPS Fall detection option 1 lockbox All Medical Guardian devices you can add fall detection to are reliable, with one exception. When we tested fall detection on the MGMini, it worked only one out of every 10 or 11 times. For some reason, fall detection doesn’t work well on the MGMini, so we advise against it. Current Medical Guardian Deals and Discounts (at the time of writing): 50% off top products using code HOTDEALS 40% discount on Groupon for August 2024 12 Days of Deals (free activation and installation, ground shipping, lockbox with purchase, and more) Sometimes too many options can be too overwhelming. If you want just one simplified plan, take a look at our Bay Alarm Medical review. Medical Equipment and Features Comparison After reviewing and testing both companies’ equipment and features, we noticed some clear differences. Medical Guardian provides a wider range of devices, including high-tech options such as smartwatches with health tracking and discreet wearables that blend into your outfits. The company’s systems and accessories also felt a lot more high-tech compared with Medical Care Alert. Medical Guardian’s devices feel more modern, offering more competitive features such as enhanced GPS location tracking and fast response times for emergencies. Medical Guardian product boxes It is worth mentioning that Medical Care Alert is reliable, and its systems do what they promise to do. The company provides a no-frills approach to medical alert systems and executes on its promises. It offers excellent equipment options, but they come with less cutting-edge technology. If you want something simpler and more to the point, Medical Care Alert will most likely satisfy that. Feature Medical Guardian Medical Care Alert Fall detection Available on all devices for an additional cost Available on all devices GPS location tracking Advanced GPS tracking with pinpoint accuracy Basic GPS tracking on mobile devices Health tracking Available on smartwatch devices Not available Response time 20 seconds or less 20 to 45 seconds Device options Smartwatch, pendants, wristbands, in-home systems Pendants, bracelets, in-home systems Mobile app features Comprehensive app Basic app functionality Battery life Up to 5 days on mobile devices Up to 3 days on mobile devices 2-way communication Available on all devices Available on all devices Accessories and Add-Ons Accessories and add-ons aren’t the most important parts of a medical alert system, but they can be make-or-break aspects for many people. When we compared offerings from both companies, we once again found Medical Guardian to be the winner. Medical Guardian has an impressive selection of accessories and add-ons, including unique options such as voice-activated wall buttons and a stylish smartwatch. From wall-mounted help buttons to wearable pendants with fun designs, the company has thought of almost everything to fit all sorts of lifestyles. Plus, its accessories are affordable compared to the industry average. Medical Care Alert has add-ons, but they’re not as impressive as other providers. The company offers some useful accessories, such as lockboxes and extra pendants, but its selection is more basic and not as customizable. If you’re looking for more flexibility and personalization, Medical Care Alert may not be the best choice. Mobile App Medical Care Alert and Medical Guardian both have mobile apps — an option that makes using any medical alert system a lot easier. Of course, some nuances can make one app better or worse. When we looked at functionality and user experience, it was clear that Medical Guardian’s MyGuardian app came out on top. It’s made with seniors in mind, which means it’s incredibly intuitive. All the options are easy to find. When we used the app, for example, we loved how easy it was to hook up and manage all our devices. All we had to do was log in to the account we used to make the purchases, and all our devices were automatically added to the app for us. MyGuardian app We also liked that the MyGuardian app allows for real-time monitoring and comes with fun features such as messaging, activity monitoring, reminders, and a billing portal. It’s worth noting that Medical Care Alert’s Connect App has many of the same features. You can see your battery life, check the weather, set reminders, search for better signal strength, and share your location with emergency contacts. It lacks some other fun features, however, such as activity tracking, paying your bill, and messaging your contacts. Medical Guardian Smartwatch If fall detection is a top priority and you don’t want to pay extra, take a look at our guide to the best medical alert systems with fall detection. Privacy Policies As medical alert system experts, we’ve read our fair share of privacy policies. They may be the last thing on your mind, but it’s important to at least get the gist of what a company does with your data. When we read both company’s privacy policies, we noticed one big difference: Medical Care Alert promises not to sell or share your data with any third party. Medical Guardian, meanwhile, may share your personally identifiable information with third parties, including affiliates, service providers, and business partners. Sharing your data may be a deal-breaker for many people, but there are ways to get around it. It requires some tech savviness, but maintaining your privacy is possible even if a company collects your data. One way you can get around it is by using a VPN to encrypt your activities online. Companies can still collect data on you, but using a VPN can enhance your privacy and security online. Bluetooth is the most commonly used technology in medical alert devices. Learn more about it in our guide to the best medical alert devices that use Bluetooth. Customer Support After browsing both companies’ support options, we found that they had similar ways to get in contact. The most important thing, however, is whether you feel helped after speaking to an agent. When we got in touch with Medical Guardian’s support, we felt heard and understood. After waiting on hold for less than two minutes, the agent who helped us was patient, friendly, and informative. We felt that Medical Guardian’s support team was more knowledgeable and quicker to respond than Medical Care Alert’s customer support. You can get in touch with agents via live chat, phone, or email. When we got in touch with Medical Care Alert, we were pleased with the support team. It took a bit longer to speak to a real human, but they were patient with us and answered our long list of questions. We also liked that they have a large library of self-help guides that make troubleshooting easy. Medical Guardian - Customer Chat Recap: Medical Care Alert vs. Medical Guardian After trying the two systems, we found that both Medical Guardian and Medical Care Alert offer top-tier solutions. Medical Guardian generally outshined Medical Care Alert in many categories, but the latter put up a fair fight and was consistent in keeping its promises. Medical Guardian was the more modern and cool option, and it felt a lot simpler and more straightforward. Pick Medical Care Alert if you’d like... A straightforward and reliable medical alert system without all the extra fuss. It’s a great no-frills option for people who appreciate simplicity and just want something that works without fancy add-ons. It’s dependable, easy to use, and gets the job done — ideal for anyone who values practicality over everything. Pick Medical Guardian if you’d like... More than just the basics, because it has all the high-tech gadgets and smart features that make life easier, such as GPS tracking and a handy mobile app that even your grandkids would approve of. Medical Guardian is your best bet if you want a system that’s not only reliable, but also keeps up with the times. Plus, with its friendly customer support, you’ll never feel alone navigating the options. It’s a great choice for anyone who wants a little extra peace of mind with a modern twist. Medical Care Alert vs Medical Guardian FAQs

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### Best Home Security Systems with Doorbell Cameras in [year]

> Ring, Arlo, and Nest lead the pack with smart doorbell cameras offering 2-way talk, HD video, and package detection

- Published: 2018-08-29
- Modified: 2025-08-13
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/doorbell-cameras/



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### Best Cellular Home Security Systems in [year]

> SimpliSafe, Frontpoint, and Vivint stand out for reliable cellular security systems with built-in backup and remote access

- Published: 2018-08-28
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/cellular/



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### CPI Security Reviews

> CPI Security offers high-quality video monitoring and smart home features, but it's expensive, has limited availability, and requires professional installation.

- Published: 2018-08-27
- Modified: 2025-02-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cpi-security/reviews/



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### SimpliSafe Alternative

> Frontpoint is the top SimpliSafe alternative, offering wireless equipment and more integrations, but at a higher cost of $44.99 compared to SimpliSafe's $14.99.

- Published: 2018-08-25
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-alternative/

If you’re in the market for a reliable and affordable home security system, SimpliSafe is an excellent option. Not only is it one of the easiest systems to install, but it is also a low-cost, basic solution for those wanting to keep their home protected without all the unnecessary extras. SimpliSafe Equipment Many homeowners shopping the market for a top home security system might be interested in a SimpliSafe alternative. Well, take heart! There are several options available for those seeking the same advanced technology and flexibility in a different provider. Today, we’ll take a look at the different SimpliSafe alternative options currently on the market, provide you with additional information on each company, and (hopefully) help you make an informed decision. Which Security Companies Are Known Alternatives to SimpliSafe? Three frontrunners come to mind when thinking about the best SimpliSafe alternatives: Frontpoint, Vivint, and ADT. Let’s discover your best fit. About Frontpoint If you’re looking for a reliable alternative to SimpliSafe, you should definitely consider Frontpoint. Like its counterpart, Frontpoint offers wireless home security options. However, the two companies vary when it comes to cost. Frontpoint Equipment Both companies provide good quality systems that feature wireless equipment, which means there is no high priced installation involved. Each system is straightforward to install and you have the freeing option to DIY the installation. Both companies also have reliable video monitoring cameras that provide clear, high-quality pictures when you need them. The main differences between SimpliSafe and Frontpoint are their features. Frontpoint provides users with much more integration than SimpliSafe, including options such as indoor and outdoor video monitoring. While these extras may prove beneficial, they can also make Frontpoint’s system more expensive. Because of these extra features, its system costs more per month to use. For SimpliSafe, the lowest priced plan is $14. 99, while Frontpoint’s lowest plan is $44. 99 per month. To learn more about this SimpliSafe alternative, check out our hands-on Frontpoint review. SimpliSafe and Frontpoint both offer security devices with state of the art technology. For example, motion sensors that can identify animals, cars, and people. These are just a few of the many features they have to offer. About Vivint Vivint is another reliable SimpliSafe alternative worth considering. This company offers home security monitoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and their systems include indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras as well as many other useful features. Vivint Smart Home Equipment Both SimpliSafe and Vivint systems allow you to use mobile apps to monitor your home security, even when you’re away from home. As a bonus, neither company requires its customers to buy full-scale monitoring to use their service. Some of the differences between Vivint and SimpliSafe are in their system’s features. Vivint offers more advanced offerings like the addition of Nest thermostats and loads of other smart home automation features. And while both providers offer high-quality equipment, Vivint has the added benefit of voice recognition solutions that SimpliSafe doesn’t have. With that said, because of their advanced features, Vivint requires professional installation, while SimpliSafe allows for DIY options. As mentioned above, you can get a SimpliSafe system for as low as $14. 99 per month. Vivint security systems are more costly, with their most affordable option priced at $39. 99 per month. Also note that Vivint equipment prices start at around $500-$600 (not cheap! ). But... you certainly get what you pay for with this streamlined smart home system. To learn more about Vivint, have a look at our full Vivint review. You can remotely control your security system through mobile apps. If you are tech-savvy, we recommend the SimpliSafe app, which has better reviews than Vivint’s. About ADT Out of all the SimpliSafe alternatives we’ve mentioned so far, ADT is by far the most popular. When homeowners look to upgrade their current home security system, they often turn to ADT. SimpliSafe and ADT have many features in common, both providing homeowners with high-quality systems that allow 24/7 home monitoring, mobile app monitoring, and quality installation and setup. ADT Home Security Equipment There are also some significant differences between the two. If you are looking for a basic, affordable system, SimpliSafe would be your best bet. But, if you’re thinking about upgrading to something more advanced, ADT would be the ideal SimpliSafe alternative to consider. They offer many of today’s high-tech features in home security, such as its built-in home automation system, that SimpliSafe cannot compete with. They also provide home automation upgrades like the Nest thermostat system. Because ADT has so many advanced features, it also has a higher price to match. Its basic monitoring package begins at $29 per month, but it ranges up to $50+ per month. Users must also sign a 36-month contract and purchase the home monitoring system as part of this contract (something to consider before breaking out your wallet). SimpliSafe monitoring services start at just $25, with its non-monitoring security package as low as $14. 99. Both companies require you to purchase equipment as part of the deal. If you’re curious about learning more, head on over to our full review of ADT. ADT is a 140-year old company that provides services across the nation. In the case of an emergency, ADT has over 17,000 employees on hand to help you. No matter the time, you can always feel safe and protected when using ADT. What Are the Similarities Between These Companies? If choosing between Frontpoint, Vivint, and ADT, there are several similarities for you to consider. First off, all three require new users to sign a service contract. Also, each offers video monitoring and automation services for an additional fee. Vivint and ADT have mobile apps that allow homeowners to monitor their homes even while out of the house. Compared to Frontpoint and SimpliSafe, Vivint and ADT both have the most advanced features. So if you’re looking for a top-quality home security system that includes the latest features and tech, you’d be wise to look into what these companies have to offer. But we must say, homeowners who want all the bells and whistles should consider Vivint over ADT. While Vivint and ADT must be professionally installed, Frontpoint offers a DIY option like SimpliSafe, which can save you money. What Are the Differences Between These Providers? Out of the three companies, Frontpoint is the alternative that is most like SimpliSafe. Users can choose the basics for their security system and enjoy peace of mind for less money. While Frontpoint does not offer many of the innovative features found with ADT or Vivint, it does provide more integrations than SimpliSafe. ADT, on the other hand, is the most recognized security system out of the three. Unlike Frontpoint, ADT offers access to upgrades such as Nest home thermostats and sensors. Unfortunately, it also requires an extended contract commitment with their 36-month contract for new customers. Unlike ADT, Vivint does not require users to purchase full-scale monitoring. Vivint also does not offer the lowest level option for their services. Unlike SimpliSafe and Frontpoint, ADT and Vivint don't allow DIY installation. In fact, you may need to pay an installation fee (ouch). This can initially rack up the cost when first starting with the company. Frontpoint, Vivint, and ADT Features All three security systems offer unique features to help keep your home and loved ones safe. When purchasing a system you should compare each company and decide which features you care the most about and why. Below, we’ll compare what each device has on offer to help make the decision easier for you. Frontpoint Features Frontpoint is reasonably priced and still offers neat features that could fulfill your needs. They also offer technology advances that can play well with your current home security setup. Some features include: Night Vision - Frontpoint’s night time vision makes it easy for you to see anything that happens inside or outside your home. Frontpoint Hub and Control Panel - The hub is sleek and stylish making it easy to pair with any abode. The modern touchscreen control panel allows you to protect your home as you run out the door. Door & Window Sensors - These entryway sensors are tiny, making them easy to place wherever you please. The sensors will alert you any time the door or window is opened. Smoke and Heat sensor - This sensor can detect heat or smoke before it becomes a major issue. When smoke or heat is detected, Frontpoint will contact you immediately. Customizations - One of the big selling points of Frontpoint is their many custom actions available inside the mobile app. This system really lets you tailor your home security to meet your needs. Vivint Features Vivint Security Systems are another great option when it comes to special features. Just remember, Vivint comes at a much higher price. Some Vivint features include: Burglary Detection - When activating Vivint’s motion sensor camera, you will be notified immediately when movement has been detected. Vivint works around the clock to make sure homeowners are protected at all times. Garage Door Control - Whoops! Forget to shut your garage door? No worries! When you download the Vivint app you are able to open or shut your garage no matter where you are. Smart Locks - With the smart locks feature, Vivint makes it extra easy to lock your doors, turn off your lights, change your thermostat, and activate your security system from anywhere and everywhere. Even if you are in a different state! Full Home Automation - Vivint is by far the most advanced (yet still user friendly) system available. You can integrate lots of third-party smart devices to fully automate your home. ADT Features ADT is one of the most popular options when it comes to security systems. We have listed some of its most popular features below to better help you make a decision on which security system is right for you. Key ADT Features Include: Digital Security Panel - ADT’s panel is wireless and comes with many features including video security, a touchscreen keypad, and voice control recognition. Bonus: the panel comes with a remote control! Wireless Keychain Remote - The keychain helps make arming or disarming your system easy. It also includes a panic button, making it a convenient means to call for help if in danger. Entryway Contacts - You can set up alerts to be notified anytime someone comes in or out of your house. You can also be alerted anytime a window or door is left open via text. Motion Detectors - The great thing about ADT’s motion detectors is that they cover such a large amount of space. You’ll only need one or two to cover the highly trafficked areas in your home. Professional Installation - ADT offers one of the best professional installation services in the business. The technician will even stick around after the install to show you the ropes of your new system. Cost Comparison for These SimpliSafe Alternatives SimpliSafe is by far the most affordable option, but if you’re looking for an alternative that is not too expensive, Frontpoint is the best option. Below are the price comparisons for each company: SimpliSafe: starts at $14. 99 per month for the non-monitoring plan Frontpoint: starts at $44. 99 for their lowest-priced plan Vivint: Vivint’s most affordable option is starts at $39. 99 per month ADT: ADT’s basic product starts at $29 per month, and plans range up to $50+ monthly. Final Thoughts on SimpliSafe Alternatives You may be willing to pay more to guarantee your home and family are safe 24/7. Still, if you want excellent protection while staying within budget, it’s best to compare the prices and features of these SimpliSafe alternatives. For those who want a system that is close to SimpliSafe, but with a little more flexibility and improvement, Frontpoint is a great option. Its services come at an affordable price and you can choose to have a basic system or upgrade with additional features. Frontpoint, like SimpliSafe, also allows users to install their system on their own. For anyone who wants a more advanced system at a reasonable price, Vivint is a good option. The company offers 24/7 home monitoring and many other high-tech features that you can’t find with SimpliSafe or Frontpoint. However, because of these additional features, all Vivint systems must be professionally installed. Vivint is also priced higher than SimpliSafe and Frontpoint, with the least expensive option priced at $39. 99 per month. ADT is a well-known brand and, as an industry leader, the company offers some of the most advanced features in home security. If you want features like a Nest home thermostat, mobile app monitoring, and built-in home automation, ADT is the right fit for you. Keep in mind that these high-quality features come at a price. So what is the top SimpliSafe alternative? It all depends on what you want and how much you’re willing to pay. Overall, Frontpoint, Vivint, and ADT are all great options regardless of your decision. If you still need help deciding, we recommend checking out our guide to the best home security systems available.

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### ADT Alternative

> SimpliSafe is a top DIY home security choice over ADT for affordability, while Vivint excels in advanced equipment. Frontpoint offers great home automation.

- Published: 2018-08-25
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-alternative/

ADT is one of the best home security systems we’ve tested. However, it’s not for everyone. There are better DIY options than ADT, like SimpliSafe, and more advanced security systems like Vivint. If home automation and third-party integration are your priority, Frontpoint is another great alternative. But do they match ADT’s protection? Let’s compare how SimpliSafe, Vivint, and Frontpoint outperform ADT and what compromises you’ll have to make if you choose any of our recommended ADT alternatives. To find alternatives to ADT, we first tested the latest ADT security system and noted its greatest strengths and weaknesses. What if you don’t want a home security system? We recommend starting with a couple of cameras to monitor your property. For our top picks, check out our guide on the best home security camera providers. Best DIY Alternative – SimpliSafe ADT has shifted in recent years from mandatory professionally installed systems to offering DIY equipment. However, some devices like the Nest Cam with floodlight require an electrician to connect them to your internal wiring. For a completely DIY home security system, we recommend getting a SimpliSafe home security package. >> Keep Reading: The Best DIY Home Security Systems in Like ADT, SimpliSafe has upgraded its equipment with new features we couldn’t wait to test. While both ADT and SimpliSafe are in the wireless home security systems market, what you’ll receive in these packages will differ significantly. Both systems have apps that allow users to monitor their home security system when out and about and cameras that can be placed in key areas of your home. SimpliSafe and ADT also have 24-hour support and monitoring. With that said, there are also some key differences between these two systems that should be noted. First off: automation. When we reviewed ADT, we integrated light dimmers, smart door locks, and Nest smart thermostats. Unfortunately, these are tools you won’t be given access to with SimpliSafe; well, except for the smart lock because SimpliSafe works with the August smart lock. However, for the “budget-minded” folks out there, it’s important to note that SimpliSafe is more affordable compared to ADT. SimpliSafe packages start at $249. 96 while ADT packages start at $349. Add-on equipment is also cheaper with SimpliSafe. Entry and motion sensors are $5 less than ADT. Security cameras have a wider gap of up to $80. Pro Tip: You can save even more with SimpliSafe by choosing a refurbished home security system. All equipment is tested to ensure they’re operating correctly and come with a lifetime subscriber warranty when you select a professional monitoring plan. SimpliSafe is generally a much more flexible home security system. For example, how easy it is to switch between no-contract monitoring to professional monitoring plans. Finally, keep in mind that SimpliSafe is a DIY home security system, meaning you can install it yourself in about 20 minutes. Read more in our full SimpliSafe review. >> Check Out: Best No Contract Home Security Systems Best Advanced Equipment Alternative – Vivint Like ADT, Vivint offers high-quality equipment and has a strong reputation for providing premium, in-home security and automation options. Widely considered the “top dogs” of the industry, Vivint and ADT both offer professional installation, indoor and outdoor video, and other advanced features. However, while most similarities between the two are deemed perks, some can also be viewed as pitfalls. Our Vivint home security system came with more advanced equipment than ADT – but it requires professional installation. These home security legends might be the closest match when it comes to the features provided. Nevertheless, differences still exist. Vivint, for instance, primarily uses a dual-path connection (internet and cellular) to send out alerts to the monitoring center. ADT connects to the internet first, and then uses the cellular network as a backup if the primary connections fail. >> Find Out: Do Wireless Security Systems Work if the Internet Goes Out? When it comes to prices, you’ll be pleased to know that each company charges roughly the same rates. While Vivint’s plans start at $39. 99 per month, ADT’s Plus plan starts around $24. 99 per month for DIY systems and $34. 99 for professionally installed setups. But both require the most expensive plans for security camera support. You can learn more in our hands-on Vivint review. Both ADT and Vivint offer comparable rates and features. Both also require a contract for financed equipment. You can pay for your system upfront, but with Vivint, you’re looking at thousands of dollars. We chose to sign a contract and pay everything off over three years. ADT’s equipment is slightly more affordable. Best Home Automation Alternative – Frontpoint Like SimpliSafe and Vivint, Frontpoint is equally on par with ADT when it comes to reliable, high-quality products and some of the most advanced home security options on the market today. Both are also easy to install due to their wireless nature. >> Check Out: Wireless Security Cameras and How They Work We found Frontpoint equipment sturdy, but their bulky size can make them a challenge to install. While similarities between the two are prevalent, we found plenty of differences. First off, ADT has three professional monitoring tiers. But you’ll find only one Frontpoint monitoring plan on the website at $49. 99 per month. You’ll need to contact Frontpoint to discuss lower plans starting at $14. 99 per month. To top things off, ADT also offers a six-month money-back guarantee, compared to Frontpoint’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Keep in mind that you’ll have a selection of additional options available to you with Frontpoint, from garage door sensors and panic pendants to glass break and flood sensors. The system also supports dozens of Z-Wave third-party devices. We integrated several into our home automation routines via the Frontpoint app. You don’t need to be an expert to set these up – Frontpoint walks you through step-by-step. Simply buying additional pieces of equipment will allow you to enjoy comforts like home automation, remote web and mobile access, and remote and secured video. Have a look at our comprehensive Frontpoint Security review. One feature that stands out with Frontpoint is its geofencing capabilities. We were in a rush and forgot to arm the system after leaving the house. Frontpoint sent us a notification once we were outside the virtual “fence”. Thankfully, we could arm the system remotely via the app instead of going back to do it manually. Final Thoughts on ADT Alternatives While ADT is a great home security system, there is no need to settle! There are a lot of great alternatives to choose from offering the same or similar services. SimpliSafe offers flexibility with its monitoring plans, Vivint has an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment, and Frontpoint lets you integrate a range of worthy add-ons. When it comes time to shop, know that the options are out there and choose a home security system that’s right for you. Part of ADT’s top-of-the-line equipment is the Google Nest Cam, a line of security cameras with features like person and facial recognition. Still not decided? We recommend reading our latest rundown of the best home security systems on the market today. Just don’t be too surprised if you find these ADT and our recommended ADT alternative brands on the list! FAQs

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### Best Home Security Systems with Monitoring

> Vivint, ADT, and SimpliSafe offer top-rated security systems with 24/7 professional monitoring and police dispatch

- Published: 2018-08-24
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/with-monitoring/



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### Lively Reviews

> Lively offers reliable medical alert devices and phones, but subscriptions provide the best value with features like on-call nurse support and quick response times.

- Published: 2018-08-23
- Modified: 2025-06-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/greatcall/reviews/



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### Medical Guardian Review [year]

> We tested Medical Guardian's alert systems, and a connection issue led to police at our door. Despite this hiccup, the response time averaged 23 seconds.

- Published: 2018-08-23
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/medical-guardian/reviews/



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### Bay Alarm Medical Review [year]

> The Bay Alarm Medical SOS Smartwatch is affordable and reliable but lacks premium features like a caregiver tracking app and has a short 16-hour battery life.

- Published: 2018-08-23
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/bay-alarm-medical/reviews/

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### Lifeline Reviews

> Lifeline offers reliable senior alert systems with fall detection, but higher costs and limited range may be drawbacks for budget-conscious users.

- Published: 2018-08-22
- Modified: 2025-06-19
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/philips-lifeline/reviews/



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### ADT Health

> ADT Medical Alert Systems start at $26.99/month with no equipment fees, but a $99 activation fee applies. Options include basic, plus, and on-the-go plans.

- Published: 2018-08-20
- Modified: 2025-06-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/adt/



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### Medical Alert Review, Cost and Pricing in [year]

> Medical Alert offers affordable systems starting at $19.95/month, but lacks features compared to competitors. Best for budget-conscious with a landline.

- Published: 2018-08-17
- Modified: 2025-06-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/medical-alert/



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### Lively Medical Alert Systems and Cell Phones for Seniors

> Lively offers budget-friendly medical alert devices starting at $24.99/month, with the Mobile2 providing reliable fall detection and urgent response. Equipment costs $79.99.

- Published: 2018-08-15
- Modified: 2025-06-14
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/greatcall/



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### Medical Guardian Alert Systems: Cost, Features, and More

> Medical Guardian offers five alert systems, with plans starting at $32.95. The MGMove smartwatch is a standout. Fall detection is an extra $10 monthly.

- Published: 2018-08-15
- Modified: 2025-08-13
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/medical-guardian/



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### MobileHelp Medical Alert System Pricing and Full Review – [year] Recommendations

> MobileHelp offers affordable medical alert systems with no contracts. The Home Duo bundle at $44.95/month saves $25 monthly compared to buying separately.

- Published: 2018-08-14
- Modified: 2025-06-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/mobilehelp/



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### Life Alert

> Life Alert costs $49.95/month, lacks fall detection, and requires a 3-year contract. Alternatives like Bay Alarm Medical offer more features for less money.

- Published: 2018-08-13
- Modified: 2025-06-14
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/life-alert/



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### Bay Alarm Medical Alert System

> Bay Alarm Medical offers four alert systems starting at $19.95/month, featuring SOS Smartwatch and SOS Home for emergency aid at the push of a button.

- Published: 2018-08-12
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/bay-alarm-medical/



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### The Best Security Systems for the Deaf in [year]

> Ring, SimpliSafe, and Nest support deaf users with visual alerts, smart notifications, and easy app integration

- Published: 2018-08-12
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/deaf/



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### Lifeline

> Lifeline's medical alert systems cost more but offer reliability, fall detection, and GPS. AARP members get 15% off. Monthly plans start at $27.95.

- Published: 2018-08-11
- Modified: 2025-06-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/philips-lifeline/



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### ADT Pulse

> ADT is phasing out Pulse for the improved Control system with Command panel, built-in Alexa, and geo-fencing. Expect more features and better integration.

- Published: 2018-08-10
- Modified: 2025-01-07
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/pulse/



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### Best Home Security Systems for Rural Areas in [year]

> SimpliSafe, Ring, and Arlo offer reliable rural home security with cellular backup and long-range wireless sensors

- Published: 2018-08-02
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/rural/



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### Best Home Security Systems That Work With Apple in [year]

> Abode and ecobee SmartCamera work with Apple HomeKit, offering top-tier security for Apple-centric homes

- Published: 2018-07-30
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/apple/



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### ADT vs Alarm.com Comparison

> ADT wins over Alarm.com thanks to its full-service options and perks, despite the need for a 3-year contract. Alarm.com offers flexibility but varies by vendor.

- Published: 2018-07-28
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-alarm-com/

ADT is a full-service home security system that offers many package options to choose from. Alarm. com is a white label service that you can use if you want to maintain maximum control over your system. Alarm. com offers a home security monitoring platform that is capable of allowing you to monitor your security system from practically anywhere. Overview: ADT vs Alarm. com ADT offers a comprehensive list of services and features for homeowners and renters who want an advanced home security system. Alarm. com is a cloud-based service and technology developer that ties together security equipment from various manufacturers. ADT offers a comprehensive list of equipment Alarm. com uses a mobile app to fully control the home security system Alarm. com offers both do-it-yourself and professional installation, depending on the vendor you decide to work with ADT requires a 3-year contract to start service Similarities: Alarm. com vs ADT Both companies provide home automation and 24/7 monitoring. Both systems offer cellular connectivity to allow for maximum control of the system through a mobile app or internet connection. Offer 24/7 monitoring Can be used by homeowners or renters Offer live video streaming services Differences: Alarm. com vs ADT The main difference between ADT and Alarm. com is that one is a white label, home security monitoring service. Both are highly effective, but Alarm. com works with a number of home security companies across the nation to offer its services. ADT requires a long-term contract ADT offers a six-month guarantee ADT offers several different environmental hazard sensors Your contract, monitoring fee, and features will depend on which Alarm. com vendor you choose Features ADT offers home automation, medical/panic buttons w/GPS, environmental disaster protection, a six-month guarantee and cellular service. All of the equipment is 100% wireless and easy to use. Motion sensors are pet-friendly. The video doorbell viewer is enabled with two-way, voice communication. As a white label service, Alarm. com includes live video streaming, wellness options that can be monitored through a downloadable app, a video doorbell, and a smart thermostat. The system is also compatible with Google and Alexa platforms. Alarm. com also offers crash and bash protection, environmental hazard detection and motion-triggered sensors. Contracts ADT requires a 3-year contract that is backed up by a 6-month guarantee. If the customer is not completely satisfied, they will receive all their money back as long as the equipment is returned within the 60-day time frame. Alarm. com itself does require not a contract for the use of its services, but the service providers they partner with may require a contract. Pricing ADT offers three basic packages. The Traditional ($29 a month, the Control ($37 a month), and the Video ($53 a month). Each package costs $125 upfront for installation and set up. They also offer monitoring services to home security equipment that is already installed. The charge for that service is $19 per month. Alarm. com service costs vary depending on the authorized service provider you decide to work with. Installation ADT's system must be professionally installed. This includes systems for both renters and homeowners. The service providers that Alarm. com offer different types of equipment, but they typically require professional installation. Emergency Connectivity Both systems use cellular service and Wi-Fi connectivity. If an emergency occurs, each system has the capability of contacting both the local authorities as well as numbers on the customer's contact list. Summary: ADT vs. Alarm. com ADT is for the homeowner or renter who wants a professionally installed and monitored system with all the perks. It is a more expensive system, but well worth the cost for those who want the level of convenience they provide. ADT is one of the more convenient systems on the market. Alarm. com offers monitoring services and home automation services. They are a good option for those who are looking for the latest home security and automation features.

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### The Best Home Security Systems in [year] With No Monthly Fees

> Wyze, Eufy, and Arlo offer the best no-monthly-fee security systems with self-monitoring and local storage

- Published: 2018-07-28
- Modified: 2025-09-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/no-monthly-fee/



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### Ring Deals

> Ring offers affordable home security with discounts like 20% off for military, medical, teachers, and students. Prime Day and Black Friday have great deals too.

- Published: 2018-07-28
- Modified: 2024-11-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/deals/



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### The Best Security Systems for New Construction Homes

> Vivint, ADT, and Brinks offer pre-wiring options and long-term smart integration for new home construction

- Published: 2018-07-26
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/new-construction/

1. Frontpoint Frontpoint offers the best customer service on the market at an unbeatable price. Systems are customized and have easy, DIY installation, which make Frontpoint the best choice for new constructions. No security company compares to the high-quality service that Frontpoint has provided since 2007. Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons with Frontpoint: Pros Outstanding Customer Service Competitive Pricing Wireless Systems Easy, Do-It-Yourself Installation 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee Home Automation Options Cameras Available Environmental Disaster Protection Options Cons Long-Term Contract Price Contingent on Credit Check No Landline Option Constructing a new home is the perfect time to find a home security system to ensure that your family is secured from day one. Frontpoint offers all the security you want without the hassle and complications of other systems. From designing your customized system to setting it up and controlling your home's security, Frontpoint puts you in control. You design your customized security system with the help of a customer service representative, and then the system that is configured just for you shows up as soon as tomorrow. You can try out your Frontpoint system risk free for 30 days, and if you don't love it, then feel free to return the system for your money back. Once you have the system in hand, Frontpoint makes it simple to install and activate your home security with online step-by-step installation and activation that can be completed in 30 minutes or less. All Frontpoint systems are wireless, so no tools or handyman skills are required. Getting help is easy too. With Frontpoint's industry-leading customer support, help is only a click or call away. When you secure your newly constructed home with Frontpoint, you will get peace of mind that your professionally monitored system is the safest, most reliable security on the market. All Frontpoint security systems are 100% wireless and cellular with 24/7 professional monitoring, and to guarantee that there are no lapses in your home's coverage, the system performs automated system checks every hour to make sure that your sensors and system are active and online. Frontpoint systems have crash-and-smash protection that keeps your security system working even if the control panel is destroyed. You can monitor and control your system through the Frontpoint app, giving you additional peace of mind that your system is working to keep your home safe. You can add home awareness tools and home control devices to your Frontpoint security system for an additional cost. Home awareness tools include a video doorbell, indoor cameras, and outdoor cameras. Home control takes the video capabilities of the home awareness package to the next level by incorporating tools to automate your security. Automation devices can transform your new house into a cutting-edge smart home. Automation allows you to monitor and control your lights, thermostat, and cameras from anywhere in the world. 2. ADT ADT is the original home security company, established in 1874. That's why it is no surprise that today they are the largest provider of home security in North America. ADT offers a wide range of security options, such as monitoring security systems from other alarm companies. If you want an established leader in the home-security field, then ADT may be the best answer for you. Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons with ADT: Pros Competitive Pricing Wireless Systems (With Hardwired Available) Free Professional Installation 6-Month Money-Back Guarantee Choice of Cellular or Landline Home Automation Options Cameras Available Environmental Disaster Protection Options Best Medical Alert Devices on the Market Cons Long-Term Contract No Do-It-Yourself Installation Option Independent Dealers Vary in Quality ADT allows you to protect your home your way. Every ADT home alarm system is customized with your home's unique security needs in mind. An ADT security expert will provide a free in-home consultation to help you find the right security solution. Then a certified professional technician will install your home security system to ensure that it is placed in the most appropriate locations and with your family in mind. ADT is there for you any time of day or night with 24/7 professional monitoring and 24/7 customer support. You can lease a home security system from ADT or buy monitoring for an existing system. You can choose from basic home security monitoring, home automation, video monitoring, and environmental disaster protection. You have the power to choose exactly what you want with ADT. If you want the professional experience, then ADT is the best system for you. From professional installation to professional monitoring, ADT is all about letting professionals do the work they were trained to do while you sit back and enjoy the added peace of mind that their alarm system provides. ADT has taken the smart home to the next level with their concierge-level protection. You can't get any more secure than a professionally installed and monitored ADT system with integrated home automation. 3. SimpliSafe SimpliSafe offers award-winning security systems that are made in-house by their designers and engineers. These systems are high quality and high tech, but that doesn't mean that they are complicated. SimpliSafe systems are easy to use and affordable. SimpliSafe bypasses most of the fees other security companies charge to give you the best equipment that is also easy to install and maintain yourself. Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons with SimpliSafe: Pros Competitive Pricing Wireless Systems Hassle-Free, Do-It-Yourself Installation 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee No Contracts Automatic Updates Monitoring Not Required Optional 24/7 Professional Monitoring Available at an Affordable Rate Cons Upfront Equipment Costs No Option for Home Automation If you want an intuitive security system with absolutely no strings attached, SimpliSafe is your best bet. The systems are completely wireless with easy DIY installation and setup. You can place security sensors exactly where you want and then move them if you find a better location. You can setup the entire system in less than 15 minutes, which is unheard of even with DIY systems. You can control your home security with a press of a button on the SimpliSafe app. These systems make cutting-edge technology easy to use, but the selling point is the total freedom you get with SimpliSafe systems. If you want a monitored home security system, SimpliSafe can give you that. If you want an unmonitored security system, they can give you that too. SimpliSafe systems are one of the few on the market that require no monitoring and no contracts. This is security your way. Providing an award-winning security system with ease of use is an incredible accomplishment, but SimpliSafe does that at one of the most affordable rates on the market. Systems are never marked up or sold by third-party vendors. You won't pay an installation fee, a setup fee, or an activation fee with SimpliSafe. You will only pay for the equipment you want and the services that are right for you. If you decide that you want professional monitoring, there is never an obligation to continue monitoring the next month, because SimpliSafe simply does not have contracts. They keep their prices low by designing every system in-house and by giving you only the security you want. 4. Vivint If you want your new house to be a smart home, then Vivint is a great choice. Vivint specializes in simple home automation that can be designed with your budget in mind. These systems use top-tier technology, give you a wide range of options for automation, and provide access to the best app on the market for home security. Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons with Vivint: Pros Wireless Systems Free Professional Installation Same-Day Installation Available Lifetime Warranty Connect by Cellular and/or Landline Home Automation Cameras Available Environmental Disaster Protection Options Cons Four- or Five-Year Contract No Do-It-Yourself Installation Option Above-Average Monthly Cost Must Qualify for Equipment Financing Vivint is a smart home security company, so if you want high-tech home automation, this might be the company for you. If there's something in your new home that you want to automate, chances are that Vivint has a way to incorporate it into your home system so that there are no gaps in coverage or control. The full line of smart products includes a video doorbell, indoor and outdoor cameras, a smart thermostat, smart locks, a garage door control, smart plugs, and voice control through the Amazon Echo. You can control a Vivint system from the physical control panel on the wall of your home, from the Amazon Echo with your voice, or from the Vivint Sky app. Sky is the cutting-edge technology that pushes this security system over the other home-automation options on the market. Sky is an AI assistant built into the Vivint app that uses machine learning to automate and manage your smart home for you, but only if you program it to. The Vivint Sky can use sensors, geolocation, and history to make decisions for your home. For example, the smart thermostat can learn your preferred temperature settings. Sky uses the geolocation feature on your phone to auto-adjust the thermostat when you arrive home. Then when your house in empty, the thermostat readjusts in order to save energy. Home automation from Vivint is easy to use. The security system links all the security products together seamlessly and allows you to control the devices from home or from afar. Installation is a cinch, because Vivint only allows their trained professionals to install the systems. With professional installation, you can rest assured that all your security devices are properly installed in the best locations. The Vivint Sky app allows you to access and control every device in your system from the straightforward interface. 5. Protect America Protect America offers affordable security systems that are leased instead of bought. When you sign a contract with Protect America, your rate is locked in for life and your equipment has a lifetime warranty. The company has stellar customer service and offers many perks that new homeowners will appreciate. If your newly built home is in a rural area, Protect America offers the best, and possibly only, choice, since these systems can connect by way of landline. Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons with Protect America: Pros Price Match Guarantee Rate Locked in for Life Lifetime Warranty on Equipment Wireless Systems Do-It-Yourself Installation 14-Day Free Trial Home Automation Options Cameras Available Environmental Disaster Protection Options Landline Connection Option Cons Three-Year Contract Upfront Equipment Fee Cellular Monitoring Costs More Equipment is Leased One of Protect America's biggest selling points is the outstanding price. The price you pay when you sign up will never increase. Ever. You lease security equipment from Protect America instead of purchase it, so the company is always happy to replace or repair their equipment to keep your home secure. Leasing helps keep the prices low. You install the system yourself through easy, DIY steps, so there are no installation or activation fees to pay. You can try a system out in your new home for 14 days risk free to see if you like the equipment, monitoring, and service. Protect America automatically offers a landline connection for home security systems. While you do have to pay more for a cellular connection, the landline option works best if your new home is in a rural area. Many security companies cover a pre-defined geographical zone, but that's not the case with Protect America. If you can connect your system through a landline, then you can use their security to protect your home. You can also connect a system through broadband or a 4G cellular network. The monthly price you pay for monitoring depends on how your system is connected, and the landline option is cheapest. This is good news for rural customers in need of reliable, high-quality home security. Home Security Systems for Newly Built Homes Chances are that you spent a lot of time designing or choosing your newly built home, so it’s important to protect that home with a security system. Homeowners have more ways to save money than non-homeowners. You can sign a longer contract, which saves you money in the long run. A monitored home security system can save you money on homeowner's insurance, and you can take advantage of the deep discounts that many security companies offer to incentivize home-owning customers. Features of Home Security Systems for New Homes In many ways, new homes need a home security system more than an established home, because new homes are prime targets for intruders. You don't yet know your neighbors and the lay of the land, but you can keep your home and family protected by using a security system from day one. What features should you look for in a home security system? That depends on your family and your home. The convenient thing about securing a new home is that you can build a customized system to fit the exact needs of your house, because no two homes are the same. Most homeowners want reliable, quality home security that is easy to use, but the other features may or may not be important to you. Security systems can be self-monitored or professionally monitored. They can be wireless or wired and can connect through landline, cellular, or broadband. Some systems offer multiple ways to interact with the system. Here are some of the more common features of home security systems:

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### Ooma Home Security Reviews

> Ooma offers affordable home security with easy DIY setup, but lacks a keypad and siren. Custom modes and geofencing are pluses, but limited smart integrations.

- Published: 2018-07-23
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/ooma/reviews/



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### Best Home Security Systems that Work with Google Home

> Nest Secure, ADT, and Abode offer best-in-class Google Home integration for smart, voice-activated home protection

- Published: 2018-07-20
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/google-home/



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### The Best Security Systems for Large Homes

> Vivint, ADT, and Ring excel at protecting large homes with expansive sensor coverage and multi-camera support

- Published: 2018-07-16
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/large-home/



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### Ring vs Arlo Comparison

> Ring beats Arlo with better value and full home protection. Ring offers entry sensors and environmental detection, while Arlo excels in camera features.

- Published: 2018-07-15
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-vs-arlo/

Ring Alarm (2nd Gen) Equipment At first glance, you might think all home security systems are the same. The truth is, however, that there can be a lot of differences when it comes to features and tech, installation, and pricing. You should always thoroughly compare your options so that nothing takes you by surprise as you get ready to buy. Ring and Arlo are both great companies that provide camera-based home security systems. The key similarities and differences we outline in this guide will help you to determine which one is the best choice for you. We’ve tested both camera systems in-house for several days, and we have some interesting takeaways for you. So without further ado, let’s have a look at how they compare to find which one (if any! ) is best for you and your budget. If you’re looking for complete home security, Ring is the safer bet. Ring offers the Ring Alarm Kit (with intrusion sensors) and indoor and outdoor cameras, while Arlo only sells security cameras. But... Arlo’s cameras are quite impressive! Ring vs Arlo: Common Features Our first order of business is to look over the features of both camera systems to get a good idea of their main advantages. Keep in mind the requirements or expectations that you have for your home security system so that you can determine which one is right for you. For example, if you live in an area that sees a lot of package theft, then ultra-sharp resolution and two-way talk are great features to have. Ring Features & Tech Entry Sensors: Although we’re mainly concerned with Ring’s cameras for this guide, it’s worth mentioning that the company offers entryway sensors with the Ring Alarm. If someone attempts to break in through a door or window, the alarm will go off and you’ll be instantly notified in the Ring app. You can read more about the system in our hands-on Ring Alarm review. Ring Alarm Sensors Indoor/Outdoor Cameras: Ring sells security cameras that can be used indoors or outdoors. The outdoor cameras are built to last and can withstand harsh weather conditions, while the less-robust Ring Indoor Cam is meant to monitor the activity inside your home. Motion Sensors: Ring’s motion sensors detect movement within the range of the camera, triggering the camera to start recording and alert you of the activity. Look for this standard feature in all outdoor cameras and doorbell cameras. Ring - Motion Sensor 1080p HD Resolution: This is the gold standard in the industry for video quality, and Ring hits the mark in this category. During our tests, our Ring Cams gave us crystal-clear image quality day and night. Night Vision: The best home security cameras come with night vision for nighttime viewing. This is important, especially in outdoor cameras, as you’ll be able to capture some detail of a would-be intruder, even in the cover of darkness. All of Ring’s cameras offer night vision. Ring Stick Up Cam Night Vision Environmental Hazard Detection: Ring offers environmental hazard detection such as fire or flooding sensors. After all, intruders are not the only threats that could affect your home. This is something that Arlo does not offer. We recommend environmental monitoring, especially for vacation homes or second homes. This way, if a fire or flood breaks out, you’ll be notified right away — even if you’re halfway across the country. Environmental monitoring could save you countless headaches and thousands of dollars in repairs. Ring Video Doorbell 3, Installed Doorbell Camera: With a Ring Video Doorbell, you will be able to see a live video stream of the area surrounding your doorbell. Doorbell viewing allows you to see whether or not someone is at your door and what he or she is doing there. Doorbell view can also show you when packages arrive. Check out our full Ring Video Doorbell review to learn more. Home Automation Options: Ring home security systems also provide some options for home automation. You can use your key fobs or apps on your mobile device to operate your home’s lighting, locks, and the system itself. The Ring Alarm control panel runs on the Z-Wave protocol, meaning you can connect hundreds of third-party (Z-Wave compatible) smart home products to the system. Learn more in our Ring home automation guide. Arlo Features & Tech Arlo 3 Cameras Camera-Based Security: Arlo home security systems are 100% camera based. Having a camera-based system means that there are not a lot of other components to install or maintain. Indoor/Outdoor Devices: Arlo security cameras are indoor and outdoor compatible, meaning that the cameras are safe for use inside or outside of the home. In testing and reviewing the Arlo Pro 3, we found it to be one of the better outdoor cameras available. Arlo Pro 3, with magnetic charging cable Two-Way Talk & Night Vision: Similar to Ring’s cameras, Arlo offers a full-range of features like two-way talk and night vision. These features are becoming standard in the industry today, but they’re still important to have. Arlo’s Infrared Night Vision Still-Capture Capable: Having the ability to capture still shots is basically like being able to take a screenshot of a frame in the video. You can use these shots to determine what happened or who was involved in an incident at your home. Cloud Storage: Arlo home security systems utilize cloud storage to store the images and videos that your cameras capture. They do charge for use of their cloud storage, which is pretty typical. Ring and Arlo Home Security Systems Differences Although both Ring and Arlo home security systems provide video surveillance and home security, there are many differences between the two. Below are some of the main differences. Ring offers window sensors, door sensors, and environmental hazard detection, but Arlo does not. Users can pair Arlo with a SmartThings hub that will allow the integration of various appliances and create home automation possibilities. Ring has a Z-Wave hub that allows for full home automation, however. Arlo cameras use magnetic brackets for easy mounting, while Ring cameras are to be mounted by screwing into your wall. Arlo’s camera selection is more extensive than Ring’s camera selection. The key difference between Ring and Arlo is that Ring can protect your whole home with intrusion sensors and cameras. Arlo, on the other hand, only sells cameras (no entryway sensors... yet). Similarities Between Ring and Arlo Home Security Systems Here are some similarities that Arlo and Ring home security systems share: Neither Arlo nor Ring home security systems require long-term contracts. Users purchase the equipment upfront. This also means that there is no risk of damaging your credit due to missed monthly bills. Both systems are easy to install on your own. DIY installation means no installation fees or having to have a technician visit your home for professional installation. Ring and Arlo also both provide cameras that can be used indoors or outdoors. This means that you will not have to worry about utilizing cameras on the exterior of your home or in areas that are exposed to the weather. Both make high-quality, durable cameras. Ring Spotlight Camera Even though Ring and Arlo do not offer the same smart home automation options, they both offer something in this category. If you’re a smart home enthusiast, we recommend Ring over Arlo here. Both Arlo and Ring home security systems are completely wireless. Wireless systems are easy to install yourself without having to pay installation fees. Ring Stick Up Cam Ring vs. Arlo: Cost & Fees If you’re trying to decide which home security system to buy, you’re probably wondering which is the better option for your needs, while also keeping in mind your budget. Let’s have a look at the cost of Arlo and Ring home security systems to see which is the better option for you. The basic Ring Alarm package will cost you about $200. If you want a video storage plan (called Ring Protect), you can pay for it month-to-month. These plans cost either $3 or $10 per month, or $30 or $100 per year. Note that Ring’s cameras range between $59 and $250 apiece. Both companies offer financing, allowing you to spread the cost of equipment over several months or years. This really helps to minimize the barrier to entry and allows the average Joe to get started protecting their home and family. Arlo is a little more expensive. You will spend between $200 and $400 depending on how many cameras your home needs. Cameras will cost between $129 and $400 if purchased separately. You will also have several paid storage options to choose from, ranging between $3 and $14 per month. Final Thoughts on Ring vs Arlo You should always keep your expectations in mind when you are purchasing a home security system. Consider factors such as the number of cameras that you will need, whether or not you need entry sensors, and how comfortable you are with technology. Arlo and Ring have great camera-based systems available, and hopefully, this comparison has given you the information you need to make the best choice for your situation. Arlo Pro 3 Mounted Outside With all things considered, we think Ring edges out Arlo when it comes to functionality and price. If you’re a Ring Alarm user, we definitely think the company’s cameras are a safe bet. However, Arlo does offer more advanced features in some of their cameras (like AI facial recognition). So if you’re a tech-head, you might be better off going with Arlo. Either way, you really can’t go wrong, as these are both perennially top-rated cameras in our book.

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### Comparing Brinks vs. Vivint: Which One is Better?

> Vivint beats Brinks with advanced smart home automation, but both offer professional monitoring and high-quality equipment. Vivint's edge is in home automation.

- Published: 2018-07-11
- Modified: 2025-04-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/brinks-vs-vivint/

Vivint let us choose the home security equipment we needed to protect our home. You need to be certain when you sign up for a home security system with Brinks and Vivint. Both require you to sign multi-year contracts, some as long as five years. But in return, you’ll get access to advanced equipment, smart home automation, and 24/7 professional monitoring. But which one deserves your signature on the dotted line? While Brinks has been around since the stagecoach era, we think Vivint is the better home security system. Brinks is missing some of the advances in home security, but Vivint has them. Let’s break down both brands so you can see how they compare. We chose Brinks devices similar to our Vivint home security system to make it easier to compare. How do Brinks and Vivint Compare? Brinks and Vivint share a lot of similar features. While there are a few distinct differences in contract terms and pricing, their basic approach to protecting homes is comparable. Still, we were surprised by some other similarities we found during our hands-on testing. Let’s have a look! Features and Technology Brinks and Vivint are well aware that to provide a compelling performance in the modern world, they need cutting-edge technology. So, both Brinks and Vivint offer a range of reliable wireless equipment. They even earned spots in our list of best wireless home security systems. Likewise, both Brinks and Vivint offer the ability to connect to their security systems via Wi-Fi and cellular service. Using a proprietary app, you can monitor and operate each of these systems remotely using a smartphone or tablet. Home Automation Brinks and Vivint both offer at least some form of home automation, each serving as a central hub for smart home devices that integrate with automation platforms like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. You can pair third-party smart devices like smart thermostats and smart locks with a Brinks system. We connected our smart bulbs and created an automation so they would flash if the alarm triggers. For more information on what makes a smart home “smart,” check out our trusty Home Automation Guide complete with details on these platforms and more. Environmental Hazard Detection Unfortunately, standard homeowners insurance won't cover flood or water damages in a household. Incidents like burst pipes in the winter or water leaks are common sources of damage to homes (and can definitely ruin your day... er, month). Environmental hazard protection with Brinks and Vivint home security systems can alert you to these hazards before you experience a loss that’s difficult to recover from. Additionally, their systems allow you to maintain adequate air quality with a humidity and temperature assessment. Environmental hazard detection not only helps prevent loss and maintain safety, but it also preserves clean air and, in turn, overall family health. Contracts and Terms Regrettably, both Brinks and Vivint require long-term contract commitments. When signing up with Brinks, you agree to a term of three years. But, you do have the option to cancel with a money-back guarantee up to 30 days from purchase. We appreciated this feature as we’re really fond of “trying before buying,” especially when it comes to large purchases. On the flip side, if you buy a Vivint home security system, you commit to a Vivint contract of either four or five years. Typically, you only have a three-day grace period in which you can cancel the agreement and get your money back. Also, you may be able to cancel an agreement without penalty in cases involving death, active military duty, the customer moving to a retirement home, or other extenuating circumstances. This limited trial period is something to keep in mind before pulling out your credit card. Is Vivint worth the commitment? Well, we definitely think so. You can read our full Vivint review to find out what it’s like living with this intelligent home security system. We chose to mount our Vivint Ping Camera but you can also rest it on a surface. Video Doorbell, Two-Way Communication We were excited to find that both Brinks and Vivint offer one of our favorite home security components: the video doorbell. These discreet cameras offer many benefits, including two-way communication, which allows you to speak with a person on the outside from behind the safety of your locked door. The camera also lets you view anyone who steals items from the front of your house, like those infamous “porch pirates” who love to swipe incoming packages. If you’re curious, we think Vivint’s doorbell camera takes the edge over Brinks’ option. Here’s our latest Vivint doorbell review so you can get a sense of its performance. 24/7 Professional Monitoring Last but not least, both Brinks and Vivint offer 24/7 professional monitoring. Neither company advertises its professional monitoring prices, but we know both are in the range of $29. 99 and $49. 99. We always recommend professional monitoring so you’re not responsible for responding to alerts by yourself. But if you’re not interested in this service, there are several self-monitoring security systems we recommend. Equipment Packages Both companies offer comparable equipment packages to get you up and running. Brinks packages range from around $360 to $800. Some include a touch screen control panel, motion detectors, entry sensors, and cameras. Brinks home security systems are customized to your needs, which is why you won’t find prices on their website. You’ll need to speak to a representative for exact pricing. Checking the live feed of our Vivint doorbell camera to make sure our packages are still there. As for Vivint home security systems, equipment prices can range from $600 to $1,500. Like Brinks, it lets you customize the package to suit your needs. Some of the devices on offer include: A 7-inch touch-screen control panel Professional monitoring Entry sensors Motion sensors Optional video camera(s) Optional home automation equipment Optional video doorbell with 2-way communication While Vivint provides a lifetime warranty on its equipment, Brinks does not. Instead, you can enroll in the company’s Home Plus plan, which protects devices for a monthly fee. It includes the repair, replacement, or credit for “covered devices” that break down due to normal wear and tear. Brinks’ Home Plus plan also includes discounted service appointments. Monitoring Pricing Brinks and Vivint also keep their monitoring prices a secret. We called up both brands to get a ballpark figure. For Brinks, pricing ranges from $39. 99 to $49. 99 per month. As for Vivint, monitoring costs between $29. 99 and $49. 99. So not too different. Another similarity is that both require the most expensive plan for security camera support. ADT has the same requirement. >> Compare: Vivint Vs ADT A few screenshots from our Brinks Home Security app. All Brinks and Vivint professional monitoring plans include cellular backup. This can be a lifesaver during an outage or if a burglar cuts your power. Brinks or Vivint, Who Wins the Day? There are a lot of similarities between Brinks and Vivint. They both offer high-quality equipment, require professional monitoring, and have AI-powered security cameras. But we have to give the edge to Vivint. Its advanced smart home automations offer an extra layer of security. We no longer have to lock doors or switch off the lights at bedtime. Now that we’ve built schedules into the Vivint app, we can sit back and relax. If Vivint is out of your price range, Brinks is an excellent alternative. It might not have the same advanced features as Vivint, but you’re still getting a reliable, professionally-installed security system with cellular backup. FAQs

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### Best Outdoor Security Systems in [year]

> Arlo, Blink, and Lorex offer weatherproof outdoor cameras with night vision, motion sensors, and cloud storage

- Published: 2018-07-10
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/outdoor/



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### Advertising Disclosure Language

- Published: 2018-07-09
- Modified: 2025-01-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/earnings-disclosure/



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### ADT vs DIY Home Security Systems Comparison

> ADT is preferred over DIY home security systems for its professional installation and 24/7 monitoring, despite higher costs and less installation flexibility.

- Published: 2018-07-08
- Modified: 2023-06-28
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-diy-security/

ADT has taken over as an industry leader in home security with its reliable services. But their service is a little pricey, and nowadays you can find DIY setups that are both more affordable and easy-to-install. But can a DIY system truly stand up to the industry titan that is ADT? We’ve decided to evaluate one of the top dogs in home security within the ever-growing popular trend of DIY home security systems. In this comparison, we’ll be taking a closer look at ADT and DIY home security systems to see if one prevails over the other. We’ll check out some of the similarities, differences, and features that both have to offer. To learn all about our hands-on experience with ADT, head on over to our in-depth ADT review. We share the ins and outs of living with the system. ADT Home Security Equipment Similarities Between ADT and DIY Systems Though there are some stark differences between ADT and your typical DIY systems on the market today, there are also quite a few similarities worth noting. For starters, each offers options galore, with ADT including a wide variety of features in their packages. However, you may be surprised to learn that DIY systems also have the flexibility to include a variety of popular upgrades and technologies, from environmental sensors to home automation devices. These do-it-yourself setups can also be installed in such a way that allows you to integrate equipment from several different providers. Another prominent similarity shared between ADT and most DIY systems is access to state-of-the-art, high quality equipment. When shopping around for your home security setup, the equipment’s quality is of paramount importance because it could (literally and figuratively) make or break your system. The last thing you want is to invest your time and money into something that gives out within the first year or fails to capture clear surveillance footage when you need it the most. Fortunately, ADT provides top-of-the-line equipment, while a majority of DIY systems allow you to pick and choose the equipment of your choice. You can also find money-back guarantees with most companies that provide DIY equipment. In other words, whether you choose ADT or a DIY security system, you’ll still be able to fall back on a money-back guarantee if you’re unhappy with the equipment and wish to return it. Most of the time, you'll find these money-back guarantees in a company's refund or cancellation policy. Last but not least, you’ll also be able to choose between landline and cellular connectivity with both ADT and some DIY systems. Landline connectivity and hardwired systems tend to be more reliable overall and rarely have connectivity problems, whereas wireless networks are more likely to cut out or lose connection. However, wireless equipment and the remote access/flexibility that comes with it are still popular features among homeowners. ADT Motion Sensor Key Differences So, how does ADT stand apart from your typical do-it-yourself setups? One big difference is in installation. Note that ADT equipment must be professionally installed, while DIY systems can be set up by the user within 30-45 minutes on average. With ADT, you'll have 24/7 professional monitoring services at your disposal. That is, professional emergency response agents will be monitoring your home security system at all times so that you don’t have to. With a DIY system, you’ll be able to choose whatever equipment that you want and install it whenever and wherever you see fit. Most DIY setups are easy to install and come with detailed instructions to guide you through the entire process. Some even come pre-programmed, so that all you'll have to do is place the sensors. Unfortunately, you will not have the same amount of flexibility with ADT. You’re limited to their equipment and have to schedule a specific day/time for installation, which can be difficult if your days are hectic. ADT also requires a three-year contract. Although long-term commitments aren’t necessarily deal-breakers for us, they should still be considered carefully as they can sometimes be difficult to get out of. Another key difference between ADT and DIY systems involves your monitoring preferences. With a DIY system, you’ll be able to either monitor your system yourself or sign up with a professional monitoring service. However, ADT’s professional monitoring service is highly-revered, known for its fast and effective response time whenever a sensor is triggered (whether accidental or purposely). ADT Indoor Camera (left) and Outdoor Camera (right) Pricing: What to Expect with ADT and DIY Systems ADT packages start at $30 per month and can go up to $55 depending on your plan. The startup cost for each of their packages is $125, and ADT also charges up-front installation fees ranging from $99 to $199. If you opt to purchase DIY security systems, you can save plenty of money. In contrast, traditional security companies, like ADT, charge fees for installation and professional monitoring services. For an extra cost of $7 per month, you can purchase ADT's Extended Limited Warranty/Quality Service Plan (QSP). If your equipment is not working as it should, the warranty will prevent you from paying for repair or replacement costs. As you might expect, a DIY setup will offer more flexibility when it comes to cost. You’ll be able to pay for the cost of the equipment up front, which usually costs between $100 and $500. You can also choose to pay for 24/7 monitoring costs starting at $10 to $50 per month, or skip the monthly fees altogether. That latter option is why DIY systems are popular among folks who would rather not have on-going monthly bills. ADT Carbon Monoxide Detector Equipment Offerings As “techies,” we love our toys and were excited to see the number of features and state-of-the-art equipment that ADT had to offer. Indoor and outdoor cameras are on hand, along with a variety of sensors, medical alert pendants, keychain remotes, and more. DIY systems also have many different equipment options (cameras, sensors, video doorbells, you name it), and you’ll have the freedom to pick and choose to your heart’s content, ensuring you find that perfect fit for you and your family. Be sure that you use outdoor cameras in outdoor locations. It might seem like a no-brainer, but many people don’t realize that all security cameras are not necessarily adequate for outdoor use. If you intend to use a camera outdoors, you should make sure to buy an outdoor camera suited for the job. Here’s our roundup of the best outdoor security cameras available. Making the Best Decision Hopefully, we’ve helped you better understand what to expect with both ADT and DIY systems. But, if you’re still having trouble deciding on which route to take, make a list of your expectations. Do you need professional installation? Are you looking for specific features? Do you value quick and easy setup? Next, you might want to compare home security systems to find a package you’re most interested in. You’ll likely see that one “ticks more boxes” than the other. You should also factor in your budget. How much can you afford each month? How much can you afford up front? Considering these types of questions will help you get a clearer idea of which type of system you can afford (without breaking the bank).

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### Best Home Security Systems for Vacation Homes in [year]

> Ring, SimpliSafe, and Arlo provide remote-access security ideal for protecting vacation homes from afar

- Published: 2018-07-02
- Modified: 2025-08-05
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/vacation-home/



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### About SafeHome.org

- Published: 2018-06-30
- Modified: 2024-06-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/about/

A Trusted Authority on Home and Personal Security Learning about the latest security products and trends just got a whole lot easier. At SafeHome. org, we research, review, and compare products side-by-side. We then present the latest information with our in-depth reviews, buying guides, and other valuable resources. Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge and confidence needed to protect your home and family for years to come. Every Home Matters Our reviews are meticulously crafted by our team of security experts. We don’t just read about products, we thoroughly review everything. We learn about the products first-hand, inside and out, and pore through customer reviews to paint a full picture for our readers. Whether it’s an identity theft protection guide, or a smart home security review, we always cover what matters most for our readers. Features, customer service, costs, ease of use, and so much more — our aim is to make your life easier, safer, and all-around more enjoyable. Harness Technology for Peace of Mind We’ve set out to publish the most accurate information on top-of-the-line safety, security, and smart home automation products and services for all budgets and lifestyles. Narrowing down your choices has never been easier with our value-packed product reviews. Once you have a few brands in mind, dig into our side-by-side comparisons to see how the options stack up against one another. Reading our side-by-side comparisons allows you to narrow down your options even further. Now all that’s left to do is to choose the perfect product or service for your budget and lifestyle! This is how you harness technology for safety and peace of mind. SafeHome. org is a Name You Can Trust At SafeHome. org, we use a proprietary system of testing, researching, analyzing current statistics, and more to come up with a product’s SecureScore™. Our SecureScore™ takes the following factors into account: Overall Pros and Cons Key Features and Technology Ease of Use and Installation Equipment Options Customer Service Value for Your Money Current Sales and Discounts Insider Tips for Making a Purchase All Available Pricing Packages and Plans And so much more! We understand that an investment in security is an investment that extends far beyond the point of purchase. An investment in home or personal security is an investment in your family and your life. For that reason, we take our reviews very seriously. We lay all the facts on the table. We highlight the pros and cons of each security solution. And we arm our readers with everything needed to make a wise investment. We Deliver Ad-Free Content We never bombard our readers with annoying ads. Although we do monetize our site with links and phone numbers where appropriate, our editorial reviews are 100% based on thoroughly tested, honest, objective, and expertly ranked brands. No compromises here. We also continually monitor and update brand and product pages to reflect new information. And we often revisit product rankings to readjust when necessary. We prioritize reader experience and fact-based content. We would never jeopardize the foundation of trust that we’ve built SafeHome. org upon. Finally, we couldn’t be happier to have you along for the journey. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to us.

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### Best Home Security Systems for Pet Owners in [year]

> SimpliSafe, Ring, and Frontpoint offer pet-friendly motion sensors and alerts to keep your furry friends safe

- Published: 2018-06-29
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/pet-owners/



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### Best Home Security Systems That Work With Alexa in [year]

> Ring Alarm, Abode, and ADT integrate seamlessly with Alexa for full voice-controlled home security

- Published: 2018-06-27
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/alexa/



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### ADT Deals

> ADT offers lowered prices on security systems with packages starting at $199 and monitoring as low as $24.99/month, plus free DIY installation.

- Published: 2018-06-26
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/deals/



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### SimpliSafe Deals

> SimpliSafe offers 30% off new systems, plus a free indoor camera and two months of monitoring. Refurbished gear can save you up to 30% more.

- Published: 2018-06-26
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/deals/



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### Best Home Security Systems for People With Poor Credit Scores in [year]

> Ring, Wyze, and SimpliSafe don’t require credit checks, offering great security systems for all credit profiles

- Published: 2018-06-26
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/poor-credit/



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### Best Home Security Systems for Seniors in [year]

> Bay Alarm Medical, SimpliSafe, and ADT offer senior-friendly security with emergency buttons and easy-to-use controls

- Published: 2018-06-19
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/elderly/



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### Best Home Security Systems for Renters of [year]

> SimpliSafe, Cove, and Ring are top security systems for apartments thanks to easy installs and renter-friendly plans

- Published: 2018-06-17
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/apartments/

With its DIY installation and the option to self-monitor your system, SimpliSafe was built for renters. It was among the first home security systems on the market to offer these options. These days SimpliSafe has expanded into professional monitoring – a good thing since professional is the best option – but it maintains its original DIY aesthetic, and that’s perfect for anyone who rents. Choice is the name of the game, with a variety of packages to fit any sized dwelling, and, again, the option to self-monitor or leave it to the professionals. And SimpliSafe recently introduced a video verification monitoring system called Fast Protect that gets emergency personnel on the scene faster than any other company.

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### SkyBell Reviews

> SkyBell offers feature-rich video doorbells with 1080p HD and night vision but lacks wireless options and has a confusing website. Costs $199 with no fees.

- Published: 2018-06-14
- Modified: 2024-09-03
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/skybell/reviews/



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### ADT vs Brinks Comparison

> ADT beats Brinks with no-contract options, advanced Nest Cam features, and medical alert devices. Brinks requires a 36-month contract and lacks these perks.

- Published: 2018-06-11
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-brinks/

Our Brinks home security system we compared against ADT. ADT and Brinks are two of the oldest home security companies in the industry, but neither is showing their age. Both continue to offer the latest security equipment and add new features to professional monitoring plans, like smart home automation. But, there are some significant differences. For example, Brinks required us to sign a 36-month commitment, while ADT gave us the option to pay month-to-month without signing a contract. Here’s a breakdown of both brands to help you decide the best system for your needs. These Google Nest Cams are safe to use inside and outside. Similarities Between ADT and Brinks After using both systems, we found a surprising amount of overlap in features and tech. Here are some similarities shared between ADT and Brinks when providing security services: Installation: Both brands offer DIY and professional installation — just in case you’re uncomfortable installing devices yourself. 24/7 Professional Monitoring: ADT and Brinks respond instantly to alerts from your security system. Trial Period: You can get your money back if you change your mind. However, Brinks only offers a 30-day trial period, while ADT offers six months. Main Differences Between ADT and Brinks Although several similarities were discovered during testing, we also noticed many key distinctions between the two. Significant differences between ADT and Brinks include: Price Transparency: ADT’s prices are available for everyone to see on its website, while Brinks requires calling for a personalized quote. Contract Commitment: Brinks requires a 36-month commitment to become a client. ADT used to require contracts but has since switched to month-to-month payments, though financing options are still available. Medical Alert Devices: ADT offers devices that allow users to emit an alert in case of a medical emergency, while Brinks does not. ADT medical alert devices — such as bracelets or pendant s — have a 300-foot coverage range. Medical alert systems allow seniors to age with confidence. Brinks and ADT Head-to-Head When purchasing a security system, it’s important to understand the ins and outs of what you’re getting. Here is a more extensive comparison between Brinks and ADT to help you make the right decision. ADT’s Features The latest ADT system we reviewed comes with a lot of new features courtesy of its partnership with Google. ADT has ditched its bulky, 720p resolution cameras and upgraded them with the sleek-looking, 1080p HD Nest Cam range. But, the cameras can do more than just watch over your property. You also gain all of the Nest Cam technology like intelligent motion detection. Nest Cams know the difference between your neighbor walking up your driveway and your dog chasing its tail in the front yard. You’ll get customized notifications for different alerts. What’s even more impressive is how Nest Cams and ADT use facial recognition with your security system. If you’ve asked your neighbor to bring in delivered packages while you’re on vacation, the Nest Cam will recognize them and send a notification to their phone to disarm the security system and smart lock. The Google Nest Cams in our ADT system used facial recognition technology to tell us who they saw in their alerts. If you’re an existing Nest Aware subscriber, you can cancel your plan after switching to ADT. All features, including cloud storage, are included in ADT plans. Brinks Features We recommend Brinks for home automation enthusiasts. Instead of switching off lights and locking doors before you go to bed, Brinks can handle these chores and more for you. You don’t need to be a computer scientist to set these up. The app walks you through it step-by-step. What’s even more impressive is that these automation features extend to over 1,000 Z-Wave- and Zigbee-compatible devices. When we reviewed Brinks, we set up a rule for our Sonos speakers to play loud music when an alarm is triggered. Just in case you don’t have any cool music lined up, you can always set the automation for the lights to flash instead. Winner: Draw Here are some of the ways we customized Brinks to match our needs. Contracts and Warranties Not long ago, you had to sign a contract to become an ADT customer. But, the company no longer requires you to sign on the dotted line. You can pay month-to-month and leave whenever you want. The only ADT contracts that exist today are for financing equipment, and they’re for a maximum of 12 months. >> Check Out: Best Home Security Systems for Poor Credit Scores Brinks requires a 36-month commitment for all customers. One of the benefits of locking yourself in is that the equipment warranty is for the entire contract term. If anything goes wrong, then Brinks will replace it. ADT only offers a 12-month warranty for most equipment. Winner: ADT Plans and Pricings Brinks and ADT take very different approaches to plans and pricing. Let’s start with Brinks pricing, because there’s not a lot to reveal. They don’t advertise any equipment prices or subscription plans on the website. Brinks wants you to call for a personalized quote. It’s not necessarily a bad thing — it means you’ll only pay for what you really need. As for professional monitoring plans, we know it ranges between $39. 99 to $49. 99 per month. That’s pretty steep, especially when you’ll need the most expensive plan if you want security camera support. Brinks isn’t the only company that doesn’t display its prices online. Another one of our favorite security systems, Vivint, also requires you to call to discuss options. However, its equipment is more advanced than Brinks. Check out our Vivint review to learn more. Our brand-new ADT hub features a touchpad on top to deactivate the security system. ADT equipment packages range between $349 and $1,574. However, you can also build a security system from scratch. You’ll need the ADT Base and an entry sensor at minimum, but you can add as many Nest Cams, motion detectors, and hazard sensors as you want. As for professional monitoring, here’s what ADT charges. Secure Smart Complete DIY-Installed $24. 99 Per Month $29. 99 Per Month $39. 99 Per Month Professionally Installed $34. 99 Per Month $39. 99 Per Month $49. 99 Per Month Like Brinks, you’ll need the Complete plan for security camera support. We recommend signing up so you can access some of those smart motion alerts mentioned earlier. Winner: ADT Equipment and Options Both security systems offer everything you need to secure your home. ADT has equipment bundles you can start with and add extra devices, whereas Brinks will organize a home assessment so you get a tailored solution. One of the biggest differences is how you’ll physically interact with the system. ADT has gone from a stylish touch-screen panel to a physical hub with a keypad. Brinks offers a top-of-the-line touch panel. You can use it to integrate smart home devices, set up customizable alerts, and activate your system. We even uploaded an image to the panel so it appeared as a digital photo frame when it wasn’t in use. Unpacking the Brinks touch panel before deciding where in the house it will go. But, overall, we think ADT’s equipment range is more advanced, especially with the inclusion of Nest products. Brinks cameras are missing features like video verification, which can speed up emergency responses. Winner: ADT Installation You can set up an ADT or Brinks system yourself. Installing a security system is easier than you think, especially with these two brands. A lot of the equipment is wireless, so all you need to do is pick a spot and connect it to Wi-Fi. >> Learn More: The Best DIY Security Systems of However, we always recommend opting for professional installation. No one knows how to set up a home security system better than a technician. They not only choose the best places for maximum coverage, but they also ensure everything is installed correctly for complete peace of mind. Winner: Draw Installing our ADT entry sensors next to our Ring devices for another comparison we’re working on. We highly recommend paying for a technician to install any devices requiring hardwiring, like video doorbells or outdoor cameras. It means you won’t have to tinker with your home’s internal wiring. Emergency Response Time If (or when) that dreaded emergency happens, you’ll want to be able to reach the monitoring center ASAP. Thankfully, both ADT and Brinks offer different mediums of communication. Brinks support. If you choose to go with ADT, your system can connect with the monitoring center via Wi-Fi, landline, or cellular connections. ADT will also send you an SMS once your alarm is activated. You can respond to the message to verify or cancel the alarm. If you don’t, ADT will call to check on you. Brinks, on the other hand, only offers Wi-Fi or cellular. This is fine by us, as the only reason you’d really need a landline connection is if you live in a rural area. If that’s you, check out our best home security systems for rural areas. ADT has 12 monitoring centers across North America, which is more than any other home security company. Brinks doesn’t advertise how many stations it has. Winner: ADT Final Thoughts: ADT vs. Brinks Security Systems Choosing the right security system for you depends on two key things: what you need and how much you are willing to pay. Overall, both ADT and Brinks are reliable, and we don’t think you’ll regret choosing either company. That said, we give the edge to ADT — for reliability, advanced equipment, and industry-leading professional monitoring. ADT has an excellent reputation nationwide. Some of the prices are comparable Brinks. However, you’re not locked into a contract and you get access to features like facial recognition and video verification, which Brinks doesn’t offer. But, if ADT isn’t for you, then Brinks is a great alternative. The company has been around since the 1800s for a reason. Brinks is reliable, the equipment is user-friendly, and you can integrate over 1,000 Zigbee and Z-Wave smart devices. FAQs

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### Guardian Home Security Reviews

> Guardian Protection offers great equipment and customer service but requires long-term contracts and has slow response times. Prices aren't transparent.

- Published: 2018-06-05
- Modified: 2023-10-05
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/guardian/reviews/



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### Brinks Home Security Review

> Brinks offers reliable security with fast response, but the 3-year contract and basic app may deter DIY fans. Equipment is top-notch but pricey.

- Published: 2018-06-01
- Modified: 2024-02-14
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/brinks/reviews/



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### Brinks Home Security Cost & Pricing

> Brinks home security systems start at $500, with monitoring fees between $39.99 and $49.99 monthly. Free video doorbell on signup with a 36-month contract.

- Published: 2018-06-01
- Modified: 2025-03-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/brinks/



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### abode Reviews

> Abode offers sleek security with home automation via CUE. The iota Gateway impresses with a built-in camera but lacks a touchscreen. Pro plan unlocks features.

- Published: 2018-05-26
- Modified: 2024-08-14
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/abode/reviews/



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### Arlo Pro 4 Security Camera Review [year]

> The Arlo Pro 4 offers 2K resolution, AI detections, and Wi-Fi connectivity but requires a subscription for full features. It's reliable but pricey at $199.99.

- Published: 2018-05-25
- Modified: 2025-02-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/arlo/reviews/



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### ADT vs Smith Thompson Comparison

> ADT offers more choices and features than Smith Thompson, with a SecureScore™ of 9.2/10. Smith Thompson is cheaper but limited to Texas.

- Published: 2018-05-23
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-smith-thompson/

When you buy a new home (whether it’s your first or 50th), you’ll want to make sure that you and everything you hold dear remains safe and secure. Unfortunately, the world can be a scary place, which makes installing the right home security system an essential priority for homeowners (and renters, too! ). However, finding the right fit can be difficult. From interactive cameras to sensors to alarm systems, the choices are seemingly endless. Not to worry! We’re here to help make your decision much easier. We recently got our hands on packages from both ADT and Smith Thompson, two of the top home security providers in the industry, and we tested each system over multiple days. We took a look at their various features, similarities, differences, and prices to help you make a decision on how best to protect your home. So let’s jump right into this ADT vs. Smith Thompson comparison. ADT Home Security Equipment How Are ADT and Smith Thompson Alike? You really can’t go wrong with either of these high-quality setups, but it’s still important to know how they match up. For the most part, we found lots of similarities during our research and investigation. Both companies offer cellular monitoring and mobile apps, which let you manage your system from your smartphone or tablet no matter where you are. We especially like this since we’re often on the go, travelling throughout the day between work, pesky errands, and unexpected outings. So an app is a must-have. They also each share a sufficient customer service response time, up-front fees, and long-term contracts (Smith Thompson’s long-term contract is optional though). Both also staff monitoring stations for 24/7 professional monitoring, ensuring your home is always covered. ADT requires a three-year contract unless you happen to live in California, in which case they only require a two-year contract. However, ADT does not charge monthly for their equipment. Finally, both ADT and Smith Thompson offer professional installation (though Smith Thompson also has a DIY installation option). This means that a professional technician will do the dirty work for you. And they’ll even show you how to use your new system before leaving your home. While we like what the best DIY security systems have to offer, we’re all about professional installation. How Do ADT and Smith Thompson Differ? So, what actually sets these big brands apart? The main difference we uncovered has to do with their size and market familiarity. ADT is a large, well-established company (they’ve been in business for over 140 years! ) that offers services throughout the United States. Smith Thompson, on the other hand, only provides its service in Texas. So, if you don’t reside in the Lone Star State, then the decision between these two just became really easy for you. While Smith Thompson is around 40 years old, they haven’t really increased the services they offer, nor have they expanded their equipment line. With that said, maybe they want to keep things simple and cover the basics really well. In terms of package options, ADT offers a wide variety of setups along with many devices that can be added on. They also offer both cellular and landline connections, as well as home automation with voice recognition and environmental hazard detection. Some benefits of going with Smith Thompson are that they offer DIY installation. Not to mention customers own their equipment outright (unlike ADT), which can help you save money up front. To top things off, Smith Thompson also provides an optional contract monitoring package, allowing you to either self-monitor your system or shop around for a better fit. ADT vs. Smith Thompson: Our Favorite Features At minimum, both ADT and Smith Thompson will provide you with a security system that is sure to protect your home along with everything and everyone who dwells within. When buying a system though, you still want to consider what your home actually needs and the features that would work best for you. By taking a more in-depth look into each company’s features, you’ll be that much closer to making a well-informed decision. Key Features of Smith Thompson Smith Thompson has been offering their services to homeowners in Texas since 1978. They are an established company that provides significant features with their home security systems. Some of the best features include: Self-Installation: Though Smith Thompson offers the option for customers to install the system themselves, they also offer professional installation for those lacking confidence, time, and/or patience. Compatibility With Existing Systems: If you already have a security system and the equipment, it’s possible that Smith Thompson might be able to handle monitoring for it without you having to purchase a new system. This could help you save on initial costs by connecting the alarm to your current system. Wireless Monitoring: This allows you to change your system settings directly through an app without even being at home. It could come in handy if you’re out and about, as it would allow you to respond to and deal with any alerts you get while away. Indoor and Outdoor Cameras: Similar to ADT, Smith Thompson offers indoor and outdoor security cameras for total home surveillance. ADT Indoor Camera (left) and Outdoor Camera (right) While Smith Thompson does offer a long-term contract, it is not required like it is with ADT. You can go with a month-to-month plan and cancel anytime, which gives you the flexibility you would not otherwise get with ADT. Standout Features of ADT As mentioned before, ADT is a much larger company offering service throughout the United States and Canada. Since they have such a diverse customer base, they provide diverse packages to match, each with various features that are customizable to fit your needs. We tested and reviewed ADT, and listed below are some of the top options we found in their home security packages: Environmental Sensors: While most features of home security systems are geared towards deterring intruders, environmental sensors go one step further to ensure you and your family are safe. They can detect a number of environmental conditions, including flooding, carbon monoxide, extreme temperatures, and smoke/fire. Home Automation: This allows you to control all aspects of your security system through an app on your mobile phone. ADT’s home automation includes smart locks, thermostats, garage door controllers, etc. ADT also plays well with Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home for hands-free voice control. Indoor and Outdoor Video Surveillance: Cameras that can be placed anywhere on your property (inside and outside) can help capture any suspicious activity that occurs around your home. You’ll also be able to monitor footage through the app on your smartphone. Medical Alert Pendants With GPS: If you or a family member suffer from a debilitating condition, or if you have an aging adult in your home, this could really come in handy and potentially save a life. If there’s an emergency, an ADT Health medical alert system will send help at the push of a button. ADT Medical Alert - Medical Alert Plus System ADT also provides motion sensors that can tell the difference between humans and animals/pets. That way you’ll still feel safe without being unnecessarily disturbed throughout the night (especially if you have cats). Cost and Fees for ADT vs. Smith Thompson For many homeowners, the price of a home security system is often a very significant factor in deciding which way to go. It’s important to always keep your budget in mind. But, remember: The phrase “you get what you pay for” applies to home security packages. So if you want the best, you’ll likely have to reach a little deeper into your pocketbook or purse. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to go broke or take on a side hustle to protect your home and family. Let’s explore the cost of both ADT and Smith Thompson. Pricing for ADT ADT has three base plans, all of which can be customized to fit your specific needs. When it comes to customizing their packages, ADT’s flexibility opens up a lot of different options for you. Their plans range from $29 to $56 per month, and each package requires an up-front fee of $125 at the beginning of the contract. This one-time fee includes installation, but you’ll still be required to pay additional fees if you want to add extra equipment to your package. If you keep it simple, you’ll still get quality security coverage at a reasonable price. To learn more, have a look at our latest roundup of ADT’s pricing, packages, and plans. Pricing for Smith Thompson Unlike packages from ADT, Smith Thompson’s are less customizable simply because they have less features to offer overall. However, Smith Thompson’s monthly costs are generally less expensive than ADT’s, which is a plus. Their basic plan, which is pretty bare-bones as far as features go, starts at $16. 95 per month (similar in price to our top-rated SimpliSafe system). Their midrange plan, which comes with a few more perks, is $21. 95 per month. And their best plan is $29. 95 per month (the same price as ADT’s cheapest). Each Smith Thompson plan requires an up-front fee of $89, and it will cost you an additional $7 per month if you plan on using their app. Here’s a downside: Should you need to buy the equipment or have them install your system, it could cost you up to $400, including the $89 up-front fee to begin service (oof). However, if you already have your own equipment and intend to install the system yourself, then you can save a good amount of money. The Equipment ADT’s basic system includes a bevy of equipment — which can be built upon if you choose to purchase a more expensive package. Their equipment includes a control panel, a keyfob remote, entryway sensors, motion sensors, security cameras, signage for the front of your home, and more. Smith Thompson offers much less equipment than ADT’s basic plan, but they do include entry sensors, motion sensors, a central base station, and optional cameras. Recently, Smith Thompson added the IQ touch screen panel to its packages, which offers home automation features for remote smart light, lock, and thermostat control. Contracts As we mentioned before, ADT requires a three-year contract in every state but California. If you live in California, they only require a two-year contract. With ADT’s “moving” service, they can help relocate you anywhere in the country. Of course, they won’t move your furniture, but they’ll get you squared away with security services when you move into your new home. If you want to learn more about ADT’s terms and conditions (including their generous six-month money-back guarantee! ), we recommend reading our ADT Contracts guide. Smith Thompson offers a long-term contract but does not require it. If you choose, you can pay on a month-to-month basis and cancel at any time. The long-term contract can be a great tool to finance your system and pay less money up front. Which Should You Choose? Now, for the fun part ... After reviewing both companies, we’ve discovered that you really can’t go wrong with either brand. ADT and Smith Thompson are both great choices when it comes to securing your home. But, one important thing to keep in mind is that Smith Thompson provides their service only in Texas. If you currently reside there but may be planning to move out of state sometime soon, you should probably go with ADT. If you don’t want a lot of features and just require a basic home security setup, then Smith Thompson is the clear choice for Texans. You won’t be locked into a three-year contract, and you’ll definitely save money each month. However, if you want video surveillance, fun extras, and full home automation, ADT is the way to go. Regardless of who you choose, we’re confident that you’ll enjoy peace of mind that’s absolutely priceless.

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### Best Doorbell Cameras

> Best 2025 doorbell cameras: SimpliSafe for intruder prevention, ADT for integration, and Ring for variety. Top picks with standout features and value.

- Published: 2018-05-22
- Modified: 2025-08-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/best/



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### Best Home Security Cameras

> SimpliSafe tops 2025's home security cameras for intruder prevention with a 9.3 SecureScore™, followed by ADT and Lorex.

- Published: 2018-05-19
- Modified: 2025-09-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/best/



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### Compare: Adt vs. Cox Homelife

> ADT and Cox Homelife are reliable home security businesses. However, both are quite different. Here we explain why.

- Published: 2018-05-17
- Modified: 2025-05-29
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-cox-homelife/

ADT and Cox Homelife are two home security companies at opposite ends of the spectrum. ADT confidently dares criminals to outsmart its monitoring equipment that took decades to perfect. Cox Homelife, a branch of Cox Communications, is fresh-faced in the industry, but they are more than ready to bring a brand new eye to security with their quality equipment and affordable package prices. Choosing between these industry contenders is no easy feat. This side-by-side comparison of ADT and Cox Homelife shows how each one stacks up against the other. Let the showdown begin! Cox Homelife Smartphone Features Differences Between ADT and Cox Homelife Both ADT and Cox Homelife work to secure your home so that you feel safe and protected. While the mission is the same, we did uncover some key differences between the two that were worth noting. Customer Satisfaction ADT has worked hard over the years (over 140 to be exact) to develop a nationwide reach and complete customer satisfaction. Because of these efforts, they’ve become known for their quality customer service and 24/7 burglary monitoring services. Also, because ADT is among the few providers that still offers landline connections, they can connect with clients at all times (great for folks who need home security for rural areas). Cox Homelife, on the other hand, does not currently have as broad of a reach. The company is still developing its strategy, finding its demographic, and is somewhat struggling to build an adequate customer support service team. It currently offers home security services in the following 12 states: Arkansas Arizona California Connecticut Iowa Kansas Nebraska Nevada Ohio Oklahoma Rhode Island Virginia ADT reaches customers throughout the nation with a substantially high customer service rating. Cox Homelife struggles with customer service and is still developing its reach in America. Nevertheless, the innovative company already covers 12 states. Cox Homelife Smart Security Touchscreen Control Panel Innovations and Perks During our review of Cox Homelife, we found them to be a modern-age company with new, innovative ideas in the field of home security. Because this company is a part of Cox Communications, it can offer the Cox Homelife home security system alongside its other service packages. In fact, Cox Homelife bundles allow you to combine different services such as phone, internet, and cable plans with their monitoring system packages, which allow you to monitor your home from multiple devices (including your tablet or smartphone). Plus, you get to pay multiple bills at once, which, we don't have to tell you, is always a big convenience. As mentioned before, ADT is a prominent, long-standing home security organization that has been around for over a century (longer than sliced bread! ). We recently tested and reviewed an ADT-monitored system, and although their price point proved a bit higher than others, the quality of service was hard to beat. Standard ADT packages come with a money-back-guarantee up to six months beyond the purchase (a win in our book). One of the innovative features we particularly liked was ADT's video doorbell camera that allows residents to communicate with people at their doorstep using ADT’s mobile app, from pretty much anywhere in the world. ADT Doorbell Camera Cox Homelife is a modern, up-and-coming company with new, innovative ideas in the industry. ADT has a long-standing history with award-winning monitoring that customers have become accustomed to. Similarities Between ADT and Cox Homelife Both home security systems are designed to protect you, your property, and your family (pets included). Here are more particulars of things ADT and Cox Homelife have in common. Monitoring Packages When it comes to monitoring, both ADT and Cox Homelife ensure you have a variety of package options to choose from, and these packages come at a range of price points to satisfy most budgets. The equipment that comes with a basic ADT home monitoring system includes: Control panel (push-button or touch-screen version) Keychain remote Motion sensor Entryway sensors Loud siren Backup battery Indoor/outdoor video surveillance Yard signs Cox Homelife packages come with the following standard equipment: Wireless router Motion sensor Entryway sensors Indoor/outdoor video surveillance Yard signs Touch-screen control panel (for an extra $4 per month) Both ADT and Cox Homelife offer user-friendly mobile app features with their home monitoring systems, which we found convenient since we (sadly) use our smartphones on a daily basis. To top things off, both ADT and Cox Homelife include an indoor/outdoor video surveillance option. Trained professionals will monitor your system at all times and will immediately alert the authorities if needed. Knowing there are "eyes" watching your home while you're asleep or away will likely give you the peace of mind you’ve been looking for. ADT Indoor Camera (left) and Outdoor Camera (right) ADT and Cox Homelife Contracts ADT and Cox Homelife each require a long-term contract and professional installation of their equipment. While this isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for us, it is something you should consider if you’re hesitant to engage in a long-term commitment. With an ADT contract, expect a minimum three-year term. But thankfully, you’ll have a whopping six months from purchase to cancel your plan and get your money back in full. This is by far the best money-back guarantee we’ve seen in the industry. Also, should you happen to move with an ADT system during your contract period, ADT will relocate the equipment for you and resume your service once you settle. Unfortunately, Cox Homelife requires long-term contracts with a cancellation window of only three days after purchase (no pressure). To make things worse, there are considerable fines and fees should you decide to move out of one of their 12-state service territories and have to cancel. Something to think about before taking out your pocketbook or purse. Environmental Hazard Protection Another similarity between ADT and Cox Homelife that we were quite fond of was their environmental protection offerings. Every day you and your home run the risk of facing unexpected (and sometimes invisible) threats courtesy of Mother Nature herself. ADT and Cox Homelife look out for you with environmental hazard protection devices like moisture sensors, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide (CO) monitors. The systems can also monitor the home's humidity level and temperature, which helps you maintain decent air quality for added wellness. Emergency Connectivity Last but not least, both ADT and Cox Homelife offer both landline and wireless connectivity options with their setups. If a dire situation pops up, ADT covers all the bases with its fast, reliable response plan. They also offer Wi-Fi, cellular, and landline backup when there is a trigger to the system, ensuring that you get the help you need ASAP. Cox Homelife does offer both landline, internet, and cellular connectivity options, but there’s a catch: You must carry these services through Cox Communications. That's something to consider if you already have a provider, or if you wish to keep your options open on those fronts. To take advantage of Cox Homelife emergency connectivity, you need to have services with Cox Communications for landline and the internet. But cellular backup also exists. ADT Home Security Equipment Price Points for ADT and Cox Homelife Whether you’re budget-minded or a “big spender,” both ADT and Cox Homelife have something to offer. ADT offers three primary packages, all of which provide 24/7 monitoring. With each of these plans, there is an up-front cost of $125. After the initial cost, your monthly payment can range from $29 up to $56 to cover the equipment and your chosen services. Cox Homelife, on the other hand, charges an initial fee of $99 that covers activation and installation costs. You can choose between the Homelife Automation plan, which includes no home security features but plenty of home automation, and the Homelife Security plan, which offers the best of both worlds. They cost $20 and $40 per month, respectively. Final Thoughts on ADT vs. Cox Homelife It can be challenging (and a bit daunting) to choose the right home security system, especially with so many qualified companies on the market today. And while we can’t make that final decision for you, hopefully we’ve shed some light on two of the industry’s most competent selections. ADT certainly has a long-standing reputation in the home security marketplace, as well as a broad reach throughout the nation. The quality the company provides is excellent, but comes at a higher price. Although Cox Homelife is considered more of an up-and-comer, it’s still a viable contender with a modern edge. But the provider serves a much smaller territory compared to ADT, and it doesn’t quite stack up to ADT when it comes to 24/7 monitoring, either. With a few enhancements and a broader reach, the potential is there for Cox Homelife to give ADT a run for its money. As it stands, ADT gets our vote for all-around home protection.

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### Arlo Security Cameras vs. abode Security Systems

> Arlo and abode are two high-quality home security systems. This comparison will help you to determine which is the right pick for you.

- Published: 2018-05-16
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-abode/

Home security options are limitless in today’s market and choosing the right home security setup can be a challenge. With so many great companies and products to choose from, how can you possibly decide? The truth is each one is different from the other; and with a little bit of digging, you’ll be surprised at what might be uncovered. Camera-centric security systems are some of the most popular types out there and allow for full video surveillance of your home inside and out. With most options, you can monitor your home remotely and save the videos for a later viewing. There are also a lot of other features that differ from system to system, from sensors and sirens to night vision and cloud storage. To help narrow down your search, we took a closer look at two of the leading camera-centric home security systems on the market today, Arlo and abode, and compared them side-by-side to see if one might hold sway over the other. Arlo’s and abode’s main focus is to provide high-quality security cameras. However, they also offer plenty of other features. Similarities We were actually pleasantly surprised at the amount of overlap between the two, especially when it came to features and tech. First off, both Arlo and abode function in very similar ways, each offering similar services and equipment. They operate by connecting to a central hub that connects to the internet. They are also suitable to use as self-monitoring systems and offer a fully functional, easy-to-use mobile app that allows for complete control of your home security system via a mobile device. As mentioned before, both Arlo’s and abode’s home security systems are camera-centric and can include indoor and outdoor cameras. Outdoor cameras are an essential aspect to consider. Many prefer to have outdoor cameras placed on their homes to monitor and secure their houses’ exterior. Security companies highly recommend that clients avoid placing indoor cameras in outdoor locations; otherwise, they will quickly become damaged or ruined by weather. It’s crucial to place outdoor cameras in outdoor locations since their materials and design will allow them to survive the rain and extreme temperatures. Although connectivity and access are simple and easy to achieve with both systems, they each require connection to a “central” hub for the Wi-Fi connection to be present. The hub’s cost is usually included with the initial purchase price. Speaking of cost, Arlo and abode both lean towards the higher-end of the pricing spectrum. But, before you write them off as too expensive, keep in mind that neither company requires long-term contracts since they both charge for the equipment up front (it will forever be yours and yours alone! ). There are no mandatory monthly fees, either, unless you want to expand cloud storage for your Arlo and abode cameras, or want professional monitoring for your abode system. You’ll also save a bit of dough not being forced to utilize professional installers. We found both systems easy-to-install; but, if it seems daunting, resources are available to assist you (from online videos, to user manuals, to your neighbor next door). Lastly, both Arlo and abode provide you with the opportunity to add additional devices at any time. The integration of added components is quick and straightforward with either system. Differences With similarities, it’s fair to expect some differences and the first major distinction between the two is that Arlo is strictly camera-based, while abode has additional features like motion sensors, key fobs, and a central hub. That may change in the future, though, as Arlo has been teasing a security system of its own. Although Arlo has taken on a more simplistic approach when it comes to home security, their equipment is far from simple. Arlo security cameras have built-in motion sensors and they also have two-way voice communication capabilities. Two-way voice communication will allow you to speak with whoever is in the cameras’ view and within ear-shot. Many people use this feature to talk to their children or to receive guests into their homes. One advantage to abode home security systems is that they are compatible with other platforms such as Amazon Alexa or Nest. This perk makes them a more flexible option, especially if you have pre-existing platforms or technologies that you wish to utilize alongside your setup. Abode systems also include entry sensors that are capable of warning you when anyone tries to enter uninvited through your home’s doors or windows. Finally, another key difference you should consider is that Arlo offers seven-day storage of video clips for free. Nowadays, you never really know when video footage might prove handy (missing packages, vandalism, poltergeists, etc. ), and video files can take up a lot of memory. With free storage for seven days, you’ll have a week to peruse without paying for your recorded videos’ storage. Additional storage is also available with one of Arlo’s smart plans. Features Features are essentially the “icing on the cake” for a good home security setup. They can provide you with control and comfortability, along with a peace of mind that will allow you to breathe easy both at home and away. One feature that sets the Arlo home security system apart is their cameras’ ability to take high-quality videos. The clarity and resolution of the videos recorded by Arlo will leave you confident that you can distinguish exactly what is happening in and around your home. Arlo’s cameras also include two-way communication features, enhanced night vision, and built-in motion sensors. On the flip side, abode offers high-quality indoor/outdoor cameras as well as sirens, smoke alarms, and a variety of sensors (glass break, water leak, etc. ). Abode’s home automation can connect up to 160 devices at a time and all can be controlled via a mobile app available for both Android and iOS operating systems. Arlo and abode are more affordable than traditional security systems because they don’t charge for professional installation or monitoring fees. Pricing Now, let’s talk price. Thanks in part to recent innovations and a booming tech industry, it has never been more simple and affordable to add security cameras to your home. Thankfully, both Arlo and abode save you money up front (and in the long haul) as neither require professional installation, monthly subscriptions, or long-term contracts. With that said, there are some things to consider before breaking out that pocketbook or purse. Arlo has several options when it comes to the purchase of their camera and hub security systems. The basic kit can cost from $210 to about $250. If, however, you need a package that includes additional cameras, you’ll end up spending about $420 (ouch) or more, as Arlo has cameras that retail for more than $300 each. Less advanced cameras cost about $200 or less. If these prices don’t quite fit your budget, don’t stress: Arlo offers a variety of deals and sales throughout the year to ease the cost. Abode has a starter kit that will cost you about $200 and includes a motion sensor, a key fob, one mini door/window sensor, and a gateway. Most people use this basic package and then purchase other devices from various brands to further customize their home security system setup. While both Arlo and abode systems may come across as pricey, it’s important to note that they each include some not-so-average cameras that are well worth the cost. If your budget is tight, start with the basics and work your way up to the fully customized setup of your dreams. Making the Right Choice Still struggling to make a decision? In that case, we feel it can be helpful to make a list of your expectations so that you can compare both systems against it to see which one matches up the best. You can also do the same with your budget to make sure you choose an option that you can afford. Choosing between security systems can be difficult and there’s a lot of pressure to choose the right fit, especially if you're not familiar with the industry. Hopefully, we’ve helped you out a bit by testing and reviewing abode and Arlo for you. Just remember to thoroughly read through the differences, features, and pricing details carefully so that you can get a complete understanding of each system before making your final choice. Protecting your home is essential, but it doesn’t have to be hard. The effort you put into the research will be well worth it once you discover the system that speaks to you. Likewise, if you’re confident that you’ve made the right choice, you can rest assured that you, your family, and your home are safe and secure.

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### ADT vs Vector Security Comparison 

> ADT is the better choice over Vector Security, offering lower prices, better equipment, DIY installation, no long-term contracts, and superior mobile apps.

- Published: 2018-05-15
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-vector-security/

ADT is a nationwide brand that has been in the home security industry for 150 years. They’re the big guys on the block, which is why we test and review ADT on an annual basis. Each time, they end up as one of our favorite security systems. We’re always trying to find an even better option, though, which is why we decided to try out Vector Security. Instead of nationwide service, Vector Security only services 36 states, but they’ve still been around for over 50 years. So, we hoped they could turn this comparison into a David vs. Goliath story, but, after putting both systems through their paces, we still like ADT more. Let’s dig in. We proudly displayed our ADT yard sign so any potential criminals knew to steer clear of our house. >> Learn More: A Complete Guide to Home Security Systems in An Overview of ADT vs. Vector Security Like we mentioned, ADT has a few more years behind them than Vector Security. And, by a few more years, we mean about 100 years. Still, Vector Security is by no means a newcomer in the industry. Despite that, we found that ADT offers a more modern security system. They’ve been able to evolve with the times in a way that we rarely see with any company, nevermind a home security company. Similarities Between ADT and Vector Security They still share some similarities — where ADT has some remnants of the past and Vector Security upgraded aspects of their offerings — but they’ve grown farther apart in recent years. Here’s an overview of ADT and Vector Security’s similarities: Professional Installation: You can get an ADT or Vector Security system professionally installed. Professional Monitoring: We always recommend professional monitoring, so we’re glad to see that both ADT and Vector Security offer it. Long-Term Financing: Both providers let you finance your system over the course of up to 60 months so you can spread out the payment for your equipment. High-Quality iOS Mobile Apps: The mobile app for Apple products was surprisingly good from Vector Security, and we always expect a top-tier app from ADT. >> Read About: Best Home Security System With a Mobile App Just because they both offer professional installation and monitoring doesn’t mean they’re on the same level in those areas. In our experience, ADT offers one of the best professional installation services in the country. They also have a more advanced professional monitoring service, with 12 redundant facilities throughout Northern America. Differences Between ADT and Vector Security Now, let’s go over the key differences between ADT and Vector Security that we think will be deciding factors when you choose which provider to trust with protecting your home: DIY Installation: Only ADT offers a free DIY installation option. Even though Vector Security offers free professional installation when you buy your system, you’ll need to pay for installation if you choose to add equipment after that first purchase. ADT lets you install extra equipment, on your own, for free. Facial Recognition Cameras: The Alarm. com cameras that Vector Security offers do not offer facial recognition capabilities. They can tell the difference between people, pets, vehicles, and packages, but they can’t tell different people apart the way the Google Nest Cams that ADT offers do. No-Contract Monitoring: If you DIY the install of your ADT system, you don’t need to sign any long-term contracts and can cancel your monitoring at any time. Android App Quality: While Vector Security’s iOS app impressed us, their Android app is lackluster. ADT makes a high-quality app for both platforms. A Detailed Comparison Between ADT and Vector Security The first time we compared ADT and Vector Security, we found a surprising amount of parallels. Like we said, though, that’s not really the case anymore. ADT’s developed their services so much that it seems like every year these two systems drift further and further apart. So, let’s dig into the details that will help you decide which system is a better fit for you. Pricing Before ADT cut their prices, ADT and Vector Security were close in price. Now, though, ADT costs significantly less. For instance, ADT’s professional monitoring plans start at $24. 99 per month, whereas Vector Security’s start at $49. 99 per month — and that’s for comparable plans for comparable systems. As for equipment prices, ADT costs less on that front, too. While you won’t pay anything upfront for a Vector Security system, as all of their systems are financed through a minimum three-year contract, the overall cost ends up a lot higher. Their basic package starts at $18 per month, but, over three years, that adds up to $648. A comparable system from ADT costs $349. Here’s a quick comparison between ADT and Vector Security’s pricing: Security System Equipment ADT’s Price Vector Security’s Price 3x Entry Sensors 1x Motion Sensor Base Station / Control Panel $349 $648 3x Entry Sensors 1x Motion Sensor 1x Video Doorbell Base Station / Control Panel $528. 99 $972 3x Entry Sensors 1x Motion Sensor 1x Video Doorbell 1x Indoor / Outdoor Security Camera Base Station / Control Panel $709. 88 $1,260 Winner: ADT Equipment Quality Here’s everything that came with the Google Nest Cam we bought with our ADT security system. Despite the lower prices, we found ADT’s equipment to be better built and easier to use than Vector Security. Most of Vector Security’s equipment comes from Alarm. com. While Alarm. com makes quality security equipment, it’s not designed specifically for Vector Security’s service. That prevents them from offering the unique and tailored equipment features we see from ADT. As an example, ADT’s premium entry sensors have a little button on them that lets you easily enable or disable them from setting off an alarm. We bought one for our backyard slider door when we tested ADT, since we regularly host backyard parties. When we hosted our parties, we’d just press the button on the sensor before everyone arrived so that our phone wasn’t blown up with alerts. But, we could still keep our security system armed for the rest of our house and property. That’s just one example of ADT’s unique features that are possible because they design and produce their own security equipment. Winner: ADT We used to complain when testing ADT’s security cameras, but since they started offering Google Nest Cams after their Google partnership, we’ve been happy campers. Check out our Google Nest Cams review for all the details. Smart Home Capabilities When it comes to smart home equipment, ADT and Vector Security largely offer the same components. They both offer smart thermostats, smart locks, smart lights, and smart outlets. That’s enough equipment to set up a full smart home — even allowing you to attach small appliances to those smart outlet adapters to incorporate them into your routines. But, there’s a catch. While testing Vector Security, we couldn’t integrate third-party smart home equipment. ADT, on the other hand, let us integrate almost any smart home equipment we wanted thanks to their Z-Wave compatibility. We also found ADT’s home automation capabilities easier to use with more options. That’s why it’s on our list of the best smart home security systems. >> Learn About: Guide to Home Automation Systems & Smart Home Products Winner: ADT ADT’s Trusted Neighbor feature takes full advantage of the Google Nest Cams’ facial recognition to trigger automated responses. It lets you automatically open up your house for specific people at specific times or during specific events, such as during a confirmed alarm. We used ours to let our cleaners in every Wednesday at 2:15 p. m. Mobile Apps Here’s a look at the ADT+ app from when we tested an ADT Self Setup system in our home. We tend to use the respective mobile apps the most when controlling the home security systems we test. In most cases, even if the provider has an awesome touch-screen control panel, it’s just easier to pull out our phone and make any adjustments we need rather than walking over to the control panel. Needless to say, we thoroughly tested both ADT and Vector Security’s mobile apps. If you’re an Apple user through and through, we found that the app quality is fairly similar between ADT and Vector Security. Sure, ADT offers more features since their system is more feature-rich, but the actual app experience is about the same. When we used our Android, though, we noticed a distinct decrease in quality from Vector Security. Our biggest complaint is that it regularly struggled to display recorded video clips when we tried to review what happened during a system event. ADT’s Android app worked just as well as its iOS app. Winner: ADT >> Check Out: Best Home Security Systems That Work With Apple Devices Installation Our ADT technician went as far as adding a brown cover to our entry sensors so they better matched our decor. There’s no doubt that ADT offers more options when it comes to installation considering you can DIY your ADT install. It was a smooth enough process for us to put them on our list of the best DIY home security systems. For professionally installed systems, though, ADT and Vector Security’s service was fairly similar. And that’s saying a lot because we consider ADT one of the best professionally installed security systems available. They both helped us figure out what equipment we needed to secure our house and sent in-house technicians to complete the install. >> Read More: ADT Self Setup Review and Pricing Plans in Winner: ADT More often than not, you can get professional installation for free if you’re willing to sign a long-term contract with most home security providers. But, if you end up wanting to add equipment to your system after that initial purchase, expect to pay an extra fee for installation. Contracts To buy a Vector Security system, you’ll need to sign at least a three-year contract. ADT used to require that as well, except for in California, but now they don’t require a long-term contract at all. Comparing each company’s long-term contract, which is optional for ADT, we still prefer ADT as they offer a few more buyer protections. For instance, if ADT increases their monthly rate, anyone can opt out of that rate increase and cancel their contract without any associated cancelation fees. Winner: ADT ADT vs. Vector Security: Which One’s Right For You? If you can’t tell already, we think ADT is better than Vector Security in just about every regard. They offer better-quality services and equipment at lower prices with more flexibility all around. You don’t need to worry about where you live for ADT, either, as they service the entire nation, whereas Vector Security only services 36 states. But, we get it, ADT is not for everyone. That said, if you don’t want ADT, you probably don’t want Vector Security either. There are other options though. Check out our list of the best ADT alternatives where we highlight an alternative for everyone from the DIY powerhouse SimpliSafe to the technologically advanced Vivint. FAQs About ADT vs. Vector Security

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### ADT vs Guardian Protection Comparison 

> Choosing the right home security system can be difficult. Here is a comparison of ADT and Guardian to see how they compare.

- Published: 2018-05-14
- Modified: 2025-04-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-guardian/

If you’ve started the process of looking for a home security system, you’ve probably heard about ADT. They’ve been around for 150 years, so they have a ubiquitous reputation in the industry. Guardian Protection isn’t far behind, though. They’ve been in the industry for over 50 years and are now the largest privately held security company in the country. But, which one can better protect your home? We tested both providers in our own home to get firsthand experience and find out. Now that we know both systems inside and out, we’re here to report back to you. We’ll check out some similarities that the systems share, as well as the key differences, features, and general pricing you can expect. Let’s dive right in! An Overview of ADT vs. Guardian Protection Home Security Expert Rob Gabriele Tests ADT Home Security System Many times, privately held companies provide better products at a lower cost since they don’t need to worry about what shareholders think. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case when we stacked up ADT against Guardian Protection. From their pricing to their capabilities, ADT beat them out in just about every category. To give you a better idea, here’s a quick overview comparing ADT and Guardian Protection in a few key criteria for choosing a home security system: Price: While ADT and Guardian Protection have fairly similar equipment prices with both offering packages that start around $300, ADT’s monitoring price is significantly lower — starting at $24. 99 instead of $49. 99. Contract: ADT lets you completely avoid a contract if you DIY your install. Even if you do sign an ADT contract, it starts at 36 months. Guardian Protection requires a long-term, 60-month contract no matter what. Equipment: It’s not that ADT offers more variety for equipment, rather the quality of their equipment is higher. Guardian Protection buys most of their equipment from third parties like Kwikset and Alarm. com. ADT designs all of their own equipment, so it’s all made to work cohesively. Home Automation: Speaking of equipment that works cohesively, ADT also offers more cohesive home automation capabilities. They partnered with Google so they now integrate flawlessly with all Google Home products. ADT is also Z-Wave compatible, meaning it can work with over 4,000 third-party smart home products. Guardian Protection only offers a handful of home automation devices. >> Learn More: The Ins and Outs of Home Security Contracts ADT and Guardian Protection Similarities After thoroughly testing and reviewing ADT and Guardian Protection, we were genuinely surprised to find as many similarities as we did. There were definitely more differences, because, like we said, ADT offers a higher-quality security system, but a few similarities that stood out to us include: Wireless Equipment: Both ADT and Guardian Protection offer wireless equipment, giving you the flexibility to install your equipment anywhere it’s needed to keep your home secure. 24/7 Monitoring: Although it should be expected, we’re glad to see that ADT and Guardian Protection offer 24/7 professional monitoring. That way, even if you’re busy, your home stays protected and every alert gets a response. Cellular Backup: Regardless of the professional monitoring plan you sign up for, you’ll get cellular backup from both providers as long as you’re subscribed to a plan. This keeps your system operational and in communication with the monitoring centers even if your Wi-Fi goes down. Mobile Apps: You can control either system remotely through their respective mobile apps. We like ADT’s app more, though, as it has a more modern interface and more home automation capabilities. Floodlight Security Cameras: We find this more of a niche piece of security equipment, but ADT and Guardian Protection offer floodlight security cameras. You should always ensure that you purchase indoor cameras for indoor use and outdoor cameras for outdoor use. Outdoor cameras’ design and materials allow them to withstand heat, cold, and moisture. Indoor cameras are different. Using an indoor camera outdoors can lead to equipment malfunction and result in a costly mistake. Check out our favorite indoor cameras and the best outdoor cameras available. ADT and Guardian Protection Differences ADT even has entryway sensors that match your trim colors. Let’s face it, when you’re comparing two products, you care a lot more about the differences than the similarities. After all, the differences are what’s going to help you decide which one’s right for you. So, let’s dig into and go over the key differences between ADT and Guardian Protection. We’ll get into all the details so by the end you’ll know which provider is right for you. Pricing It’s easy to get surprised by the final cost of a home security system, especially with Guardian Protection keeping their pricing secretive. You need to reach out to them for a custom quote before you can see any pricing on their site. ADT takes a more transparent approach with clearly displayed pricing, although there are a couple tricks to their pricing model. We’ll clear up what you can expect from both, but know that in almost every case ADT offers better pricing. Here’s a quick overview comparing their similar starting packages: Provider Equipment Monitoring ADT Starts at $269 Starts at $24. 99 Guardian Protection Starts at $299 Starts at $49. 99 ADT’s Pricing First up, ADT’s costs. This one’s easier to calculate since all of the information is readily available on their website. Packages start at $269 for the build-your-own-kit plan, but that only includes a base station and other necessary components. For a basic home security system, expect to spend at least $349, with advanced systems costing upwards of $1,000. Monitoring prices start at $24. 99 and go up to $49. 99. That means ADT’s most expensive monitoring plan costs the same as Guardian Protection’s least expensive plan. ADT charges more to monitor their professionally installed systems than their DIY systems. So, if you’re trying to keep the cost of your security system under control, DIYing your ADT install is the way to go. Guardian Protection’s Pricing Across the board, Guardian Protection’s pricing is a bit higher than ADT’s. Their starter package is $299 compared to ADT’s $269, and their monitoring fee starts at $49. 99 per month compared to ADT’s $24. 99 per month. We know you’re probably thinking that Guardian Protection offers more given their higher price point, but we’re as close to comparing apples to apples as you can get in the home security industry when quoting these prices. The big benefit to Guardian Protection, though, is that they offer a three- or five-year price-lock guarantee. Equipment Here’s everything that came with the Google Nest Cam we bought with our ADT security system. We’ll come out and say it: ADT makes some of our favorite home security equipment in the industry. Every device we buy from them feels sturdy, performs as expected, and has a streamlined design that fits discreetly in our home. While Guardian Protection’s equipment certainly isn’t bad, ADT is a step above. Guardian Protection buys most of their equipment from Alarm. com, which is a reputable company, but there’s something to be said about equipment that’s designed and manufactured to work cohesively as a complete system. That’s what ADT has and what we feel Guardian Protection is missing. You can read more about the differences between ADT’s equipment and Alarm. com’s equipment in our ADT vs. Alarm. com comparison guide. Home Automation We’re home automation fanatics, so a security system that integrates with our current smart home equipment is a big plus for us. Home automation can improve the security your security system provides too, though. So, it’s not a factor to overlook even if your security system is your first smart home purchase. >> Read More: Guide to Home Automation Systems & Smart Home Products ADT’s Home Automation With ADT’s partnership with Google, it’s hard to beat them at the home automation game. Guardian Protection’s Geo-Service technology, which we’ll talk about soon, is definitely interesting, but ADT offers a lot more than a single standout feature. There are tons of third-party smart home products they can integrate with beyond Google smart home products thanks to its Z-Wave compatibility. ADT’s standout home automation feature is Trusted Neighbor. With it, you can automatically let specific people in your home using the Google Nest Cam’s facial recognition. We set ours to let our dog walker in every Thursday morning at 10:30 a. m. During confirmed alarms, our system could also let our neighbor in so they could see what was going on. The AI that powers the Google Nest Cam’s facial recognition also allows them to disregard motion alerts set off by your pets. That’s one reason ADT tops our list of the best home security systems for pet owners. Guardian Protection’s Home Automation Guardian Protection’s mobile app clearly displayed all of the key information about our home’s security. The standout home automation feature during our time testing Guardian Protection was their Geo-Service technology: A location-based “geofence” feature that uses your smartphone location to send mobile reminders. For example, did you forget to arm your security system or turn off the lights before heading to work? After crossing that virtual “geofence” barrier, you’ll immediately be notified of your mistake (which can be a lifesaver on those hectic mornings). For another provider that offers geofence technology, check out our review of Frontpoint. Installation We installed our own ADT security system and used the peel-and-stick backings on the entry sensors. It used to be that both ADT and Guardian Protection required professional installation. Both companies usually include it for free when you buy a system, but that can make it difficult to add on more products down the line — you’d need to pay for those new products to be installed. Neither is new to offering professional installation, either, so expect a top-notch professional installation regardless of who you go with. ADT now offers DIY installation, though. And, even if you get your initial system purchase professionally installed, you can install your own additions to your system later down the line. Installing your own ADT system is easy. It only took us about 45 minutes to install our system. Check out our ADT Self Setup review for a complete account of our installation experience. >> Learn More: Best Professionally Installed Home Security Systems of If you plan to buy the Google Nest Floodlight Cam with your ADT system, definitely opt for a professional installation. That’s the only piece of hardwired equipment ADT offers, so unless you’re an electrician, installing it can get complicated. But, ADT provides one of our favorite professionally installed security systems, so you can trust them to install it right. Contracts In the past, ADT and Guardian offered similar contracts. They both required long-term contracts and each one's contract started at three years. Well, both have shifted from that standard. Guardian Protection extended their three-year contracts and is now offering five-year contracts as their standard. ADT went the opposite direction. Nowadays, they don’t require a contract, but you’ll need to install your own ADT system to avoid the contract. For professionally installed systems, they still start at a three-year contract unless you live in California, where the maximum contract is two years. Needless to say, we prefer the flexibility that ADT offers. >> Read About: Best No-Contract Home Security Systems of Before signing a contract, you should always know what you’re getting into. Be sure that you understand the terms and conditions of your contractual agreement. You will need to make sure that you can afford the monthly payments and that the system of your choice satisfies your needs. Otherwise, if you want to return the system before your contract ends, you might be forced to pay early termination fees (which are never fun and can get quite hefty). Availability Unlike ADT, which is a nationwide brand available anywhere in the U. S. , Guardian Protection is only available in 10 states. Here’s a list of the states where Guardian Protection is available: Delaware Florida Illinois Indiana Maryland North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania West Virginia Texas Thankfully, one of our editors lives in Florida, so we were able to test a Guardian Protection security system. Which System Is Best for You? ADT or Guardian Protection We know that’s a lot of information to take in. Overall, though, we prefer ADT over Guardian Protection. They offer more flexible plans, higher tech equipment, and more advanced monitoring capabilities. Even with all this, ADT tends to cost less than Guardian Protection. If you live in one of the 10 states that Guardian Protection services, we do like their three- or five-year price-lock guarantee. That means even if they raise their monitoring rates, you won’t see that price increase until those two or three years are up depending on which option you choose. However, ADT has been lowering their monitoring rates recently, and if you sign up for an ADT contract, you can cancel it due to an increase in your monitoring rates. It’s not a price-lock guarantee, but it prevents a situation where you can no longer afford your payments due to a price increase. Do neither ADT nor Guardian Protection seem like the right system for you? Check out our guide to choosing a home security system where we walk you through the steps you should take to find the perfect system for protecting your home. FAQs About ADT vs. Guardian Protection

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### SimpliSafe vs Blink Comparison

> SimpliSafe outshines Blink with superior equipment and professional monitoring. SimpliSafe's Intruder Intervention and flexible plans make it the top choice.

- Published: 2018-05-11
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-blink/

Both SimpliSafe and Blink offer effective home security at different levels. SimpliSafe is more comprehensive, while Blink offers adequate protection on a much smaller scale. Each system is affordable for the level of security it offers. SimpliSafe is one of the best DIY security systems we’ve tested, complete with some excellent security cameras. But, if you have no need for entry sensors and motion detectors, the good news is that SimpliSafe cameras work as standalone devices. But, are they as good as other security brands like Blink? We think so. Don’t get us wrong: We like Blink’s budget-friendly security camera range. Like SimpliSafe, they’re easy to install yourself. Plus, you don’t need to pay for a subscription to use them. Let’s run through SimpliSafe and Blink’s security camera range to see how we came to this conclusion. >> Read More: Best Security Cameras With No Subscriptions Our SimpliSafe Wireless Indoor Camera looks simple, but it's SimpliSafe's most advanced piece of equipment. Overview: Blink vs. SimpliSafe SimpliSafe and Blink offer contract-free home security at different levels. Both have security camera systems that provide effective video and still capture capabilities. Their affordability and versatility make each system a quality choice for home security based on the level of need. Blink offers multiple indoor and outdoor cameras as well as a video doorbell. SimpliSafe has a wireless indoor camera and a battery-powered outdoor camera. A wired video doorbell is also available. Blink is owned by Amazon and integrates natively with Alexa and also supports Google Assistant. SimpliSafe offers multiple professional monitoring plans that can use your cameras to interact with criminals and scare off intruders. Blink’s pricing starts at $39. 99 for the Mini Pan-Tilt rotating plug-in camera. Similarities: SimpliSafe vs. Blink While SimpliSafe is renowned as one of the best security system companies and Blink specializes in security cameras, the two brands have a lot in common. Here are some we noticed: Free Self-Monitoring Plans: You don’t need to sign up for a subscription to use SimpliSafe or Blink cameras. However, we recommend paying for a plan to access features like cloud storage. DIY Wireless Equipment: Forget about paying extra for someone to install your security cameras. SimpliSafe and Blink can be up and running within minutes. Affordable Product Range: SimpliSafe cameras start at $149. 99, and Blink’s cameras start at $39. 99. Smart Home Integration: Use voice commands to review notifications and get updates on your security cameras. Differences: SimpliSafe vs. Blink We’ve touched on some of the differences between SimpliSafe and Blink. But, there are some others you should be aware of that could affect your buying decision: Security System Integration: It’s easier to integrate entry sensors and motion detectors with SimpliSafe cameras. This option isn’t available with Blink products. Professional Monitoring Plans: Blink doesn’t offer professional monitoring, but SimpliSafe does. Plans start at $21. 99 per month. Security Camera Range: Blink offers more security camera products compared to SimpliSafe. Only one indoor camera and one outdoor camera are available for sale on SimpliSafe’s website. Cloud Storage: Blink has unlimited cloud storage for up to 60 days. With SimpliSafe you only get 30 days. >> Check Out: Best Cloud Storage Home Security Cameras of Breaking Down Blink and SimpliSafe The differences between SimpliSafe and Blink are more apparent when you dive into the details. Let’s start with the camera features of both brands. Camera Features Blink’s cameras don’t offer a lot of bells and whistles. They get the basics right: HD video, night vision, motion detection, and two-way audio. The Blink Mini 2 is our favorite. It works indoors and outdoors, but it does require an outlet for power. The camera has a built-in spotlight for color night vision and a 143-degree field of view. If you want the bells and whistles, go with SimpliSafe. The Wireless Indoor Camera has a privacy shutter that remains closed until it detects movement. The built-in motion detector is also smart enough to ignore pets. Testing our SimpliSafe’s privacy shutter to see if it’s peeking. But, the best feature is Intruder Intervention. If a burglar breaks in, SimpliSafe agents can warn them on the two-way speaker that police are en route. You will need to subscribe to a SimpliSafe plan for this feature. We’ll talk about that in the next section. Contracts Neither company requires a contract to purchase the system or to operate it. But, if you want features like cloud storage or professional monitoring, you’ll need to subscribe. Blink has two options to choose from. The Basic Plan is $3 per month or $30 per year and supports one camera. You get unlimited cloud storage for up to 60 days and other advanced features like person detection, 90-minute continuous live view, and video sharing. The Blink Plus Plan is $10 per month or $100 per year. It adds perks like extended warranty and is ideal if you have multiple Blink cameras watching over the house. SimpliSafe has two self-monitoring plans and four professional monitoring plans. Here’s a brief overview: Unmonitored Self-Monitoring With Camera Recordings Standard Core Pro Pro Plus Camera Recordings No Unlimited Up to 30 Days No Unlimited Up to 30 Days Unlimited Up to 30 Days Unlimited Up to 30 Days Price Free $9. 99 per Month $21. 99 per Month $31. 99 per Month $49. 99 per Month $79. 99 per Month We always recommend subscribing to a professional monitoring plan so you don’t need to handle alerts yourself. The plans are more expensive than Blink, but you get protection with SimpliSafe. You can change your SimpliSafe plan at any time. When we tested SimpliSafe, we started with a self-monitoring plan and switched to Core after a few months. Switching back is just as easy if professional monitoring doesn’t fit your needs. Camera Pricing Blink cameras start at $39. 99. This gets you a Mini Pan-Tilt rotating plug-in camera. For the more advanced Blink models, you’ll spend anywhere between $49. 98 for the Blink Mini 2 to $139. 98 for the Blink Outdoor 3 Floodlight Camera. Our SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera watching over our backyard. That’s still cheaper than SimpliSafe. The Wireless Indoor Camera is $149. 99 and the Outdoor Camera is $199. 99. However, SimpliSafe is the better option if you plan on upgrading to a home security system. It’s easier to integrate SimpliSafe motion detectors and entry sensors with the cameras. Blink only supports security cameras. We recommend checking Amazon’s other brand, Ring Alarm, for security system options. >> Compare: Ring Alarm vs. SimpliSafe Equipment Range As we mentioned, SimpliSafe has two security camera models. Here are some of the other options currently available from Blink: Mini Pan-Tilt: Plug-in indoor camera starting at $39. 99. Mini 2: Indoor and outdoor plug-in camera starting at $49. 98. Indoor: Wireless indoor camera starting at $79. 99. Outdoor 3: Wireless outdoor camera starting at $99. 99. Outdoor 3 Floodlight Camera: Bundle option for Outdoor 3 camera starting at $139. 98. Outdoor 4: Wireless outdoor camera starting at $99. 99. Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera: Bundle option for Outdoor 4 camera starting at $129. 98. Wired Floodlight Camera: Wired outdoor camera starting at $89. 99. Some of the Blink cameras we tested against SimpliSafe’s range. Blink and SimpliSafe also offer video doorbells. We recommend checking out our video doorbell guide first so you know how to choose the right one for your home. Installation You can have your Blink and SimpliSafe cameras up and running in less than an hour. Most of Blink’s cameras are wireless but come with mounts so you can attach them to walls. The indoor wired models require an outlet and come with a stand to sit the camera in. >> Keep Reading: Blink Camera Review SimpliSafe’s Wireless Indoor Camera needs a flat surface to sit on. We chose a bookcase that had a good view of our living room. But, it could also sit on a desk or coffee table. The Outdoor Camera needs to be plugged in if you want to use Active Guard Outdoor Protection. A power cable is in the box if you plan on using this feature. Active Guard Outdoor Protection is similar to Intruder Intervention, but it’s for the Outdoor Camera and requires the Pro or Pro Plus plan. SimpliSafe monitoring agents assess the threat if someone lingers on your property. They can also speak to them using the two-way audio feature and chase them off with the built-in spotlight and siren. Verdict: Blink vs. SimpliSafe While it might cost you a little extra, we think SimpliSafe is the best option. You can start with a security camera or two and slowly add extra equipment to build an affordable home security system. The flexibility of the monitoring plans means it’s easy to switch packages as your needs change. Blink has an excellent, budget-friendly security camera range. We recommend them for renters who are looking to beef up their home security but want to avoid drilling holes or connecting devices to internal wiring. But, if you’re looking for complete peace of mind, it’s hard to look past SimpliSafe. FAQs

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### Ring Video Doorbell Review

> The Ring Video Doorbell 3 offers great video quality and easy setup with wired or wireless options. However, it has a bulky design and lacks advanced smart alerts.

- Published: 2018-05-11
- Modified: 2024-08-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/reviews/



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### Kuna Reviews

> Kuna's stylish security lights offer decent features but high up-front costs. Limited camera choices and weak smart home integration may deter some buyers.

- Published: 2018-05-10
- Modified: 2025-02-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/kuna/reviews/



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### CPI Security

> CPI Security costs $499.99 upfront, with monitoring plans at $29.99-$49.99/month. Offers pro installation and smart home integration. Based in Charlotte.

- Published: 2018-05-04
- Modified: 2024-06-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cpi-security/



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### Guardian

> Guardian Protection offers quality home security with 24/7 monitoring but comes with high upfront costs. It's reliable but expect to pay more initially.

- Published: 2018-05-03
- Modified: 2023-09-14
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/guardian/



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### SkyBell vs Ring Comparison

> Ring beats SkyBell with better features, more models, and longer cloud storage, but SkyBell offers free video storage and RapidSOS integration.

- Published: 2018-05-02
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/skybell-vs-ring/

Package thieves made off with $12 billion in goods in 2024. It’s one of the reasons more people are installing doorbell cameras. Ring is unquestionably one of the best doorbell camera brands around. But, there are alternatives such as SkyBell, which is also DIY-friendly, streams video in 1080p resolution, and doesn’t require lengthy contracts. So, which one is better? We think Ring has a better selection of video doorbells and longer cloud storage retention, even though it requires a paid subscription. Let’s compare Ring and SkyBell side-by-side to see which one will suit you best. Our SkyBell Slim video doorbell camera was easy to buy on the website but tricky to install to our internal wiring. Overview: SkyBell vs. Ring There’s no doubt that SkyBell and Ring are excellent do-it-yourself (DIY) solutions, making home security installation/monitoring quick and straightforward. If you prefer top-notch security with the convenience and ease of a DIY project, either system would be a good match. Doorbell cameras such as Ring and SkyBell have two-way speakers so you can speak to visitors if you’re not home. You can access the feed and the speaker via the app so you know who you’re talking to. Ring came with everything we needed to connect our doorbell to the internal wiring. Before making the big decision, you should consider the following: Do you want a battery-powered doorbell or one that connects to the internal wiring? How long should video events remain accessible? Do you want to customize the video doorbell’s motion sensitivity? Is color night vision important? Will you integrate the video doorbell with a home security system, or will it remain a standalone device? >> Check Out: The Best Home Security Systems of The SkyBell app lets us access a live feed any time. Similarities: Ring vs. SkyBell Ring and SkyBell use similar technology, and you’ll be happy to know that the image quality for both are some of the best in the business. With each system, you’ll benefit from live streaming and cloud storage. At the same time, you’ll enjoy: Easy DIY installation 1080p HD video streaming and recording Motion detection to trigger activity alerts No lengthy contracts to sign Outright ownership of the equipment A user-friendly mobile app for remote access and controls The SkyBell app lets us review events from the past seven days. Some Ring and SkyBell doorbells have color night vision. For Ring doorbells, though, we found during testing that you’ll need to turn the feature on inside the app; otherwise, the video will appear in black and white. As for SkyBell, only the Trim II model includes color night vision. Differences: SkyBell vs. Ring Despite their many similarities, we’ve found some significant differences between SkyBell and Ring. For example, Ring has a more comprehensive range of video doorbells. We were also able to integrate our Ring doorbells into the Ring home security setup we tested. On the other hand, SkyBell's key feature is its partnership with RapidSOS, which gives you a direct line to emergency services, regardless of your location. With just one tap, the app will send the vital details first responders need to assist you. Here’s a breakdown of some of the other differences: SkyBell's only product is its video doorbell. Ring, in comparison, offers multiple doorbells, motion sensors, security cameras, and more with varying features. With SkyBell, you get free video recording that can be stored for up to seven days. Ring has three self-monitoring plans starting from $4. 99 per month for one doorbell camera or $9. 99 per month for unlimited doorbells and security cameras. Those plans all include up to 180 days of video event history. The SkyBell Trim II includes Face Detection, but in our testing we learned it’s different from the Nest Doorbell facial recognition. It simply detects if there’s a face in the frame but doesn’t recognize faces. Ring’s video doorbells come with customizable motion zones, which we found really useful for limiting false alarms. This is especially true if your front door faces a high-traffic area, e. g. , a busy street. SkyBell doesn’t offer professional monitoring but works with security systems powered by Alarm. com, such as Frontpoint. As mentioned earlier, Ring has its own security system and professional monitoring plans. >> Related: Our Frontpoint Review The SkyBell HD features a 180-degree Field of View (FoV). This means you’ll get more visual in the frame compared to Ring’s standard FoV is 150 degrees vertical and horizontal. Standout Features Smart doorbells (ideally) should have useful features, and it’s important to know the details of what you’re purchasing. You’ll be surprised to find that the SkyBell doorbell viewer comes with a 1080p camera, two-way communication, color night vision, which is an excellent plus. Our Ring Video Doorbell 3 only supports 1080p HD video, while newer Ring models offer 1536p head-to-toe HD+ resolution. Ring, on the other hand, has even better features. The Ring video doorbell system can integrate with a comprehensive home security system alongside a variety of other devices. Also, Ring has high-end doorbell cameras, like the Battery Doorbell Pro, which SkyBell simply doesn’t offer. >> Keep Reading: Ring Video Doorbell Review Video doorbells typically come in two colors — black or silver. But, the SkyBell Trim II offers bronze instead of black, which complements our brown door trim. Power Source Ring battery-powered doorbells have removable, rechargeable batteries and can also be hardwired to your existing doorbell system. Ring also has four wired models, including the Ring Video Doorbell Elite, which is powered over Ethernet. SkyBell can only be powered by internal wiring. If you want a particular digital doorbell chime for your SkyBell video doorbell, you’ll also need to install the Digital Doorbell Adapter, which is sold separately. Contracts Neither company requires you to sign a lengthy contract, which is convenient (and a bit freeing). You can buy all the equipment up front and perform the monitoring on your own. That said, if you buy SkyBell from a home security provider as part of a security system, you might have to sign a contract. Frontpoint requires a contract, for example, and so does the Brinks system we tested — another brand that offers SkyBell gear. >> Check Out: Best Security Cameras With No Subscription For Ring video doorbells, there’s no contract even if you sign up for Ring Alarm professional monitoring. In fact, we recommend signing up for a Ring subscription even just for the cloud storage. All plans include up to 180 days of video event history, alerts for people, packages, and vehicles, as well as live streaming. Ring vs. SkyBell: Equipment Pricing and Plans The price of SkyBell and Ring equipment varies depending on the product you choose. For instance, you can buy SkyBell's Slim I for $149 directly through the company. But, keep in mind that you can also find them on Amazon, which might make delivery cheaper for Prime subscribers. Also, you’ll be happy to know that there aren’t any monthly cloud storage fees. On the flip side, the Ring Battery Doorbell is $99. 99 and the Video Doorbell Wired is $49. 99. With that said, you will need a Ring Home subscription to record and review any missed alerts or events. Plans start at $4. 99 per month. However, you can pay yearly to save up to 20 percent or get the higher-tier plans that give any number of Ring cameras in your home 180 days of cloud storage. For extra protection, Ring offers live video monitoring from highly trained security professionals. They’re available 24/7 and contact authorities if they detect a threat. This feature is only available on the Standard and Premium plans, and it’s an extra $99 per month on top of the subscription price. Ring vs. SkyBell Equipment SkyBell has two similar-looking cameras, differing mainly in design and AI features. The Slim II includes motion zones and facial recognition, features that reduce false alarms. We got a notification when our neighbor stopped by, and a different one for someone it didn’t recognize. It ended up being a lost delivery person. Meanwhile, Ring can integrate with its home security system complete with motion detection, entryway sensors, and a keypad. Also, you can add other essentials, like cameras, smoke alarms, and more. The video doorbell viewer can be bought separately, and its price ranges from $99 to $349. If you buy the SkyBell Slim I and Trim II via SkyBell’s website, these models won’t integrate with Alarm. com or Resideo Total Connect systems. You’ll need to buy video doorbells directly from Alarm. com or Resideo. DIY Installation We’ve found SkyBell and Ring are simple to install with incredibly helpful user guides, amazing customer service, and convenient mobile apps. In the process of installing our Ring video doorbell. With that said, you can only hardwire SkyBell video doorbells with your current doorbell’s wiring. In comparison, Ring offers both professional installation via Amazon and other third-party professionals, as well as the DIY option for battery-powered models. When we reviewed our SkyBell camera, we also got the chime add-on. It’s an extra $40, but it’s useful if we’re upstairs and miss the doorbell ring. We recommend the first thing you do is adjust the volume, as it’s set quite loud out of the box. Final Thoughts on SkyBell vs. Ring If you're looking to increase your front door security, you will not go wrong with either SkyBell or Ring. Both manufacture affordable, reliable, and user-friendly video doorbells to help keep your home safe and secure. SkyBell is ideal for those who don’t want to clutter their homes with too many electronic devices (SkyBell Trim II just works as a wired doorbell). In contrast, the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is an excellent dual-powered option (works wireless and wired). We changed a few of the settings in the SkyBell App, including the color of the glowing LED light. Ring also provides features that SkyBell doesn’t, like professional monitoring. You’ll also get up to 180 days of video event history with a subscription, and you can integrate the video doorbell into a full home security system directly from Ring. SkyBell works only with select third-party brands, and only if you purchase your doorbell from said brands. But if you’re a budget-conscious shopper (and who isn’t these days? ), we recommend checking out our guide to the best affordable security systems for other alternatives. FAQs

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### SkyBell

> SkyBell offers affordable, easy-to-install doorbell cameras with free cloud recording, no monthly fees, and 1080p HD video. Ideal for remote access via smartphone.

- Published: 2018-05-01
- Modified: 2023-04-14
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/skybell/



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### Protection 1 Home Security System Review

> Protection 1 was acquired by ADT in 2017, and it now sells ADT equipment. It's best to buy directly from ADT for better value and modern features.

- Published: 2018-05-01
- Modified: 2025-02-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/protection-one/



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### Zmodo Cameras

> Zmodo cameras are affordable with solid 1080p video, but night vision is weak. No subscription needed, but for better tech like Nest, prepare to spend more.

- Published: 2018-04-29
- Modified: 2024-10-01
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/zmodo/



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### Blink vs Arlo Comparison

> Arlo is better than Blink for security cameras, offering advanced features, 4K resolution, and professional monitoring. Blink is budget-friendly but limited.

- Published: 2018-04-27
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/blink-vs-arlo/

If cameras will be the centerpiece of your home security system, Blink and Arlo are worth considering. Both feature high-resolution cameras powered by AI. They know the difference between a potential intruder and a package delivery. But, there are some significant differences. Blink is the budget-friendly option with limited support for security equipment, while Arlo offers a broader range of camera options and bundled equipment packages. For its smarter detection and expandable system, we think Arlo is the better of the two. However, let’s put each brand head-to-head to see how they perform. >> Learn More: The Best Home Security Systems of Overview: Arlo vs. Blink While Arlo offers more sophisticated AI features, home automation, and technology, Blink cameras are inexpensive-but-effective options for homeowners who don’t want all the high-tech bells and whistles. Both brands offer indoor and outdoor cameras, as well as video doorbells. They also both specialize in battery-powered cameras, although they now offer wired models. Most of Blink and Arlo’s cameras are wireless, meaning you can install them yourself. Arlo also sells a home security system with sensors, a keypad, and a hub. Blink primarily sells security cameras. Both brands have models with local storage, so you don’t need to pay for a subscription. Arlo has 4K cameras, but Blink’s cameras only offer 1080p HD resolution. Our Pro Arlo 5S is just one of the advanced security cameras we compared to Blink models. Similarities: Blink vs. Arlo Camera-based security is not the only similarity Arlo and Blink share. Neither company requires a contract nor subscription fees, and you can install the devices yourself in no time at all. Here are some other factors they have in common. Both systems have camera models at various price points to suit different budgets. Many camera models have two-way audio to talk to guests or scare off intruders. Blink and Arlo cameras distinguish between humans and animals using AI. The cameras have night vision features, with options in infrared black-and-white or color modes. Most of the cameras are wireless and can be set up anywhere within Wi-Fi range. Differences: Blink vs. Arlo The main differences between the Arlo and Blink systems involve their price and 24/7 monitoring capabilities. Both are advanced in terms of the technology built into their cameras, but Blink doesn't offer the same features as many of the other, more popular home security systems. Arlo is much more expensive but offers a wider range of features. Blink lacks 4K resolution cameras, while Arlo offers multiple options. Arlo has a camera that connects to 4G LTE networks when the power or Wi-Fi drops out (Arlo Go), keeping your home secure during outages. Blink batteries last up to two years on default settings, whereas Arlo’s average battery life is 3 to 6 months. >> Check Out: The Best Wireless Home Security Systems of Blink and Arlo Head-to-Head During our time testing Blink and Arlo, we discovered how different they are. Here’s what stood out most. We chose not to use the stand for the Blink Mini so it didn’t look obvious in our living room. Features Blink specializes in security cameras and has you covered inside and outside. You’ll find models that plug into outlets, battery-powered wireless options, and hardwired outdoor cameras. The maximum resolution is 1080p HD, which is fine for most people, and the field of view ranges from 110 degrees to 143 degrees diagonal. They also have built-in motion sensors to trigger alerts. We recommend buying security cameras with at least a 110- to 120-degree field of view. This should be wide enough to cover large areas like living rooms and backyards. Arlo is more of a complete home security system, featuring sensors and a keypad hub in addition to its security camera range. Speaking of Arlo’s cameras, the models we tested have maximum resolutions ranging from 1080p HD to 4K. Their field of view ranges from 130 degrees to 180 degrees. Some Arlo cameras we’ve tested even have color night vision thanks to the device’s built-in lighting. Another significant difference is that Arlo offers 24/7 professional monitoring. It does require a monthly subscription, but it might be worth it. For $24. 99 per month, security experts will monitor your home and dispatch first responders during emergencies. That’s in addition to getting cloud video storage for all your Arlo cameras and advanced features like package and animal detection. Compared to other home security companies, Arlo’s monitoring subscription is affordable. Self Setup ADT plans with security cameras start at $39. 99 per month, and SimpliSafe packages, if you have cameras, start at $31. 99. Check out our SimpliSafe vs. Arlo comparison to learn more. Winner: Arlo Contracts Neither company requires lengthy contracts or a long-term subscription for cloud storage. In fact, some of the cameras include local storage via USB or SD card. However, if you want cloud storage, here’s what you’ll need to pay with Blink. No Plan Blink Basic Blink Plus Monthly Price Free $3 $10 Yearly Price Free $30 $100 Number of Supported Devices Unlimited 1 Unlimited 60-Day Cloud Storage No Yes Yes Arlo offers plans without professional monitoring. For a single camera, it’s $7. 99 per month, and for unlimited cameras it’s $17. 99 per month. This gives you 60-day cloud storage and all of Arlo’s AI smart detection features. Winner: Arlo Pricing Blink’s cameras start at $39. 99. That will get you the indoor Mini Pan-Tilt model, which plugs into an outlet. Other indoor cameras range from $49. 98 (Mini 2 plug-in camera) to $79. 99 (Indoor wireless). Outdoor models start at $89. 99 (Wired Floodlight Camera) and go as high as $139. 98 (Outdoor 3 Floodlight Camera). The video doorbell starts at $59. 99 and has wired and wireless options. >> Discover: The Best Video Doorbell Cameras of Arlo cameras are more expensive. Here are the starting prices for their models: Essential: Wired and wireless indoor and outdoor models starting at $39. 99. Pro: Wireless security camera suitable for indoor and outdoor use starting at $179. 99. Go: Wireless security camera with Wi-Fi and 4G LTE connectivity starting at $199. 99. Ultra: The top-of-the-line model with 4K resolution and color night vision. Pricing starts at $299. 99. Winner: Blink The Arlo Essential Indoor camera is one of the more affordable Arlo devices we bought for our testing. Equipment Experience When we tested Blink cameras, the first thing we did was adjust the camera’s motion sensitivity. It reduced unnecessary alerts for our neighbor’s cat and passing cars. We also adjusted the night vision resolution for clearer viewing. After these tweaks, we had no issues. We did miss some of the smart home integrations and automations that other home security systems offer, but we also didn’t pay as much for Blink as we did for those systems. As an Amazon company, Blink can easily integrate with Alexa for voice commands. We found it handy when we heard noises while preparing dinner. Rather than wash our hands, we asked Alexa to bring up the live feed on our phone to see what it was. During our testing with Arlo, we signed up for the professional monitoring plan so we could try out the AI features. We also set up activity zones so the cameras knew where to focus their attention. The most noticeable difference is the video and night vision quality. We didn’t have to zoom in to see the neighbor’s cat resting on the porch or our parcel waiting by the door. Winner: Arlo Installation Both companies let you install the cameras yourself. Some are as simple as plugging into an outlet, and others are more complex, involving connecting to your internal wiring. Thankfully, Blink and Arlo both include detailed instructions on the website and inside the smartphone apps. >> Compare: The Best DIY Home Security Systems of Winner: Draw Comparing the size of our Blink Mini on the left to the Blink Indoor on the right. Summary: Arlo vs. Blink If you’re only interested in security cameras and want to keep costs down, we recommend Blink. You won’t get all the bells and whistles that come with a home security system, but you might not need them if you’re a renter or live in an apartment. But, we still think Arlo is the better option. You can always start with some of their high-quality security cameras and integrate more equipment, like sensors, as your needs change. The added benefits of professional monitoring and AI-powered recognition also mean you’re always protected whether you’re home or away. FAQs

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### Cox Homelife Reviews

> Cox Homelife offers free equipment but hides fees and requires a 2-year contract. It's not available in all states and lacks smart home integrations.

- Published: 2018-04-27
- Modified: 2024-06-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cox-homelife/reviews/



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### AT&T Digital Life Reviews

> AT&T Digital Life now offers only one plan with no cameras or home automation, costing $549.99 upfront and $39.99/month. It requires a 2-year contract.

- Published: 2018-04-27
- Modified: 2024-12-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/att-digital-life/reviews/



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### Canary Camera System Review

> Canary cameras offer a sleek design, air quality monitoring, and AI detection, but high costs and occasional setup issues. Flex is versatile; Pro includes siren.

- Published: 2018-04-27
- Modified: 2025-04-10
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/canary/reviews/



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### Arlo

> Arlo cameras offer high-quality video, but they come at a premium price. The Arlo Pro 5S 2K costs $249.99, while the Essential Indoor is $99.99.

- Published: 2018-04-26
- Modified: 2024-08-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/arlo/



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### Arlo vs. Google Nest Comparison [year]

> Google Nest outshines Arlo with smarter AI and facial recognition, despite Arlo's superior camera specs. Nest's seamless ADT integration seals the deal.

- Published: 2018-04-26
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/arlo-vs-nest/

Here’s a look at our Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery-powered) before we mounted it above our garage. We regularly test security cameras, and both Arlo and Nest made our latest roundup of the best security cameras of . That says a lot, as the security camera market is very competitive. For the purposes of this comparison, we retested Arlo and Nest side-by-side, and we made some pretty interesting discoveries. For one, even though Arlo offers way more options than Nest’s three-camera lineup, we didn’t find that to be a huge issue. We’re convinced that both brands offer enough equipment to suit most users. That said, we like that Arlo offers options with higher-quality video (2K and 4K cameras). As for Nest Cams, we like that they work with one of the best security systems of : ADT. Let’s see more in this Arlo vs. Nest Cam comparison! >> Learn About: Everything to Know About Security Cameras Google Nest used to have a security system, called Nest Secure, but it has since been discontinued. Right now, the only security system it works with is ADT (see our ADT review). Arlo, on the other hand, has released the Arlo Security System, but it’s yet to make our roundup of the best security systems. Arlo vs. Google Nest: An Overview of Two Camera-Based Security Systems Both Arlo and Nest offer some of the best security cameras for keeping your home safe and sound. They both offer a full lineup of camera models to cover every inch of the inside and outside of your home with some unique features we rarely see from other providers. Arlo’s one of the few providers we’ve seen offer Apple HomeKit integration. So, if you already use Apple HomeKit smart devices, that might make your decision easier. Check out our list of the best home security systems that work with Apple for more options. That’s everything we received from the Nest Doorbell (battery) box. Arlo and Nest are also known as DIY brands, although they both partner with a third party to offer professional installation if needed. Even with a DIY installation, they both offer cutting-edge technology like facial recognition from Google Nest and 4K resolution from Arlo. And, of course, you can access and control Google Nest and Arlo cameras from pretty much anywhere using your smartphone. Add it up and you get feature-packed home security cameras with all the bells and whistles from both providers. Just don’t be too surprised if it’s not cheap, but we’ll get to that. A High-Level Comparison of Arlo and Google Nest Although both providers offer great functionality and ease of use with security that focuses on cameras, they’re by no means identical. Here’s a high-level comparison between Arlo and Google Nest: Artificial Intelligence: Sure, Arlo and Google Nest both use AI in their cameras, but Google Nest’s AI is smarter. It can learn your visitors’ faces and then automate connected smart devices based on who your camera sees. Plus, it offers all the AI capabilities as Arlo, such as person, package, and vehicle detection. Professional Monitoring: Only Arlo offers professional monitoring. Google Nest used to, but they discontinued it after partnering with ADT. Now, you need to buy an ADT system to get professional monitoring for your Google Nest cameras. Security System Equipment: Google Nest only offers cameras and smart locks for security equipment, whereas Arlo offers a complete security system. Although, Arlo’s security system uses an all-in-one sensor we’re not a huge fan of. Camera Specs: If you’re just looking for the best camera specs, Arlo’s going to be the way to go. They offer cameras with 4K resolution, whereas all Google Nest Cams are 1080p. That’s four times more pixels giving a clearer image and more capability to zoom in without your picture getting too blurry. Arlo’s cameras also feature wider fields of view. Pricing: Price-wise, we find Arlo and Google Nest to be in the same ballpark. Arlo offers a lot more options, though, including cameras that are significantly less and significantly more than Google Nest’s lineup. Google Nest sits right in the middle of Arlo’s options. Installation: Both Arlo and Google Nest primarily offer DIY installation with a couple of hardwired exceptions, namely the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wired and Google Nest Cam with Floodlight. They both partnered with a third-party installer to offer professional installation for these pieces of equipment. Breaking Down the Details: Arlo vs. Google Nest Now that we gave you a high-level overview, let’s dive into the details. We’ll compare all the aspects of our experience buying and using a Google Nest and Arlo system. By the end, you’ll know exactly which provider is the best fit for your needs. Equipment and Pricing Like we mentioned, Arlo offers more options for security cameras; with that, they offer cameras that cost more and cameras that cost less than Google Nest Cams. Value-wise, though, we feel we get more bang for our buck with Google Nest. Google Nest’s Costs Everything I got with my Nest Cam. Including their video doorbell, Google Nest only offers four options for security cameras. There’s an indoor/outdoor battery camera, a wired indoor camera, a floodlight camera, and a video doorbell. That covers all of the camera types we look for, but nothing else. Here’s how much each Google Nest camera costs: Google Nest Camera Model Price Nest Cam (Indoor, Wired) $99. 99 Nest Cam (Outdoor or Indoor, Battery-Powered) $179. 99 Nest Cam With Floodlight $279. 99 Nest Video Doorbell $179. 99 As for subscriptions, Google Nest offers two plans called Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus that cost $8 per month and $15 per month, respectively. Nest Aware provides 30 days of cloud storage while Nest Aware Plus provides 60 days of cloud storage with 10 days of 24/7 recording. Both plans unlock the full functionality of Google Nest’s cameras, such as facial recognition and glass-break detection. We opted for Nest Aware when we tested Google Nest. >> Read More: Best Cloud Storage Home Security Cameras of The Nest Video Doorbell comes in a wired or battery-powered configuration, but they both cost the same. We recommend going with the wired option if you already have a doorbell with the right wiring. Otherwise, the battery-powered one will be easier to install. Arlo’s Costs Here’s our wireless Arlo Video Doorbell before we took it out of the box. Arlo’s pricing ranges a lot. We’re talking all the way from $39. 99 up to $299. 99. Even with that wide range of prices, we find they offer solid value at every price point — although, we prefer the simplicity of Google Nest’s pricing. Here’s a look at Arlo’s pricing: Arlo Camera Model Price Essential Indoor HD $39. 99 Essential Wireless $49. 99 Essential Indoor 2K $79. 99 Essential XL $99. 99 Pro 5S 2K $179. 99 Go 2 $199. 99 Ultra 2 $299. 99 Video Doorbell HD $79. 99 Video Doorbell 2K $129. 99 For subscriptions, Arlo offers three plans. Two of the plans are for 60 days of cloud storage for your cameras. The cheapest plan offers cloud storage for one camera and costs $9. 99 per month ($7. 99 per month when billed annually). Cloud storage for unlimited cameras costs $19. 99 per month ($17. 99 per month when billed annually). We prefer Google Nest’s plans, as they both cover unlimited cameras and cost a bit less. Their third plan includes 24/7 professional monitoring, as well, and costs $29. 99 per month ($24. 99 per month when billed annually). That’s a bit more than Ring’s pricing — $19. 99 per month — for a similar plan, but we still think it’s solid value. Winner: Google Nest Even though SimpliSafe’s plan that includes cloud storage and professional monitoring costs more than Arlo’s at $32. 99 per month, we still think SimpliSafe offers better value. Their plan includes a feature called Intruder Intervention which allows their monitoring agents to use the two-way audio in select cameras to scare off potential criminals. Check out our SimpliSafe review for all the details on this plan. Main Features and Tech Our Google Nest Doorbell told us when it saw a package get delivered at our doorstep and created an event for it. There’s no getting past it. Google Nest offers more features and tech than Arlo. Sure, they don’t offer any 2K or 4K cameras like the Arlo Pro 5S or Arlo Ultra 2. But, we found a lot more uses for the AI capabilities of Google Nest’s cameras, like facial recognition rather than higher resolution. Plus, the 1080p HDR resolution of the Google Nest cameras offered enough clarity to still read the license plates of cars as they pulled into our driveway when we mounted our camera above our garage. So, what are the features that Google Nest offers? First of all, they offer some of the best facial recognition cameras on the market. When paired with an ADT system, you can make your home automatically open for specific people at set times or during an active alarm. We set ours to open for our dog walker every Thursday morning and for our neighbor during confirmed alerts. Arlo doesn’t offer any features comparable to that. We will say we liked the color night vision when we tested the Arlo Pro. It costs the same as the Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, wireless), but it has a built-in spotlight. For color night vision from Google Nest, you’d need to go with the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight. Winner: Google Nest >> Read About: Ring Floodlight Camera Review and Pricing in The Google Nest Cam with Floodlight is the ideal camera for installing over your garage. It serves two purposes by illuminating your entire driveway with the floodlight and adds that extra layer of security. If you already have a floodlight installed over your garage for your driveway, your installer might even be able to reuse the existing wiring for it. Installation Here we are mounting our Arlo Pro security camera so that it can keep an eye on our backyard. Installing Google Nest cameras and Arlo cameras is a very similar process. Aside from each brand’s hardwired products, we were able to install any of their cameras in about 10 minutes. We’d recommend getting professional help for installing their hardwired options, though — namely, the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight and the wired Arlo Video Doorbells. Both brands offer professional installation, but it’s through third parties, so you won’t see either of them on our list of the best professionally installed home security systems. If there’s one difference between the brands, it’s that Arlo also offers their hardwired video doorbells in wireless versions; the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight is only available as a hardwired camera. That’s why we’re going to have to give the win to Arlo when it comes to installation. >> Learn More: Best DIY Home Security Systems in Winner: Arlo Arlo vs. Google Nest — Which One’s Right for You? Anyone looking for a camera-based security system really can’t go wrong with either Arlo or Nest. It really comes down to your personal preferences. Even though we prefer Google Nest, Arlo gives great value with a wide selection of cameras. And, specs-wise, Arlo’s cameras actually beat Google Nest. What sells us on Google Nest is their advanced AI technology that enables facial recognition. Those intelligent alerts telling us who the camera sees — and not just that it sees a person — really come in handy. That’s really the feature that puts Google Nest a notch above Arlo in our book. FAQs About Arlo vs. Google Nest Who makes better security cameras, Arlo or Google Nest? Even though we prefer Google Nest, Arlo actually makes cameras with better specs. The thing we like about Google Nest cameras is their facial recognition capabilities. Can I buy a complete security system from Arlo or Google Nest? Arlo advertises a complete security system, but we don’t think it’s very good since it uses an all-in-one sensor that leaves a lot to be desired. If you want a complete security system, we recommend buying Google Nest cameras alongside an ADT security system. Do Arlo and Google Nest require subscriptions? No, neither provider requires a subscription. If you don’t plan to pay for a subscription, we recommend Google Nest since they offer three hours of cloud storage for your videos for free. Which provider is more expensive, Arlo or Google Nest? Arlo and Google Nest offer cameras at similar price points, although Arlo sells entry models that start at $39. 99. Google Nest only sells premium products which start at $99. 99. Can I buy professional monitoring for my Arlo or Google Nest cameras? Yes, Arlo offers their own professional monitoring service that starts at $24. 99 per month. Google Nest offers monitoring for their security cameras through ADT, which also starts at $24. 99 per month. However, to access ADT’s monitoring, you’ll need to buy an ADT security system as well.

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### Nest

> Nest Secure was discontinued in April 2024, but you can still use Nest products with ADT, which offers integration with Nest cameras and thermostats.

- Published: 2018-04-26
- Modified: 2025-04-24
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/nest-secure/



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### Ring

> Ring doorbells are affordable and feature-rich. The cheapest model is $99.99, and cloud storage costs $3/month. They integrate best with Alexa.

- Published: 2018-04-24
- Modified: 2024-11-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/ring/



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### Ring vs. Google Nest Home Security Comparison

> Ring beats Google Nest due to 24/7 monitoring, more camera options, and cheaper storage. Google Nest excels in smart features like facial recognition.

- Published: 2018-04-24
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/ring-vs-nest/

Note: Google has discontinued Nest Secure. So we recommend checking out our list of the best home security systems to explore your options. Security cameras play an important role in most home security systems. That’s why we’re going to be looking at Ring and Nest today. They offer some of the best security cameras in the industry — although, in two different ways. Ring offers all of their own services and products to comprehensively protect your home. That includes everything from security sensors to professional monitoring. Google Nest, on the other hand, only offers security cameras and smart home equipment. They do not offer complete security systems or professional monitoring plans. Instead, they partnered with ADT for complete home security offerings, but you’d need to buy them through ADT to access professional monitoring or security sensors. That’s why, if you’re just choosing between Google Nest or Ring, we prefer Ring. That doesn’t mean it’s the right pick for everyone, though. So, we’re going to dive into all the details to help you pick the best security cameras and solution for your home. >> Read More: ADT Home Security Review Overview of Ring and Google Nest We bought a whole slew of Ring security cameras for our comprehensive testing. Before we jump right into the details, we want to give you a high-level overview of the similarities and differences between Ring and Google Nest. Looking at any one point without the whole picture can leave gaps in your home security. Similarities Between Ring and Google Nest Let’s start with a look at the similarities, because there are a lot of them: Smart Home Compatibility: You can set up advanced home automation with Ring or Google Nest, although they work better with different smart home systems. Ring is owned by Amazon, so they work well with Alexa devices, and Google Nest works well with Google Home devices. Security Camera Focus: Both companies focus their offerings on their security cameras and video doorbells. Ring also offers other home security equipment, and Google partnered with ADT to offer complete home security solutions. No Monthly Fee Required: A subscription is not required for any Ring or Google Nest products. We at least recommend a cloud storage subscription, though, which starts at $4. 99 per month for Ring and $8 per month for Google Nest. 24/7 Storage Available: The premium cloud storage plans for Ring and Google Nest include 24/7 cloud recording, if that’s something you need. Affordable Cameras: We find the value Google Nest and Ring provide to be some of the best in the industry. The cost of Google Nest’s cameras start at $99, and Ring’s cameras start at $59. 99. High-Quality Mobile App: During our time testing Ring and Google Nest, we never ran into an issue with their mobile apps. They both have an intuitive interface and offer plenty of features to control every aspect of your cameras. >> Read About: Ring Indoor Camera Review and Pricing in Differences Between Ring and Google Nest This is everything that came with the Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) we tested. Although the list of similarities is quite long, there are a few important differences between Ring and Google Nest that you’ll want to consider before buying. Here’s what we found while testing the two systems: Professional Monitoring: Only Ring offers professional monitoring. If you want your Google Nest equipment monitored, you need to buy it through ADT and subscribe to an ADT monitoring plan. Multiple Video Doorbell Options: Google Nest only offers one video doorbell that comes in battery-powered and wired configurations. Ring offers eight different video doorbell models. Security and Environmental Sensors: You can buy smoke and carbon monoxide detectors from Google Nest, but that’s the extent of their sensor options. Ring offers just about every type of sensor you can imagine, from basic entry sensors to flood and freeze sensors. Smart Home Devices: When it comes to smart home equipment, Ring really only sells third-party devices that can integrate into their system. Google Nest makes their own smart home devices, such as smart thermostats. Facial Recognition: With all the options Ring offers, they still haven’t made a camera with facial recognition capabilities. All Google Nest Cams have facial recognition, but it requires a Nest Aware subscription to use. Power Options: Ring offers more power options for their cameras. Most of their products have a solar, battery, plugged-in, and hardwired option. Google Nest Cams do not give you a power option, although Google sells solar panels that are compatible with their battery-powered products. Ring vs. Google Nest: A Detailed Point-by-Point Comparison Now that you know the similarities and differences between Ring and Google Nest, let’s go through a point-by-point, in-depth comparison. Pricing To our surprise, the Ring Indoor (right) was much smaller than the more expensive Ring Stick Up Cam (left). Overall, Ring offers better value than Google Nest. They sell a ton of different camera models, too, so you can always find one to fit your budget, whether you’re looking to spend upwards of $1,000 or under $100 for your home’s security cameras. Google Nest still offers good value, though, with some unique capabilities, namely facial recognition. Here’s a comparison between similar Ring and Google Nest camera pricing: Camera Type Ring’s Model & Price Google Nest’s Model & Price Indoor Camera Indoor Cam (2nd Gen), $59. 99 Nest Cam (Indoor, Wired), $99. 99 Outdoor Camera Spotlight Cam Plus, $149. 99 Nest Cam (Outdoor or Indoor, Battery), $179. 99 Floodlight Camera Floodlight Cam Plus, $179. 99 Nest Cam With Floodlight (Wired), $279. 99 Video Doorbell Battery Doorbell Plus, $149. 99 Nest Doorbell (Battery), $179. 99 While the cameras listed in this table are not identical between the Ring and Google Nest model, they’re as close as you can get. In general, the Ring model will have slightly better technical specifications, while the Google Nest model will have more advanced smart capabilities. For instance, the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus we tested features, well, a built-in spotlight. The Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) only offers infrared night vision, but it has internal storage that can store up to an hour of footage as a backup to cloud storage if your internet goes out. It also has facial recognition and person detection, enabling more actionable alerts. That sums up the differences between all comparable Ring and Google Nest cameras. Winner: Ring Ring offers tons of camera models with prices ranging from $49. 99 all the way up to $349. 99. That’s less than the cheapest Google Nest camera and higher than the most expensive one. Needless to say, it’s easier to fit your budget with Ring cameras than Google Nest cameras. >> Learn More: Ring Floodlight Camera Review and Pricing in Standout Features Ring and Google Nest both offer some unique features we rarely see from other companies. But, each one offers their own set of unique features without much crossover, so, at the end of the day, which one wins this category depends on your preferences. Our preference is Google Nest, though, when it comes to standout features. Ring’s Standout Features The home screen of Ring’s mobile app gave us a snapshot look at each of our cameras so we could quickly check on our property. With Ring’s huge lineup of camera models, don’t expect all of their standout features on every camera. Instead, we’re going to focus on their premium cameras here. These features are mostly found in the Pro and Elite camera models with a few available in some of their Plus models as well. Here are Ring’s standout features: Birds-Eye View: Ring’s more advanced cameras include a birds-eye view feature that uses radar-powered sensors to generate an overview of your property. It can then display an aerial view to clearly show movement the camera captures. 180-Degree Field of View: Some cameras, particularly Ring’s video doorbells, feature 180-degree fields of view. That means the camera can see anything in front of it, even on its peripherals. For video doorbells, that means it can view someone from head to toe and keep an eye on packages on your doorstep. Color Night Vision: Instead of relying on infrared sensors, most Ring cameras include some type of light source to provide color night vision. A few use a feature Ring calls low-light sight that amplifies ambient light to still provide color video footage without a built-in LED light. Virtual Security Guard: On top of 24/7 professional monitoring, Ring also offers a virtual security guard subscription that includes active monitoring of your cameras by a trained monitoring professional. You can set when you want your cameras to be monitored so you can keep privacy in your home when you need it. Ring’s not the only security company to offer active monitoring of their security cameras. SimpliSafe also offers active monitoring in their Core, Pro, and Pro Plus monitoring plans for their Wireless Indoor Camera and Outdoor Camera. Check out our SimpliSafe vs. Ring guide for a direct comparison between their active monitoring plans. Google Nest’s Standout Features The Google Nest Cams in our ADT system used facial recognition technology to tell us who they saw in their alerts. Unlike Ring’s standout features, Google Nest’s standout features are available on all of their camera models. Our favorite features from Google Nest include: Facial Recognition: Easily, the most unique feature from Google Nest is their facial recognition capabilities. With this feature, we got notifications telling us who was at our door, which was really useful. For instance, when we were at the store, our friend stopped by to return a drill we lent him. After we received the notification he was there, we sent him a text telling him where to leave the drill so it’d be in view of our security cameras. It’s a rare feature, but you can check out our Lorex review for a look at our other favorite facial recognition camera. Google Home Automation: We’re big fans of Google’s automation capabilities. We own the Google Nest Learning Thermostat. Pairing it with the Google Nest Doorbell we tested allowed us to set up an automation where, when our video doorbell saw us leaving the house, it lowered the temperature in our house and then raised it back up when it saw us coming back home. ADT Partnership: Instead of offering their own security equipment and professional monitoring, Google Nest partnered with ADT. That means you’d need to buy an ADT security system to access professional monitoring for your Google Nest security cameras, but ADT offers some of our favorite security equipment and monitoring. So, we think of this as a positive instead of a negative. Free Cloud Storage & Internal Backup: If you want any storage with your Ring cameras, you need to pay for a subscription. Google Nest offers three hours of free cloud storage and one hour of internal backup storage in case your Wi-Fi goes down. That might not seem like much, but it means you can review what happened before a notification which can be crucial. Winner: Google Nest Installation We were impressed with the amount of feedback the Google Nest app provided while we installed our cameras. Every Google Nest and Ring piece of equipment is intended for DIY installation. That’s the route we took when we installed the Ring equipment and the Google Nest Cams we tested. Both offered nearly identical processes. We downloaded the app, picked the piece of equipment we bought on the app, and then followed the instructions on our phone for installing and pairing our equipment. Expect battery-powered cameras, like the Ring Stickup Cam we reviewed, to take about five minutes to install and wired cameras to take 15 to 30 minutes. For comparison, our favorite DIY security systems take about 30 minutes in total to install. That said, you can also get either provider's equipment professionally installed, as well. They won’t install it themselves, though. Instead, they both work with third-party installers to install your equipment. You can get professional installation from Google Nest through SafeStreets, which starts at $115. Ring offers a professional installation service through OnTech, and it starts at $159. 99. Winner: Draw >> Learn More: Best Home Security Systems for Apartments in If you want professional installation for your Google Nest products, we recommend buying them through ADT instead. That way, you can have ADT’s technicians install your equipment. Oftentimes, they include professional installation for free, but you’ll need to sign a contract with ADT. We think it’s worth it because ADT makes our favorite professionally installed security system. Subscriptions Ring Floodlight Cam Video Quality Google Nest’s subscriptions are fairly straightforward. There are only two of them, they both support unlimited cameras, and both of them offer cloud storage with the premium one offering 24/7 recording instead of only video events. Ring’s subscriptions get more complicated, but that’s because they offer more services. There are their cloud storage plans, and then you can add professional monitoring or a virtual security guard to two of the cloud storage plans. Ring’s Subscriptions You’re not required to subscribe to a Ring cloud storage plan to use your Ring products. But, they restrict a lot of their camera's features, like people, pet, and vehicle detection, behind their subscriptions. Here’s how much Ring’s subscriptions cost: Ring Home Plan No Subscription Ring Home Basic Ring Home Standard Ring Home Premium Supported Devices None One Unlimited Unlimited 180 Days Cloud Storage for Video Events No Yes Yes Yes People, Pet, and Vehicle Detection No Yes Yes Yes 14 Days of 24/7 Recording No No No Yes 24/7 Professional Monitoring Not Available Not Available Available for $10 Per Month Available for $10 Per Month Virtual Security Guard Not Available Not Available Available for $99 Per Month Available for $99 Per Month Price Free $4. 99 Per Month $9. 99 Per Month $19. 99 Per Month Google Nest’s Subscriptions Without a subscription from Google Nest, you’ll still get people, pet, and vehicle alerts, which we appreciate. It makes using them without a monthly fee a lot easier since you won’t get inundated with unnecessary alerts. But, they also don’t offer professional monitoring, and their cloud storage is only for up to 60 days instead of Ring’s 180 days. Here’s an overview of Google Nest’s subscriptions: Google Nest Plan No Subscription Nest Aware Nest Aware Plus Days of Cloud Storage for Video Events None 30 60 People, Pet, and Vehicle Detection Yes Yes Yes Facial Recognition No Yes Yes Intelligent Alerts No Yes Yes Price Free $8 Per Month $15 Per Month Winner: Ring Google Nest’s Intelligent Alerts feature also allows your Google Nest cameras to alert you when a fire or carbon monoxide alarm sounds in your house using the camera’s built-in microphone. It can also detect glass breaking. Ring vs. Google Nest: How to Choose? You really can’t go wrong with either Ring or Google Nest. They both offer top-of-the-line security cameras with innovative features that actually improve the security of your home. Our pick is Ring, since they offer professional monitoring and Google Nest does not. But, even that drawback can be easily offset by buying your Google Nest equipment through ADT. That simple step allows your Google Nest cameras to be monitored by ADT, which is one of the best monitoring services in the industry. So, we recommend going through the features and figuring out which provider has features you’re more likely to use. For instance, if you regularly have the same people visiting your house, Google Nest’s facial recognition will come in handy, as your alerts will tell you who’s at your house at all times. On the other hand, if you have an expansive backyard, Ring’s birds-eye view makes it easy to monitor all of the activity in it with a single device. FAQs About Ring vs. Google Nest

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### ADT vs Bay Alarm Comparison

> ADT vs. Bay Alarm: How Do They Compare, and Which Is Right for You?

- Published: 2018-04-24
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-bay-alarm/

You might think that all home security systems are the same, but truth be told, each one is unique in its own way. When shopping around, it’s imperative that you take your time and explore different options before deciding which is best for you and your family. Research is key, and to help you out we’ve taken on some of the brunt work for you by testing security systems in our own home. Recently, we got our hands on both Bay Alarm and ADT’s cutting-edge home security packages. We extensively tested each product over several days to find out exactly how one stacks up against the other. Hopefully, this will help you decide on what route to take when preparing to make your game-changing decision. So without further ado, let’s jump right into our ADT vs. Bay Alarm comparison guide. Selecting the Best Home Security System for You First off, ask yourself this question: What do you and your family need? When considering which security system is best suited to protect you and yours, it’s crucial to keep in mind your individual situation. While both ADT and Bay Alarm services offer great home protection, you may find that you’re more inclined to choose one or the other depending on pricing, equipment, features, and coverage. By taking a moment to complete a checklist of your must-haves, you’re sure to find the right setup for your home, your family, your property, and even your pets. ADT Home Security Equipment Features In our opinion, the available features and tech should be a primary focus when deciding between ADT and Bay Alarm. Considering the size of your space, such as the number of doors and windows, is also an important factor in choosing the right company. With that said, let’s go over some of the standout features that ADT and Bay Alarm have to offer. ADT Key Features ADT offers a larger initial installation package, providing sensors for protection as well as a keychain remote for activation and control over the alarm. Combining this startup offer with their extended line of additional equipment will provide an extensive amount of protection for your home. ADT also offers an app making it easy to control your security system no matter where you are (your bedroom, the beach, Vegas, you name it! ). Another feature worth mentioning is ADT’s outdoor video monitoring. This is important because, believe it or not, you can stop would-be burglars in their tracks with the right outdoor security cameras. Finally, if you’re a smart-home aficionado, ADT offers dozens of home automation products. You can customize your home with smart lights, smart locks, smart thermostats, garage door sensors, and more. Keychain remotes come in handy and will help to prevent false alarms. Keeping your remote with your car keys will help ensure that you’re never entering or exiting your home without the ability to arm, disarm, and access your home security system. ADT does tend to be a little pricier compared to Bay Alarm, but if you’re looking for a company you can trust, ADT has you covered. We recommend reading our hands-on ADT review to learn more about what it’s like living with this industry-leading system on a day-to-day basis. Bay Alarm Key Features The Bay Alarm security system also offers many different features, including a touch screen control panel that makes navigating your system easy peasy. Similar to ADT, Bay Alarm is also compatible with Z-Wave wireless technology, which means you can install smart locks, smart lights, and thermostats that “talk” to each other and can be controlled using the same touch screen panel. Additionally, Bay Alarm offers a glass-break sensor which will sound the alarm if your window is ever broken. Note that both ADT and Bay Alarm include 24/7 professional monitoring in the monthly fee. Neither company is cheap (especially compared to top DIY security brands like SimpliSafe), but we’ve found that you generally get what you pay for in home security. Bay Alarm and ADT also offer medical alert systems for seniors. The services offer an immediate medical response at the press of a button. This extra measure of safety is incredibly important and can even prove life-saving! Main Similarities Between ADT and Bay Alarm When we tested both ADT and Bay Alarm’s products, we were honestly surprised at the amount of similarities uncovered between the two. Each company has incredible ratings and both have established years and years of reliable customer service as well as outstanding home protection. With both companies you’ll be afforded 24/7 monitoring services that will provide immediate contact with local authorities in the event of an emergency. ADT and Bay Alarm can also equip you with doorbell cameras, home automation features, and smoke detectors. However, if you like to “do-it-yourself,” you may be disappointed to learn that each company requires professional installation. That being said, ADT's acquisition of LifeShield recently led to the debut of Blue by ADT, which is a DIY system. Read our Blue by ADT Doorbell Camera review for an example of their offerings. As mentioned before, no two security systems are ever the same, and it’s important to understand these differences before making your final decision. The last thing you want is to expect one feature (which you believe to be standard), only to realize later it’s not available. We, like you, prefer not to be disappointed. And so, during our ADT vs. Bay Alarm exploration we also looked into what key differences might set them apart. Keep reading to see what we uncovered! Key Differences Between ADT and Bay Alarm Although both offer great home security coverage, Bay Alarm is only offered to California residents and can often require a bit more investment when it comes to initial costs and fees. ADT, on the other hand, is a more affordable system, offering more equipment at a more affordable monthly price. They also offer coverage to homes and businesses nationwide, making it more accessible for folks all across the country. In our opinion, the accessibility of ADT, the high ratings for their technology, and ease of equipment use give them a slight edge over competitors like Bay Alarm. Costs and Contracts: How Much Can You Afford? Another factor to consider in finding the right home security system is the cost, which can make or break a decision for some families. While both ADT and Bay Alarm require professional installation, their monthly pricing plans and contracts can vary drastically. ADT and Bay Alarm both require a three-year contract, but ADT also offers a six-month money-back guarantee while Bay Alarm does not. To dig deeper into ADT’s terms, check out our ADT Contract page. Bay Alarm requires a physical in-home security audit by one of their professionals to assess your home’s exact needs. Also, another thing you need to consider is the initial investment costs for equipment and installation fees. Bay Alarm costs $345 for startup services, while ADT is more affordable, costing as low as $99 out of the gates (depending on promotions). Sticker shock? If so, take a breath and realize that startup fees and costs are pretty common within the home security industry. Although we don’t love the initial investment, the cost is usually more than worth it for the peace of mind alone. Remember, the initial fees and costs are not the only things that need to be considered. The options you desire and the monthly payment plans should be deciding factors as well. ADT has pricing tiers that start as low as $29 per month and can go as high as $53 per month. As a bonus, if you’ve previously installed surveillance equipment, ADT will provide monitoring services to you for as little as $19. 95 per month. Bay Alarm Medical Equipment Bay Alarm services are offered with pricing plans that average about $30 per month, and semiannual and quarterly payment options are also available. We also really liked that Bay Alarm offers two different medical alert plans alongside their home security offerings. One is an in-home alert with GPS, and the other is a Mobile GPS medical service. The Mobile GPS service is offered at a starting price of $29. 95 monthly, while the in-home service starts at $19. 95 per month. ADT does offer a wider selection of coverage and a larger area of services, providing contracts and alerts to homes and businesses all across the country. Unfortunately, Bay Alarm is limited to California residents only. ADT Indoor Camera (left) and Outdoor Camera (right) Summary of ADT vs. Bay Alarm So, when all is said and done, where does this leave us? ADT and Bay Alarm home security services are both well established, professional companies offering detailed and personalized programs to provide the exact coverage you need for your home. Taking the time to understand your space and precisely what you’re looking for will help you select the best option for you and your loved ones’ protection. Bay Alarm’s benefit (for those located in The Golden State) is an ideal fit for folks who value smart-home automation and reliable 24/7 monitoring. However, if you’re seeking a more affordable, well-established brand, ADT is definitely the way to go. Plus, it's available nationwide, and with ADT's movers-friendly policies, you can keep your security coverage even if you move outside of California. Ultimately, taking the time to value your home security needs and assess which company works best for you will provide not only your home with the best security, but allow for peace of mind knowing you’ve taken the steps to protect you, your loved ones, and everything you’ve worked for. When comparing home security systems, it helps to make a list of the features and offerings that are most important to you. After you’ve made your list, check it against your top choices to see which system matches up the best. If money is an issue, write down your maximum monthly budget as well. Hopefully we’ve helped to paint a clearer picture of which of these two home security systems will work best for you. There are a lot of brands out there, all with similarities and differences galore. But if there’s one piece of advice we can leave you with, it’s this: Don’t ever settle for second-best when it’s your safety and security in the balance.

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### Blink

> Blink cameras are affordable, ranging from $35 to $100, offering features like 1080p HD video, two-way talk, and smart home integration with Alexa.

- Published: 2018-04-22
- Modified: 2024-08-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/blink/



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### Kuna

> Kuna offers stylish security cameras disguised as light fixtures but lacks robust features compared to Arlo. Its AI detection is subscription-based.

- Published: 2018-04-22
- Modified: 2024-07-31
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/kuna/



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### Xfinity Reviews

> Xfinity Home offers smart security but suffers from high prices and poor customer service. Equipment is solid, yet monitoring costs range $55-$70 monthly.

- Published: 2018-04-19
- Modified: 2024-03-05
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/xfinity-comcast/reviews/



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### Xfinity

> Xfinity Home Security offers packages from $40/month with professional monitoring. Limited equipment and service areas are drawbacks, but bundling saves money.

- Published: 2018-04-19
- Modified: 2024-08-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/xfinity-comcast/



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### Abode

> Abode offers affordable, DIY home security with no long-term contracts. Kits start at $168.99. Opt for professional monitoring at $22.99/month if desired.

- Published: 2018-04-19
- Modified: 2024-08-14
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/abode/



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### AT&T Digital Life Home Security System

> AT&T Digital Life was discontinued in 2022. Customers could switch to Brinks for better cams and keypads. The service had no smart home features.

- Published: 2018-04-16
- Modified: 2024-12-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/att-digital-life/



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### Cox Homelife

> Cox Homelife bundles home security starting at $29.99/month with automation in the "Preferred" package. Includes installation fees and requires broadband.

- Published: 2018-04-16
- Modified: 2024-06-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/cox-homelife/



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### Canary

> Canary cameras offer HD video, person detection, and climate monitoring. The Flex model is wire-free and weatherproof, while Pro adds a siren. Pricing: $99-$199.

- Published: 2018-04-16
- Modified: 2024-08-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/canary/



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### ADT vs CPI Security Comparison

> ADT beats CPI with better equipment, service, and pricing. ADT offers advanced home automation, a 6-month money-back guarantee, and lower monitoring fees.

- Published: 2018-04-07
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-cpi-security/

If you’ve looked into home security at all, you’ve probably heard of ADT. They’re a huge nationwide brand with 150 years of history that basically started the home security industry. Sometimes the biggest brands are not always the best, though, and a local provider can beat them out. That’s what CPI Security tries to do by tailoring their service specifically to the Southeast. Can a local home security system beat out the biggest brand in the nation? That’s what we wanted to find out, so we bought both systems, installed them in our home, and put them head-to-head. To jump to the chase, we preferred ADT, but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. We’ll tell you everything we liked and disliked about both brands here so you can figure out which one’s right for you. Read our full, hands-on ADT review to learn more about America’s largest home security provider. ADT vs. CPI Security: An Overview of Home Security Systems While CPI Security hasn’t been around quite as long as ADT, they still have an impressive 30 years in the industry. That means both of these security systems are ones you can rely on. But, don’t take that as us saying they’re equal. After we put them both to the test, we found that ADT’s done a better job at keeping up with the times. Off the bat, ADT now offers no-contract DIY security systems that are affordable. It even made our list of the most affordable security systems. CPI Security still requires a long-term contract and professional installation. Sure, they offer free installation for most new security systems, but that can add to the hassle of buying a security system. Even though CPI Security uses high-tech inTouch devices, ADT still has them beat thanks to their recent Google partnership. Now, ADT offers Google Nest Cams, some of the few in the industry to offer facial recognition capabilities. What we’re trying to get at is that even though these providers can look similar on the surface, ADT just offers that much more nearly across the board. We’ve highlighted a few of the main aspects of each system below to help illustrate this point: >> Learn About: Best Facial Recognition Cameras of ADT vs. CPI Security Overview: Wireless Systems: For flexibility and ease of use, both ADT and CPI offer wired or wireless system options. Professional, No-Hassle Installation: If you’re not a fan of configuring and setting up complicated tech devices, you’re in luck. Both security companies provide free professional installation for most security packages. ADT’s equipment is also DIY friendly, though, making it easier to add onto your system after the initial purchase. Security Camera Recording Options: If you’re looking for security cameras that can monitor the full scope of your home, both ADT and CPI Security offer indoor and outdoor cameras with optional cloud storage. Gain peace of mind knowing that your property is protected 24/7. CPI Security - InTouch™ HD Outdoor Camera Cost: Depending on the package you choose, ADT offers specific equipment and affordable monthly monitoring rates. On the other hand, CPI Security requires an upfront equipment fee plus a monthly monitoring fee. Contracts: If you don’t like being tied down by contracts, ADT is a good option to consider. While ADT’s monitoring contracts can last up to five years for financed systems, you can also get a no-contract system if you opt to DIY your install. With CPI, you’re stuck with monitoring contracts for 3 to 5 years no matter what. While DIY installation might seem like a money saver, having a professional handle the install is sometimes a better option. Both ADT and CPI Security offer professional installation services so you can rest assured that your security system is up and running and ready to protect your home and family. What are the Main Differences Between ADT and CPI? Even though they can look similar on the surface, there are some stark differences when it comes to policies and the business management side of ADT and CPI. Here are some of the noticeable differences: ADT vs. CPI Security: Main Differences Communication Options: Something to consider is that ADT offers both cellular and landline options, but CPI only offers a cellular option. We do know that cellular systems provide faster alert transmission, but if cellular signal isn't reliable where you live, consider going with a landline system from ADT. Money-Back Guarantee: Unlike CPI, ADT offers a six-month, money-back guarantee. However, ADT’s money-back guarantee is only for issues with your system that ADT can’t resolve. Still, it’s a lot better than nothing, which is what CPI offers. Warranty: If there’s wear and tear on your equipment or faulty errors, ADT has an impressive warranty that lasts for as long as you stay subscribed to their Quality Service Plan. CPI’s warranty expires after one year. Reputation: This is an intangible benefit, but it’s a benefit nonetheless. ADT has been around since the 1800’s, much longer than CPI Security. And as they say, with age comes experience. ADT has a solid reputation for quality products and reliable monitoring. Home Automation: Although CPI Security offers inTouch equipment, ADT’s recent partnership with Google Nest puts their home automation capabilities a step above CPI. Customer Support Availability: CPI Security is only available through a phone call or email, whereas ADT is accessible by almost any means from live chat and social media to phone calls and email. ADT’s white glove installation technician gave us a brown cover for our entry sensors to better match the color of our door. Main Similarities Between ADT and CPI Security Like we mentioned, ADT and CPI Security have some commonalities that go beyond a surface level. Here are some of their core similarities: ADT and CPI Similarities Professional Monitoring: For consumers looking for 24/7 monitoring, both ADT and CPI offer quality monitoring services. Easy Installation: To simplify the whole installation process, ADT and CPI Security both offer professional wired or wireless installations. Even ADT’s DIY option is easy to install. We set ours up in about 45 minutes. Mobile Apps: One of the perks is that you can access your security systems remotely, wherever you are. You can access and control both ADT and CPI via mobile app when you’re out shopping or away on vacation. ADT’s mobile app provided an intuitive interface to control every aspect of our security system. Home Security Devices: Both ADT and CPI offer similar basic equipment packages to meet your home security needs. HD Security Cameras: ADT and CPI Security each have top-notch indoor and outdoor security cameras with HD resolution. Talk about deterring intruders and restoring peace of mind. Video-Verified Alarms: If you opt for a security system with security cameras, both companies offer video-verified alarms. With this feature, monitoring agents can confirm an alert is real and get emergency personnel to your home faster. Both ADT and CPI have A+ ratings from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Since they both offer high-quality customer service, you’ll feel confident knowing that ADT and CPI offer exceptional security systems designed to keep you and your family safe in the event of an emergency. ADT vs. CPI: In-Depth Comparison of Home Security Systems Now that we’ve given you a high-level overview, let’s dig into the details of both systems. We’ll compare each of the factors our security experts use when assessing the quality of a security system so you can figure out which provider is right for you like a pro. Mobile Apps A mobile app will allow you to access and manage your home security system remotely. Here are some of the main differences we’ve discovered between ADT and CPI mobile apps: Here’s a quick look at two menus in the CPI inTouch mobile app. Home Automation: While the CPI mobile app allows you to manage smart devices such as locks and plugs, ADT’s automation features take the edge largely thanks to their partnership with Google Nest. We even used it to automate aspects of our security system based on who was at our front door with our Google Nest Video Doorbell’s facial recognition. Remote System Control: Both mobile apps are relatively easy to use when it comes to controlling your security system remotely. ADT gave us a more modern interface, though. Paywalled Features: CPI’s entire mobile app can still be used without a monitoring subscription, whereas ADT locks their premium features like home automation behind a monitoring subscription. We think the extra automation capabilities that ADT offers more than make up for the required subscription. Home Security Contracts A home security contract will typically highlight everything from costs, penalties, to warranties and contract duration. We’ve broken down some of the main discrepancies between the contracts used by ADT and CPI. Let’s dig in to see what you can expect. ADT’s Contract Overview If you’re sold on ADT’s professional installation service, you’ll have to sign a three-year contract. On the upside, ADT doesn’t charge penalties if you cancel the contract within the first six months due to an issue with the system that they can’t resolve. Or, you can go with ADT’s DIY installation option to avoid that contract altogether. >> Read More: Best No-Contract Home Security Systems of For an extra fee, ADT offers an Extended Limited Warranty and Quality Service Plan (QSP). This warranty will cover any repair or replacement costs of equipment malfunction. If an ADT technician is required on-site, expect a $99 fee. CPI Security Contract Overview Unfortunately, CPI requires you to sign a 3 to 5 year contract for its monitoring services no matter what. And if you ever decide to cancel, you’ll need to provide a 60-day written notice, otherwise your contract will automatically renew for another year (ouch). So that’s something you’ll definitely want to consider before pulling out your pocketbook or purse. They offer an industry-standard, one-year warranty on their equipment, but that’s not even long enough to cover the length of their contract. We expect a security system to offer a warranty at least as long as the contract we’re signing. We recommend that you always keep a backup copy of your agreement. If you lose your contract, make sure to request another copy from your security company. This way, if you ever need to cancel, you’ll have all the fine print at your fingertips. ADT vs CPI Security Pricing Although close in price, ADT offers more flexibility and lower overall costs. ADT also offers a lot more transparency into their pricing, so you know exactly what you’re getting into. Whereas, CPI Security requires you to call for a custom quote. Here are the details. ADT’s Costs and Payment Options The monthly monitoring fees for ADT range from $24. 99 to $49. 99. For some reason, they charge $10 more per month for monitoring if you had your system professionally installed. Even with that added fee, their monitoring rates are still lower than CPI Security’s. ADT also lets you choose whether you pay for your equipment upfront or spread out your payments with financing. They offer financing plans of up to five years, but long-term financing requires professional installation for most systems. DIY systems can be financed for up to 12 months through Affirm. When paid upfront, ADT’s packages start at $349, but you should expect to pay over $500 to secure a mid-sized home. Check out our full guide to ADT plans, packages, and pricing. There you’ll find lots of great information to further narrow down your options. CPI Security Costs and Payment Options CPI Security charges monitoring fees that range anywhere from $39. 99 to $64. 99 per month depending on the custom system your agent created for you. Unlike ADT, CPI does not offer financing options, so you need to pay for your equipment upfront, which can easily cost well over $500 for a mid-sized home. You may also have to pay for installation with CPI, though they’ve been known to waive this pesky fee. Overall, CPI Security costs more than ADT. Main Features and Tech Quality home security equipment should be designed to help you easily manage your system without losing precious time. That’s what the main features and tech of both ADT and CPI Security aim to provide, although they both offer different innovations. ADT’s Main Features and Tech Here we are proudly showing off our ADT yard sign that’s sure to make any burglar think twice. One of the standout features you get with ADT is access to their SMART Monitoring system. That’s their text-based alerting system, but it goes beyond standard text-based alerts. They let you set up a group for your home who all receive alerts so that anybody who’s home during an alert can confirm the alarm or report it as a false alert — all while keeping everyone up-to-date in real time. This system also allows them to send 911 centers alarms electronically, saving time as they receive the alert immediately instead of after a phone call. When it comes to convenience features, ADT stands out with their Google integration. We paired our ADT system with our Google Nest Thermostat to make the heating in our house automatically turn down when we armed our security system in Away mode. ADT’s Google partnership also enables their Trusted Neighbor feature. That allows you to automatically let specific people into your home during set times or for alarm events using the facial recognition in the Nest Cams. This capability is why we put ADT at the top of our best security cameras list. CPI Security’s Main Features and Tech Easily, the biggest standout feature from CPI Security is their Night Guard protection. Basically, CPI Security’s cameras use AI to detect suspicious activity. Once detected, CPI’s monitoring agents can access your camera’s live feed to investigate further and use the two-way audio in the camera to scare away potential threats if any are identified. It actually works similar to the Active Guard Outdoor Protection feature we tried when we tested SimpliSafe. However, we prefer SimpliSafe’s solution a bit more since they offer a plan for overnight protection or 24/7 protection — CPI Security only offers overnight protection. We dig more into the differences in our CPI Security vs. SimpliSafe comparison. ADT is yet to roll out a comparable feature, so active monitoring is an area where CPI stands out. >> Learn More: CPI Security System Review for ADT vs. CPI Security: Installation ADT’s installation tech did a great job hiding our equipment. Can you see the glass break sensor in the photo above? If you want to DIY your installation to avoid a long-term contract, you’ll have to go with ADT. CPI Security requires professional installation, whereas ADT offers it as an option. Both charge similar rates for professional installation ranging up to $299, although you can get it included for free with most systems. Both ADT and CPI can help you build out a custom system for your home. You can even get a professional technician to come out and assess your house. We prefer this approach to security companies that leave you to build out a system on your own, as we know most homeowners are not security experts like us. Smart Home Integrations While smart home automation seemed gimmicky a few years ago, today we can’t see how we ever lived without it. Whether it’s our Philips Hue lights that automatically turn on as we come home for work or our washing machine sending us a push notification when it’s done, it makes our life easier. Integrating our smart home devices into our security systems makes our home safer, too. So, let’s take a look at what can integrate into ADT and CPI. >> Read About: Best Smart Home Automation Security Systems in ADT Smart Home Integrations The Google Nest Cams we bought with our ADT system sent alerts that told us who our cameras saw. As a partner of Google, of course ADT integrates with all of Google’s smart home devices. They’re some of the best on the market, so we definitely appreciated this integration. And, needless to say, ADT’s our favorite security system with Google Home compatibility. It also integrates with Alexa for voice control over your security system. Beyond that, though, ADT offers a lot of their own smart home devices. That makes it a great choice if you don’t already own home automation devices. If you opt for professional installation, your technician will install all of those smart home devices for you and help you set them up. If you already own a bunch of smart home devices, don’t rule out ADT yet. They also offer Z-Wave compatibility — one of the most common communication protocols for smart home products, supporting over 4,000 different smart home devices. ADT’s full smart home capabilities require at least a Smart Monitoring plan, which starts at $29. 99 per month. That plan includes 24/7 professional monitoring and cellular backup for your system as well. CPI Security Smart Home Integrations While CPI Security offers some smart home integrations, ADT offers a lot more. They also don’t offer any integrations that ADT can’t support. Here’s a quick list of CPI Security’s integrations: AeoTec Apple TV and Watch EATON Fire TV Jasco Kwikset Lennox Leaviton LiftMaster Linear Lux Schlage Yale Remember, ADT supports over 4,000 different devices through its Z-Wave compatibility, so there were too many integrations for us to list. Security Cameras Having security cameras throughout your house can help deter crimes such as vandalism, break-ins, or theft. If you have a way to record the footage of your security cameras, they also gather the evidence you need to pursue charges and submit insurance claims. Here are the main differences between ADT and CPI’s security cameras: ADT Security Cameras We mounted our Google Nest Cam on the side of our house overlooking our driveway so we could see who was coming and going. ADT now offers Google Nest Cams. We tested their system before and after this transition, and we must say, we prefer the Google Nest Cams by a lot. They power the Trusted Neighbor feature we talked about earlier. Plus, they’re all-around high-quality cameras with all the features we look for, like enough resolution to make out a license plate in our garage and two-way talk. ADT Indoor Camera CPI Security Cameras We like the Google Nest Cams that ADT offers a bit more for their facial recognition, but CPI is no slouch when it comes to their security cameras. They use Intelligent Video Activity Notifications (IVAN) technology that enables the system to identify people, animals, and vehicles. This is similar to what we see in modern security cameras with artificial intelligence, which is certainly a good thing as it cuts down on false alerts by a lot. IVAN also powers the Night Guard monitoring service we talked about earlier where a potential threat prompts a monitoring agent to use your camera and scare them away. Professional Monitoring Both ADT and CPI employ a team of experts whose duty it is to monitor home security systems. In the event of an emergency, your security system will alert the monitoring team, and they can dispatch police if needed. The professional monitoring services of ADT and CPI are fairly similar. Here are a few of the standout features both offer: 24/7 Monitoring: Both ADT and CPI Security offer 24/7 professional monitoring services. Response Times: In our experience, we’ve seen 30-second response times with ADT and CPI. TMA 5-Diamond Certified: Both brands hold the TMA 5-Diamond certification, which is the gold standard in the home security industry for fast and reliable monitoring. The main difference between ADT and CPI’s professional monitoring service is the number of monitoring centers they have. CPI only has one monitoring center located in Charlotte, NC, while ADT operates six redundant monitoring centers spread across the U. S. That really exemplifies CPI’s focus on the Southeast region, whereas ADT’s a nationwide brand. How To Decide Which Security System Is Best for Me? Overall, we like ADT more than CPI Security. They offer higher-quality services, more advanced technology, and a better buying experience with transparent pricing. That’s not to say it’s always better, but, for most cases, you’d be better off with ADT. The only exceptions we see where CPI Security outperforms ADT is with their Night Guard monitoring feature and if you want to support a local company. If you find people regularly lurking around your house at night, the Night Guard monitoring feature will come in handy. And, if you make it a point to shop local, CPI Security offers that. Other than those two cases, we’d always recommend ADT over CPI. FAQs About ADT vs. CPI Security

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### ADT vs Google Nest

> ADT beats Google Nest in most categories, with a SecureScore of 9.2/10. ADT offers professional installation, full home security, and 24/7 monitoring.

- Published: 2018-04-03
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-nest/

Having a professional monitoring system installed in your home provides you with the peace of mind of knowing that if a break-in occurs, police won’t be far behind. ADT and Google Nest are two of the leading brands in the industry, offering high-quality security products with innovative features and dependable professional monitoring. But which one is the right fit for your personal needs? In this in-depth comparison guide, you’ll learn all about these two elite VIPs of the home security arena. Google Nest recently discontinued the Nest Secure home security system. They still offer top-of-the-line security cameras (which we’ll discuss in this comparison guide), but if you’re looking for a comparable system to Nest Secure, have a look at our Nest Secure Alternatives page. Key Features of ADT and Google Nest The first thing we look for when shopping around for a new security setup is, you guessed it, the features! In our bid to help with your decision-making process, we’ve gone ahead and gathered the top perks of ADT and Google Nest all in one place. Here’s what we found: ADT is a well-known brand that offers professional installation for all their home security systems. Google Nest is relatively new to the home security industry and offers high-quality surveillance cameras with DIY installation options. ADT offers complete home security, with modern extras like key fobs for remote arming and disarming of their systems, as well as a convenient mobile app for Android or Apple devices. ADT requires users to agree to a three-year contract; however, there are no contracts involved with Google Nest. To learn all about what it’s like living with and using ADT, we recommend checking out our in-depth ADT review. ADT Home Security Equipment Similarities Between ADT and Google Nest Now that we’ve gone over the basics, let’s check out how these two industry giants really pair up against one another. To help with your decision, we managed to get a hold of both ADT and Nest packages and tested each system for several days. The similarities between the two surprised even us (and we like to think we’ve seen everything). To start things off, both systems’ prices are pretty close in comparison and each company is considered more expensive than many of their competitors. Both feature advanced technology with their equipment, and their respect in the industry provides people with a level of confidence that makes both systems desirable to would-be customers. ADT has been popular for many years and most homeowners are familiar with the brand, even if they’ve never used their service. Although Google Nest is new to the industry, they have quite the competitive edge being owned by Google, a company known for innovation. Here are a few other parallels we’ve uncovered: Both ADT and Google Nest offer security systems with indoor and outdoor cameras. Both offer remote access and control via mobile app. That is, you can view livestream footage of your security cameras using your smartphone. Both offer high-quality equipment that’s built to last, with generous equipment warranties to boot. ADT and Google Nest have both earned a spot on our top 10 list of best home security systems. ADT offers three security packages that provide 24/7 professional intrusion monitoring, as well as fire, carbon monoxide, and flood monitoring. Nest Cam IQ indoor and outdoor, in box Differences Between ADT and Google Nest You’ll be surprised to find that there are several key differences between ADT and Nest Secure systems that might make or break your decision. As a matter of fact, you can find differences between the two brands in practically every area except for the price. First off, ADT requires their customers to have all systems professionally installed and agree to a lengthy contract to boot. Google Nest, on the other hand, is DIY-friendly and allows users to install the systems on their own. They also do not require a contract to use their services. Lastly, ADT leases out their equipment, while homeowners must purchase all the equipment up front from Google Nest. A few additional tidbits: ADT offers whole home security with entryway sensors, motion sensors, and the like. Google Nest only sells security cameras at this time. ADT is designed to work along with various Wi-Fi routers, cellular networks, and even landlines. Google Nest, on the other hand, requires Wi-Fi and it may not be compatible with all wireless routers. ADT offers a lifetime warranty with their systems, while Google Nest does not. Blue by ADT App All You Need to Know About ADT and Google Nest When we tested Google Nest, we found it to be a customizable and high-tech home security system that includes many smart automation features. While it has not been around as long as ADT, it is still a top competitor and gives the well-known industry leader a run for their money. Here are all the factors you should consider between the two brands before deciding which is best for you and yours. Key Features Nest offers video doorbells, smart detectors, indoor and outdoor HD surveillance cameras, and the Nest Learning Smart Thermostat. Owned by Google, this system is designed to be compatible with today’s latest high-tech smart home devices. It is a wireless, camera-based system with cloud storage options for video storage. The all-new Nest Cam lineup boasts some of the smartest features we’ve seen in a security camera, including person detection and AI-powered facial recognition. Included in this lineup are the Nest Cam Battery (a battery-operated indoor/outdoor camera), Nest Cam Indoor (an affordable plug-in indoor camera), and the Nest Cam Floodlight (a floodlight-equipped outdoor cam). ADT provides customers with full home protection with window and door sensors, motion detectors, and indoor/outdoor cameras. They are continually improving their home security systems and plans, and customers can access many of today’s home automation options, such as smart locks, thermostats, and lights. The company also allows users to arm or disarm their systems using a mobile app or key fob. ADT systems may be connected using cellular-based or landline connections and they are designed to detect floods, fire, or leaks. To top things off, all motion detectors are pet-friendly. Google Nest features a Pathlight setting that will light your way in the dark by providing a soft LED light. This way, even in the middle of the night, you can see where you’re going (we see you Dracula). Contracts ADT requires you to sign a three-year contract, but the company does offer a six-month money-back guarantee for those afraid of commitment. If you choose to cancel your service within the initial six months (whatever the reason), you can return the equipment and all monitoring expenses will be refunded. Google Nest doesn’t require any long-term commitment. But they also don’t offer professional monitoring, either. Pricing You can choose from any of ADT’s multiple packages for your home security needs. The cost of these packages can range between $29 and $56 per month and you have the option of adding on different devices for an additional charge. Unfortunately, there is also a $125 installation fee that must be paid up front. With Google Nest, you purchase the cameras upfront. The Nest Cam Battery costs $179, the Nest Cam Indoor sells for $99, while the Nest Cam Floodlight retails for $279. With Google Nest, you purchase the cameras upfront. The Nest Cam IQ Indoor and Nest Cam IQ Outdoor cameras run between $199 and $399 for a single device. It’s not cheap, but you certainly get what you pay for here. ADT’s 24/7 home monitoring is available for less than $1 per day, making their service affordable for most families. Installation All ADT home security systems must be installed by a professional technician and there is a fee for installation (sorry DIYers) that ranges from $99 to $199. Google Nest allows customers to install their own security cameras. We like the DIY flexibility here. And honestly, it only takes about 20 minutes to install the outdoor camera, and 5 to 10 minutes to install the indoor camera. No sweat. Emergency Connections ADT offers a 24/7 professional monitoring service that will respond in the event of a triggered alarm or alert. If that happens, a representative from the monitoring service will alert the local authorities immediately. ADT systems are connected to this service using either a landline or cellular connection (ideal for those in both the city and the country). Google Nest, on the other hand, no longer offers 24/7 professional monitoring. So this is something to keep in mind if you’re looking for whole home security backed by a monitoring center. Which Is Best: ADT or Google Nest? Overall, if you are interested in full home protection from a dependable brand that includes top-of-the-line equipment with their system, ADT is our top choice. They continue to be the most renowned brand in the industry and have adapted over the years to include the latest in modern technology. For over 140 years, ADT has provided consistent and reliable security for its customers. Although Google Nest is new to the home security industry, they are still a strong competitor for ADT. The Google-owned company provides highly-sophisticated, do-it-yourself camera systems for homeowners and renters alike. Also, unlike ADT, there’s no long-term contract to stress about (always a bonus in our book! ). So if your main concern is finding a reliable and dependable system from a top industry brand, then ADT is the obvious choice. If you’re more interested in convenience and surveillance, Google Nest is your best bet. At the end of the day, regardless of your decision, you and your family will feel safe and secure.

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### Vivint vs Nest Comparison

> Vivint beats Nest with free professional installation, lifetime warranty, and lower costs. Nest discontinued; Vivint offers more features and better ratings.

- Published: 2018-04-01
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-vs-nest/

Note: Google has discontinued Nest Secure. So we recommend checking out our list of the best home security systems to explore your options. If you're looking for the best possible home security company for your needs you will first need to determine what your needs are, then take a look at other available options you might not have considered. Then you can narrow down your choices by studying reviews and online comparisons of each. Overview: Nest vs Vivint Vivint and Nest (whose parent company is Google) are both nationally, well-known home security companies. Vivint is a 100% wireless installation and Nest's system is almost completely wireless except for the wired Guard hub that must be placed on a flat surface near the door you use most often. Vivint requires professional installation, but there's no charge for that service. The Nest system is a quick and easy DIY installation. Vivint offers both indoor and outdoor cameras; however, the Nest Secure starter kit doesn't offer any security cameras at all. So if you want security cameras, you will need to purchase the Nest Cam video cameras separately. Vivint offers a lifetime warranty and the Nest Secure has a limited two-year warranty. Vivint is more affordable than Nest Secure and has quite a few more included features than Nest. In addition, Vivint will professionally install your system for free. Vivint requires a 4-, to 5-year contract. If you choose to have your Nest system monitored they do have a month-to-month or a three-year contract available. Similarities: Vivint vs Nest There are a few similarities between Vivint and Nest. However, Vivint is a more traditional home security company, whereas the Nest offerings are more of a buy the basic package (which is quite expensive) then add on additional features you like, each for an additional cost on top of what you already paid for the basic Nest Secure. Both offer remote access via a mobile app. Vivint and Nest both offer indoor/outdoor security cameras; however, Nest's security cameras are sold separately and not included in any one package, they are an add-on. Both companies offer monitoring services with varying contracts and prices. Both offer intelligent sensors and a wide variety of smart home automation features. Both will send an alert to your phone if motion is detected. Differences: Vivint vs Nest If you like the thought of buying a home security package, then Vivint might be a better choice. However, if you would prefer to pay for a basic package then add on the options you want, then Nest might be a better fit; however, you will ultimately pay more overall by doing so. There are also some differences in the contract requirements depending on which company you choose. Vivint requires you to sign a 4-, to 5-year contract, whereas Nest offers a 3-year contract or you can choose their month-to-month option. Vivint's security system requires professional installation, whereas Nest's Secure system is completely a DIY installation. Vivint offers a lifetime warranty and Nest Secure only offers a limited 2-year warranty. Overall the Nest system is much more expensive than other products on the market. And, if you decide to add anything else, or opt for monitoring, your overall costs will skyrocket. Features Vivint home security packages include cellular and landline options with their service. They also offer indoor and outdoor security cameras, a doorbell camera with a two-way voice feature, remote mobile access, many home automation features, and some environmental disaster protection features as well. Nest Secure (which is their basic package) comes with a multi-function Nest Guard hub that integrates a siren, motion sensor, and a keypad, as well as two Nest Detect motion detectors and two Nest Tag key fobs for easy activation. However, as we mentioned above, this is for the Nest Secure system which can be expanded with other Nest features, such as a Nest Cam which are the indoor/outdoor cameras or a cellular backup plan which requires a monitoring subscription, etc. Contracts Vivint offers 4-, and 5-year nationwide contracts. Nest Secure doesn't require a contract unless you opt for professional monitoring services. The monitoring contracts are either a month-to-month option or a 3-year monitoring commitment. Pricing Vivint pricing is a little more clear-cut because they offer package pricing, which starts at $29. 99 per month and their camera functionality option starting at $39. 99 per month plus $5/mo. per camera. The Vivint system also comes with a mobile app and free installation. Additionally, they also have 0% financing options as well, if you qualify. Some restrictions apply. Nest Secure (which is their basic, no-frills starter package) is $399. However, you can add-on just about any other feature you want for an additional cost per item. For example, extra key fobs are $25 each and the Nest Cam outdoor cameras start at $199. They also offer a cellular option which requires a monitoring subscription that starts at $24. 99 per month. These prices are different from Nest's Aware subscription which starts at $10 per month for a basic, limited plan. Equipment The Vivint equipment is wireless and installed for free. You also have a cellular or landline option, Vivint Smart Hub control panels with a 7" touchscreen, a variety of security features which include a doorbell camera, remote door locks and garage door controls, thermostat controls, high definition indoor video recordings and outdoor video surveillance. Nest equipment is also wireless except for the Nest Guard control hub, but the rest of the package is a wireless installation. The Nest Secure system also includes two motion detectors, two key fobs, and a keypad panel. And, as we mentioned above, Nest offers a wide variety of features you can add-on for an additional cost. Installation Vivint's home security system requires professional installation; however, they don't charge for that service. In addition, they don't offer any DIY installation options. Nest Secure is a complete DIY installation; however, they include a very thorough step-by-step guide via the Nest app that walks you through the entire installation process and more. And the paring process is simple and easy to use as well. Emergency Connections Vivint's home security system comes with cellular connectivity and two-way voice communication features through the touchscreen panel and the doorbell as well. They also have a voice recognition feature for your security and convenience. Nest doesn't offer any type of emergency connections except for the Nest doorbell which does include a two-way communications feature. Summary: Nest vs Vivint With so many choices out there it's going to take some time to narrow down your options. Vivint's home security system is top-notch and they have a solid reputation in the industry. And although their prices are a bit high, they do offer a wide variety of home security and home automation features for a comparatively lower cost than Nest. Additionally, they also provide your options in packages, whereas with Nest you have to wade through each individual option, gather the different prices and potential contract requirements for each, then try to make some sense of it all. However, with that being said, Nest does offer top-quality hardware with plenty of room for the integration of their other products as well. So decide which products you need and which ones you don't. Then you can perform some side-by-side comparisons and read their respective reviews. This will make it easier to decide which home security company and products are right for you. Read our full review of Vivint

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### ADT vs Xfinity Comparison

> ADT outshines Xfinity in home security with superior customer service, longer industry presence, and advanced equipment, despite similar pricing.

- Published: 2018-03-31
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-xfinity/

ADT and Xfinity, two of the most elite players in the field of home security, are alike in many ways. ADT has been in the game much longer than Xfinity and is known in the industry as a leader in home security systems, innovations, and products. Xfinity, on the other hand, is well-versed with saving you money and offers plans that bundle their home security systems with other services (like cable TV and broadband internet). Deciding which company to choose for your specific needs can be a daunting challenge and there can be a lot of pressure in selecting the right one. So, to help you out (and because we care), we’ve stepped in and tested each system over several days to ease your decision-making process. ADT Home Security Equipment We found that both companies offer reliable services and both have maintained a reputation for quality products over the years. That said, you’ll need to base your decision on which features are most important to you and which company offers the best services that still meet your family’s budget. So let’s dive right in to our ADT vs. Xfinity comparison! Similarities Between ADT and Xfinity After using both systems, we were surprised to find a good amount of overlap when it comes to features and tech. Both ADT and Xfinity offer quality systems at a reasonable monthly price. With that said, each system features complex devices and equipment and must be installed by a company professional. This might be a win for some, but a possible annoyance for others (we sympathize DIYers). We really liked that both systems included many of the same features such as multiple window and door sensors, touchscreen control panels, motion sensors, and the option to add on devices from other companies like doorbell cameras and outlet controllers. ADT Indoor Camera Both ADT and Xfinity offer services starting at around $29-$39 per month. Differences Between ADT and Xfinity No two home security systems are ever the same and we found this to ring true for these top dogs as well. Although both companies are reliable for the level of home security they offer, ADT is better known in the industry. Xfinity, by comparison, is more known in the market for its cable and internet services, but many are unaware of their other bundling options that can help save you money. One of the key differences we found between ADT and Xfinity is their customer service reputation (which can be a game changer in stressful situations). ADT is known for having excellent customer support, while Xfinity is a bit lackluster in this area, having become infamous for its poor customer service and satisfaction ratings. All right, truthfully, Xfinity has really cleaned up their act lately. But if you were to base your decision solely on service, we think ADT would be the obvious choice. To learn more about ADT, check out our hands-on ADT review. And if you’re curious about Xfinity and their fast-growing home security offerings, have a look at our review of Xfinity. Standout Features and Tech of ADT and Xfinity Personally, we feel that you should always consider the features of a system when making your ultimate decision so that you can personalize your setup based on your needs. Both ADT and Xfinity systems offer must-haves like home automation services and, due to their complexity, professional installation. Each also requires you to sign a long-term contract which, albeit annoying, isn’t a deal breaker for us. Here are a few of the top features offered by both ADT and Xfinity Home Security. ADT Features With ADT’s advanced equipment, you can customize your package to meet your family’s specific security needs. Most packages include the following: Digital Panel: Easy-to-navigate digital panel makes operating your home security system a simple task. Remote Key Fob: Activate your alarms or call for help with this convenient key fob that can be carried around with your house keys. Entry Sensors: Get an alert any time your doors or windows are opened unexpectedly. Motion Sensors: Find out when there is unusual activity occurring outside your home and alert the authorities. Environmental Detection: Get alerts when smoke sensors detect smoke or when CO sensors detect dangerous levels of gasses. Home Automation: ADT is a leading brand when it comes to smart home security. Use smart lights, smart locks, smart thermostats, and more to control your home wherever you go. You can add loads of equipment to your ADT system. Some options include a panic button and carbon monoxide detectors. You can also add indoor and outdoor cameras, as well as video doorbell viewers featuring two-way communication. Xfinity Features Here are the top features included with Xfinity’s home security system: Touchscreen Controls: Navigate your system’s settings easily by using this simple touchscreen display. Multiple Door and Window Sensors: Know when a door or window is open on any level of your home with multiple sensors included. Motion Sensors: Be alerted when there is unusual activity or movement outside your home with these quality motion sensors. Smart Home System: ADT offers lots of smart products and smart integrations so that you can automate your lights, thermostat, cameras, door locks, etc. Optional Zen Thermostat: Save energy and keep your home at the optimal temperature when adding a Zen Thermostat to your system. Optional Outlet Controllers: You can add outlet controllers for your lights and other electronics inside your home and control it all using your smartphone. These outlet controllers do not have to be installed by a professional. Like ADT, Xfinity also offers sensors and other devices that monitor environmental issues such as fire, water, freezing temperatures, or flooding. Some devices will even detect carbon monoxide or smoke in the home. The environmental monitors will send out alerts whenever they are triggered by moisture or an extreme temperature drop. ADT vs. Xfinity: Cost and Fees When you’re looking for a new home security system, you usually want to get the best security level at the right price (so do we! ). Here are the costs and fees associated with both ADT and Xfinity to help narrow down your decision. ADT Pricing A $99 installation fee is charged up front for all systems. ADT offers four home security packages: Basic Plan: $28 per month Basic + Wireless Connect: $49 per month Pulse + Video Plan: $59 per month ADT Pulse + Smart Home Connect: $60 per month Note that ADT does require customers to agree to a three-year contract. Here’s our latest roundup of ADT’s pricing, plans, and packages. ADT has a professional monitoring service center that can alert the local authorities (if needed) when your system is triggered in the event of a break-in. Additional notifications can be sent to anyone listed on your contact list. Xfinity Pricing Although you’re not required to have other Xfinity Comcast services in order to use their home security service, you can benefit from bundling discounts if you do. If you do not have other services through Comcast, such as cable or internet, the home security system starts at $39. 99 per month. Comcast Xfinity Home Security Mobile App If you choose to bundle your security system with another service, it will cost $29. 99 a month for the first year, then goes up to $39. 99. There may also be hidden fees along with your activation fee (something to look out for). Comcast also charges customers an additional $9. 99 per month per camera if you choose 24/7 home surveillance (with up to 10 days of video storage). Xfinity’s home security equipment may be high-quality, but it is still not as advanced as ADT’s. When the equipment is working correctly though, it does offer excellent protection using the fully automated home system. Xfinity’s home security equipment prices are standard. Prices start at $350 for a basic system that only includes one video camera. If you would like to purchase multiple cameras, you will be charged an additional fee. If you reside in an area that offers lower Xfinity prices for all their services, and if you are currently an Xfinity customer, it would be worth looking into adding home security to your Xfinity bundle. However, if you’re just interested in a new home security plan and you aren’t a Comcast customer, we think ADT would be the way to go. Here’s our latest on Xfinity home security plans and pricing. Xfinity Complete Home Security System Which Is Better: ADT or Xfinity? Choosing between ADT and Xfinity can be a difficult decision, especially if you’re trying to save money. Both companies utilize high-quality equipment that operates on the latest tech and they also each require you to sign a three-year contract (afraid there’s no getting out of that with these two). If you’re looking for a company that has been around for many years and knows the ins and outs of home security, ADT is the best option. They’ve been in the industry for over a century and are qualified experts in keeping families safe. On the other hand, Xfinity has only offered home security packages for the past 10 years and, although they seem to have a good security system overall, they may not be as knowledgeable about the business. Xfinity requires a three-year contract to be signed before activating the service. If you decide you don’t like the system, you will still have to pay for the three-year service (we did not appreciate this provision in the slightest, especially given that ADT has a six-month guarantee). When it comes to price, there isn’t that much of a difference between the two. Both ADT and Xfinity offer services starting around $39 per month. However, if you decide to bundle your Xfinity cable, phone, or internet services with your plan, you’ll only pay $29. 99 per month for the first year. Not bad. So, with both companies offering similar features, the same price, and the same contract agreement term, how do you decide which is right for you? Here’s our advice: If you’re in the market for a new cable or internet provider, Xfinity would probably be your best bet financially as you’ll have the added benefit of saving $10 per month on your home security setup the first year. That being said, you should make sure that the second year prices are within your budget. However, if you’re looking for an established home security company that has been around for a very long time (almost 150 years! ), and one that is known for its superior customer service and support, ADT is the top contender. Not loving either option? Not to worry. Check out our rundown of the best home security systems in the industry. We think you’ll like your options.

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### Vivint vs. Ring Comparison

> Vivint wins with advanced automation and professional monitoring, while Ring offers budget-friendly DIY options. Both are top choices for home security.

- Published: 2018-03-30
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-vs-ring/

Vivint and Ring home security systems are both extremely functional. They offer a wide variety of features, but there are key differences when it comes to pricing, installation, technology, and 24/7 monitoring. Have a look at how these two popular brands measure up against one another. The home security market offers a wide range of options, and that becomes clear when you look at Vivint and Ring side-by-side. Vivint is a premier home security brand that offers bespoke security systems tailored to each user’s security needs. It focuses its protection around professional monitoring, as well as its strong home automation capabilities. Ring, on the other hand, can still be tailored to your needs, but you’d do that on your own. There are no expert consultations or professional installation. The upside is that Ring’s costs are lower and it’s more budget-flexible because professional monitoring is optional. After testing both systems side-by-side, we’ve decided to give Vivint higher marks. This doesn’t mean that Ring is a poor choice – both systems made our list of the best security systems of , meaning they are the best of the best. But, if you keep on reading, you’ll find out why we recommend Vivint over Ring (and why some might want to choose Ring over Vivint). Senior Editor Andrew Garcia unboxing the Vivint Outdoor Camera. Overview of Vivint and Ring A little background might help you better understand how vastly different Vivint and Ring are. Vivint started off nearly three decades ago, and, from the beginning, they’ve been installing home security systems built around sensors and security cameras. Professional monitoring has also been a part of its offering ever since. On the other hand, Ring started off in 2013 as a manufacturer of doorbell cameras. They actually pioneered that industry, but didn’t have a full-fledged security system until five years later. Today, the difference between Ring and Vivint has narrowed. When we shopped for both systems, we saw that they offer: Multiple security cameras, including indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cameras Security and environmental (smoke, CO, water) sensors Professional monitoring services (but Ring’s is optional) Home automation capabilities and smart home integrations >> Related: The Best Security Systems With Home Automation Ring Alarm (2nd Gen) equipment If you look closely, though, you’ll still notice some stark differences, such as: Vivint requires professional monitoring, while Ring is a DIY system. Ring home automation is limited to Alexa and a few other third-party devices, while Vivint works with a wide range of smart home brands. Ring offers over a dozen different camera models, while Vivint has only one indoor, outdoor, and doorbell camera each. Vivint’s prices tend to sit on the upper end of the industry, while Ring positions itself as an affordable security solution. Let’s zoom in on those similarities and differences. Similarities Between Vivint and Ring Beyond the basic similarities we mentioned above, we noticed a few things that Vivint and Ring do similarly during testing. One is how security cameras take a central role in their protection. Vivint and Ring Security Cameras Our Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro before it was installed outdoors. While Vivint offers fewer security camera options than Ring, they have a feature called Smart Deter. This is basically a customizable, rule-based protection that lets you set parameters that trigger the camera’s built-in deterrents. For example, we set our Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro (pictured above) to play a soft chime and activate its LED ring when it sees a person lurk within our property for more than two minutes. We think this is a great feature for deterring burglars before they even get into our home. Boxed Up Ring Security Cameras As for Ring, two of its security cameras have built-in lighting – the Spotlight Cam and the Floodlight Cam – and both are great at catching intruders off-guard. While we didn’t find it as customizable as Vivint’s Smart Deter, bright lights suddenly coming on as soon as an intruder steps into a restricted area can serve as a great deterrent. And, we were able to customize the detection zones and sensitivity of each Ring security camera we tested. According to a reputable study, 83 percent of burglars look for signs of increased security before breaking in, and 60 percent would look for a different target if they saw security equipment such as security cameras. Vivint and Ring Apps We also like how both Vivint and Ring make home security effortless and convenient. Most, if not all, security systems these days have apps, but Vivint and Ring’s apps stand out. Both made our list of the best home security mobile apps of . The Vivint Smart Home app’s home page, where arming controls are readily available. We like Vivint’s app because even though it’s feature-rich, it’s simple to navigate and use. We found it easy to create automations (such as Smart Deter) in the app, something that a lot of people might find intimidating. At the same time, simple controls such as arming and disarming the system, activating routines, and checking security camera footage are all easily accessible. Ring’s app also proved indispensable during testing. Unlike Vivint, Ring’s security system (Ring Alarm), security cameras, and doorbell cameras are separate offerings. Yet, when you connect them to the app, they become a cohesive system. Whenever alerts from our Ring Alarm came in, we’d simply open the notification and the app would lead us to our security camera live feeds. From there, we could also access our recording history to investigate further. >> Resources: How to Respond After a Home Burglary Vivint and Ring Differences Despite those similarities, it’s undeniable that Vivint and Ring serve different security needs. The good news is that by looking at their differences, you’ll most likely find which system is better for you. Let’s take a look at the main differences between Vivint and Ring. Vivint vs. Ring Equipment Vivint’s home security equipment revolves around the Vivint Smart Hub – a touch-screen controller. It’s the brains of the system, and it’s actually one of the best control panels we’ve used – even compared to other touchscreens like the one from the Cove system we tested. We say that because it can stream live camera feeds and even patch you through Vivint’s monitoring center during emergencies. We also found that Vivint’s equipment lineup is more well-rounded than Ring. Besides the basics like entry sensors and smoke alarms, Vivint offers specialized equipment such as garage door sensors and recessed door sensors. >> Find Out More: The Best Security Systems for Homes With A Garage When idle, our Vivint Smart Hub doubles as a weather display. As for Ring Alarm, the sensors are simple and basic. The hub has no controls whatsoever, either. We used the wireless, analog keypad to arm and disarm the system, but that’s about all it could do. What we appreciate from Ring is the vast lineup of security cameras and doorbell cameras. Sure, Vivint’s outdoor camera is impressive, but if you have specific needs – let’s say, a battery-powered outdoor camera that can go anywhere – Ring is the better choice. All its outdoor models have battery-powered options. It also offers some of the best solar-powered cameras we’ve tested. And, we haven’t even gotten to Ring’s doorbell camera options yet. With seven options to choose from, you can really dial in your home’s video coverage. >> See What We Think: Our Hands-On Ring Doorbell Cameras Review Vivint is overall better. Most of its equipment is higher quality compared to its Ring counterparts. That said, if you’re looking to cover your home with security cameras, Ring offers more options. Vivint vs. Ring Installation How you want your system installed is a matter of preference, but, if you want professional installation, we confidently declare that Vivint is one of the best professionally installed systems. You can read all about our Vivint installation experience, but, essentially, the service was white-glove from start to finish. The Smart Home Pro (technician) even scouted our home to recommend the best places to install security cameras and sensors. Jamie, one of our testers, installing the hardwired Ring Floodlight Cam by herself. Not to be outdone, though, Ring is one of the best DIY-installed systems we’ve tested. We managed to set up our Ring Alarm in under 30 minutes, and, for cameras, the average time for each was five minutes for battery-powered models and 10 minutes for wired models. We didn’t count the Floodlight Cam, however; that one took us 45 minutes because it needed hardwiring (pictured above). We’re giving this section to Ring based on the fact that it offers both DIY and professional installation (via a third-party service provider). However, if you’re looking for a professionally installed system anyway, we believe Vivint’s in-home technicians will do a better job. Vivint vs. Ring Pricing We believe both Vivint and Ring offer good value, which to us is a function of price and functionality. You’ll pay more for a Vivint system, but you’ll get better home automation features, more and better equipment options, and an overall better service. With Ring, the security system is not as tailored, you’d have to install the system yourself, and you get fewer home automations capabilities, but you’ll pay less. A Vivint system starts at $599, and monthly costs for monitoring start at $29. 99 but can go up to $49. 99 if you add security cameras (for cloud storage and video verification). Installation fees scale with the system, but expect to pay $100 to $200 for a mid-size system. We paid about $200 for an eight-piece Vivint system with security cameras. Also, keep in mind that a contract is required if you finance your equipment. Vivint’s contracts can be up to 60 months, and, during that time, you’re required to keep your monitoring subscription. As part of the installation service we paid for, the Vivint Smart Home Pro did the hard part of installing our wired Outdoor Camera Pro. Ring’s equipment packages start at $199, and you don’t need a monthly fee. You can self-monitor your Ring Alarm. If you choose professional monitoring, however, the fee starts at $19. 99, but you don’t have to sign a contract. And, take note, cloud storage for unlimited cameras is included in that fee. You don’t have to pay for installation, either. And, being an Amazon brand, you can purchase Ring equipment at a discount during sales. Let’s call this a tie, and we’d suggest picking a security system based on your budget. If your budget permits, you get better quality protection from Vivint. However, if you’re trying to save money, Ring is a reliable, affordable option. Advanced Technology Vivint and Ring both offer the latest in technology, but they have different areas of focus. Vivint offers smart home security features, using automation to improve home security and comfort. Ring, on the other hand, offers advanced security camera features. Both are useful. With Vivint, we were able to set up automations to make our home safer. We scheduled lights to turn on at a certain time whether we were home or not; we set our front door to automatically lock when we armed Vivint on our phone; and we even set some outdoor lights to turn on if Vivint detected a potential intruder. We used Vivint’s customizable app to create personalized notifications and automate routines and actions. With Ring, advanced technology has allowed us to better monitor our home. For example, our Spotlight Cam Pro offers a simulated bird’s-eye view of our front yard to show the path visitors take to our home. In case there’s a break-in, we could use the data to improve our security. We are, however, disappointed that some features require a subscription. For example, Smart Video Search. Ring’s video AI can search recorded footage. You can type in “red sedan” and it will show all your clips where a red sedan is in the frame. This can make retrieving evidence easier, but it requires the Ring Home Premium plan, which is the top-tier cloud subscription plan from Ring. Vivint takes this one because we found its advanced features more useful and practical. Plus, they’re not exclusive to security cameras. Vivint’s automation features can apply to Z-Wave devices and devices from compatible third-party brands. Our Vivint and Ring Recommendations Vivint and Ring are both great security systems, which means no matter which of the two you prefer, you can’t go wrong. They both have our stamp of approval. That said, here are some recommendations for you so you can get the most from your home security pick. If You Go With Vivint... Vivint is a premium security system, and to make the most out of your investment, we recommend going all in. That means getting security cameras, home automation gear, and signing up for the top-tier monitoring plan. Residential smart locks like this can work as a makeshift access control system. Doing that will cost you, even though it’s the best way to take advantage of all the advanced features Vivint offers. For instance, the outdoor camera alone costs $399, while the Vivint Doorbell Camera costs $199. Take a hard, close look at your security needs and only get equipment you need. You don’t need to buy unnecessary equipment to make the most out of your Vivint system. >> Learn More: Our Vivint Home Security Review If You Go With Ring... Although Ring doesn’t require professional monitoring, we recommend getting a Ring Alarm system and signing up for a monitoring plan. To do that, you’ll need either the Ring Home Standard ($9. 99) or Premium ($19. 99) cloud subscription and the $10-per-month professional monitoring add-on. As for equipment, start with a Ring Alarm system with enough sensors to cover every entryway. From there, you can work your way outside and get security cameras and doorbell cameras. We also recommend keeping an eye out for bundles. Although security systems and cameras are offered separately, Ring often offers discounted bundles that include both. >> Learn More: Our Ring Alarm Review Summary We’re really impressed with both Vivint and Ring. These systems are top-of-the-line in terms of features, monitoring capabilities, and service. Overall, we have to say that Vivint is the better system, with a couple of caveats to keep in mind. First, you’ll probably have to sign a long-term contract (no biggie if you plan on living in your home for a few years). You’ll also pay more for the system compared to Ring, but that’s to be expected considering its powerful security and smart home capabilities. If those are deal-breakers, Ring might be the better choice. You’ll sacrifice equipment quality a little bit, and you won’t enjoy advanced smart home functionalities, but it’s affordable and reliable.

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### SimpliSafe vs. abode Comparison

> SimpliSafe wins with a SecureScore of 9.2/10 due to lower cost and ease of use, while abode offers smart home integration and flexible monitoring.

- Published: 2018-03-30
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-abode/

A home security system is a vital component for a safe household, but choosing the right one can prove challenging (and daunting). The essential concern is how to best protect yourself, your family, and your property from intrusion, burglary, and potential harm. Although the system should be budget-friendly, it’s important to avoid investing in the cheapest setup you can find. Remember the old adage “you get what you pay for”? Cheap security systems are generally of poorer quality and will often perform as such. A moderately-priced option, however, should give you plenty of features at a reasonable price point. That’s where both SimpliSafe and abode come in. All home security systems are unique, and there’s really no one-size-fits-all option. So let's dive in and take a look at these two industry leaders to find out which one is right for you. abode All-In-One Gateway Packaging Of the two systems that we are comparing today, one employs smart home technology, and one doesn't. Can you guess which is which? Similarities Between SimpliSafe and abode Security systems generally resemble one another as far as capabilities go — because some things are obviously a must when protecting a home — and this rings true for both SimpliSafe and abode. Each package offers the same base components you will need to feel safe and secure in your home. SimpliSafe and abode similarities include: Motion Detector: Both SimpliSafe and abode provide motion detectors that alert you when someone (or something) is approaching your home. The detector senses energy released as heat from either animals or humans and, if close enough to the sensor, they can trigger lights, activate a camera, or generate a loud alarm. Indoor Camera: Both SimpliSafe and abode have an indoor camera for sale. With an indoor security camera, you can keep an eye on your little ones while they’re distance learning, and you’ll enjoy a little more peace of mind while you’re on vacation. We’re partial to the SimpliSafe Wireless Indoor Camera’s Intruder Intervention feature. We keep the privacy shutter shut on our SimpliSafe Wireless Indoor Camera whenever we’re home Window and Door Sensors: SimpliSafe and abode each assure homeowners’ safety by applying window and door sensors that sound the alarm should any unwelcome guests attempt to enter. You will feel more at ease knowing that if a criminal makes it to your threshold, they won’t make it inside (cue doggo). Loud Siren: A loud siren will likely startle anyone wandering onto your property (including the neighbors). Both SimpliSafe and abode include this feature as part of the package. Not only will a siren deter would-be criminals, but it will also ensure that everyone in the community knows that your home is protected. Key FOB: SimpliSafe and abode offer homeowners a key FOB (Frequency Operated Button) that has password protection. These devices allow you to arm and disarm the system remotely. If the system triggers, a representative will phone you to verify everything is clear. If there is any suspicious activity, the police will dispatch immediately. abode Key Fob DIY Setup: Both systems offer ultra-easy DIY installation. While testing SimpliSafe, it only took us 20 minutes to get up-and-running. Abode takes slightly longer to install. There’s no drilling or wiring required with either system. With a robust system that includes all these basic features, SimpliSafe and abode each ensure that you have the necessary equipment to protect your family, pets, and property. Once you finish the easy DIY installation, you are far from alone! Both SimpliSafe and abode have exceptional support services and extensive online resources at the ready for any inquiries or assistance you may need. Plus, there are apps for both Android and iPhone for easy access. SimpliSafe focuses its home security efforts on protection and safety. abode does as well, but they add home automation capabilities into the mix. Our six-piece SimpliSafe security system provided enough coverage for our small home Differences Between SimpliSafe and abode While SimpliSafe and abode each sell excellent base packages for their security systems, it’s important to note that key differences between the two exist, allowing each to better fit specific homeowner needs. SimpliSafe and abode differences include: Smart Home Features: SimpliSafe primarily concentrates on home security, but abode goes one step further with its home automation capabilities, allowing you to turn your house into a smart home. Abode’s iota base station has a built-in CUE home automation platform. The company is also advancing its digital arm with Z-Wave and Zigbee smart home devices. Unfortunately, SimpliSafe does not support this technology. Payment Plans: SimpliSafe allows customers to choose between two monthly monitoring plans, with both offering a 24/7 option. Abode is a bit more flexible as it offers a basic package, free of charge, that you can monitor on your own. You can also opt for professional, on-demand monitoring on either a three- or seven-day schedule. Return Policy: SimpliSafe will let you return the system up to 60 days from the time of purchase with a 100% money-back guarantee, while abode only offers a money-back guarantee if returned within 30 days. Check out our full review of SimpliSafe to learn more about our hands-on experience with their systems. We think you’ll like what you find. SimpliSafe vs. abode Features Keep in mind that SimpliSafe and abode are viable options when shopping for a comprehensive home security system. The basic packages are comparable, but there are critical differences between the two to better fit individual needs. Ultimately, homeowners can choose the system that’s right for them. If technology is a must-have, abode is the obvious solution, whereas SimpliSafe is an excellent choice for someone interested in home protection without a digital twist. For those interested in smart-home technology, abode is the company providing both home security and home automation services. SimpliSafe offers a full home security system, but without the digital features of a smart home. One neat feature to note is that both brands offer a mobile app for remote arming and disarming. Mobile apps let you turn your SimpliSafe or abode system on or off — no matter where you are in the world. Abode and SimpliSafe each offer iTunes and Google Play for an added bonus. These brands each have a pretty solid environmental protection option that detects frozen water pipes or leaks. Emergencies like these damage homes every year, and sadly, insurance does not always cover the damage (ouch). SimpliSafe and abode allow you to prevent such disasters, protecting both your home and your bank account. Lastly, you can also measure your home’s temperature and humidity level which can help prevent mold and mildew growth. Contracts With SimpliSafe and abode An important detail to take note of when researching security systems is finding out the term of the contract. You might find that it’s more budget-friendly to opt for a yearly contract, but it’s imperative that you realize you are legally committing to the security company for the extent of that term. A flexible plan gives you the power to cancel whenever you choose. Neither abode nor SimpliSafe require monthly monitoring contracts. With either company, you have the choice of canceling your monitoring service as you see fit. We really like the flexibility here. To learn more about what it’s like using abode on a day-to-day basis, we recommend reading our full abode review. In it we share all about the features and tech and what to expect with this popular DIY system. Pricing for abode vs. SimpliSafe abode Gateway Abode Pricing Abode’s equipment starts at $199. It comes with the option to create as many as 100 home automation features and connect up to 160 devices with unlimited user accounts. Abode’s Connect + Secure option is a plan that costs $249 per year or $25. 99 per month. Bonus features include 24/7 professional services with cellular backup, media storage for 90 days, and customer support via telephone. To dive deeper into abodes offerings, check out our guide to abode’s pricing, packages, and plans. abode offers a free self-monitoring plan inclusive of home automation setup for unlimited users, while SimpliSafe offers 24/7 affordable professional monitoring. SimpliSafe Base Station at Night SimpliSafe Pricing SimpliSafe’s systems start at approximately $250. The most wallet-friendly monitoring plan starts at $21. 99 per month and includes professional 24/7 alarm monitoring and cellular backup. We recommend at least the Core plan, though. It costs $31. 99 – a little more expensive than Abode’s Connect + Secure plan – but it comes with Intruder Intervention through the Wireless Indoor Camera. Whenever the system detects an intruder, the camera comes alive and starts a video and audio stream link with the monitoring center. Its primary purpose is verification, but if the monitoring agent spots an intruder, they will intervene via two-way talk. Here’s a closer look at SimpliSafe’s plans and pricing. Abode vs. SimpliSafe Equipment, Installation, and Emergency Connections Once again, abode's focus is on technology. Its equipment is also transferrable to another company for monitoring, if you so choose, because of its compatibility with ZigBee Pro and Z-Wave devices. Unfortunately, SimpliSafe equipment is proprietary, meaning it is not compatible with other providers and only works with the company’s service. Because of its technology, you can transfer abode’s equipment to other companies for monitoring, while SimpliSafe is proprietary and can only work with its monitoring service. Both abode and SimpliSafe have easy installation. You can DIY with the easy-to-follow instructions included in the box, and best of all, it only takes 20-30 minutes to set up. abode Equipment in Packaging Note that there’s also convenient online support and other extensive resources you can contact for assistance should you encounter any difficulties. An online forum with SimpliSafe is available for questions concerning the services or any features. You’ll like that abode and SimpliSafe each provide top-notch emergency backup connections. Additionally, SimpliSafe has a “SmashSafe” control panel which triggers the system to alarm if a criminal tampers with your system. Its cellular connection is backed up with a Wi-Fi emergency connection, while abode uses wireless technology with optimum security to establish its connection. SimpliSafe vs abode, Which is Best? SimpliSafe and abode each offer outstanding security monitoring systems for homeowners. Both packages are affordable and the basic plans are (for the most part) comparable. One major difference comes in the form of technology. Some people are into digitizing their abode into the home of the future; if that’s the case, and automation better suits your needs, we recommend going with abode. The company also offers the opportunity to self-monitor at your discretion or limit the number of days you monitor. SimpliSafe Yard Sign For people who prefer a system geared toward just simplified home security, SimpliSafe will be your go-to. SimpliSafe is quite affordable, the equipment is sleek and modern in design, and it couldn’t be easier to set up and use. That said, the end goal is to find the right system that will keep you and your family safe and sound. Both SimpliSafe and abode make the grade in unique ways. But hopefully this in-depth look at both systems will help you to decide which is right for you.

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### SimpliSafe vs Arlo Comparison

> SimpliSafe outperforms Arlo with a complete security setup and 24/7 monitoring, while Arlo excels in camera quality but lacks comprehensive security gear.

- Published: 2018-03-19
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-arlo/

The comparison between SimpliSafe vs Netgear Arlo Pro is a simple one. While SimpliSafe offers more in the way of a complete home security system, the Netgear Arlo Pro is a sophisticated camera system that offers both motion and sound activation, as well as a two-way audio system. The Arlo cameras can be used both inside or out and run on rechargeable battery packs. The Arlo integrates easily with other home security systems, but costs almost as much as the complete SimpliSafe system. Overview: Arlo vs SimpliSafe SimpliSafe and Netgear Arlo Pro offer state of the art camera/video surveillance that can be used effectively as part of a home security system. While SimpliSafe is a complete security system in itself, the Arlo system mainly serves as a surveillance system that includes an alarm and a two-way communication connection with the cameras. Although Arlo doesn't use a keypad per se, it does require the use of a hub. Arlo offers month to month cloud storage plans to store video and sound recordings SimpliSafe is a complete home security system Neither system requires lengthy contracts SimpliSafe offers 24/7 monitoring and an affordable basic package that includes everything need to set up the system Both systems can be installed by the homeowner in a short period of time Similarities: SimpliSafe vs Arlo Here are some similarities that both of these home security companies share: Both are wireless systems Both can be connected to a mobile app that allows you to view what is going on both inside and outside your home Cameras for both are sound and motion activated Both camera systems are weatherproof Easy DIY installation for both SimpliSafe and Arlo cameras Differences: SimpliSafe vs Arlo SimpliSafe is a more sophisticated home security system than the Netgear Arlo Pro, but costs approximately the same. Arlo does not offer 24/7 monitoring, but does encourage homeowners to take advantage of the low-cost month to month cloud storage option. Arlo offers an alarm system in addition to the cameras, but it is somewhat limited compared to other home security systems Arlo is more expensive than the SimpliSafe system SimpliSafe offers environmental damage detection where Arlo does not Features Arlo cameras include eight infrared LED lights that help to provide night vision up to approximately 25 feet. They also offer a zoom feature. Both SimpliSafe and Arlo can sync with other devices connected to the same wireless system. They also offer 24/7 connectivity with a mobile app that allows you to monitor your home and property from almost any location. SimpliSafe includes both motion detectors and window/door sensors. Contracts Neither company requires lengthy contracts, but SimpliSafe does offer month to month, 24/7 offsite monitoring. Arlo offers free cloud storage. Additional storage can be purchased by the month. Pricing Arlo camera systems, including the hub, ranges from $210 to $250 and up to $420 depending on where you purchase the system. An Arlo camera alone can cost upwards of $200 when purchased directly from the manufacturer SimpliSafe offers more devices with a starting price of $230, the highest price for the Pro package is approximately $540. SimpliSafe's month to month subscription fee is $14. 99, while the Interactive plan costs $24. 99 a month. Equipment SimpliSafe manufactures all of the equipment that bears its name as a way of keeping costs low. The Basic package includes the keypad, base unit, one door sensor, one window sensor, and a motion detector. The Arlo Pro system includes 2 cameras, mounting equipment, rechargeable batteries, the wiring (USB, ethernet cord, etc. ) and hub. Arlo cameras are white and mounted with magnetic brackets. If a SmartThings Hub is used, the Arlo system will easily interact with other smart devices throughout the home. Installation Both SimpliSafe and Netgear Arlo Pro offer DIY installation. Neither system requires a professional installation. Each system can be easily installed in less than 30 minutes to an hour, depending on where the devices are being located. Arlo cameras are mounted using strong magnetic brackets that are firmly attached to the wall, roof, ceiling or other surfaces. Emergency Connections When connected with the SmartThings Hub and a wireless or landline connection, the Arlo system has the ability to connect with emergency responders. SimpliSafe immediately contacts emergency responders when the alarm is set and the sensors are triggered. Summary: Arlo vs SimpliSafe Both SimpliSafe and Arlo are on the lower end when it comes to price. As DIY products, you don't have to opt for professional installation or monitoring. Arlo is much higher priced for the amount of equipment you receive, but the cameras are above par in terms of sharpness and overall quality. Even though the Arlo system is more expensive than SimpliSafe, the quality and integrity of the pictures, plus the available cloud storage option and its ability to connect with other smart systems, bring it more in line affordability wise. Depending on what you are looking for in a home security system and how much you want to spend, both products are worth the investment. The Arlo system does have pieces of equipment that are still being developed, so it's worth keeping an eye on. Read our full review of SimpliSafe Read our full review of Arlo Security Cameras

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### SimpliSafe vs. Vivint Comparison

> SimpliSafe is affordable with DIY installation and advanced monitoring, while Vivint offers premium home automation at a higher cost. Our pick: SimpliSafe.

- Published: 2018-03-19
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-vivint/

All home security systems have one goal: to keep you and your family safe in your home. After getting hands-on with dozens of security systems over the years, however, we’ve learned that they each approach the goal differently. SimpliSafe and Vivint are great examples – one is an affordable, DIY solution capable of advanced features, while the other is a premium, white-glove solution with high-tech functionalities. SimpliSafe or Vivint – which one is the better security system for you? Let’s find out. SimpliSafe and Vivint both achieved a podium finish in the race for the best security systems of . This should tell you that we, as home security experts who have tested both systems, are convinced that they are capable of protecting homes. Like we always say, though, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution in home security. Your choice of the best security system boils down to a number of key factors, from how you want your system installed and monitored to what kind of equipment you need to protect your home. Cost is another important consideration, and it is especially crucial if you’re considering SimpliSafe and Vivint. Their individual approaches to pricing are polar opposites. So, SimpliSafe or Vivint? To help you make an informed choice, we retested both systems side-by-side. It was a neck-and-neck race, but, ultimately, SimpliSafe is the better choice for most people. But Vivint offers the most advanced features for homeowners who have a budget. Keep reading to learn more! Our SimpliSafe (left) and Vivint (right) systems side-by-side. SimpliSafe vs. Vivint: The Similarities SimpliSafe and Vivint are both security systems that offer professional monitoring and high-quality equipment. It goes without saying that they have plenty of similarities. However, if we look for similarities that make both of these systems stand out, we can point to one key area: their security cameras. Our SimpliSafe Wireless Indoor Camera looks simple, but it's SimpliSafe's most advanced piece of equipment. Both security systems offer exceptional video security. The SimpliSafe security cameras we tested pair with advanced monitoring features – Intruder Intervention and Active Guard Outdoor Protection – that enable the monitoring center to intervene during verified emergencies. The Vivint security cameras we reviewed, on the other hand, have a feature called Smart Deter that can drive away unwanted guests through lights and sounds. Their approach is slightly different, but they both use their security cameras well to proactively deter criminals. We like SimpliSafe’s approach a little bit more, because if we were burglars, we’d be more scared hearing a voice from the cameras telling us the police are on the way than simple chimes and tones. That said, because Vivint’s Smart Deter is fully automated (no monitoring center involved), we find it better for privacy-conscious users. It balances privacy and safety better than SimpliSafe. Vivint Smart Home App Another important similarity worth pointing out is how SimpliSafe and Vivint have two of the best home security apps out there. While it’s true that most systems these days have apps, SimpliSafe and Vivint’s apps are exceptional – once again for different reasons. We found the SimpliSafe app more intuitive and easier to use. It’s less feature-rich than the Vivint app, but all the features are right where they should be. For example, when we got an alert for an unexpected front door entry, we opened our SimpliSafe app and it led us straight to the video feed of our Wireless Indoor Camera. That’s how we found out that a part of the entry sensor had fallen off from our door, triggering the alert. As for the Vivint app, it’s easily one of the most customizable apps out there. It has an automation section where you can set up rules as to how you want your devices to react in certain situations. You can be really precise with your rules, too. For instance, it’s how we set our Outdoor Camera Pro to play a warning tone when a person steps into our front yard and lurks for more than three minutes. We want to scare off lurkers, not the person who delivers our Amazon orders. We like the Vivint app a little more than the SimpliSafe app. There is a bit of a learning curve to the Vivint app, mainly because it offers more features such as automation, but at least those features are available if you want to use them. You don’t have to, though. The SimpliSafe app is easier to get used to, but the features are more limited. Other Similarities of SimpliSafe and Vivint Those were the main similarities we noticed, but here are a few other minor ones: Equipment: In our opinion, both systems offer all the necessary equipment to protect your home, from security sensors such as door and motion sensors to environmental sensors such as smoke alarms. Security Camera Options: SimpliSafe and Vivint also offer the same types of security cameras – indoor cameras, outdoor cameras, and doorbell cameras. Cellular Connectivity: They also both made our list of the best cellular security systems, because, on top of connecting to your home’s network, they can use cellular signals to communicate alerts when the internet is down. Contingencies: SimpliSafe and Vivint can both work during power outages thanks to the 24-hour battery backup they both have built in. All-Around Monitoring: You can also count on both systems to keep you safe from more than just burglaries and home invasions. They can also monitor fire, gas leaks, and other safety hazards, as well as send medical responders your way if needed. Scalable Packages: Whether you’re looking to protect an average-sized, three-bedroom home or a mansion, SimpliSafe and Vivint are scalable enough to meet your security needs. They can both accommodate dozens of sensors and components under one system. >> Related Reading: The Best Home Security Systems of for Large Homes SimpliSafe vs. Vivint: The Differences There are also quite a few differences between SimpliSafe and Vivint, and these differences are what will most likely influence your final decision. The first one is the cost. SimpliSafe is simply more affordable across the board. Home Security Costs SimpliSafe Vivint Equipment Cost $250 and Up $599 and Up Professional Monitoring Cost $21. 99 to $79. 99 Per Month (Optional) $29. 99 to $49. 99 Per Month (Required) Installation Cost Starts at $125 (Optional) Around $200 (Required) It’s not just that SimpliSafe’s pricing is lower than Vivint’s pricing; it also lets you decide which ones to pay for. When we signed up for Vivint, we had to pay the equipment cost, sign up for professional monitoring (and sign a contract with Vivint), and have an installer come to our house to set up the system. With SimpliSafe, we only had to pay the equipment cost. After that, we decided to install the SimpliSafe system ourselves. We could have self-monitored the system as well to skip the monthly fees, but we recommend professional monitoring. While SimpliSafe is one of the best self-monitored security systems we’ve tested, we still think that it’s not a complete security solution if you skip professional monitoring. You’ll miss out on some key features we consider crucial, such as cellular backup. Vivint sent out a Smart Home Pro (technician) to install all our Vivint equipment. That said, just because SimpliSafe is more affordable doesn’t mean it’s better than Vivint. That’s like saying a Toyota is better than a Rolls-Royce. While Vivint is pricier, it offers luxuries that are nice to have if you can afford it. And, take note, Vivint is not over-the-top expensive. It costs more than most security systems, but we think the price is justified. To give you one example, let’s look at Vivint’s professional installation. Installation services from SimpliSafe’s partner installation provider start at $125. Take note: It’s not an in-home service offered by SimpliSafe. Vivint’s installation costs about $200, and they send out trained Smart Home Pros to do the job. Don, our Vivint technician, even told us that Vivint once flew him to Utah for intensive training. Notice the difference between SimpliSafe and Vivint here? Of course, it will all come down to your preference. If a more affordable and flexible system is what you’re after, then SimpliSafe is unquestionably the better choice. If you’re looking for something more premium, then Vivint is better. Other Differences Between SimpliSafe and Vivint We found cost to be the biggest differentiator between SimpliSafe and Vivint, but it’s not the only one to consider. Here are a few other differences to consider. >> More Information: Things to Consider When Buying a Home Security System Base Station vs. Smart Hub While SimpliSafe and Vivint offer most of the same equipment, SimpliSafe’s central hub is the screenless, tower-like Base Station paired to a physical keypad. Vivint’s is the touch-screen, tablet-like Smart Hub. We like the aesthetic of the Base Station, but the Smart Hub is more functional. For instance, you can speak with the monitoring center through the Smart Hub during emergencies. You can even pull up live camera footage. You can’t do either with the SimpliSafe Base Station. Winner: Vivint The Vivint Smart Hub includes functionalities such as streaming live feeds from security cameras. Monitoring Contract If you sign up for professional monitoring, SimpliSafe won’t ask you to sign a contract. You can opt in and out on a monthly basis. You can even upgrade or downgrade your monitoring plan. For example, when there was a string of break-ins in our neighborhood, we upgraded to the Pro plan to enjoy nighttime Active Guard Outdoor Protection. The thief was caught eventually. So, feeling safer, we went back to the cheaper Core plan. With Vivint, you also have the option not to sign a contract, but it would require you to pay the equipment fee upfront, which can easily reach over $1,000. If you finance your equipment, though, you’ll have to sign a contract, which will require you to maintain a monitoring plan. Home security contracts aren’t all bad. In fact, they can protect you from instances such as sudden price increases. Still, for most people, a no-contract security system offers flexibility that security systems requiring a contract can’t. Winner: SimpliSafe Home Automation Our Vivint system integrated nicely with these smart locks. Let’s cut to the chase: Vivint offers one of the best smart home security systems, while SimpliSafe lacks any real home automation capabilities. It works with Alexa and Google Assistant and can pair with August smart locks, but that’s about all you can expect from SimpliSafe. On the other hand, Vivint lets users create automation rules within the app. It also works with a wide range of smart equipment, from the Nest Thermostat to Z-Wave devices. Winner: Vivint There was a time when SimpliSafe systems worked with smart thermostats from Google Nest, but, in our latest test, the integration no longer worked. SimpliSafe and Vivint’s Best Features It’s probably clear to you now which between SimpliSafe and Vivint is a better fit for your home and security needs. But, just in case you haven’t made a pick yet, let’s talk about their strongest features. You might find that one is better than the other when it comes to meeting your security needs. SimpliSafe Best Features Most people probably don’t peg SimpliSafe as an advanced home security system, because, from buying to installation and monitoring, SimpliSafe shows that it favors a simpler approach. The truth is, some of the features we saw from SimpliSafe are pretty advanced. Intruder Intervention topped our list. We unlocked this feature with the Wireless Indoor Camera and by getting a subscription to the Core plan. Essentially, the SimpliSafe base station controls the indoor camera’s privacy shutter. If any of our sensors trigger an alarm, the shutter snaps open and starts streaming to the monitoring center. When that happens, an agent will view our live stream to verify the alert, and, if they confirm there’s a real threat, they’ll use the two-way talk on the camera to dissuade the intruder. We tested how it works during our break-in simulations (see our SimpliSafe security system review), and we’re convinced it’s a good deterrent. We paid close attention to how the Wireless Indoor Camera takes action to deliver Intruder Intervention during our tests. Besides Intruder Intervention, we tested Active Guard when we upgraded to the Pro plan. The premise is similar: If there’s an intruder, SimpliSafe deters them by intervening via the two-way talk feature. But, instead of the indoor camera, it works on the Wireless Outdoor Camera and the Wired Video Doorbell Camera. Active Guard also didn’t wait for any sensors to be triggered, relying solely on the AI detection of the outdoor camera. >> Related Reading: How to Burglar-Proof Your Home SimpliSafe isn’t the only system that offers live security camera monitoring. Ring and Deep Sentinel do, too. What makes SimpliSafe unique is the price. Ring charges $99 per month for Virtual Guard, while Deep Sentinel starts at $100 per month. With SimpliSafe, overnight Active Guard protection is $49. 99 (including everything in the Core plan) while 24/7 protection is $79. 99. Just note that there’s a three-camera limit on Active Guard. Vivint Best Features As for Vivint, home automation is its best feature, and what we like most about it is how Vivint uses home automation to improve security. That said, Vivint won’t spoon-feed you everything. Instead, you’ll need to create custom automation rules tailored to your home. If you’ve used IFTTT or similar platforms before, you’ll find Vivint’s automation engine quite similar. You also need to invest in smart home equipment that works with Vivint to make some automations possible. >> Learn More: The Best Security Systems That Work With IFTTT Vivint automation helps with everything from setting automatic device actions to fine-tuning notifications. To give you one example, we have a smart lock and a few smart lights that work with Vivint. One of the automation rules we set is that if Vivint detects an intruder between 10 p. m. and 6 a. m. , it should make the smart lights flash to sort of disorient the intruder and then lock the door. Of course, during that time, Vivint will have already sent out an alert to the monitoring center, and, knowing how quickly Vivint responds, the police will probably be on the way. Speaking of quick responses, that’s another area where Vivint excelled compared to SimpliSafe. Text alerts always came in within 10 seconds after a sensor was triggered, and they allowed us to confirm or waive off alerts right through text. Only if we didn’t respond would Vivint call us. Those calls came between 30 to 40 seconds after the text alert during our break-in simulations (see our Vivint review). Those numbers are on the faster side of the industry standards. >> More Options: The Best Home Security Monitoring Response Times Not to add to your confusion, but there’s another security system we recommend besides SimpliSafe and Vivint: ADT. It offers the best of both worlds – white-glove installation and monitoring services for those who want it, with easy and affordable DIY options for those who prefer flexibility. Read our ADT review, our ADT vs. SimpliSafe comparison, and our ADT vs. Vivint page to find out why ADT is currently ranked higher than both systems. Our SimpliSafe and Vivint Recommendations If You Decide to Go With SimpliSafe... SimpliSafe’s flexible approach lets you choose from the various levels of protection it offers. In terms of monitoring, here are your options: Subscriptions and Features Free Self-Monitoring Cloud Camera Recording Standard Professional Monitoring No No Yes Live Camera Streaming Yes Yes Yes 30-Day Event Recording No Yes (10 Cameras Max) No Intruder Intervention No No No Active Guard Outdoor Protection No No No Price Per Month $0 $9. 99 $21. 99 We recommend at least the Core plan so you can enjoy Intruder Intervention plus have access to cloud video recording. Recordings could play a huge role during police investigations in case a break-in or home invasion occurs. As for equipment, we suggest building a custom system or using any of the pre-customized packages as foundation. Take note that SimpliSafe offers deals pretty much all the time, so take advantage of those to save as much as possible. And for installation, it comes down to your preference. We’ve always installed every SimpliSafe system we tested, so we know it’s easy to do. But, if you prefer professional installation, that’s possible too through SimpliSafe’s partner, OnTech, starting at $125. Here we are installing our SimpliSafe sensors. If You Decide to Go With Vivint... Vivint’s approach is more rigid. It requires professional monitoring and installation, a contract, and a custom security system designed for your specific security needs. You also won’t see Vivint’s pricing posted on its website, so giving them a call or requesting a quote is pretty much your only option if you want a bespoke Vivint system. That said, we recommend preparing a plan before making contact. Take a walk around your house and list the equipment you might need. That way, when you talk to a sales rep, you can hold your ground and sidestep any unnecessary offers. We know from previous interactions with them that they can be persuasive. As for monitoring, here are the options from Vivint: Subscriptions and Features Smart Security Smart Home Smart Control Professional Monitoring Yes Yes Yes Home Automation No Yes Yes Video Support and Cloud Video Storage No No Yes Cellular Backup Yes Yes Yes Price Per Month $29. 99 $39. 99 $49. 99 We recommend at least the Smart Home plan so you can take advantage of the automation features in the app and Vivint Smart Hub. Of course, if you have security cameras, you should go with Smart Control to take full advantage of all their features and functionalities. Bottom Line: Is SimpliSafe or Vivint Better? At the end of the day, we honestly believe both SimpliSafe and Vivint are great options for homeowners. There are pros and cons for each company, so it really comes down to your individual situation. Our bottom line: If you want convenience and ultimate home protection – and don’t mind paying a premium for it – then Vivint is your best bet. If you want an affordable home security system that simply gets the job done but offers advanced video monitoring, then SimpliSafe is an outstanding option. FAQs

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### Comparing ADT vs Ring

> ADT's smart home integration and professional monitoring make it the superior choice over Ring, despite Ring's lower costs and DIY setup flexibility.

- Published: 2018-03-16
- Modified: 2025-09-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/adt-vs-ring/

There’s no doubt that ADT and Ring are both great home security systems. Each brand takes two very different approaches, with Ring focusing on camera-based security and ADT offering a more traditional approach. We’re going to help you decide which option is best for you. Ring and ADT have both made their mark on the home security industry. ADT practically invented home security systems and Ring popularized the video doorbell. Despite their past accomplishments, we assess home security companies based on their current offerings. That’s why we bought the latest ADT and Ring security systems to see how they perform. While we preferred ADT, others may like Ring’s DIY approach. Let’s compare both side-by-side to help you decide whether ADT or Ring is the better security system for your home. Want Ring Alarm’s easy DIY setup and ADT’s high-quality equipment and monitoring? Check out our SimpliSafe review, the perfect middle-ground between the two. As simple as it may be, SimpliSafe is surprisingly good at protecting homes. Arming our ADT System Similarities Between ADT & Ring Alarm For all their differences, the list of similarities between ADT and Ring grew in recent years. For instance, Ring now offers full home security systems, including 24/7 professional monitoring just like ADT. Meanwhile, ADT started offering customizable systems with both DIY installation and monitoring options. We’ve already mentioned their stellar reputations, but what else do these two have in common? We’re finding that wireless systems are fast becoming the gold standard in the industry. Many of today’s best wireless home security systems (like Ring Alarm) can be installed in under 30 minutes with no tools. Monitoring Options Both companies offer professional and self-monitoring options. ADT leads the industry in professional monitoring, operating 12 monitoring centers across North America. Each act as a backup for the others. That said, ADT doesn’t offer a dedicated self-monitoring plan. You can just cancel your professional monitoring plan after a month. Meanwhile, Ring offers three dedicated self-monitoring plans with varying capabilities such as cloud recording and cellular backup for your alarm system. It’s $10 extra per month to add professional monitoring to the Standard and Premium plans. While ADT does not offer a self-monitoring subscription, you can buy a Nest Aware subscription through Google. That unlocks facial recognition and cloud storage for the Google Nest Cams that ADT offers. App Control It’s not especially surprising that both ADT and Ring offer apps. Most security systems today do. Few of them offer apps as robust as Ring and ADT, though. In fact, both show up on our list of the best home security system apps of . ADT’s latest app is ADT+. It puts control over your entire smart security system in the palm of your hand. It gave us access not only to our ADT equipment but to all of our smart home devices. The intuitive interface made it a snap to make changes, and we were especially impressed by how many options we had when it came to customizing features. Ring systems still rely on the original Ring app – Always Home, which has been updated and improved over the years to the point where it’s just as powerful as ADT+. Not only can you control all your devices, from entry sensors to doorbell cameras, but it also provides real-time alerts and access to live footage, even if you decide to self-monitor your system. Ring Wireless Home Security System Customer Service ADT and Ring both recognize that home security is just one of those industries where it’s crucial to build trust. ADT has 150 years of service to rely on. The company built its reputation providing top-quality professional installation and monitoring. More recently, ADT has started offering self-installation and self-monitoring. Why? Simple – that’s what customers wanted, and ADT is dedicated to meeting customer demand. Ring’s customer service is founded not on its history but rather on its size. Ring exists as part of the Amazon family of products. Amazon’s enormous size means it can get products to customers quickly, respond to complaints immediately, and accept returns with no questions asked. Both companies offer industry-leading money-back guarantees. Ring’s, for instance, is thirty days, plenty of time to decide whether a system is right for you. ADT’s guarantee is a generous six months, well beyond anyone else's. Bottom line – while these are two very different companies, they both offer great value for the money. The question is, which approach to home security most appeals to you? We’ll get into that below, but you can get even more details by checking out our comprehensive Ring Alarm review and our ADT hands-on testing and review page. Differences Between Ring Alarm and ADT OK, so these two companies have some similarities. In fact, on paper, they’re starting to look more and more alike. They still take very different approaches to home security, though, and those differing approaches ultimately make them more dissimilar than similar. What do we mean? Installation Let’s start with something basic, but something that says a lot about a home security company’s ethos: installation. From the beginning, Ring has been committed to providing DIY installation. When you set up your system, you get to decide where the equipment goes. In fact, Ring’s process is designed to make setup easy and straightforward so that anyone can do it, with easy instructions and step-by-step guidance from the Ring app. In contrast, ADT was built on professional installation, but now offers DIY installation through ADT Self Setup. We stuck with professional installation, though. A tech showed up at our home and took care of everything for us. They offered advice on the best places to install equipment, and they stayed at the end and explained how to use it all. Want to find out a little more about ADT’s new DIY-installation program? Check out our complete review of ADT’s self-setup systems. You can see now why we aren’t telling you which one of these two systems you should buy. It all comes down to which approach makes you most comfortable. Right now, new ADT customers can save up to 40 percent on any ADT system when they sign up for monitoring. Plus ADT will throw in a free Nest Cam. Home Automation Ring equipment integrates with existing smart home devices. System components work smoothly with Alexa and Google Home, and through those, thousands of smart home devices, from thermostats to TVs. You can have Yale smart locks, a Nest thermostat, and a Genie garage door opener, all working with Ring. ADT offers some of that flexibility. For instance, ADT equipment works with both Alexa and Google Home. However, the company also offers its own home automation equipment, including a smart hub, light bulbs, routers, plugs, and front door locks. There’s something to be said for uniformity, especially if you care about style. As with every aspect of these two companies, it’s up to you to decide which approach suits you best. Solar Panels While both companies let you choose between plug-in and battery-powered cameras, only Ring offers solar powered outdoor security cameras. They work with virtually no maintenance. That means we don’t need to pull out the ladder every few months to charge the outdoor camera above our garage doors. To date, ADT hasn’t yet gotten around to offering solar panels. They’re one little bonus you only get from Ring. Contracts ADT and Ring both offer contract-free options. In fact, all of Ring’s systems don’t require a commitment and you can save a few dollars paying annually instead of monthly. If you’re willing to install an ADT system yourself, you can avoid contracts, too. ADT only requires a long-term contract if you choose professional installation. It also means you can pay for your equipment in monthly installments over three years. ADT’s not the only company that offers equipment financing. Vivint’s plans let you pay off your system over a maximum of 60 months. Otherwise, systems can easily cost well over $1,000 up front. Standout Features & Tech Perhaps the most important differences between these two home security systems, though, have to do with the specific features they each offer. Ultimately, these determine what kind of experience you have with the systems and just how safe they keep you and your family. Keep in mind that features can vary depending on which packages and plans you select. Here’s an overview of what you get from each company, though. Ring Alarm Features The first thing to note about Ring home security systems is that there are different plans or tiers that you can choose to purchase. We mention it here because, as you go up in price, each tier has different features. That means the features we describe below can sometimes be plan-specific. Self-Monitoring Options: While both offer professional monitoring plans, a Ring Protect subscription costs significantly less, with a starting price of $19. 99 per month. ADT’s monitoring starts at $25 per month and goes up to $40 per month. That said, ADT offers a higher quality and more reliable service. Professional Monitoring: Ring’s monitoring plan stands out for its affordability. Their plans with professional monitoring start at $19. 99 per month and that includes cloud storage for unlimited cameras. A comparable plan from ADT starts at $34. 99 per month. Thirty-Second Call Response: Ring’s professional monitoring doesn’t just beat ADT’s in terms of price. It also boasts a faster response time, just thirty seconds. The response time is the time it takes the monitoring center to contact you once it receives an alert. The faster the response time, the faster a company can verify an emergency and the faster it can get emergency personnel on-site. The average response time across the home security industry is between 30 and 40 seconds. Deep Sentinel has the fastest response time we’ve come across – just 20 seconds. You can check out our latest Deep Sentinel review to find out more about this innovative, camera-based system. Alexa Compatibility: As an Amazon-owned company, it’s no surprise that Ring works well with Alexa. The Ring Alexa skill gives plenty of voice commands to control any of your Ring devices. However, Ring lacks broader integration and can only control a handful of third-party smart devices. Lifetime Theft Protection: Ironically, home security equipment gets stolen more often than you might think. We’re not entirely sure why. Maybe would-be thieves think if they take a camera, no one will be able to see them? Even though the camera footage is already in the cloud? At any rate, Ring replaces stolen equipment, and that theft protection plan never expires. Ring Outdoor Cam Two-Way Talk: It’s one thing to be able to pull up real-time video when you get an alert. Ring cameras also come with two-way talk, though, so you can let would-be thieves know you’ve got your eye on them and the police are on their way. You don’t have to be facing an emergency to make good use of this feature. We use it while we’re at work to remind our cat that she’s not allowed on the couch. Cloud Storage: Ring’s security cameras can store video clips for up to 180 days with a cloud storage subscription. Storage for one camera costs $4. 99 and unlimited cameras costs $9. 99 per month. There’s also a $19. 99 per month plan that stores 24/7 recordings for up to 14 days. Snapshot Capability: Another cool feature of Ring home security systems is that you can take snapshots on your screen. This is basically like taking a photograph to capture a frame from your security footage with the viewing device. ADT Features We may have mentioned it once or twice already, but ADT has been around for a while. 150 years is a lot of time to figure out a few home security tricks. In fact, we’re pretty sure Ring would be the first to admit that many of its own best features were actually pioneered by older home security companies like ADT. In fact, for all Ring’s innovative approaches, ADT remains a more advanced system. So just what are the hallmarks of an ADT system? In-House 24/7 Monitoring: All of ADT’s 12 redundant monitoring centers are owned and operated by ADT. Ring outsources their monitoring service and it shows. We regularly received faster and more comprehensive responses from ADT than Ring. Home Automation Options: ADT’s home automation options allow certain appliances and equipment to be monitored, automated, and operated remotely from your phone or tablet. Being able to use your smartphone to operate your security system is a huge plus in our book. With ADT, you can also connect any Z-Wave smart device into your system, opening up the potential to build out a smart home ecosystem. Two-Way Talk Capabilities: ADT offers two-way talk capabilities as well, just as Ring home security systems do. Being able to talk between devices in the home or remotely will come in handy more often than you might think. Mover’s Savings Package: ADT will work with you to save you money if you need to move. All you have to do is let them know that you are moving, and they will schedule a re-installation. We like the flexibility offered here. Easier Equipment Payment: Both Ring and ADT let you finance your equipment. Where ADT lets you finance costs for up to five years, though, Ring’s max plan is just 18 months. ADT also combines your monthly payments with your monthly monitoring charges, so you pay one flat fee every month. Guaranteed Theft Protection: Unlike Ring’s theft protection guarantee, which only protects Ring equipment, ADT’s guarantee reimburses up to $500 of your home insurance deductible in the event of a burglary. That helps you financially recover regardless of what the thief stole. We found that the Google Nest Doorbell now offered by ADT is a major upgrade from the old ADT video doorbells. Professional Installation: ADT will professionally install the equipment for you so that you do not have to worry about improper installation or the safety of your home. Although ADT’s installation is generally on-point, we have heard stories to the contrary, and we’ve heard that the service can vary from region to region. Something to keep in mind. Certificate for Use by Homeowners Insurance Companies: ADT will send you a certificate that can be turned in to your insurance company. Doing this will allow you to be eligible for certain rebates and reductions on your homeowner’s insurance policy. Six-Month Money-Back Guarantee: Customer service and support is paramount, and it’s a good thing that ADT is willing to back its promise of high-quality equipment with a six-month money-back guarantee. Here’s how it works: If your ADT system malfunctions, and ADT isn’t able to fix the problem within six months, they’ll refund your monitoring and installation fees. ADT vs. Ring Alarm: Costs and Fees The final important point of comparison is the cost of each home security system. After all, you’ll have to purchase the equipment (at least with Ring) and pay for a monthly monitoring service if you want to keep your home and family secure day and night. Let’s have a look at what you can expect to spend with each company. Ring Pricing Ring only recently began offering home security kits. Its basic two-piece kit with a doorbell camera and stickup cam costs $199. 98, but larger, more advanced kits cost as much as $789. 97. We often recommend going with a smaller kit to get started and then upgrading over time to suit your specific needs. That’s easier with a DIY system like Ring Alarm since the company doesn’t have to come back in and do additional installation. And here’s a tip: Right now a lot of Ring’s alarm packages are on sale. Here’s a quick breakdown of the kits that are discounted: Ring Alarm Sales Ring Kit Retail Price Sale Price Two Piece Video Doorbell/ Outdoor Cam Plus Kit $199. 98 $179. 99 Five Piece Protected Basic Kit $299. 98 $279. 99 Eight Piece Protected Enhanced Kit $454. 91 $379. 99 14 Piece Protected Deluxe Kit $694. 85 $499. 99 Five Piece Whole Home Basic Kit $399. 97 $339. 99 Eight Piece Whole Home Enhanced Kit $549. 97 $499. 99 14 Piece Whole Home Deluxe Kit $789. 97 $699. 99 Once you purchase the equipment, you’ll have four Ring Protect plans to choose from. The first of these is the free option, which is pretty lean on features compared to the other plans. It does, however, come with motion-activated notifications, theft protection, real-time video, and two-way talk. The Ring Home Basic option costs $4. 99 per month or $49 per year. In addition to the features offered in the free package, it offers snapshot capabilities, 60-day video storage, and video saving. This is the monitoring plan you’d choose if you were to install a Ring camera, but only one camera is covered by this plan. The Ring Home Standard package costs $10 per month or $100 per year and offers the same features as the Basic plan, only this plan covers an unlimited number of cameras installed at the same address. Lastly, the Ring Home Premium package costs $20 per month or $200 per year. This plan includes everything in the Plus plan, plus some extra features like 24/7 recordings. You can also add professional monitoring to the in addition to professional monitoring for the Ring Alarm. To learn more about Ring’s offerings, have a look at our guide to Ring’s packages, plans, and pricing. Ring has one of the most affordable monitoring packages in the business. To put it in context, the industry average is around $29-$39 per month for professional monitoring, and even DIY brands range between $15-$25 monthly. So $20 per month for a plan with camera cloud storage is a great deal in our book. ADT Pricing Let’s cut right to the chase: ADT is much more expensive than Ring Alarm, but you get what you pay for. Their Secure Home package costs between $58 and $61 per month (opposed to Ring’s $20 monthly fee). It includes 24-hour monitoring, three keypads, motion detectors, three window sensors, a siren, a back-up battery, and a remote. The good thing is that you don’t have to buy your equipment upfront. If you want the works, consider going with ADT’s Smart Home package that costs $65 to $70 per month and gives you cellular connectivity, or go with the Smart Home + Video package for $75 to $82 per month, which comes with video support and smart home automations. As you can see, ADT is more expensive than Ring on a monthly basis, but you won’t have to fork out hundreds of dollars on day one. Keep in mind though, you will need to enter into a contract with ADT for monitoring and equipment. Thankfully, they do offer that 6-month money-back guarantee that we mentioned earlier. To really get a closer look, head on over to our in-depth breakdown of ADT’s pricing and plans here. Which Is Better: Ring Alarm or ADT? So which is better? Great question! It completely depends on your living situation, your budget, and the amount of features you want access to. For instance, if you’re looking for something quick and nimble that won’t break the bank, Ring Alarm is the system for you. We’d also recommend reading through our SimpliSafe review if you’re interested in a DIY system similar to Ring Alarm. On the other hand, if you’re a homeowner who wants reliable monitoring and high-quality equipment (and you don’t mind paying for it), then ADT might be the better option. You’ll also have more smart home capabilities with ADT, which is something that we value. Either way, these are both great systems with solid reputations in the industry, so you really can’t go wrong here.

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### SimpliSafe vs Ring Comparison

> SimpliSafe tops Ring with a more robust system, higher SecureScore, and better customer service, despite Ring’s wider camera options and lower starting price.

- Published: 2018-03-16
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-ring/

SimpliSafe and Ring are two of the most well-known home security solutions providers available today. They work for users who do want an affordable option for monitoring their home and do not want to enter into long term contracts. The companies offer a variety of products and want to protect homeowners, along with some nice home automation to go with it. For those who are trying to decide between the two, consider both of these options based on where you need protection and what your goals are. Home Security Systems - SimpliSafe vs Ring Alarm When it comes to home security systems, both Ring and SimpliSafe offer comprehensive, modern solutions. Unlike other companies, these are more affordable options, and they are super accessible. You do not have to enter into a contract to start protecting your home. Keep in mind that Ring products can be used as standalone solutions, as can some of SimpliSafe’s products. That means you do not have to purchase a subscription service to get the benefits that these companies can offer. More on those products in a moment, but for right now, consider the home security solutions these companies offer. Ring Alarm Security System The Ring Alarm system provides a way for you to safeguard your home from the inside out with a variety of customizable features. That is, you can choose from a wide range of setups to fit your specific risks and goals. Ring Alarm is available (most cost-effectively) through kits. You choose the size and style of kit for your home. The base model is the Alarm Security Kit, which includes 10 pieces. There’s also a 14-piece and a 5-piece version. They contain the essentials such as a base station, keypad, contact sensors, motion detectors, and range extenders. This system is a plug-in solution that does not require any hardwiring (making it instantly beneficial to owners). It is all managed through the Ring App. Aside from the main components, you can then add onto the system to include additional protection options. Here are some of those options: Alarm Window and Door Contact Sensors: The main systems include these, but you may want to add more. They help detect when a door or a window opens that shouldn’t. They also alert if you forget to close them when leaving the home. Alarm Motion Detector: Some of the kits include a motion detector. It is designed to detect any type of motion in the home, but it is not likely to alarm for things like pets. Alarm Flood and Freeze Sensor: This specialized sensor works well to detect water and low temperatures in the home, perfect for those very cold winter nights. Alarm Smoke & CO Listener: This is an excellent way to automate your home’s environmental protections with carbon monoxide and smoke detection that’s linked to an audible siren as well as your app. Panic Button: Just press and hold this button to send an audible alarm to get help. Ring Alarm Slim Magnet: This magnet fits into narrow door and window frames, allowing more protection for unique frame sizes. You’ll purchase the kit you like and then pay a monthly subscription price for the monitoring service. The Ring Alarm system features optional 24/7 support, optional cell backup, 24-hour battery backup, and real-time alerts. SimpliSafe SimpliSafe operates much like a traditional home security system with some added features. It is just as modern and fully featured. The company’s home security solutions include professional monitoring, guaranteed police alerted as needed, no contracts, and is easy to set up. SimpliSafe offers several packages you can select from, based on whether you are protecting a large or small home, apartment, or other area. All packages include a base station where you’ll control most of the features and a keypad. These packages are all very different, providing various features such as the following: Entry sensors for doors and windows to detect whenever they are opened Motion sensors (most packages include these) to detect motion inside the home. Water sensors for picking up the presence of moisture that could indicate a flooding basement Smoke detectors for traditional smoke detection but with a loud siren and app notifications Freeze sensors to pick up on significant drops in temperature that could put pipes at risk for bursting Key fobs to turn the system on and off from just the push of a button. Panic button for use when you are in an emergency. The biggest difference between the packages is that they are designed based on the size of the home, the number of exits, and other risks. Which Is Better Ring Alarm or SimpliSafe? For home security, both products are very similar. SimpliSafe offers a larger variety of packages to give you more protection for your home at a lower cost. Yet, both offer competitive monthly rates and product pricing. SimpliSafe has fewer home automation features than Ring Alarm, which can be a concern for some people. In either case, you’re getting a quality product. Doorbell Cameras - SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro vs Ring Doorbell Cameras Doorbell cameras have become some of the most sought-after of all of the base line home security solutions available today – and with good reason. They are inexpensive and easy to install. Both SimpliSafe and Ring offer them, with Ring getting more of the attention overall due to the company’s association with Amazon. However, both are worth a closer look. SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro SimpliSafe offers a single option in video doorbells (but really, do you need anything more? ) The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro offers 1080p HD and has a wide field of view. It works with just about any type of doorbell you have, just replacing it with this connected version. You can see what’s happening right through the app on your phone. The wide-angle HDR video captures clear images day and night. It also includes two-way audio, which means you can talk to someone outside of your door before you actually open it up (or choose not to do so at all). The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro also features: Dual-sensor triggers Thoughtful motion alerts (you are not going to get a ding every time the tree blows in the window) No motion alerts for cars driving down the street It works with 8-24VAC Set it up on shingles, corners, or frames with ease Works on Wi-Fi connectivity 162-degree field of view Pan and zoom features from your app Another nice feature is that it does more than just monitor the front door. When one of the sensors in your home goes off, it will begin to recording from the camera. This can help you to capture evidence of people who may be in the home or allows you another view to see what’s happening. Because it is recording, you can look back. Ring Doorbell Cameras Ring offers a number of different options, all of which are designed for specific needs. For example, the Peephole Cam gives you all of the protection you want from a video doorbell, but it does so with a compatible peephole, in case you don’t have a doorbell. This is great for apartments. Aside from that version, Ring has the Video Doorbell, Video Doorbell 2, Video Doorbell Pro, and the Video Doorbell Elite. The base Ring Video Doorbell is battery-powered and provides motion-activated alerts, 720p video, and two-way talk (with noise cancellation to improve sound quality). You can set up custom motion zones, theft protection support, and use the infrared night vision. Installation is simple, too. The Ring Video Doorbell 2 provides instant mobile alerts and upgrades the visual quality to 1080HD video. It also offers a wide-angle lens to capture more and has built-in speakers and microphones. Motion sensors are adjustable, live view on-demand video and audio is also onboard. Video Doorbell Pro is a hardwired version. It includes many of the same features, including 1080HD video, but is powered through the doorbell electricity, which means fewer batteries to worry about. It includes built-in motion sensors, video on demand with live view, and offers four interchangeable faceplates. The Video Doorbell Elite, which is the most expensive option, is a flush-mounted smart doorbell. It’s also hardwired in using power over Ethernet. You’ll need to hire a professional to install this in most cases. It offers a more professional look, with instant alerts, and most of the same features as the previous version. Which Is Better Ring Doorbells or SimpliSafe? Both products are worthy of consideration, with Ring offering far more flexibility in their product lineups. You will find each one offers reliable images and overall easy use on a mobile app. Security Cameras - SimpliCam vs Ring Cameras When it comes to security, your protection really comes down to how good your cameras are. Both SimpiSafe and Ring offer cameras that can provide you with a lot of the protection you need. SimpliSafe Cameras SimpliSafe offers an indoor and outdoor camera. They both offer crystal clear video resolution with smart motion alerts powered by AI. That means they can tell the difference between a person, pet, vehicle, or package and send you alerts telling you what it saw. While the specs on SimpliSafe’s cameras pass our requirements, that’s not what impressed us most. We like SimpliSafe security cameras for the way they incorporate them into their monitoring services. Ring offers video verification, which means their monitoring agents will check your live feed to confirm an emergency and get personnel to your home quicker. SimpliSafe offers this, too, but they take it a step further. Instead of just sending emergency personnel to your home, SimpliSafe’s agents use the camera’s two-way talk and siren to actively scare the intruder away. The feature really works, too. We came home late one night and forgot to disarm our system. When we walked through the door, we were greeted with an agent yelling at us to leave, and they were calling the cops. That would have made us run if we were a burglar, but after telling them our security PIN, they told us to have a good night and signed off. Active monitoring for the indoor camera is included in the Core, Pro and Pro Plus plans whereas these features for the outdoor camera are only included in the Pro and Pro Plus plans. The three plans cost $31. 99, $49. 99, and $79. 99 per month, respectively. Ring Cameras Once again, when it comes to options, Ring does it best. There is a line of camera options available, including the Indoor Cam, Stick-Up Cam, Spotlight Cam, and Floodlight Cam. Each is a bit different. Let’s break down the features for them. The Ring Indoor Cam is a plug-in style camera that is easy to use in even the smallest area. Another nice feature is that you can purchase a two, three, or four-pack to add more protection for less. This camera provides night vision, motion-activated notifications, plug-in power, two-way talk, and HD video. The Stick Up Cam is available in battery, solar, and plug-in design. It’s designed for both indoor and outdoor use. It also includes HD video and two-way talk, motion-activated notifications, night vision, and a removable battery. Because it’s small, you can place it anywhere with ease. The Spotlight Cam (also available in all three power options) is a more robust option. It offers a better quality video with 1080HD, has a wide-angle camera lens, and includes a microphone and speaker. It also offers customizable motion detection, with motion activated zones you can change as you need to, scheduling of monitoring, and real-time motion-activated alerts. The Floodlight Cam is a hardwired version that has an ultra-bright LED floodlight on it, with a built-in siren. If you are serious about outdoor protection, this is the Ring camera to choose. It also offers a 140-degree field of view (one of the largest) and has app-controlled lights, camera, and sirens. Which Is Best: the Ring Cameras or SimpliSafe Cameras? Without a doubt, Ring offers far more customization options, but SimpliSafe’s active monitoring capabilities provided our home with stronger security.

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### SimpliSafe vs Nest Comparison

> SimpliSafe wins over Nest with more affordable packages, a higher SecureScore™ of 9.2/10, and flexible month-to-month contracts. Nest has been discontinued.

- Published: 2018-03-15
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-nest/

Note: Google has discontinued Nest Secure. So we recommend checking out our list of the best home security systems to explore your options. No two alarm systems are the same. You need to learn as much about each one so you can make an informed decision. The following comparison between SimpliSafe and Nest shows what both systems has to offer and gives you exactly what you need to choose the best option for your home or business. Overview: Nest vs SimpliSafe Both Nest and SimpliSafe systems offer wireless alarms and video surveillance of your home and property. With the Nest system, as long as appliances have a "Nest compatible" logo, the system can turn them on and off. Both systems offer multiple devices over and above what is included in their basic packages. Both SimpliSafe and Nest are similar in price Neither company requires a lengthy contract Both offer DIY installation Both SimpliSafe and Nest offer protection against intruders Both systems offer indoor video cameras Both offer outdoor video and connection to smartphones and devices Similarities: SimpliSafe vs Nest Here is a quick list of the similarities these two systems have. Wireless system Offsite, 24/7 monitoring if desired Month to month options available Mobile friendly with the corresponding app Indoor and outdoor video surveillance DIY Installation option Both offer smoke and CO alarms Differences: SimpliSafe vs Nest Both Nest and SimpliSafe are similar in price, but SimpliSafe offers many more package options that are much cheaper than Nest's Basic package. Nest links to Google Home SimpliSafe offers many different packages and pricing options Features SimpliSafe is able to detect the threat of water damage caused by both flooding and freezing. It also monitors for potential gas leaks, while Nest is capable of detecting the presence of smoke, fire, and CO. Both security systems can connect with other smart devices throughout the home, either through a direct connection or through the use of mutually compatible devices. Contracts and Pricing While the equipment is paid for upfront, the option to purchase 24/7 monitoring packages is available with both companies. Nest's packages start with the basic for $399 with ongoing service ranging from $19 a month (3-year contract required with Brinks) or $29 a month for month-to-month monitoring. SimpliSafe packages start at $250 up to $730. Month-to-month monitoring can be purchased for as little as $21. 99 a month with premium plans going up to $79. 99 a month. Systems can be financed with payments of under $10 a month. Neither systems require a contract, but do charge for cell service connection. Plans can be switched from self-monitoring to 24/7 monitoring on a month-to-month basis at any time. SimpliSafe offers a more in-depth form of coverage, but Nest is close behind and offers similar types of technology. Each system offers a variety of devices over and above those used with their basic packages. Most devices are affordable, starting at $15 for basic entry sensors and increasing in price as the features become more technologically advanced. Both SimpliSafe and Nest offer 24/7 monitoring that can be purchased month-to-month. Nest also offers multi-year contracts. Customer service reps are on call to answer any questions the consumer may have. Technicians are also available if professional help is needed for an installation. Equipment Equipment is wireless and delivered to the home. Devices are aesthetically pleasing and blend in easily with any type of décor. Packages include several different devices for both doors and windows, as well as a home base unit and key fobs for easy on/off operation. Devices are warrantied, but additional warranty options are available with the purchase of a monitoring plan. Both companies offer a variety of additional devices at affordable prices. Both SimpliSafe and Nest offer indoor/outdoor surveillance with the use of small, easily mounted cameras. This allows you to check on your home at any time, no matter where you are. Cameras can be strategically placed in areas where intruders are most likely to go. Installation Both SimpliSafe and Nest offer professional installation at an additional cost. When the system arrives, everything is included for do-it-yourself installation. Instructions for installation are provided and systems can be set up in less than an hour. DIY home security systems are ideal for renters because they can be dismantled and carried from place to place. If professional installation is requested, you will have to contact the company to set up an appointment for a technician to come to your home. Emergency Connections Wireless home security systems can make contact with emergency personnel through Wi-Fi, cell service or a connected landline. Both systems offer Wi-Fi and cell service, but SimpliSafe no longer supports landline connections. While landlines are easily damaged, the cell chip that is placed in the control panel or base is normally protected. Internet service can be disrupted by weather or damage to power lines. SimpliSafe doesn’t offer landline options due to it being a less reliable technology than Wi-Fi with cellular backup. It's important to remember that cell backup may not be available in all services areas. Before purchasing any type of home security alarm system contact the company to determine whether or not your area has the type of coverage needed to support the system. SimpliSafe works with Verizon’s 4G network. Summary: Nest vs SimpliSafe SimpliSafe and Nest home security systems work well for both homeowners and renters. They are easy to install and offer a wide range of services and features to protect your home from theft, environmental hazards, and other issues that often occur within the home. Both offer a wide range of products and packages that are affordably priced that can be easily financed. Both companies are affordable and offer ideal features that many homeowners and renters are looking for. The choice of which one will work best in your home is up to you and will be based on your needs. SimpliSafe offers seven different security packages and a variety of other devices that can be added if you want to customize your system. With its easy DIY instructions, your unit can be up and running in less than an hour. If you want simple and affordable home security and home automation, the Nest system can be a great option. See our full review of SimpliSafe

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### Medical Alert Systems Buying Guide

> Medical alert systems like Medical Guardian and LifeFone offer fall detection and GPS tracking, with prices from $19.95/month. Equipment fees may apply.

- Published: 2018-02-21
- Modified: 2024-10-18
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/medical-alert-systems/

“During my 10-plus years working as a firefighter/EMT, I had the pleasure of working for both a dual-role fire/EMS agency and a fire agency that provided aid and assistance to EMS. So I saw first-hand the impact that medical alert systems have on their customers. They are a powerful tool to help the customer and their family members feel more secure about a loved one with a disability or an aging individual who spends time alone. ” If you have loved ones in your life with mobility or medical conditions, or if you yourself need extra assistance, then having a medical alert system in place will go a long way in providing peace of mind. It’s simply not possible for most families to be around 24/7, so having a medical alert device can be the difference between a fall being just a fall with no long-term issues due to rapid response, and a fall being a life-altering occurrence due to not receiving any help for hours or even days. Getting a medical alert system is a worthwhile investment, and our comparison below will help you pick the best one for your needs. It was the middle of the day when a call rang out over the speakers at the fire station. I was assigned to the ambulance that day, so my crew and I swiftly got into our unit and on the road to the residence. The call was for an individual who had suffered a fall and sustained an injury to their head. Unable to contact the individual, the fall-detection feature triggered the monitoring system to call emergency services and approved family members. It was the first time I had witnessed fall protection firsthand, and it saved this individual from waiting on care any longer than they had to.

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### A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding and Purchasing Motion Sensors

> Motion sensors are key to home security, detecting motion to trigger alarms or lights. Types include PIR, microwave, and dual-tech sensors for various needs.

- Published: 2018-02-21
- Modified: 2025-04-23
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/motion-sensors/

Vivint Motion Sensor A security system should be more than just the sum of its parts. All of the pieces of equipment that comprise this system — your floodlights, your security cameras, your alarm system, your video doorbell — play a specific role. Individually, they can’t do a whole lot to keep your family safe, but together they create a comprehensive security network around your home. Today we’re looking at one specific component of your home security system: the motion sensor. This guide is designed to help you better understand how motion sensors work, what the different types are, and how to properly deploy them in your home. But before we get into all of that, let’s first answer two important questions. On the market for a security system? If so, be sure to check out our guide to the best home security systems available today. What Is a Motion Sensor, and Why Is It Important? You don’t need an advanced degree to understand what a motion sensor is. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a sensor that detects motion. When that motion is detected, that piece of equipment can do one of many things. It might turn on a floodlight, it might sound an alarm, or it might start a camera recording. Their main purpose is to detect — and ultimately prevent — unwanted visitors in your home. That said, motion sensors can serve other purposes as well. These might include: Letting you know if a pet has entered a room they shouldn’t be in Remotely letting you know if your teenager got home safe Turning off lights when no one’s in a room Automatically opening your gate or garage when you return home Activating outdoor lights to spook nocturnal animals that might rummage through your trash As you can see, the motion sensor is a pretty versatile piece of equipment, and its ultimate function depends on what it’s specifically activating. Opening a garage door and triggering an alarm have completely different use cases, but they both depend on motion sensors. In fact, we’d be willing to bet the majority of the security equipment in your home right now relies in some way on a motion sensor. That said, there are several different types, and your equipment’s functionality will depend on which type of sensor it uses. Let’s take a look at those now. What Are the Different Types of Motion Sensors? There are three primary types of motion sensors and a few unique sensors that are used in specific applications. Generally speaking, the most common of these sensors include: Passive Infrared Sensor A passive infrared sensor, or PIR sensor for short, detects infrared energy by scanning for changes in temperature. How does it detect motion? Well, the sensor creates a protective grid. If an object disrupts the temperature in too many grid zones or the temperature of the covered area changes too rapidly — as it would if someone walked through — the sensor triggers. It is “passive” because it doesn’t emit any energy; it just detects changes. This means it adds almost nothing to an energy bill and can run on battery power for months at a time. Most modern security cameras use PIR sensors to detect motion and start recording. If you’re interested in purchasing security cameras for your property, check out our roundup of the best security cameras of the year. Microwave Sensor Microwave sensors aren’t as common as PIR sensors, but they work in a similar way. The sensor itself sends out microwave pulses and measures how the pulses bounce back. If there’s disruption over a certain threshold, the sensor triggers. This type of sensor can cover a larger area than a PIR sensor, but it costs more and can be vulnerable to interference from certain electronic devices. Dual-Technology Sensor Also known as a hybrid sensor, a dual-technology sensor uses multiple detection methods — like the two mentioned above — to limit false alarms. It can also run a little more expensive than its more traditional counterparts, but it’s much harder to trick and delivers more accurate results. There are a few other types of sensors you might encounter — vibration detectors, ultrasonic sensors, and reflective sensors, to name a few — but they all work on the same basic premise. They cast an energetic net and trigger when that network is disturbed. Like we said above, there are a few types of sensors that are used in very specific applications. Those include: Contact Sensor A contact sensor attaches to a door and window and will trigger an alarm when the magnetic field between the base unit and the plate is disrupted. Most alarm systems use contact sensors to prevent unauthorized entry. Vacancy Sensor Ever been sitting in the bathroom at your office and suddenly the lights go out? That’s because the vacancy sensor didn’t detect movement for a specified duration and flipped the switch. Annoying as this may be, these sensors can help homeowners and commercial property owners save money on their power bills. Pet-Immune Sensor If you have pets, you might be worried about your motion sensor devices triggering constantly. This can get particularly frustrating if your security system is linked to your smartphone and you’re receiving alerts every time Rover bounds through the living room. A pet-immune sensor — usually hybrid — can be calibrated in such a way that it will ignore signatures under a certain size. A 190-pound person will trigger it, but a 12-pound cat won’t. If you’re looking for a home security system and you’ve got particularly energetic pets, you might consider reading our review of ADT. It offers plenty of DIY and professionally monitored solutions with pet-immune sensors. Now that you understand the types of sensors and how they work, let’s talk about how and where to install these pieces of equipment. Best Practices for Installing Motion Sensors Vivint - Motion Sensor Installed First things first, it’s always best to follow the manufacturers’ recommendations when it comes to installing any piece of equipment, but if it’s equipped with a motion sensor, it’s even more important. If the owner’s manual says your security camera should be placed at least six feet off the ground, it’s best to do exactly that. That said, here are a few tips for installing motion sensors. Think About How an Intruder Would Move Through Your Home Install motion-detecting security equipment at “choke points” — areas someone would have to pass through to get from one area of your home to another. This includes entryways, hallways, and certain rooms. Every floor plan is unique, so think about how your space is used. Go Higher Rather Than Lower Most motion sensors are designed to be mounded a little over head height — six to eight feet is common. This way, the sensor will be able to cast a wide net and won’t have any blind spots. For more information on this, check out our guide to installing security cameras. The same rules generally apply. Consider the Field of “Vision” What is your motion sensor going to “see”? Will that tree branch blowing in the wind trigger too many false alarms on your floodlight? Do you want your sensor in high-traffic areas of the house or in areas where an intruder might sneak in? Think about what your motion sensor is going to “see” every day, and consider the information you’ll gather from that. Like “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” you’re going to start ignoring your motion sensor if it triggers too often. Make sure you’ve installed and calibrated it in such a way that it’s alerting for the important stuff only. Avoid Areas Where Heat Could Trigger False Alarms If you're using PIR sensors — which more than likely you are — avoid placing them where they’ll experience drastic changes in temperature, like near radiators, heating vents, and sunny windows. Motion Sensors Work Best Detecting Objects Moving Parallel to Them While a good motion sensor should be able to detect all motion around it, remember that it works best detecting motion moving across its view rather than coming directly toward it or going away from it. Install the sensor in the middle of the hallway rather than at the end of it. You should now have a pretty good understanding of motion sensors — what they are, how they work, and how to best use them. There’s only one last question to answer: What’s this going to cost me? How Much Do Motion Sensors Cost? Here’s the good news: Stand-alone motion sensors are really inexpensive, maybe around $25 to $30. Here’s the bad news, though: They aren’t going to do much when it comes to protecting your home. Like we said from the beginning, think of your security system as a comprehensive network of pieces of equipment working in unison. A motion detector that beeps every time someone walks past it doesn't really do much when it comes to preventing burglaries. You’re going to need motion sensors that do stuff. That means looking into motion-activated floodlights, security cameras, video doorbells, contact sensors, and more. They’re not going to break the bank. We’ve compiled a list of the best affordable security systems on the market to help you when you’re shopping around. Or, if you want to see what some of these sensors look like in action, you can read our Vivint sensor review. At the end of the day, your home security system is going to be based almost entirely on various forms and flavors of motion detectors. Now you know what they are, how they’re used, how to install them, and how to shop for them.

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### Doorbell Camera Buying Guide

> Vivint Camera offers advanced motion detection and facial recognition, while Ring Video Pro provides excellent video quality and customization.

- Published: 2018-02-20
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/doorbell-cameras/

With the help of a smart doorbell cameras, you'll always know who is at your door, even when you're not home. Tell the delivery man where to leave a package, see when guests have arrived, and know when your kids have left and returned home. Smart doorbells have been around for nearly a decade, with lots of brands entering the market offering various features and at different price points. See the top smart doorbells available today, in our handy comparison grid below.

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### Smart Lock Buying Guide [year]

> Smart locks improve security with keyless entry using Bluetooth, biometrics, or Wi-Fi. Brands like August and Schlage offer options from $50 to $300.

- Published: 2018-02-18
- Modified: 2024-08-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/smart-locks/

You may not consider your home’s locks to be a weak point in your security posture. After all, a deadbolt is a deadbolt, right? Well, not quite. They may make us feel safer, but traditional keys and locks are woefully outdated and vulnerable. That’s why many homeowners who are concerned with their physical security have opted to install smart locks on their entryways. What exactly qualifies as a smart lock, though? How much do they cost, and how difficult are they to install? We’ll answer all those questions and more, starting with the most basic. Contrary to popular belief (and movies), most burglars enter through the front door. That’s why we recommend installing a smart lock and a high-quality home security system like ADT or SimpliSafe. What Is a Smart Lock? Simply put, a smart lock is a connected device that replaces or augments your door’s traditional lock, adding an additional layer of security to your home. The devices can provide keyless entry and they are controlled in a number of ways, from your smartphone to your fingerprint. Generally, though, the devices help secure your home and make things a little easier on you, the homeowner. Not only will they help thwart would-be intruders, but they’ll also make it easier to get in the back door while you’re carrying groceries. And they’re not all that uncommon. Odds are you’ve already used a smart lock in your day-to-day life. Hotel rooms, office buildings, and most rental properties use some form of smart lock. Now that technology is available at home. Do you often forget your keys? A smart lock can make it so you don’t even need them anymore. Vivint Smart Lock Options What Are the Different Kinds of Smart Locks? Different families have different needs, and there’s probably a lock on the market tailor made to all those needs. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of smart locks. Bluetooth These are probably the most versatile types of smart locks. They can trigger when they recognize a particular piece of equipment, such as a smartphone, is in the proximity. Multiple devices can be registered, and different parameters can be set for who can unlock the door and when. Biometric Biometric smart locks operate by scanning a physical part of a person’s body and using its characteristics to determine whether they are allowed entry. The most commonly used biometric parameter is a fingerprint, but more advanced locks can use retinal or iris recognition. RFID Similar to Bluetooth smart locks, RFID locks use radio frequencies to identify cards or fobs that are authorized to pass through a door. If you’ve ever worked in an office building, you’re probably familiar with this technology. Wi-Fi These smart locks are most commonly sold as parts of a security system kit, with a smart hub connected in your home. They’ll usually be controlled by the user’s smartphone and can easily track who is coming and going, so they’re great for big families. Z-Wave The main difference between Z-Wave connectivity and Wi-Fi is that it doesn’t connect directly to your mobile device. A Z-Wave connection uses a compatible smart home hub to communicate with a smart device’s signal, then turns the signal into a readable command your router understands. Once connected, you can access, monitor, and control your smart locks remotely from anywhere in the world. Z-Wave locks add a layer of security against hacking. Keypad Digital keypad locks work by setting a specific numeric code that must be entered before the door is unlocked. These are fairly common in rental properties, such as Airbnbs, where a code can be set for each guest and changed once they’re gone. Now that you have a good idea of what smart locks are, let’s discuss how they’re used. What Are the Uses of Smart Locks? When it comes to smart locks, there are two main uses: security and convenience. The former is pretty well understood — they help keep the bad guys out. The latter, though, may be a little less clear until you’ve used one. Smart locks are one of those pieces of equipment you don’t know you need until you have it. Some of the value comes in the form of: Letting in the cleaners or babysitter remotely. Keeping kids out of areas of the house they shouldn’t be. Making sure everyone is at home when they said they would be. Opening the lock as you approach with heavy bags. Making sure the home is secure from your bed. Being able to lock the door you forgot about while you’re out to dinner. Letting guests in while you’re not there. Keeping your ex from returning once you’ve broken up. That all sounds pretty neat, but we understand why some people may think smart locks are unnecessary. Let’s move on to a question that may be coming to mind right about now. Do I Really Need a Smart Lock? Short answer? No. You don’t need a smart lock. But no one needs a security system either. You want a security system to help protect your family and property from threats, and you want that security system to be comprehensive. That means considering how to strengthen it from all angles. One area that is often overlooked is entryways. Looking for a home security system that won’t break the bank? Check out our guide to the best affordable home security systems. You’ll find something for every need on a budget. You may think if you remember to lock your doors when you leave you’ll be fine, but consider this: bump keys. Also known as rapping keys or 999 keys, these tools can provide anyone access to your home in a matter of seconds. Modern deadbolts aren’t all that complicated, and there are only about a dozen basic types on the market today. Without getting too technical about the art of defeating pin-and-tumbler locks, a criminal using a bump key that fits your keyway can mimic your house key and gain entry to your home with startling speed. For every piece of security equipment — even technologically advanced pieces like smart locks — there is a method by which to defeat it. Let’s discuss some of the dangers of having a smart lock. What Are the Dangers of Smart Locks? Smart locks may seem impenetrable to the average person, but the simple fact is they can be defeated — the criminal just needs to know a thing or two about computers. Just like deadbolts can be picked by people who know what they’re doing, smart locks can be hacked by someone with specific know-how. When you’re selecting a smart lock for your home, you should consider how it’s connected. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections are the most susceptible to hacking, but reputable companies will have countermeasures in place to make it more difficult for computer-savvy thieves to override your security measures. Also look into the history of the company. Has it had exposed security vulnerabilities in the past? If so, what has been done to rectify them? Data leaks like the ones affecting smart lock security are a major concern for corporations and consumers alike, but they’re actually one of the largest vectors for identity theft. Security goes beyond just your home. If you’re interested in protecting your identity, too, check out our identity theft protection buyers guide. Another danger of installing smart locks is that they may provide an overinflated sense of confidence. Most smart locks will do little to improve the physical security of the door you’re attaching it to. Even if you have a smart lock installed, a particularly brazen criminal may decide to kick in your door or pry it open with a crowbar. We don’t say this to scare you, but instead to help you understand that no single piece of security equipment will keep you safe from all threats. Comprehensive security systems do not rely on one particular piece of equipment. Instead they are the culmination of multiple pieces of equipment with different functions working together to keep you safe. Smart locks are one part of a much bigger picture. Now allow us to step down from our soap box to discuss something more concrete. How hard are these things to install and work with? Are Smart Locks Difficult to Install? When we’re talking about the installation process, there are two types of smart locks to consider: adapted smart door locks, which use your existing lock hardware to essentially add smart technology to your door, and native smart door locks, which require an entirely new lock to be installed. Back in the day, most security systems had to be professionally installed. Now there are tons of companies that offer simple, DIY solutions to protect your family and home. Check out our roundup of the best DIY security systems to learn more. When it comes to DIY projects, adapted locks are a lot easier than native locks, but the latter usually produces more aesthetically pleasing results. Simply put, they just look better most of the time. If you’re not handy with power tools, many manufacturers of native smart locks offer professional installation. Just keep in mind you’ll have to pay a service fee. If you’re working with a DIY brand that’s going to smarten up your existing hardware, you should probably set aside half an hour to an hour for installation. You may need a screwdriver or power drill, but not much beyond that. If you’re going for a native install, you may need a router, planer, and level — or just your checkbook. Vivint - Smart Door Lock Where Can You Install Smart Locks? Smart locks are, obviously, built for entryways. There are tons of different types of doors, however, and different locks are made for different applications. Front and Back Doors These are the most common places you’ll see smart locks installed, but you need to pay attention when you’re shopping around. Some smart locks come in right-hand or left-hand lever sets, and you’ll want to make sure you purchase one specifically rated for outdoor use. Garage Doors Some smart locks are made specifically for garage doors. They can have traditional, in-car openers that work using radio frequencies, or you can use proximity triggers such as Bluetooth or RFID. They can take the hassle out of getting out of your car to open the door every time you get home. Interior Doors Most people think about putting smart locks on their exterior doors or maybe their shed, but not a lot of folks know smart lock technology has come inside too. There are plenty of manufacturers that provide smart locks for indoor use only. They’re great for keeping your bedroom safe and secure at night or keeping your teenagers out of your man cave. Sliding Doors It wasn’t until recently that smart locks could be installed on existing sliding doors, which is unfortunate because they’re some of the easiest for criminals to break into. Lockly recently introduced its Guard model, which is specifically designed for existing sliding and swing-style doors without having to replace them. Another thing to consider before buying a smart lock is the type of property you live in. Smart Locks for Renters vs. Owners If you’re a homeowner, there aren’t many considerations to take when installing a security system — particularly if it’s not going to be recording audio. You can run into trouble depending on your state’s consent laws, but that’s a discussion for another time. What we really want to talk about is installing a smart lock as a renter. If your landlord agrees to let you install anything significant — security equipment included — make sure you get it in writing. You don’t want to lose your security deposit! You’ll need to discuss it with your property manager or landlord. They’ll have the final say in what you can and can't do, and may not be happy about the idea of installing a piece of equipment that prevents them from accessing their property. There are plenty of smart locks you can provide them access to that won’t affect existing hardware. You can even take it with you when you move out. If their answer is “no,” that’s OK. There are still plenty of security systems for renters that you won’t need permission to install yourself. Now that you have a grasp of all things smart lock, let’s talk about a pretty important consideration: the price. How Much Are Smart Locks? First off: How much are you looking to spend? The most basic models will run about $50, while the most advanced could cost thousands — especially if you’re talking about advanced biometric access technology. Most homeowners, though, should expect to spend between $100 and $300 per lock. That’s a little pricey when you consider your doors probably already have deadbolts, but it makes more sense when you start thinking about your overall security posture. Make sure you assess your needs before you go shopping for home security equipment. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and buy equipment you don’t need. When you’re taking a DIY approach to home security, it’s rare that you’ll purchase everything you need to make your home 100 percent safe and secure in one go. Consider your biggest needs first, and think about how you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck. Maybe smart locks are lower on the list than an alarm system or security cameras. If you’re ready to buy, we should talk about some of the brand names you’ll see and some of their best features. Who Makes Great Smart Locks? We have more on this in our roundup of the best smart locks of 2023, but some of the most common brands you’ll find include: August Danalock Friday Igloohome Kwikset Lockitron Sesame Schlage Ultraloq Yale All these brands have pros and cons. Some are great for outdoor use, while some are better for people on a budget. It will take some shopping around to find exactly what you need. We’ve compiled an at-a-glance chart of some of the most popular models from some of these brands to give you an idea where to start. Brand Yale Assure SoHoMill YL 99 August Smart Lock 2nd Gen Samsung SHS-P718 Schlage Connect BE469NX Haven Connect Kwikset Kevo 2nd Gen Price $159. 99 and up $45 and up $199 $530 and up $260 and up $340 and up $210 and up Method of entry Keypad, smart home app, key Keypad Smartphone, proximity, key Keypad, RFID, fingerprint Keypad, key Bluetooth key fob or smartphone Bluetooth, fob, key App support Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Pros Works with Amazon Alexa when paired with a Wink or SmartThings Hub (sold separately). Can have 250 unique PIN codes to share with family and friends. Great customer satisfaction. Low cost compared to alternatives. Very easy to install and set up. Master code, passage code, and up to 8 user codes. Auto locks after 3 seconds of opening. Very long battery life. Voice control with Alexa and Assistant if purchased with August Connect hub. Works with your current deadlock. Auto locks the door when you leave and auto unlocks when you approach the door. Track when and who is opening doors through the app. Multiple methods of secure entry. Push/pull entry. Uses Z-wave technology allowing you to combine it with other smart home devices (with optional purchase of the hub). Highest residential security rating. Sends an alert when someone is tampering or trying to force entry. Much stronger than a deadbolt, installs to the floor with a rising lock gate to prevent forced entry through the door. Backup battery to ensure working functionality when the main battery dies. Full app support. Touch to open with your phone. Works with Amazon Alexa, Ring doorbell, and other smart home devices. Remotely lock doors and track who is locking or unlocking doors with the Kevo Plus Hub. Cons Requires an additional hub for full functionality. Beeps every time you open the door. Cannot be disabled. Corrodes if exposed directly to the elements. No physical key entry option in case of battery failure. Issues with Smart Lock not performing as expected. Reports of users being locked out of their house due to glitches in the app, and can be unlocked only with a physical key. Not for exterior doors and not water resistant. Difficult to install. Very expensive. Hard to find cons with this one. The only issue is if you want truly touchless entry rather than a keypad. Must have enough door gap clearance at the bottom for this lock to install correctly. Expensive. Several customer complaints of reliability issues and poor battery life. Best for Large households. Easily gain entry in three different ways. Airbnb landlords and storage sheds. Easily grant access to renters, and change the code after each renter for easy access. Techies who can take the time to ensure this lock will work perfectly. Small businesses. You can have long-term employees use their fingerprint or keypad, while granting short-term contract workers a RFID card to get in and out securely. Households and landlords. Easily grant access to family members or renters by providing them with a code. When you have new renters or guests, just change the code. Households wanting extra protection against break-ins. The unique design of this door lock makes it extremely difficult to break through the door. Households that want to maintain traditional-looking door locks but have smart lock capabilities. The chart should get you well on your way when you consider the features you're looking for and the price you want to pay. By now you should have a pretty good idea of what you’re looking for in a smart lock. Let’s bring it home. Are Smart Locks Worth It? You’re the only one who will be able to answer that question. Some people feel safe and secure in a home with the doors unlocked all day. Other people want a perimeter of high-tech security cameras and motion sensors to ensure nothing suspicious is happening on their property 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most people, though, are somewhere in between. Home security is an important preventive measure against intruders, but make sure you’re protected from disaster as well. That’s likely where you’ll find yourself, so take a hard look at your home — where you live, the crime rates, how the property is set up, what the likely entry points are, and how secure you feel given your current setup. If someone wanted to break in, would they feel emboldened or would they reconsider? If someone did break in, is there anything in place to stop them? Overall, smart locks are a good investment for people interested in adding a little extra security and convenience to their homes. They certainly add to the “wow” factor of your property if you can tell your Alexa to unlock the front door when guests show up, but they also add a very meaningful layer of functional protection.

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### Everything to Know About Security Cameras

> The best home security cameras of 2025 include Arlo for smart features, Lorex for local storage, and Ring for affordable cloud plans. Explore our top picks.

- Published: 2018-01-12
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/home-security-cameras/



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### Home Security Promotions & Sales

- Published: 2017-10-17
- Modified: 2025-07-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/sales/

SafeHome. org regularly monitors* sales and promotions to help customers find the best deals on home security and smart home packages and offers from leading companies. Here are some of our favorite current deals and promotions: Frontpoint - ADT - Vivint - Home Security Deals and Sales There are certain times each year when retailers advertise unbeatable offers and deeply discounted products and services. And while the first thing that comes to mind isn't always home security and automation, this industry routinely offers amazing deals and discounts, especially on the Black Friday and Cyber Monday retail sales holidays. The day after Thanksgiving, commonly referred to as Black Friday, is the official kick-off to the Christmas holiday shopping season. This is a great time to shop for your home security needs. But where can you find the best home security deals and sales? Well, the best place to find Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals is from a home security review website where all the information about any given product or service is presented side-by-side along with any Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, discounts, and other sales information. Just make sure you check the sale start dates and times so you don't miss out on all those unbeatable deals. Black Friday: This year Black Friday is on November 23, 2018. And in addition to home security deals and sales, many retailers will also provide other attractive offers when you sign up for their monitoring services as well. For example, incentives such as extra equipment, better warranties, and free shipping are often given to entice buyers to subscribe to monthly monitoring services in addition to their equipment purchase. Cyber Monday: This year Cyber Monday is on November 26, 2018. And just like Black Friday, Cyber Monday also offers deeply discounted pricing and unbeatable sales. And, interestingly enough, security systems and smart home devices have historically received the best rates and discounts on Cyber Monday, some even more so than on Black Friday. Retailers frequently offer extended warranties, free shipping, and more if you buy on Cyber Monday, so look out for those types of deals as well. Home Security Promotions & Packages Every home security company will offer their own unique promotions and packages which change frequently. Therefore, it's best to review each one so you can make an educated decision about which option is right for your particular wants and needs. ADT Promotions ADT has packages starting at $27. 99 per month. They are also currently offering a free home security system if you pay a $99 installation fee along with subscribing to their monitoring service. They are also offering a $100 Visa Gift Card with the installation of a new system. Click here to check out current promotions from ADT. Frontpoint Promotions Frontpoint has packages starting at $34. 99 per month. They are also currently offering 50% off a wireless indoor camera for a limited time only. Frontpoint also has a 100 percent 30-day risk-free trial period and if you decide to cancel they will give you a full refund, including all the shipping costs. Click here to check out current promotions from Frontpoint. Link Interactive Promotions Link Interactive has packages starting at $30. 99. They are also currently offering three different DIY packages with a three-year rate lock guarantee. Link Interactive also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with a full refund including the shipping if for any reason you're not completely satisfied. Click here to check out current promotions from Link Interactive. Protect America Promotions Protect America has packages starting at $19. 99 per month. They are also currently offering an HD indoor camera for only $19. 99 when you purchase any of their interactive security plans. ProtectAmerica also has a customizable security plan option. Click here to check out current promotions from Link Interactive. Scout Promotions Scout has packages starting at $9. 99 per month. They are also offering no contract DIY systems that are fully-customizable with IoT integrations. Scout also offers flexible monitoring plans as well. Click here to check out current promotions from Scout Alarm. SimpliSafe Promotions SimpliSafe has entire packages starting at $234. 99. They also have no contract DIY, plug-in and use systems that come with a 60-day money-back guarantee with free shipping and free returns. SimpliSafe also offers a wide variety of add-ons as well. Click here to check out current promotions from SimpliSafe. Vivint Promotions Vivint has packages starting at $29. 99 per month. They are also currently offering $0 cost professional installation and activation fees. Vivint also offers a wide variety of home automation options. Click here to check out current promotions from Vivint. Home Security Discounts & Coupon Codes Many home security companies routinely provide discounts to attract customers and build their customer base. But they also routinely offer additional discounts and/or coupon codes to special groups as well. Here are some examples of what is considered a "special group" and the types of discounts those groups might receive. And, home security discounts and coupon codes that are currently being offered to the the general public. Military and Senior Citizen Discounts The term special group could be assigned to any given group of people a retailer decides to give a discount. For example: Military: Some companies offer home security discounts for active military, veterans, and/or military family members. This could be in the form of reduced rates, no charge equipment/features, or contract exceptions for active duty members. Senior Citizens: A few home security companies offer discounts to senior citizens. However, the most common home security features most attractive to seniors are alert buttons, security cameras, and two-way communication features. Your best bet is if you are in a special group, you should always contact a company representative and ask if they have any available discounts that would apply to your particular situation. Many times the discounts available to special groups are not advertised on their website, so you have to contact them and specifically ask for one. *Sales, Deals & Discounts as of March 22, 2018

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### Best Home Security Systems with Great Customer Service in [year]

> Cove, SimpliSafe, and Frontpoint earn top marks for customer service, offering fast support and transparent policies

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/customer-service/



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### Best No-Contract Home Security Systems

> SimpliSafe, Ring, and Cove top the list of no-contract security systems with flexible plans and pro monitoring options

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-09-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/no-contract/



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### Best Wireless Home Security Systems

> Ring Alarm, SimpliSafe, and Cove are the best wireless security systems—easy to install and great for renters

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-07-09
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/wireless/



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### Best Home Security Systems with Cameras

> Arlo, Lorex, and Ring offer the best home security cameras with 2K–4K resolution, night vision, and motion alerts

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-08-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/cameras/



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### Best Security Systems Without Monitoring in [year]

> Eufy, Wyze, and Arlo offer the best unmonitored security systems with app alerts, motion detection, and no monthly fees

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-09-12
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/without-monitoring/



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### Best Professionally Installed Home Security Systems of [year]

> Vivint, ADT, and Brinks provide professional installation with expert setup, wiring, and in-home support

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/professional-installation/



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### Best DIY Home Security Systems of [year]

> SimpliSafe, Ring Alarm, and Abode offer the best DIY security systems—easy to install, no drilling, no pro help needed

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-08-21
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/diy-install/



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### The Best Security Systems With Home Automation of [year]

> Vivint, ADT, and Abode are the best home security systems with automation—control lights, locks, and thermostats remotely

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/home-automation/



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### Most Affordable Home Security Systems in [year]

> Wyze, Ring Alarm, and SimpliSafe offer the best affordable home security without compromising essential features

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-09-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/affordable/



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### Best Home Security Mobile App

> SimpliSafe, Ring, and Vivint offer the best mobile apps for home security, enabling full control and instant alerts

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/mobile-app/



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### Best Home Security Companies With Fast Response Times in [year]

> ADT, SimpliSafe, and Vivint lead in fast response times, often dispatching emergency services in under 30 seconds

- Published: 2017-08-24
- Modified: 2025-05-16
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/best/response-times/



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### Vivint vs. ADT Security System Comparison

> Vivint excels in smart home automation with proprietary equipment but requires contracts. ADT offers better monitoring with flexible, no-contract options.

- Published: 2016-10-04
- Modified: 2025-07-02
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/vivint-vs-adt/

Vivint and ADT have subtle and not-so-subtle differences. For one, Vivint offers proprietary equipment made specifically for their systems, while ADT also offers equipment from reputable third-party suppliers such as Google Nest. Vivint is also more expensive than most home security systems. Meanwhile, ADT offers packages that fit almost every budget. But which system is better? The only way to find out is to have each system professionally installed, which is what we did. Let’s break down our experiences, the pricing, and features to help you choose the right fit for your needs. >> Compare: The Best Home Security Systems of We unboxed our Vivint equipment, but a professional installer set it up for us. If you want to know what it’s like living with Vivint, check out our full Vivint review here. Or, if you think ADT might be the better option, you can read more about this popular brand in our ADT review. Understanding the Differences We’re going to start with one of the biggest differences between the two brands: contracts. Vivint requires a 48- to 60-month commitment. The bonus is that it includes equipment financing, so you don’t need to pay a large amount upfront. Longer contracts mean you can spread out payments more. ADT contracts are only for financing. You can pay off your equipment over 12 months with Affirm. You can avoid contracts with Vivint by paying for your equipment upfront. Our installer also told us that Vivint has a three-day money-back guarantee. So, you don’t have long to thoroughly evaluate the system. The Vivint technician explained why this was the best spot to install our outdoor camera. Another key difference is equipment. While Vivint carries its exclusive proprietary line of sensors and cameras, ADT sources its cameras from Google Nest. You’re also going to see a difference in overall pricing — your equipment costs, your monthly monitoring bill, and the installation fees. In general, Vivint caters to people seeking high-quality equipment and state-of-the-art smart home integration. ADT tends to target the tier below premium, with system options available for a wider variety of budgets and security needs. A final difference we’ll highlight is brand recognition. ADT has been in service for over 150 years (almost as old as Canada! ). It all started when the company’s founder invented a system to send for help during a break-in using telegraphs. By comparison, the company known as Vivint today was founded in 1999. Because ADT is so recognizable, posting ADT stickers and yard signs alone can be enough to deter criminals. The brand-new version of ADT’s base station replaces the touch-screen control panel. Comparing the Similarities of These Home Security Services Alright, we’ve talked about their differences, but how do these two really match up in terms of essential qualities and services offered? Both ADT and Vivint offer top-of-the-line home security systems complete with professional installation and wireless equipment. >>Learn More: What Is the Vivint Install Process and Cost? Full-home automation is also available, which can be a wonderful addition to the standard home monitoring systems by giving video surveillance to homeowners for an added sense of security. Using a mobile app, you’re able to know the status of your home instantly, anytime and anywhere. As a bonus, you can also include appliances, thermostat control, door locks, and more in your home automation setup. But, after testing both systems, we have to give the edge to Vivint when it comes to smart home automation. In this category: It’s the best in the business. The ADT indoor security camera made by Google Nest. Vivint vs. ADT: Key Features to Look Out For When you’re deciding between top brands like Vivint and ADT, sometimes it comes down to features. That said, it’s important to read all of the proverbial — or literal — fine print. The last thing you want is to land on one provider only to find out the feature you were looking for isn’t really offered, or you’ll have to pay more for it. The good news is ADT and Vivint both will work with you to make sure you’re getting exactly what you’re looking for. These are the features we recommend asking about: Professional Monitoring: ADT has a better system for 24/7 monitoring, with 12 facilities across North America. Vivint has two monitoring centers. Although there haven't been any reports of service interruption from Vivint, the chance of it happening is higher than with ADT, given their smaller network. Home Automation: Vivint shines in home automation features and equipment quality. Even ADT, which is already a great security system with home automation, can’t fully match Vivint’s integration with third-party smart home products. Professional Installation: ADT and Vivint offer professional installation to make sure all your equipment is functioning properly and effectively. ADT Self Setup is the company’s DIY offering. Read our hands-on ADT Self Setup review where we installed Google Nest products and security equipment ourselves. Our installer tested the window sensor to ensure it was working as intended. Vivint vs. ADT Ordering and Pricing Undoubtedly, ADT and Vivint are both high-quality home security systems with great customer service. However, if you are someone who prefers investigating your options and ordering online, you may be disappointed with Vivint. Vivint’s website offers minimal product and pricing information. They also require you to order over the phone. ADT, on the other hand, offers a much more transparent and comprehensive website and the ability to order online or by phone. In the end, this may not seem like a big difference, but transparency is important and generally a good thing. Our Vivint Experience We relayed our needs to the Vivint sales agent who walked us through a personalized security system. They recommended an indoor camera, outdoor camera, entry sensors, and motion detectors. We also asked for a video doorbell. Every package includes a touch-screen panel to manage the system. Next, we discussed professional monitoring. Plans start at $29. 99 per month. This doesn’t include the cost of the equipment. The basic plan also doesn’t include video or home automation support. So, if you’re getting advanced equipment, you’ll need a comprehensive monitoring service, which increases your costs. >> Read More: Vivint’s Plans, Pricing, and Packages We bought the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight directly from ADT’s website. Our ADT Experience ADT offers full transparency with its equipment and monitoring prices displayed on its website. We easily added and removed devices until we had the perfect setup. ADT also offers three package tiers based on your budget and security needs. So we could compare apples to apples, we designed the system ourselves and chose similar products as Vivint. ADT no longer offers a touch-screen control panel. The hub features a physical keypad on top of the device. However, it’s still easy to set up smart home automations using the ADT+ app. ADT advertises three professional monitoring tiers on its website. The most basic package is $34. 99 per month, while the top option with cloud storage for video and facial recognition capabilities is $49. 99 per month. In short, ADT’s prices are similar to that of Vivint. Winner: ADT’s pricing was historically more expensive and required long-term contracts. We welcome the change to flexible, month-to-month packages, making premium security within reach for more budgets. Equipment and Installation Both brands offer professional installation, and the cost starts at about $200, depending on which package you choose. We had to call ADT to organize a professional installation — the option isn’t available when you try to buy a security system on its website. It was easy to book an appointment, and the technician showed up on time. They went room by room and chose the best spots to place devices for maximum coverage. The technician also showed us how to download the ADT+ app and use it. Since Vivint produces its own equipment, it makes sense for the company to handle installation. The technician began by conducting a threat assessment of our home and identifying the best places to install devices. Some of the equipment needed to be connected to the internal wiring, which is another good reason to choose professional installation. The Vivint technician checked that everything was working and even showed us how to set up some basic automations. Photo of our Vivint Installation Specialist, Don. If you decide ADT isn’t the right system, you can use your Google Nest products as standalone devices. Simply sign up for a Nest Aware subscription to gain features like facial recognition and cloud storage. Winner: We like that the addition of Google Nest equipment to ADT’s product lineup offers the choice of DIY or professional installation. However, we recommend taking advantage of the professional installation service so all your equipment works effectively. Our Vivint and ADT Recommendations If You Decide to Go With Vivint... Vivint offers personalized, tailored home security systems. The catch is you must sign a contract and use professional installation and monitoring. There’s also no way to build your security system on Vivint’s website. You’ll need to speak to someone to discuss your options. In return, you’ll get some of the most advanced security equipment on the market and industry-leading smart home automation capabilities. It’s easy to pair smart lights and smart thermostats. It’s even easier to create simple automations in the Vivint app, such as locking the door at specific times or turning on the lights when motion is detected. It might be the pricier option, but Vivint is a premium home security system that’s worth every cent. If You Decide to Go With ADT... After 150 years in the business, ADT continues to evolve, offering more flexibility and advanced equipment. It’s the better option if you’re not looking for a long-term commitment and want the choice of installing equipment yourself or leaving it to the pros. The professional monitoring service sets the industry benchmark. You can have complete peace of mind knowing that ADT has 12 monitoring centers across North America ready to respond to alarms. ADT SMART monitoring also sends you a message instantly to cancel false alarms or request assistance. If you’re looking for a premium-but-affordable home security system with no strings attached, we recommend ADT. Our Final Verdict on Vivint vs. ADT Even though ADT is our top pick, you can’t go wrong with either system. The reasons we prefer ADT are that it’s easy to design a system from the ground up, schedule professional installation, and manage everything within the app. The professional monitoring service is also second to none. Vivint also makes it easy to design a system from the ground up — even if it involves a phone call. The equipment is more advanced than ADT and the smart home automation features means your home secures itself. Regardless of which one you choose, you can rely on these top-of-the-line systems. FAQs

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### SimpliSafe vs Frontpoint Comparison

> SimpliSafe offers similar features to Frontpoint but at a lower cost, with better app ratings and a month-to-month contract, making it our preferred choice.

- Published: 2016-10-02
- Modified: 2025-07-15
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-frontpoint/

Although it can seem like all home security systems are the same, you might be surprised to learn that many differences actually set them apart. And these distinctions are crucial when determining which security setup is right for you. No two systems are ever truly alike and (with a little digging), these differences are easy to uncover. We’ve done some of the dirty work for you, and compared two excellent home security companies, SimpliSafe and Frontpoint, to see how they match up. Let’s go over some similarities, differences, features, and pricing to see which system will best fit you and your family’s needs. Our SimpliSafe system arranged on a table Similarities Between SimpliSafe and Frontpoint First things first: How do these two home security front-runners compare when it comes to similarities? After reviewing each system, we were impressed with how closely each company stacked up against the other. For starters, SimpliSafe and Frontpoint are both wireless systems and come with wireless equipment that doesn’t have to be hardwired to your home. We saw this as a (huge! ) plus because wireless systems are generally more adaptable to your space. They also make adding and integrating new equipment into your existing setup much easier. Frontpoint Equipment You can complement your system with equipment from different home security providers. But before purchasing new equipment, it is essential that you verify it’s compatible with your system. Both companies also offer DIY systems that are simple and easy to install. No professional installation is required, which can end up saving you quite a bit of cash up front (your bank account will thank you). If you’re not really the DIY-type and are worried about running into obstacles, try not to fret! Detailed in-app instructions are on hand to assist, along with plenty of additional resources online. Both brands make the grade when it comes to easy DIY installation. Many other home security companies require professional installation? These other companies also charge for this service. It can be quite expensive, ranging from $99 to several hundred dollars, depending on the components you purchase. So we’re big fans of DIY installation. Last but not least — and this wasn’t really much of a surprise — both SimpliSafe and Frontpoint offer high-quality indoor video cameras. Now, although we weren’t particularly shocked by this revelation, it’s worth noting that not all security companies have indoor cams. Indoor cameras are pretty handy in that they provide security and monitoring for high-traffic areas in the home and entry points. You can also take it one step further and use them to monitor pets and children. The cameras even serve as pretty solid baby monitors to boot. Now, if you’re interested in finding a really solid option for indoor security, check out our in-depth guide to the best indoor security cameras on the market. Frontpoint Keypad Control Panel Differences Between SimpliSafe and Frontpoint While we weren’t necessarily surprised by the similarities shared between each system, we were, however, taken aback at a few of the differences that popped up. First off, we recently tested and reviewed Frontpoint’s security system for ourselves and found them to be a little on the pricier side when compared with SimpliSafe. A saving grace, however, is that Frontpoint offers rolling deals throughout the year, ensuring that a security system is still attainable for those with a smaller budget to work with. If possible, you should always try to include monitoring services with your home security system. Professional monitoring allows you to be at peace by knowing that your home is under surveillance at all times. In the event of a break-in or other dangerous situation, a team will notify you and the authorities immediately. It’s unrealistic to think that you can monitor your system at all times on your own. Another key difference you should note is that SimpliSafe offers active monitoring features for their cameras (called Intruder Intervention), whereas Frontpoint only offers video verification. Compatible monitoring plans allow SimpliSafe’s agents to access your cameras and then use the two-way talk and siren in the camera to scare off intruders. Finally, Frontpoint offers home automation features with their systems, whereas SimpliSafe does not (yet). Home automation integrates functions and appliances through a “hub” or app. This way, you can remotely control your smart-home and security system through your phone or tablet. A lot of people use home automation not only to monitor and control their security systems but to also control lighting, thermostats, and other functions in the home. SimpliSafe Wireless Keypad Setup Overview of Features SimpliSafe packages include key features like motion sensors, panic buttons, key fobs, entry sensors, and more. A full range of devices are also on hand to protect you and your loved ones from environmental dangers such as carbon monoxide and smoke. On the flip side, Frontpoint home security systems offer all of the above and then some. Along with your typical array of cameras and sensors, they also feature basic home automation and geofencing — a technology that allows you to set up a virtual “fence” around your home using your smartphone’s GPS. Basically, whenever you cross that designated virtual barrier, your security system can perform a specific command, like arming the home (quite the convenience on those hectic mornings). We set up our SimpliSafe base station on our mantle so we could hide its power cable behind a plant Pricing Alas, it’s time for the inevitable cost comparison. We did find affordable options with each company that won’t break the bank, ensuring home protection for even the lower-end budgets. Overall, SimpliSafe is the cheaper option. You’ll have to pay month-to-month for the professional monitoring package; however, it does not require a long-term commitment. Their cheapest package — The Foundation — costs $250 (but is often for sale) and includes all the basic components to get your home system started. Pricier packages range up to around $500 and include all the basics, as well as several additional perks. Packages can also be customized with add-on options galore. Frontpoint’s costs can vary but most customers are offered monitoring for $49. 99 per month. This option includes everything, from professional monitoring and cellular backup to integration of indoor and outdoor cameras, digital door locks, and other home automation features. Final Thoughts on SimpliSafe vs. Frontpoint All things considered, SimpliSafe edges out Frontpoint in a few different categories. While Frontpoint is definitely the more feature-rich security system, SimpliSafe has lots to offer when it comes to user-friendliness, quick set up, modern aesthetics, and affordability. So in the end, SimpliSafe gets our vote. With this in mind, we recommend reading our hands-on SimpliSafe review to really get a sense of what it’s like living with the system. Hopefully, you’ve found this comparison to be helpful in choosing the home security system that best fits your security needs. But, if you’re still indecisive, we’ve got an additional tip for you. Frontpoint Hub Make a list of your minimum must-haves, hopeful features, and max budget. Are outdoor cameras a priority to you? How much home automation do you expect to be able to integrate? Are you expecting a keypad entry or a doorbell camera? What is the absolute max you are willing to spend? Finally, our handy Home Security Comparison Tool can help you compare this list to the top security systems currently on your radar. You may be surprised at how some compare more closely than others. If your budget is currently tight, be prepared to compromise. And keep in mind that some companies allow you to add on or upgrade packages at a later date.

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### SimpliSafe vs ADT Comparison

> ADT has more going for it with a top-rated app, advanced home automation, and a six-month money-back guarantee, making it our top pick over SimpliSafe.

- Published: 2016-10-02
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/simplisafe-vs-adt/

ADT and SimpliSafe occupy the top two positions on our list of best home security systems. There’s just a hair’s breadth between them when it comes to quality. But while they’re both great systems, they do things differently. Ultimately, we feel like ADT has the edge, but SimpliSafe has a lot of positives of its own, and for many homeowners, it’s going to work best. In the past, ADT exclusively offered white-glove service from installation to monitoring, whereas SimpliSafe offered full DIY security. Things have changed recently, though. ADT now offers DIY installation and self-monitoring. Ironically, SimpliSafe now offers professional installation and advanced monitoring options. The good news is that you really can’t go wrong in terms of safety and security with either. Both companies are among our favorite security systems. If you really care about your home security, though, you want to pick the system that’s exactly right for you. The only way to do that is to compare them side-by-side. We were able to fully protect the interior of our home with our six-piece SimpliSafe security system. SimpliSafe vs ADT: An Overview of Two Top Home Security Systems Before we go any further, let’s get one thing out of the way: ADT and SimpliSafe are both outstanding home security systems. In fact, they’re numbers one and two on our list, and the race is pretty consistently neck-and-neck. We love them for different reasons, but there is absolutely no question that both companies do an outstanding job protecting homes from criminals, thieves, burglars, and home invaders. ADT’s strengths start with its 150 years of leading the industry, a history built on the company’s reputation for reliable security. No one offers better professional installation, monitoring is second-to-none, and the six-month money-back guarantee is simply unbeatable. Plus, as recent changes make clear, this is a company that knows how to adjust to the times. As the market has shifted towards DIY security, ADT has completely revamped its approach to home protection to meet this new demand. SimpliSafe hasn’t been around as long as ADT, but it was the first home security system focused entirely on the DIY market. At a time when the industry was obsessed with homeowners, SimpliSafe recognized that apartment dwellers need home security too, and found a way to provide it for them. Over the last several years, though, we’ve watched SimpliSafe blossom into a major force in the professional monitoring segment of the industry. You can still get affordable equipment, DIY installation, and self-monitoring options, but SimpliSafe also now offers one of the best professionally monitored systems, with high-quality equipment and advanced features that can match advanced systems like Vivint. And just like that, a serious rivalry was born. For more targeted information on each brand, you might start with our hands-on SimpliSafe review, which includes a look at their newest equipment. To learn more about ADT, have a look at our in-depth ADT review. But enough about these two companies in isolation. Let’s talk about how they compare to one another. A Quick Point-by-point Comparison of ADT and SimpliSafe ADT and SimpliSafe are different systems. They offer different equipment, different monitoring plans, and they operate on different philosophies. Even so, there are a number of striking similarities – more and more all the time. Before we dig into their differences, let’s cover what they have in common. Quaity Hardware – Both ADT and SimpliSafe offer wireless home security equipment as their bread and butter. No surprise, since that’s where most of the industry is focused these days. It is worth noting that if wired security is your thing, ADT is one of the few companies that offers this option. Another important point: SimpliSafe manufactures all of its own equipment, while ADT sources its equipment through companies like GE and Google Nest. Both offer solid, reliable devices, but this difference does mean SimpliSafe can offer packages at a lower price point. Smart Home Automation – Both SimpliSafe and ADT equipment work well with Alexa and Google Home. They also both work with a few other third-party smart products like August smart locks. As a Google partner, though, ADT has a slight edge with Google devices. Monitoring Services – ADT and SimpliSafe offer some of the best professional monitoring services in the industry. With ADT, you get some of the most reliable monitoring backed by 12 redundant monitoring centers in North America. Meanwhile, SimpliSafe offers active monitoring where their agents can use your cameras’ two-way talk to deter crime. Smartphone Controls – Both companies offer responsive mobile apps that let you access and manage your system remotely using your smartphone. ADT wins by a nose here: their app features more custom capabilities. That said, SimpliSafe’s app is well-designed and easy to use. ADT App Controls Environmental Protection – While both of these brands provide outstanding protection from break-ins and burglaries, they also offer features that can keep you safe from environmental dangers, like smoke, fire, carbon monoxide, and flooding. Cellular Monitoring – ADT and SimpliSafe both offer cellular backup, one reason why they’re both more reliable than other systems on the market. While primarily connected to the internet via Wi-Fi, both systems can use cellular signals to send alerts any time the internet fails. Installation – Both ADT and SimpliSafe let you choose between self-installation and professional installation. It’s worth pointing out that ADT remains the hands-down winner in the professional category, with 150 years of experience setting up systems. Meanwhile, SimpliSafe has the DIY installation process down to a science, with well-packaged equipment and easy-to-follow setup guides. ADT now offers its own ADT Self Setup Systems, though, and, not to be outdone, SimpliSafe now offers professional monitoring. Costs & Fees – Here’s another area where these two have drawn closer together. SimpliSafe’s base systems are a little cheaper than ADT’s, but at the higher end, both offer packages that top out at about $750. SimpliSafe remains just a bit cheaper when it comes to monitoring if you’re comparing apples to apples. Both now allow customers to self-monitor, which can save additional money. And both give you installation options at similar prices. DIY for free, or pay between $100 and $200 for a professional to do it. Contracts – We mentioned this already, but ADT requires a three-year monitoring contract, minimum, for most systems. In contrast, SimpliSafe doesn’t require you to sign a contract at all. With SimpliSafe, you just pay for your equipment and then month-to-month for any monitoring services. However, keep in mind that SimpliSafe lets you finance equipment. Do that, and you’ll wind up with a contract through Affirm, their third-party financing partner. SimpliSafe offers affordable monitoring plans — which start at just $21. 99 per month. The industry averages $30 to $50 per month. There’s also the option to pay only for video storage at about $10 per month, or not pay at all. Money-Back Guarantee – Both companies offer a money-back guarantee that gives you a good amount of time to test your system out before committing. Most companies offer 30 days. SimpliSafe offers double that number – 60. Impressive. But no one outdoes ADT. They offer an industry-best six month money-back guarantee. The command strips on the back of SimpliSafe’s sensors made them easy to install. ADT requires long-term contracts with most systems, which helps to spread the cost over years. You can avoid the contract with a full-priced DIY-installed system. SimpliSafe requires that you purchase the equipment upfront, which means you own it and don’t have to worry about contracts or ongoing charges. They now offer financing through a third-party, Affirm, though. Both brands do charge for monthly monitoring. SimpliSafe vs ADT: In-Depth Comparison of Home Security Systems Now that we’ve established the basic parameters for comparing these two systems, let’s dig deeper and talk about some of their more substantive similarities and differences, starting with costs. ADT’s Costs ADT currently offers six premade packages, or you can build your own system from scratch. Starting from scratch is the cheapest option, starting at just $269, but it only includes a base station, a single entry sensor, a yard sign, and some window stickers. Pre-made packages, all of which include entry sensors, range from $349 to $719. Life Safety Package ADT’s Life Safety package ($404) includes one more sensor than the build-your-own system, plus a combination smoke/ CO2 detector. The complete package comes with: 1 Base Station 2 Entry Sensors 1 Smoke/ CO2 Detector 1 Yard Sign 1 Pack of 4 Window Stickers Outdoor Video Package As the name implies, the Outdoor Video Package ($649) is designed for exterior monitoring. In addition to sensors and the ADT base, it includes both a video doorbell and a choice of indoor or outdoor camera. 1 Base Station 2 Entry Sensors 1 Google Nest Video Doorbell 1 Google Nest Cam (Indoor or Outdoor) 1 Yard Sign 1 Pack of 4 Window Stickers Front Door Protection Package The Front Door Protection Package ($719) includes a Google Nest Doorbell and a Yale front door smart lock. The full package offers: 1 Base Station 3 Entry Sensors 1 Motion Detector 1 Google Nest Doorbell 1 Yale Smart Lock 1 Yard Sign 1 Pack of 4 Window Stickers Security Starter The Security Starter Package ($349) makes use of sensors rather than cameras. In addition to three entry sensors, it includes a motion detector. 1 Base Station 3 Entry Sensors 1 Motion Detector 1 Yard Sign 1 Pack of 4 Window Stickers Video Essentials Package The Video Essential Package ($709) is essentially the same as the Starter Package, but it adds a Google Nest Camera. 1 Base Station 3 Entry Sensors 1 Motion Sensor 1 Google Nest Camera (Indoor or Outdoor) 1 Yard Sign 1 Pack of 4 Window Stickers If you rent a place that already has an ADT system, you (or your property owner) could pay as little as $29. 99 per month. Total Safety Package Finally, the Total Safety Package ($1,574) includes all of ADT’s best home security devices. 1 Base Station 3 Entry Sensors 1 Motion Detector 1 Smoke/ Carbon Monoxide Detector 1 Google Nest Doorbell (battery) 1 Yale Smart Lock 2 Google Nest Cams (Indoor or Outdoor) 3 Water/ Temperature Sensors 1 Yard Sign 1 Pack of 4 Window Stickers When it comes to monitoring, ADT lets you choose between three plans starting at $24. 99 per month. For that price, you get sensor monitoring, access to the ADT app, and cellular backup. At the next level, the Smart Monitoring plan adds home automation for an extra $5 per month. ADT’s top play, the Complete Monitoring plan, adds video verification services and cloud storage for security camera videos. It’s available for $39. 99 per month. You can get even more details in our full ADT pricing guide. SimpliSafe Costs If we look at regular retail prices, SimpliSafe’s pricing is on par with ADT. The most expensive package, the “The Beacon” package, costs $729. But the thing is, SimpliSafe packages are always on sale. You’re almost guaranteed to find discounts at least 20 percent (but sometimes up to 70 percent). And with these discounts, SimpliSafe is way more affordable than ADT. It’s also true that SimpliSafe offers more affordable monitoring options than ADT. Basic professional monitoring, SimpliSafe’s Standard plan, costs around $22 a month, $3 cheaper than ADT’s basic plan. SimpliSafe’s Core plan, which includes access to camera storage, costs $32 a month, or $8 cheaper than what ADT charges. However, SimpliSafe also offers some monitoring plans that are much more expensive than anything ADT offers. To be fair, SimpliSafe’s plans also include more features than ADT’s plans, but in terms of pure costs, you can definitely pay more with SimpliSafe. SimpliSafe’s Active Guard technology utilizes AI to identify threats and live agents trained to intervene in the case of an emergency. The Pro Plan includes Active Guard at night, while the Pro Plus Plan includes Active Guard 24 hours a day. Prices range from $60 to $80 per month. SimpliSafe is always running deals on their home security equipment packages, particularly around the holidays. Be sure to bookmark our guide to SimpliSafe’s deals for more up-to-date information. We wanted to make sure the privacy screen on our SimpliSafe Wireless Indoor Camera was closed. SimpliSafe Security System Packages SimpliSafe offers seven separate equipment packages in addition to the build-your-own option. Below, we list both the MSRP prices and the average 50 percent off sale. Note that in addition to these sale prices, SimpliSafe regularly offers a free security camera to anyone who signs up for a monitoring plan. To explore SimpliSafe’s packages and pricing further, check out our SimpliSafe packages and cost guide. The Beacon Costing $729. 90 (sale priced at $364. 90), The Beacon is the big daddy of SimpliSafe’s security systems. It is for people who want the total inside and outside home security. It includes: 1-base station 1-keypad 4-door sensors 2-motion detectors 2-outdoor security cameras The Lighthouse The Lighthouse has a smaller footprint than The Beacon, so it is suitable for someone with a smaller home or who desires relatively less protection at the lower price point of $479. 93 (sale-priced at $239. 93). 1-base station 1-keypad 3-door sensors 1-motion detector 1-outdoor security camera The Haven The Haven package costs $529. 86 (sale-priced at $264. 86) and is great for people who want both home security and environmental protection. 1-base station 1-keypad 1-key fob 4-door sensors 2-motion detectors 1-alarm siren 1-temperature sensor 1-water sensor 1-panic button 1-smoke detector The Knox At $489. 87 (sale-priced at $244. 87), The Knox is a step down from the Haven, but it still offers whole home protection with some environmental monitoring. 1-base station 1-keypad 1-key fob 6-door sensors 2-motion detectors 1-alarm siren 1-smoke detector The Hearth For slightly smaller homes, The Hearth package packs a pretty good punch with entryway sensors and basic environmental protections for just $409. 91 (sale-priced for $204. 91). 1-base station 1-keypad 1-key fob 3-door sensors 1-motion detector 1-alarm siren 1-smoke detector The Starter If you’re looking for something basic and affordable, the $279. 94 (sale-priced at $139. 94) Starter package is a no-brainer. It’s ideal for very small homes and apartments. 1-base station 1-keypad 3-door sensors 1-motion detector The Foundation With SimpliSafe’s Foundation kit, you’ll get a lean home security setup for only $249. 96 (sale-priced at $124. 96). Just note that you’ll probably need to buy a couple of extra entry sensors a la carte. 1-base station 1-keypad 1-door sensor 1-motion detector Contracts & Warranties ADT’s Policies and Contracts Contract – Most ADT systems require a 36-month contract, though, they now offer contract-free systems if you’re willing to DIY your installation. Money-Back Service Guarantee – To help cushion the blow of that 36-month contract, ADT offers one of the longest money-back guarantees in the business. There are no penalties if you cancel your ADT contract within the first six months for a qualified reason. Theft Protection Guarantee - ADT’s so confident about the protection they offer that they’ll refund you up to $500 of your insurance deductible if an intruder robs your home. Warranty - For an extra fee, ADT offers its Extended Limited Warranty/Quality Service Plan (QSP). The warranty covers repair or replacement costs of equipment malfunction. SimpliSafe’s Contracts and Policies Contract - SimpliSafe does not require any contracts or credit checks. However, their Core Monitoring costs $29. 99 per month. Warranty - SimpliSafe offers a 3-year warranty from the date of purchase if you sign up for Standard Monitoring. For a lifetime warranty, you’ll need to sign up for Core Monitoring or above before your current warranty expires. The warranty covers defective material and workmanship under normal use. Money-Back Guarantee - SimpliSafe has a pretty generous 60-day money-back guarantee. Main Features & Tech If you want to really get down to brass tacks, here are the different features offered by SimpliSafe and ADT. Note that ADT is more advanced, but it’s also much more expensive. ADT Wireless Video Camera ADT Features The features you get with an ADT home security system will depend on the package you choose. ADT offers the following features: Home automation available Custom alerts Z-Wave technology Smartphone access & control Video monitoring with live footage Recorded video clips Indoor and outdoor cameras available Environmental protection sensors 24/7 monitoring 6-month guarantee Theft protection guarantee SimpliSafe Features SimpliSafe Wireless KeypadThe SimpliSafe features you get will depend on which monitoring package you choose. SimpliSafe offers features like: Visually confirmed mobile alerts 24/7 monitoring Wireless equipment Surveillance cameras Environmental disaster protection Remote control (using the mobile app) Backup battery Touch-to-wake keypad Open window alerts Heartbeats (built-in diagnostic equipment checks) Installation Here again, these two systems have grown more similar, though there remain some important differences. Installation for ADT Security Systems ADT prefers customers choose professional installation and setup for their wired and wireless systems. You have to pay $99 to $199 for this service, but you don’t have to worry about deciding where to place equipment. ADT techs are some of the best in the business, and they not only put your cameras and sensors in the best possible spots, but they’ll handle any wiring, and they know lots of tricks for helping your system blend into your home decor. You can now opt for a DIY ADT system, though. You save on installation fees, of course, but you give up one of ADT’s best services. Installation for SimpliSafe Security Systems When you go with a SimpliSafe system, you’re going to be installing it yourself. You can pay for professional installation which starts at $125, but it’s so easy to install that we don’t recommend it. That means you don’t have to worry about scheduling a time for a tech to visit or worry about any extra fees. SimpliSafe’s wireless equipment makes it super simple to do — all you have to do is set up your base station and place your equipment where you need it. The only thing that requires wiring is the Video Doorbell Pro which uses the same wiring as your current doorbell. Just make sure to read our guide to SimpliSafe Installation to make the process as seamless as possible. How Do I Know Which Security System Is Best for Me? When it comes to keeping your home safe from intruders, it’s tough to go wrong with either system. However, these two manufacturers really do target different living situations and budgets. If you’re looking for something easy-to-use, highly customizable, and affordable, go with SimpliSafe. If you’re looking for total home protection that you won’t have to lift a finger for (and don’t mind shelling out cash for), ADT is probably more your speed. Want to see how celebrities protect their homes? These celebrity home security systems will blow you away. Why Choose SimpliSafe? In the long run, you can save a lot of money with SimpliSafe. First, with SimpliSafe you are not obligated to pay for professional monitoring fees. However, if you want the monitoring services, SimpliSafe offers extremely affordable fees (starting at $21. 99 per month). Also, with SimpliSafe, you don’t have to worry about installation fees and cancellation fees. On a last note, SimpliSafe manufactures its own equipment, which also helps you save money on the equipment because there are no middlemen to jack up the prices. SimpliSafe Base Station at Night Why Choose ADT? Rather than purchasing your security equipment upfront, you can pay monthly fees with ADT. However, keep in mind that with ADT you are financing the equipment which means you need to pay it off before you own it outright. Also, take into consideration that with ADT you are committing to a 3-year contract unless you pay for the equipment outright at its full price and install it yourself. And while you’re under contract, canceling your ADT monitoring will result in hefty early cancellation penalties. With that said, ADT does offer stellar home protection with entry sensors, cameras, home automation features, and the list goes on. One final note here: we only recommend ADT to homeowners who plan on staying put for a few years. FAQs

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### Compare Home Security Companies

> Compare top systems side by side to find the best fit for your needs. See features, pricing, and expert ratings all in one place.

- Published: 2016-09-30
- Modified: 2025-02-25
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/compare/

Compare Home Security Costs & Prices Note: Google has discontinued Nest Secure. So we recommend checking out our list of the best home security systems to explore your options. In order to determine which home security system is right for you, you will need to find one that fits your particular needs and budget. You can start by learning what you should be looking for when it comes to the related costs of a home security system and their individual pricing structures. Equipment Costs First, you will need to decide whether you want a hardwired home security system, which ranges between $700 - $1,800; or a wireless home security system, which has a pretty wide price range of $50 - $1,800. Or, if you would prefer, a DIY wireless home security system, which ranges between $95 - $1,000. Basic home security equipment generally consists of a control panel, a few door and window sensors, motion detectors, sirens, and keychain fobs. The cost of a basic system averages about $595. However, this price goes up as you add additional security and home automation features to it. For example: Additional sensors (door, window, glass break) are $10 - $70 Extra keychain fobs are $25 Motion, fire, smoke, CO2 detectors are $25 - $60 Closed circuit TV or IP cameras are $99 - $325 Panic buttons are $30 - $35 each Home automation upgrades (remotely controlled lights, thermostat, door locks, garage door, etc. ) are $25 - $325 Installation Costs The installation costs of installing a home security system range from about $125 - $650. What you pay for the installation will depend on the layout of your home, the system you choose, and how difficult and/or extensive that system is to install. Also, any additional components you add to your system will increase the basic install price. For example, your security system will probably only come with two to three window and door sensors, which means if you need more, it could add an additional $35 or so for each extra sensor installed. Then if you add on home automation features, you're looking at even more additional costs. Monitoring Costs Once you've decided on the type of equipment you want to be installed, you will then need to decide whether you want your new system monitored or not. A monitored security system is just that — “monitored” 24 hours a day by a team of security professionals at a monitoring center who will alert the proper authorities if an incident is detected. The cost of a monitored security system will run you anywhere from $9 – $60 per month. And the activation fees are anywhere from $0 – $225, but make sure you read the fine print before you sign anything. Compare Home Security Reviews There are several ways you can go about comparing home security reviews. You can start by checking the security company's Better Business Bureau rating. Another great way to compare reviews is to use our side-by-side home security company review feature. These types of reviews are unbiased, offering side-by-side comparisons along with pros and cons and other content. They will also include price ranges, packages, and optional feature costs as well. Using a home security review site will keep you from hours of back and forth searching around the internet because they have already done the legwork for you then presented that information in summary style content that's all in one place and viewable in an easy to read and use format. Summaries of Comparison Reviews For starters we compare home security companies that people ask about most. Follow links to compare popular DIY alarm companies, pro-installed alarms, cheap home security and high-end protection. Abode Abode vs Arlo - How does Abode stand up to home security camera system Arlo? Find out in our comparison. Abode vs Ring - How does Abode compare to the well known Ring brand name? Find out in our comparison. Abode vs SimpliSafe - Read our review about these two DIY powerhouses and find out which one offers the best bang for your buck. ADT ADT vs Alarm. com - Find out how ADT compares to the monitoring services offered by Alarm. com in our comprehensive comparison. ADT vs Bay Alarm - See how ADT's national presence compares to west coast competitor, Bay Alarm. ADT vs Brinks - This battle is as old as time. See who takes the top spot between these two well recognized home security brand names. ADT vs CPI Security - Read about how national home security company ADT compares to the smaller, regional home security company of CPI Security. ADT vs Cox Homelife - Check out our home security system comparison between ADT and multimedia giant, Cox. ADT vs Guardian - Is ADT a better security system than Guardian Protection Services? Find out in our detailed comparison of these home security systems. ADT vs Honeywell - ADT or Honeywell? We picked the best home security system in our comparison. ADT vs Nest - See which system was the best in our comparison. ADT vs Ring - Do a comparison of the largest home security provider and a video doorbell company that lets you answer the door from anywhere with your smartphone. ADT vs SafeTouch - Our experts put the gold-standard ADT against the regional powerhouse SafeTouch. See how they stack up in our comparison. ADT vs SimpliSafe - Choose between a pro-installed system and an inexpensive DIY home security system. ADT vs Smith Thompson - Does ADT match up with this Texas home security company? Find out in our comparison. ADT vs Vector Security - Check out who comes out on top when we compare ADT to regional competitor, Vector Security. ADT vs Vivint - Both ADT and Vivint have advanced features for similar prices. See which one you prefer. ADT vs Xfinity - See how ADT's home security system fares when compared to a dominant ISP's home security feature. ADT vs DIY Home Security - Are you wondering how ADT compares to DIY home security systems in general? If so, check out the similarities and differences in our detailed comparison. Alarm. com Alarm. com vs ADT - Does Alarm. com stand a chance against home security giant, ADT? Check out our comparison to find out. Arlo Arlo vs Abode - Find out if Arlo's camera system competes with Abode's DIY security system in our in-depth comparison. Arlo vs Blink - It's a battle between Netgear owned Arlo and Amazon owned Blink. Which home security camera takes the top spot? Arlo vs Lorex - Is Arlo comparable to a Lorex security camera? See the differences and similarities in our analysis of the two. Arlo vs Reolink - See which of these two well-known home security camera companies took the top spot in our comparison. Arlo vs Ring - Does Arlo's home security camera system compare to Ring and their lineup of home security products? Find out in our analysis. Arlo vs SimpliSafe - Compare Arlo's extensive line of home security cameras to SimpliSafe's easy DIY home security system. Arlo vs Swann - Is Arlo as good as Swann's professional grade cameras? Our in-depth analysis has the answer. Bay Alarm Bay Alarm vs ADT - Those living on the west coast who have researched home security systems may have considered both Bay Alarm and ADT. See how these two compare when we put them head-to-head. Blink Blink vs Arlo - See how this Amazon home security camera system competes with reputable camera security company, Arlo. Blink vs Ring - See how these two Amazon owned companies compare to each other. Blink vs SimpliSafe - How does the camera centric Blink security system stand up to SimpliSafe's DIY system? Find out in our comparison. Brinks Home Security Brinks vs ADT - Brinks is back and is ready to take on home security giant, ADT. See how they compare in our comprehensive review. Brinks vs Vivint - Brinks has returned and they are making waves in the home security market. See how they compete with the professional security and home automation offering of Vivint. Cox Homelife Cox Homelife vs ADT - Does Cox's home security offering stand up to ADT? Find out by reading our comparison. CPI Security CPI Security vs ADT - How does this regional home security company compare to a national powerhouse? Read our CPI Security vs ADT comparison to find out. CPI Security vs SimpliSafe - See which company came out on top when we compared CPI Security to SimpliSafe. Frontpoint Frontpoint vs SimpliSafe - Both Frontpoint and SimpliSafe have do-it-yourself options with their own unique features. See what one you like better. Guardian Protection Guardian vs ADT - How does Guardian Protection Services stand up to ADT? Find out in our comprehensive comparison. Honeywell Honeywell vs ADT - Can Honeywell stand up to the presence of ADT? Check out our comparison of the two and see which system we picked as our favorite. Lorex Lorex vs Arlo - Is Lorex as good or better than Arlo? Or is it not as good? Read our comparison of these companies to find out. Lorex vs Reolink - Our experts compared these two high-quality, feature-rich camera systems. See which one came out on top. Lorex vs Amcrest - Which of these two high-tech security camera systems is best? We compared them side-by-side, find out here. Lorex vs Night Owl - Looking for a fully-customizable security camera system? Our experts compared Lorex and Night Owl. See which gets our pick. Ring Ring vs Abode - Does Ring compare to Abode? Check out our comparison to find out. Ring vs ADT - Read about the differences between Ring and ADT as well as how they work with each other. Ring vs Arlo - Does Ring or Arlo offer the best home security camera products? Find out in our comparison of the two. Ring vs Blink - See how similar Ring and Blink are find out what differentiates the two. Ring vs Cove Ring vs SimpliSafe - Compare the video doorbell giant to SimpliSafe, a well respected company in the DIY home security market. Ring vs Vivint - See how Ring compares with Vivint's full line of home security products and services. SimpliSafe SimpliSafe vs Abode - See which of these two DIY home security systems takes the cake when we put them head-to-head. SimpliSafe vs ADT - Compare cheap DIY home security with a pro-installed alarm system. SimpliSafe vs Arlo - Take a look at two do-it-yourself systems that have some positives as well as some drawbacks. SimpliSafe vs Blink - Find out who comes out on top as we compare SimpliSafe to Amazon owned Blink. SimpliSafe vs CPI Security - SimpliSafe or CPI Security? See which one we chose as our favorite. SimpliSafe vs Frontpoint - See the benefits of low-priced home security and a mid-priced, higher-tech option. SimpliSafe vs. Nest – See super-affordable home security up against high-tech Google cameras with a dash of A. I. SimpliSafe vs Ring - Find out how an affordable home security system and a video doorbell company compare to each other. SimpliSafe vs Vivint - Choose between a budget-friendly option alongside an advanced system that can offer all the bells-and-whistles. SimpliSafe vs Xfinity - Check out how SimpliSafe's DIY home security compared to the comprehensive offering of Xfinity. Smith Thompson Smith Thompson vs ADT - See how this Texas area home security company stands up to nation wide competitor, ADT. Swann Swann vs Arlo - Swann or Arlo? These camera systems are very different, but see which one is the best for your home in our comparison. Vector Security Vector Security vs ADT - See how Vector Security compares to national home security competitor, ADT. Vivint Vivint vs ADT - Make a close call in home security. Vivint and ADT offer advanced features (video & home automation) at similar prices. Vivint vs Brinks - Vivint has some of the most advanced home automation and home security features on the market. See how they compare to the DIY simplicity offered by Brinks. Vivint vs Cove Vivint vs. Nest – See how two industry-topping home security companies duke it out in whole-home protection. Vivint vs Ring - This dominant force in the home security market has a new competitor. See how the easy to use Ring matches up against a full line of home security solutions. Vivint vs SimpliSafe - Take a look at how an advanced home security and automation company compares with a cheaper DIY option. Vivint vs Xfinity - Vivint and Xfinity are both great professionally installed home security systems, but which is the best? Find out in our comparison. Vivint vs Alder - Go with Alder’s basic system, or choose Vivint’s total home security and automation. See which system is best in our expert comparison. Xfinity Xfinity vs ADT - Two giants battle it out for best home security system on the market. See how a media juggernaut compares to a long standing name in home security. Xfinity vs SimpliSafe - If you have Comcast, then Xfinity home security might be a good idea, but see how SimpliSafe compares to them first. Xfinity vs Vivint - See which professionally installed home security system we chose as our favorite between Xfinity and Vivint. Find Home Security System Alternatives Another way to compare home security systems is to find alternatives to brands you may be familiar with. We have suggested alternatives for some of the biggest home security companies on the market: ADT Alternatives Arlo Alternatives Nest Cam Alternatives Nest Secure Alternatives Ring Alternatives SimpliSafe Alternatives Vivint Alternatives Compare Home Security Warranties When researching the warranties that come with a home security system, make sure you read the fine print for the ones that say they come with a lifetime warranty or money back guarantee. Watch out for things like warranty limitations, additional charges, or misleading coverage verbiage. Most warranties generally cover the equipment if issues arise due to any manufacturer defects. The average warranty coverage terms usually range somewhere between 30-90 days after the initial purchase, unless you also bought an extended warranty, then the term's and coverage's will vary depending on the policy you purchased. Here are some things you should also look for in an equipment warranty, depending on the system you decide to buy. Extended warranty. This will provide you with repairs and equipment replacements if your system breaks due to manufacturer defects. Free security system inspections. These should entitle you to periodic inspections (usually about every two years or so) to make sure your equipment is working properly. Free battery replacements. This should cover the cost of replacing the batteries in your system. It should also cover the labor costs and trip charges as well. Free system moves. This service includes moving your security system to your new home free of charge. Obviously, the aforementioned warranty features will vary in importance, and might not even be applicable at all, depending on which type of security system you ultimately purchase. Compare Home Security Features Every home security system will have its own set of options; however, there are some basic features most systems will include once you decide to go with either a wired or wireless system. Tamper-sensitive control panels High-decibel alarms Window and door sensors Pet-friendly motion detectors Keychain remote controls Mobile apps for controlling your system remotely Optional upgrades: Glass break sensors Panic buttons Indoor and/or outdoor cameras Home automation features Medical alert equipment Optional advanced system upgrades: Smoke and carbon monoxide sensors Water leak sensors Heat detectors Biometric voice controls When researching home security features, opt for one that comes with the basics. Then you can add the other features you want based on your particular needs. Or better yet, find a company who offers a package deal if you upgrade to one of their advanced feature options. Compare Home Automation Home automation features are becoming more and more popular. Here are some of the most common features included with just about any home automation package. Mobile apps that combine two-way wireless communication features. Remote control options for your lights, blinds, thermostat, small appliances, door locks, garage door, and of course, arm and disarm your security system. Camera monitoring from any app-enabled device, as well as video recording storage options. Some advanced home automation features also include voice controls at the tap of a button. Compare Home Security Cameras Video cameras are at the heart of any home security system. Most systems now offer live streaming video surveillance via a mobile app. Look for a system that offers high-resolution cameras with minimal light, powerful night vision, and flexible viewing and recording features. The most common home security cameras include: Indoor Cameras Dome Cameras. Offer a full 360-degree view so just one camera can monitor an entire area. Bullet Cameras. These are small cameras shaped like a bullet and typically have a fixed lens. They are available in indoor and outdoor models and some of them come with infrared capability. Fixed Lens Cameras. Allow you to focus on a specific area and offer the highest quality video images. Remote Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras. These cameras can pan left or right and zoom in and out to view more image details. They also have a wider viewing angle which means you will get better quality images. Outdoor Cameras In addition to the above, outdoor cameras might also come with other options such as infrared night vision, motion detection, and wireless connectivity. Motion Detection Cameras Motion detection cameras are the combination of a motion detector and a camera. These cameras wait for motion before they begin to record. A motion detection camera will save on video storage space and alert you immediately when activity is detected. Compare Home Security Availability The best way to determine the availability of any given home security system is to contact a few of the security companies you've researched and compared, or visit their websites, so you can finalize the details and costs regarding your specific security system wants and needs. Contacting a professional will provide you with the confirming information you need to make an educated decision about which features, packages, and options will best suit your particular situation. Is There Home Security Near Me? There are several ways you can go about finding a home security company near you. Alternatively, you can also purchase your system online, especially if you're buying a DIY or wireless option. If you want a local home security company, you can simply Google "find a home security company near me" and Google will find the companies that are near. However, doing this is sometimes like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. It's much quicker and easier to use the home security research site you were using to gather your preliminary data about security systems, their functions, options, packages, and costs. These dedicated research sites (at least the good ones) will provide you with a tool where you can enter your particular security system wants and needs and answer a few short questions. They will then show you exactly which security company has what you need and can afford.

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### Link Interactive Reviews

> Link Interactive offers flexible DIY home security with automation features. It scores 7.6/10 based on research and product testing.

- Published: 2016-08-18
- Modified: 2024-08-08
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/link-interactive/reviews/



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### Privacy Policy of SafeHome.org and all related websites

> SafeHome.org Privacy Policy details how personal data is collected, used, and shared, including opt-out options and rights for CA, CO, and VA residents.

- Published: 2016-08-09
- Modified: 2025-06-20
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/privacy-policy/

Privacy Policy of SafeHome. org and all related websites SafeHome. org 12130 Millennium Drive, Ste 600 Los Angeles, CA 90094 At SafeHome. org we take our ethical responsibilities and your privacy seriously by recognizing that your privacy is important. We have a strong commitment to providing excellent service to all our customers, visitors to this Web Site, and other users of our products and services, including respecting your concerns about privacy. This Privacy Policy discloses how we collect personal information, the types of personal information we receive and collect, our use and disclosure of current and former consumer information, as well as the steps that we take to safeguard your information. If you use this site, you understand the SafeHome. org Privacy Policy in effect at the time of your use. We hope that this disclosure will help increase your confidence in our products and services, and enhance your experience. Therefore, in compliance with industry standards and regulations enforced typically by federal and state governments, we abide by the following Privacy Policy. Information Collection and Use Personal Information Sensitive Personal Information Job Applicants Cookies and IP Addresses Clear Gifs Information Selling and Sharing Sale of Your Personal Information Other Transfers of Information to Third Parties Advertisements & Pop Up Windows SafeHome. org Marketing Opting-Out Third Party Links Minors Updating Your Information Questions and Suggestions Retention Changes to this Privacy Policy Your California, Colorado, and Virginia Privacy Rights Right to Transparency Right to Request Access to Personal Information Right to Correct Information Personal Information Removal/Deletion Information Removal Request Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing of your Data Right to Limit Use and Disclosures of Sensitive Personal Information Consent to Use My Sensitive Information for Virginia and Colorado Residents Right Not to be Discriminated Against Right to Appeal California’s Shine the Light Information Collection and Use This Privacy Policy applies to all users of our products and services (“Consumers”), including those who have used our website (“Web Site”), which is owned by Centerfield Media Parent, Inc. , a Delaware corporation (“Owner”). Please note that this policy applies only to this Web Site, and services wherein SafeHome. org determines the purposes or means of processing your personal information, and not to web sites maintained by other companies or organizations to which we link, or business partners to whom we provide your information, based on your requests as relating to the product or service in which you are interest, and for whom we serve as service providers. Alternatively, the information SafeHome. org collects on behalf of a third party, to whom we provide marketing services, may be subject to both this Privacy Policy, and the third party’s privacy policy. For more information on those companies or organizations’ personal information practices, and your rights, please visit their respective privacy policies. Personal information is information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a natural person or household, such as a real name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, payment information, and account ID (“personal information”). When other information is directly associated with personal information, that information may also be considered personal information. Information that is aggregated, de-identified, or anonymized is not considered personal information. Publicly available information, as that information is defined by applicable law, also may not be personal information. A subset of personal information we collect is defined as “sensitive personal information,” as defined by applicable law, and includes categories as described below. We may collect, use, share, and/or store the following types of personal information, either online or on the phone, and either automatically, from you directly, or from third parties, for the business purposes as outlined in this Privacy Policy: Personal Information: full name, postal address, shipping address, internet protocol (IP) address, primary and secondary phone numbers, e-mail address, customer record information, including caller ANI, account number, and service address, payment-related information, including bank account or credit card information, voice recordings when you call us (however, payment-related information will not be recorded on the call), and information pertaining to internet or network activity such as a consumer’s interaction with an advertisement, and other information obtained from cookies and clear gifs, as described further below. Sensitive Personal Information: Type of Sensitive Information Is this collected? How will it be used? How long do we retain it? A consumer’s social security, driver’s license, state identification card, or passport number; Only when applicable. If applicable, then only for processing of sales. Information is not stored in our system and only used to verify order eligibility. A consumer’s account log-In information, which could include any debit card or credit card number in combination with any security or access code, password or credentials required to access such account; Only when necessary for such access. Account login information is used to identify an active user on any site that requires login. Information is stored as long as a consumer account is active. If a consumer deletes their account, the information will be deleted as well. A consumer’s precise geolocation; No N/A N/A A consumer’s racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, or union membership; No N/A N/A The contents of a consumer’s mail, email, and text messages, unless the business is the intended recipient of the communication; No N/A N/A A consumer’s genetic data; and No N/A N/A The processing of biometric information for the purpose of uniquely identifying a consumer; No N/A N/A Personal information collected and analyzed concerning a consumer’s health, including mental or physical health condition or diagnosis No N/A N/A Personal information collected and analyzed concerning a consumer’s sex life or sexual orientation; No N/A N/A Personal information collected and analyzed concerning a consumer’s citizenship, citizenship status, or immigration status; or No N/A N/A Personal data from a known child. No N/A N/A Sensitive personal information will not be sold or shared and will only be used for business purposes. You may request that use of your sensitive personal information be limited by filling out the form titled “Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information” linked at the bottom of this privacy policy or in the footer of this webpage, or by contacting us at 844-280-2929. If you are a Virginia or Colorado resident, we do not collect your sensitive data (as defined in those states’ laws) without your consent but to consent here and now to the collection and use of your sensitive information please fill out the form titled “Consent to Use My Sensitive Information for Virginia and Colorado Residents” at the bottom of this privacy policy. We may collect personal information (including sensitive personal information and other personal information) at the following times: when you register to receive communications from this website or any website owned by the owner of SafeHome. org, when you seek information or apply for products and services offered through this website or any website owned by the owner of SafeHome. org, when you enter promotions or sweepstakes offered by this website or any website owned by the owner of SafeHome. org, when you provide personal information to us through feedback, survey, or other forms hosted on this site or any website owned by the owner of SafeHome. org, when you visit our Web Site, including through cookies and clear gifs, as described further below, and when you contact us. We collect your personal information in order to: process and fulfill your requests for information, products, and services, solicit your opinions and other feedback, conduct research, customize the advertising and content you see and receive, improve our products and services, and provide anonymous reporting for internal and external clients. In addition, we may receive information about you from other sources, such as service providers and unaffiliated third party marketing companies, for tracking purposes. We may add the information we receive about you through those means to your existing account. Like other web sites, we also automatically receive and record certain types of information every time you visit us. We use “cookies” and the other information to enhance your experience and present you with personalized offers. Likewise, we use third-party advertising companies to distribute and track advertisements appearing on our web site. These companies may employ cookies and action tags to measure advertising effectiveness. More information about cookies can be found in our Cookies and IP Addresses section below. At any point, SafeHome. org reserves the right to collect additional consumer information. This Privacy Policy will be updated accordingly to reflect those changes. Job Applicants If you apply for a job with Owner, we will collect additional information in connection with your application. This may include: full name, email, phone number, LinkedIn URL or other URL; work authorization status, or sponsorship requirement; resume, CV, cover letter, work experience, and education information; current employer; skills; professional and work-related licenses, permits, and certifications held; reference-related information; gender, race, and veteran status, if you choose to provide it to us; and any other information that is available online, or that you elect to provide to us. Such information may be collected from you directly, from your references, from a recruiter, from your prior employers, and from your places of education. We will only use this information to evaluate your candidacy, including by processing your application, assessing your qualifications, corresponding with you, and complying with legal obligations. Cookies and IP Addresses To serve you more efficiently and effectively, we use “cookies” technology. A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user’s hard drive that contains information about the user. Cookies are linked to particular devices over time, but we do not link personal information obtained from cookies to any other personal information we obtain. Cookies enable a web site to “personalize” itself for each user and reduce the time it takes for pages to load on your computer. In order to optimize your experience, cookies also help with the collection of customer tracking data. We may also capture customer tracking data on some of our partner’s web sites, related to activity involved with the completion of offers listed on our web site. This information is used to monitor the performance of our partners. If you reject cookies, you may still use our site, but your ability to use some areas of our site will be limited. We also keep track of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and may disclose your IP address during the course and scope of our business. An IP Address is a number that is used by computers on the network to identify your computer every time you log on to the Internet. Your browser or device may offer settings that allow you to choose whether browser cookies are set and to delete them. For more information about these controls and to exercise your cookie preferences, visit your browser or device’s help material. If you choose to reject cookies, as noted above, you may not be able to use certain features of our websites and services. To learn more about Cookies, visit https://www. allaboutcookies. org. We permit some of our non-affiliated business partners (e. g. , advertisers) use cookies on our site. We have no access to or control over information collected from such cookies. This Privacy Policy covers the use of our cookies only and does not cover the use of cookies by any advertisers. When you visit or log in to our website, cookies and similar technologies may be used to associate these activities with other personal information we have about you, including by association with your email or home address. We (or service providers on our behalf) may then send communications and marketing to these email or home addresses. You may opt out of receiving this advertising by submitting an opt-out request using our Consumer Privacy Rights Request Form. Clear Gifs We employ a software technology called clear gifs (a. k. a. Web Beacons/Web Bugs) that help us better manage content on our site by informing us what content is effective. Clear gifs are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, and are used to track the online movement of Web users. We also use clear gifs in our HTML-based emails to let us know which emails the recipients have opened. This allows us to gauge the effectiveness of certain communications and the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns. If users would like to opt-out of these emails, please see the Opt-out section within any email you receive from us. Information Selling and Sharing Sale of Your Personal Information We may sell (as that term is defined broadly by applicable law) or share (as defined by the California Privacy Rights Act), including for targeted advertising (as that term is defined by the Colorado Privacy Act and the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act), your personal information to the following categories of third parties, and/or under the following circumstances: Partners, sponsors, advertisers, service providers and marketers lookup and reference services and any other entities that SafeHome. org believes are able to provide Consumers with special offers and opportunities, including retail opportunities, that relate to the requests you have made. These businesses include providers of direct marketing services and applications, including lookup and reference, data enhancement, suppression and validation and email marketing. In each case, you will have agreed to receiving such information. For example, if you have requested a quote for a service from a particular company, we will share your information with that company to facilitate your request. Additionally, SafeHome. org may share aggregated information with select companies that wish to reach a particular Consumer target audience (e. g. , female Consumers between the ages of 25-35, who have an average household income of over $50,000. 00). This information will allow these entities to provide relevant offers to specific Consumers. SafeHome. org prohibits the sale or transfer of personal information to non-affiliated entities for their use without giving you the opportunity to opt-out. Although SafeHome. org advises everyone who receives personal information from SafeHome. org to support this Privacy Policy, SafeHome. org has no control over such party’s information handling practices and is not responsible for any failure of such party to adhere to this Privacy Policy. Other Transfers of Information to Third Parties We may additionally transfer information to third parties in the following situations, which are not selling or sharing, as defined by applicable law: When you request quotes or request to be contacted through SafeHome. org or our other sites that we operate, you are authorizing us to share information with our business partners who will contact you by (i) phone, including without limitation any prerecorded telephone call to any telephone number including without limitation any wireless telephone number, which could result in charges to you, (ii) SMS text message, (iii) email, or (iv) mail. We may also contact you through any of the above means. If you do not want further communication from them or us, please notify the person or entity that contacts you directly. In some cases, we may require the use of third party vendors or outside companies to operate portions of the SafeHome. org web site and/or to provide certain services including clerical, information processing and shipping services. The particular section of the web site may have a similar appearance as the SafeHome. org site, and information submitted through these outside third parties are subject to this Privacy Policy unless otherwise stated. When you sign up for our services, we will share only as much information as is necessary for the provision of those services. We require that all third parties, hired by SafeHome. org, comply with our Privacy Policy in order to keep your information safe and secure. These third parties are prohibited from using or sharing your personal information for any purpose other than the job they were hired to do. With other persons, if we believe it is necessary to 1) comply with applicable laws; (2) respond to governmental inquiries; (3) comply with valid legal process; or (4) protect the rights or property of SafeHome. org, SafeHome. org web sites or other Consumers. In connection with, or during the negotiation of, any merger, sale of company stock or assets, financing, acquisition, divestiture, or dissolution of all or a portion of the business. Any successor company will continue to be bound by this Privacy Policy, unless it is modified as described by this policy. Advertisements & Pop Up Windows On occasion, you may receive advertisements for SafeHome. org from third parties. These advertisements are served by the third party web site that you have visited or directly from this website or any site owned by the owner of SafeHome. org. In addition, such advertisements may be placed by third party ad servers or ad networks. We maintain relationships with a number of the third party ad networks currently operating. You may find more information at the web site of either the individual ad network or the network advertising initiative. Your relationships, transactions and any opt-out requests with any such third party are governed by the specific policy such third party has, and not those of SafeHome. org. SafeHome. org Marketing Opting-Out We offer you choices when we ask for personal information, whenever reasonably possible. We provide you the opportunity to “opt-out” of having your personal information used for certain purposes, when we ask for this information. You may decline to provide personal information to us and/or refuse cookies in your browser, although some of our features or services may not function properly as a result. If you no longer wish to receive newsletter and promotional communications, you may opt-out of receiving them by following the instructions included in each newsletter or communication or by emailing or calling us per the information contained on our contact page. You may continue to receive email communications from us up to ten (10) business days from the time we receive your unsubscribe request. Please note that SafeHome. org can only control its own mailing list and policies. Our business partners may maintain their own mailing lists, and you may need to contact these parties directly in order to stop receiving their communications. Third party advertisers may also advertise our services, and you may have provided those third party advertisers consent to receive those communications directly. Where that is the case, you may need to contact those third parties directly in order to stop receiving their communications. Although SafeHome. org only supports permission-based emails, SafeHome. org does not obligate itself to restrict third parties advertising SafeHome. org beyond that which is required by applicable law. Third Party Links This Privacy Policy applies to all information that SafeHome. org collects. However, when you visit web sites to which SafeHome. org provides a link, keep in mind you will be interacting with a third party that operates under its own privacy and security policies, and terms of use. If you choose to obtain certain services through a third party site, the data collected by the third party is governed by that third party’s privacy policy. A third party site will also have its own policy regarding the use of cookies and clear gifs. We encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms of use of any other service provider from whom you request services. Minors You must be at least 18 years old to use this web site. We do not knowingly collect, use, or disclose personal information about visitors under 18 years of age. If you are under 18 years of age, you may not use the services offered on our web site unless they are used with the consent, permission and supervision of your parents or guardians. Updating Your Information If you want to access or update the personal information you submitted to SafeHome. org please e-mail us at info@safehome. org or write us at the following address. SafeHome. org Attn: Customer Care 12130 Millennium Drive, Ste 600 Los Angeles, CA 90094 Questions and Suggestions If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions about our Privacy Policy, you may contact us: By sending an email to: info@safehome. org By sending a letter to: SafeHome. org 12130 Millennium Drive, Ste 600 Los Angeles, CA 90094 Retention Unless otherwise stated above, SafeHome. org retains personal information only as long as required to fulfill the purposes described above, or as required by law. We use the following criteria to determine how long to retain personal information: Our relationship with you, and the products and services we provide to you Your requests to us regarding your information, or our products or services Any legal obligations to retain the data, or for our own legal purposes (such as enforcing our agreements or litigation) Technical considerations, and level of protections in place for your personal information Changes to this Privacy Policy SafeHome. org reserves the right to update or modify this privacy statement at any time. The provisions contained in this Privacy Policy supersede all previous notices or policies regarding our privacy practices. We encourage you to check our site frequently to see the current privacy statement and to be informed of how we are committed to protecting your information and providing you with improved content on our website in order to enhance your online experience. Upon any material changes to the policy statement, we will post those changes to this privacy statement, the homepage, and/or other places we deem appropriate so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. Our Privacy Policy will indicate the date it was last updated. Your continued use of our site will signify your acceptance of the changes to our Privacy Policy. Your California, Colorado, and Virginia Privacy Rights CCPA, CPRA, VCDPA, and CPA The California Consumer privacy Act of 2018 (the CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA) may offer you additional rights as a California resident, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) may offer you additional rights as a Virginia resident and the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) may offer you additional rights as a Colorado resident, as detailed below. Right to Transparency In accordance with California Civil Code Sec. 1798. 100, businesses that collect personal information of California resident users have a responsibility to provide notice to the consumer regarding (1) The categories of personal information to be collected and the purposes for which the categories of personal information are collected or used and whether that information is sold or shared, (2) the categories of sensitive personal information to be collected and the purposes for which the categories of sensitive personal information are collected or used, and whether that information is sold or shared, and (3) the length of time the business intends to retain each category of personal information, including sensitive personal information, or if that is not possible, the criteria used to determine that period, among other information. In accordance with the VCDPA and the CPA, businesses that collect personal information of Colorado and Virginia consumers have a responsibility to provide notice to the consumer regarding the categories of personal information to be collected and the purposes for which the categories of personal information are collected or used and whether that information is sold or shared. For information on how your personal information is collected and used, please read this Privacy Policy in its entirety Right to Request Access to Personal Information In accordance with California law (under California Civil Code Secs. 1798. 100, 1798. 110, and 1798. 115), the VCPDA, the CPA, and other applicable state and federal regulations, you may request confirmation of whether your information is being processed and a portable report of personal information collected about you, the categories of sources from which such personal information was collected, the purpose of such collection and the categories of third parties with whom your personal information was shared or sold. This complimentary report may be requested twice in a twelve-month period and will be provided within forty-five (45) calendar days from the request submission date upon verification of your identity. A request authentication measure is in place to ensure that your personal information is not being distributed to the wrong parties. Failure to comply with all necessary steps will result in an incomplete request and your consumer information report will not be sent. You may opt to receive your report electronically or by postal mail. To request your report, call the following toll-free number or fill out our electronic form after clicking the link below: 844-280-2929 PII Report Request Right to Correct Information California consumers under California Civil Code Sec. 1798. 106, Virginia consumers under the VCPDA, and Colorado consumers under the CPA have the right to request that any personal information held by our business is corrected and that accurate information is on file. If you would like to request a correction of your personal information, then please complete our “Correct My Personal Information” form linked below. Correct My Personal Information Personal Information Removal/Deletion If you are a California residents under California Civil Code Sec. 1798. 105, a Virginia consumer under the VCPDA, or a Colorado consumer under the CPA you have the right to request that your personal information is removed from our systems. If you would like your personal information removed, please call the toll-free number below or fill out our information removal form after clicking the link below. All information removal requests will be processed within forty-five days of receipt of the request. 844-280-2929 Information Removal Request Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing of your Data As a California resident, you have the right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. If you would like to opt-out, then please fill out our opt-out form after clicking the “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link located at the bottom of the applicable website. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information Request Virginia and Colorado consumers also have the right to opt out of the processing of their personal data for purposes of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning the consumer. If you would like to opt out of the processing of your personal data for those purposes, then please complete our “Opt Out for Virginia and Colorado Resident” form linked below or click on the Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link located at the bottom of the applicable website. Opt Out for Virginia and Colorado Residents Right to Limit Use and Disclosures of Sensitive Personal Information As a consumer you have the right to request limited use and disclosure of your sensitive personal information. If you would like to limit the use or disclosure of this information, then please fill out our “Limit Use of My Sensitive Personal Information” form linked below. Limit Use of My Sensitive Personal Information Consent to Use My Sensitive Information for Virginia and Colorado Residents If you are a Virginia or Colorado consumer, we do not collect your sensitive data (as defined in the VCDPA and CPA) without your consent. That sensitive data includes personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, mental or physical health condition or diagnosis, sex life or sexual orientation, or citizenship or citizenship or immigration status; processing of genetic or biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person; personal data from a known child; and precise geolocation information (VCDPA only). To consent here and now, please fill out our “Consent to Use My Sensitive Information for Virginia and Colorado Residents” form linked below. Consent to Use My Sensitive Information for Virginia and Colorado Residents Right Not to be Discriminated Against Under California Civil Code Sec. 1798. 125, the VCDPA, and CPA, SafeHome. org shall not deny any good or service to you, charge you a different price, provide a different level or quality of any such good or service or suggest you will receive a different price due to your exercising any of your rights under the CCPA, CPRA, VCDPA, or CPA. Right to Appeal If you are a Colorado or Virginia consumer and if SafeHome. org denies your exercise of any of your rights set forth above, then you may appeal such denial by using the same method as described above to appeal that decision. California’s Shine the Light Companies that collect personal information from California residents and disclose such information to Third Parties (including affiliated entities) for marketing purposes must, in response to a request by a consumer, either (1) provide a list detailing the categories of information shared and the entities to which such information was provided, or (2) provide a mechanism by which a consumer may opt-out of having their information shared with Third Parties. We have elected the second option and you may request that your personal information not be shared with Third Parties by sending your request, including your full name, email address and postal address to: info@safehome. org, or by mail to California Privacy Information c/o SafeHome. org. In accordance with California Civil Code Sec. 1798. 83, California resident users are entitled to know that they may file grievances and complaints with California Department of Consumer Affairs, 400 R Street, Suite 1080, Sacramento, CA 95814; or by phone at 916-445-1254 or 800-952-5210 or by email to dca@dca. ca. gov. PLEASE PRINT AND RETAIN A COPY OF THIS POLICY FOR YOUR RECORDS. LAST UPDATED December 20, 2022

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### Vivint Home Security Review

> Vivint offers top-tier smart home security with high-tech features and professional installation, but it comes with high costs and long-term contracts.

- Published: 2016-07-21
- Modified: 2025-08-13
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/reviews/



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### An Honest Review of ADT Home Security

> ADT remains a top security system with new DIY options, price cuts, and Google Nest devices, but lacks local storage and has contract obligations.

- Published: 2016-07-21
- Modified: 2025-09-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/reviews/



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### SimpliSafe Security System Review [year]

> SimpliSafe offers affordable home security with standout features like video verification and live camera monitoring, challenging big names like ADT and Vivint.

- Published: 2016-07-21
- Modified: 2025-09-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/reviews/



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### ADT Pricing in [year]: Home Security Equipment, Monitoring, and Installation Fees

> ADT's home security offers packages from $269 with monitoring costs between $24.99 and $49.99 monthly, including options for DIY or professional setup.

- Published: 2016-07-21
- Modified: 2025-09-04
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/adt/



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### SimpliSafe Pricing, Plans, and Package Costs [year]

> SimpliSafe's 2025 packages start at $250. The most expensive, the Beacon, costs $730, offering 2 cameras. Discounts often apply, making them more affordable.

- Published: 2016-07-21
- Modified: 2025-08-13
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/



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### Vivint Home Security Cost & Pricing

> Vivint is pricey but offers high-tech security with professional installation and 24/7 monitoring. Contracts are long and costs can add up with equipment needs.

- Published: 2016-07-21
- Modified: 2025-09-11
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/vivint/



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### Frontpoint Home Security Review

> Frontpoint offers a solid security system with standout features like smart home integration, but lacks a touchscreen panel and has pricey monitoring at $49.99/month.

- Published: 2016-07-18
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/frontpoint/reviews/



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### Frontpoint Home Security System

> Frontpoint offers affordable security with DIY setup. Packages start at $70, but monitoring is pricey at $49.99/month. No self-monitoring option available.

- Published: 2016-07-16
- Modified: 2025-08-27
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/frontpoint/



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### Contact

- Published: 2016-07-14
- Modified: 2024-09-06
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/contact/



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### Guide to Security Systems

> SimpliSafe stands out in 2025 for affordability and DIY setup, while ADT excels with comprehensive monitoring. Vivint leads in smart home integration.

- Published: 2016-07-14
- Modified: 2025-08-26
- URL: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/



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