Alder Home Security

Alder has been making some serious waves in the home security industry. Their feature-rich DIY systems are easy to set up and simple to use. The company has the fastest response times in the industry (3.4 seconds on average), and you can control the devices with a few swipes of your smartphone. We could go on about the sleek features that Alder offers, but like any company, Alder also has some room for improvement in a couple of areas.

So we dove in and researched Alder’s equipment packages and monitoring plans. We set out to learn the different options, plans, and pricing that they bring to the table. And we really examined Alder closely to see if their systems are worth the monthly costs. So read on to see if this fast-growing company offers home protection that works for your budget and your lifestyle.

Key Features

Alder Pricing

To learn about Alder’s pricing, we called in to speak with a sales representative. Thankfully, their phone number is easy to find on the Alder website.1 During our call, we were able to learn about the pricing structure, and we got a few custom quotes on equipment bundles and plans.

First off, it’s important to know that Alder doesn’t charge any upfront equipment fees, which is a huge plus. Many DIY security kits like Ring, SimpliSafe, and Abode require an upfront investment of $200-$500 or more. So we were happy to learn we could break down the costs of Alder over time. However, you will have to pay a monthly monitoring subscription on a 36-month contract. While contracts aren’t ideal, most users will keep their security system for several years, making the contract no big deal.

The monitoring prices start at $35 per month, and they increase to $45, $55, and $65 per month. The $35 price point isn’t bad. In fact, we’ve tested plenty of security systems in this price range. However, the premium plans might be a touch expensive for some peoples’ budgets. Alder does offer some home automation2 and video capabilities, so that might justify spending $45 or more per month on home security, home surveillance, and smart home automation.

Packages & Costs

Most home security companies offer a few standard packages: entry-level, standard, and a premium package. And from what we’ve seen, most companies showcase their packages on their website. Well, again, Alder does things a bit differently. Since their equipment packages aren’t listed on their site, we had to call Alder to speak with a sales rep to learn about them. Keep in mind, these packages/plans can change. But here’s what we found…

Alder basic package with optional add-on equipment (add-on equipment available for an additional cost).

Alder’s basic package includes: 

• Two door/window sensors
• One motion detector
• Touchscreen control panel
• Base station hub

If you choose the base package above, expect to pay anywhere between $40-$50 per month for the equipment plus 24/7 professional monitoring. This is just enough equipment to secure a small apartment. But don’t worry, your Alder sales rep will make this perfectly clear and give you every opportunity to upgrade (trust us). If you want a more robust system with indoor video, check out the standard package below.

Alder standard package with optional add-on equipment (add-on equipment available for an additional cost).

Alder’s standard package includes:

• Three door/window sensors
• Two motion detectors
• Touchscreen control panel
• Indoor camera
• Key fob

The standard package is almost enough to secure a small home, but not quite. Depending on the size of your space, you’ll still need to purchase extra door/window sensors. However, you will get a nifty key fob for remote alarming/disarming, and an indoor security camera3 to keep a close eye on your castle. When all is said and done, you’ll pay about $55-$60 per month for this package. But this is pretty standard compared to the industry average price, maybe even slightly less expensive when you consider the advanced features.

Alder is slightly more expensive than systems like Ring Alarm4 or SimpliSafe, which charge $200-$350 upfront, and $10 to $20 per month for professional monitoring. These DIY systems even come with a free self-monitoring option so you can sidestep monthly fees. But there’s always a catch…

Comparing Alder to basic systems like Ring Alarm is like comparing apples to oranges. Alder offers more advanced features and lightning-fast monitoring. Also, unlike these other brands, you won’t have to pay upfront fees with Alder. Finally, the whole point of a home security system is to secure your home — and from our experience, Alder simply does it better.

Monitoring Plans

This is where Alder trumps the competition. Well, sort of. The company claims an average response time of 3.4 seconds, which is 20-25 seconds faster than most alarm companies can say for themselves. You can see just how fast their response times were when we reviewed the Alder system.

Alder security panel sounding the alarm.

In our expert opinion, these precious seconds truly do count in a life-or-death situation. If you’re not familiar with “response times,” it’s simply the time it takes for the monitoring center to jump into action and contact you (or police, fire, EMS) when your alarm sounds. So we’ve established that Alder is faster-than-fast in this category. But… it might cost you if you go with a premium package.

Alder’s basic home protection plan costs $35 per month, without access to video or home automation capabilities. So if you’re just looking for basic home protection with super-fast response times, this might be the plan for you. If you spring for Alder’s more premium monitoring packages, then you’ll pay $45-$60+ per month, for 3 years. Remember, each of these plans require a 36-month contract.

Accessories & Add-Ons

We found that Alder offers a handful of accessories and add-ons. When speaking with an Alder sales rep, they will most likely mention most (if not all!) of these paid upgrades. So we recommend going into the call knowing which features you really want/need. Unfortunately, these prices aren’t listed on their site. But you can expect fairly reasonable price tags on most of these devices. Alder’s equipment options include:

• Additional door/window sensors
• Additional motion detectors
• Kami outdoor camera with AI
• Yi indoor camera with two-way talk
• Key fob for remote arming/disarming5
• Smart smoke/CO detector
• Freeze and flood detectors
• Medical alert pendant for seniors

Alder indoor security camera add-on which comes with an additional cost.

Alder’s Features

Sure, Alder’s premium packages are slightly more expensive compared to other DIY home security systems. But we’ve been doing this a long time — and when it comes to home security, you typically get what you pay for. Thankfully, Alder home security systems come stacked with a lineup of great features and technology to help secure your home and family. These features include:

• Easy DIY Setup — Install any Alder system in 15 minutes or faster, without drilling into walls or using any tools, and definitely without breaking a sweat.
• Touchscreen Control Panel — Control your Alder system using this sleek and modern touchscreen panel. It’s the central hub for all of your connected devices.
• Smartphone Controls — Access and control your system from anywhere using your smartphone. Arm/disarm your system, view live feed video, and more.
• 4G LTE Cellular Monitoring — Get the fastest and most reliable professional monitoring using local cell towers. Cellular monitoring does not use a landline.6
• Fast Response Times — Alder provides 3.4 second response times on average. This is by far the fastest response time we’ve ever seen.
• Next-Day Delivery — After you purchase your equipment and monitoring plan, your system should arrive the very next day, which we think is a nice touch.
• Environmental Monitoring — Outfit your home with Alder’s smoke/CO detectors, and freeze and flood sensors for a little extra peace of mind.
• Customer-Friendly Guarantees — Alder offers a lifetime warranty on all equipment.
• Medical Alert Pendants — Seniors can enjoy life-saving emergency alert coverage that integrates into Alder’s system and touchscreen controls.

Overall Alder Security Value

Now that you’ve seen Alder’s equipment packages, monitoring plans and the costs involved, hopefully, you can make an educated decision before diving in with your wallet wide open. We do think very highly of Alder’s features and tech — especially their lightning-fast response times. After testing the products and services, we think Alder is a pretty solid DIY home security system for the price.

However, we probably wouldn’t love Alder’s super-premium packages that cost $60 per month or more. That is, not until the company improves its home automation features and integrations, and starts making their own security cameras. At that point, we would definitely consider it money well spent. As it stands, we think $35-$45 per month for their monitoring service, with a little home automation thrown in, is pretty darn fair. All in all, Alder is a safe bet for folks who want home protection with plenty of high-tech (but easy to use!) features.