The Best Security Systems for New Construction Homes

ADT Installation

To keep up with the times, ADT now allows customers to install their own systems, while keeping their professional installation service top-notch. They offer the same equipment and monitoring for both DIY and professionally installed systems. Last time we tested ADT, we opted for professional installation, although we’ve tested ADT’s DIY system too.

For a newly constructed home, we recommend paying for ADT’s professional installation service. Some components, like the Nest Cam with Floodlight, require a bit of drilling; if you’re not a DIY whiz, you could end up damaging your new home. Not to mention, ADT will set up all of its high-tech features like Trusted Neighbor and show you how to use them.

FYI: Trusted Neighbor is a new feature by ADT that uses the Google Nest Cam’s facial recognition capabilities to let specific people into your home during events or at certain times. We set ours up to let our house cleaner in every Wednesday at 1 p.m.

ADT Equipment

ADT offers a wide range of equipment, from reliable door and window sensors to some of the most capable security cameras we’ve put through their paces. ADT’s partnership with Google Nest brings several Nest Cam options to the table, including the indoor/outdoor battery-powered Nest Cam, the wired indoor Nest Cam, the wired outdoor Nest Cam, and the Nest Cam with built-in floodlight. Check out our Nest Cam review to see why we think they’re a great fit for new construction.

Everything I got with my Nest Cam.

Just be careful when customizing your ADT package. They offer great deals on their main packages, but you won’t get the same discounts when adding extra components. Oftentimes, you’ll be better off getting a bigger package with a few components you don’t need than adding extra components to a smaller system. For instance, when we bought our ADT system, we wanted to test the Nest Doorbell with our Security Starter package. But, it was actually cheaper to go with the Outdoor Video package, which included a Nest Doorbell and a Nest Cam.

Aside from the package deals, ADT’s prices are in line with industry averages. That’s why we consider ADT a solid value, even if it’s not the cheapest option on the block. Here’s a quick look at pricing for some key ADT equipment pieces:

>> Learn More: ADT Deals, Sales, Discount Codes, Coupons & Promotions for 2026

ADT Monitoring

ADT entryway sensors with quarter for scale

Similar to ADT’s equipment prices, their professional monitoring is also right along industry averages. That’s thanks to a recent price drop in their monitoring prices, as they used to be on the high end. Despite that drop in price, ADT still offers the most reliable monitoring in the industry with 12 redundant monitoring centers. So, even if 11 monitoring centers experienced a failure, we would still receive the same protection. That’s one of the main reasons we consider it the best professionally monitored security system.

ADT does charge different monitoring rates depending on whether your system is DIY or professionally installed. Both options deliver the same service and use the same equipment, so the price gap is a little puzzling. Here’s how ADT’s monitoring tiers break down:

SimpliSafe Installation

SimpliSafe made it easy for us to install our security system with peel-and-stick backings on each sensor.

Instead of focusing on professional installation like ADT and Vivint, SimpliSafe makes their systems easy to install yourself. They still offer professional installation, but it’s through a third party. So, it’s not our favorite. If you want a professionally installed system, we recommend ADT instead. Check out our ADT vs. SimpliSafe comparison for more details. You shouldn’t be nervous about installing a SimpliSafe security system, though.

Installing our system only took us 30 minutes, and the only piece of equipment we needed to pull out a couple tools for was our video doorbell. That one required us to replace our existing doorbell, but since your security system is for a newly built home, just ask the electrician to install it for you. They can easily install a video doorbell instead of a traditional doorbell.

SimpliSafe Equipment

SimpliSafe offers everything you need to build a comprehensive security system from basic entry sensors to advanced AI-enabled security cameras. It lacks a few specialized sensors like garage door tilt sensors. We found a workaround, though, by using an entry sensor on our garage door. This way, whenever it opened, it triggered the entry sensor. The best part of SimpliSafe’s equipment is their prices, though. Here’s a quick overview of a few key pieces:

SimpliSafe Monitoring

Choosing a SimpliSafe monitoring plan takes a little homework — they offer more options than just about any other security system we’ve tested. There are six different monitoring plans including everything from free self-monitoring to 24/7 Outdoor Active Guard Protection; with this feature, a monitoring agent will use the two-way audio of your outdoor camera to scare off intruders when it detects someone lurking. That’s similar to the protection we got when we tested Deep Sentinel, except it doesn’t cost as much and SimpliSafe doesn’t require a contract.

Here’s an overview of SimpliSafe’s monitoring pricing:

>> Read More: Best No-Contract Home Security Systems of 2026

Vivint Installation

Here’s our Vivint technician installing our window sensors.

Vivint requires professional installation — unlike ADT and SimpliSafe, you can’t do it yourself. That means there’s an installation fee involved, though we’ve found it’s sometimes possible to get it waived if you ask nicely or time your purchase around one of Vivint’s promotional sales.

The fee makes sense once you see what’s involved. Our technician spent nearly a full day getting everything set up, and a big part of that comes down to how Vivint handles its outdoor camera wiring. Rather than going fully wireless, they use a hybrid approach — routing a wire through the wall and into your home, where it connects the camera to your Wi-Fi network. It sounds like extra work, and it is, but the idea is to reduce any signal interference your walls might cause. We genuinely can’t measure how much of a difference it makes, but we haven’t had a single outdoor camera connectivity issue since installation.

Vivint Equipment

There’s really nothing you could want in terms of equipment from a smart home security system that Vivint doesn’t offer. It has all the sensors you expect and has more niched options missing from SimpliSafe like garage door sensors. The real highlights though are the Vivint smart home devices and the premium security cameras.

For smart home equipment, it covers all the bases. Vivint has smart locks, smart thermostats, smart lights, smart plugs, and more. And you’re not locked into Vivint-branded gear, either. The Smart Hub works with third-party devices through direct integrations or Z-Wave pairing, which is a big plus if you’ve already invested in a smart home ecosystem. We had a Google Nest Thermostat on hand and were able to integrate it into our Vivint system without any hassle.

>> Learn About: SimpliSafe vs. Vivint Comparison – Which System is Best?

Vivint Monitoring

The text message I received while testing my Vivint security system.

Vivint requires both professional installation and professional monitoring, so you’ll be locked into a monthly fee. We always recommend professional monitoring anyway, so that’s not necessarily a dealbreaker. Vivint’s monitoring has among the fastest response times in the industry — during our simulated break-ins, we received text alerts in under 10 seconds. Pricing starts at $24.99 per month and scales up depending on your equipment and plan tier.

Frontpoint Installation

Getting Frontpoint up and running is a lot like installing SimpliSafe — straightforward, beginner-friendly, and fast. Their systems are designed for DIY installation, but you can still pay for professional installation done by a third party. We recommend installing it yourself, though, since it’s so easy. Our system only took us about 15 minutes to install, but we tested a small system. Take a look at our SimpliSafe vs. Frontpoint comparison for a side-by-side of each system’s installation process.

Frontpoint even offers a wireless video doorbell, so you won’t need the normal doorbell wiring. That won’t save much in your home’s construction, but, hey, every penny counts.

Frontpoint Equipment

We added four entry sensors and a motion detector to the Frontpoint Essential Security System we bought.

Like we mentioned, we bought a relatively small Frontpoint security system. We still tested most of their equipment, though, since we’ve already used Alarm.com cameras. That’s who makes all of Frontpoint’s security cameras and video doorbells. They’re a trusted brand, so we found it acceptable that Frontpoint outsources the production of their camera products. Outsourcing some of their products also allows Frontpoint to offer more than the likes of SimpliSafe, such as garage sensors and smart plugs.

Frontpoint’s equipment pricing remains competitive, with packages and individual components available at reasonable price points. You’ll typically find steeper discounts when you bundle additional components into your system. Here’s a current snapshot of Frontpoint’s pricing:

Frontpoint Monitoring

Frontpoint carries the highest starting price for professional monitoring among the systems on this list. Frontpoint’s monitoring rate starts at $44.99 compared to $22.99 for SimpliSafe and $24.99 for ADT or Vivint. That starting rate from Frontpoint is only available if you call. Otherwise, you’ll need to go with their premium plan for $49.99 as it’s the only one available online.

Arming our security system from the Frontpoint app.

That said, the $49.99 per month plan delivers noticeably more value than the $44.99 entry-level option. Beyond basic sensor monitoring, it layers in full camera support, cloud video storage, and video analytics — features that make a real difference if you’re actively using cameras around your home. If both plans stretch your budget, Frontpoint also offers a self-monitoring plan starting at $4.99 per month, though you’ll need to call to access it.

Cove Installation

Cove provided us with easy-to-follow instructions in the app and even paired our equipment before sending it to us.

We DIY-installed our Cove security system, and that’s what most of their customers do too. It’s just like SimpliSafe and Frontpoint with mostly peel-and-stick equipment, so installation only took us about half an hour. That’s why Cove’s on our list of the best DIY security systems as well. They even go as far as pairing your equipment before sending it to you, so once you mount it all and turn it on, your system’s ready to go.

Cove still offers professional installation through a third-party, though, if you need help. Cove actually uses the same installation company as Frontpoint, HelloTech. It’s a well-respected name in the industry, so we would trust them to install a Cove system without causing any damage to your new home.

>> Read About: Cove vs. SimpliSafe 2026

Cove Equipment

So what does Cove offer? All of the basics at a very affordable price. Don’t expect fancy bells and whistles like smart plugs or garage sensors, though. Although, they do have a sleek touch-screen control panel and hub with battery backups. During our tests, we lost power during a rainstorm. The battery backup on our control panel lasted about half a day, but the hub lasted a full 24 hours, which kept our system up and running.

Cove’s security cameras are affordable too, starting at just $60. These devices  don’t skimp on specs. Every model records in up to 2K resolution. Here’s an overview of Cove’s equipment pricing:

Cove Monitoring

Surprisingly, Cove doesn’t offer self-monitoring options, unlike SimpliSafe. They require professional monitoring, but it’s some of the most affordable in the industry. A basic plan without camera support only costs $19.99 per month. We bought security cameras, though, so we had to buy the $29.99-per-month plan.

The low price of Cove’s monitoring comes with minimal features. Don’t expect SimpliSafe’s Intruder Intervention or ADT’s Trusted Neighbor, but for basic monitoring, it’s hard to beat Cove’s pricing. They run three monitoring centers, so we felt comfortable relying on Cove for keeping our home safe. Two monitoring centers going down would be quite the event, and even then, our home would stay protected.