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ADT
SecureScore™: 9.2/10
With great cameras, reliable 24/7 professional monitoring, and solid reputation, ADT seems to offer business owners what they want.
Cove wireless security systems aren’t just cheap and easy to install. Business owners will benefit from cellular monitoring, which means office security is operational 24/7 even if your network goes down. At $24.99 per month, Cove’s contract-free premium plan offers a lifetime warranty on all Cove equipment.
Cove wireless security systems aren’t just cheap and easy to install. Business owners will benefit from cellular monitoring, which means office security is operational 24/7 even if your network goes down. At $24.99 per month, Cove’s contract-free premium plan offers a lifetime warranty on all Cove equipment.
Your Frontpoint package could be basic, covering a small, startup office. It could also be advanced, facilitating smart devices across a large commercial property.
Here’s a not-so-fun fact: Around 50,000 commercial buildings are burglarized each year.1 Don’t want your office to be next? Consider installing a security system — or upgrading to a better one.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re the big boss or an employee tasked with selecting the office security system. You need solid information to make the right choice. That’s why I put together this guide. Drawing on weeks of research and hands-on testing, I found four excellent office security systems.
Methodology: What I Look for in an Office Security System
My colleagues and I spend weeks testing out security systems. (For instance, check out our Ring Alarm review.) But how do I decide whether one of those systems belongs in your office? In short, I think carefully about what really keeps a commercial building safe.
Professional monitoring: Similarly, self-monitoring is all well and good for a studio apartment, but it’s not enough for an office building. You need high-quality, 24/7 professional monitoring.
Reputation: Don’t trust any old security provider with your office’s safety. Whoever manages your system should be trustworthy. That means quick patches after hacks, reliable monitoring, and transparent pricing.
Customer service went the extra mile (kudos to Patty and Ian)
The system is professionally installed
Paid hardly any money upfront
ADT now partners with Google Nest for security cameras and smart home equipment
Trusted brand with 150+ years of experience in security
Cons:
No “silent arming” option from control panel
I spent hours troubleshooting their outdoor camera
Requires a monthly monitoring fee
Requires long-term contract
No DIY installation option
Installation tech left old equipment in our home
Our Experience:
Why I Picked ADT
Security Cameras
A Closer Look at ADT Outdoor Camera, Installed in Our Back Porch
If you had asked me if your office should go with ADT 10 years ago, I probably would have said no. That’s not because ADT was bad; it was always a solid choice. There were just other systems on the market with more exciting features.
That changed when ADT teamed up with Nest in 2015.2 That partnership means you can get Nest cameras with your ADT package. Yes, that means crystal-clear 1080p HD resolution, two-way talk, night vision, and advanced features.
Did You Know? Google’s own security offering, Nest Aware, has been discontinued. If you want a Google-friendly security system, ADT may be your best option.
Google Nest camera specs aren’t wildly advanced, but the AI features are. Nest cameras can actually recognize familiar faces. Imagine how useful that could be for your office. Did an employee leave on bad terms? Set your system to alert you when they swing by. You’ll get a heads-up before they make a scene.
ADT owns and operates its own monitoring centers. When ADT calls you about a tripped alarm, it’s actually ADT calling — not a third-party contractor. Can Ring say the same thing? No.3
You might have to deal with subpar third-party vendors at the office. Don’t deal with one in an emergency.
Note that in our break-in simulations, ADT’s response time clocked in at around 30 seconds (the industry average). So it passes our test when it comes to responsiveness. Read our full ADT review for a deeper dive.
Reputation
When it comes to home security brands, there’s no one more established than ADT. The company has been around for 150 years.
Arming my ADT System
So, ADT is established. But is it trustworthy? In 2020, an ADT technician was charged with computer fraud after investigators discovered he had watched private customer footage — more than 9,600 times.4
Sadly, when a company is as big as ADT, there’s always a chance that one of its thousands of employees is a creep. The important thing is how it responded. ADT reported the perp to law enforcement, contacted all affected customers, and closed the loopholes that allowed an employee to view private footage in the first place.5 That’s the response I would want if someone was spying on me and my co-workers in the office.
Pro Tip: If you think someone is watching your office security camera footage, there are things you can do to stop them. First and foremost, change the login details immediately. Read our guide on how to stop security camera hacks for more tips.
Vivint security cameras are quite simply some of the best I’ve ever tested. 4K image sensor? Check. Full HD resolution? Check. Wide field of view? Check.
All those specs mean you have a better chance of capturing the security footage you need — when it really counts. Let’s say a burglar targets your office. They drive off with thousands of dollars worth of electronics. Wouldn’t it be nice to capture their license plate? Higher resolution makes that more likely.
In my Vivint camera tests, its Outdoor Camera Pro, with its 1080p HD resolution, outperformed every other camera on the market, except for Google Nest Cams. The outdoor camera pro is lacking a bit in field of view, but it has crystal-clear image quality and an active-deterrent (siren) feature.
Vivint Cameras
Field of view
Resolution
Price
Indoor Camera Pro
150 degrees
1080p
$199.99
Outdoor Camera Pro
140 degrees
1080p
$399.99
Doorbell Camera Pro
145 degrees
1080p
$249.99
Professional Monitoring
When you compare Vivint and ADT, you realize they have a lot in common. One example? Professional monitoring is part of the deal. With Vivint, you will pay at least $40 per month for a plan that includes alarm monitors watching over your building 24/7.
And I do mean 24/7. Vivint provides cellular monitoring, which means it won’t be interrupted by internet outages. If your office Wi-Fi cuts out, your security system stays on. In my tests, Vivint’s response time clocked in at 25 seconds on average (5 seconds faster than ADT).
Vivint Smart Home Equipment
FYI: Professional monitoring isn’t the only perk Vivint makes mandatory. You also have to spring for professional installation ($100 to $200). That’s probably something you want in an office security system anyway. Do you really want to trust the interns with electrical wiring?
Reputation
Vivint is one of the biggest security companies in the country, with thousands of happy customers. It also has thousands of unhappy customers, and they have not been shy about speaking out. “This is a 1 star review because not leaving a star is not optional,” one reviewer wrote. “This company is a scam and needs to be stopped.” Jeez. Tell us how you really feel.
Reviews like that are why Vivint has a one-star Better Business Bureau customer rating. They’re not why the BBB gave Vivint a C+, however.6 That would be because the Federal Trade Commission went after Vivint for using other people’s credit reports to approve customer contracts. That’s fraud, and it’s not OK.
Should these issues stop you from choosing Vivint for your office security? Not necessarily.
Here’s the thing: A lot of those unhappy Vivint customers didn’t realize how hard it would be to cancel their five-year contract. Your office legal team won’t let that happen. They’ll help you understand what you’re signing so you won’t be mad about it later.
Cove offers some of the best and most affordable security cameras on this list. 2K resolution for $59.99? If you’re running an office on a budget, you’re probably wondering where to sign up.
YI Indoor Camera for Cove
So, what’s the catch? They aren’t actually Cove cameras; they’re eufy cameras. More on why that could be an issue in a minute.
For now, let’s talk features. The eufy Outdoor Camera features local and cloud storage, solar charging, and night vision. Has your office been the target of vandalism after dark? The eufy Outdoor Cam will catch the vandals.
Cove Security Cameras
Field of view
Resolution
Price
eufy Indoor Camera
100 degrees
2K
$59.99
eufy Outdoor Camera
135 degrees
2K
$129.99
eufy Doorbell Camera
160 degrees
2K
$99.99
Professional Monitoring
Does Cove professional monitoring really work? Yes, it does. When I tested out the system for my Cove Smart review, I found out the hard way. Here’s what happened:
I tripped an alarm on purpose, for testing.
I got what Cove calls an InstaText response. It explained that a sensor was tripped and gave me the option to cancel the alarm.
I got a phone call (aka LiveAssist) from a real person. She asked me for my safe code. I forgot it.
She sent a detailed report, including data from my alarm system, to emergency services through a service called RapidSOS.
The police showed up at my door 10 minutes later.
This was bad news for me (I meant to cancel the alarm!) but great news for your office. If something goes wrong, there are three ways for Cove to let your office manager know. And, if they can’t get in touch with you, they really will call in the cavalry.
Cove equipment
Reputation
Cove has a solid B BBB (say that three times fast!) rating. That’s not as good as Frontpoint’s, but not as bad as Vivint’s.
Cove isn’t the only company you’re dealing with. You’re also getting equipment from Anker, eufy’s parent company. Anker has earned an F.8 Wondering why eufy has reputation problems? Anker said eufy cameras were end-to-end encrypted when they weren’t.9
Pro Tip: If you’re on the fence about eufy cameras, ask your IT team for advice. They’ll help you compare eufy’s encryption protocol to the other guys’.
Frontpoint is powered by Alarm.com, which means its cameras come from — you guessed it — Alarm.com. Fortunately, Alarm.com is one of the most trusted names in security, and it makes some darn good cameras. Expect 1080p resolution and up to a 180-degree field of view.
Frontpoint Outdoor Camera
At first glance, Frontpoint cameras seem geared toward the consumer market. (I mean, what are you going to do with a Bluetooth speaker/indoor camera combo in the office? Listen to “Despacito” with your management team?)
But there are some features that come in handy in a commercial setting. Take SD card continuous recording, for example, which lets you watch footage from up to 29 days ago. That would be overkill for most residential properties. But at the office? It could help catch a thief.
Imagine you have a problem with theft and you’re pretty sure it’s an inside job. With almost a month of footage, you have plenty of chances to review the movements of suspicious employees.
Frontpoint Cameras
Field of view
Resolution
Price
Indoor Camera
110 degrees
1080p
$119.99
Premium Indoor Camera
180 degrees
1080p
$199.99
Outdoor Camera
117 degrees
1080p
$229.99
Wired Doorbell Camera
165 degrees
1080p
$199.99
Wireless Doorbell Camera
160 degrees
1080p
$299.98
Professional Monitoring
When I tested out the system for my Frontpoint review, I got a response within 25 seconds. That’s below the industry average of 30 seconds and right in line with Vivint’s response times.
However, there’s a catch. Frontpoint alarms have a non-negotiable 30-second entry delay between the alarm being tripped and going off. That brings the total response time up to 55 seconds. That’s more than enough time for a savvy burglar to make off with a company laptop or three.
FYI: Frontpoint’s professional monitoring does have the advantage of running on a cellular network. That means you don’t have to worry about a bad storm shutting down your office security system.
Reputation
Frontpoint has an A+ BBB rating. That’s the highest on the list, beating out heavy hitters like ADT and Vivint.
That’s Frontpoint. What about Alarm.com, the company behind many of its devices and services? Would you look at that: It’s another A+.7
I will say that one of the things that earned Frontpoint its golden reputation — its customer service — has gone downhill over the years. When I needed help with installation, it took me a full day to get in touch with a (slightly rude) customer service rep.
Let’s hope Frontpoint gets its head back in the game. You don’t want to be stuck on hold when your office smart lock stops working.
Product Specs:
Monitoring Options
Professional only
Installation
DIY
Smart Platform Integration
Alexa and Google Home
Equipment Cost
From $219.99
Monthly Monitoring Cost
$50
Contract Length
1-36 months
Do You Need a Security System If You Have a Security Guard?
If your office has a 24/7 security guard, you might be wondering why you need 24/7 professional monitoring too. Here are a few reasons:
Security cameras capture evidence. Eyewitness testimony is fallible, but you can’t argue with a security camera. Footage of a theft will be helpful when you have to make a business liability insurance claim.
Security guards can’t catch everything. Let’s say your office’s basement floods, destroying stored inventory, and your security guard is on the ground floor, watching for intruders. What are the odds they’ll catch the real issue? With a security system, 100 percent: They’ll get the alert and call for help.
Extra help can’t hurt. The best professionally monitored security systems come with deterrence mechanisms. In other words, if the camera spots an intruder, it’ll set off a siren and flashing light. That could get them to run off before the security guard shows up.
How to Keep Your Office Security System Safe from Hacking
Any electronic device connected to the internet is a potential point of entry for a tech-savvy bad guy (yes, even your office security system). What can you do to prevent a hack?
Practice good (password) hygiene. Far too many businesses play fast and loose with account security. Don’t log in to every account with “yourbusiness@gmail.com” and “password1234.” Get a password manager to store secure login details.
Vet employees carefully. Hacking isn’t always a random crime. Sometimes, it’s a crime of opportunity, carried out by disgruntled, creepy, or financially struggling employees. Background checks are your friend.
Consider Power over Ethernet (PoE). Even the best wireless security systems have security vulnerabilities that wired security systems don’t. If you have the budget, go for the hardwired option.
Pro Tip: If your office doesn’t have an enterprise password manager already, you should really consider getting one.
How to Make the Most of Your Office Security System
Office management is all about maximizing efficiency while minimizing costs. How do you make your pricey security system work extra hard?
Install smart locks. When you get the option to add smart locks to your system, take it. It’s easy to send out the code to new employees, change the code when the old one’s been compromised, and lock down the office from anywhere.
Install smart switches, lights, and plugs. Don’t stop at locks. A smart lighting system can save money on electric costs by shutting off at closing time. It doesn’t matter if the last employee out the door forgets.
Automate. Once you have a smart security system installed, you can set up “rules” around the office. No, I don’t mean “no jeans except for on Friday.” I mean “If the doors are locked, arm the security system and turn off the lights.” Those smart automations save time and boost security.
The Takeaway
Commercial buildings suffer environmental damage and theft, just like residential buildings. Security systems can help prevent that.
So, an office security system is a no-brainer. But which one?
To sum it up, you should choose a professionally monitored system with excellent security cameras from a reputable company. ADT, Vivint, Frontpoint, and Cove all fit the bill.
If none of those options works for you, check out my guide to the best security systems available. You’ll find more great options that may be a better fit for your business.
Some of the things that are really important for a commercial security system are less important for a home security system. For example, you can get away with self-monitoring your home security, but it’s not a good idea for an office. Generally speaking, office security systems will have more devices and more features than a home security system.
Generally speaking, yes. Avoid recording private areas, like bathrooms and locker rooms. Notify employees they’re being recorded. And check with the relevant governing bodies to make sure you’re in the clear.
We recommend professional monitoring for commercial properties. Even if you have a security guard, they can’t be everywhere all at once. Professional monitoring is an affordable way to keep your office safe.
Yes. It’s rare, but possible, for an office security system to be hacked. To reduce the risk, choose unique, secure passwords and vet employees carefully before hiring.
Features of Commercial Building Security Systems
Security Cameras
You can record the areas in and around your office with high-quality security cameras. The best options will have HD resolution, night vision, and intruder deterrence capabilities.
Professional monitoring
Alarm monitors can watch over your property at all times with professional monitoring. Here’s how it works: One of your sensors detects suspicious activity. It sends a signal to a monitoring center. If the monitor can’t get in touch with someone at the office, they’ll call emergency services.
Self-monitoring
Professional monitoring is a must for office security systems, but you should be able to monitor the property yourself too. Self-monitoring through a mobile app should be available alongside professional monitoring.
Smart Locks
Installing a smart lock gives your office an extra layer of security. It works with a code, card, or virtual wallet instead of (or in addition to) a key. You can lock it and unlock it remotely, which is useful when you have forgetful employees.
Smart lights
Keep your office lit when you want it (and dark when you don’t) with smart lights. You can schedule them to turn off and on with work hours. That could save you some money on electricity.
Smart plugs
Turn any device into a smart device with a smart plug. Devices connected to a smart plug can be powered off on a timer, just like smart lights and locks. This is a good way to reduce fire risk and save on electricity for infrequently used equipment, like fax machines.
Motion Detectors
Motion detectors are one of the main components of an office security system. The motion detectors are designed to detect movement in or around your office. Then, when movement is detected, the system will alert you and/or a monitoring center so you can respond accordingly. When motion is detected, you can use your security system's mobile app to check your place of business to see what caused the motion detector to trigger an alarm or contact the proper authorities to respond to the alarm for you.
Contact sensors
Track when doors and windows open with contact sensors. They are actually two magnetic pieces; when the door or window opens, the magnetic field breaks. That lets your monitoring center know something is amiss.
Professional installation
An office security system can involve a lot of equipment. Professional technicians can install it for you more quickly and effectively than you can on your own.
SafeHome.org only uses high-quality sources to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
As a home security expert and Managing Editor for SafeHome.org, Rob Gabriele has written and edited over 1,000 articles related to home security. His expertise is in smart home protection with thousands of hours of testing and research under his belt. Formerly a reporter and producer for the USAToday network, Rob has been a writer and editor for over 10 years. He holds a Master’s of Science with an emphasis on writing from the University of Montana, and he currently lives in Indianapolis, IN.
