Best Home Security Systems for Vacation Homes

SimpliSafe offers an affordable solution for home security. It is ideal for owners who basically want to protect against home burglary and vandalism. This system would be a great choice for someone who owns a second home that is used seasonally and not rented out. SimpliSafe provides exceptional security for homes that are unoccupied. There are multiple backup protections available, which keeps the system online even in the event of intentional tampering or a natural disaster. SimpliSafe offers customized packages for different sized homes, which is great for vacation or second homes.

Vivint has a lot to offer vacation and rental property owners. Smart cameras, connected thermostats and environmental protection are just a few of the options. That said, Vivint’s equipment and monthly monitoring fees are quite pricey. Additionally, you’ll have to pay for expensive equipment upfront or commit to a monthly monitoring contract. However, if you own a valuable vacation rental or second home, the cost of Vivint’s services and equipment may be well worth the protection that you get.

Frontpoint offers many features and services that are ideal for rental properties like remote video monitoring, environmental protection, automated door locks and more. However, it is important to note that you will be required to purchase the highest priced plan to take advantage of these features. Even so, Frontpoint is an excellent choice for rental and vacation properties.

When it comes to comprehensive protections, it’s tough to beat ADT home security systems. They offer multiple tiers of protection, including packages with professional security camera monitoring and smart home automation features. As an added bonus, their ADT Control panel makes everything easy to operate and access from one place, and the app allows you to access all of your home’s security features remotely. Great news for vacation home owners who visit their property infrequently.

From a pricing standpoint, ADT tends to be on the higher end, but keep in mind that’s compared to DIY, self-monitored systems. If you’re looking for security without having to pick up a power drill or constantly be checking notifications on your phone, ADT is certainly a provider you should check out.

Having a vacation home is a lot of fun, but when you’re not there, your second residence is at higher risk for damage and theft. That’s why most home insurers require special policies for vacant homes. Cove’s monitored alarm systems can offset some of those expenses by qualifying you for protective devices discounts for environmental and intrusion sensors.

Speaking of which, Cove makes a particularly good choice for summer homes because equipment is at the cheap end of the spectrum and monitoring doesn’t require Wi-Fi or a landline.

Cove’s Basic plan (no contract or cancellation fees) is $14.99 per month. That’s considerably cheaper than most comparable plans we’ve seen with professional cellular monitoring, i.e. monitoring by 4G LTE.

As for equipment, most vacation homes aren’t palaces, so you should be able to nab an entire Cove system for under $200. (If you do have more space to secure, Cove is also one of our top large home security systems.) Either way, if you want some insight into how Cove performs in the field, read our hands-on Cove review.

Even though Cove’s Basic plan comes with RapidSOS for quicker, more detailed information sharing with emergency specialists and first responders, we recommend Cove Plus ($24.99) for vacation homes because that’s the plan that gives you access to live camera feeds via Cove’s smartphone app (and it’s also RapidSOS enabled). For an in-depth look at all Cove’s security features, check out our Cove cost guide.