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Wireless security systems offer convenience, but how do you find the best one for you? Check out our expert-vetted recommendations.
Updated July 3, 2024
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Sometimes you just don’t want ugly wires running throughout your home. Whether it’s a window sensor that needs to be plugged in or an outdoor security camera that needs new wiring to the exterior of your home, hardwired security components can take away from the look of your house and limit your system’s flexibility. That’s why all the best home security systems feature at least some wireless security components.
When you want to avoid wires entirely, though, it can get a bit trickier. Nobody wants to go through every single component of a security system to see if it’s wireless, but that’s why we did it for you to help you find a home security system that’s right for you. We even tested each system in our own home so we could tell you our hands-on experience.
SimpliSafe Essentials Kit
| System | ADT | SimpliSafe | Vivint | Cove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| Rating | 9.2/10 | 9.2/10 | 9.1/10 | 8.8/10 |
| Contract length | 36 months, or monthly with self-setup | Monthly | Starting at 42 months | Monthly |
| Installation type | DIY or professional | DIY or professional | Professional | DIY or professional |
| Professional monitoring cost | Starting at $24.99 per month | Starting at $19.99 per month | Starting at $39.99 per month | Starting at $17.99 per month |
| Equipment cost | Packages starting at $194.98 | Packages starting at $249.96 | Packages starting at $449 | Packages starting at $250 |
| Review | ADT review | SimpliSafe review | Vivint review | Cove review |
Even though ADT predates wireless technology, most of its components are now wireless or at least have the option to be wireless. The company’s recent partnership with Google propelled ADT’s wireless capabilities even further with the entire Nest lineup of cameras. Pair that with ADT’s industry-leading monitoring services and you have a reliable wireless system you can count on. One drawback is that the ADT Smart Hub needs to be plugged in, so you can’t go fully wireless with an ADT system. That’s the case for pretty much every system though.
Arming my ADT System
We gotta hand it to ADT: When it comes to wireless support, it really goes above and beyond. We already mentioned that the Smart Hub needs to be plugged in, but other than that, all of ADT’s products have a wireless option. What really makes ADT stand out is how it helps keep your wireless system up to date.
Maybe we’re dating ourselves a bit, but we remember when the premium cellular data option was 3G. That’s long gone, with 4G LTE and 5G taking its place. What does that have to do with ADT? After 3G became antiquated, ADT created an entirely new component called CellBridge that converts old systems that used 3G to 4G LTE, giving customers faster connections to ADT’s monitoring centers when using cellular backup. And they did it for free. You can still get a free upgrade to 4G LTE if you’re reading this and have an old ADT system installed in your home.
When it gets down to brass tacks, we find ourselves recommending ADT so frequently due to its monitoring service. It’s simply the best professionally monitored home security system around. We’d love to give the crown to a different provider since that would push the industry forward, but so far ADT outpaces all of its competitors by a lot.
Since it offers the best monitoring around, you may think ADT’s prices are going to be really high. They used to be, that’s for sure. When we tested the system before the most recent one, we paid over $60 per month for monitoring. It wasn’t a small system, but still! ADT now offers the same monitoring for way less, starting at $24.99. That’s less than Vivint for monitoring. ADT also simplified its plan options, with just two plans to choose from. Below is a quick overview.
| Essential | Essential + Video | |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 professional monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Cellular backup | Yes | Yes |
| Video verification | No | Yes |
| 30-day cloud storage for video clips | No | Yes |
| Price | $24.99 per month | $34.99 per month |
If you want cameras with your system, you need to buy the Essential + Video plan — otherwise you’ll be getting the Essential plan.
>> Learn More: ADT Contract Length, Cancellation Policy, Terms, and Renewals
It may be obvious, but ADT’s home automation integrations work the best with the Google Home smart platform. The entire Google Nest lineup of security cameras fully integrates with the Google Home app and other Google Home devices. We leveraged that complete integration in our home with Google Nest’s facial-recognition feature to automatically turn on the lights in our living room when it sees one of us in the doorbell camera. That lets us come home to a well-lit house while keeping our lights from turning on every time our doorbell sees something.
Even though ADT’s integration with Google is a bit better, it still works with Alexa. We couldn’t set up quite as intricate automations, but we could still fully control our system with our voices, which was definitely appreciated.
| Equipment cost | Packages starting at $194.98 |
|---|---|
| Monitoring options | Professional |
| Monitoring cost | Starting at $24.99 per month |
| Contract length | Starting at 36 months |
| Installation options | Professional or DIY |
| Smart platform integration | Alexa and Google Home |
When it comes to DIY security systems, nobody has more experience than SimpliSafe. The company got its start as an easy DIY security solution for renters in apartments, and wireless security components go hand in hand with DIY installation. They’re easy to install and move around, giving you the flexibility to fine-tune your security as you go. You can figure out the perfect spot for your home security cameras without committing on your first guess.
SimpliSafe equipment
>> Read More: Best Home Security Systems for Apartments in 2024
We can’t say SimpliSafe has given its customers a free upgrade like ADT has. And the SimpliSafe security hub needs to be plugged in. But where SimpliSafe excels is in how easy the company makes it to set up your wireless system.
SimpliSafe focuses on its DIY offerings, which means you’ll need to connect all your wireless components together. SimpliSafe makes that really easy, though, thanks to the security hub we just complained about. It gives you voice prompts to walk you through every step of the installation and locates all your sensors to connect your security system at the end. That let us set up our entire SimpliSafe system in under 30 minutes.
This is where SimpliSafe has made some major changes since it started. When we first tested it years ago, we didn’t like the professional monitoring plans SimpliSafe offered. It had only one option for professional monitoring, and it wasn’t anything special.
Our impression of SimpliSafe’s monitoring did a complete 180, though, when it introduced its premium Fast Protect monitoring plan. It has live guard protection, which means SimpliSafe agents had access to the SimpliSafe home security camera we tested to see what happened when an alarm triggered. They can even use the two-way audio, which we found out when we triggered our usual test alarms and suddenly heard the agent behind us from our camera. It got our dog barking, but we just let the agent know we were testing our system to confirm everything was good and they lost access to our indoor camera.
On top of the professional monitoring plans, SimpliSafe has a few DIY monitoring plans for things like cloud storage if you want to keep the cost of your SimpliSafe security system low. You don’t need to buy a SimpliSafe plan, although we definitely recommend it. Here’s an overview of all of SimpliSafe’s paid plans.
| Self-Monitoring | Professional Monitoring | Fast Protect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cellular backup | Yes | No | Yes |
| 30-day cloud storage for video | Yes | No | Yes |
| Smart platform integrations | Yes | No | Yes |
| 24/7 professional monitoring | No | Yes | Yes |
| Live guard support | No | No | Yes |
| Video verification | No | No | Yes |
| Price | $9.99 per month | $19.99 per month | $29.99 per month |
You know we always give you the good, the bad, and the ugly about every security system we test. Well, smart-home capabilities are where SimpliSafe falls into the bad category. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t offer much beyond basic voice commands. We could arm our system by saying, “Google, arm my security system,” and we could set it to Away mode, but that’s about it. We couldn’t even disarm our system with voice commands, because SimpliSafe thinks that’s a security risk. Getting the integrations up and running was pretty straightforward, though, so that was nice.
>> Learn About: SimpliSafe Home Automation
If you want DIY installation with more smart-home capabilities, you may want to check out Abode. While testing the Abode security system, we were pretty impressed with the Cue home automation system. See how the two stack up against each other in our SimpliSafe vs. Abode comparison.
| Equipment cost | Packages starting at $249.96 |
|---|---|
| Monitoring options | Professional or DIY |
| Monitoring cost | From $19.99 |
| Contract length | Monthly |
| Installation options | Professional or DIY |
| Smart platform integration | Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Watch |
If you want the latest technology available and you’re not afraid to spend a good chunk of change on your home security system, Vivint is the way to go. It offers the most advanced outdoor security camera we’ve ever tested and a video doorbell with an ultrawide 180-degree field of view. It also has all wireless equipment. Well, sort of. We’ll explain in a bit, but the gist is that the way Vivint does wireless sacrifices a bit of flexibility for some extra reliability.
Vivint Smart Home Equipment
>> Read About: Vivint Doorbell Camera Review, Cost, and Pricing in 2024
Like the other systems on this list, Vivint needs its hub to be plugged in. We’re not sure how we feel about calling it fully wireless, since that’s not 100 percent accurate. Pretty much every security system has a hub you plug in though. Other than that, all of Vivint’s security equipment is wireless. Let’s get into why Vivint’s version of wireless is a bit different.
Most wireless components connect to the internet directly from the device itself. That makes sense. It’s how every wireless device works. Well, that’s not good enough for Vivint. Your wireless signal actually loses a lot of strength when it travels through walls, so Vivint uses a hybrid wireless system for its exterior security components, like the Vivint outdoor camera. Instead of connecting to Wi-Fi from the camera itself, Vivint installers route a small wire through your wall into your home, and the end of that wire is what connects to your Wi-Fi. That avoids the drop in signal you’d otherwise get from your wall.
Did You Know? Your wireless security system still works if your internet goes down. At least all the security systems we recommend here do. They use cellular backup to keep your system connected even if your entire house loses internet or power.
We think it was pretty successful too. If you have three or four security cameras trying to connect over your router, your internet can get pretty slow. We’ve even noticed some buffering when trying to watch the live feed on other security systems that have a more traditional wireless approach. When we tested Vivint’s home security cameras, we didn’t run into any buffering issues for the entire time we had the system in our home. We’d say the hybrid system is a success.
Now we get to Vivint’s weak point. It’s not that it has bad professional monitoring. We’d never recommend a system with bad monitoring. But SimpliSafe’s new Fast Protect plan and ADT’s recent price reductions make Vivint’s price tag feel like it’s not worth it.
Vivint locks you into a long-term contract and professional monitoring, so it’s not like you have a choice after you buy a Vivint system. You don’t have a choice in monitoring plans either. It’s based entirely on your system, leaving you with one custom quote that ranges from $40 to $60. Here’s a breakdown of Vivint’s monitoring prices so you can figure out how much your system would cost.
| Feature | Cost |
|---|---|
| Basic 24/7 monitoring of sensors | $39.99 per month |
| Cellular backup | $1.48 per month |
| Video support | $5 per month per camera |
| Car Guard for first device | $9.99 per month |
| Car Guard for second device | $4.99 per month |
If you cancel your professional monitoring, Vivint locks you out of everything that makes its systems good, from the app to the smart platform integrations. Basically you’ll be left with a local alarm.
It’s not all bad news though. When we had Vivint in our home, we got responses about 35 seconds after an alarm triggered. That’s not the fastest, but it was good enough to make our list of the best security systems with fast response times.
This is where Vivint really shines. That is unless you have Apple HomeKit. If you do, you may want to go with ADT since it works with the Apple ecosystem. Vivint works with Alexa and Google exceptionally well. We praise Vivint’s smart-home capabilities so much not because of how Alexa and Google can control it, but because of how Vivint can control our smart home.
>> Check Out: Vivint vs. ADT Home Security System Comparison
We had voice commands with our Google Nest Hub, but the Vivint app let us do a whole bunch more. We could set up home automation with almost all our smart devices. For example, we had our thermostat lower the temperature in our house every time we armed our Vivint security system. That saved us a good bit on our electricity bill. It’s why we put Vivint on our list of the best security systems with automation.
| Monitoring Options | Professional only |
|---|---|
| Installation | Professional |
| Smart Platform Integration | Alexa and Google Home |
| Equipment Cost | From $599.99 |
| Monthly Monitoring Cost | From $39 |
| Contract Length | 48 to 60 months |
Do your eyes gloss over when we talk about the resolution of a camera or the way Vivint cameras connect to your router? Then Cove may be the right choice for you. It offers a straightforward security system that meets industry standards for low prices. Best of all, you won’t get locked into any long-term contracts.
Cove equipment
Cove’s hub needs to be plugged in too, but it actually doesn’t need your Wi-Fi. You can connect it to Wi-Fi to support video feeds if you have cameras, but you don’t need to. It can work entirely off of its cellular backup for receiving alarms from your sensors and sending alerts to Cove’s monitoring center. We like that because it really opens up Cove as an option for rural homes with limited internet options. It didn’t quite make the cut for our roundup of the best home security systems for rural areas, but it would have won fourth place if we’re being honest.
FYI: Cove is currently running one of the best deals we’ve seen. You can get a startup package to build off of for $75 that includes a hub, touch-screen panel, and free indoor camera.
Cove requires one of its professional monitoring plans, but it won’t break the bank. You can choose from a $17.99 or $27.99 plan, making Cove one of the most affordable home security systems. You’ll need a premium plan if you have cameras in your system; otherwise you can go with the lower-cost option, unless you want smart-home integrations. Here’s a quick overview of each plan.
| Cove Basic | Cove Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 professional monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Cellular backup | Yes | Yes |
| Equipment warranty | One year | Lifetime |
| Smart platform integrations | None | Google Home and Amazon Alexa |
| Camera support | No | Yes |
| Price | $17.99 per month | $27.99 per month |
Unfortunately Cove locks its smart-home capabilities behind its premium monitoring plan. To be honest, you won’t be missing out on a whole lot by passing on the Google Home and Amazon Alexa integrations. All it lets you do is use voice commands to arm or disarm your Cove system. You can also set it to Stay, Away, or Sleep mode with your voice. That’s about it though. No fancy automations or intricate integrations across multiple smart devices. If you want to keep the price of your Cove system low, we wouldn’t blame you for going with the basic monitoring plan.
| Monitoring Options | Professional or DIY |
|---|---|
| Installation | DIY |
| Smart Platform Integration | Alexa and Google Home |
| Equipment Cost | From $87 |
| Monthly Monitoring Cost | From $17.99 |
| Contract Length | 1 month |
Beyond the obvious benefit of, you know, not having wires, wireless security systems can bring tons of other benefits. A few key benefits of using a wireless home security system are below.
As long as it’s a good wireless home security system, it will be reliable. There was a time when we would have advised you to stay away from wireless home security systems, but the top wireless security systems didn’t have cellular backup or battery lives that easily lasted six months. They weren’t as reliable.
Nowadays, the best wireless home security systems have tons of redundancies built in, whether it’s a security hub that can connect to your internet through Wi-Fi or an ethernet cable or cellular backups that keep your system up and running even if you lose power altogether.
Wireless home security systems are just as reliable as hardwired ones, but it all comes down to the provider you choose.
Aside from the obvious feature of not having wires, you may be a bit confused about what makes a security system wireless. There are also hardwired security systems and no-landline security systems, so what’s the difference?
If those sound more up your alley than a wireless security system, check out our roundups of the best no-landline home security systems and the best hardwired home security systems.
How did we come up with this list? First we did a lot of research to find which security systems actually offered a wireless setup. Once we had our list of systems we wanted to test, we ordered them one by one. We ordered each one online — except for Vivint, which required us to talk to one of its salespeople — and then waited for it to show up at our door.
When the system arrived, we installed it ourselves if we could. Otherwise, we scheduled a technician to come to our house, which typically took two or three days. With our system up and running, we could finally get to the testing.
Each system spent a few weeks in our home so it would feel like it was part of our daily routine. We wanted to understand the ins and outs of living with each system, so that step took a while. After testing each system, we rated them and came up with this list.
Vivint Smart Hub and Ping Indoor Camera
It seems like most security systems we test offer a wireless setup. There aren’t a whole lot of drawbacks to a wireless system, but there are tons of advantages. It makes sense that the industry is moving in that direction.
It may be nice to have options, but that doesn’t make choosing the right security system for you any easier. With dozens of providers offering wireless capabilities, it’s hard to narrow them down. That’s why we did it for you. Each of these systems has been personally tested and vetted by our team of home security experts, so you know you can count on whichever one you pick to protect you and your family.
In our opinion, ADT has the best wireless home security system, with its recent partnership with Google and professional monitoring you can always count on.
Yes, wireless security systems are absolutely good. There’s a reason most of the industry is moving in the wireless direction, and that’s because it works.
Most wireless security systems support security cameras, but make sure your internet is fast enough to support them.
Tons of providers advertise entirely wireless home security systems, but we think it’s a bit of a misnomer. That’s because you’re still going to need to plug in your security hub. Other than that, the rest of your security system can go wireless.
It may surprise you, but you actually don’t need reliable Wi-Fi for a wireless home security system. Most providers offer cellular backup, so your system will stay running even if your Wi-Fi goes down.
