Cove Home Security System Review 2026

Ordering Cove

Ordering a Cove system requires slightly more effort than browsing a retail store, but the process is straightforward. It’s not quite as instant as Ring (see our full Ring Alarm review), but it’s significantly simpler than providers like Vivint that require a phone call. We completed an online questionnaire about our home and living situation, and Cove generated a system tailored to our needs.

You can also skip the questionnaire and build your own system from scratch. As with other companies (see our SimpliSafe review), the hub and touch-screen keypad are required with every system, but there’s a wide range of options when it comes to sensors and cameras.

Our Cove package featuring the hub and touch-screen keypad.

Once we chose our equipment (more on those options later), Cove guided us to pick a monitoring plan and let us name each device. We named our living room camera Daisy, which is fun, but also practical: every component arrives pre-connected to the hub and clearly labeled, making setup and organization easy.

After paying, Cove sent both an email and a text prompting us to set up our system portal, where we could manage our account, pay bills, and get help with any questions. The text also promised shipping updates, a convenient touch. At this point, we were impressed. It felt like Cove had everything under control, and it’s easy to see why the company appears on our list of best self-installed home security systems.

Shipping and Delivery

That initial enthusiasm dimmed once the waiting game began. Several days went by with no shipping notification, so we logged into our account portal to check on the order and reached out to a live-chat rep. She responded almost immediately, which was a good sign — but she couldn’t give us a firm shipping date, only that we’d get a text once the order shipped, followed by another five to seven days for delivery.

Our Cove package arrived, but we waited seven days from the time we placed our order.

That’s not exactly the proactive communication we’d hoped for, though it does track with Cove’s mixed reputation on the customer service front. It’s worth noting that Cove doesn’t appear on our list of the best systems for customer service — and honestly, this experience makes it pretty clear why.

Unboxing and Installation

Everything except the video doorbell arrived via UPS in a single, unmarked brown box. Inside, we found the Cove box, and everything inside that was neatly packaged — and we mean that literally. Every sensor and camera had its own dedicated slot, and the box cover doubled as a set of picture instructions to get us started. That’s efficiency by design, not accident.

After opening the package, this set of picture instructions welcomed us and helped us get started.

We haven’t come across another system that makes installation as simple and foolproof as Cove does. There really wasn’t a way to get it wrong. You can absolutely set it up yourself, but Cove also offers professional installation for a fee if you’d rather hand it off — pricing varies, so check Cove’s website for current rates.

Most of the sensors were peel-and-stick, though a few offered the option of more permanent mounting. The smoke detector we ordered, for example, called for some basic handyman work: we marked the spot with a pencil, then turned a couple of screws to secure the mounting hardware. Nothing complicated. Since we rent and live in a 110-year-old historic home, though, we leaned on peel-and-stick wherever we could — it kept the walls intact and avoided any conversation with our landlord about screw holes.

Related: Can Tenants Install Home Security Cameras?

Here’s us mounting the window sensor. You can see how much smaller it is than the older window sensors we have.

Everything worked like a dream, and by the time the control panel walked us through a final check on the sensors, that big smile had crept back onto our faces.

There was one minor hiccup along the way. The touchscreen panel told us the monitoring center would call once everything was up and running. That call never came, so we reached out ourselves — and waited on hold for about 20 minutes before getting through to a rep. Once we connected, though, they wrapped up the setup quickly and painlessly.

Next up, we set up the security cameras, which took a bit more work than the Cove sensors.

Then it was on to the cameras.

Cove now manufactures its own camera lineup — the Home Cam, Solar Cam, and Doorbell Cam. Because they’re Cove’s own devices, they arrive pre-paired to the hub, just like the sensors, which makes setup in the app about as straightforward as it gets.

Expert Examined

From Joshua Lee, Active-duty Police Sergeant

“Self-monitored systems have higher missed alerts simply because the owner has to be the one monitoring the system. If the owner happens to be away from their phone, they won’t be able to alert the police on time. I can talk as a victim myself. I used a self-monitoring system, but while I was away at work, my vehicle was burglarized. The security system sent the motion alert to my phone, but I was unable to look at it until hours later. When I finally sat down to look at my phone, I saw my car being burglarized. By that time, there was very little for police to do since the suspect was wearing gloves and covering his face.” Read more about Joshua Lee →

Equipment

Setting Cove up gave us a few headaches, but the hardware itself is a different story. It’s solidly built, reliable, and gives you plenty of control over how everything behaves. That means you can dial things in exactly the way you want.

Once everything was set up, we started testing each component piece by piece — even the Cove key fob.

Hub and Touch Screen

The hub is a hub — a flat, white, plastic box with lots of blinking lights that sits next to the router and connects the various pieces of the system. It’s reasonably unobtrusive and does its job, which is what you want in a hub.

We were far more impressed with the touch-screen control panel. As a starting point, it has some heft to it. Clearly, there is some sophisticated hardware inside. It’s also sleek, with a clever design that features a mount that doubles as a stand if you’re setting it up on a flat surface.

Controlling and managing the entire system was a breeze using the Cove touch-screen controller.

The hub delivers everything you need to manage your system and monitor sensors without cluttering the interface. Navigation is intuitive — a simple touch takes you between the four core modes: Stay, Away, Night, and Unarmed. You can pull up camera feeds once connected, and adjusting settings is refreshingly straightforward.

Door Entry Sensors

The sensors have a reassuring weight to them — you can tell they’re built to last, not just thrown together. Despite that sturdiness, Cove has kept them slim and discreet. They won’t clash with your décor, and odds are your guests won’t even notice they’re there. Installation is as simple as peel-and-stick, and each entry sensor comes with its name already assigned, which takes a bit of the guesswork out of setup.

Window Entry Sensors

Cove says its window sensors work differently from its door sensors. They look and feel exactly the same as the door sensors, but who are we to quibble? The main thing is that they install just as easily as the door sensors, and they work just as reliably. Raise a window, get an alert.

Glass-Break Sensors

The thing about window entry sensors is that they won’t work if a home invader decides to just break your window’s glass — and, let’s face it, that’s the more likely scenario. Enter the glass-break sensor. Cove’s glass-break sensors are simple square, white tiles you place on the wall opposite your windows. They listen for the particular frequency of breaking glass and let you know any time they pick it up. Like every other piece of equipment from Cove, they’re both sleek and sturdy — the perfect combination.

Motion Sensors

The Cove motion sensor lights up when it detects movement.

This is the one piece of Cove equipment that is a bit more lightweight. The motion sensors felt less solid and more plasticy. Those qualities, however, are actually part of how the device works. The plastic front, for instance, allows the sensor to see what’s happening in front of it and simultaneously allows us to see the red light that comes on when the sensor picks up motion.

Smoke Detector

Your home probably already has a smoke detector. Ours certainly has several — in the kitchen, the hallways, and the bedrooms. An off-the-shelf smoke detector is great for alerting you to potential fire hazards that happen when you’re at home. They’re designed to emit an ear-piercing alarm that can wake you from even the soundest slumber.

But what happens if a problem develops while you’re running errands, traveling for work, or out for the evening? The advantage of having a Cove smoke detector is that you receive instant mobile notifications no matter where you are. Then, you can call emergency services if needed, potentially saving your home from serious damage.

Flood Sensor

A flood sensor can be a valuable piece of equipment for a number of reasons. We live in an older home, and we don’t always trust the pipes — especially in winter. A flood sensor ensures we’re protected if something bursts. The devices are great if you have older appliances — dishwashers, washers, and dryers — or if you just worry about flooding emergencies in general.

Cove Home Cam

This small but mighty indoor camera pans and tilts to maximize its coverage area.

We’re fans of Cove’s wired indoor camera overall. It’s compact, capable, and priced well for what you get. With pan-tilt functionality and digital zoom, the indoor model can capture an entire room in sharp 2K resolution. That pan and tilt function even auto-tracks motion, so you don’t miss any activity.

Night vision ensures you won’t miss anything regardless of lighting conditions. Plus, with sound detection, your camera can start recording even before someone enters the room. You can toggle between motion-triggered recording and continuous recording, and there’s no need for a cloud storage subscription. Footage saves directly to an internal microSD card (sold separately). All this for just $60.

Expert Examined

From Joshua Lee, Active-duty Police Sergeant

“Home security technology has gotten better, cheaper, and easier to install, which is why we are seeing an influx in home security video evidence for non-burglary crimes. For that reason, police always look for video surveillance that we can use as evidence of a crime. I remember responding to a large fight in the street. When we arrived, everyone left except for the victim who was unresponsive on the ground. The key to finding the suspects and finding the truth in that investigation was a neighbor’s home surveillance video that recorded the entire incident.”

Cove Outdoor Camera

The Cove outdoor camera held its own in our testing. Priced at $160, it’s built to handle whatever the elements throw at it. The device is rated IP65, meaning it’s completely dust-tight and can handle heavy rainstorms without issues. Some of the extra money also goes into the solar panel, which comes standard and eliminates the need to change batteries. Mount the camera at any height you want — higher angles give you broader coverage of your property — and you’ll never need to climb back up on a ladder for battery swaps.

Comparison Shopping: Best Outdoor Security Cameras

The outdoor model doesn’t pan and tilt like the indoor version, but it features an adjustable mount so you can dial in exactly what it sees. It offers both color night vision and infrared night vision for low-light situations. As with the indoor model, you can store all your footage on an internal microSD card.

The outdoor camera’s mounting bracket may not look sturdy, but it held up pretty well.

Just a note: Outdoor cameras can work anywhere. We suspected we may have squirrels in the attic, so before we installed our camera outside we set it up in our rafters to see what we could see. Luckily, no squirrels. Yay! But then what are those noises we keep hearing? Now we have to worry about ghosts.

Cove Video Doorbell

The Cove video doorbell comes with many of the same great features as the other options, including night vision and two-way talk, though it steps down to 1080p resolution compared to the 2K on the indoor and outdoor cameras. It includes person detection, which means we didn’t have to worry about false alarms every time a car happened to drive by. It even features an IP67 rating, so it can withstand almost any environmental conditions. And, of course, as a video doorbell, it sits right at the entrance to your home.

One of the standout features of this doorbell is its flexibility in power options. You can hardwire it to replace your existing doorbell or go fully wireless with battery power. Either way, it ships with its own chime included, so there’s nothing extra to buy to get up and running.

We had to wait a couple more days before it arrived, but it was easy to set up the Cove video doorbell.

Key Fob

The entire Cove system is accessible via the Cove app, and you can make lots of adjustments depending on how you want to secure your home. For simple actions, such as turning the system on and off, you can also purchase a handy key fob. We liked having control over our system in our pocket, and it’s nice to be able to shut down the system before we open the front door. No more rushing to the control panel to try to get everything turned off before the alarm sounds.

Panic Button

We also purchased a panic button to test how Cove’s version compares to other systems. While we didn’t anticipate needing it often, we kept it nearby when contractors or service providers were in the home. It’s a simple but effective layer of added security that provides peace of mind in unexpected situations.

Yard Sign

You always want to put up your sign. It lets anyone who may have eyes on your home know that you take security seriously. All yard signs do that, but Cove signs carry the added weight of the Cove name.

Additional Equipment

There are two Cove devices we didn’t test personally, but based on the quality of everything else the company produces, we’re confident they deliver the same reliability.

• Carbon monoxide sensor: Carbon monoxide sensors can be a valuable addition to any home security system since they detect the odorless — and potentially deadly — gas. As with the smoke detector, Cove carbon monoxide sensors let you know there’s a problem even if you’re not at home. We were a little surprised that Cove doesn’t offer a combined smoke and carbon monoxide detector, but it’s probably on their to-do list.
• Secondary siren: The integrated touch-pad siren was plenty loud enough to cover our entire home. If you have a larger home or multiple floors, though, you may consider investing in an additional siren.

Monitoring

Cove doesn’t offer self-monitoring options. If you purchase their equipment, you’re required to subscribe to a professional monitoring plan. But here’s the reality — professional monitoring is essential for a truly effective home security system.

OK, DIY can save you a little money, but it’s just not as safe. Home invaders don’t strike when you’re sitting on your couch with your Cove app pulled up. They strike when you’re at the movies, or on vacation, or in the shower. While we were testing our system, we stepped out with friends to an escape room — not exactly the ideal situation to handle a home security alert. With a monitoring plan, though, we knew Cove would take care of any issues that came up.

A Closer Look: Best No-Contract Home Security Systems

Expert Examined

From Joshua Lee, Active-duty Police Sergeant

“The first thing police dispatchers receive from the monitoring station is the property address. This will allow patrol officers to drive toward the home. Another important piece of information we receive from the monitoring station is the alarm type: panic button, glass break, door or window trigger, motion. After we receive the alarm type, the monitoring station will send us the location of the alarm (for example, glass break, kitchen window). All of this information allows patrol officers to plan accordingly while they are driving to the home.”

Cove doesn’t require long-term contracts, so you can cancel service if you happen to come across a better deal from another company. And you get to choose between three plans.

Cove Basic delivers 24/7 professional monitoring and full control through the Cove app for $22.99 per month. That’s similar to Ring and SimpliSafe making it one of the more affordable entry-level monitoring plans available.

>> Read More: Ring Security System Cost & Pricing Plans

Cove’s monitoring covers all Cove equipment you have in your home, but we recommend the Cove Plus plan if you have security cameras.

We opted for the Cove Plus plan, which adds camera support, seven days of cloud video history, and a one-year equipment and camera warranty. It costs $32.99 per month. Cove Premium goes a step further at $42.99 per month, extending the equipment warranty to a lifetime, adding 30 days of cloud storage, and layering in AI-powered smart alerts. For comparison, Cove Plus costs the same as SimpliSafe’s professional monitoring plan with video support (Core plan), although SimpliSafe includes a few extra features like Intruder Intervention plus cloud storage is 30 days by default versus Cove Plus’ seven days. You only get the full 30 days of video history with Cove if you upgrade to Premium.

The Bigger Picture: Cove vs. SimpliSafe

Pricing

Last, but certainly not least, let’s talk a little about Cove pricing. With any home security system, there are three basic costs to worry about: equipment, installation, and monitoring.

Installation

Installation with Cove is DIY and free of charge. While you can pay for professional installation, most customers find the DIY approach straightforward. Some systems don’t even require a screwdriver. We hardwired our doorbell and mounted our outdoor camera, and still managed to finish the full install in under an hour. If you decide you want professional installation, it starts at $129.

Equipment

On paper, Cove sits in the mid-range tier for home security pricing. Most systems run from around $410 to $1,170 at retail, but Cove almost always has a sale running. As of June 2026, they’re offering 70 percent off most equipment, bringing Cove’s prices well below competitors like ADT. While Cove doesn’t offer pre-made packages, we put together a few systems that could protect homes of various sizes to demonstrate their pricing:

Premade packages are convenient if you aren’t sure what you need for your home security, but Cove also lets you put together your own package. That will usually save you money on equipment you don’t actually need. On paper, equipment prices are fairly ho-hum. If you catch Cove during one of its many sales, though, you can get some top-tier equipment at very reasonable prices.

Cove lets you pay through Affirm, so you can spread the cost over four payments with no interest charges. In addition, you’ll have a full 60 days to try your equipment risk-free, and shipping is 100 percent free.

Monitoring

Sensor testing.

Cove requires monitoring, so you need to budget this monthly expense when you’re deciding if Cove is right for you. The company offers two plans: the Cove Basic plan and the Cove Plus plan. Here’s what you get with each.

Cove requires monitoring, so you need to budget this monthly expense when you’re deciding if Cove is right for you. The company offers three plans: Cove Basic, Cove Plus, and Cove Premium. Here’s what you get with each.

The Bottom Line

Minor hiccups during setup are easy to overlook when you consider the value Cove delivers. While our system didn’t ship instantly, it arrived within a reasonable timeframe. The video doorbell followed within a week, and even having to contact the monitoring center ourselves gave us an opportunity to experience Cove’s responsive customer service firsthand.

Despite occasional friction in the ordering and shipping process, we confidently recommend Cove. Few competitors offer such high-quality equipment packed with features at this price point. The value in Cove’s packages is undeniable. Add in dependable professional monitoring and responsive customer support, and you have a security solution that checks all the boxes for peace of mind.

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