Guardian Security Review

Guardian’s History in a Nutshell

Sometimes we dig up dirt on companies during our initial research. But with Guardian, they fully check out. We liked learning about Guardian Protection’s past. The company has been in business for over 75 years, and they currently hold an A+ rating with the BBB.1 They’ve also received an Angie’s List Super Service Award. Today, they serve over a quarter million customers across the country. It seems like a good start, right?

While the Armstrong Group owns Guardian Protection, they still maintain a semblance of small-business, down-home values.2 For instance, they team up each year with Variety, The Children’s Charity to provide adaptive bikes to local kids with disabilities.3 In our research, we didn’t discover any red flags, which is always a good thing. So, let’s move on to important matters like pricing and our personal experience with Guardian.

Guardian Protection Pricing

Guardian Protection shows pricing for their Starter, Essential, and Complete Protection packages as well as their No Annual Contract Option on the website. We called in and got squared away with the information we needed. Before we dig in, you should know that all of their wireless systems include cellular connectivity, 24-7 monitoring, a mobile app for remote controls, and a couple of generous guarantees.
So, how do the costs shake out? Well, Guardian’s pricing is a bit steep compared to the industry average. The equipment costs are either paid upfront or financed over time, but can be heavily discounted based on the length of your agreement. You can choose from month-to-month, 12, 36, or 60 months. Depending on the level of protection and convenience you want, expect to pay between $199 and $2,000 for the equipment, which includes professional installation. Compared to more affordable DIY brands like Alder and Ring Alarm, Guardian will put a dent in the ol’ pocketbook.

Then, you’ve got the monthly monitoring fees. These charges run between $49.99 per month (for basic security + automation) and $59.99 per month (for security + automation + video). Again, these systems are a touch pricey. But, as you’ll see, Guardian has a handful of redeeming qualities that we think you’ll like.

A Look at Guardian’s Systems

Guardian offers a variety of systems with different setups for your situation. We won’t bore you by getting too granular with the details, but here’s a quick overview of the most popular systems.

The Starter

Guardian Protection – Starter Package

This package is ideal for smaller homes and families trying out home security for the first time.  Easy to manage and safety-conscious, it includes a security hub panel, two door or window sensors, choice of a smoke or carbon monoxide detector, the Guardian mobile app, 24/7 monitoring by Guardian’s live specialists, and professional installation. It’s a decent setup, but keep in mind that you’ll likely need to purchase additional smoke and heat detection devices to help keep your family safe. Also, we don’t think this system delivers as much value or protection as similar systems, such as the ones offered by ADT.

The Essentials

Guardian Protection – Home Security Essentials Package

This package is ideal for most homes. The Essential comes with Guardian’s IQ4 or 5 touchscreen control panel, four door or window sensors, a motion or glass break sensor, one smoke or carbon monoxide detector, a water/freeze sensor, professional installation, Guardian’s Interactive App, and Guardian’s 24-7 monitoring service. This system  doesn’t include camera devices like the one we’ll discuss below and will cost you $399 for the professionally installed equipment, then around $50 per month for monitoring.

The Guardian Experience

Getting Started

We first had to search through the Guardian website to find a system that would work for our 2,500-square-foot home. Next, we had to call Guardian’s customer support to speak with an agent, as they don’t have a way to purchase the system online. We’re typically not thrilled by this absence (another example of the “old guard”), but there are some advantages of speaking with a sales rep, too. Thankfully, our representative was friendly. She helped us identify the system to be the ideal setup for our budget and lifestyle.

Professional Installation

Two days later, a Guardian technician visited our home to install the system. There was nothing much to report here, other than it was pretty quick and painless. We think it’s worth the price as their techs are highly trained, so we knew they would install the system right the first time.

Day-to-Day Use

When it came to using Guardian on a day-to-day basis, we thought it was half-decent, but nothing to write home about. They build their equipment to last, and the system was easy to control using the Guardian app on our smartphone.5 We also had the option of arming and disarming our system using the IQ touchscreen controls. Lately, we’ve seen more companies offering touchscreen panels to keep up with the competition, and we think it’s a nice touch. The smart home automation features were also fairly easy to use, but we’ve come to expect it these days.

During testing, we simulated break-in and package-theft scenarios. The sensors were fairly responsive, and the instant mobile alerts came through with no problem. Guardian claims ‘rapid response times’ typically in 30 seconds or less. The company also documents its most recent average speed of response on its website – the most recently published stat is 15.5 seconds or less, which is in line with the industry standard.

Customer Service

If you value a helping hand, we think you’ll like Guardian’s customer service. Their service team was always at-the-ready (yep, 24-7 customer service). We don’t see this very often, so it was a breath of fresh air. They also have over a hundred helpful articles, guides and how-to videos in their online support resources plus a password-protected portal where you can test your system and get other types of assistance via chat to help you out. So, if you enjoy a DIY approach to service, you might want to look elsewhere. But the phone support we received from their friendly agents was one of the things we liked most about Guardian.

Guarantees

Every now and then we come across a company that offers generous guarantees. And much like Alder Security, Guardian Protection has a few guarantees that you’ll want to keep in mind. First, they offer $500 to cover your insurance deductible if your home gets broken into while you have their service (armed and monitored). They also are committed to making relocation easy. They also have a Home Relocation Guarantee giving you free installation and setup if you move to a different home in their service area after one year as a customer.7 You’ll want to talk to their reps to get details, though, as we’re sure there’s plenty of fine print here.

Guardian Features and Technology

We did enjoy some of Guardian’s features and technology — like their IQ Panel touchscreen controls and tamper-proof sensors. But at the end of the day, nothing really stood out as especially advanced or helpful. The smart home equipment is fairly standard (and somewhat expensive) compared to the competition. But we digress. Here are some of the Guardian features and tech we liked the most.

Wireless Systems — All of Guardian’s systems are 100% wireless, which means no hardwiring or drilling into walls, as well as no cords for criminals to cut!
Tamper-Proof Sensors — Guardian’s door and window sensors have a built-in tamper switch that sends an alert if someone tries to disable it. We really liked this small, but important, feature.

Touchscreen Controls — The Guardian IQ Touchscreen Control Keypad looks and functions a lot like a tablet. Its features include a built-in panic button, weather display, and it’ll even snap a pic of the ugly mug trying to tamper with it (not you, the bad guy!)

Outdoor Cameras with Lighting — Guardian has added two new cameras to the mix to protect your home’s exterior: an outdoor floodlight camera and an outdoor spotlight camera. They have  the same features, such as being able to differentiate between people, vehicles and animals; 24/7 recording, two-way voice talkdown, and customizable alerts. However, the Floodlight camera has more powerful LED lights to deter intruders by illuminating larger areas.

Smartphone Controls — Guardian includes access to their mobile app for remote smartphone controls. You can set up custom alerts and rules for your security and automation devices, which gives you direct control over your system from pretty much anywhere in the world. We found the app to be decent, but not nearly as sleek as Vivint’s App.

Live Video Streaming — The company offers an indoor and outdoor security cameras, which you can access with remote live streaming using a mobile device or PC. Pair these cameras with Guardian’s Video Streaming Recorder or onboard cloud recording, and you can access 24-7 recordings online or via the app. This feature lets you keep a finger on the pulse of your home security system. It’s nice, but you can expect it from most brands these days.

24-7 Professional Monitoring — Guardian Protection offers 24-7 professional monitoring. Actually, it’s required. This service keeps your home security system connected to their monitoring center. If a break-in occurs, your system will notify the agents, and they can contact first responders if needed.

Geo-Services — Here’s a neat feature we think you’ll like. You can automatically arm and disarm your system, as well as perform different smart home commands, thanks to Guardian’s Geo-Services. With this technology, you can draw a virtual fence around your home to activate or deactivate certain features based on your smartphone’s location.8 It’s not foolproof, but it is convenient and neat when it works.

Smart Home Automation Features — Guardian also offers add-on home automation components like smart door locks, smart thermostats, smart lighting, and more. Overall, it’s pretty easy to use, but there’s a bit of a learning curve to set it all up, which turns out not to be a problem. Guardian’s professional technician will do the setup and walk you through how to use the features.

Guardian Equipment Options

Guardian Protection offers a pretty impressive lineup of equipment, add-ons, and upgrades. While this selection is a good thing, it can also run up quite the tab if you’re not careful. That’s why we always recommend writing down your needs and wants, and then do your best to stay in your budget bracket. The notion of “system creep” is real. But we’re here to protect you from it!

One other thing worth noting: Guardian Protection isn’t very transparent with their pricing, so exact device costs aren’t readily available. That said, you can generally expect to pay slightly above the industry average for Guardian equipment.

Equipment Breakdown for Guardian

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Our experience with Guardian Protection was mainly positive. We liked that they offer loads of equipment options and solid customer service (these days, good service is hard to come by). We also thought their IQ2 touchscreen panel was a pretty sleek and modern addition to our home. But honestly, that’s pretty much all that we liked about Guardian Protection.

We didn’t love the long-term contracts — you’ll also have to sign a 36-month or 5-year contract depending on the system you choose. Then there are the slower-than-average response times, which is a major concern. If someone’s forcing their way into your home, every second counts. And we think an average of 60 seconds is just too slow. Finally, we wish they were more transparent with their pricing and listed all prices on their website. Overall, it’s a decent system, but it’s far from our top pick. We’d sooner recommend an affordable system like SimpliSafe or ADT, especially if you want professional installation.

Questions to Ask When Considering Guardian Protection