Smoke/ CO alarm: Did you know that about half of all fires start from cooking, while the other half start from a combination of heating, electrical systems, and more? 5 Another deadly killer is carbon monoxide, a tasteless, colorless, and odorless gas that can be lethal if ingested in large quantities. If your home doesn’t already have smoke and CO detectors, we recommend buying a smart one so that you can be alerted of dangerous levels of smoke or CO even when you’re not home. Many of the wireless devices have long battery lives and can even alert you when their batteries are getting low, leaving your home protected 24/7.

Vivint systems are built around a control panel, called the Vivint Smart Hub, and boy is it really smart. Automations make life easier for Vivint users, as the hub can perform certain actions based on a number of inputs. For example, it can arm on its own at night, making sure you don’t leave your home unattended when you go to dreamland. If it learned that we usually returned home at a certain time, it would reset the temperature in time for our arrival. Are you looking to store camera logs: there may be a subscription fee to store camera logs for 30 days or more We could select professional monitoring by Abode, which added emergency dispatch service and kept a 90-day log of our system’s activity.FYI: Due to a global computer chip shortage, the SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera is in limited supply. For now, you can buy it with a SimpliSafe system, but not individually. Video doorbells offer an easy way to see who is on your front steps without having to open or even get close to the door. These devices connect to your Wi-Fi network and send an alert when someone approaches your doorway. They record video when someone presses the doorbell or when they detect motion, plus usually offer two-way audio communication so you can speak with the visitor remotely from your phone. Additionally, you also have full control of your surveillance options, and don't need to wait for alerts in case you may be unavailable to take them. As a monitored solution, Frontpoint can call 911 for you if they detect a clear incident, ensuring that your home remains protected even if your smartphone is switched off. Because of Vivint’s equipment prices — they don’t come cheap — most customers choose to finance and sign a contract. Long-term contracts may not be ideal, but in Vivint’s case, it’s not a deal-breaker. After all, you’ll need a monitoring plan to keep your system running.

Activation cost: In our research, we determined most companies don’t make customers pay any activation fees to get started; this was more common in the early 2000s and was largely phased out. However, we also found that some companies still required activation fees. We preferred companies that offered a wide range of devices, so we could create a kit customized to our home. Of course, we also cared a lot about the quality and features of the devices, such as: The sensitivity of the motion sensors in this 8-piece kit is adjustable to account for pets of up to 25kg and it has a piece of tech the brand claims can tell the difference between false alerts (like a football hitting your front door) and a real break-in scenario. For extra convenience, you get a keyfob that automatically disarms your system when you enter your home. Many also support IFTTT applets, thus letting you configure a floodlight to turn on if your garage door opens (or similar). For three days, the Abode app stored our system activity for free. Longer storage was available to us with paid contracts. Professional Monitoring

One of the Family

We could easily switch from one monitoring plan to another within the billing section of our app. The best Abode monitoring deal we found required one year of prepaid service. Advanced Equipment

It might seem counterintuitive, but we found Cove’s text communications to be quite useful. Whenever the system gets tripped, Cove sends a link to a text-based communication system, where everyone in your family circle can communicate. Unlike traditional alarm systems that only call one member of the family to verify alerts, Cove’s InstaText system allows for a more efficient and faster emergency response. That’s one of the reasons that Cove’s response rate is three to four times faster than its competitors. Lastly, SimpliSafe is user-friendly, from the simple installation process that often takes less than an hour to the functional app and keypad that comes with the system, almost everything about SimpliSafe is simple. (Not perfect, but simple.) On test, the 93db siren built into the hub went off without a delay when anything triggered the window, door or motion sensors – as alerts are beamed to your smartphone. Like most of the kits on our list, installation is easy and mostly wireless, although the hub pairs via the ethernet port on your home wifi router to enable a secure connection. Next, I tested the connection between each sensor and the central monitoring station. I pressed the button on the side of the motion sensor and the panel displayed a Motion Signal Test Status screen that showed a verified connection. I also received a text message on my phone with a motion alert. I then tested each door/window sensor: All three were verified on the Signal Test screen, and I received text messages for each triggered sensor. I pressed a button on the key fob, held it for two seconds, and it too was verified and a text message was received.Vivint reported that intelligent energy management saved customers about 10 to 15% on home heating and cooling. Good old keys. They work great for very small apartment buildings. e.g. If you have a 4 unit apartment building, keys might be the most cost effective solution. Turnover is not going to be very common, so managing keys won’t be a massive hassle. Visitor access is not possible with keys. You would need to compliment it with an apartment doorbell system that can connect to all residents via a buzzer or a call. Key fob access control The company has two monitoring facilities, each at different locations. The two are redundant, which means they have exactly the same resources and setup. If one goes down, the other can easily take over. This ensures that the monitoring centers never go offline. That’s a setup we’d gladly put our trust in, and we did. Rich In Features