Security Services said, ongoing costs can carry a bit more weight when choosing the best security system. Expect ongoing monthly fees from a professional service and possibly a contract to lock you into those fees for a year or two. While not ideal, signing a contract may come with free equipment or installation and lower upfront costs. If you sign up for professional monitoring, you can expect to pay between $30 to $40 per month on average.
Finally, we armed, disarmed, and spied on each system from inside and outside the home, even testing each system’s battery backup by cutting its power. I first started testing smart-home devices more than 20 years ago, back when the only smart-home devices were X10. I’ve also written tech articles for The New York Times, Wired, and Men’s Health, among other publications. Depending on what system you use, monthly fees may be required for certain services, such as alarm monitoring systems. This cost typically ranges from $10 to $65 monthly but can be much higher with add-ons.
If you want to go louder, or if you have a large home and need more than one siren, you can purchase a standalone 105 dB siren. At 2.95 inches in diameter and 1.06 inches high, the Ring Alarm Flood & Freeze Sensor is larger than those of our other picks, so it may not squeeze into tight spaces, like under a washing machine. That means you need to be on call and ready to determine whether police, fire departments, or other emergency services need to be dispatched. When you combine this intruder alarm system with a timer that switches on lights and a radio, you have a home security system that compares favorably with some of the more elaborate and expensive systems.
While SimpliSafe isn’t great at home automation and smart home stuff, its cameras are effective and affordable, and it has a few special pieces like its very own in-house smart lock. Like a Vivint system, the SimpliSafe home security system comes with its own unique equipment. SimpliSafe is the OG DIY system, so everything is super easy to set up yourself. You can find everything from window sensors to leak detectors to carbon monoxide sensors. ADT home security equipment isn’t the most original; it uses the same equipment as other big-name brands and small, local companies. When you pay for ADT, you’re really paying for the name value, not the latest and greatest pieces.
We dismissed the Eufy Security 5-Piece Home Alarm Kit due to its lack of add-ons. It offers no glass-break sensors, panic buttons, flood sensors, or smoke detection. We do like the option to use the Eufy as a self-monitored system or with a $10-per-month monitoring plan, even though the latter doesn’t include cellular backup. In the meantime, ADT will launch the ADT+ app in February, which will allow for a DIY setup of ADT’s existing system, and the ability for users to control ADT devices within the app.