The Best (and Worst) of Home Security Systems of 2024

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#homesecurity #bestof #2024 #safewise #besthomesecurity #vivint #adt #cove #simplisafe #ring #abode #frontpoint

Time Stamps
00:00 - Intro
0:37 - Vivint
1:46 - ADT & ADT Self Setup
2:31 - Cove
3:29 - Ring
4:44 - SimpliSafe
5:58 - Abode
6:38 - Frontpoint
7:45 - Which is your favorite?

Vivint Home Security Review

ADT Home Security Review

Cove Home Security Review

Ring Home Security Review

SimpliSafe Home Security Review

Frontpoint Home Security Review

Abode Home Security Review

🦉💙🔐 Who we are 🦉💙🔐
SafeWise is a team of writers and home security experts working together to find the best products out there. We test, review, and scrutinize home security systems, security cameras, security sensors, and anything designed to protect you, your family, and your home safe.

Check out these systems for yourself 👀

Our sources:
Federal Trade Commission, "FTC Announces Claims Process for Consumers Whose Credit Reports Were Misused by Home Security Firm Vivint"

Library of Congress, "The San Francisco call. [volume], July 09, 1899, Page 22, Image 22"

The Detroit News, "Hazardous Traffic: the early years"

The Atlantic, "Happy Birthday, Sliced Bread! The 'Greatest Thing' Turns 85 This Week"

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[pyromanaic]

We had a creepy vivint guy knock on our door. I won't support a company who thinks it's ok for a rep to be overly pushy and making my wife feel very unsafe because he is trying to make a sale.

[dsbennett]

Vivent rep at a home show took my deposit and then sent me a contract completely different from what we agreed on. He tried to scam me two more times with a bloated contracts, so I requested a refund. I also searched the internet and found way too many people complaining about receiving used equipment that didn't work, couldn't get it replaced, couldn't cancel the contract, etc. WORST company!

[Covesmart]

Thank you for the shout-out! You can now connect your cameras to your Cove app! Our Cove system also integrates with Alexa and Google Assistant! 🌊

[Erebogenic]

Cove is horrible for myself. Always going off for incorrect settings on coves end. i.e. a water sensor stating break in due to glass breaking.

They also neglected to call on a trip of the alarm from a guest. this cause a cascade effect where the fire station was called for a fire/gas leak and the cops for a break in. I called them and ensured it was cancelled yet the authorities were not notified. I had to notify them in person.

The touchscreen is awful, the mobile app lags for days and the first round of cameras just refused to connect to their app yet with the manufactures own app, it connects fine.

Their tech team likes to blame the user, yet I work in operations and would gladly triage with them instead of them saying "move the station"... I've checked the signals they are fine.

Their customer service team follows their runbook book to a T.

After 2+ years i cancelled and couldn't be happier. This last issue with the no contact (i checked my call logs from the provider) of a "break in & gas leak & fire" is a joke.

[JC-rcpr]

Vivint has the most consumer complaints

[firegirljen]

I’m gonna listen to this entire video, but Vivint is by far the worst

[motomonster]

Ill never buy from vivint. I called them and they would not stop bothering me. Even after unsubscribing them and telling them over the phone it took me telling them im going to report them for harassement.

[negativeonhand]

ADT is trash. I have it and hate it. Absolutely garabge system.

[Justmegd]

I will never use Vivint. There salesman was a gaslighting asshole.

[sidedark]

I switched to ring cameras for a year now, and it has huge alot of problems. A- i cant use cable, i have to use wifi (sometimes it get disconnected, i called support and they advised me to use chime pro, shitty advice because after a month the camera freaked out and refused to connect to anything so i had to take it off and try to set it up in the living room for about 2 hours) B- it only record EVENTS which was a huge downgrade from the camera i was using C-there is no local storage, i thought i would be fine with that but after a while i start to get annoyed with the “always on cloud” BS.

[kansashoneybadger]

Better Not Need Service from ADT.
Stuck with the ADT system which was hard-wired into our home when we purchased it. Getting local service of their system is a monumental effort. Despite the fact that we have been paying bill from our home address for five years the local office was NOT, repeat, NOT, willing to send out a technician to our
address (which they have in their accounting system) and confirm that we do in fact have an ADT system, and that the ADT system is sending a "needs service" message. Absolutely infuriating. We have needed service about three times since we moved int. Each time, lots and lots and lots of effort and conversations with bots. I don't even care about the substantive value of the ADT system compared to others. I would love out of this system.

[StaciHagood-qg]

Great review- thank you! Cancelling CPI after 6 years and going with SimpliSafe- been looking at them for a while and I just prefer DIY over large companies that make it difficult to upgrade, get support, etc. CPI even offered to upgrade all of my equipment and lower the monthly cost by $20, but like I told them- when I called to upgrade the doorbell camera after multiple issues, they wanted to charge me like $500- I don't like the different stories and options they give depending on who comes out or who you talk to. I don't have time for guessing games and wondering if I'm getting the best deal. So- giving something new a try!

[lexisnep]

The police will use any and all of these products against you in a court of law as well. Just beware that such surveillance can actually be used against you, the home owner!

[israelgonzalez]

I'm considering an alarm system for my own home. Which one you recommend? I bought the Reolink Camera System 16 ch 8pc. Now needs thr alarm system

[syedjavedahmad]

Thanks for your recommendations, this helps a lot.🙏👍👍

[tritosac]

You forgot to mention how systems like simplisafe don't tell you that Android 9 or higher is needed to use the mobile app. I ordered a simplisafe system but then discovered my phone was not compatible since it only has Android 7 and I cannot update my phone to Android 9. Luckily I will be getting a refund. These details should be disclosed very clearly for would be buyers of the system to see in case they have an older phone with an older version of Android.

[showtime]

I can arrest to the vivint sales tactics they are wolves amongst sheep but I did like their security system especially the outdoor camera 4k resolution and it picks up conversations very well😂

[rogerr]

Why do they make this so dam difficult?? (rhetorical question btw because I know why $$). All I'm looking for is a quality DIY home security system that I don' t have to buy some kind of monitoring package for to save video to the cloud or even to a local hub and is a good quality. When I look online, none of them will tell you if you can save to the cloud without a monitoring subscription. Any recommendations or is it even possible?

[KlipschHead]

SimpliSafe cameras lose the feed, no matter how good the signal is, they record late into an event, they don't record the entire event and the base station goes full on stupid at times. Replacing it with Cove.

[francostacy]

Well, I guess I am just dumber than the average consumer. She downplays ring because it takes a subscription, tell me which security system does not take a subscription?

The problem with reading comments is that every comment is trashing a system . I rarely see a comment that gives me the pros and cons…. It’s whatever system they have is actually garbage. Once in a while, I will read that someone likes what they have but most of the time it’s negative.

I wish there was an expert I could talk to. I just want a system that I can buy several cameras place them around my home outside, none inside, except in my garage. and then only I can monitor the video real time, I monitor it inside my house or when I’m on vacation or away I remotely monitor AND I can go back and look at old videos… I don’t want a security person or police monitoring my videos, or notifying me or being called automatically…. I want to be my police force and my monitor….. I don’t want big brother in my life. If I need the cops, I will call them.

I will probably go with ringing because my friend who lives out in the country has several cameras outside his place. He has no complaints and was able to show me older videos and told me that they look look at their videos when they are on vacation. no ring camera has failed and they pay for the second level plan which I think is $10 a month or so…