Vivint Security Systems Review | TechRadar

lively provides smart home security professionally installed to fit any premises with 24/7 customer service and surveillance. Based in the United States, the company employs 11,000 people and covers North America and Canada. Home automation is a big part of the business and its security offerings can be customized to suit both residential and commercial properties.

With a wide range of smart security devices to choose from, Vivint can offer simple surveillance with indoor and outdoor IP cameras or smart sensors and alarms capable of detecting smoke, CO2, and intruders. The same system can also automate many aspects of the home, such as smart locks, lights, and thermostats. A basic security package that would suit a small to medium business starts at $ 599 for equipment and $ 53.99 per month for 24/7 maintenance and monitoring.

Packages and prices

The total cost of a Vivint security system is quite high because it includes more sophisticated equipment than most of its competitors. It also requires professional installation fee and ongoing subscription fee. The starting price for an SME-friendly security package is $ 599 for equipment, plus a subscription fee of $ 54 per month for ongoing service. There is a flat fee of $ 49 for installation. The cost of the equipment seems high, but you can own everything unlike ADT, where the equipment belongs to ADT at the end of the contract. There is a monthly subscription available as an alternative to a long contract, but only if the equipment is purchased in advance rather than financed. One cost you might not have thought of is the “moving cost” where Vivint will charge you $ 129 to reinstall their system at your new address.

This plan includes three door or window entry sensors, a motion sensor, a key fob with an integrated panic button and a sophisticated wall panel allowing you to control all your connected smart devices via touchscreen. You can add many other sensors, cameras, and home automation devices to this setup for an additional cost, but funding is available to secure them for a small monthly fee. Simply contact Vivint through the website for a free quote. You are entitled to a 30-day money-back guarantee, regardless of your choice.

Characteristics

Vivint is able to offer a particularly feature-rich intelligent security solution due to its wide range of high-tech hardware. There are separate smart sensors to detect door and window movement, glass breakage, motion, smoke, CO2, tilt, flood and freeze. Then there are five different security cameras covering all types of indoor and outdoor surveillance, as well as a choice of two doorbell cameras. There are also smart locks and electronic key fobs, wall panels and Vivint thermostat available.

As Vivint’s equipment uses Z-Wave technology, it is widely compatible with other smart home technologies such as the Nest thermostat and Philips Hue lighting. The various touch screen wall panels available allow you to view camera images as well as operate all products connected to the system. Vivint’s IP cameras are high definition and can be adjusted so that their motion sensors are not triggered by erroneous movements such as passing cars and pets. The various sensors connect wirelessly to the Vivint smart hub which has a backup battery and an integrated cellular chip. This means that if your power and Wi-Fi fail, your hub can still communicate and trigger the alarm.

In addition to detecting and recording break-ins, a Vivint system can deter them with smart lights that turn on at set times and cameras and alarms that emit noise to scare off intruders. The Vivint Doorbell Pro has a red LED ring that lights up when it detects that someone is picking up a package left on the doorstep. If this happens, a 65dB speaker will notify the potential thief that they are in front of the camera. There is no high visibility doorbell like ADT’s, but there are stickers to warn that your property is in alarm. The Vivint system can be controlled from your phone with a popular iOS / Android app for users.

Support

Vivint is a relatively new supervised security company, but it is already large with 11,000 employees and providing 24/7 support to customers in the United States and Canada. These customers can expect a quick response from trained professionals whenever their alarms are triggered. In the first case, the customer and his handpicked key holders will receive a call and / or a message from the monitoring station, but if they are not reachable and the customer’s authorization code is not provided, Vivint will dispatch first responders.

You can choose exactly the level of support you need, or are willing to pay for, when you request a free quote. You can even choose to self-monitor and completely save the cost of professional monitoring. The most basic package provides remote access to your security setup through the Vivint Smart Home app and offers smoke and CO2 monitoring with two-way audio support. The basic video surveillance and video storage plan starts at $ 45 per month for a camera. Additional cameras cost an additional $ 5 per month with a maximum of six cameras costing $ 70 per month.

Vivint’s monitoring cannot compete with ADT’s more established monitoring centers, but it appears to beat ADT when it comes to customer service according to user reviews on their respective websites. Vivint has the particularity of offering medical follow-up with all of its plans, which is a service generally not provided by its competitors.

The competition

There are a number of notable monitored security alarm services available in the United States to rival Vivint. ADT is a household name in North America and other territories, and it offers an even higher level of security and support when needed. Like Vivint, she sells and installs the hardware then asks you to choose a subscription plan and sign a 36-month contract. They both offer 24/7 monitoring and maintenance with prompt response from their trained professionals and dispatch first responders if needed. ADT goes further, however, by also sending a private security guard if you choose the highest level of service, but it offers little in smart home automation.

Guardian Protection and Brinks Home Security are similar to Vivint in selling a range of security devices that come with a range of subscription-based monitoring options. Vivint offers a much wider choice of equipment and therefore more features too.

There are also a number of unattended security systems that offer similar equipment without any subscription or contract costs. You monitor security images and respond to any triggered alarm yourself. The first of these is SimpliSafe, which will sell you all the hardware you need to secure your business and allow you to configure it yourself. Their equipment is generally very user-friendly. You can choose to sign up for professional monitoring by SimpliSafe in countries where it is available, such as the US and UK, but there is no contract.

Final verdict

Vivint is leading the way when it comes to outfitting your home or office with smart home security equipment. It has the widest range of devices to choose from and is backed by an award-winning 24/7 monitoring and maintenance service. The cost is a bit steep as each system requires professional installation and a monthly subscription, but the returns on Vivint products are generally strong. If you need to secure your home or small business and the idea of ​​also controlling your HVAC and lighting with the same system appeals to you, then Vivint’s smart home expertise is for you. If you’re only interested in security, there are more affordable ways to get there.

How we looked

We generally like to familiarize ourselves with testing, but in this case calling in and installing every security system was impractical. Instead, we compared all aspects of the ten biggest names in home and work security and assigned scores in each category. Adding up the totals and factoring in the different costs provided our overall scores. However, choosing your own security solution will depend on your specific situation, so please read the full reviews before making a decision.

Can I save money by installing and monitoring the system myself?

No, Vivint requires professional installation and you must also purchase a monthly subscription for professional monitoring. You can of course keep an eye on your own property using the excellent Vivint app. This app will send notifications directly to your smartphone and allow you to view full high definition images from your cameras.

Will it work with my current smart home equipment?

Probably. Vivint’s wireless security devices use a popular protocol called Z-wave to communicate with each other, and many smart home manufacturers use the same. Vivint works well with cameras from Nest for example and smart locks from Yale. It can also be voice controlled by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Can I use my Vivint system from my phone?

Yes, the Vivint app makes it easy to arm and disarm your security system from your phone, no matter where you are in the world. You will receive notifications from your smart hub if the sensors detect anything and because it is using cellular to communicate, you will still receive messages even if your power and Wi-Fi fail. The app also gives you full control over any other home automation technology you may have installed. For example, you can program your lights to turn on and the garage door to open at a certain time.