Cove is one of the newest players
in the DIY home security game.
With the field getting more crowded,
it's helpful to know
what makes this DIY
home security system stand out.
In this video,
we'll tell you everything
you need to know about Cove
and how it performs
in our four main categories:
upfront costs, equipment and features,
contracts, and those monthly monitoring fees.
Plus, we'll find out
if Cove might be the brand
to finally challenge SimpliSafe
for DIY home security domination.
But before we get
into the specifics,
take a second to subscribe
to our channel.
And if you want all the details
about Cove Home Security,
check out our in-depth
review on SafeWise.com.
To make it easy,
we have linked it for you
in the description box below.
Now, let's dive into what Cove
brings to the DIY
home security space.
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Cove is a newer
DIY home security brand,
and they're wasting no time
carving out a name for themselves.
Some of the things
we really like about Cove
include great customer service policies,
faster response times
with a special hookup
they've got to 911,
and affordable prices.
Where we think Cove
could improve though,
are smart home compatibility
and an access to its mobile app.
Let's break it down.
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As with most DIY home
security companies, with Cove,
you need to buy
your equipment up front.
There's not an option
to lease your equipment
like you do with ADT.
But, unlike other DIY
home security systems,
Cove actually lets you either
buy your equipment outright up front
or you can finance it and pay
for it over time.
But there is important
note about that.
You are going to pay
more every single month
if you decide to spread out
the cost of your equipment.
It works out to about
10 extra dollars a month,
and that's gonna be tacked
on to your monthly monitoring fee,
which we'll get to in a minute.
A basic home security setup
is gonna run you about $275.
And that's gonna include
just the basics,
like the control panel
and a keypad,
two or three window
and door sensors, a motion sensor,
and signs to put in yard
and on your windows
so that people know you've got
Cove looking out for your home.
Good news is, most
of the time Cove runs
some kind of a special
that's gonna throw in some
kind of goodie for free.
Often, it's their $50
indoor security camera.
Let's keep an eye out
for those specials.
Unlike some other brands,
like SimpliSafe, Cove
doesn't offer you a number
of preselected equipment
packages to choose from.
Most of their equipment
is sold a la carte,
and you need to put together
your own equipment package
that's customized to fit
your needs and your home.
So choices and customization
are cool, but what might
be a little less cool
is that you gotta figure
out what kind of security
you need for your home
on your own.
And if you struggle
with that, then you might
need to call them on the phone,
which I prefer to just
buy everything online
and not have to talk to anybody.
But the good news
is if you do end up
giving Cove a call,
I can tell you that all
of the interactions that I've had
with Cove have been
enthusiastic, but chill.
So I really don't think
you're gonna end up
getting pressured into a bunch
of equipment and extras
that you don't really
need to keep your home safe.
So that's good news.
And you're not left entirely
on your own online either.
Cove does have some quizzes
and online guides
to help you figure
out what type of equipment
makes sense for the type
of home that you're living
in and what you wan to protect.
The bottom line
is that at around $275,
Cove isn't really that much
more expensive than other
DIY home security brands out there.
However, if you're looking
for something a little bit cheaper,
you might want to check
out Ring or Blue by ADT.
And we've got all the deets
about those brands
in our videos on this channel.
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At first glance,
Cove isn't really changing the face
of home security
with its equipment offerings.
Don't get me wrong.
The equipment is streamlined and sleek.
You're pretty much gonna
get the same aesthetic
that you'll find with companies
like Brinks, Frontpoint, and Ring.
And, compared to a lot
of other security
systems out there,
Cove is pretty limited
when it comes to smart home
function and smart home control.
So if you have your heart set
on a security system
that can sort of become
the command central
for your entire smart home,
Cove isn't gonna cut it.
Where Cove does flip
the script, however,
is what its equipment
can actually do.
Especially when it comes
down to response times
and alert options-
two of the coolest things
about Cove's whole system.
And these are features
that I haven't really seen
in any other DIY
home security systems
are two extra features called
Cove InstaText and Cove LiveAssist.
Let's look at these.
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Cove InstaText is a feature
that sends you a text
whenever anything is triggered
on your system
or that you're getting
an alarm alert.
At that point,
you can pick up your phone,
and you can either cancel
it if it's a false alarm,
or send in the cavalry
because you need help.
The thing that I think
is really cool
about this is that, I don't know
about you, but I respond
to a text faster
and more often
than I do to anything else.
I'm gonna ignore calls.
I'm gonna ignore push notifications,
emails, forget about it.
But a text, I'm gonna pay
more attention to.
So I think that it's pretty
smart of Cove to jump on this.
And I'm really quite surprised
the other security
brands haven't done it yet.
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With Cove LiveAssist,
you can ask for help,
right through your control panel.
You don't need to make
a phone call
or punch in a special code
in order to use this two-
way voice feature.
You can do direct dedicated
access to trained pros
who are ready to help you 24/7.
We like the extra
reassurance of this feature.
And we really think
that it's cool
that it provides added accessibility
for people that might
have mobility issues,
dexterity issues, or anyone,
whether it's an emergency
or not, that might find
it difficult to get
to the control panel
in order to be able
to call for help.
Cove LiveAssist is built-in
voice-control access
that's built directly
into your system.
No Google or Alexa required.
Cove also let us in on a pretty
cool secret late last year,
and now we can share
it with you because things
are up and running.
It's called RapidSOS
and it helps you get the help
that you need faster.
So Cove has partnered exclusively
with the RapidSOS Emergency
Response Data Platform.
This is a system that it works
in conjunction with
911 dispatch centers.
It cuts out some of the middle
steps so that you're able
to get help faster.
When you're using RapidSOS,
it means that all of your vital
information, medical history,
and other important details
like that are preloaded
into the system
so that when an alarm
is triggered from your system,
all of the crucial information
that emergency responders need
in order to help
you is already there.
They don't need to ask
a panicked person over the phone
for these details.
And research has shown
that eliminating that step
of having to communicate
during the 911 call
gets help out to your location
at three to four minutes faster.
So we think that it's really
cool that Cove had jumped
on this partnership early
in the game,
and we'll be interested to see
if any other home security
brands follow suit.
Right now, RapidSOS currently
works with more than 4,700
911 centers across the country.
And they are adding new
centers every single week.
So if you wanna know
if RapidSOS is available
in your area,
you're gonna want to give Cove
a call and ask that question
when you set up your system.
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All right. Back to business.
What kind of contract
are you going to be stuck
in if you opt for Cove
and its awesome RapidSOS response services.
Well, if you buy your equipment
up front, the answer is none.
You buy your equipment outright.
Your month-to-month monitoring
is exactly that.
It's month to month.
You'll pay every month,
and you can cancel whenever
you want. No hassles.
Where it gets a little bit different
is if you choose
to finance your equipment.
If you don't want to pay
for your equipment outright,
Cove is going to put
you in a typical 36-month long
Home Security Contract.
Now, that's gonna give
you three years to spread
out the cost of your equipment,
but it also puts
you in a contract
for your monitoring as well.
However, if you cancel
your contract early,
the only thing you're gonna
be on the hook for is paying
off the remaining balance
of the equipment that you have.
And if you're having a problem
making that final payment,
give Cove a call.
We've learned that they really
want to do right by their customers.
Cove told us that their policy
is to be more than fair.
So we asked them, "What does
more than fair mean?"
And they told us that they've
had people call
and want to return the equipment
after the 60-day free trial
was over with.
They've had people decide
a different security
system was ultimately better
for their home and their needs,
and Cove let them return it.
No hassles, no hoops to jump
through, and no extra
termination punishing fees.
Really cool. The bottom line
is you've got very little
to risk when it comes
to Cove contract policies.
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Here's where the rubber
meets the road.
This is the ongoing expense
that you're going to pay
every single month
when you have Cove
helping you protect your home.
But Cove makes it pretty easy.
They only offer two
different monitoring tiers.
There's a Basic Plan
for about $15 a month
and their Plus Plan,
which is $25 a month.
The main difference between
these two plans
is with the Basic Plan,
you're going to get
24/7 pro monitoring
for your home,
but that's it.
You don't have mobile app access.
You can't have live video feed,
and there's no smart home
integration at all.
So $15 a month,
you got the pros looking
out for your home
and a direct link to help.
Not too bad.
But if you want mobile access
through the Cove App,
which adds some smart home control
and gives you the live
video feed options,
you're going to need
to upgrade to the Plus Plan.
That's $10 more per month,
but I think that it's worth it.
To put it in perspective,
the national average
for monthly monitoring
among all of the systems
that we rate and test
and compare is around $31 a month.
So even at $25 a month
on the top tier, Cove
is still about $6
behind the average.
And that's giving you the best
that they've got to offer.
But the good news
is if you stick
with the simple plan
for $15 a month,
you're still going to get access
to the RapidSOS feature
InstaText and the Cove LiveAssist.
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So Cove maybe one of the newer
kids on the block,
but it's making a splash
with advanced alert options
and its RapidSOS integration.
When it comes to our four main categories,
Cove monthly costs are affordable,
Cove is flexible
with its up-front
equipment purchase options,
it offers customer-focused
policies when it comes
to the contracts,
and even though it's equipment
is nothing to write home about,
it's on par with competitors
like Ring and Blue by ADT.
And now, I didn't forget
the most important question of all.
Can Cove gives SimpliSafe
a run for its money?
Right now, SimpliSafe offers
more equipment options
and better smart home
integration than Cove.
It also does a better job
with its SimpliCam
and other extras,
like the SimpliSafe
Smart Lock and Video Doorbell.
Cove doesn't really have anything
to offer in those arenas yet.
Costs between Cove
and SimpliSafe are relatively even.
And customers seem to like
both brands a lot.
But both systems hold
their mobile app hostage
at a higher monthly cost.
And that's not our favorite.
And when it comes to shopping,
you can order both systems online,
but you need to put
your Cove package together,
and SimpliSafe has already
put it together for you.
Right now, I don't see Cove
making SimpliSafe shaking in
its boots just yet.
But both companies have launched
assertive marketing campaigns for 2021.
And I think that Cove
is definitely one to watch.
To stay in the know
about your favorite
home security brands,
be sure to like this video
and subscribe to our channel.
Every week, we are updating
it with new brand
and product reviews,
insider industry news,
and safety tips
to help you live
your safest life.
And if you want more details
about Cove, click on the link below
for the full review.
Until next time, stay safe.
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