There are four key factors we like to look at
when comparing home security systems, contracts,
up-front costs, mobile app control,
and those pesky monthly monitoring fees.
Today, we're going to look at Vivint Home Security
and find out how it stacks up in those keys areas.
(pleasant music)
But, before we get started, make sure that you like
and subscribe to our channel.
That way, you won't miss any notifications or new videos
that we post every week.
And, if you wanna see how Vivint stands up
to other top security brands,
check out our best home security systems page,
which is linked in the description box below.
(pleasant music continues)
Contracts have been a security industry staple for years,
but the growing popularity of DIY home security
has made contract-free protection a lot more common.
And, even though Vivint is one of the most
technologically advanced security companies out there,
its contract practices remain fairly old school.
The majority of Vivint's customers are under contract,
and those contracts range from 42 to 60 months on average.
That's a whopping five years.
In contrast, the typical home security contract
is three years or just 36 months,
but then it does give you some wiggle room
to avoid a total five-year sentence.
Vivint's monthly contract price covers the cost
of equipment and 24/7 professional monitoring.
So you don't have to buy your equipment up front,
but if you do pay for your equipment out of pocket,
you can avoid the long-term contract altogether
and enjoy Vivint's high end home security protection
on a month-to-month basis.
For those who choose the contract route,
Vivint has made some good updates
to its cancellation policies.
Until November of 2019, you were on the hook
for a 100% of the remaining contract
if you wanted to opt out early,
but Vivint listened to customer feedback.
Now, you're obligated to pay off 100% of the equipment cost,
but you're only stuck with 50%
of the monthly monitoring costs left in your contract
if you want to cancel early. And that's a good deal,
especially considering that most other companies
require a 75% or 80% cancellation fee.
Plus, when it comes to that cancellation fee,
Vivint does offer some flexibility
for extenuating circumstances,
but you're gonna have to call them up directly
to see if your situation warrants one of those exceptions.
Things like death and active military service
are some of the reasons that you may get some help
getting out of your Vivint contract.
And Vivint now lets you transfer your equipment service
to someone else for the remainder of the contract,
which can be an ideal situation
if you're a homeowner and you're selling
and you wanna throw in Vivint Smart Security System
as a bonus for the new owners.
(pleasant music continues)
This is an area where Vivint does better
than many other companies,
especially DIY home security brands
that nearly always require hundreds out of pocket
just to get started.
Because Vivint's approach rolls your equipment costs
into your monthly monitoring fees,
you can get away without putting any money down up front.
But Vivint does charge an installation fee.
Installation fees start around $99
for full on professional installation.
But that does include a complete security evaluation
of your home by one of Vivint's trained professionals.
So the good news is that you can get
Vivint Smart Home Security System in your home
for right around $100 out of pocket.
DIY security companies, on the other hand,
are gonna cost you anywhere from $200 to $500
just to get started.
(pleasant music continues)
By now, we all know that I really don't like
security companies that upcharge you for mobile access
to your security system.
I think a mobile app should come standard with every system,
especially ones like Vivint that are designed
to incorporate home automation. And huzzah,
Vivint agrees.
You get mobile app control
with every Vivint monitoring package.
That means that you can remotely arm and disarm your system,
and you're gonna get push notifications
right to your smartphone to let you know
the moment your Vivint sensors pick up anything at home.
And, when you upgrade from Vivint's starter plan,
you also get smart home controls and routines,
two-way talk if your plan includes a video doorbell,
and live video feed for both indoor
and outdoor security cameras.
(pleasant music continues)
Vivint's monthly monitoring fees start around $30 a month.
And remember Vivint includes both equipment costs
and your 24/7 pro monitoring in its monthly fees.
When you have professional monitoring,
that means that no matter where you are,
you've got an extra set of eyes on your home all the time.
They're a little bit like Santa.
They watch you when you're awake,
when you're asleep, if you're naughty or nice,
at home or across the country.
So that means that no matter what,
you've got a direct line to help,
and Vivint boasts an eight-second response time
from its trained operators from the time an alarm goes off
to the time that they're already calling for help.
And for that $30 starting price with Vivint,
you get basic home security, no smart home upgrades,
but you will still have the 24/7 pro backup
from Vivint's monitoring center.
If you want to add some smart home basics,
like smart lighting or a smart thermostat,
you can expect to pay closer to $40 a month.
Then, when you throw cameras in the mix,
you bump up to right around $45.
And that can cover one camera or one video doorbell.
And then camera support tops out around $70 a month,
and that will let you have up to six cameras
and total smart home control.
Compared to other security brands,
Vivint's monthly prices aren't out of hand.
Sure, you can get stripped-down DIY home security
with pro monitoring for $10 or $15 a month
from companies like Ring and SimpliSafe.
But that won't include any extras,
not even full mobile app access,
and you'll need to pay for all of that equipment up front.
We think of Vivint as a full-service,
luxury smart home brand,
and for that, its prices are pretty competitive.
(upbeat music continues)
The bottom line is that Vivint is a good investment
for homeowners who want to protect their loved ones
and their belongings, plus enjoy all the perks
of smart home automation.
Here's the rundown of Vivint's performance
in our four key areas.
Vivint customers typically end up in a contract
that lasts between four and five years,
but it also keeps its customers for an average of 93 months.
That's almost eight years. And we like
that Vivint doesn't have any up-front equipment costs.
You can get your smart home security system
up and running for around a $100 installation fee,
and mobile app access is included in every Vivint package.
Plus, monthly costs range from around $30 to $70 a month.
That might be high for some folks,
but it makes sense for homeowners that are looking
for your real smart home security investment.
You can get all the details about Vivint,
including info about its smart home tech
and our full Vivint review on SafeWise.com.
And, before you go, make sure to like this video
and subscribe to our channel
so you don't miss any new security tips, reviews,
and safety news that gets posted at least twice a week.
Stay safe.
(pleasant music continues)