With a reputation for technological innovation and award-winning customer service, Vivint has close to 1.5 million customers and was named by CNET “The Best Professionally Installed System for Home Automation” in 2021. Vivint’s smart home security solutions and Vivint as a company have received praise from TechCrunch, Forbes, PC Mag, and was rated #1 for “Best Overall Home Security System of 2021” by U.S. News & World Report.

Prices for monthly monitoring start out at $21.47/mo, which gets you monitoring and app usage. Equipment costs are separate and required. In order to get a true representation of pricing, you’ll have to contact the company for a price quote.

There are services and add-ons available that will alter the price for a customized system. Therefore, expect to pay for additional equipment above and beyond what comes with your plan. In addition, installation can only be done by a professional. Because contracts are not month-to-month, Vivint is a better choice for homeowners rather than for renters.

Vivint designs a lot of its equipment in-house, so they are able to pass on some cost savings to the customer as a result. But don’t be fooled; Vivint equipment is on the higher end technologically speaking, and you’ll see that reflected in their pricing. There is the option for financing, or you can purchase the equipment outright.

All packages include the Vivint Smart Hub, Vivint Security Sensors, and 24/7 monitoring. Other equipment options available include the likes of motion sensors, doorbell cameras, glass break detectors, smart locks, carbon monoxide detectors, outdoor cameras, and more. Smart home connection means that you can connect your security system to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Vivint’s basic equipment package comes with Vivint Smart Hub, Vivint Yard Sign & Window Decals, 2–4 door or window sensors, a motion sensor, water sensor, professional installation, 24/7 monitoring, app control & hardware warranty. A unique feature that Vivint offers is that it has its own cloud-based smart home automation solution. It’s a system with centralized control, allowing remote access via a smartphone app, and it uses learning algorithms to automatically follow a user’s patterns of behavior.

Monitoring

Vivint provides 24/7/365 monitoring, a free mobile app allowing remote access to your home, live two-way voice communication, event notifications, and historical event tracking.

Alerts

The Vivint system is wireless, and the Vivint SkyControl panel has a battery backup in case of power failure. Customers away from home are alerted to events through Vivint’s free mobile app, which includes severe weather alerts. Response time between a duress alarm and Vivint contacting local authorities is as little as 30 seconds.

Home automation

Vivint offers added home automation components available at additional cost. Here’s a quick look:

• Door/window sensor
• Glass-break detector
• Motion sensor
• Flood/freeze detector
• Tilt sensor
• Smoke detector
• Carbon monoxide detector

Vivint’s Smart Hub Control panel is the heart of its monitoring system. It’s easy to navigate and connects seamlessly with the mobile app for remote control of systems. The app also lets you live-stream your cameras. One terrific feature is that you can see and talk to someone at your front door without being in your home, and you can even unlock your front door while videotaping the event. Another bonus is that Vivint can update your equipment’s software, so there’s no need for an on-site tech or to purchase new equipment.