Vivint - Best Professional Installation
Product Specs
- Equipment costs Starting at $449
- Monitoring options Professional
- Monthly monitoring costs $40 per month
- Contract lengths Starting at 42 months
- Installation options Professional
- Smart platform integration Alexa and Google Home
Vivint Overview
Vivint is a lot like ADT in that it requires professional installation and monitoring, but it offers slightly more advanced equipment. We can best describe it as a smart home security system.
Vivint’s smart home capability unlocks a lot of premium features and protection that more simplistic systems like SimpliSafe can’t. But at the same time, it makes setting up Vivint significantly harder. It’s a good thing Vivint is a pro-installed system. In fact, it’s one of the best professionally installed options.
>> Compare: Vivint vs SimpliSafe
We’ve had several Vivint systems installed over the years and it has been consistently good. The service consists of an expert consultation where the technician looks at the key areas of protection, followed by the installation. After that, the technician showed us a welcome video on his tablet and explained how the system works. That level of service added to Vivint’s premium feel.
Speaking of ‘premium,’ another thing that stood out was Vivint’s selection of top-quality equipment, especially the security cameras. We’ll talk about them next, but just know that Vivint’s cameras are all top-of-the-line. We’re going to go out on a limb and say they are even better than ADT’s Google Nest Cams.
>> Learn More: The Best Professionally Installed Security Systems
What We Like
- Integrates with plenty of smart home brands and products
- Modern equipment (like the touch screen control panel)
- Lifetime warranty on equipment
- Standout professional installation service
What We Don’t Like
- Pricey equipment, particularly security cameras
- Long-term contracts (up to five years)
- Not as easy to move as DIY systems
- Non-transparent pricing
Equipment
Vivint has sensors, some smart home devices like smart thermostats and smart locks, and smoke alarms for fire protection. It’s all pretty standard.; that is, until you get to the security cameras. In our opinion, Vivint cameras are the smartest in the industry.
We say that because of the Smart Deter feature. When we tested the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro, we saw it use AI to detect people just like the Nest Cams do. On top of that, it uses rules and algorithms to detect suspicious behavior.
For example, when a neighbor stopped in front of our yard to admire our Halloween decorations (we presume), Vivint warned us that there could be a lurker on our property. He had been standing there for a couple of minutes, which the camera thought suspicious.
More than that, Vivint takes a proactive approach to deterring crime. We made a rule that anytime anyone stays on our property for more than two minutes, Vivint would sound an ear-piercing warning tone. Sure enough, it activated when it detected our neighbor and it drove him away. Don’t worry; we apologized afterwards and explained the situation.
>> Also See: Vivint Doorbell Camera Review
Monitoring
Vivint requires professional monitoring and, unfortunately, a monitoring contract. This contract can be up to five years long, depending on your equipment payment plan. The only way to avoid signing a contract is to pay off the equipment upfront. And as you’ll see in a minute, that isn’t the most practical route to take.
On top of that, Vivint doesn’t give customers much leeway before the contract takes full effect. Customers have only three days to cancel to avoid penalties, unlike SimpliSafe that has a 60-day money-back option. This isn’t a deal breaker for us, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Was Vivint’s monitoring worth it, at least? Of course! It wouldn’t have made this list if it weren’t. In fact, it’s better than most systems because Vivint has two monitoring centers. There’s one in Utah and another in Minnesota. We know that’s not as many as ADT’s nine facilities nationwide, but Vivint’s monitoring centers have proven themselves fast, responding to our simulated break-ins within 30 to 60 seconds.
>> Learn More: Vivint FAQ
Cost
So far, we’ve shown you that Vivint can go toe-to-toe with ADT, our #1 pick. It’s even better than ADT in terms of security camera technology and home automation (as you’ll see below). So why isn’t it our top pick? We’re not going to sugarcoat it: Vivint is a bit pricey. The outdoor camera from earlier cost us $399.99. The indoor camera and video doorbell, both of which have the same AI features, each cost $249.99. That’s nearly double the standard outdoor, indoor, and doorbell camera prices in the industry.
Of course, the Vivint cameras offer better features than most options out there, so if you can afford them, they are a solid pick. Vivint’s monitoring plan pricing is also affordable, or at least within industry norms. We paid $49.99 per month for monitoring with home automation and video security. That’s the same as we paid for our Frontpoint system, another solid option but whose cameras aren’t as good as Vivint’s. So overall, we got good bang for our buck.
That said, watch out for the installation fee. It can cost up to $200 if you’re having security cameras installed. That’s $200 that you could better spend on additional equipment. But if you’re willing to wait, Vivint occasionally offers free installation deals. Check out our page on Vivint deals for more information on that, or stay tuned for our Vivint Black Friday 2024 updates. Last time we saw a free installation offer was last year’s Black Friday.
Vivint User Experience
Vivint may seem like a complex system at first, what with all that talk about the system’s advanced automation and smart features from the cameras. But in reality, it’s user-friendly. It’s the type of system you can set and forget. And because it’s installed by an expert, there’s not much setting up to do. We programmed our system to arm everyday at 11 p.m., making sure it’s armed before we sleep. We also have lights that turn on when our front door sensor is triggered. Its automation-rich app might make Vivint seem complicated to use, but in our opinion, those automations are exactly the reason that Vivint is user-friendly.