The 2017 J.D. Power 2017 Home Security Satisfaction Study ranked Vivint as the “Highest in Home Security Customer Satisfaction” among home security brands. Other awards and honors followed for the company, which was founded in 1999 and rapidly rose to become one of the nation’s three top home security systems.
Vivint Smart Home systems offer some advanced hardware and a variety of monitoring plans, including world-class hardware, sensors and alarm systems. Today, millions of American families trust a Vivint home security system to protect their property.
In this post, we review some of Vivint’s most popular offerings with an eye toward cost, capabilities and value for the money. We compared Vivint systems with equivalent competitors from other leading brands, and the results of our investigation are below. By the end of this article, you should have the information you need to decide whether Vivint is a good choice for your home and what package will work best for you.
What Does Vivint Offer?
Vivint has a respectably long list of hardware, which buyers can use a la carte or integrate into a larger home safety system. Many of these products are priced near the top of the market but enjoy a solid reputation for reliability and performance. Vivint products are all generally interoperable, so linking them to a smart home system (such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home) increases efficiency and produces a higher return on investment.
Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro
Doorbell cameras are some of the most visible and well-known components Vivint offers. They’re relatively easy to install and maintain, and they lead the industry in capabilities, including:
- Smart Sentry AI package protection
- Package delivery notification
- 2-way talk and 1-way video
- Live video streaming and recordings
- 180º x 180º field of view
- 1080p HDR night vision
- Advanced camera analytics and optics
Vivint Indoor Camera
The indoor camera provides security for kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms and other indoor spaces. These cameras are compact and discreet; installation can be as simple as setting it on a countertop. Features you get with the indoor camera include:
- Two-way talk speaker
- Infrared night vision
- Custom activity notifications
- 24/7 playback
- HD wide-angle lens
Vivint Smart Thermostat
Vivint’s smart thermostat can sync with other smart devices and sensors to monitor indoor conditions in your home. It can also link to local weather conditions to predict and fine-tune your interior climate. The system uses Z-Wave frequencies rather than standard Wi-Fi, so it doesn’t interfere with other devices linked in your smart home.
Vivint Door Lock Keypad
Vivint’s smart locks use wireless key cards or simple combinations to eliminate the need for fumbling with your house keys and accidental lockouts. These devices can log individual entries and exits to the house, and when they’re linked together with Vivint cameras, they generate notifications with images of potential intruders.
- Multiple finishes for different door types
- Controlled directly via keypad or remotely via the Smart Home app
- Integrates with Vivint home systems via Smart Hub
- Lock and unlock door notifications
- Up to 30 unique entry codes for various home visitors and residents
Vivint Garage Door Controller
The Vivint garage door controller lets you manage access through your garage door through the Smart Home app on your phone. Great for pets, package deliveries and kids coming home from school while you’re at work, the system integrates with Vivint security cameras and logs access events.
Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro
Vivint outdoor cameras help to prevent crimes on your property by establishing a visible deterrent and monitoring for trespassing, potential burglaries and home invasions, as well as for safety hazards and suspicious vehicles. Professional installation is available, and the system features include:
- 1080p HD video quality and a 4K image sensor
- Discreet design
- Infrared LED night vision
- Motion-detected clips automatically generated
- Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity
- Smart Sentry™ proactive deterrence
Vivint Smart Drive
Vivint Playback is the company’s proprietary DVR system that stores a rolling one-hour record of events detected by any of your cameras. The system saves important events, such as unusual motion near a camera, a lost cat in your yard, or your teen finally making a free throw on the garage basketball hoop, as Smart Clips, which can be sent to your mobile device or permanently saved.
Home Security Systems
Vivint equipment is designed to work as part of a network, held together with Smart Hub and with monitoring service from Vivint for a monthly fee. The company offers three basic smart home monitoring packages, each highly customizable to better fit your home’s needs. The three packages Vivint offers are: Starter, Premium and Premium Plus:
| Starter | Premium | Premium Plus | |
| 24/7 Monitoring | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Intrusion detection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Touchscreen control panel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Video security | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Smart Sentry™ proactive deterrence | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Voice control | X | X | ✓ |
| Stored video clips | X | X | ✓ |
| Smart home automation | X | X | ✓ |
| Vehicle protection | X | X | ✓ |
How Does Vivint Stack Up?
Vivint systems are not offered in a vacuum, and consumers do have alternatives. Below, we’ve stacked Vivint up against its major competitors.
| Product | Monitoring Fee | Installation Options | Contract Obligation |
| Vivint | $29.99–$44.99/mo. | Professional (free installation) | 5 years or no contract |
| SimpliSafe | $9.99–$27.99/mo. | DIY | No contract |
| ADT | $28.99–$59.99/mo. | Professional | 3 years |
| Frontpoint | $49.99/mo. | DIY | No contract |
| Ring | $20.00/mo. or $200.00/yr. | DIY | No contract |
| Cove | $17.99–$27.99/mo. | DIY | No contract |
The Bottom Line
While Vivint may not be the cheapest home security system you can get, it does offer a lot of value for the cost. This is a very sophisticated system with lots of automation and great support, which comes with flexible contract options and a reasonable price tag. If you’re looking to try a home security system that offers higher-end features for a low price, Vivint may be for you.
You might also be interested in: ADT Home Security Systems Reviewed
