Are you looking for an affordable home security system? Find out whether Brinks Home Security offers a deal that’s worth your money.
Home security is a big deal these days, and today homeowners have a lot of options to choose from. One of the better options comes from Brinks Home Security, which has been in the home security industry in one form or another for more than a century now. This time they’ve merged with LiveWatch and MONI, and they offer several home security plans that are both affordable and effective.
Contents
Nest Secure
The first plan available from Brinks is the Nest Secure. Brinks is actually just the seller here, and this time their system is available with a $100 discount ($299 instead of $399). This features cellular backup, tamper protection, smartphone control, home automation, and Google Assistant. A 24/7 monitoring service is also available for $29 a month and you’re not locked into a contract.
Home Complete (with or without Video)
The Brinks Home Complete plan gives you a complete package of security devices all for $399. You don’t have to pay everything up front, as you can instead pay $11.08 a month for 36 months without any interest. The monitoring service costs $29 a month again, but this time you’re locked into a 36-month contract.
This gives you the 24/7 monitoring service you’ll need, along with cellular backup and smartphone control. It has tamper protection too, along with home automation and LiveVoice Assist.
If you get this with video, then the price increases to $499 for the system. On a monthly basis it’s not really much more expensive, as you only pay $13.86 a month for the system.
In return, you also get live video streaming along with cloud video coverage. Each month you can save up to a thousand home security videos lasting 30 seconds each. These are all in the cloud, so you don’t have to use up your own hard disks.
The monitoring service will be more expensive though, as it will now cost $39 a month. Again, you’re locked into a 36-month contract.
The Setup
When you pick the plan, you need to answer a few questions about your home and your needs so that Brinks can program your home security system to suit your needs.
The setup is fairly simple, which isn’t always true when it comes to home security systems. You’ll receive the Brinks Home Touch control panel, along with wireless door sensors and wireless motion sensors. Every device will be labeled and you’ll get instructions on where to put it. You can add various other devices to this. In fact, it can act like a hub for your entire security system.
You can just unbox the devices, place the sensors and activate them. It’s all peel and stick so it’s not complicated at all. However, if it is beyond your DIY skill sets then it’s also possible to arrange for a professional to do the setup for you. .
There’s also the ASAPer, which is the name of the brinks Alarm Alert System. You can install this app on your smartphone or computer so that you can then receive alarms quickly. The alarms arrive in just 30 seconds, unlike other security systems that take more than 5 minutes for you to receive the alarm.
This program also lets you clear false alarms right away. You can also have a group chat with your emergency contacts so you can check that everyone dear to you is safe.
Special Features
So exactly what do you get from the Home Complete Plans? Let’s take a look at the features and how they can help.
- Cellular backup. It’s possible that you may have your power or your Internet/Wi-Fi service disrupted at some time. Even if there’s a power or Internet disruption though, you have a 4G LTE cellular backup signal in place. It can send an alarm to the monitoring center.
- Tamper protection. It’s possible that some home intruders may attempt to destroy or tamper with your control panel. If that happens, an alarm is triggered.
- Smartphone control. Even when you’re not home, you can manage your alarm system with the app installed on your smartphone. You can adjust the settings, schedule alerts, and look up any recent activity.
- Home automation. The alarm panel acts as a hub for your other smart devices. These include not only smart locks, sensors, and cameras, but also other smart devices like your thermostat.
- LiveVoice Assist. What if you can’t get to your phone and you have a home security problem? When this happens, you can use the panel as some sort of walkie-talkie radio device to talk to the folks at the alarm monitoring center.
- Live video streaming. You can use your smartphone to view the live video stream from your home security camera. So if you’re worried, you can check to see that your car is still in the garage or that your kids parked it properly. If you have a camera at home checking up on the babysitter, you can make sure that they’re treating your children right.
- Cloud video storage. You can also save videos in the cloud as these can be handy as evidence in legal cases.
Pros
There are plenty of advantages to the Brinks Home Security System that you may not find in many other alternatives.
- It’s very easy to install. Even if you have an aversion to DIY work, you can still do it yourself. Basically, if you’re able to hang a picture on a wall, then you already have the necessary skill level to install the system yourself. The adhesive tapes are extra-strength so placing the various components is easy. You don’t need tools, though if you wish you can put on screws to mount the control panel on the wall or to secure the sensors. A Brinks technician will talk you through the process over the phone, and when it’s done the technician will test the system to confirm you did it right.
- If DIY is really not your style, you can also have pros do it for you.
- The alarms are quick. While Brinks isn’t unique in sending out alarms, it is exceptionally fast to do so. It only takes 30 seconds, while other systems can take up to 5 minutes to send an alarm. Plenty of grab and snatch home burglars can take a lot of stuff in just 5 minutes.
- It can act as a hub for the rest of your smart devices. It’s already great that you can add additional motion sensors and cameras to suit your needs. But you can have this system work with other smart devices like your thermostats and lights. So if you’re locking up the home as you get to your workplace, the HVA system can shut down and most of the lights can be turned off.
- Because it’s a wireless system, it’s harder to beat. Wired systems can be cut, but it’s harder to disrupt a wireless system. Besides, there are backups for various disruptions including power.
- The cost of the system itself isn’t bad. While a $499 price tag may seem expensive, it doesn’t seem so since you only pay less than $14 a month for the system.
- Powering the sensors is also not a problem either. Each door sensor needs a single 3V lithium watch battery, while you need 2 lithium AA batteries for the motion sensors. Both are readily available at reasonable prices. They also last for 5 to 10 years, so you won’t have to bother with frequent battery changes.
- There’s a 30-day trial period to see if it suits your needs. In addition, you have a 2-year warranty period for the components. The prices for the components and for the monitoring won’t increase as well.
- You can add various products to the system, including indoor cameras with night vision, smart switches, dimmers, and video doorbells. In fact, as of last count you can add up to 119 devices to the system.
Cons
It’s not a perfect system, though, and here are some reasons why:
- You’re locked into a 3-year contract, and that’s annoying. If you try to change system, you’re forced to pay for the balance of the contract nonetheless.
- There aren’t any sensors specifically for windows. You have to get them at extra cost.
- The professional installation costs extra as well. It would have been nice if this was part of the package.
Conclusion
All in all, you get a home security system that’s easy to install and use. What’s more important is that it’s quite effective and the professional monitoring service is topnotch. The components work reliably as well.
It’s a shame that there’s a 3-year lock-in period, and this may cause some people to hesitate. But if you don’t mind it, then the Brinks home security system can work very well to suit your home security needs. The simplicity lets you work with it easily, so you’re always aware of how safe your home and your family are at any time.