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Las Vegas has been one of the fastest-growing cities in terms of population in the United States. According to Lee Business School, from 2000 to 2011, the city grew 31.8%, and between 2011 and 2016, that number decreased to 8.5%.
Though that increase may be slowing down each year, the city is still growing. In 2019, Las Vegas had a 3.15% increase from 2018, and in 2020, a 2.98% increase from 2019. This continuous growth has led to rapid changes in the city, and not all has been positive. Sometimes, with more growth comes more crime, and Las Vegas is no exception.
Although the crime in Las Vegas has improved, the city still has a crime rate that is considerably higher than the national average, the chances of being a victim of a property crime is 29 per one thousand, equaling to an “above average” compared to the rest of the nation. Outside of Las Vegas, 78% of U.S. adults reported to Reviews.com that they’re at least a little concerned about being burglarized. Given these statistics, we expect this number to be even higher in Las Vegas.
We tested eight popular home security systems for eight months to find the four best options in Las Vegas. All of our top picks have the technology to keep you safe, whether you prefer Vivint’s extensive Smart Home features, Frontpoint’s friendly and useful customer service, ADT’s long track record of success, or the sleek set up of SimpliSafe. We’ll do a deep dive into each pick below and explain Las Vegas’ “verified response” alarm policy so you have the information you need to make sure the police respond to your home promptly.
How We Found the Best Home Security Systems in Las Vegas
To find home security systems, we looked for national companies that provide professional monitoring so they could keep an eye on your property around the clock. The companies we tested are likely familiar to you: ADT, Vivint, Frontpoint, GetSafe, SimpliSafe, Link Interactive, Protect America and LiveWatch are the most popular companies in the business. We investigated each one to ensure they covered the basics of home security, went through the installation process to check out customer service, and tested each security system for eight months to ensure that the equipment and support held up in the long run.
Each company had to offer four basic types of protection:
- Intrusion — door, window, and glass-break detectors
- Surveillance — indoor and outdoor cameras
- Environmental — fire, carbon monoxide, and flood detectors
- Life safety — panic and life alert buttons
From there, we evaluated providers on their customer service quality throughout the ordering and installation process, as well as their overall range of equipment offerings. We preferred companies with responsive customer service (from the first phone call to equipment troubleshooting) and user-friendly monitoring equipment and apps. We gave extra points to companies that also offered automation services, like smart thermostats and lights. Our four top picks impressed us at every turn and are more than capable of blending seamlessly into your routine.
The 4 Best Home Security Systems in Las Vegas
- Vivint – Best for Home Automation
- Frontpoint – Best Customer Support
- ADT – Most Popular Provider
- SimpliSafe – Most Flexible
The Best Home Security Systems in Las Vegas: Summed Up
| SimpliSafe | ||||
Vivint
If smart home features and video monitoring are your top priorities, Vivint may be the best company for you. Vivint has three Vivint Home Security System Packages, the most affordable — Smart Security Monitoring — starting at $29.99 a month, the middle-range with Smart Home Integration starting at $39.99 per month and the most expensive with video integration added, starting at $49.99 per month. This is unlike ADT’s home automation, which starts at $49.99. Vivint’s tech is also best-in-class. You can lock your doors, manage your lights, and adjust your home’s temperature manually, or you can let the SkyControl panel learn your habits and adjust things automatically to keep you comfortable. You can even set up automatic lights or music while you’re on vacation to make it look like the home is occupied.
We love that Vivint offers multiple camera options to protect your home from all angles. In addition to indoor and outdoor cameras, Vivint offers a smart doorbell camera, so you can check at a glance whether your UPS package has arrived. Plus, with an indoor security camera, you’ll be able to do a quick visual check to see if your home alarm is triggered by intruders or just an enthusiastic pet.
All Vivint system packages are subject to a 42-month monitoring contract, depending on where you live. If you move while you’re under contract, Vivint can reinstall your current system at no fee, as long as you’ve been a customer for one year and sign a new agreement with the same terms as the old contract. Otherwise, it’s $99 to reinstall. Vivint also requires you to use their own equipment, which is no-doubt handy and easier, but will add to the price of your package, along with installation fees. In some cases, if your home is already pre-wired for security, Vivint may be able to use your existing equipment.
Frontpoint
Frontpoint excelled for its customer service, making it a great option if you want a particularly guiding hand when choosing and setting up your home security system. We were impressed from the start, when our initial call to ask about equipment led us into a thoughtful discussion with the sales rep about our safety concerns. As we described every room of our house, she walked us through what specific equipment we might need. This great customer service only continued when we installed a system — even going so far as to replace a faulty part with overnight shipping — and when we needed help setting up our equipment. This last point is especially important, as Frontpoint is our only top pick to require DIY installation.
DIY installation means that your equipment is shipped directly to you, and you’ll set it up on your own. This makes Frontpoint a little less convenient than our other top picks, which feature professional installation. However, Frontpoint makes DIY as easy as possible by creating a personalized website that walks you through each stage of the installation. If you’re taking longer than expected on a particular stage, the site will ask if you would like to call customer support for some additional help. Once you’re ready to activate your system, a short phone call finalizes the process and confirms that your system is live. In all, it took us about 30 minutes to install.
Frontpoint offers two packages — the Interactive Plan and the Ultimate Plan. Like ADT, if you’d like video monitoring you will need to upgrade to the Ultimate Plan to get this feature, along with other features, like Motion Triggered Alerts and Smart Lock Control, which are not offered with the low-tier Interactive Plan.
On the plus side, this means that the DIY installation for the Interactive Plan is a little less intensive, as you won’t have to set up a camera as you would with the Ultimate Plan. Whichever plan you choose, you will have to pay for the equipment, which starts at $99 and comes with a free doorbell camera.
ADT
When most people think about home security, ADT’s blue octagonal sign is one of the first images that come to mind. These yard signs and window stickers are ubiquitous in neighborhoods across the U.S. Not only does ADT help protect more than six million homes, it has been in the home security business for more than 140 years. During that time, the company has built up a dedicated customer base by consistently offering exceptional protection that advances alongside technology.
ADT offers three service tiers, and each can be customized with home-specific equipment to keep your belongings and loved ones safe. The Essentials package is the most basic, with standard window and door sensors and 24/7 alarm monitoring infrared motion detection. The next tier is the Total Protection package, which includes the Essentials package and Safewatch CellGuard, which connects your monitoring system to ADT monitoring centers without a landline.
Finally, Premium Protection is the highest tier, which connects security monitoring with your home automation from smart devices. It gives you access to the ADT Pulse App, where you can make sure doors are locked or adjust your thermostat so the house is comfortable when you get home. ADT’s only drawback is that security cameras only come with ADT Pulse, so you’ll have to pay up to get the Premium Protection plan to have this feature. The ability to customize your home security system to fit your personal needs means that ADT should be on your list to contact when collecting quotes. In addition to fine-tuning your security system by adding custom equipment, ADT will send a professional installer to ensure everything is set up and activated with little to no effort. ADT’s Essentials plan starts at $36.99 per month, but this can change depending on the type of equipment your home needs.
SimpliSafe
Protecting your home doesn’t have to be a complicated or exorbitantly expensive process. You can choose SimpliSafe, whose flexible, no-contract plans and discounted systems are helping make home security more accessible. SimpliSafe’s lack of contract options means you won’t be forced into payments for years by a contract term.
However, if you want the smartphone control with monitoring and alerts, you’ll have to get a plan that includes professional monitoring. Otherwise, the basic plan just offers an alarm that goes off with no message sent to the police or to you. Additionally, there is no reimbursement for theft as there is with other companies. This is also the case if you upgrade to a plan with professional monitoring.
Another benefit of SimpliSafe is that they offer a 60-day free trial as well as 25-30% off if you opt for one of their refurbished systems instead of brand new equipment. If you decide on not getting refurbished equipment, their hardware is known for a sleek and futuristic design, with updated equipment that SimpliSafe claims is “five times faster” than their older models. Ultimately, SimpliSafe gives you the option to create an affordable DIY security system in which you only have to pay for the equipment. However, the most basic plan is essentially just a siren that will trigger if your home gets broken into. Otherwise, starting at $15 more per month, you can upgrade to a plan with professional monitoring to take security to the next level. It’s worth comparing features to similar plans by other companies that may be more suited to your needs.
Guide to Las Vegas Home Security Systems
Research your neighborhood’s crime profile
The best way to start the home security process is by doing a little research on the safety of your neighborhood. While Las Vegas certainly has some high figures for crime compared to the rest of the country, it has started to improve in recent years. Check out CrimeMapping’s Las Vegas map to explore common disturbances where you live, and use that historical information to build a safer future for your home.
Check companies’ verified response protocol
False alarms are a major problem for police departments nationwide.
Las Vegas took the lead in finding a solution to this resource drain back in 1991 when it introduced “Verified Response.” Verified Response requires an eye-witness verification before dispatching help in order to reduce the number of false alarms. In the case of home security companies serving customers in an area under Verified Response, a triggered alarm system must be confirmed to be a real emergency before dispatching the alert to first responders.
Some ways to confirm an emergency in Las Vegas:
- Check a video camera, which means you’ll need a plan with video monitoring.
- A phone call to an emergency contact to confirm that there is in fact an emergency at the site of the alarm.
- Finally, if the first two do not work, you may be asked if you want a private guard responder sent to the site to confirm, which you’ll likely have to pay for.
This measure can help cut down the volume of false alarms by up to 98%. Thanks to Verified Response, Las Vegas doesn’t require residents to buy a permit for their home security system. Still, the companies who do home installation and monitoring must have a special business license called the “Regular Alarm Business License” or a “Security Safety Sales License” for companies selling security equipment. The drastically lower cost of emergency response means that residents with security systems don’t need to subsidize the police hours spent responding to them.
Before committing to a home security system, you’ll want to ask the company how it collects verified responses and whether you’ll need to choose a plan that includes security cameras or a guard dispatch program. Both ADT and Frontpoint offer a guard dispatch service; if they can’t get you to visually confirm an intruder by you looking at your security camera feed, they’ll send an armed guard to check out your property. If the alarm is tripped because of a burglar (and not your cat), they can then dispatch the police. Vivint doesn’t offer a guard service but will listen through your control panel for signs of intrusion if it can’t reach you. To protect your privacy, none of our top picks have access to your security camera feed.
Comparison shop
Between Vivint, Frontpoint, ADT, and SimpliSafe, all of our top home security systems have the equipment and customizable packages to protect your home just the way you like it — whether that’s with a few cameras or a full-blown system straight out of Fort Knox. If you’d like to shop around with a few more companies and make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck, we like these five Las Vegas home security companies. They come highly rated from sites like Yelp and Angie’s list and are good places to gather some additional quotes.
- Brantley Security Systems
- Synergy Security
- Safe and Secure Alarms and Video
- Security One
- Ring
Reviews.com Home Security Survey
It’s no secret that Las Vegas has struggled to control its crime rates as the population continues to grow. Without having the budget to assist with police shortages, the urgency to install a home security system has become even greater. A Reviews.com survey found that only 22% of Americans currently own a home security system, while 59% said they have never owned one. Considering how readily available these products have become on the market in recent years, this came as a bit of a surprise – until we looked at costs. Almost half (46%) of U.S. adults point exclusively to costs and contracts as their number one barrier to entry. Although most home security companies do offer an optional 24/7 professional monitoring service, the costs for the actual equipment vary greatly. But with an ever-expanding market, you’ll likely find one that fits your budget if you do a little digging.
Las Vegas Home Security FAQ
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