Your First Holiday Purchase Could Protect All the Others
TVs and speakers, smart watches and laptops — electronics are high on everyone’s Black Friday shopping list. Of all the electronics you snap up this Black Friday, a home security system or security camera could be the most valuable. Whether a lone unit or part of a complete system, a smart camera trained on your front porch doesn’t just guard against break-ins — it defends you from porch pirates.
As more and more holiday shopping is conducted online, your front door in December serves as the interim Christmas tree — collecting presents until you get home from work. The pickings are ridiculously easy. A Reviews.com survey found that over one-third of Americans have had a package stolen from their porch, or know someone who has.
We scoured Black Friday ads and deal sites to find the best Black Friday pricing on the porch pirates and home security cameras that made it through our vetting process.
Best Black Friday Deals on Home Security Systems
abode
You can grab the abode Essentials Starter Kit for $199 at Amazon. Or head over to abode’s site for a deep discount on monitoring plans if you take advantage of annual pricing, plus another discount on extra gear if you meet the minimum spend amount.
- Autumn Special Offer, ongoing
- 50% off annual monitoring plans
- 20% off accessories for carts over $500 (with Secure monitoring plan)
- 2 free door sensors (with Secure monitoring plan)
ADT
ADT’s Black Friday deals* include a video doorbell, outdoor camera and a $100 Visa gift card. The deal lasts from Nov. 27 until Dec. 9.
- Video doorbell
- Outdoor camera
- $100 Visa gift card
*Customer must sign a standard ADT 3-year contract, meet credit requirements, sign up for Easy-Pay and QSP. Combinable with Free Amazon Dot offer for Command. Enrollment in QSP & EZ Pay required. Absolutely no discounts on monitoring rates allowed. New and Resale sales only. Eligible Command Panel required: ADT7AIO-1 Command 7″ Touchscreen. Eligible service level required: ADT Command Video (L4 CMD). Minimum order value = $899 in Standard Markets, $1,069 in APM Markets (Promo and Expansion Cells), and $869 in APM Panel Test Cell. Available to Field and Phone sales channels. Available in all markets – Standard and APM.
Cove
Score Cove’s already low-priced security devices for half off (not to mention a free camera) if you shop before Thanksgiving.
- Pre-Black Friday Sale, ends day before Thanksgiving
- 50% off equipment
- Free security camera
Google Nest
Starting on Nov. 28, knock about 25% off the asking price for Nest’s entry-level security system. While you’re at it, scope out Google’s other Black Friday deals on home security and automation gadgets.
- Black Friday deals start Thanksgiving
- $100 off Nest Secure Alarm kit
Frontpoint
Another Black Friday deal from Frontpoint may be in the works — in the meantime, take advantage of a cool 20% off all their equipment packages while side-stepping the usual contract requirement.
- Pre-Black Friday offer, ends Sunday, November 24
- 20% off all packages
- No contract
- Free shipping
Protect America
If you want a locked-in rate with a professionally monitored security plan, now is a great time to sign up with Protect America. They’ll throw in two smart camera devices for a quarter of their combined price.
- Black Friday Doorbuster Deals end Saturday, November 30
- Indoor camera and video doorbell for $49 with 3 year monitoring plan
Ring
Ring is probably saving the best Black Friday deals for later in the game. Till further deals are announced, hit up the big-box stores for tidy savings on Ring products.
- Best Buy, Kohl’s, Target, and Lowe’s will offer $60 to $200 off Ring bundles and video doorbells
SimpliSafe
If you are in the market for an extensive home security system, SimpliSafe’s 50% off Black Friday deal could save you a couple hundred bucks. If you want something smaller, check out membership clubs’ discounts.
- Black Friday Early Access Sale, potentially through Cyber Monday
- 50% off any new system
- Costco, Best Buy, and Sam’s Club will all run $100 off deals on SimpliSafe starter kits
Vivint
One of the best companies for high-tech home security, Vivint levies a couple pesky upcharges. During the Black Friday sale, dodge both installation and activation charges.
- Free professional installation ($49-$99 value)
- Activation fee waived ($99 value)
Best Black Friday Deals on Security Cameras
Security cameras
- Arlo Pro 2 (indoor/outdoor) — $311 ($169 off)
- Blink XT2 3-Camera Kit — $184.99 (includes an Echo Dot) Sale upcoming
- Canary Pro (indoor) — Free with purchase of 1- or 2-year self-monitoring plan
- Google Nest Cam Indoor — $159 ($40 off) Starting Nov. 28
- Google Nest Cam IQ Outdoor — $329 ($70 off) Starting Nov. 28
Video doorbells
- Google Nest Hello — $149 ($80 off) Nov. 28-30
- Ring Video Doorbell 2 — $129 ($70 off)
- Ring Video Doorbell Pro — $179 ($70 off) Also available with the Echo Show 5 for the same price.
When does online Black Friday pricing start?
- Amazon — Friday, November 22
- Apple — Black Friday, Friday, November 29
- Best Buy — Black Friday
- Costco — Thanksgiving – Thursday, November 28
- Google Store — Thanksgiving
- The Home Depot — Thanksgiving
- Lowe’s — Black Friday
- Sam’s Club — Thanksgiving
- Target — Thanksgiving
- Walmart — Wednesday evening, November 27
Cyber Monday is More Like Cyber Week
For years, the time-crunch and crowd-crunch of Black Friday have incited shoppers to buy discounted gadgets before the turkey is cold. But you don’t need to hustle to a big-box store in the wee hours to score on quality electronics. Most deals are available online. And you don’t have to wait till Black Friday, or get all your shopping done that day. Deals are rolling out online in advance and sticking around longer, giving consumers a cushier window to buy. Cyber Monday will stretch out to a week of online deals.
While the extra time to shop means you won’t feel the need to pull the trigger on deals before comparison shopping, it also means you have more work to do in order to score. Prices fluctuate during the lead up to Black Friday and the cool down from Cyber Monday. And since Thanksgiving is late this year, the following week is the first week of December — are those jingle bells starting to sound like an alarm?
Use online tools — like Google Shopping or the Amazon mobile app — to compare prices and make the holidays bright.
We recommend products and services based on unbiased research from our editorial team. We may receive compensation if you click on a link. Read More.