The Best Garage Security Systems

1. Vivint - Best Garage Security System Overall

Editors Rating:

9.4 /10

844-922-0575

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How We Review

Smart Controller

Vivint’s smart garage door opener gave us just about everything we look for in a handy remote controller. We were able to open and close the garage door from anywhere. When we were absent-minded and left the door open, we got notifications about it.
The smart controller even had an option that let us stop unauthorized entry. When we got garage alarms that the door was opening when it shouldn’t, we alerted the police with the touch of a button.2

Best of all, the smart controller integrated seamlessly into our Vivint smart home ecosystem. It even responded to Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands to open or close the garage. We kept our opener in the car so that we had access to it when we were driving, and we used the Vivint app when we were on foot.

Car Guard

Car Guard is a great piece of Vivint tech that allowed us to keep track of our vehicle, get data on our driving habits, and even diagnose potential maintenance problems. Of course, Car Guard also alerted us whenever anyone tried to tamper with our car.

We installed the program into the onboard diagnostics port of our vehicle and got it up and running in less than half an hour. From then on, it sent tons of useful information to our Vivint app, including our maximum speed, our idling time, and our fuel efficiency. One of our sisters used it to track her teenager’s driving habits and learned just how many times she accelerated too quickly each day.

Car Guard costs $10 per month for the first vehicle and $5 per month for each vehicle after that.

Top-Tier Professional Monitoring

We always advocate for professional monitoring. We want the peace of mind of knowing that someone is keeping an eye on our home 24/7. That includes our garage.

One reason we regard Vivint so highly is that its professional monitoring service is one of the best in the business. We were told we’d get cellular backup with whatever plan we chose, which meant our system would work even when the Wi-Fi went down.

The Vivint monitoring team was always ready to contact us and emergency services if anything went wrong. When our motion detectors went off while we were visiting friends in Connecticut, for example, the service provided us with continual updates until the crisis was resolved.

Vivint doesn’t advertise its monthly plans because costs are based on the equipment that you buy. Generally, though, Vivint prices for monitoring range between $15 and $40 per month. In addition, the company charges $5 per month per camera.

2. SimpliSafe - Best Wireless Garage Security System

Editors Rating:

9.2 /10

800-544-5942

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How We Review

Affordable Equipment

SimpliSafe offers affordable equipment. How affordable?

Its lowest-priced package, The Foundation, is just $137. That system came with a keypad, a motion sensor, and an entry sensor, just the components we needed to cover our garage. Compare that to other top-rated systems like Brinks; Brinks’ price for its cheapest package is $200, more than $60 more than SimpliSafe.

SimpliSafe Equipment

DIY Installation

Security systems are a necessary part of any safe home, but we recognize that home security can be costly to purchase and operate. That’s why we always appreciate companies that let us install systems ourselves.

We found the SimpliSafe system to be among the easiest DIY home security systems we have ever installed. Sensors were peel and stick, so they were as simple to install as putting a sticker on a door or window.

Plus, SimpliSafe’s indoor camera, the SimpliCam, is wireless, so all we had to do was plug it into a power outlet and set it on a workbench in the garage. SimpliSafe doesn’t sell a garage door sensor, so we needed a few tools and a little time to rig a door sensor to do this job. On the plus side, though, because the entire system was DIY, we had no trouble moving it ourselves when we decided to move to a new apartment.

Smart Home Integrations

We love great smart home devices. There’s something cool about setting our smart lights to come on when we open our garage door at the end of a long day. SimpliSafe works well with both Alexa and Google Assistant, so when we were loaded down with bags of groceries, we were able to tell the system to close the garage door.

In addition, SimpliSafe integrates with other smart devices, like Nest thermostats and August smart locks. That meant that not only could we set our lights to turn on when we got home, but during frosty winter evenings, we could also set the heat in our garage to turn on. We never had to deal with the cold, but we saved money because we didn’t have to leave the heat on all day.

3. Ring Alarm Security Kit - Best Garage Security System With myQ Integration

Editors Rating:

7.7 /10

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How We Review

MyQ Compatibility

Ring Alarm works directly with myQ. MyQ is a smart home protocol built into smart Chamberlain and LiftMaster garage doors. It’s also sold as a separate device hook up to older Chamberlain or LiftMaster garage doors. MyQ has its own control app to control the garage door lift mechanism, and it informs users when the door is open or closed.

The program was easy to install and use, and the Ring app feature Quick Controls gave us peace of mind. Quick Controls is a simplified version of the app’s home screen, with just three tabs: Device Controls, Locks, and Garage.

All we had to do was glance at the app to find out our current garage status at all times. We didn’t have to search for the controls either. One touch of a button, and we opened the door. Honey, we’re home!

Alexa and Google Assistant Integration

A garage door is the sort of thing we want to operate hands-free. So while it might seem like a minor perk, we were ecstatic when we found out that we could use Alexa and Google Assistant to operate our Ring Alarm system.

We got notices when we left the garage open, and because we had voice control, we could close the door using our Alexa app, even while we were driving on the interstate. Normally, we either have to wait for an exit and pull off the road or fumble with our phones and risk accidents. Voice command functionality for Ring Alarm meant we responded to our alerts immediately and safely.

In addition to its smart platform integration, Ring has also begun introducing its own line of smart devices, many of which are focused on cars. The Ring Car Alarm alerts owners about events like break-ins or tow-aways. It also provides videos of those events, which could be super useful when we need to find our car.

Affordable and Flexible Professional Monitoring

Even better than being able to control our garage door with our voices is letting someone else worry about it for us.

One of the great things about professional monitoring is that someone responds to a break-in even if we’re getting our teeth cleaned.

Ring prices its professional monitoring at just $10 per month, one of the lowest prices in the industry. For example, compare Ring Alarm to SimpliSafe, another system that features low-cost monitoring. While SimpliSafe’s price is certainly affordable at $15 per month, that’s still $5 more than Ring.

Like SimpliSafe, Ring doesn’t require long-term contracts, although there is a discounted annual option. That meant that when we decided to go to the beach for a couple of weeks in July, we could purchase one month of monitoring and not break the bank.

4. Reolink - Best No WiFi Garage Security System

Editors Rating:

7.7 /10

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How We Review

No Wi-Fi Needed

Smart security cameras that don’t require Wi-Fi are a rare breed. Ring security cameras? Nope. Abode cameras? Sorry, no.

The fact that Reolink offers crisp 1080p HD video and infrared night vision capabilities over a cellular security network is pretty extraordinary.

Plenty of families experience spotty Wi-Fi connections even within the main house. Garage components can be several dozen feet from the router, which adds extra worry the connection will fail at the crucial moment of a break-in. With Reolinks’ 4G/3G option, though, we were protected even if the Wi-Fi went out. Cellular connectivity makes Reolinks an especially great security system for rural areas which have stronger cell signals than internet signals.

Many Camera Options

The great thing about Reolink is that it specializes in cameras, so we had tons of choices in that department. And all Reolink cameras provide at least 1080p HD resolution and night vision to identify late night prowlers that try to access our garage.

We bought several cameras from Reolink, but the cool thing was that we could livestream from them all. At one point, we had seven livestreams going at once.

We loved the Reolink Go cameras, especially since we could use solar power to keep them charged. In addition, they don’t require Wi-Fi, so they’re a great option for anyone in a rural area. Overall, we found the versatility of Reolink’s options to be downright impressive.

Durability

Reolink cameras are some of the most durable we’ve seen, and that’s crucial if you’re trying to protect your garage. We stationed a camera on one outside corner of our garage, so it has to be able to handle the full force of New York summers and winters. All Reolink cameras have a minimum IP rating of 65.

What does that mean? That means they can resist water projected from a nozzle, and they are sealed against dust, making them durable enough for everything NYC weather has to offer.