Best Security Systems for New Construction

1. ADT - Best Professionally Installed

Editors Rating:

9.8 /10

855-908-4461

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How We Review

Just because your home is new doesn’t mean you should go for a new alarm company. ADT has over a century of experience innovating security system technology, so it’s a company you can trust to protect your home. For decades, ADT has professionally installed and monitored security systems across North America.

ADT is all-inclusive when it comes to equipment and features. It has security sensors, home automation products, security cameras, environmental sensors, and even medical alert systems. And while the classic ADT systems require professional installation, ADT offers a wireless, DIY home security system under the name Blue by ADT.

Professional Service All the Way

What we liked about ADT, particularly for new-construction homes, is its top-notch professional service in consultation, installation, and monitoring. To get started, we asked ADT for a quote, which it gave us after a short assessment of our security needs.

Then, we finalized the system and scheduled an installation date. The technicians installed the system on the date we agreed on, activated it, and walked us through its features. After a series of tests, we confirmed that ADT’s professional monitoring centers were monitoring our system.

Trained technicians installing our system was one thing, but ADT’s after-sales care also impressed us. In particular, it has a six-month money-back guarantee. If it can’t resolve a system-related issue within the first six months of the contract, ADT will refund all installation and monitoring fees. This is by far the longest money-back guarantee we’ve seen on the security system market.

New(er) Technology for New Homes

ADT prices start at $28.95 per month, but that’s for landline security systems. As new-construction homes rarely have landlines anymore, we recommend ADT’s line of cellular security systems. These systems may cost more, around $40 to $60 a month, but they offer the latest in technology.

Cellular security systems use cellular signals, which are more reliable than landlines, to communicate with ADT’s monitoring stations. They also allow for more advanced features, like remote smartphone app access, home automation, and voice control with Alexa or Google Assistant. In addition, cellular security systems often come with touchscreen control panels that fit new-construction homes better than old-style keypad panels.

2. Vivint - Best Smart Home Security System for New Construction

Editors Rating:

9.4 /10

844-922-0575

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How We Review

Vivint is the embodiment of a modern security system. It has all the right pieces: touchscreen control panels, an intuitive and user-friendly app, high-tech security cameras with AI features, and lots of smart home products and integrations. Of course, these features come at a premium price, up to $34.99 a month plus the equipment cost. But with Vivint, we got what we paid for.

Endless Equipment Options

Vivint lets you build your security system to be as large as you want. If you want something simple just for security purposes, Vivint offers door and window sensors, pet-friendly motion sensors, and glass-break sensors.

If you want to add sensors for fire safety and flood prevention, it has smoke alarms, CO detectors, and flood sensors.

And if you want to make your home smarter, you can go for Vivint’s smart thermostats, smart lights, smart locks, and smart garage door controllers (Vivint also happens to be the best garage security system). Vivint even extends its protection to cars with the Car Guard, an OBD-II plug-in device that tracks location, diagnoses issues, and watches out for disturbances to your vehicle to prevent car break-ins.

Vivint’s pricing depends on which devices you own and what features you want, but both plans include Vivint’s home automation.

Security Cameras That Impress

Vivint’s crown jewels are its security cameras. We tested out these three:

• Indoor camera: The $199.99 indoor camera captures videos in 1080p HD, and it has useful features like night vision, motion detection, and a button that called our smartphone when someone pressed it.
• Video doorbell: The $249.99 Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro provided us quick access to our front door. It also protected our packages from thieves. Using artificial intelligence, it detected when someone attempted to steal packages from our front door, and when it did, it activated a 65-decibel speaker to ward off the potential thief. Learn more in our review of the Vivint Doorbell Camera.
• Outdoor camera: The most impressive camera in Vivint’s lineup was the $399.99 Outdoor Camera Pro. Using the same technology as the video doorbell, it detected and deterred lurkers and other potential security threats. Also, it could tell people, cars, and pets apart for improved alerts. Most importantly, it captured clear, high-definition videos using its 4K HD image sensor. Read more in our Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro review.

3. Frontpoint - Best Wireless Security System for New Construction

Editors Rating:

8.9 /10

844-933-2405

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How We Review

A pioneer of wireless security systems, Frontpoint has matured as an alarm company and is now completely wireless. Sensors connect wirelessly to the Frontpoint Hub, which then connects to wireless keypads for control. Even the system’s communication is wireless, as it uses cellular signals to send alerts.

However, being wireless isn’t Frontpoint’s only selling point. It has other attractive traits, like its exceptional customer service, user-friendly website for buying products, and solid track record in security monitoring. Sure, Frontpoint’s pricing was a little high, costing us $49 a month, but it provided us with one of the easiest user experiences, which we know new-construction homeowners will appreciate.

Installation in Minutes

We handpicked Frontpoint for this list largely because of its fast and easy DIY home security installation. We got our system up and running in less than 30 minutes, which was fast considering the number of devices we bought:

• One hub
• One keypad
• One motion sensor
• Three door sensors
• One smoke and heat sensor
• One indoor camera
• One video doorbell (which was free)

Normally with other systems, installing that many security equipment components would take at least an hour. We only managed to install the system effortlessly because, first, it was wireless, and second, Frontpoint shipped the components preprogrammed to connect with each other. It didn’t take long for us to peel the sensors’ adhesive backings and place them where they needed to go. After that, it was all about setting up and activating the system via the Frontpoint app.

Stellar Customer Service

Another one of Frontpoint’s strong suits is its customer service. Frontpoint made everything easy for us, from buying the system online to getting after-sales support. We called several times to cancel false alarms during our tests and ask questions. Everyone we talked to was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable, and they never failed to provide exactly the help we needed.

Frontpoint’s phone support is available even on weekends, which is not always the case with alarm companies. Although its weekend hours are more limited — 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, compared with 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays — we’re glad to know that we could turn to the home security company for help any day of the week.

4. Alder Security - Best Value Security System for New Construction

Editors Rating:

9.0 /10

844-965-1405

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How We Review

Alder flies under the radar, but it’s actually a great alarm company for a number of reasons. It offers wireless DIY systems, has a track record of responding to alerts quickly, and gives away free security systems. Intriguing, right? After you’ve invested money in your new-construction home, Alder’s free security systems might just be the financial break you need.

Nothing Better Than Free Equipment

Although Alder’s plans cost $40 to $55 per month, they include starter security systems at no extra cost, provided you sign a three-year contract.

5. Cove - Most Reliable Home Security for New Construction

Editors Rating:

8.7 /10

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How We Review

For Cove, convenience is the name of the game. It doesn’t require in-home visits or consultations with sales reps. We just went to Cove’s website, picked out the equipment we needed, selected a monitoring plan, and placed our order. The system arrived preprogrammed, so all we needed to do was install and activate it with the help of the control panel’s on-screen instructions.

All the Security You Need for Your New Home

Cove offers almost every type of equipment we recommend for new constructions. The key component is the touchscreen control panel, designed to look like a tablet. We could’ve mounted it on a wall, but since we were going for a simplistic look for our apartment, we set it on a shelf like a digital frame.

The panel’s supporting cast came in the form of security sensors, environmental sensors, and security cameras. Door sensors, window sensors, glass-break sensors, and motion sensors are monitored for intrusions. Smoke detectors and CO detectors watched for life-threatening hazards like fire and gas leaks, while flood sensors watched for water leaks. The security cameras, of course, provided surveillance and video monitoring.

Cove’s arsenal is missing one equipment type — smart home products, but that’s OK. According to the National Association of Realtors, smart home technology is now a “standard feature in new-construction homes,” so you probably have a smart home system in place already.1

If not, we have a handy guide on how to make a smart home that goes beyond the smart thermostats, smart lights, and smart locks that most security systems provide. And since you can control Cove using Alexa or Google Assistant, you can still integrate it with your home automation system.

Competitive Pricing

Cove cut out the middlemen — there are no dealers, sales reps, or consultants — so you’ll find Cove’s pricing to be competitive. Better still, Cove doesn’t shy away from giving discounts. Everything was 50 percent off when we bought our system. For your reference, here are the regular prices of Cove products:

Besides selecting our equipment, Cove required us to choose between two monitoring plans, neither of which required long-term contracts. Cove Basic was the cheaper of the two for $15 a month, but it was missing smartphone control and voice control via Alexa and Google Assistant. As we deem both features vital, we splurged on the more expensive Cove Plus plan for $25 a month.