The Best Home Security Systems for Pet Owners in 2024

1. ADT - Personalized Security System for Homes With Pets

SecurityScore:

9.8 /10

855-908-4461

View Packages Links to ADT

How We Review

Product Specs

Equipment Costs	Packages starting at $349
Monitoring Options	Professional and DIY
Monthly Monitoring Costs	Starting at $30 per month
Contract Lengths	Month-to-month 36 months and up
Installation Options	Professional and DIY
Smart Platform Integration	Alexa and Google Home

855-908-4461

View Packages Links to ADT

We like that an ADT technician installed our security system. Well, not so much the part where we had to pay over $100 for the service, but it was worth it because the technician was able to see our home’s layout and our pet in person. He figured out where to best place the motion sensors and cameras so that our hulking 65-pound Labrador wouldn’t trigger any false alarms. He also considered factors like the fact that our dog Max likes lounging on our sofa, so he made sure the sofa stayed out of the motion sensors’ peripherals.

That was crucial, because ADT is a professionally monitored system. If Max triggers a false alarm and the police are called to our house, we’d have to pay a fine according to the alarm permit from our city. With ADT’s professional installation, our system was personalized for Max and for our home’s layout.

>> Learn More: How Much Is an ADT Security System?

Pet-Friendly Equipment

As guardians to a gentle giant, we appreciated that the ADT motion sensor ignores pets up to 80 pounds. The motion sensors from ADT alternatives like SimpliSafe can only tolerate pets weighing up to 50 pounds. Upon testing our ADT system, we confirmed that Max doesn’t trigger the sensors. Remember, he weighs 65 pounds, yet he could roam freely around the house. If your pet is as big as our Max, ADT should be at the top of your list.

We thought ADT’s professional monitoring style was pet-owner friendly due to a feature called SMART Monitoring. It’s essentially a text-based communication system that activates when an alarm is triggered. If it turns out to be a false alarm set off by your pet, you can conveniently cancel it through text. You can also verify it if it’s a real emergency. The point is, you won’t have to stop what you’re doing to answer a call from the monitoring center.

>> More Information: Dealing with ADT False Alarms

Safety Features

ADT can also keep your pets safe. ADT’s monitoring packages include fire and gas leak monitoring, so if you buy smoke and carbon monoxide detectors from ADT, they’ll be able to send help if needed. The smoke alarms from ADT have a long battery life as well. There will be no need to worry about annoying smoke alarm chirps for at least two years.

Speaking of annoying sounds, we have to warn you that ADT doesn’t have a “silent arm” function on the touch screen keypad. It lets out a long beep whenever it’s armed. Max finds it intriguing, but your pets might react differently. Use the smartphone app to arm and disarm the system instead to avoid the sound.

Security Cameras

Would you use a $99 pet camera? Well, we wouldn’t either if it was just a simple camera, but ADT’s indoor camera is so much more than that. It’s the Google Nest Cam (indoor, wired), one of the best security cameras available. Feature-wise, it’s great for homes with pets. It can distinguish pets from humans, so it tells you whether a motion event was triggered by a person or an animal.

We also got to test the Nest Cam’s facial recognition. A sitter comes to our house on Mondays and Thursdays to walk Max, so we introduced him to the camera. We receive alerts whenever he arrives so we can give him instructions before taking Max out.

2. SimpliSafe - Security System With Improved Pet Safety Features

SecurityScore:

9.2 /10

800-544-5942

View Packages Links to SimpliSafe

How We Review

Product Specs

Equipment Costs	Packages starting at $249.96
Monitoring Options	Professional and DIY
Monthly Monitoring Costs	Starts at $21.99 per month
Contract Lengths	Month-to-month
Installation Options	DIY or professional
Smart Platform Integration	Alexa and Google Home

800-544-5942

View Packages Links to SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe is the polar opposite of ADT. It’s a DIY-installed security system that doesn’t require professional monitoring. You can self-monitor it if you’re worried about false alarms being sent to the police. We still recommend professional monitoring though. Just make sure to go with the more expensive Fast Protect plan. The Fast Protect plan includes video verification — in an emergency, the monitoring center will view your camera footage to see whether it’s a false alarm or a real intrusion.

Being a DIY system, we had to install SimpliSafe ourselves. It wasn’t a difficult process. However, the motion sensor’s high sensitivity had us scratching our heads. (More on that in a bit.)

Pet-Friendly Equipment

We were concerned by the sensitivity of the motion sensor from SimpliSafe. We knew from our previous tests that our dog was too big for it to ignore, as the sensor was designed to tolerate pets only up to 60 pounds. Fortunately, we found a nifty suggestion from SimpliSafe’s blog. It says that if the pet is over 50 pounds, we should install the sensor upside down at a height slightly higher than the pet’s height when standing on its hind legs. We tried it out and it worked. More importantly, it still detected human movement.

What SimpliSafe failed to mention is when a sensor is installed that way, you can hide from it by getting down on all fours or simply crouching. The sensor typically sees out straight and down at a 45-degree angle, so if you install it upside down five feet off the ground, the minimum height it can detect is five feet. That’s why you should have other types of sensors as well, like door sensors and window sensors.

Safety Features

Safety features like fire and gas leak detection are standard for top security systems. As long as you have the equipment (i.e., SimpliSafe smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors), SimpliSafe will monitor them for you.

What we found unique was the SimpliSafe temperature sensor. It was designed to alert users to extreme temperature drops that could result in frozen pipes, but we learned that we could actually set an upper threshold so that it’d notify us if our house gets too warm for comfort. That way, we can turn on our AC through our ecobee Smart Thermostat. That’s great for Max, who runs hot easily during summer.

Unfortunately, home automation isn’t SimpliSafe’s strong suit, so there’s no way to automatically set a smart thermostat when the temperature sensor reaches the upper threshold. You’d have to do it manually via your smart thermostat’s app.

Security Cameras

We’re torn whether we like the SimpliCam indoor camera or not. On one hand, it’s a solid indoor camera. It uses a passive infrared (PIR) sensor to detect movement, so it’s not prone to false alarms. It also uses PIR to ignore pets. That said, the SimpliCam costs the same as the Nest Cam from ADT but without the smart features we liked about the latter. Check out our SimpliCam review for more details.

Of course, it may come in handy in preventing false alarms, especially with SimpliSafe’s Fast Protect monitoring with video verification. If you opt for Fast Protect, we say go for it. Otherwise, we suggest getting a different pet-friendly camera. The SimpliCam still functions well as a stand-alone camera without professional monitoring.

>> Check Out: The Best Pet-Friendly Security Cameras

3. Vivint - Smart Security System for Pet Safety and Comfort

SecurityScore:

9.4 /10

844-922-0575

View Packages Links to Vivint

How We Review

Product Specs

Equipment costs	Starting at $449
Monitoring options	Professional
Monthly monitoring costs	Starting from $30 per month
Contract lengths	Starting at 42 months
Installation options	Professional
Smart platform integration	Alexa and Google Home

844-922-0575

View Packages Links to Vivint

Vivint is a lot like ADT, since it requires professional monitoring and installation. We found it to be a better option for pet owners who want to use smart home features to keep their pets safe and comfortable. That’s thanks largely to Vivint’s strong smart home talents. It’s arguably the best smart home security system if we’re strictly talking about features.

For example, when we got Vivint installed, we asked the technician to set it so that the Vivint smart thermostat sets the temperature between 75 and 80 degrees as soon as we leave the house. This automated rule kept Max warm and toasty last winter.

Pet-Friendly Equipment

A technician installed our Vivint motion sensor and recommended setting the “PET” setting to “25K” (which ignores pets up to 55 pounds) and the sensitivity setting (SENS) to “LOW.” We were concerned it might fail to catch real break-ins, though, since the technician placed it at the end of our hallway. So after he left we set the sensitivity to “HIGH.” It worked for us; Max still didn’t trigger the sensor, and we felt more confident that it would catch a thief.

We appreciated that Vivint’s motion sensor had four sensitivity levels instead of two, which made it perfect for both big and small pets. We recommend playing around with it a little to find the best level for you.

Safety Features

In addition to fire and safety monitoring, Vivint’s home automation features kept our Max safe and comfy at home. There are too many features to mention here, so we’ll give you a couple of examples we tried.

First, we were able to create automated scenes that activated at the touch of a button on the digital panel. We created a “Leaving” scene, where the system arms, the door locks after a short delay, the smart lights near Max’s crate turn on, and the Vivint thermostat sets the temperature to 78 degrees.

Second, Vivint can autonomously trigger actions when a certain event occurs. For example, we set the Vivint thermostat to shut off immediately as soon as the smoke alarm detects smoke. That way, it would slow down the spread of fire if there was one.

With those automations, Vivint goes above and beyond what most security systems offer. It even edges out ADT in that regard.

>> Compare: Vivint vs. ADT

Security Cameras

Vivint’s security cameras also excel, but if you thought SimpliSafe’s $99 indoor camera was expensive, you might not like Vivint’s pricing. The Vivint Indoor Camera Pro costs a staggering $249. Of course, you’ll get top-of-the-line features at that price point. We’re talking about person and pet detection powered by AI, clear video with HDR that provides good lighting balance, two-way audio, and more.

The Vivint indoor security camera also works without Wi-Fi. It can record important footage onto its microSD card, although livestreaming and two-way talk obviously won’t work. It’s expensive as a pet camera, but we think it’s a really good high-end security camera.

4. Cove - Affordable Pet-Friendly Security System

SecurityScore:

8.7 /10

View Packages Links to Cove

How We Review

Product Specs

Equipment Costs	Systems start at $330
Monitoring Options	Professional
Monthly Monitoring Costs	Starting at $19.99 per month
Contract Lengths	No contract required
Installation Options	DIY
Smart Platform Integration	Alexa and Google Home

View Packages Links to Cove

After talking about the high-end Vivint system, we thought we could use a palate cleanser. Cue Cove. From a features standpoint, it’s the least impressive pet-friendly system we tested. However, it’s also the most affordable. It’s a practical option for pet owners who want a security system that won’t cause any unnecessary ruckus over pets having the zoomies.

Cove is a DIY system just like SimpliSafe, but it’s more affordable. Note that Cove’s pricing for monitoring is $17.99 to $27.99 per month, and the equipment cost is offset by its frequent deals. We got our Cove system for 50 percent off, and since it was DIY, we didn’t have to pay an installation fee.

Pet-Friendly Equipment

Cove’s motion sensor was just like the one from SimpliSafe. It wasn’t pet-immune enough for Max, but you should be fine if your furry companion weighs less than 55 pounds. For Max, though, we had to mount the sensor upside down like we did with SimpliSafe.

We did find a blog from Cove saying that the motion sensor is “AI enhanced” because it picks up heat signatures, but for clarity, that’s how all motion sensors work. They use PIR to detect moving objects with body heat. That’s why pets can also trigger them. Some motion sensors are pet-immune, because you can adjust the sensitivity. The minimum sensitivity setting on Cove cameras won’t detect pets less than 55 pounds.

Safety Features

Cove had us covered against fire, but that’s about it. It doesn’t offer carbon monoxide detectors like ADT, nor does it have any home automation features like Vivint. We find Cove to be an affordable security system that can coexist with pets, but doesn’t offer much else.

>> More Options: The Best Affordable Security Systems

Security Cameras

In fairness, though, Cove offers security cameras. And like ADT, Cove gets its cameras from a reputable security camera brand. Cove’s indoor camera is a wireless 2K security camera from eufy. Here’s our eufy 2K review; it’s not the exact same model, but it shares a lot of the same attributes.

The eufy indoor camera from Cove offers good value, in our opinion. It costs $59.99 — the cheapest option so far — and offers a 2K resolution, which is higher than even the Nest Cam, SimpliCam, and Vivint Indoor Camera. Its pet detection wasn’t as consistent, though, but thanks to activity zones, we were able to exclude the parts of our living room where Max often hangs out from the detection range.

5. Ring Alarm - Security System With App Features for Pet Owners

SecurityScore:

7.7 /10

View on Amazon Links to Ring Alarm

How We Review

Product Specs

Equipment Costs	Starting at $179
Monitoring Options	Professional and DIY
Monthly Monitoring Costs	Starting at $4.99
Contract Lengths	1-12 months
Installation Options	DIY or professional
Smart Platform Integration	Alexa and Google Home

View on Amazon Links to Ring Alarm

Ring is the oddball of this group. While it does offer a reliable security system called the Ring Alarm, its main offering consists of security cameras and video doorbells. In fact, it has a lineup of eight different video doorbells and over a dozen different types of security cameras. All Ring devices work together and can be monitored via the Ring app.

We’d like to call out the Ring app specifically because it’s thoughtfully designed for pet owners. For example, motion alerts from our indoor camera came in the form of detailed notifications. Instead of just texts, they included a snapshot of what triggered the event so we could see if it was a false alarm or a real cause for concern.

>> Learn More: Ring Security Camera Lineup and Pricing

Pet-Friendly Equipment

Ring’s PIR motion sensor is pet-friendly to some degree, and unlike other pet sensors we tested, the sensitivity is controlled via the Ring app. The default setting is immune to pets less than 15 pounds. The medium setting is for pets up to 30 pounds. The lowest setting ignores pets up to 50 pounds. Unfortunately, it wasn’t immune to Max at all, so we’d think twice about getting a Ring Alarm for larger pets.

Safety Features

Ring also doesn’t offer smoke alarms, but the system pairs seamlessly with smoke alarms from First Alert. Ring also includes fire monitoring in its professional monitoring plans.

Our favorite safety feature, however, was the $9.99 pet tag engraved with a personalized QR code. It’s not a GPS tracker, but if your pet ever gets out of the house, whoever finds it can scan the QR code to see your pet’s profile and information (medical conditions, name, etc.). For your privacy, your contact details and home address aren’t included in the information, but scanning the QR code will give someone the option to call or text you anonymously. It may seem like a minor feature, but we loved Ring’s thoughtfulness here.

>> Related: The Best Security Systems With Apps

Security Cameras

Ring’s indoor camera, the Ring Indoor Cam, is just as affordable as the eufy camera from Cove, yet it offers slightly more advanced features. There’s a catch, though: You’ll need to sign up for a Ring Protect plan to enjoy those features. Ring’s pricing for professional monitoring with advanced camera features and cloud recording is $20 per month, or $200 if you sign on for one year. That’s pretty affordable.

So what features did we get? First, we got pre-roll videos. By buffering live videos, the Ring Indoor Cam was able to start its recordings seconds before the motion event that triggered it. Second, we got person and pet detection. Third, we were able to set our Indoor Cam to trigger other Ring cameras to record. All those features translated to all-around video security, which was one of our favorite things about Ring.