Kangaroo Security System

Home security systems don’t need to cost an arm and a leg. Even though a lot of times the price directly relates to the quality of a system, there are a few needles in the haystack that give the protection you need at surprisingly low rates. But, is Kangaroo one of those needles in the haystack or just another knock-off type brand that gives subpar products at low prices?
Well, that’s what we’re here to find out. We’re going to dig through the ins and outs of Kangaroo’s pricing to help you figure out how much you’ll need to spend on a Kangaroo home security system. Then, we’ll talk about whether or not the system’s worth that price based on our hands-on experience with the Kangaroo 5-Piece Security Kit.

Components

Pros

There was a lot to love about our Kangaroo security system, such as:

Equipment Costs

If you’re looking for an affordable home security system, look no further than Kangaroo. We only spent $79 on the 5-Piece Starter Kit, in addition to the $29.99 we originally spent on the motion and entry sensor. We also bought the Kangaroo doorbell camera and chime for $19.99, but you can learn more about that in our Kangaroo doorbell camera review. Unfortunately, Kangaroo raised the price of their doorbell camera and chime to $39.99, and they no longer sell the 5-Piece Starter Kit.

Still, you definitely won’t break the bank with a security system from Kangaroo; their most extensive package, the 8-Piece Starter Kit and Privacy Camera, costs only $179 and includes a year of professional monitoring. We’re used to spending that amount on a single indoor security camera, so this price was a-okay with us. Anyways, here’s Kangaroo’s current lineup of security kits and products:

To learn more about how our 5-piece system actually worked, read our Kangaroo security system review.

Subscription Costs

When we were purchasing our Kangaroo system online, the website also offered us Kangaroo Complete, their monthly or yearly subscription service. Covering all of our Kangaroo devices, which at this point has gotten mildly extensive, Kangaroo Complete gave us 24/7 professional monitoring, $1,000 worth of damage or theft coverage, integrations with Alexa and Google Assistant, a three-month activity history, and finally, text and voice call notifications. We also would have gotten a discount on our homeowner’s insurance…if we were homeowners, that is. Maybe next year! If you’re only buying cameras, you can also go with Kangaroo’s Camera Protect Plan. Here’s an overview of all three Kangaroo plans:

$10 a month for 24/7 professional monitoring alone is a great price compared to the rest of the market, which we’ll go over more in a bit.

Discounts and Deals

Kangaroo has some offerings that would make their equipment completely free or at a reduced price. Here’s what can happen if you sign up for their annual plan, which itself costs $99.

Free Equipment with Yearly Kangaroo Complete

• 5-Piece Starter Kit
• Privacy Camera

Reduced Price Equipment Deals with Yearly Kangaroo Complete

While we didn’t take advantage of these deals, here was what was available if you buy an annual subscription of Kangaroo Complete:

• $50 off of the 5-Piece Kit + Privacy Camera Bundle
• $50 off of the 8-Piece Kit + Privacy Camera Bundle
• $50 off of the 8-Piece Kit.

Smart Home

Since we signed up for Kangaroo Complete, albeit monthly instead of annual, we got integrations with Alexa and Google Assistant, meaning we could command our system using our voices alone. Here’s what we said:

Google Assistant

• Hey Google, tell Kangaroo Security to arm home/ doors.
• OK Google, talk to Kangaroo Security disarm.
• OK Google, talk to Kangaroo Security turn on/ off.

Alexa

• Alexa, have Kangaroo arm home.
• Alexa, tell Kangaroo to arm the doors and windows.
• Alexa, tell Kangaroo to disarm home.

While this was all well and good, we wish the Alexa skill and the Google action worked with all of Kangaroo’s products, not just their security systems. For example, it would’ve been cool to tell Google Assistant to show us what’s happening outside our front door via our doorbell camera, especially if we could’ve put it on our Nest Hub Max. We also wish the integrations allowed for more customization, like telling Alexa to arm our system at a certain time each day, like when we leave for work. But since Kangaroo is such a new company, we’re sure they’ll get more capabilities eventually.

Comparisons

Kangaroo reminded us most of Ring Alarm, particularly when it came to its monitoring costs. Ring Alarm also costs $10 a month or $100 for professional monitoring, but its equipment prices are a bit more expensive, as you can see on our Ring Alarm pricing page. For example, Ring’s 5-piece security system, which included a base station, contact and motion sensors, range extender and keypad, set us back $199.99. Compare that to Kangaroo’s 5-piece package, which again, included a motion and contact sensor, a siren/ keypad and two Roo tags and cost us $79, and Kangaroo is cheaper overall.

Another similar system to Kangaroo was abode, also a newer player in the home security game. Like Ring, abode’s equipment costs were higher than Kangaroo’s; their Smart Security Kit, which contained a Gateway, motion sensor, contact sensor, and key fob, was $179 total, detailed on our page on abode’s costs. Professional monitoring was twice as costly with abode as it was with Ring and Kangaroo, if you choose the monthly plan like us. However, abode’s yearly plan was the same as Ring and Kangaroo the first year at $100, although it went up to $180 from the second year on. All in all, you can’t get much cheaper than Kangaroo; they have some of the lowest prices around, and we’ve seen them all.

Payment Methods

To pay for our security kit, we used a Visa, but Kangaroo accepts all of the most popular credit cards like Mastercard, American Express and Discover, as well. They also accept cryptocurrency, which is rare for a home security company. However, if you have a gift card or a prepaid debit card that your aunt got you last Christmas, keep it in your wallet for now, as Kangaroo won’t accept either type of card.

I Broke Kangaroo. What Now?

We’re huge klutzes, so we always like to check out a product’s warranty before we buy it. Fortunately for us, our security kit was under a one year warranty after our purchasing date. While we didn’t end up having to use it, it would’ve covered any defective product or part with a free replacement, either brand new or refurbished. If that was the case, contacting their support staff for a replacement would have been as easy as messaging Kangaroo through their Contact Us form. Sounds pretty painless to us! However, if, say, we slipped on a banana and accidentally crushed our door’s entry sensor, the warranty wouldn’t have applied, as it only applies to defective parts or products. Rats. Now we have to clean up all our banana peels!

Cancelling Kangaroo

After we spent months testing out Kangaroo, we were ready to cancel it, a sad necessity of being home security experts with a ton of systems to test. But lucky for us, the process was seamless; we just went into the Kangaroo: Simple Home Security app, clicked settings then my account then my plan. From there, we only had to tap cancel to get out of our monthly Kangaroo Complete contract.

Returning Kangaroo

Maybe the Kangaroo security system was not your thing from the jump; hey, we get it. We had 30 days from the shipment date to return our Kangaroo equipment, but note that it only applied to equipment that we bought directly from their website. If we had made the purchase on Amazon instead, we wouldn’t have been able to return it for a full refund. But if you bought it on the Kangaroo website, returning your devices is free within that time period; they’ll even provide you a return shipping label, if you email support@keykangaroo.com.

Recap

Clearly, Kangaroo is at the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to cost, be it for equipment or monitoring. It’s especially worthwhile if you take advantage of the Kangaroo Complete annual plan deals and get free or discounted equipment. How does a two-year-old company have such low prices? It may have something to do with their funding, which was around $14.6 million,2 the last time we checked. While some of their products work better than others, ultimately we’re excited to see more from this disruptive player.