Category: Home Security

We tested and rated 11 of the best home security systems based on features, pricing, system installation, service, and more. Compare 2019’s best home security alarm system companies.

Like most doorbells, the SkyBell HD and the SkyBell Trim Pro offer two-way audio, night vision, and the ability to livestream your doorstep. SkyBell also takes it up a notch by being one of the video doorbells that pairs with both other smart devices and alarm systems like Link Interactive and Frontpoint.

When it comes to home security, most modern systems are wireless. Wireless refers to how your sensors—the entry sensor on the patio door, for example—communicate with your control panel or base. Usually, wireless home security systems do that with radio frequencies (RFs), like Z-Wave or Zigbee, or a Wi-Fi network. Here are the best wireless home security systems on the market.

Ring offers four different smart video doorbells and a peephole camera, so it’s easy to pick one based on your needs or your environment. If you’re on a budget, the original Ring Video Doorbell is your best bet. And if you live in a rural area where Wi-Fi is scarce, the Ring Video Doorbell Elite will be your pick. Read below to learn more about Ring’s doorbells and which one is the right video doorbell for you.

Whether you want to increase security against unauthorized vehicles or you just want to know when your dogs have scampered across your property, a driveway alarm—which sounds an alert in your house when someone crosses a certain point on your driveway—can be an excellent way to know what’s going on beyond your view.

If you don’t want to get tied down to a company for three years or more, plenty of viable no-contract security systems offer more freedom and flexibility. We’re going to break down a few of our favorite contract-free security systems to give you a better sense of which system might be best for your needs.

Your home is more than just the roof over your head—it’s also the RV pad where you park your camping trailer or the garage where you taught your kids how to change a tire. Compare the best outdoor security cameras to find the one that will help you protect your front door and your family.

In most cases you can replace your door locks on your own without much trouble. Standard deadbolts come with the lock, which fits together from either side of the door, and the latch, which houses the actual deadbolt that extends to the door frame when you lock the door.

You probably don’t give your home smoke alarms much thought unless they go off, but a smoke detector is actually an essential part of your overall home security. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that between 2009 and 2013, three-fifths of home fire deaths took place in homes that had no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that didn’t work. While we hope you never have to test your smoke detectors in a real emergency situation, having a reliable and state-of-the art alarm can make all the difference in the world…

DT is massive, well-established, pricey, and full-featured. SimpliSafe is newer, smaller, cheaper, and stripped down to the basics. ADT uses equipment made by other companies but monitors it in-house; SimpliSafe makes its own equipment but outsources monitoring. Both are solid security choices, but you’ll have a very different experience depending on which option you choose.

The Schlage Sense is a heavy-duty, Bluetooth-powered smart door lock that lets you lock and unlock your door with your smartphone, an access code, or a key. It also gives you up to 30 different PIN codes to share access, so everyone from your dog walker to your babysitter can get into your home when you want them to.