Best Security Systems in San Antonio

Overview

San Antonians are no strangers to keeping home and family safe. While the days of the Alamo are long past, San Antonio’s safer than just 4% of US cities. There’s something to be said for fortifying against this higher-than-average crime rate.¹

National security brands like ADT Home Security or Protect America are tempting, but we suggest y’all start a little closer to home. Let’s talk about SATX’s finest local home security companies.

In 2016, 98.6% of Texan businesses were small and locally owned.² Such local businesses include a herd of home security options.

All of our recommended options are based directly in San Antonio.

So what does San Antonio have to offer?

Speaking of mobile apps, when you can control both your security system and your smart home devices from a single app, that’s ideal home automation. You can automate your home and security with devices like smart light switches and window shades.

Most of SATX’s local home security companies have this kind of automation to at least some degree.

A small percentage of San Antonio’s local security services offer 24/7 assistance, a norm in the national home security market. In fact, about a third of SATX’s local security systems providers are open only during business hours. If you have a regular nine-to-five job, this gets tricky. You can’t send the spouse and kids off for a Large Super Family Fish dinner at Rudy’s while you call the customer service rep in peace. You have to find time during your workday.

Most providers of goods and services are moving away from the phone. They’re offering more convenient options for purchases and bookings. The national security scene seems to recognize this; some big brands offer online ordering now.

None of SATX’s local options let customers order online, but several of them were happy to talk with us through email. And some had pricing on their sites instead of keeping that information close to the chest.

With industry-level pricing, 24/7 customer service, and a no-contract option, it’s no wonder that Central Security is one of the most reasonable home security companies in the area.

Why wouldn’t we recommend Central Security? Our research showed very few downsides to this local security provider. What it did show was a ton of benefits across pricing, products, and customer service.

Central Security’s alarm monitoring starts at $19.99 each month for landline or $29.99 for cellular. This is on par with the average SATX provider and better than some national companies.

Although contracts aren’t required at Central Security, you can choose to commit to a year up front. That lowers the price to $220.00 for a year of landline or $330.00 for a year of cellular.

As for equipment prices, you can buy a hardwired system up front for $100. That’s extremely low for up-front security costs. And the site freely lists the cost of the auxiliary equipment you can add to the system, like extra motion detectors or door or window sensors ($20 apiece).

Central Security is one of the few local SATX companies that explains their basic hardwired package up front:

• Control box
• Control panel
• Keypad
• Motion sensor
• Siren
• Backup battery
• Transformer

While Central Security also uses Honeywell, GE, Neo, and Alarm.com, the hardwired basic package appears to focus on DSC products. DSC’s a popular brand, so it’ll be easy to find another monitoring company to take on your system if you switch providers in the future.

We’re impressed with Central Security’s customer service. This brand has just about everything a customer could want: 24/7 access through phone, email, and a contact form; super-friendly, professional reps; and 90 days to cancel if the service isn’t for you. No other SATX company we recommend has all of those things.

If you move within SATX or to another city covered by Central Security, the company will move your system for free. And if you move somewhere else, well, you’ve already paid for your equipment. You can take it with you or sell it as you see fit.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: Central Security is the best all-around option for local home security in San Antonio.

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As the name suggests, Builder Systems Group is an especially apt choice if you’re building your own home. But the fair price and focus on home automation are still a draw even if your place is already built.

Builder Systems Group offers well-priced services with a no-contract option. It also has a moving policy specifically for the military folk who come in and out of SATX.

Similar to Central Security, Builder Systems sells cellular monitoring at $29.95 a month. Equipment costs are more difficult to pin down since these systems are highly customized to the buyer’s needs.

The contracts also vary. You can go with a no-contract option, or you can try a 36- or 60-month contract. It depends on how committed you want to be to one company over a long period of time.

As we mentioned, equipment packages for Builder Systems Group are highly customizable. While the company caters mainly to new home builders, it’s happy to work with preexisting homes too.

If it’s smart home automation you’re after, besides security devices, the Builder Systems site mentions smart locks, shades, garage door openers, lights, thermostats, and video doorbells.

A word of caution: y’all gotta like Alarm.com if you use Builder Systems. The security brand creates all of the Builder Systems equipment. Here at ASecureLife, we’re fans of Alarm.com products. They integrate with both Amazon Echos and Google Homes, and they can connect to Z-Wave smart devices.

Builder Systems Group’s customer service hours aren’t 24/7, but they’re pretty good. You can call between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays and weekends, so you don’t have to worry about jamming a call into your lunch break.

If you get transferred at your job or deployed, Builder Systems has a prove to move policy. To cancel your contract, you show your transfer or deployment paperwork to the company 30 days before the move.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: Builder Systems Group is the perfect choice for builders and not a bad deal for current homeowners.

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Crown Electronic offers low prices for both landline and cellular monitoring.

We love a deal, and Crown Electronic’s got a nice one.

For $18 you get landline monitoring with Crown Electronic, which is comparable to Central Security and Builder Systems Group. But instead of paying $10 more for cellular, you pay just $6, giving you a full monitoring suite for $24. That’s a better monitoring price than Central Security’s or Builder Systems Group’s.

To use Crown Electronic, you have to commit to a contract with a minimum of 12 months. While contracts can be annoying, 12 months is shorter than the industry standard.

We weren’t able to find out what Crown Electronic puts in its security packages, but we did learn that the equipment is from Alarm.com and DSC.

Crown Electronic also provides medical alert systems if you need one.

Unfortunately, Crown Electronic’s customer service hours are limited to business hours, which makes it hard for working individuals to ring them. But you can call, fax, email, or fill out a contact form on the website. You could potentially even pay a visit to the office on the Loop. We chose to send an email and received a prompt response from a helpful rep.

The moving policy is also kind of meh. You have to buy out the remainder of your contract. But once you do that, you can take your system with you. If you can’t be bothered, sell it to the new homeowners so they can use it after you’ve lit outta there.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: With Crown Electronic, you’ll pay a minimal price for home security monitoring.

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Intruder Alert Systems of San Antonio has 35 years of business experience to back up its offerings.

One issue with local security systems is that, in a limited market, they’re more susceptible to going out of business. We’re impressed that Intruder Alert Systems of San Antonio has been in business for 35 years. Its services are average, but it’s doing something right to offer that kind of longevity to customers.

As for equipment, the rep told us that the typical basic package goes for $99, although we weren’t able to learn what that package includes.

The rep told us that Intruder Alert exclusively uses DMP⁠—which, he proudly stated, is an American brand. If you’re especially invested in buying American products, you, too, may prefer to use DMP.

Intruder Alert’s customer service hours extend slightly before and after the typical business day. You can give the brand’s reps a call while eating your huevos rancheros in the morning or Ubering to a Spurs game after work.

If you have to move during your contract, you’ll typically do a buyout. However, you might be able to get the new owner of your old place to take over your obligation.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: Intruder Alert Systems of San Antonio’s been around for a long time, so it’s unlikely to go out of business suddenly. Plus they’ve probably seen it all!

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San Antonio Alarm Company doesn’t use any contracts at all, so you don’t have to make a long-term commitment.

It’s always nice to see local companies going no-contract, something some national brands don’t dare to do. San Antonio Alarm Company’s no-contract stance is an example of thoughtful customer service.

A cellular system with San Antonio Alarm costs $39.99 a month to monitor. That price doesn’t include equipment rental since you buy the equipment for a minimum of $350.

Remember, you pay month-to-month with San Antonio Alarm. If one month you can’t afford to continue, you can cancel the service.

The San Antonio Alarm website advertises a package that comes with the following:

• A control panel/keypad/siren combo
• Three window/door sensors
• A motion detector

This equipment’s all from DSC or Alarm.com.

Like Intruder Alert, San Antonio Alarm’s customer service hours are just barely longer than a normal business day. In San Antonio Alarm’s case, you can call anytime after 8 a.m. or before 6 p.m. You can also email at your convenience and wait for a rep to get back to you (we got a response fairly quickly).

Because you buy your system up front, if you have to move, you can easily take it with you and go to another company for alarm monitoring.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: San Antonio Alarm Company doesn’t have any contracts, giving you the freedom to stay or to go.

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We found 20 of SATX’s top-rated brands on sites like Yelp and Angie’s List. We then eliminated a few for not meeting our criteria⁠—like TriStar Security Services, which does surveillance systems only, or Star Security, which is an ADT authorized dealer. Finally, we spent several hours emailing and calling the remaining 17 brands to get more information. We used that info to create the final ranking.

Some of the SATX brands we researched are good, just not good enough to make the top five. Here are a few other brands that stand out to us.

Aprotex is a promising San Antonio brand. It’s been around for 60+ years and has 24/7 service. But ultimately, it’s much more expensive than anything else in SATX security. You pay $42 for monitoring plus $5 for remote access through an app.

Who can resist an alarm company named after a shield from Greek mythology? Aegis doesn’t require contracts and offers monitoring at an industry-standard price. It also uses several different equipment brands.

Ultimately, though, we just weren’t able to get enough information about what exactly Aegis offers, which bumped its ranking down.

According to Neighborhood Scout, the chances of being a victim of crime in San Antonio is one in 18.³ Or, to look at it another way, there are about as many crimes committed in SATX each year as children going on field trips to the San Antonio Zoo.⁴

Of course, if you’ve lived in SATX for a while, you know the numbers can be misleading. Just because you’re statistically likely to experience crime in SATX doesn’t mean you will. Still, a home security system is a reasonable precaution. So is a car security system: there’s a one in 220 chance of having your car stolen in San Antonio, according to Neighborhood Scout.⁵

Yes, and you can get one from the San Antonio Police Departments Alarm Investigations Office (SAPD AIO).⁶

91% of SATX burglar calls in 2015 were false alarms.⁸ Although the SAPD responds to both permitted and unpermitted alarm calls, the department charges residents for each false alarm from an unpermitted system.^⁹ In contrast, owners of permitted systems aren’t fined until the fourth false alarm.¹⁰

They certainly don’t hurt. We especially recommend video doorbell cameras. Stealing packages is rampant throughout the US, but it’s an especially egregious crime in Texas. Porch pirates can even serve jail time.¹¹ So if you catch a thief on a video doorbell camera, you’ve got recourse to pursue criminal charges.

You can also get indoor cameras or even outdoor cameras to record a broader area of your yard.

Landline systems are definitely going out of style. Tons of people no longer have dedicated home phones, and security systems run through landlines are easier to disable than wireless ones.

But reception isn’t created equal. If your cell constantly drops calls at home or if the Spurs game always comes up fuzzy, a cellular alarm system probably won’t work well for you. In that case, you’ll want to try one of the landline packages we discussed.

Maybe. It depends on the security offering and your insurance provider. If you talk to your security company, a rep might be able to tell you what homeowners insurance offers discounts. Or, if you go to your insurance first, you could get a recommendation for a security company.

If you’re renting a single-family home or apartment, your options for security may be limited. At least one local company, Veteran Alarm, requires that you be the homeowner of your residence.

To avoid breach of contract or other legal issues, talk to your landlord and the alarm company before moving forward with an installation. And for additional guidance, check out our best home security systems for renters.

As you might already know, San Antonio has zoning laws around Airbnbs.¹² As far as we can tell, though, those laws don’t have any SATX-specific restrictions for security systems. You should be able to have a   as long as you follow Airbnb’s general guidelines.

San Antonians have plenty of local home security options to choose from, including our recommendations:

• Central Security: We recommend Central Security as the best overall option in SATX.
• Builder Systems Group: If you’re dreaming of building a house of your own, Builder Systems Group would love to protect it.
• Crown Electronic: You can get a nice, low alarm monitoring price with Crown Electronic.
• Intruder Alert Systems of San Antonio: After 35 years, Intruder Alert Systems of San Antonio has some staying power.
• San Antonio Alarm Company: San Antonio Alarm Company is completely contract-free.

With a home security system, you’re sure to have greater peace of mind living in Alamo City.

Sources:

1. Neighborhood Scout, “San Antonio, TX Crime Analytics”
2. MySA, “Shop Small, Shop Local”
3. Neighborhood Scout, “San Antonio, TX Crime Analytics”
4. San Antonio Zoo, “About Us”
5. Neighborhood Scout, “San Antonio, TX Crime Analytics”
6. City of San Antonio, “Alarm Permits: Overview”
7. City of San Antonio, “Alarms Investigation Office”
8. City of San Antonio, “Alarm Permits: Overview”
9. City of San Antonio, “Alarms Investigation Office”
10. City of San Antonio, “Alarm Permits: Penalties”
11. The Texas Tribune, “Stealing Packages Could Result in Jail Time in Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Bill”
12. Airbnb, “San Antonio, TX”