Vivint Review

Monday, January 24th

2022 Alarm System Company Reviews

Vivint

• Innovative Doorbell Camera Pro proactively protects against package theft
• 3 packages to choose from, can customize as needed
• Equipment can be financed or purchased outright
• Monitoring starts around $29.99/month

Vivint is pretty well known for its pleasant, door-to-door sales reps offering professionally-installed alarm systems that come with many smart home bells and whistles - like connecting to your favorite Nest, Amazon or Google tech.

Customize or look at packages

One of the reasons Vivint alarm systems are so popular is their integration: you can have all of your locks, cameras, lighting and thermostats connected through your hub or smartphone app, and they work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa too.

• Starter: this includes the basics of 24/7 monitoring, intrusion detection, a touchscreen control panel as well as the Vivint mobile app, video security, theft deterrent, voice control, stored video clips, smart home automation, and vehicle protection.
• Premium: described as "complete home protection" , the details for this package are much the same as the Starter package, and you'll have to start a quote to see the differences.
• Premium Plus: Vivint calls this "security plus automation" , but again, you won't know exactly what you're getting until you build your own system and request a quote.

Equipment and monitoring is usually costly

We did some poking around, though, and found that you can expect monthly monitoring fees to start at $19.99/month (though most customers wind up paying at least $29.99/month with the equipment they select). In terms of the equipment, the Starter package tends to retail for about $599, which you can either pay for upfront or finance for up to five years interest-free; you'll probably get one motion sensor, one leak sensor, two door/window sensors and possibly a credit towards additional devices of your choice. You can predict that your equipment costs go up from there; we saw quotes for fully-featured systems with a base price of $1,700 just for the gear, not to mention the monitoring fees.

Unique video doorbell

On a positive note, we're really intrigued by Vivint's Doorbell Camera Pro. In an era when porch pirates seem to be more active than ever, having a video doorbell that not only notifies homeowners when a package arrives but also fires up an LED ring and a 65dB speaker when someone is spotted trying to remove a delivered package sounds like a pretty smart idea. Helpfully, you can create a surveillance zone too, so that your alerts don't go off every time someone walks a dog past your home.

Professional installation required

All of Vivint's systems require professional installation. When you call or go online to get your quote, you'll set an appointment with one of their "Smart Home Pros" who will give you a free in-home consultation. When you've chosen your system, expect installation fees of $99 - though the authorized retailer of Vivint in your area may have promotions that give it to you for free.

Poor reputation

Vivint makes a lot of promises, but it's difficult to get past the company's reputation: an "F" with the Better Business Bureau and over 1,600 complaints filed there in the last 12 months alone. We're not seeing any signs of improvement in that regard, either, with Vivint entering yet another settlement agreement with the FTC due to fraudulent sales practices. Not so great, folks, especially for a company that's supposed to help consumers be more secure - not less.

Least recommended for alarm systems

Beyond sales, Vivint regularly disappoints with respect to service. Customer after customer describe systems that stop functioning for weeks or months at a time, with no-show technicians - yet ongoing payments. Spending money month after month, under contract for financed equipment, for home alarm systems that doesn't actually work? No thanks. You won't have a hard time understanding why Vivint once again earns our lowest ranking among alarm system providers.