Ratings Methodology for Home Security Systems

NerdWallet’s overall ratings for home security system providers are weighted averages of ratings in the following categories:

Cost.

Features.

Ease of setup.

Privacy.

Customer reviews.

Data collection and review process

NerdWallet reviews several companies that provide home security systems for U.S. customers. Some of these providers charge additional fees for certain services.

We collect data from providers and do firsthand testing as necessary. Our process starts by gathering information from providers and contacting providers for further information where needed. This information, combined with our specialists’ hands-on research, makes up our proprietary assessment process that scores each provider’s performance.

The final output produces star ratings from poor (1 star) to excellent (5 stars). Ratings are rounded to the nearest half-star.

Information updates

Our writers and editors review providers on an annual basis. Throughout the year, we may maintain contact with providers and update any changes to their offerings.

Factor weightings

The weighting of each rating factor is based on our team’s assessment of which features are most important to consumers and which ones impact the consumer experience in the most meaningful way.

The review team

The review team comprises writers and editors who cover home services. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet’s strict guidelines for editorial integrity.

The combined expertise of our team is infused into our review process to ensure thoughtful evaluation of products and services from the customer's perspective.

Cost

If the provider’s list price for home security equipment is $200 or less, it earns the highest rating in this category. If the provider charges more than $500, it earns the lowest rating. We also consider the number of products in the starter kit, the monthly cost of professional monitoring plans and the monthly cost of self-monitoring plans.

Features

We consider whether the providers offer video doorbells, outdoor cameras, indoor cameras, alarm systems and smoke or carbon monoxide detectors. We consider whether the providers' cameras can zoom in, have night vision, a wide field of view, and battery and wired options. We also consider whether the providers' free self-monitoring options offer video recording, smart detection, app notifications, remote arming and disarming capabilities and cellular or battery backup. If the provider offers all of these things, it earns the highest rating. If a provider offers none or only one of these features, it gets the lowest rating.

Ease of setup

For this category, we consider whether it was easy to connect the equipment to wifi, the user-friendliness of the app, how easily the devices connect to each other and the overall ease of device setup.

Privacy

We consider whether providers offer two-factor authentication or encryption. We also look for a history of security breaches. Providers that offer two-factor authentication or encryption, that have no security breaches earn the highest rating; providers that do not have these things earn the lowest rating.

Customer reviews

If a provider has a score above 8 from Trustpilot, which is a consumer review site, as well as an average score above 4 from the Google and Apple app stores, it earns the highest rating. If a provider has a Trustpilot score of 2 or lower or an average app store review rating below 1, it earns the lowest rating.

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