Smart home security system giant that is based in Utah, USA, Vivint Smart Home is one of the most recognized brands in the industry. Vivint has a variety of packages that include outdoor and indoor cameras, door and window sensors, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, smart locks, and video doorbells, along with the SkyControl panel to oversee all the connected devices. By having professional installation, monitoring options, and cellular connection and backup services, Vivint offers a rather comprehensive smart home security system.

But like it is indicated, Vivint is not cheap at all it is quite expensive and this may pose a problem for some people. Of course, Vivint is one of the high-end home security companies on the market at the moment. Vivint offers a large number of packages; most of the packages come with a multi-year agreement where the customer is bound to pay an amount of $40-$60 per month for monitoring in addition to other charges for equipment. Thus, is there any possibility of getting a free trial or making a call as cheaply as possible using Vivint? Now, let us zoom in more on what was said.

Free Vivint Equipment

However, there are no options for using all the features of Vivint home security without paying anything for it, but there are a lot of people who might be able to get the “free equipment”. In more detail, instead of paying the full amount for all the devices for home security, Vivint offers to pay for the devices in installments, and you can get $0 for the starter package because of the multi-year contract.

For instance, there is the Vivint Smart Home which often provides customers with 3 to 5-year contracts where you can get $0 for the equipment and installation. However, it is redistributed into other aspects and is incorporated into the monthly monitoring fees you have to pay.

Specific Vivint packages with free equipment offers : 

  • Vivint Smart Home Essentials: $49. 99/month for 42 months of basic equipment + monthly fees ($1999 total)
  • Vivint Smart Home Complete: Offer free equipment but charge $59. 99 per month for sixty months which is equal to $3599.

As such while it appears that the equipment is free to you, you find yourself paying for the equipment through the exorbitant monthly fees that are locked in for the next 3+ years through the Vivint contract.

Visit also offers some of their equipment at reduced prices, although not free, for instance, they may have a promotion like, “50% off all equipment,” meaning that it does not contribute so much to your monthly fees as it decreases what gets added to the monthly costs.

In a nutshell, there are indeed Vivint offers where the company provides free equipment for the customers but this comes with a catch; the customers are to agree to a long-term contract with the company for their monthly monitoring services.

There are also short-term solutions as well as those that anyone, even without professional experience, can do themselves.

If you are leery of being roped into multi-year contracts that come with expensive cancellation penalties, however, there are a couple of other ways you can use Vivint on a short-term basis or in a do-it-yourself fashion. However, these options are accompanied by higher equipment costs in comparison with the initial three ones.

No Contract Monitoring

Vivint has recently added an option of having an endless contract with the possibility of canceling at any time after the first year of service. Not as with the other three major plans, you do not spread the cost of equipment over 42+ months; you pay it upfront. Consequently, although short-term flexibility grows, so does your starting cost.

For instance, equipment costs may go up to $1000, and $1500 may be used to pay for the first year of monitoring fees. As for cheaper monthly plans, starting from $30 with no contract you lose much on freebies.

DIY Purchase Options

Sch also noted that some of the components of the Vivint system are also sold directly to consumers without having to purchase the bundles and get monitoring from Vivint. For instance, currently, the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro costs about $250 or there is the 4-camera outdoor kit that costs $799.

Buying Vivint gear individually and directly allows you to own the gear permanently except for any strings related to any subscription. However, there are downsides to DIY systems as professional installation is lacking, and cellular backups and central monitoring/control are missing. It also turns out to be more costly than free gear advertising where one has to add the cost of multi-year access to the equipment.

What is the possibility of getting an exception for not paying monitoring fees for the Vivint equipment?

If you sign up for a Vivint offer that includes free equipment but commits you to a long-term contract, then, to meet your obligations, you must pay the monthly bills. Thus, once Vivint has installed the devices, you cannot use any of them if you do not pay for the monitoring fees according to the conditions you signed and agreed upon.

Vivint equipment arrives ready for installation and activation with this provider only. Many consumers fail to pay the agreed monthly charges and as a result, Vivint has the authority to control their system without their prior permission while at the same time charging them the remaining balances as agreed on in the contract. This correlates with paying the full equipment costs that you did not incur upfront, termination fees likely in a lump sum, and collections depending on state laws.

On the other hand, should you buy Vivint devices without any package or commitment, you get the exclusive right to own the physical equipment. DIY gear also means that one can save money on the regular monitoring of the equipment’s functionality. However, that precludes professional assistance and cellular mirrors and consequently restricts you.

Alternative Budget Options

If looking to maximize savings, cheaper alternatives to Vivint's high-end systems are available:

  1. There are many DIY security systems, including SimpliSafe, Ring, and Nest Secure, where you can install the equipment yourself and then do not have to commit to a long-term contract. While taking more time and work, the flexibility in paying month by month with the ability to only choose what is needed at the time is significantly cheaper in the long run.
  2. Companies like ADT or Brinks Home Security that operate through the contract-based competition have cheaper monthly prices when you also have or add external monitoring for example, through your cell provider, or Alexa Guard. Just beware of multi-year contracts, and that’s the last piece of advice on the stock photo business.
  3. Independent security companies can offer similar services more affordably than Vivint due to the advertising campaigns that the latter needs to fund to cover the entire country. All that is left is to make sure whoever you hire is licensed, bonded, insured, and preferably have good recommendations.

The Bottom Line

Vivint offers the best smart home security systems with easy setup, technical assistance, and firmware upgrades at your fingertips. Monthly charges remain high with Vivint, and long-term contracts tie you to pay for the equipment with high initial monthly fees for years. If one is seeking shorter-term flexibility or strict budgets then the use of self-installed security systems or local security providers is cheaper but requires more effort and research.

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