Monthly Account & Installation Fee:

Vivint is currently among the biggest and most popular home security service providers in the United States of America. Vivint Smart Home Security is a professionally installed system that is monitored around the clock; they also have plenty of home automation options such as doorbell cameras smart locks, and thermostats that can be controlled through a smartphone app. However, many homeowners usually ask themselves this question: How much is Vivint’s monthly charge? Let us now discuss each of these in detail.

Upfront Costs

Of course, there are other recurring charges under the Vivint Smart Home program that a customer might incur, but where Vivint appears to shine is in terms of the monthly monitoring and services fees and monthly costs, it is important to weigh the initial equipment and installation fees as well. Vivint has a standard minimum cost of $99 and a maximum cost of $199 for equipment. This includes the primary, keypad, door and window contacts, motion detectors, and any other specific hardware chosen from a security package. More specific smart home devices and systems of the selected type can lead to higher upfront equipment fees.

Another component of the cost is a basic installation fee, which costs between 99 and 199 US dollars. In some instances, there could be additional tasks that the consumer wants the technician from Vivint to undertake which would warrant a higher fee for professional installation. These are the costs to bear in mind when thinking about the monthly costs, but there are also the initial costs of acquiring and installing a Vivint system, which will cost between $200 and $400 for equipment and installation fees.

Monthly Monitoring and Services

When looking at regular monthly fees, the main costs fall into two categories: The two fees that were discussed under this category are monitoring fees and financing fees. Let me break it down into two sections which appear to be the general charges customers are billed every month by Vivint.

Monitoring: This is the minimum cost of all the systems that Vivint offers since the company mandates professional monitoring services on all systems. The fees covered are the constant support from the Vivint monitoring centers, backup cellular connectivity in case of lost WiFi, the software updates needed on the system, and the storage and easy access to the videos recorded by the cameras.

The basic package for the monitoring plan is $39. 99 per month. Some allow extra add-ons for extra video storage or additional smart home capabilities for a bit more money. In this case, monitoring is going to cost as low as $40 monthly, but most of the systems will be costing within $45-$55 per month.

Financing: If the customers do not wish to pay the equipment and installation prices in full, they can choose 0% APR financing plans that span up to 42 or 60 months. The financing payment turns into a combination of the monitoring fees, which in turn makes it easier by having one Vivint monthly bill. Amounts for financing payments are usually based on the retail price of the selected equipment and will range between $40 and $100 per month on average.

When finance is secured, most Vivint packages are priced in the range of $80 to $150+ per month though the price varies from time to time. It is the most fundamental of all the systems, and for it, the charges could start from $65/month and could be financed for 42 months. High financing fees for the devices/features and monitoring make it possibly expensive, especially for a larger smart home setup, if many devices/features were to be installed and used over 60 months, the monthly cost could be over $200.

What Impacts Monthly Costs?

When estimating how much you’ll pay per month for Vivint service, a few key factors impact costs: 

Equipment Selection – The more equipment involved, the more expensive it will be to include more gear, sensors, cameras, etc., increasing equipment cost/financing. Indeed, the simplest plans allow you to save on the monthly cost of using the service.

Financing Term Duration – Extending financing from 42 to 60 months reduces the monthly equipment fee but raises the total fee for service over the long term.

Service Plan/Features – Advanced or higher tier monitoring plans with bigger video storage, tech support, and other bonuses connected with smart home, cost a few bucks more every month.

Contract Terms – Regarding the monitoring services, Vivint has a standard monitoring period of 5 years (60 months). Longer terms may pose a cheaper unit price but are thus tied to a longer contract length.

New parts that initially may seem minor surely add $10 or more to monthly costs in the long run. Therefore, be careful when selecting the best package that will enable one to create the perfect Vivint package that will help cut down the monthly expenses.

The Vivint Contract Buyouts, and Cancellation Fees

Paying for the 5-year monitoring contract also means possible penalties for Vivint services if one wants to terminate the contract early or buy out. The fee for breaking the contract varies depending on the number of months remaining in the agreement, for instance, fees as low as $700 drop by $10 per month.

However, the full return of all the equipment and devices that were given by Vivint can lower the cancellation penalties to minimum levels or even cancel them in some cases. However, early termination of a contract typically when the contract is less than 2 years old means that the buyer still pays fees even when returning equipment.

One interesting fact is that Vivint’s price is slightly higher compared to its key competitors.

As for the monthly cost, once again, Vivint is not much different from other national competitors in terms of professionally installed home security systems like ADT or Brinks Home Security. Regional security providers can at times be more affordable as they may offer the same equipment and services at $10-20 less per month. Such low-cost DIY systems that have no installation also vary widely regarding cost and are usually less smart.

When comparing SimpliSafe with its competition in the home security niche, it is usually $15-$30 cheaper than Vivint monthly. While both companies offer quite similar smart home options, Vivint tends to incorporate more powerful smart home technology into its packages than SimpliSafe. There is a vast difference between monitoring services and equipment, therefore plan comparison should be based on the total plan.

The following sub-topics draw the reader’s attention to the question of whether Vivint is worth the monthly costs:

The professional monitoring, smart home appliances, and mobile app access that Vivint provides thus make the average $80 to $150 per month cost reasonable, especially if the homeowner is willing to pay for the equipment. While some may require advanced security services and features that can only be offered by the likes of Vivint, there are most definitely others who can make do with more basic security services at a cheaper price and may find some of the services offered by Vivint too expensive for their tastes.

Like with many other big home security systems providers, getting Vivint service costs $100+ per month which gives people the confidence of knowing their house, and, by extension, their families are protected at all times. For some, this alone can be justified by the high cost of burglaries and property crime risks that come with the high expenses. But remember that it is crucial to compare the monitoring features, equipment requirements, and other contractual conditions to receive the most effective offer adapted to your particular case.

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