Vivint is one of the largest and most popular Home Security System providers that are available to clients in the United States. Vivint sells professional home security systems with all the required devices, such as control panels, door and window contacts, motion detectors, cameras, etc Despite this, certain questions arise such as what if you have moved to a new house with Vivint equipment or you want to cancel the services of Vivint – can you continue with the Vivint equipment while not availing the monitoring services of Vivint? So let us take a closer look for better understanding.
How Vivint Equipment Works?
Every of the security systems offered by Vivint is professionally installed and further configured by Vivint technicians. They will install and wire all the security sensors, cameras, control panels, etc, and test to see that all are transmitting correctly over the wireless network provided by Vivint. The sensors report to the control panel and the control panel has a cell modem inside to report to Vivint’s processing center. Thus when a sensor picks motion or an entryway opens, it signals the panel which relays the alarm signal to Vivint’s monitoring center where an emergency is confirmed and further if needed an emergency response is dispatched.
The absence of an active service plan means that the cellular chip that is located in the Vivint control panel will be rendered useless, and will not be capable of sending signals to Vivint’s monitoring station. However, that does not necessarily mean all the equipment will discontinue working if you disconnect service.
Are sensors and Devices still effective?
However, if one day you decide that you do not want to continue paying for their monitoring services, most of the security sensors or devices installed in the building will still function properly in some capacity, although you will not have professional support to back you up. For instance, the door/window entry sensors are still effective in detecting whether an entry point is opened and alerting the control panel and the onboard alarm siren to the presence of intruders. Smart lighting is also present, whereby motion sensors can operate and switch lights on and off via the support of Vivint’s home automation system. Vivint cameras will still capture videos that are recorded on a DVR or NVR present in the system. It is as if you have personal security/smart home system free using Vivint equipment and no monthly bills to pay.
The catch is that there is no professional monitoring center getting those alerts and calling the authorities when the sensors are activated – unless the owner is subscribed to the Vivint monitoring service. You would only get some notifications on the local level through the panel or via short mobile application notifications. This means that without updates from Vivint, there could be instances of vulnerability to cyber-attacks or firmware problems down the road. However, when it comes to the normal operations of a building such as doors and motion sensors, cameras, electronic locks, lights, temperature regulators, and many more they can still function.
Returning to the Internet Using Vivint Equipment
If after that you feel that you need the professionally supervised security services, in most instances, you should be able to reprogram the existing types of equipment in your home with that of Vivint to start using a new service plan. To do this, all you would have to do is call Vivint as a new customer and have a technician come out and reprogram all the devices under a new Vivint account and reawaken the communicators inside the panel. Yes, there may be some smallest reactivation fees that may be incurred but all-in-all, it is very possible to get the used Vivint equipment back to a working state and, more importantly, professionally monitored.
It also makes it nice if you are buying a home that has Vivint equipment already installed in it from a forward-thinking perspective. On the day you subscribe, you aren’t pressured to enroll for services you don’t need or want. But the choice is there to get a new Vivint plan on the go in a short time if needed if a particular carrier’s rates rise too quickly or offer less value. As you should already know, Vivint has to be certain of the ownership of the equipment, meaning that buying a second-hand system through third parties is slightly more complicated.
Can you monitor and control to what extent the system can self-regulate?
But if you wish to remain a nonsubscriber and continue to use the features of Vivint security devices in this scenario the company does offer a couple of choices – although rather restricted compared to the paid subscriber.
DIY Smart Home Security Without remote access and professional monitoring, the basic smart home, for which Vivint’s SkyControl panel is designed, enables users to manually control and automate the security and smart equipment in the house. The touchscreen allows you to control the system such as the arm/disarm procedures, the locking and unlocking of doors, regulating the temperatures through thermostats, switching the lights on/off, and others. This also enables users to view locally stored video from cameras. But without service, you don’t have the mobile applications through which Vivint can be controlled remotely.
Re-Registering on Sky However, the same equipment can be registered into Sky, which is a new DIY consumer-facing app for smart homes from Vivint, but based on the same platform. This lets you regain partial control of the devices online through the Sky app for certain additional functions, such as remote access and basic monitoring for free without any monthly charges. You still send cellular signals to the professional monitoring center and some other advanced integrations hence it is not a total substitute for the Vivint subscriber services. However, it does provide consumers with more options or say in the matter.
Reusing Vulnerable Equipment
However, one probability that remains a certainty if Vivint continues to repurpose inactive equipment beyond monitoring and software patching is cybersecurity and firmware issues. Flaws in software and hacking threats are just as real even in security-oriented brands for software. However, relying on a smart home packed with security devices that do not receive updates or support anymore is always open to risks even though most of them remain functional after canceling a plan. There could be firmware bugs that are known, and without updates, such a situation will only aggravate as the system becomes outdated and exposed to intruders.
Alone, it is possible to self-monitor and automate Vivint devices without the assistance of experts or control via a mobile application, but you will not receive the latter-mentioned lifetime professional monitoring and emergency dispatch services which offer a great deal of comfort. Therefore, most security experts suggest that while DIY is sufficiently sufficient for establishing a basic security line, one should use equipment to the fullest utilizing active monitoring instead of stopping at DIY security. That or replacing them with new models as glitches are found in the older models that Vivint no longer supports. However, uncertainty makes many users continue to use old equipment at no charge while hoping that nothing goes sorely wrong.
Is More Cost-Effective To Reuse Vivint Equipment And Avoid The Services?
Summing up, the lack of protection, if not subscribing to monthly services or paying for software updates, is very risky if the user highly values home security. Lack of emergency dispatch services together with the enhanced risk of cyber threats with time implies that while you can be enticed into being secure with Vivint’s sensors and cameras, you may indeed be setting yourself up for a hack. While it is true that any smart home enthusiast who is cutting a few edges may find the DIY approach tolerable in the short term, he must remain wary. Or better yet, if you want to take full advantage of Vivint’s newest Sky platform offering and avoid professional monitoring fees, then it is better to use their newest Sky platform offering if the home already has the necessary equipment. At a minimum, understand that retaining Vivint equipment beyond the services means losing some of the primary benefits and shelter provisions.
Protect your home today with ADT’s top-rated security solutions!
Call now at +1 877-470-7879 to get a free consultation and find out how you can secure your home with the best in the business. Don’t wait—ensure your peace of mind with ADT!
