Vivint is a leading and renowned Home Security System and smart home service provider of its kind in the United States of America. Vivint security systems connect traditional security aspects such as doors and window sensors, video surveillance, and control panels with smart home features such as smart locks, smart thermostats, and voice. However, this integration and automation has its downside – Vivint systems are among the most expensive in the industry compared to other security providers. But what does Vivint cost to install and to have the security system monitored?
Upfront Costs
The initial cost of equipment for a Vivint smart system can cost anywhere from $599 to more than $3,000; however, this depends on the type of equipment, the options, and the monitoring services selected. Of course, they offer self-monitoring within ~$30/mo that can reduce the equipment price to ~$599 for a basic Vivint system. While the basic subscription costs about $200, most customers subscribe to the $1000 to $1500 plans that offer professional monitoring and integration with smart home devices. Some key factors impacting Vivint's upfront costs include:
Cost considerations include the type of equipment chosen, whether security or smart devices. Extra features such as indoor and outdoor cameras, doorbell cameras, smoke detectors, smart thermostats, smart lock systems, etc can make a massive contribution to the base price. This is especially true for smart home devices which lead to increased costs.
Monitoring Plan - Vivint has three types of monitoring plans, which are the Self Monitoring, Technology Assurance Plan, and the Total Protect plan. The Total Protect Plan is priced at the highest initial cost of $59. 99 every month for a 3-month contract. But it also has features like the option of video cloud storage among others.
Home Size – The number of devices in big homes that need to be protected increases, thus causing higher initial costs. Houses, apartments, or most small 2-3 bedrooms are coverage of most of the basic packages. The size of the house may however require further modification with other devices for more expansive homes.
Upfront Costs: The initial or starting cost is $99 which includes the basic installation of a Vivint home security system. As for the additional installation and/or wiring job that may be required in a home to support this system, the cost may go up to $199 and above. There are activation fees of roughly $199 on average.
When you include the equipment costs, monthly monitoring costs, and installation fees, it’s quite possible to end up paying over $2000 or even $3000 for a Vivint system, particularly for larger homes. However, you can reduce your cash cost initially by going for self-monitoring and only adding smart home devices that are not necessarily required.
Monthly and Annual Costs
In addition to the upfront costs to purchase and install your Vivint system, you also need to factor in ongoing monthly fees for monitoring and any financing costs: In addition to the upfront costs to purchase and install your Vivint system, you also need to factor in ongoing monthly fees for monitoring and any financing costs:
Monitoring –
There exist different packages of the monitoring plan with prices ranging between $29. 99 and $59. 99 for the monitoring and support services offered by Vivint. This avails professional monitoring response for the whole day when alarms have been activated.
Lastly, on the choice of financing, most customers agree to pay Vivint in installments instead of thousands of dollars at once, and they are divided into equal monthly payments for three to five years. To finance, the interest rate is charged at 2. 99% to $4. 99% APR on borrowed amount for the entire period of the loan.
Smart Home Subscription –
For those who desire to have all of the services that Vivint has to offer in terms of smart home and compatibility with other intelligent home devices and ecosystems, customers need to subscribe to Vivint’s Smart Home plans, which cost an additional $15 per month.
It is important to note that, when combining the initial costs with the monthly fees, most Vivint customers spend between $3,000 and $5,000 on their system over 3-5 years of use. However, there are some simple packages in which the client can get basic equipment for shorter-term financing ranging from $2000 total.
What Affects Vivint Solar Prices?
As you are already aware, Vivint provides a wide array of products with diverse costs. But that leaves the question of what contributes to the total cost of a system.
Home size – There are more points of access in the larger home and the overall space of a home determines the cost. To cover extensive areas, more sensors and devices are needed for the security and safety of that particular area.
Equipment requirement – These include cameras which are both indoors and outdoors, doorbell cams, flood sensors, locks, and other equipment that adds to the expenses. Determine what is crucial to your safety.
Monitoring Services – professional monitoring without interaction and self-monitoring costs more than $43 a month. However, most homeowners consider paying extra to have a comfortable and secure home, which is worth it.
Smart Home Integration – Smart thermostats, bulbs, and fridges are great but having them doesn’t necessarily make the home protected from intruders. These devices increase costs considerably which ends up eating deep into the profits of an organization.
Contract life – Vivint has lower charges for customers willing to agree on long-term monitoring services with a duration of 36 or 60 months. This is because short-term plans are more expensive than the monthly rates of long-term plans.
The convenience and the integration with its systems are valuable benefits that customers can get from Vivint; however, it is also true that it comes at a higher cost. Spend time and effort in conducting a full needs assessment instead of buying everything that a student may require.
Vivint is costlier than other security giants such as ADT, Frontpoint, SimpliSafe, and Ring Alarm, and thus falls under the expensive category. For instance, it is possible to get a simple system from SimpliSafe for as low as $199 with the monthly monitoring varying between $15. This is where Ring Alarm comes in; it will cost you $199 for the essentials to self-monitor. And companies such as Abode, that fall in the no-contract service providers, have equipment starting at $279.
Vivint uses the advantage at the higher end. While other providers offer customizable DIY systems for considerably less, if you want a complete smart home solution with professional installation and service, Vivint comes through as advertised. It also provides affordable funding so that prospective customers do not have to pay for the expensive machinery at once. But for generic and cheap security services – you can probably get a better and cheaper monthly subscription somewhere else.
To most homeowners, it is also reasonable to pay $100-$200 for a Vivint system that offers comprehensive, full home security and smart functionality. The benefit that emanates from the security system allows you to have peace of mind that your home and family are secure all the time. Vivint also reduces occasions where you have to struggle with getting standalone smart home devices to work with each other.
However, if you want to focus on the price of the products offered, Vivint will not be the one to get the cheapest prices. Opponents like SimpliSafe and Ring also offer affordable monitoring and equipment costs compared to Protect America. There are also some weaknesses to the products sold by Vivint – they do not manufacture an extensive product range, they do not provide detailed DIY instructions, and they do not have contracts that span only one month.
In general, Vivint offers a high-end experience, geared toward professional security and smart home capabilities. Thus, if the ability to have the best-in-class smart home integration is more critical to you than monthly fees, Vivint should be very competitive for your consideration. It is recommended to be very careful with pricing across contract terms, yet it is also possible to avoid all issues in this sphere if a client fully grasps all details.
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