SimpliSafe vs ADT Home Security: An Expert Comparison
In this post we will take an in-depth look at both SimpliSafe and ADT Home Security by informing our readers what they have to offer and how they compare.
ADT Control Panel
ADT has a few options on how you can connect and control your security, home automation, and video surveillance devices. They have a basic panel that works by connecting directly to a landline and it is powered through being directly wired into your home’s power source.
All features for this basic panel can be controlled through the ADT app or on the push-button keypad. The next option for a control panel is ADT’s digital keypad. The panel has a full colored touchscreen, and it displays current time, temperature, and system status. The panel can be wall mounted or you can place it on a desktop. It is pretty expandable, allowing you to connect 250 total devices including 16 cameras, 32 key fobs, 8 touchscreens or alpha keypads, and up to 224 Z-wave devices. You can also have up to 99 user codes for this system.
This base panel also has cellular backup option, and ADT’s digital keypad panel works by connecting to your home’s WIFI network and includes a cellular backup as well. Their digital keypad is powered through an AC power source, and it includes a backup battery. Both of ADT’s panels offer 2-way communication with ADT’s central monitoring station which allows you to quickly take care of any emergency. You don’t have to install any equipment yourself because ADT offers professional installation on all of their equipment.
To see an alternative option, check out our home security system at Link Interactive >>
SimpliSafe Control Panel
The brains of the SimpliSafe system has changed recently. It has been redesigned to give it more modern features as well as a more modern look. The hub has a cone shaped design with LED indicator lights at the bottom of the base of the hub that will change different colors to indicate different arm and disarm statuses. It also has an audio voice alert that will let you know when your system has been armed and disarmed or when one of your security sensors has been triggered.
It is a wireless cellular system that works by connecting to the intrusion and environmental safety devices that are connected to it through a wireless signal, and transmits the signal for your monitoring for your system through a cellular chip.
The new version of the base also includes a second connection for your system through your home’s WIFI network which gives you a double layer of protection. The SimpliSafe hub is powered through an AC power source but also includes a 24-hour backup battery just in case your power goes out. When a security event has been triggered, the SimpliSafe hub as a 105-decibel internal siren that will give you an audible alert. SimpliSafe’s equipment is DIY (do it yourself) which means all the equipment needs to be setup by yourself.
To see an alternative option, check out our home security system at Link Interactive >>
Who wins?
ADT and SimpliSafe offer great control panels that allow you to centrally connect and control all the connected devices. We do really like that ADT does give you a few options when it comes to what type of control panel you can use. We especially like that digital keypad that is offer by ADT better than SimpliSafe’s control panel due to all of its features and controls being centrally located. The SimpliSafe hub is easy to use, and we really like that it has indicator lights to show system status. When it comes to control panels ADT wins this category due to the fact that their digital keypad has much more features than that of SimpliSafe’s control panel.
If you’re big on DIY and would rather skip the installation costs, give Link Interactive a look. Our system is not only DIY, but it’s controlled and monitored by Alarm.com - the gold standard in home security control and automation.
ADT Equipment
ADT offers both wired and wireless versions of the sensors hat they use to protect your home. Their wireless sensors are battery operated, and they will connect to your security panel wirelessly.
ADT offers door/window sensors used to protect the entryways to your home. They offer motion sensors that are great at providing protection for large areas of your home. If your home has glass windows, ADT offers glass break sensors to provide protection for the glass windows in your home.
ADT also offers wired and wireless life safety devices. They offer both smoke and CO2 detectors. Their smoke and CO2 detectors make an audible alert anytime smoke or rises in CO2 gases have been detected. When any sensor you have connected to your ADT system is triggered it will also trigger your security system.
Click here to read our full ADT product review >>
ADT additional equipment
ADT offers a huge variety of add-on equipment. ADT mainly offers other branded equipment, and today we will be giving some examples of that equipment but not the whole list. For a whole list of add-on equipment offered by ADT see our full ADT review.
ADT offers Kwikset automated door locks. These locks allow you to create custom user codes, and you can remotely unlock and lock these locks through the ADT app.
ADT then offers their own branded smart thermostats. ADT’s smart thermostats works for most HVAC heating and cooling systems. Their smart thermostats allow you to remotely control the temperature in your home. You can also set custom timers for when your heating and cooling system comes on and goes off.
If you have a garage door you can purchase a garage door controller through ADT. Having a garage door controller will allow you to remotely open and close your garage door. You will also receive push notifications any time your garage door has been opened and shut. Their garage door controllers are wireless which means they work by connecting wirelessly to your home’s WIFI network.
ADT also offers a variety of smart plugs and light switches. Smart plugs and smart light switches allow you to control lights and small appliances while on the go. You can set timers as well for when these lights and small appliances turn on and turn off which can be done through the ADT app.
ADT has a few different options to for video surveillance equipment as well. They offer indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cameras that are wireless. Their cameras work by connecting wirelessly to your home’s WIFI network. All their cameras have decent video resolution, and their doorbell camera even includes a 2-way audio feature that allows you to directly communicate with whomever is around your doorbell camera.
SimpliSafe Equipment
SimpliSafe’s base equipment is all wireless and battery operated. They either include mounting screws or double-sided adhesive tape to install the sensors.
SimpliSafe offers door/window sensors that fit a variety of different styles of door/windows frames. They also offer motion sensors that are discreet and pet immune making them perfect for covering a larger area of your home.
They offer an external-siren that will make an audible alert when your system is triggered, and battery operated key chain remotes and panic buttons as well. These remotes have a push-button design that allows you to easily arm, disarm, and create a panic alert with your system.
SimpliSafe also offers battery operated smoke, temperature, and flood sensors. These sensors will keep an eye on rises in water, drastic rises and decreases in temperature, and smoke, and they will make an audible alert if these are detected. They will also trigger your system along with any other sensor that is triggered that is connected to your SimpliSafe system.
SimpliSafe additional equipment
The only add-on equipment that is offered by SimpliSafe is their SimpliCam. The SimpliCam is a wireless camera that is powered through an AC power source, and connects through your home’s WIFI network. It can produce HD quality audio and video, and it has a 120-degree diagonal field of view. It has night vision technology that will allow you to see images in low light settings, or even when there is no light.
Your SimpliCam has an LED indicator light that allows you to know the different statuses of the camera such as on or recording. The SimpliCam has a 2-way audio feature that will allow you to directly communicate with whomever is around the camera.
The SimpliCam is meant for indoor use or only, but it is made of pretty resistant materials so it can be placed outside in an area that will protect it from the elements. The SimpliCam includes motions sensors that trigger the camera to start to record and motion alerts are then sent as push notifications to your phone so you can instantly view a live recording. Video can be viewed through the SimpliSafe website or through SimpliSafe app.
ADT vs SimpliSafe: Equipment
ADT and SimpliSafe both offer some really great basic equipment that will keep your home protected. We do like the fact that ADT offers both wired and wireless versions of their sensors. We like SimpliSafe’s DIY style of installation due to the fact that it will save you money when it comes to professional installation fees. However, ADT does offer a bit more variety, more importantly a CO2 detector, and so ADT is the winner of this category.
Before giving you are choice for our winner for add-on equipment between ADT and SimpliSafe we would first like to give some add-on equipment facts. All equipment that is offered by SimpliSafe is made and produced by them. This means you have to use SimpliSafe branded equipment unlike ADT which offers you the ability to use other branded security equipment.
SimpliSafe’s equipment is bought up front which means there is no month to month contract. This can cause consumers to spend more out of pocket up front, but saves them from contracts and in month to month costs. ADT however offers contracts for their monitoring services which cuts down on your upfront cost but will have your paying more month to month. Both ADT and SimpliSafe allow you to use smart home assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home to control your system and the devices connected to them using voice commands.
ADT vs SimpliSafe: Monitoring
ADT and SimpliSafe both offer professional, self, and video monitoring services. There is a big difference between the pricing for these services. SimpliSafe in general is much cheaper with their monitoring services and equipment prices than ADT.
ADT however offers smart home automation control as a part of their self-monitoring services, but SimpliSafe does not offer this for their self-monitoring service.
ADT’s and SimpliSafe’s apps are free to download and work for both Apple and Android devices. They both allow you to remotely arm and disarm your system. You can also customize your systems features through their apps. When a device is triggered you will receive push notifications for these events.
Both the ADT and SimpliSafe apps allow you to stream live and recorded video. The biggest difference between the apps is that ADT’s app allows you to control home automation devices as well. ADT’s app also allows for more in-depth customization for your devices.
ADT vs SimpliSafe vs Link Interactive
We feel ADT has a bit more to offer than SimpliSafe in terms of equipment and monitoring features. But if you’re interested in something better than both of these security solution, give Alarm.com powered Link Interactive a look. If you want a system that is comparable to ADT Home Security, but has better reviews and pricing, you must give our Link Interactive Alarm.com system a look. We ace it when it comes to customer services as well, with 5-star reviews all over the internet!
Why you should get Link Interactive instead
Link Interactive and ADT are pretty similar in terms of equipment and monitoring services. At Link we offer the Qolsys control panel, Alarm.com self-monitoring and third-party professional monitoring. We both also offer home automation control and cutting-edge video monitoring services. The difference is in the experience. With our Alarm.com security system, you open yourself up to more features and compatibility with various on-market smart devices.
We encourage you take a look at our offer here, get a quote and compare. You can also call us direct at 1-877-826-5443 for further details and speak with a rep!
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