Let’s compare Vivint Smart Home with Brinks Home Security and see which of them comes out on top. We’ll go over equipment, features, monitoring and more!
There are many great providers of home security out on the market currently. To get a good deal on a security system you will need to do some shopping around. You want to make sure that the company you choose to go with offers the products and services that fit your specific needs. Today we will take a look at and compare what Vivint and Brinks Home Security have to offer.
Vivint offers a high-tech control panel that has a modern design and it’s easy to use. Their control panel is called the Vivint Smart Hub. This control panel is a full colored wireless touchscreen control panel. Unfortunately, Vivint does not list a lot of information on their site which leaves us the dark about specific features of their Vivint Smart Hub. They do state their Vivint Smart Hub has a Z-Wave protocol which will allow you to connect security, home automation, and other devices that are compatible that use Z-Wave protocol to the Vivint Smart Hub.
The rest of the information that will be going will be from the details from the picture that they have of their Vivint Smart Hub on their website. It does it appear that the Vivint Smart hub is powered by an AC power source, and it is safe to assume that is comes with some sort of backup battery. If the Vivint Smart Hub is like other touchscreen control panels you should be able to control of the functions of your system through the touchscreen control panel including arming and disarming your system. We can also assume that the Vivint Smart Hub follows the prior models of Vivint’s control panels in which they use a cellular connection as the main way of transmitting data with it also connecting to your WIFI as a backup.
Click here to see Link Interactive’s control panel »
Brinks Home Security offers several different control panels, but today we will only be going over their most superior control panel called the Brinks Home Touch.
The Brinks Home Touch panel is a completely wireless touchscreen control panel that comes with a 7-inch full color LCD capacitive glass multi-touch screen which sports 1280 x 800 resolution made by Qolsys. This control panel has built in 5MP fixed focus front facing camera that allows users to capture still images. It also has a slot for an SD card allowing users to store these images on an SD card.
The Brinks Home Touch panel has a built in 85 decibel internal siren with a built-in backup battery for those times the power goes out. It is powered by an AC power source, and it works by connecting to your home’s WIFI network. The panel also has the ability to have a cellular chip installed that has LTE coverage which is always good if your power or internet is down.
The Brinks Home Touch panel allows users to have 242 user codes. It also includes Smart Z-Wave technology that allows you to connect up 119 smart home devices. The Brinks Home Touch Panel includes smash and crash as well so even if your panel gets damaged during a home invasion it will still transmit a single.
Click here to see Link Interactive’s control panel »
Vivint’s and Brinks Home Security’s control panels have a lot of similarities. Both of their control panels are full colored touchscreen. They also both use cellular chips to transmit data and connect to your WIFI as a backup. Vivint unfortunately does not have a lot of transparency on their website about their control which leaves us guessing on what specific features their control panel has. Brinks Home Security offers you a ton of information about their control panel, and they have a couple of different control panels for you to choose from. For these reasons we are choosing Brinks Home Security for our winner for this category.
Another disappointment with Vivint’s website is that they don’t really list what basic sensors they have. They have a really small section on their website that list only a few sensors they seem to offer. Vivint offers door/window sensors that you can use to protect the entryways to your home. Unfortunately, we will again have to assume that these sensors are wireless and battery-operated due to the lack of information about them on their website. The only other sensor that is listed in the sensor section of Vivint’s website is their motion sensors. Motion sensors are great at cutting back on the number of door/window sensors that you need to purchase due to their ability to provide coverage for doors and windows in large area. We assume that their motion sensors are also wireless and battery-operated. The equipment offered by Vivint is installed by one of their professional installers so you don’t’ have to worry about setting up the equipment yourself.
Vivint Smart Home Additional Equipment
We are currently on the search to bring our readers more information about Vivint’s equipment. Unfortunately for now the information they provide for their add-on equipment on their website is quite limited. Vivint doesn’t have a home automation section on their website, but they do state their control panel includes a Z-Wave protocol. What this means is that you should be able to use home automation devices that use Z-Wave protocol, but the confusion around this means you’re better off with a system like Link Interactive - check it out. There are a lot of different smart locks, smart bulbs, smart thermostats, and other smart home products that use Z-Wave protocols to connect to your security system. For now, you will need to contact Vivint directly to find out what brands of home automation devices work with their control panel.
Vivint Smart Home Video Cameras/Surveillance
When it comes to video surveillance equipment, we are still left searching for more information. Vivint does state on their website that do offer video surveillance equipment, but what types of this equipment they offer is not listed on their website. We can assume that they at least offer an indoor camera for you to use with their system, and that it follows the trend of being wireless. If they are following the trends of other major security companies, and we think they are, they should also offer some outdoor and video doorbell camera.
To see Link Interactive’s Alarm.com cameras, please click here.
Brinks Home Security offers a wide variety of sensors to protect the entryways of your home. They offer door/window sensors that are wireless, and they a range of 600ft and come with a replaceable lithium battery. Their door/window sensors are small in size which allow them to work with a variety of door/window frame styles. They also offer PRI motions sensors which can detect the heat of emissions of human signatures which allows these sensors to be pet immune for pets up to 40ilbs. Their motion sensors are powered by 2 AA batteries with a battery life for up to 3 to 5 years. Brinks offers glass break sensors that are wireless and battery operated. These sensors will listen for the sound of glass break, and if it is heard these sensors will trigger your system.
Brinks also offers wireless and battery-operated smoke sensors that will watch over your home for rises in smoke. They also have a different kind of smoke sensor that can listen for the sounds of your already existing smoke sensors, and if these sounds are hear they will trigger your system. They next type of environmental safety sensor that is offered by Brinks is their CO detector. Their CO detector is also wireless and battery-operated. Brinks offers a wireless and battery-operated flood sensor that will detect the smallest leaks.
The last type of basic equipment that is offered by Brinks is their keychain remote. It has a 4-button push button design that also includes a panic button. Brinks offers DIY type of installation (do it yourself), but they include everything you need for a fast and easy installation. They also offer professional installation so you can have one of their technicians come out and setup everything for you.
Brinks Home Security Additional Equipment
Brinks Home Security has even more additional equipment than ADT. Brinks also offers Kwikset automated door locks. Brinks has several different models of Kwikset locks they offer, but they all work pretty much the same. You will able to remotely lock and unlock your Kwikset locks on the go as well as set custom users codes. Brinks offers a few different smart thermostats, and they offer Alarm.com smart thermostats. The smart thermostats they offer work for most HVAC heating and cooling systems. You will be able to customize the temperature of your home remotely, and set custom timers for when your heating and cooling system comes on and goes off. Brinks has a wide variety of smart plugs and switches as well. You will able to control lights along with small appliances remotely while on the go.
Brinks Home Security Video Surveillance
When it comes to video surveillance equipment Brinks offers indoor, outdoor, and the SkyBell Slim Line Video Doorbell Camera. The cameras that are offered by Brinks have crystal clear video resolution, and the SkyBell Slim Line Video Doorbell also includes a 2-way audio feature. Link Interactive offers the the Skybell doorbell camera as well.
Comparing Vivint and Brinks Home Security’s basic equipment is a little difficult to do. Vivint only list a very limited list of their basic sensors with little or no information. Brinks Home Security however has a ton of information on their basic equipment which allows you to really let you plan how you want personalize your system. Because Brinks Home Security has a great description of their basic equipment along with a list, we are giving them the win for this category.
When it comes to additional equipment, we do know that Vivint offers home automation and video surveillance equipment, but what types of this equipment they offer has us guessing. Unfortunately for Vivint, their lack of transparency really hurts them when it comes being able to really highlight their products. Brinks Home Security on the other hand provides more details of what add-on equipment they offer, and they have a huge selection for you to choose from. The clear winner for this category is Brinks Home Security.
Vivint and Brinks Home Security offer professional, self, and video monitoring services. Vivint also offers medical pendent monitoring in addition to their regular monitoring services. Their self-monitoring services are done through their apps which are free to download and work for Apple and Android devices. You can remotely arm and disarm your system, stream live and recorded video, control home automation devices, and receive push notifications for events through their apps. Brinks Home Security app however is powered by Alarm.com which means you have a lot of features that you can use that other apps don’t have like Geo-fencing technology. Vivint’s and Brinks Home Security’s professional monitoring services work the same, where you have a professional monitoring station watching over your home 24/7.
Their pricing only varies slightly, with Brinks Home Security having the better value when it comes to their month to month monitoring costs.
Click here to see Link Interactive’s app »
Both Vivint and Brinks Home Security are known as top security providers in the United States. Vivint offers a really nice touchscreen control panel, and they have all the basic equipment you need to give your home some protection. Brinks Home Security has a lot of great equipment for you to choose from so that you can really expand and customize your system. Brinks Home Security also offers a variety of control panels for you to choose from, and they have great month to month monitoring costs. We are choosing Brinks Home Security as our overall winner due to their value and high-quality equipment. We do hope in the future that Vivint will be more transparent on their website, and we will be looking at them more in the future. For a better, more affordable option than both of these companies, read this last bit below.
Recommended: The Better Alternative
If you’d like a better bang for your buck without skimping on features and quality of service, take a look at our security system at Link Interactive.
Link Interactive and Vivint are very similar in terms of equipment and monitoring services. At Link we offer a better, more advanced control panel in the the Qolsys IQ 2 Panel with Alarm.com self-monitoring and third-party professional monitoring. We also offer cutting-edge video monitoring services, all at a much better price point than Vivint.
We have thousands of 5-star reviews on various reputable third party review sites complimenting our awesome after-sales support! 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!