Nest Secure vs Protect America: An Expert Comparison
Today we will be comparing home security providers Nest Secure and Protect America, and see how they stack up! We’ll go over equipment, monitoring plans, and more!
Being a homeowner is a great feeling, but owning a home comes with quite a bit of responsibility. Most homeowners know that owning a home comes with unexpected expenses. One unexpected expense that a homeowner worries about is the loss of property from a home invasion. The best way to keep yourself and your family safe from home invasions, is to invest into a home security system. There are several really great security companies that can provide you with a personalized security solution. Today we will be looking and comparing what Nest Secure and Protect America have to offer you with their security products and security solutions.
Nest Secure Control Panel
Nest started off being well known for their security cameras but their product line has exploded over the years, and now they even make a home security system. Their security system is known as the Nest Secure. They call their control panel the Nest Guard which has some really standout features. It is a wireless control panel that works by connecting directly to your home’s WIFI network, but you do have the option to add a cellular chip. The Nest Guard has a really great compact design making it easy to place. It has a push-button keypad connected to the top of it that allows you to create custom user codes for different uses, and it allows for quick arming and disarming of your Nest Secure system. One really cool feature of the Nest Guard is that it has a built-in motion sensor that will trigger your system if motion is detected around it. The Nest Guard has a backup battery that will last up to 12 hours so it will work even if your power is out. The Nest Guard includes a built-in indicator light that will change color to show different system statuses along with chimes alerts for system status and triggering of connected devices. If your Nest Secure system is triggered it will sound its 85-decibel internal siren. The Nest Guard is really expandable and will work with Z-Wave enabled devices.
See our cutting-edge control panel by Qolsys >>
Protect America Control Panel
Protect America offers a thin designed 7-inch full colored touchscreen. Their full color touchscreen is cellular, but it also connects to your home’s WIFI as an extra backup connection. It is powered by an AC power source, and it includes a 24-hour backup battery just in case your power goes out. All of the features of your control panel, system, and any connected devices can be controlled right from the Protect America’s 7-inch full colored touchscreen. Most features of your system, like arming and disarming your system, can be done with the touch of a button right on the touchscreen. The touchscreen will also display your local time and temperature. A unique feature of Protect America’s control panel is that it has a 5 MP front facing camera that can take snapshots of when your system is being armed and disarmed. It includes Bluetooth arming and disarming as well. You can store your pictures on an SD card due to Protect America’s control panel including a Micro SD slot. A Micro SD card is not included with the panel. It has a built-in glass break sensor and motion sensors. If your system or any connected devices are triggered, Protect America’s control panel will sound its internal siren. Protect America’s control panel is very expandable and it includes a Z-wave protocol that lets you use lots of great home automation devices with it.
Recommended: An alternative DIY (do-it-yourself) option, our home security system at Link Interactive >>
Who wins?
Nest’s and Protect America’s control panels both offer some pretty interesting features. They both are wireless and come with a cellular chip. They both also have to be controlled via an app or through a separate keypad. The Nest Secure control panel includes LED indicator lights to let you know your different system statuses. However, Protect America’s control panel includes a Z-Wave protocol making it much more expandable than Nest Secure’s control panel. For this reason, we are choosing the Protect America as the winner for this category.
Nest Secure Equipment
The Nest Secure doesn’t have a lot of components to its security system. The sensors they do offer are high tech, battery-operated, and wireless. Nest Secure’s main entryway sensor is called the Nest Detect. The Nest Detect is a combo door/window and motion sensor built into one sensor. The Nest Detect will inform you when your door/windows have been opened while also being able to monitor for any motion in the area it is placed. Another way to arm and disarm your system is the Nest Tag. This RFID Tag that is wireless and battery-operated that allows you to arm and disarm your system by tapping it near or on the Nest Guard. Nest currently only offers one environmental safety sensor which is called the Nest Protect. The Nest Protect is a wireless and battery-operated sensor that will monitor for dangerous rises in smoke or CO gas. If these are detected it will make an audible alert. It also includes a light up feature that will illuminate an area in which it is placed. All equipment offered by Nest is DIY, but they do include a step by step setup guide.
Recommended: An alternative DIY (do-it-yourself) option called Link Interactive >>
Home Automation
Nest has partnered with a lot of great companies over the years which is reflected in their premium selection of add-on equipment. Today we will only be going over a few of these devices, for a more complete list of add-on equipment you can use with your Nest Secure, you can visit their website. Nest has partnered up with Yale to produce the Nest X Yale Lock. This smart lock has a touch-screen keypad that illuminates and allows for one touch locking. You can create custom user codes for your Nest X Yale Lock that can be enabled and disabled at any time. It is powered by 4 double A batteries so you don’t have to worry about having an existing doorbell wiring for it to work. It connects to your home’s WIFI network wirelessly and can be controlled through the Nest app. To make your home greener, Nest offers their smart thermostats. The Nest Learning Thermostat is our favorite. This thermostat is powered by a rechargeable battery, and it works by connecting to your home’s WIFI network. The Nest Learning Thermostat comes with temperature sensors that can be placed in different rooms around your home. These temperature sensors will learn your home’s temperature and automatically adjust to your preferred temperature setting while also making sure you are saving energy on your home’s energy consumption per month. You can also remotely control the Nest Learn Thermostat through the Nest app. The Nest secure system also works with smart bulbs and switches such Phillips and GE.
Monitoring/Cameras
When it comes to video surveillance equipment, Nest has a huge variety. They offer indoor, outdoor, video doorbell, and other varieties of video surveillance equipment. Generally, their video surveillance cameras can capture video in HD, have advanced motion sensors and advanced night vision, and include 2-way audio.
Recommended: See all of our Alarm.com powered video monitoring options at Link Interactive >>
Protect America Equipment
Protect America offers all the basic equipment you need to give your home total protection. They offer wireless and battery-operated intrusion and environmental safety sensors. To protect the interior of your home, Protect America offers a few different styles of door/window sensors, a motion sensor, and a glass break sensor. Door/window sensors will alert if a door or window to your home has been opened or shut. Protect America’s motion sensor will trigger your system if motion is detected. Their glass break sensors will listen for the sound of break glass, and they will trigger your system if this sound is heard. To keep your home safe from environmental dangers, Protect America offers smoke/heat, CO, and water leak sensors. These environmental sensors will make audible alerts if their designed environmental factor is detected while triggering your system. Protect America also offers extra keypads and key remotes for another way to arm and disarm your system as well as control it. They have external sirens for an extra way for you to hear your system being triggered. They even offer medical alert pendants that work like a panic button that will send emergency services when it is pressed. For a more complete list of all of their equipment you can visit their website. All equipment offered by Protect America is DIY (do it yourself), but all their equipment includes a startup guide.
Home Automation
Protect America has a great variety of add-on equipment. Protect America offers several different brands of smart locks for you to choose from. Their smart locks can be controlled on the go and allow you to create different user codes for different users. You can also unlock any smart lock purchased through Protect America through their app as well as receive push notifications for when your smart locks have been locked and unlocked. Protect America offers the Linear Garage Door Controller which will allow you to remotely shut and open your garage doors while on the go. You will get alerts for when you garage door has been opened or shut through their app. Protect America offers a few types of smart thermostats including the Alarm.com Smart Thermostat which is great at cutting down on your home’s energy consumption per month. They also offer a smart outlet and a light switch control which are also devices that help you cut down on your home’s energy consumption per month. These devices can be controlled remotely through the Protect America app, and you can set custom timers for when they come on and go off.
Video Monitoring/Cameras
Protect America also has a nice selection of video surveillance cameras you can use with their system as well. They offer an indoor, outdoor, and video doorbell camera. These cameras include night vision, 2-way audio, motion sensors, and the ability to record video in HD. Protect America’s video surveillance cameras work by connecting wirelessly to your home’s WIFI network.
Recommended: See all of our Alarm.com powered video monitoring options at Link Interactive >>
Who wins?
Both Nest and Protect America offer some nice basic equipment for you to use with their systems. Both of their entryway and environmental safety sensors are wireless and battery-operated. We really like the Nest Detect due to it being able to monitor for motion as well as for when doors/windows have been opened or shut. However, Protect America has a larger selection of basic equipment for you to choose from than Nest, and for that reason we are making them our winner for this category.
There is a pretty big difference with the amount of add-on equipment offered by Protect America for their system, and the amount of add-on equipment Nest offers for their Nest Secure system. Unfortunately, Nest Secure only offers one piece of home automation equipment, and their variety of video surveillance equipment isn’t much better. On the other hand, you can use a great many home automation devices and video surveillance devices with your Protect America system. For this reason, we are choosing Protect America as our winner for this category.
Nest Secure vs Protect America App
Nest Secure and Protect America offer self, video, and professional monitoring services. Their self-monitoring and video monitoring services are done through their apps, and they are free to download and work for smartphones. Their apps will allow you remote control of your system. You will be able to remotely arm and disarm your system, stream live and recorded video, and control any connected devices while on the go. You will also receive push notifications through theirs apps when your system or devices have been triggered by an event. They both offer 24/7 professional monitoring in where you have a professional monitoring station watching over your home for emergencies.
Recommended: Check out Link Interactive. With Link Interactive you’ll get the Alarm.com app (the gold standard in home security), and top of the line security equipment at great affordable prices. See details >>
Nest Secure vs Protect America vs Link Interactive
Nest can provide you with a solution that fits your specific security needs. Protect America has an easy to use system, and have an extensive lineup of additional security and smart equipment. The Nest Secure’s control panel has a lot of great features, but Protect America’s panel packs a more powerful punch, with a nice big touchscreen and the latest bells and whistles. We choose Protect America as the winner of this category.
Recommended Alternative: Link Interactive
If you’d like a better bang for your buck without skimping on features and quality of service, take a at the Link Interactive home alarm system.
Link Interactive and Nest Secure are very similar in terms of equipment and monitoring services. At Link we offer a 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 far more affordable price point!
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!
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