20 Best Wired Alarm System (2022 Updated)

The double stick tape is either super sticky or not. If they drop, there is NO give – they will break and be unusable. I had 2 sensors drop off the door and break. The siren dropped about 2 feet and cracked – same design straight across from each other – and doesn’t work.

Had to order a new one. Programming the new siren to the remotes was a fight.

My garage is loaded with tools. I’ve been looking for a system that wouldn’t break the bank. Kerui security alarm system is so easy to install. Less than 1hour. And There’s no wires. Works great

Nice system, easy to set up and it is effective. I spent 15 minutes to install it. The siren is one of the best you can buy. Price is very reasonable for a good quality product

My entire home, yard and now inside our home is under Rings protection and monitoring thanks to the 8-piece Ring security kit. Easy to set up and to avoid a mis-step, Read first the directions for set up.

It has an order to follow and if you pull tabs before the device is needed, it will make it a bit confusing to set up plus may cause the loud alarm to sound. Base station is the brain, keypad is the controller, extender helps keep connected those further away sensors and the entire system is controlled either by the unit keypad or by the Ring app.

The 24/7 monitoring is included in my plan and can be operated by Alexa. Relatively inexpensive and you can grow the system to fit your needs. I really like that it has its own cellular backup and internal rechargeable batteries in case the power fails you are still protected.

Easy to use and set up, basically can run itself via the Ring app and keeps you informed of events that occur in and around your home. With my Ring cams, doorbells and security system all in place, not to mention the 24/7 monitoring, crime may not be stopped but possibly deterred or at least capture the event(s) and will notify the proper authorities if and when events do happen.

You have to protect your home and family the best you can, and this is just another layer for us.

This ring alarm home security system is definitely a must have. I feel so much safer after putting this in my home. When I first opened the box I thought it was going to be a lot of work and difficult to install.

I was very surprised at how easy this was to install and operate. The instructions are very easy to follow and if you need any help they have a 24/7 helpline. This kit comes with a base station, keypad, motion detector, range extender and four contact sensors.

I was able to install the contact sensors on four of my windows and I put the motion detector in my hallway. I really like that I get real time notifications the moment an alarm is set off. I even saw that I can add a security camera or video doorbell to this alarm system so I definitely will be doing that soon.

I really like that the keypad is large and the numbers are easy to see. I also like that you can choose between professional monitoring or self monitoring. Another great thing about this system is that it works with my echo device.

This alarm system is truly a must have. Being able to have a peace of mind knowing that my home is protected when I am there or not there is the greatest feeling ever. I highly recommend this product.

i purchased the Ring Alarm Security Kit 5-piece (2nd-gen) and the Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit as a bundle during Best Buy’s on-line Black Friday sales event and had it delivered to my home since i would receive it earlier than if delivered to the store.

i wanted to replace the large 30+ year old Radio Shack alarm box but keep the wired doors and windows zones since they still worked and according to what i read, the Retrofit Alarm kit is used to interface existing wired doors and windows zones with the Ring Alarm base.

because this review is on the Ring Alarm Security kit and not the bundle i separated the part of my review on the Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit and did it on that item review the Ring Alarm Security Kit contained everything in one box with the instructions to install the alarm and each accessory in the kit.

– the alarm base station was easy to mount once i knew where i wanted to place it. -> i used a piece of paper to mark the holes from the back of the alarm so i knew where to place the screws on the wall to hang the alarm – the keypad was easy to mount since the holder was able to slide off and i used it to mark where to place the screws on the wall to hang the keypad (near the kitchen door) i downloaded the Ring app from the Apple App Store to my iPhone and iPad -> using the Ring App on my iPad: -> configured the Ring Alarm base to connect to my WIFI -> added the keypad -> did not need to add the Range Extender, Motion Detector and Contact Sensor -> you can customize the Ring Alarm base station chime and volume, the brightness of the ‘Ring’ and other things through the Ring app all in all, i like the Ring Alarm system, how easy it was to set up, how small the Ring Alarm base and Retrofit Alarm kit are when compared to the old Radio Shack alarm box which i removed from the wall after i transferred the wired doors and windows zones to the Retrofit Alarm kit.

i like how you get a notification on your device and an audible chime from the alarm base when any zone is opened or closed – all of these are customizable through the Ring app. i would recommend the Ring Alarm Security kit and if you are looking to replace your old working alarm system with working wired zones, then i would recommend the Ring Alarm Retrofit kit (see my review on the Ring Alarm Retrofit kit).

This is actually an upgrade for me so I think I would appreciate this more, but I definitely love the wired cameras better. The quality in video is also a noticeable improvement and now that I can monitor from the DVR and not from the app, it’s more streamlined and not put together clunky to get the outcome I wanted which I now have.

The quality of the cameras is also an improvement. You can feel how robust these cameras are compared to the previous wife ones I had. I did have one that had an issue with water intrusion which distorted the image, BUT I can tell this was a one off situation because these really are better in quality.

So much that even with water inside the camera, distorting the image, it never shorted out and it still ran, so that also makes me think this is a one off situation. Also, Defender was quick and professional about making sure I got a replacement camera with ZERO headache.

Lastly, the DVR seems a little flimsy and the software running on it is also very rough, but it’s in perfect working order. My only concern is “Time”. How will this DVR hold up by this time two years from now? Overall though, I think this is a great deal for the price point and would certainly recommend as a legacy customer.

I have been using this sentinel camera set up for about a month now. The installation of the cameras was easy to do. It did take some time to hide all the wires, which is to be expected. The NVR was very simple to set up and I did it without any problems.

The picture quality is amazing on a 4K tv. I had no issues with setting the app up either. The steps are very well layed out. The quality of the picture during the day is absolutely beautiful. There is an option to record with black and white, or colour, or in smart mode.

It’s crazy how in smart mode when motion is detected at night, the scene gets lit up in colour and it is just as good as in the daytime. This was a nice surprise. For most of the camers I kept the sensitivity level on low.

When turned up it will pick up rain and you will get a lot of notifications. Turning down the sensitivity helped with this issue. The cameras that are semi protected under an eve also help reduce false alerts.

Just something to think about when doing the camera placement. I really like the app. It’s easy to find and play your motion alerts. It has a playback feature that you can watch all your alerts for each camera.

After playing the first video, it jumps to the next one automatically. We’ve had problems with bears in our neighborhood, so I use the playback feature to view captured motion alerts that happen at night.

Overall I have had a good experience with the defender 4K Sentinel security system. I highly recommend this system if you want or need a good quality system with the best quality of picture. It’s nice that the price doesn’t break the bank too!.

This is a great security camera with great features. The hardware is pretty good and easy to connect. The setting up the devices app is very smooth. The instructions are pretty accurate. The features of camera like setting up the color of the video recording and images is outstanding.

Motion detection and night vision which are the main best features of the security camera is excellent. The only downside of this, is that this is wired camera therefore installing this by yourself is not that easy.

If you want to run the wires clean in the house you have to do it in the ceiling along with electrical wirings and it may require professionals. For DIYers can still be done with a careful consideration of the aesthetic of the house.

Other than that this security camera is perfect for the price and its features.

In the box is the Ring Alarm Pro, Alarm Pro Base Station Adapter, Range Extender, motion detector, contact sensors (3), keypad adapter and instruction manual with important product information pamphlet.

First impression, I really love the design of the inside of the box, everything is neatly boxed and labeled. I would highly recommend you read the instructions as well, just to give yourself a little information about the different options.

Overall, I was a little disappointed that if I plan to use my local internet provider that I have to run an Ethernet cable to the Ring Alarm Pro but overall I like this idea because of all of the additional things that can be done with the Ring Alarm Pro.

I live in a two level home and my modem is on the bottom level. I do have tower extenders on the upper level so plugging to a modem wasn’t a problem. Also, the Ring uses two apps, the WiFi network uses eero app to connect to the internet and the Ring app.

A good thing about the Ring is if you don’t have an internet connection then you can use cellular data with their Ring Protect plan. (I know so many people in my area that are not able to get an internet service because of where they live, so this is a great option.

) Also, with professional monitoring, you can use the additional buttons on the keypad for police, fire and medical. Both apps are really easy to use and the Ring app walks you through installation and helps to make sure everything is connected to the Ring Alarm Pro.

When your ready to set up, download the apps and use the user guide when needed. Also, the Ring also offers Ring Power packs (battery packs) for when the power goes out and you can set them up under the Ring Alarm Pro; also keep in mind that you have to use this particular battery pack, no other product can be used.

For someone that is a homeowner and is looking for an option to assist with protecting your home, this product is good because there are so many additional components that you can add, like the Ring Video Doorbell and cameras.

Another good feature, the WiFi 6 option is available and you can add existing eero products but without them you can get up to 1500 square ft coverage. The Ring Alarm Pro supports up speeds up to 900mbps.

Overall, I love the possibilities of adding on with this product, especially the WiFi option because it is time for me to upgrade my WiFi system and with the power outages and working from home, the Power Pack options would also be a great option for me as well.

The best part is you can add up to four Power Packs (externally) for extra battery power but they will be an additional purchase but there is an internal backup battery inside that will provide up to 24 hours of power for the Ring.

With the external packs, all of the features of the Ring Alarm Pro will work but with the internal battery, there will be limited access to the Alarm features. For all of my friends and family that work from home and/or have children that complete online schooling, I will definitely recommend this product to them!.

The Ring – Alarm Pro Home Security Kit is a complete DYI system good for a small house or apartment. It can also be expanded with more door/window sensors and greater Wi-Fi coverage with additional Eero mesh extenders.

The setup is pretty straight forward, with easy step by step instructions, it’s best to follow them in order after you familiarize yourself with all the components. If you’ve ever setup other Amazon products like a Ring doorbell or Echo smart speakers, this is similar, just a bit more complex with multiple components that need to be added to the system once you have your App and base station up and running.

Be prepared to spend a couple of hours getting everything up and running. If you need more assistance the Ring website has a lot more help available with lots of pictures too. The windows/door sensors can be programmed to generate a specific chime sound every time the door is opened, even when the system is disarmed, which comes in handy if you want to know when other family members come in and out.

App notifications for alarm events came in quickly while on the same Wi-Fi home network and with a few seconds delay while away from home. Generally speaking, if you have a simple home network setup that’s all Wi-Fi devices and don’t mind being fully integrated into the Ring ecosystem, this integration of the base station with the router may work for you.

If you are like me and have several network switches , wired devices and an ISP that still uses PPoE to authenticate my broadband connection, then this integrated router setup is not an option. You could get it to work as a bridge instead of an access point, but it’s a bit of a hassle and devices may get confused with potential double NAT-ing.

Moreover, the system tends to failover to cellular for no apparent reason. The cellular option is meant to come in handy if, say, someone tries to break in when you lose power and you no longer have an Internet connection, so you’ll still get notified via 4G LTE for the initial 3Gb/mo.

You can get even more data and additional professional monitoring if you subscribe to the Ring Protect Pro plan, but that could get pricey. It’s likely to still be cheaper than most other traditional alarm systems and include a lot more extras.

All in all, this is a great concept for an integrated all-in-one alarm system that’s also trying to be your home network, but for some that may not be an advantage.

Great product, even better support. I got this to replace the sensors from my ADT system because I already had a lot of them physically embedded in my doors/windows. I was a little weary because they recommend a professional technician to do the wiring (I do have electrical wiring experience from my high school and college) but the installation was extremely simple if you read the instructions first.

The Ring support for these devices is awesome, I had a question as my actual ADT implementation had unexpected resistors on the wiring, I called them up, they asked for pictures of the wiring and the schematic (that was attached to the ADT box) and in less than a day they gave me specific instructions on how to proceed.

This allowed me to expand my current Ring system, their app is quite simple to use and I was able to stop paying those monthly alarm maintenance fees.

My house has all sensors built-in, so had to get this to make use of it. Had to get the professional install since it recommended that. But I think if you like doing DIY and a little savvy with electrical stuff you can do it yourselves.

The replacement was flawless, all existing sensors work well with the system.

Worked great with my ADT System. Was able to set-up my window zones, door zones, break window zones, and garage zone. In addition to already having the Ring System its a very robust system. Wiring can be intimidating but its very easy as long as you have your zones labeled and know they absolute work.

Affordable system. Easy to install. We went all out and got a bunch of sensors, cameras, and smart door locks. I was very pumped about Simplisafe when I first got it, as I had seen many people promote it and be happy with the service.

We’ve been plagued with issues for the past year. Sensors constantly going offline, only to come back online shortly thereafter. Our smart doorlock will occasionally unlock itself in the middle of the night, which is always fun to wake up to.

Oftentimes we cannot view our cameras, as “the wifi connection” is not strong, even though we bought a wireless extender that is very close to the front door, specifically for the doorbell camera. We have no wifi issues with any other devices in our home, just Simplisafe cameras.

For some reason the doorbell camera has way more functionality than the rest of the cameras. It is nice to be able to have it ignore certain areas of the screen to avoid motion alerts for a tree swaying in the wind.

I got the doorbell camera first and just assumed all of the cameras had that. I paid an electrician to wire my house for a total of five additional cameras which have had their effectiveness cut significantly because of this lack of functionality.

At this point its moot, as I’ve already spent the money, but its super annoying that these other cameras cannot do the same thing. There have also been several instances when I had friends in my backyard, but my camera never recorded them being there.

I have plenty of video of pool floats being blown across my pool, but none of my friends being in the pool. Really strange. I am not going to replace this system with something else, because at this point I’ve already invested too much time and money into this.

If I was setting up a system at a new house, I would probably go with another company.

A simple & effective plug & play system. Great for the home security basics. I say basics because there are cameras that can zoom great distances with terrific clarity even at night, these cameras cost hundreds and even thousands and are not a SimpliSafe product.

Other than that, there is little to hold back. Monitoring is cheaper than the big commercial alarm companies and SS does not charge if there is an alarm. All in all, criminals are never too worried about houses without alarms or with houses that have alarms but don’t have an external alarm (sounding out of the home) If you position your sounding alarm inside – super but most likely not effective in getting the person(s) to leave; place one outside where it will be heard by neighbors also.

For the cost its hard to convince oneself that more money is needed to be spent for simple basic security. A real nice feature that is not exclusive to SS is you can build the system as your needs change, you can also take it with you (easily) if you move.

The SS phone app is very useful. It does seem to need to be reinstalled periodically to clear any infrequent glitching that may occur. (Most) All functions are available on the app. Camera viewing is clear.

Alerts are sometimes delayed. if you are dedicated to using a VPN – I use the fastest and the alerts are pretty timely but can be somewhat delayed – up to a couple minutes. That’s the effects of a VPN (on WireGuard/Lynx).

The system was a good choice from my perspective and I would buy it again without hesitation and over Zoom or Ring.

Set up was relatively easy and straightforward. Each component is individually boxed with instructions on how to connect them to the base; this information was also included in the instruction booklet.

The key pad is very easy to use — and is removable from its wall mount plate. The phone app is also very easy to use and intuitive. It’s obvious the designers spent a good deal of time developing a very user-friendly interface.

I like being able to set the alarm from the app, especially the “Home” setting, which activates everything except the motion detectors. I’ve had the system for about six months now and it has worked flawlessly.

Yes, there are other brand systems with more gizmos or a few more features, but SimpliSafe offers me everything I need, such as motion, door, and glass breakage sensors. I don’t use the video camera because its continuously connected to WiFi and therefore consuming some bandwidth, but in my situation, I really don’t need it.

If you have kids or others you want to check in on, or if you want to capture video of an intruder, then you might want to connect the video cam(s). I would recommend this system to anyone looking for a very good all-around system, and one that’s easy to set up and use day-to-day.

Another perk is being able to cancel external monitoring at any time, i. e. , not being locked into a contract.

Came faster than expected. Unit seems solid and easy to setup. Have not yet been able to do a complete install of all cameras but what I have been able to get completed they are working well and great image.

A good deal of settings to work through to tweak them as you wish. I have mine connected to my 55 inch tv in our living room and used a wireless mouse instead of the wired one sent. Works great! Choose the wired cameras as I have the space to hard wire them without the wires being exposed.

This gave me the 2T hard drive as well as power and a better image so shouldn’t have any issues with overwriting something that I may have wanted to keep. Still playing with the system but like it so far.

Was excited to set this up thinking it would be easy based on the number of 5 star reviews on their website. I was surprised to see that all the mobile apps have 2 star reviews and are not the easiest to use.

If Defender could find a more complicated setup procedure I think they would. Even the customer service is meant to serve them and not the customer. No phone support. Chat is only available business hours on the east coast time.

No after hour or weekend support. When chatting with support they send you to manuals and videos vs telling you want to do. What should have taken 5 min took over 2 hours. Save yourself the hassle and buy from a retailer.

At least you won’t be charged an arm and a leg to return and get a better system. BEWARE when setting this up they will ask you for no less than 4 passwords and verification numbers. Be sure to note the differences in their names.

In one place they ask you to provide a password for a feature they don’t even support. Come on! If you don’t have the feature, hide it from your customers so they don’t have to provide another useless password.

Each password is labeled as something different in the support manuals. The email address you set up with the DVR doesn’t get passed to the app. Once you figure out which password goes with what, and which verification number goes where, it works OK.

For being 2020, one would think Defneder would have invested in better manuals and better user interface to make it easy, but this is the same ugly technology as the old DOS days of 1988. Also, the DVR wouldn’t work with my older monitor that accepted an HDMI cable and on my widescreen monitor it stretches the view end to end so it is a distorted view.

Get it together Defender.

Cameras arrived very quickly. I unboxed everything and all appears to be there, as ordered. Right away I set up 2 cameras in my office to ensure they work as I expect them to (ie. clarity and night mode viewing).

So far I have connected 2 cameras outside and since I was replacing an older system camera it was fairly simple to connect – good clarity and night mode is acceptable but not great. I have 4 more cameras to connect but have already run the wires to where I want the cameras to be.

The DVR set up was easy and so was the App set up however some of the steps were somewhat confusing in the DVR set up but I figured it out. I haven’t gone through all the folders and options in the DVR as I don’t really understand them fully (this is where more info would be nice from Defender).

My main complaint is the following: the camera wires should have the ends clearly marked as “Camera” and “DVR” so you don’t run the wires the wrong way. The Uniden (my existing/old system) wires were clearly marked and thus you don’t spend time having to rerun wires if you mix the ends up.

One positive aspect of the 8 CH system is that I can actually use my old tech 1080 cameras on this system – so I get 6 new HD cameras (Defender) + 2 old 1080 cameras to max out my system capacity. I can upgrade to 2 more HD cameras if i like but I don’t need to at this time.

PS – there is an advantage to buy right from Defender as they double your warranty coverage to 2 years.

My older model NightOwl crashed (way past the warranty) and this was the closest model suggested as a replacement/upgrade. Luckily, the wires and BNC connectors from my older system and cameras were compatible, and I didn’t have to rerun the wires through the attic for the entire system.

I just replaced the DVR and cameras, and it works like a charm. And the Bluetooth setup was very simple. As mentioned, the image quality of these cameras is amazing. Day and night images are crisp and clear.

The motion sensitivity to trigger recordings is way beyond the 100ft as advertised, even at night. I almost couldn’t give it the full 5 stars because of minor things that have NO effect on how well the system works, but it’s still enough to mention here.

The pre-recorded message scares the bajeezus out of everyone, which is awesome. But, it’s not a clear message and it’s rather garbled. I understand it’s really small speakers in the camera, but my cell phone sounds better with smaller speakers.

Also, while the spotlight works great, I’ve found no way to set it so it doesn’t activate during daylight hours. You would think since the cameras switch to night mode at sunset, the spotlight could tell the difference between night and day.

Like I said, neither of those items are deal breakers. I am very happy with my upgrade, especially with the vast improvement in image quality. With the price point on this system, you cannot go wrong.

Especially with no monthly fee, plus I can access my cameras and recordings from anywhere.

Turned out I didn’t need it! This is my 4th Night Owl system. Each generation gets easier to set-up. I upgraded to add doorbells thinking I would need a wi-fi recorder. Thought I would like the spotlight cameras, but the spotlight comes on a lot without any motion or objects in view, tried every setting available but still on off randomly.

Not a lot of adjustability (like sensitivity) as before. It is geared to use the phone app, some settings are not available on the recorder display. I have a 50″ TV on my home office wall displaying 8 cameras and wanted to add doorbells and get push notifications when someone rings the doorbell, I bought 2 doorbell cameras but when I add them to the recorder in the app the notification option for pressing the door bell goes away.

Also get constant false notifications when added to the recorder, turned off vehicle and motion, left on human/ face detection but still got constant false notifications. Uninstalled them from the recorder and just added them to the app only with just notify if the doorbell is pushed and don’t get any false notifications.

Haven’t tested the other settings installed this way but I have wired cameras covering the area already, just wanted notifications when someone rings my doorbells. If I knew this I could have just installed the doorbells and kept my old system.

For most people or first time buyers, this system would be easier to self install and set-up than previous recorders, phone app is adequate and younger would probably prefer the phone app, but for me I miss the more detailed adjustments.

I don’t often have/take the time for reviews but I believe this deserves a few minutes of my time. This is the second Night owl system I have purchased. Over all, the systems work very well, however, remote viewing in the app can be a pain due to buffering and failure to load cameras.

This is likely due to slow internet speeds available on our end Although I do have some issues with my first system which has very fast internet. I installed this system in an aircraft hangar yesterday.

(8 Cameras) the first camera I installed was 32 feet in the air. I mistakenly dropped the camera from about 34 feet onto concrete floor after bouncing off of a beam. I was 100% sure it was destroyed.

I decided to go ahead with the set up and to my amazement, the camera survived that fall with NO visible damage AND connected and still worked perfectly! I have to admit this is a testament to the camera construction.

The setup for the second system was surprisingly simple as it automatically connected to the app already installed on my phone and walked me through from there. That in itself was a real relief. I had to contact tech support for my first system last week and they were quick and responsive.

Had my issue resolved in minutes. I have 5 large aircraft hangars and will likely purchase 3 more systems in the near future!.

Great system. AMAZING FIELD OF VIEW!!! We live on 3 acres in the country and 4 cameras cover the majority of our property. We can see all the way down the road to my MIL’s with no problem! Had to buy extension cords for cameras just because our house is so long and we wanted a camera on every corner at least.

Picture quality is fantastic. Night vision is way more than acceptable. Better quality than some high end trail cams I’ve used. Things to consider: – Admin system is a quite clunky and not user friendly.

Be prepared to break out the manual when you need to access admin capabilities. – Placement is crucial and getting FOV where you want it is going to require some assistance unless you really want to get your steps in for the day adjusting the camera and going back and forth viewing your FOV on the display.

Get someone to watch the camera and holler at you from the window as to what direction you need to turn the camera before final placement. – We have 1 camera on top of the roof toward the bottom just so we can see over the top of a goat barn and out into the pasture.

Again. FOV is great. Until it rains. Then rain drops bounce off the roof and this is pretty much all you see. – The cameras are stationary. Lack of movement has led to spiders building webs around the lense of one and wasps building nests next to another.

Personally, I find it a little disturbing to see a wasp so close up that you can make out it’s eyes! Broom maintenance is a must but be careful or you’ll move your camera. Granted to really have to whack it good to do so! – Anything white or reflective in the FOV is going to pop like a wife beater under a black light during the night vision mode.

This includes white moths and any reflective bug that wanders by. Along with car headlights and tail lights of the vehicles parked in your driveway. – Heat amplifies the light so don’t put it on the roof directly over your dryer vent or the heat ventilating from the dryer it will look like smoke in your camera.

– We ran our cords through the attic and drilled a hole in the ceiling to drop the wires down the wall to our tv display. I recommend this! Our neighbor ran his outside. Then his GF left him, and broke into his house to steal his valuables (guns, money, and what not).

She cut the cords to the cameras before doing so. I guess the whole 1TB of recording memory escaped her attention though. Regardless. All the cords were an expense to replace and he had to spend the time and energy to replace them as well.

– If you’re like me and live kinda off the road, consider pairing this with a driveway alarm to round out your security system.

Defender is the worst organization I have ever worked with. Through there negligence my first wireless system, they attempted to update the remote access app, thus after a few months my entire WiFi DVR 4 camera system was worthless.

They talked me into buying the new 2K wireless cameras. While under warranty the plastic mount, and adjustable knuckle had bad stress cracks. I filed a claim and after dozens of emails, they claimed that because I used Phenoseal to secure the camera, it voided my warranty.

The Phenoseal was used to protect the integrity of the camera from further damage. Phenoseal is water soluble and cleans up completely. The unit was professionally installed according to the manufacturer’s specifications.

The out come would have been additional damage to the camera and housing as we have continuous sea breezes. Very unprofessional business strategies and worthless business tactics. Buyers, go your homework, this company has a great sale pitch, but there 2 year warranty is useless.

I replaced my older 4 camera system and DVR with the Defender Ultra HD 4K (8mp) system. The system I received has the new white DVR. The older system has a black DVR. Since the cables were already run the install was a breeze.

The existing power barrel connectors and signal carrying BNC connectors fit the new Defender cameras perfectly with no adapters needed for my installation. The camera mounting system that comes with the Defender cameras covered the holes that were originally cut to pass the wires through to the DVR.

The night vision works very well too and fully illuminates the areas in front of my entrances and yard that I need to see. The system does not include a monitor and one is necessary to configure the system.

I laid out and connected everything on my living room floor and ran an HDMI cable to my 4K TV to complete the configuration and make sure that everything worked before I mounted the cams and placed the DVR.

Half-way through the software configuration the system requested to perform an update. I allowed the update and it went without a hitch. The configuration process takes you through a series of questions so have the manual open and in front of you when configuring the DVR as it tells you how to respond.

The process didn’t exactly follow the manual, maybe due to the update that was installed. It’s still easy to figure out though – most of the screens are left as is. Defender also has quite a few videos on their Youtube channel that take you through he process of initially configuring the system as well as setting up the app on your phone.

Write down your passwords as you go as you’ll need them later. The QR code you’ll be asked to scan is on a decal on top of the DVR itself, along with the system’s serial number. The phone app works great! I installed it on my phone and “shared” it with my wife so she can check the cameras too.

I am recording continuously and didn’t try to set up motion detection. Remember that the system is recording video in Ultra HD/4K 8mp onto the hard drive. You have to pull video from the DVR onto a USB drive and play it back on a 4K capable monitor to see it in full Ultra HD quality.

What you see when checking with your phone is not 4K, but you can switch between BASIC and HQ quality which provides a very clear picture to see what’s going on. HIGHLY RECOMMENED at this price! Just over $200 for a wired 4K 8MP system is amazing.

I paid over $800 about ten years ago for a low resolution “TVL” system with a small hard drive. That system is still working to this day, and it will be interesting to see if the Defender system will last as long.

This is great if you are looking for a simple and easy to use security system. It would work well for small homes and apartments. It is also great as a starter kit and you can add more alarm accessories to suit your house.

This kit comes with 5 components, which are controlled and managed by Ring’s app. The app has a simple user interface and can be used to view a history of activity detected by the system. The base station is the central piece that all the other components are wirelessly connected to.

This needs to be set up first using the mobile app and also requires an outlet and internet connection. The app has easy to follow instructions to walk you through installation for each component, including the base station.

This is the component that will generate sound, and in my experience it is loud enough to be heard throughout most of the house. This will also produce an alarm sound if entrance is detected while your sensors are set to an armed status.

The alarm is very loud and can be heard by close neighbors. The keypad can be used to arm and disarm your alarm system without using the mobile app. This is very useful if you live with other people.

It comes with a bracket so you can mount it on the wall for easy access. The contact sensor comes in two pieces and is great for placing on doors or windows. The two pieces need to be placed within 1 inch of each other to work.

They come with strong double sided tape for installation. When a door is opened and the two pieces are separated, a pleasant ring will sound out from the base station. It is a clear sound that is hard to miss and pretty instantaneous.

I have not experienced any noticeable delay time between when the door is open and when the base station rings. One thing to note is that the sensor is battery powered. You will need to make sure that you have enough space to slide the sensor off the wall without obstructions to access the battery.

The motion detector is a palm-sized component that can detect motion within its range. I’m not sure exactly what the range is, but it works well in my normal sized living room. Unlike the contact sensor, it will not ring whenever it detects motion.

Detected motion is instead listed in a time log on the app. You can, however, set it up so that if motion is detected, it will set off the loud alarm, making it useful for times when you don’t expect anyone to be inside your home.

The range extender can plug into an outlet. It should boost the signal of your base station, allowing it to connect with other components that are further away. I have not needed to use this because the natural range has been sufficient for my two story home.

This would be useful for larger homes. All in all, this kit comes with enough sensors to create a simple security system and provides me with peace of mind. Set up was easy and does not require you to be particularly tech savvy.

I got this system 2 years ago at Costco and I love it. It’s affordable and works great in apartments, duplexes, and houses as I have lived in each category with this alarm system. The alarm itself when triggered is very loud and I found out by mistake when I lived in apartments.

You can monitor the system yourself or pay a monthly fee of around $10 I believe for professional monitoring. In the phone app you can check the systems and each sensor in your house to see if they are open or closed and you can manually set the system to armed or disarmed when you aren’t even near your home (I armed the system from over 400 miles away a few times while visiting family).

I also love that anytime the windows or doors are opened the system sends an alert to my phone about which sensor has been tripped. Great product and I highly recommend it.

Super easy product to install. Excellent choice to satisfy the most basic home security needs even with the un-monitored option. Only reason this did not get 5 stars is due to the delay in alerting. All other aspects are good.

When you trip any of the devices – Ring Doorbell, motion sensor, door trip, etc. , it takes at least 10-15 seconds before the alert hits the app and let’s you know. In the event of a break in, that’s potentially a lifetime.

Not sure if it has to do with the cloud component, but highly suspect it is. If that’s the case, Ring should offer a small local storage option that then moves the data to the cloud so they can continue to make their money by forcing you to sign up for their cloud service option.

When it comes to home security, I want to know the instant movement is picked-up so I have time to react to the situation. This much of a delay doesn’t meet that mark. I could use cans and a string and get better results.

So if you’re looking for real time, move on. If near real time works for you and a delay is acceptable, this is a great option. I also had to purchase Alexa as the Ring system doesn’t support Google Nest.

Bought this alarm before going away for a month to protect the house. The price is good for a basic alarm. Easy to install if you are competent with a drill and basic diy. The best feature is it is connected to internet and phone (2 phones if needed) for notification of anything and can be turned on and off from phone.

It’s easier to set by one push on control panel as you exit and code entry on return. Does not really work with Alexa and to complicated with voice control and not worth trying. The two sensors cover both up and down of house if doors open.

Additional sensors can be added if required. The door/window contacts are no good with upvc windows or patio doors as they need to be flat or flush fit. Didn’t use mine anyway. Can buy extras if needed to cover shed or garage etc.

Overall I think it’s an excellent product.

Had this for a few months now and pretty satisfied. Gives great flexibility with how to monitor your home as the hub is also a motion detector. The 2 Nest detects are small enough to blend into your walls if your walls are painted white.

I like how they can either be used as motion detectors or sensors that sound when contact is broken. Supposedly can also detect glass breaking, but haven’t had first hand experience of that. Alarm is loud enough that can be heard outside with door closed (but I doubt neighbors will hear unless window broken or door open (or if they live close enough to you and it’s quiet).

Very easy to install. Love how can monitor home without having to pay for a subscription. Can easily set it to guard via app (or smart speaker). Can also set it so that it doesn’t go off if you have small pets.

Lastly, can deactivate with either typing in code, tapping key fob, or via app. I’ve tried to deactivate with my voice on my Google assistant and it doesn’t let me (which I’m happy since I know no home invader can just turn it off by asking it to).

So far, have not had any false alarms yet. I know Google discontinued this, but if you find it somewhere and it’s at a price you can afford, I’d recommend it.

We loved this system, it was so well thought out and easy to use. Unfortunately, Google disconnected the Secure less than a month after we purchased it and and for several weeks didn’t respond to customers’ concerns about what would happen to the product and service.

We lost faith in Google’s commitment to home security since they discontinued after this was only around for about 3 years and they left very vague comments or refused to comment on the service after its discontinuance.

If Google didn’t have faith in their own product for the long term then we took that to meant that they did not either so returned it during the return period. Such a shame, it was a great system but we couldn’t even purchase more parts to add on so it was only half-functional as a basic system covering half our house with no known date of when other parts would be available.

Bummer, I wish they hadn’t done this because we went with Simplisafe instead and it kind of sucks compared to Nest but at least they are committed to home security whereas Google was/is not and that matters more in the long run.

I really wanted to love this alarm system. I am invested in both the Nest and Google ecosystems with several products in my home. Unfortunately, Nest Secure falls short of expectations due to glaring omissions in functionality.

The system arrived well-packaged and included straightforward instructions. Set-up was a breeze and I quickly had it up running. However, after a user-friendly installment, I discovered I was unable to integrate Nest Secure into the Google Home app.

Given Google’s acquisition of Nest and forced migration this is simply an inexcusable oversight. Further, the alarm cannot be set to arm and disarm on a schedule. The whole point of a “smart” device is its ability to be well.

smart. So, now I need to use both the legacy Nest app and Google Home to control my various devices and also send myself reminders to turnoff the alarm in the morning. Nest Secure is relatively expensive and I cannot fathom why this basic feature is missing.

Very frustrating! Another minor annoyance is the inability to adjust the volume on the base unit. Depending on its location in your house, it is very easy to miss verbal security alerts and trigger false alarms.

Again, the function does not match the form. If I had done better research, I probably wouldn’t have purchased this system.

Awesome!! Easy to install. Alerts me when someone comes in or goes out. I have other Ring products and everything integrates with each other. I feel much safer with this security system.

I think we all want to feel a little more secure these days. I know that’s especially true living in a big city right now. I’ve had SimpliSafe for a year. I have not found it to be very user-friendly.

The controls are very dated. Although it can be turned off, the light on the base station is ridiculously bright and will keep you up at night. The key fob stopped working almost instantly. The panic button is shoddy and I had to say a prayer and have a damn Séance get it to work again after changing the battery.

The door/window sensors don’t work most of the time (when they are not falling off) especially after changing the batteries, which is no small feat. No HomeKit or Alexa Integration. Did I mention how abysmal the batteries are? Did I mention how difficult it is to change batteries and have a working product after? The camera is stationary and not very stable, as it sits on a stand and you can’t use other branded cameras for integration.

What’s truly sad is that I bought this for a feeling of safety and protection as crime is RISING and I have anything but a feeling of safety and or protection for me and my dog. And it’s expensive too for the equipment and service!.

I heard about SimpliSafe through various radio ads and so I thought I would give them a try. I’ve had the system for a few years now. The system was very easy to set up and use. However, the cameras are not very reliable nor is the video playback feature in the app.

I have a doorbell cam and a regular camera. I have to spend $24. 99 a month just to be able to use those cameras with the system and it is just not worth what I am paying for. I have fast internet, 1000mbps up and am down, but when you get a notification for a camera, it takes forever to load.

The video recording drops off all the time and the connectivity is not reliable. Playback in the app is a nightmare. It is so slow and instead of having a ticker that you can slide back-and-forth you have to skip ahead or backwards 10 seconds at a time and that is really slow and aggravating.

I have also used Ring cameras and their system is much better and more user friendly. In closing, the setup is easy and the system is easy to use. There are other options such as Ring security that are superior to this system.

If I knew that I could sell my system and get something else to replace it, I would probably make that investment but right now I’m too broke. Lol!.

The outdoor camera will not connect to my base station. I’ve called Simplisafe and I’ve spoken with at least 3 different people in the tech department and no one is able to tell me why it won’t work.

And before you ask, I’ve done the following:Replaced the base station and camera twice, made sure that my internet is on 2. 4Ghz, made sure no other device in my home is on 2. 4Ghz, completed all updates on the base station, Simplisafe app and my phone, the base station is not located on the floor, all items (base station, camera and key pad) are at least 2 feet away from each other, rebooted my internet, rebooted the base station, rebooted the keypad and anything else you can think of.

The crazy part is that I took the camera to my sibling’s house and was able to connect it to their Simplisafe base station with no problem. I have no idea what it is with my home that won’t allow the outdoor camera to connect because the doorbell camera connected fine.

The worst part about this all is that the camera was purchased through Best Buy and there was a 15 day return window that was missed. So now I’m out $170 for a camera that I cannot use. I’m switching to Wyze.

I found this incredibly easy to install, you plug in the hub, download the app – update the software. Activate the batteries items in the kit are pre linked and its easy to link additional items. You then test the signal strength of your sensors in the desired locations, I had full strength even in my garage which is detached.

You can name the sensors so you know which one has been triggered. Installed the box and key pad and it was ready to go. You can carry out a walk test to ensure everything is working as it should. The app has quite a few features on it so you will need to play about with it for a bit until you know your way around it.

Its true the instructions arent that great but its pretty self explanatory and the app pretty much runs you through it. I installed the key pad at the point of entry and not upstairs like it says in the introductions, otherwise youll need to be fumbling around with your phone when you come home.

On the key pad you need to press the unlock button then input your code before it will deactivate, thats pretty much the only thing that confused me a bit. I bought three pet sensors because of my daft cat – so far so good.

You can get app notifications when the alarm is armed/disarmed and sms if the alarm goes off. I paid 224 for the hub kitwith outside box, 2 sensors 1 door contact sensor 1 key pad which I thought was a good price.

You can omit certain sensors with the part arm function. There are no weird expensive special batteries to replace thy were either AA or AAA and the larger D for the alarm box. I have not had any false alarms since installing it.

So in conclusion- if you have a smart phone and can use it and know how to drill some holes in a wall youll be fine with this and I would definitely recommend it. Plenty of peace of mind now.

Bought new on eBay saving s. Felt confident with the Yale brand and support network. Fitting the wireless PIR’s, Keypad, hub and external siren was physically easily but set up was a bit daunting (and Im not afraid of technology).

All the components already set up on the system but there are quite a few minor inputs required. However, within the 3 hours allowed online the system was working using the phone app to arm and disarm.

The keypad did cause me some difficulty in that it would arm but not disarm, making for a quick opening of the phone app to silence the siren. After consulting ‘troubleshooting’ I found Id not ‘initialised’ the keypad.

This done I still had the same problem and the help desk quickly ran me through it. Turned out I needed to press the disarm padlock before the numeric code! Yes it is a little complicated. Maybe a bit confusing, but Im much happier with my security now.

Should the alarm be disarmed while out, or intruders activate it, I get an immediate notification on the phone. We have a cctv camera system (not Yale) too by which we can remotely view by smartphone.

I was complacent about security until next door but one was burgled just before Christmas and ransacked, losing all their presents and more. They did not have an alarm. Now, after thatwake up call, we can rest easy in the knowledge that our home is no easy target for the opportunist burglar or thief.

I recommend this system without hesitation and only give 4 stars as I suspect some buyers would baulk at the complexity. Dont, there is good back up support at hand.

Can’t fault this alarm so far. I had 4 local and national companies come in to quote me and they were so expensive. Was recommended to try by a friend and feel like it is such a reasonable price for what you get.

Seriously easy to set up took only minutes, wireless, straight forward app, paired with phone and all sensors straight away. I’m a lady and found the internal sensors so easy to mount and even mounted the external bell box which again was relatively easy once I’d established which drill bits I needed.

Door sensor can be stuck or screwed and that’s it. Tested a few times everything seems to work perfectly. Love that you can arm and disarm from anywhere and get notifications whenever sensor are triggered.

In terms of value for money this is exceptional obviously there are better systems out there but they come at a price very happy with this yale system.

I bought this alarm system for my son’s first home and he and I fitted it in an afternoon. We also added a third PIR and a third door latch for the garden shed. After deciding where everything would best be installed to maximise protection we fitted the PIR’s and the keypad and main siren box as per the instructions (drilling and screwing to walls).

We used the adhesive pads on the latches. Using the smartphone app we configured each item (including the add on PIR and latch) and set up the PIN etc. All tested and working really well and simple to set/disarm.

We have not used zoning but are confident this will be fine. We configured the siren on the kitchen table (rather than outside at the top of a ladder) and everything was fine until my wife picked it up not realising the anti-tamper spring would set it off.

It is absolutely deafening at close quarters!!! I was sceptical about wireless alarms until now but they have certainly ‘come of age’ with this Yale Smart Home Alarm. Will certainly recommend and buy again.

Great little home alarm system! Really pleased with how easy it was to set up overall, and felt it was quite user-friendly and intuitive. One thing I would have liked to have seen in the Yale instructions was a note that the bell ringer itself is not treated as a device that needs to be added to the system.

This led to quite a lot of confusion and frustration over the fact that it wasn’t being recognised by the app. We got there in the end, though. I would also have liked the PIRs to have been designed to swivel so you could position them better for each custom room.

However, I think perhaps they have such a wide detection range that there may be no need to swivel; that would just have been my preference. There was a good range of devices available to add-on to this system, and it was easy to pair everything up.

Decent price for the system, although slightly more expensive than some of the new companies offering similar devices, such as ring. Super fast delivery from safe. co. uk, and a much better price for buying in bulk than you would get buying direct from Yale.

Very impressed with this company.

I moved to my new house in August 2020 and soon after picked up this kit for me and my wife’s piece of mind. With a baby on the way, we wanted a security system that was simple and reliable. Setup was straightforward, and the system was operational within about 4 hours, including time taken to go up a ladder twice for the external sirens.

The PIR sensors are very sensitive which is great – to test this, I emulated crawling on the floor to try and avoid detection without success. I bought additional PIR sensors as 2 was insufficient to cover a 4 bedroom house.

Keypad is a nice extra. Door contacts are as expected. The keyfob was a minor let down as its hard to see the unlock / lock / half-lock icons as its etched in black, and hard to see in the dark. I’ve since added smart home with Alexa, and with the Yale skill, my security system is synchronised with my voice.

Overall I’m really pleased and so far it has not let me down.