Vivint Security Review (May 2023)
Vivint may have a complicated past, but they are re-evolving and improving.
I’ll get right to it. This is from Wikipedia…
The Ohio Attorney General settled with Vivint in 2013 after consumers filed complaints alleging deceptive sales practices and the company’s refusal to honor notices of cancellation. Under the settlement agreement, Vivint agreed to comply with Ohio consumer laws and paid approximately $50,000 in fines.
This also explains their B- BBB rating.
So why even bother reviewing Vivint? Well, they’ve made many improvements to both their products and the experience they offer their customers.
In an effort to give customers better technology and service, Vivint now offers three new ones: Smart Protect, Smart Protect & Control, and Smart Complete.
As you’ll see in this review, Vivint has really differentiated their offerings with some unique home automation benefits.
Smart Protect Package
Smart Protect at $53.99 per month, a 48 or 60-month contract requirement, $199 activation fee, is more expensive than competitors’ basic packages but it does include some premium features such as…
- 24/7 U.L. approved professional monitoring
- Vivint mobile app
- Vivint Live service
- event notification
- severe weather alerts
- 24/7 tech support
- …and the option to fully customize your smart security system.
It also includes a 7” touchscreen Vivint Sky Panel (shown below), 3 door/window sensors, 1 motion detector, 1 smoke detector, 1 key fob, and 1 Vivint yard sign.
Customize Any Package
If you want to make your package more customized, you can swap out 7 pieces of equipment for an additional fee
Smart Protect & Control Package
Their second level package is the Smart Protect & Control package and includes everything in the basic package, plus smart home service.
You can pick from the new doorbell video, smart temperature control, HD video recording, remote door access, outdoor HD video recording, or garage door control.
back to menu ↑
Smart Complete Package
Finally, with the Smart Complete package, you can have all the base services local cloud storage.
Vivint’s Space Monkey provides 1TB of automated storage, and it can hold over 300,000 photos on the local drive.
The cloud storage can be accessed using a remote login from any system.
The equipment includes is a touchscreen panel, 3 door/window sensors, 1 motion detector, 1 key fob, 1 Vivint yard sign, 2 smart home services, and 1 TB of local/cloud storage.
Vivint Packages Compared
Here’s a detailed breakdown of each package and what they each offer:
| Package Comparison | Smart Protect | Smart Protect and Control | Smart Complete |
|---|---|---|---|
Vivint Monitoring Service
|
Yes | Yes | Yes |
Standard Security Equipment
|
Yes | Yes | Yes |
Smart Home Services
|
− | Choose 2 | Choose 3 |
Local Storage
|
− | − | Yes |
- Smart Protect – monthly fee of $53.99, 24/7 UL listed monitoring, fire and burglary protection, 48-60-month contract length, activation/equipment fee $199, cellular wireless, professional installation, mobile app control, email/text alerts, remote arm/disarm, remote control access, two-way talk feature, lifetime equipment warranty, 3 day return period, B- BBB rating, 98% nationwide coverage, control panel with battery backup, 3 door/window sensors, 1 motion detector, 1 smoke detector, 1 key fob, 1 yard sign
- Smart Protect & Control – monthly fee $63.99, 24/7 UL listed monitoring, fire and burglary protection, 48-60-month contract length, activation/equipment fee $199, cellular wireless, professional installation, mobile app control, email/text alerts, remote arm/disarm, remote control access, two-way talk feature, includes choice of 2 smart home services, lifetime equipment warranty, 3 day return period, B- BBB rating, 98% nationwide coverage, control panel with battery backup, 3 door/window sensors, 1 motion detector, 1 smoke detector, 1 key fob, 1 yard sign, 1 wireless camera, 1 small appliance module
- Smart Complete – monthly fee of $69.99, 24/7 UL listed monitoring, fire and burglary protection, storage for photos, 48-60-month contract length, activation/equipment fee $199, cellular wireless, professional installation, mobile app control, email/text alerts, remote arm/disarm, remote control access, two-way talk feature, includes choice of 2 smart home services, lifetime equipment warranty, 3 day return period, B- BBB rating, 98% nationwide coverage, control panel with battery backup, 3 door/window sensors, 1 motion detector, 1 smoke detector, 1 key fob, 1 yard sign, 1 wireless camera, 1 small appliance module, space monkey drive
Vivint Live Communication
All three Smart packages include Vivint Live Communication, which is two-way communication between you and the central monitoring agency through the touchscreen panel.
If the alarm is triggered, a Vivint agent will try to reach you through the panel, and if you do not respond, they will listen through the panel for any signs of something wrong in your home. Then they will call the police.
back to menu ↑Mobile App
Vivint has two different Apps: Vivint Classic and Vivint Sky.
All packages include access to the mobile apps.
The Vivint Sky app works with the Vivint Sky Panel, and it allows you to control the temperature of your home, lock and unlock your doors, check your alarm’s event history, and arm and disarm you system remotely.
From the app, you can view love footage from your security cameras and set up notifications for events to come to you through text or email.
The Vivint Classic app works with the Vivint Go!Control panel and is available for iPad, iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry devices.
The features are similar to the Vivint Sky app, but you also use the app to set up notifications so that you can receive alerts to your phone or email in relation to everything happening in your home.
Home Automation Features
Vivint’s smart home capability is complete, but each smart home package comes with only two services for you to choose from.
You can have more than 2 smart home services at an additional cost.
Here are some of the smart home services you can choose from for your home:
- Doorbell video
- Smart temperature control
- HD video recording
- Remote access
- Outdoor HD video recording
- Garage door control
Is Vivint The Right Choice For You?
Like all things, there are pros and cons to using Vivint.
Things to consider if choosing them as your home security company:
- You must be home during the system installation. The service window may be around 3 hours long, plus the time it takes to install your system
- They have a 10 second response time between the panel and the monitoring company
- Vivint has higher monthly fees, longer than average contracts, and a short 2 day return policy
- Z-Wave home automation
- Has several alerts cause by government action
- B- BBB rating (compare that to competitors like Frontpoint with an A+ BBB rating)
- 3 packages to choose from
- 2 mobile apps to choose from
- Touchscreen panel included
- Extra storage because of Space Monkey
Vivint vs FrontPoint
Vivint may have many improvements to both their products and services, but lets compare them to FrontPoint and see for yourself on who’s the best. In the end it all depends on your preference.
| Vivint | FrontPoint | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $53.99 - 69.99 | $34.99 - 49.99 |
| Installation Cost | $99 | $0 |
| Easy DIY Installation | ||
| 24/7Monitoring | ||
| Contract Length | 60 Months | 36 Months |
| Money-Back Guarantee | ||
| BBB Rating | B | A+ |
| Learn More | Visit Website | Visit Website |
