Frontpoint vs Vivint (2020)

Frontpoint vs Vivint (2020)

Courtesy Frontpoint

Frontpoint and Vivint are two popular home security companies that offer their services in the U.S. and Canada. Learn which provider is best for your home by reading our Frontpoint vs. Vivint side-byside comparison.

Frontpoint and Vivint are two prominent home security companies that sell security equipment and plans in the U.S. and Canada. In this article, the This Old House Reviews team analyzes both providers’ equipment, professional monitoring plans, and pricing in order to provide a Frontpoint vs.

Vivint comparison to help you determine which company best suits your needs.

Our Take Frontpoint has a much longer trial period and sells more affordable security equipment than Vivint.

However, Vivint provides professional installation and offers less expensive monitoring plans. Both Frontpoint and Vivint offer video surveillance, smart home compatibility, and multiple security packages.

Founded in 2007, Frontpoint is recognized as the first nationwide home security company to include

smart security in every system. Frontpoint has been awarded for its top-notch customer service, and our Reviews team named it one of the best home security companies of 2020.

To learn more about Frontpoint, view plans and security packages here or give the company a call at 833-823-5612.

Founded in 1999, Vivint is recognized for its in-house equipment development and professional monitoring services. Vivint was listed among Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2017, and our Reviews team named this company among the top home security companies in the industry.

To learn more about Vivint home security, view plans and packages here or contact the company at 855-740-4217.

Frontpoint vs. Vivint Equipment Both Frontpoint and Vivint offer a variety of security and life safety devices for homeowners. Learn more about each company’s equipment below.

Frontpoint Equipment Packages Frontpoint offers five different equipment packages: Safe Home Starter, Build Your Own package, Safe Home Everyday, Safe Home Select, and Safe Home Preferred.

Safe Home Starter The Safe Home Starter package includes the following items: One Frontpoint hub & Frontpoint keypad Two door/window sensors One motion sensor One yard sign One set of window decals One door sticker Build Your Own This security package lets homeowners purchase the security items they want separately. Here are the security items the company sells, broken down by category: Control Panel Frontpoint Touchscreen Extra keypad Intrusion Door/window sensor Motion sensor Glass break sensor Garage door tilt sensor

Environmental Smoke and heat sensor Carbon monoxide sensor Flood sensor Cameras Indoor camera Doorbell camera Outdoor camera Premium indoor camera Home Automation Smart door lock Wireless light control Light bulb Accessories Keychain remote Panic pendant Yard sign Window decals Door stickers Safe Home Everyday The Safe Home Everyday package includes nine items. Compared with the Safe Home Starter package, this plan offers one additional door/window sensor and one additional motion sensor: One Frontpoint hub and Frontpoint keypad Three door/window sensors Two motion sensors One yard sign One set of window decals One door sticker Safe Home Select The Safe Home Select package includes 12 items. This package includes a smoke and heat sensor and a glass break sensor, along with four door/window sensors: One Frontpoint hub and Frontpoint keypad Four door/window sensors Two motion sensors One glass break sensor One smoke and heat sensor One yard sign One set of window decals One door sticker

Safe Home Preferred Safe Home Preferred, Frontpoint’s premium package, comes with 14 items. This is the only package that comes with an indoor camera for video monitoring, and it includes five different door/window sensors: One Frontpoint hub and Frontpoint keypad Five door/window sensors Two motion sensors One glass break sensor One smoke and heat sensor One indoor camera One yard sign One set of window decals One door sticker

Vivint Equipment Packages Vivint sells five different equipment bundles. The company allows homeowners to purchase extra cameras, sensors, and detectors as needed with these bundles.

Smart Hub Starter Kit This is Vivint’s most basic equipment package. The most significant item it includes is the Smart Hub, the touch screen panel that is the command center of the security system. It also includes two smart entry sensors, one motion sensor, one water sensor, and $100 toward additional sensors.

Home Security System Bundle The home security system bundle includes everything in the Smart Hub Starter kit plus a smart smoke detector that is capable of unlocking smart locks in case of an alarm. This equipment bundle is designed for homeowners that subscribe to the company’s Smart Security plan.

Smart Home Control Bundle This bundle contains everything in the plans above plus a smart garage door opener, a smart door lock, and a smart thermostat. This bundle is designed for homeowners who subscribe to the company’s Smart Home Control plan.

Video Security Bundle This plan includes everything in the Smart Hub Starter Kit, plus an indoor camera, outdoor security camera, and a video doorbell. It also comes with Vivint Smart Drive, a storage device that saves all playback recordings. This bundle is designed for homeowners who subscribe to the company’s Smart Home Video plan.

Smart Complete Bundle The most comprehensive equipment bundle, Vivint’s Smart Complete bundle includes everything in the Smart Home Control bundle plus the security devices in the Video Security bundle.

Frontpoint vs. Vivint Professional Monitoring Plans Frontpoint and Vivint both offer multiple professional monitoring plans that homeowners can choose from. Below, we cover the benefits that come with each plan.

Frontpoint Professional Monitoring Plans Frontpoint offers two different professional monitoring plans—an Interactive Plan and an Ultimate Plan:

Vivint Professional Monitoring Plans Vivint offers three different professional monitoring plans, a Smart Security plan, a Smart Home plan, and a Smart Home Video plan:

Frontpoint vs. Vivint Pricing In terms of pricing, Frontpoint’s equipment is more affordable than Vivint, but Vivint’s professional monitoring plans are less expensive than Frontpoint.

Frontpoint Pricing Frontpoint’s pricing is relatively straightforward and can be viewed in the tables below.

Homeowners who choose the company’s Build Your Own package can calculate their anticipated cost using the prices listed on the company’s website.

Monitoring Service Cost Frontpoint charges $44.99 per month for its Interactive plan and $49.99 per month for its Ultimate plan.

Equipment Cost Here is the cost of Frontpoint’s equipment packages:

Vivint Pricing Vivint gives homeowners a few options in terms of pricing structure. If homeowners pay for all of their equipment upfront, they can pay month-to-month for monitoring services. If they want to finance their equipment, they will need to bundle it with monitoring services and sign a five-year contract with a monthly payment.

Monitoring Service Cost Here are the prices for the company’s monitoring services alone: Equipment Cost Below, we have broken down the cost of Vivint’s equipment, both upfront and as part of a bundled,

financed plan:

Our Conclusion Both Frontpoint and Vivint have solid reputations and offer a variety of equipment packages and professional monitoring plans. If you’re looking for a provider that offers professional monitoring but prefer DIY installation, consider Frontpoint. If you’d like professional monitoring and installation, then Vivint may be the better option.

To get a free quote from Frontpoint or Vivint, use the tool below.

If you’re not sure whether Frontpoint or Vivint is right for you, see other top-rated security providers in the table below.

Our Rating Methodology The This Old House Reviews team is committed to providing comprehensive and unbiased reviews to our readers. This means earning your trust through transparent reviews and having the data to back up our ratings and recommendations. Our rating system for home security providers is on a 100point scale based on 10 factors: Number of systems (5) Special features (10) Installation options (5) Connectivity and smart home automation (15) Pricing (15) Contract period (5) Warranty (15) Trial period (15) Usability (5) Trustworthiness (10) Our team reviewed 32 companies and spent 744 hours researching and testing out products to help us compare home security systems on key factors such as package options, cost, reliability, and ease of use. Read more on our methodology here.

Frequently Asked Questions Is Vivint better than ADT? Vivint and ADT were both named among the best home security companies by our review team. We named ADT as the best overall home security provider and Vivint as the best provider for smart home integration services.

Can Frontpoint be hacked?

Frontpoint systems are secured by bank-grade encryption, which is typically 128 or 256-bit AES. As such, Frontpoint is very unlikely to be hacked.

Does Frontpoint work without Wi-Fi? The Frontpoint Hub can function without Wi-Fi by using cellular communication. However, many homeowners choose to connect their Hub to Wi-Fi as a backup communication method.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.