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Today we will be comparing home security providers Vivint Smart Home and SimpliSafe, and see how they stack up! We’ll go over equipment, monitoring plans, and more!

When you find a security provider you like along with a control panel that fits your needs, your next step in your home security shopping is to see what other equipment your potential security provider has. Many top security companies also provide consumers home automation equipment and video surveillance equipment that can be used with their systems. Your final step is to make sure the company you are interested in has the monitoring services you are interested in. Today we will be taking a look at Vivint and SimpliSafe and see how they stack up!

Vivint Smart Home Control Panel

Vivint decided to design a control panel that had a ton of features and is easy to use. Vivint offers their Smart Hub control panel as the main component of their security system. Their Smart Hub control panel is a full colored 7-inch touchscreen control panel. You can quickly arm and disarm your system right from the control panel along with adding new devices and customizing features. The Vivint Smart Hub’s full colored touchscreen will also display your current time and temperature. The Vivint Smart Hub is a wireless and cellular control panel which means you don’t’ need a landline or internet connect for your Smart Hub to work. The Vivint Smart Hub has a cellular chip that transmits all your security data securely, and the Vivint Smart Hub can connect to your home’s WIFI as a backup. It is powered by an AC power source, and it comes with a 24-hour backup battery. The Vivint Smart Hub also includes a 2-way audio feature that allows you to directly respond to and communicate with your central monitoring station. It has a built-in Z-Wave protocol that allows you to use other branded security and home automation devices like smart thermostats and smart locks. If your system or sensors are triggered by an event, the Vivint Smart Hub will sound its internal siren.

Recommended: An alternative DIY (do-it-yourself) option, our home security system at Link Interactive »

SimpliSafe Control Panel

SimpliSafe has been a major name in the security business for quite some time now, and that is due to their highly rated security products. They offer an easy to use control panel that doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles. SimpliSafe’s control panel has a cone shaped design, and it includes a built-in indicator light. SimpliSafe’s control panel, devices, and other functions are controlled through SimpliSafe’s separate push-button keypad. Both the keypad and control panel work by being plugged into an AC power source, and they also include a backup battery. The built-in indicator light on the control panel will change colors for different system statuses. SimpliSafe’s control panel use a cellular chip to transmit all your data security, and it can also connect to your home’s WIFI network. SimpliSafe’s control panel also has a built-in speaker that will verbal let you know your system’s status. It has a built-in internal siren that will be triggered if your system or devices are triggered. SimpliSafe’s control panel only works with other SimpliSafe equipment and devices meaning you will need to purchase all you add-on, home automation, video surveillance, and security devices through SimpliSafe.

See our cutting-edge control panel by Qolsys »

Who wins?

Vivint’s and SimpliSafe’s control panels are quite different from one another. Vivint offers a modern full colored touchscreen control panel that can be expanded to use other branded devices. SimpliSafe’s control panel may have a lot of bells and whistles, but it easy to use and it is tamper proof. Due to Vivint having a much nicer control panel that can easily be expanded, we are giving them the win for this category.

Vivint Smart Home Equipment

Vivint offers some wonderful basic devices that work seamlessly with their Smart Hub control panel. They offer a variety of intrusion sensors that are used to protect the interior of your home. They offer wireless and battery-operated door/window, motion, glass break, and tilt sensors. These are the main sensors that protect the entryways to your home. Their names pretty much describe their function with the exception of the tilt sensor which is used detect if your garage door has been opened or shut. To quickly arm and disarm your system you can use Vivint’s keychain remote which has a push-button design and includes a built-in panic button. To protect yourself from environmental dangers you can purchase smoke, CO, and flood sensors through Vivint. These sensors are known as environmental safety sensors and they will monitor for dangerous rises in the above environmental factors. If these rises in these factors are detected these sensors will make an audible alert. Vivint’s environmental safety sensors are also wireless and battery-operated. All equipment purchased through Vivint is professional installed so you don’t’ have to worry about setting up the equipment yourself.

Recommended: An alternative DIY (do-it-yourself) option called Link Interactive »

Home Automation

Due to Vivint’s Smart Hub control panel having a Z-Wave protocol, you will be able to use a lot of home automation equipment with it. Vivint offers smart locks that allow you to create custom user codes for different users. You can quickly lock and unlock your Vivint smart lock through its push button keypad. You can also remotely control Vivint’s smart lock remotely through their app. Vivint has smart thermostats that can have customers timers for when your heating and cooling systems comes on and goes off. You can remotely control your Vivint smart thermostat through their app, and smart thermostats are great at cutting down on your home’s energy consumption per month. To remotely control your garage doors, you can use Vivint’s garage door controller. Vivint’s garage door controller will send you an instant notification anytime your garage door has been opened or shut. Vivint also offers smart bulbs that use custom timers for when they come on and go off. You can also remotely control their smart bulbs through their app.

Video Monitoring/Cameras

When it comes to video surveillance equipment Vivint offers an indoor, outdoor, and video doorbell camera. Their cameras include 2-way audio, night vision technology, motion sensors, and can produce video in HD quality. Their cameras work by connecting to your home WIFI network with their indoor and outdoor camera being powered by an AC power source, and their doorbell camera powered through your existing doorbell setup.

Recommended: See all of our Alarm.com powered video monitoring options at Link Interactive »

SimpliSafe Equipment

SimpliSafe has a huge selection of basic equipment and basic equipment packages for you to choose from. They offer wireless and battery-operated types of sensors that are self-installed. They offer door/window sensor they will alert you and trigger your system if a door or window is opened in which these are placed. They have motion sensors that can detect motion in larger rooms cutting back the need to purchase a lot of door/window sensors. SimpliSafe has glass break sensors that will notify you and trigger your system if the sound of breaking glass is heard. They offer additional wireless keypads for you to control your system and devices with. They have an external siren that is battery-operated that can be placed anywhere around your home. They offer both keychain remotes and a panic button as a quick way to notify emergency services help is needed, and for a quick way to arm and disarm your system. They have smoke, CO, and flood sensors that are wireless and battery-operated. If dangerous rises in smoke, CO gas, or water are detected by these sensors they will trigger your system and make an audible alert. All equipment offered by SimpliSafe is DIY (do it yourself) which means you need to need to set up the equipment on your own, but SimpliSafe does include a step by step setup guide making installation a breeze.

Recommended: An alternative DIY (do-it-yourself) option called Link Interactive »

Home Automation

Unfortunately, you will be limited to how much equipment you can expand your SimpliSafe system due you only being able to use their branded equipment with their system, and the fact that really don’t have a lot of home automation equipment for you to choose from. SimpliSafe does offer a smart lock that works by fitting over your existing deadbolt locks and works with your existing key set. You can set custom user codes for their smart lock, and you can lock and unlock the lock through its push button keypad. That is pretty much the only home automation device that they currently offer, but they do have some video surveillance equipment you can use with their system.

Monitoring/Cameras

SimpliSafe offers their SimpliCam which is a wireless camera that will work on the outside or the inside or your home. The SimpliCam works by connect wirelessly to your home’s WIFI network, and it is powered by an AC Power source so you want to make sure you have one nearby. The SimpliCam can capture images in HD resolution and it includes night vision technology so you can capture video even when you have not light around. The SimpliCam has built in motion sensors that will trigger it to start to record, and you can use its 2-way audio feature to directly communicate with whomever is around your SimpliCam. The last piece of addon equipment offered by SimpliSafe is their video doorbell camera. Their doorbell camera works by connecting to your home’s WIFI network, and it is powered by your existing doorbell setup. SimpliSafe’s doorbell camera can capture video in 1080p HD, and it has advanced night vision technology that allows you capture crystal clear images at night. It has a built-in chime with motion sensors that will trigger it to start to record and send an alert. You can use the SimpliSafe video doorbell’s 2-way audio feature to directly respond to whomever is at your door.

Recommended: See all of our Alarm.com powered video monitoring options at Link Interactive »

Who wins?

Vivint and SimpliSafe have a lot in common when it comes to their basic equipment. Both companies offer wireless and battery-operated intrusion and environmental safety devices. Vivint however does offer professional installation while SimpliSafe system is totally DIY. This is a very hard category to call, but we are going to give the win to SimpliSafe seeing that they have a slightly larger selection of basic equipment than Vivint with quite a few equipment packages for you to choose from.

This category was an easy one to call a winner for. Unfortunately, SimpliSafe doesn’t have but one home automation device for you to choose from, and since you can’t use other branded home automation devices with your SimpliSafe system, you are limited in expanding it. Vivint, however has a ton of addon equipment for you to choose from, and since their Smart Hub has a Z-wave protocol you can use other branded home automation devices allow to really personalize and expand your system. Due to Vivint having a better selection of home automation equipment, we are giving them the win for this category.

Vivint Smart Home vs SimpliSafe App

To monitor your Vivint or SimpliSafe system you can use their professional, self, and video monitoring services. Their self-monitoring services are down through their apps, and their apps are free to download. Their apps work with Apple and Android devices. Their self-monitoring services will allow you to control your system remotely. You can arm and disarm your system, customize features, stream live and recorded video, receive push notifications for events, and add devices right from their apps. Seeing that Vivint offers more home automation equipment than SimpliSafe, their app goes a bit deeper into home automation control than SimpliSafe’s app. With their self-monitoring services, you will have a professional monitoring station watching over your home 24/7, and they will respond to security other events that happen with your system. SimpliSafe’s month to month monitoring cost are cheaper than that of Vivint’s and they do not require a contract for their services unlike Vivint.

Recommended: Check out Link Interactive. With Link Interactive you’ll get the Alarm.com app (the gold standard in home security), at a great affordable price. The systems comes with all latest bells and whistles of a modern day home security system, powered by Alarm.com. See details »

Vivint Smart Home vs SimpliSafe vs Link Interactive

Vivint and SimpliSafe are great security companies that offer a lot of the same services but a different equipment. SimpliSafe has an easy to use system that is totally DIY, and they have really low month to month monitoring cost. Vivint has a super nice full colored touchscreen control panel that can be really expanded allowing you to personalize your security setup. Due to Vivint having the better control panel along with the larger selection of add-on equipment, we are making them are overall winner.

Recommended Alternative: Link Interactive

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!