Vivint Home Security is one of the leading electronic security providers in the U.S. Its top competitors are ADT and SimpliSafe. If you visit the Vivint website, you will find a number of blog posts explaining why the brand is the best choice across all the states the company operates. But here is the million-dollar question: is Vivint the best choice for protecting your home?
You should probably know that this post was inspired by a recently posted article on the Security.org website. That article ranked the top eight home security systems and brands based on research involving more than 40 performance parameters. But truth be told, all the testing results seem pretty close to me. No single brand stands out as head and shoulders above the rest. All have their strengths and weaknesses.
Arbitrary Rankings? Possibly
So where did Vivint rank? It came in third behind SimpliSafe and ADT. However, Vivint was awarded the title “Best for Home Automation”. The designation seems fitting, given the fact that Vivint is an industry leader in combining home security with smart home automation. They do not treat the two as separate entities, like many of their competitors do.
Given that each of the eight brands covered in the article were awarded some sort of ‘best’ title, I cannot help but wonder if the final rankings were arbitrary. Again, all the systems performed within the same ballpark. No system was so good or bad that it truly stood out compared to the others.
The Arbitrary Nature of ‘Best’
This all points to one of the fundamental truths of ‘best-based’ marketing messages: ‘best’ is an arbitrary measurement. It is 100% subjective, based on who is ranking the brands in question. Whereas Vivint is allegedly the best home security brand for those also interested in home automation, the Security.org article awards ADT the title “Best Professional Monitoring and Installation”.
Both ranking categories are open to a lot of opinion. The results are open to debate. The point I am making here is this: consumers should never rely exclusively on blog posts and online reviews claiming to have revealed the best brand in a given market. Such information can be useful in making decisions, but it is certainly not gospel.
What Matters Is What’s Important to You
The thing that matters most in your quest to find the best security system is you. What is important to you when it comes to protecting your home? What features do you want in a security system? How do you feel about professional versus DIY installation?
I built my own home security and automation system from the ground up. In my opinion, it’s the best system for my needs. But if I were trying to choose between Vivint, SimpliSafe, ADT, etc., this is what I would be looking at:
- Upfront equipment costs
- Monthly monitoring costs
- Installation options
- Equipment warrantees
- Smart home integration
- Upgrade policies and parameters
I realize that my needs and preferences are quite different from those of my neighbors. So I would never tell the lady across the street that doing what I did in my home is best for her. Maybe she doesn’t have the technical skills to build her own system from scratch. Perhaps she does but she still prefers the confidence that comes with a known brand.
Make the Decision for Yourself
Electronic home security represents a significant investment. That being the case, make the decision for yourself after doing some in-depth research. Perhaps Vivint is the best choice for protecting your home. But maybe it’s not.
