ADT Home Security Review 2022

People trust ADT. It’s been around forever, so it’s definitely one of the best-known and most experienced home security companies out there.

But with that popularity and experience comes a massive price tag. Is it worth it? After scouring through ADT’s offerings and customer reviews, we think it can be if you value its benefits enough. In this ADT review, we’ll talk about why we recommend ADT for users who want tried-and-true home security but not for users who want to save money.

If you’re going to go with ADT, you’ll get better value with one of the more expensive plans. We suggest, at the very least, getting the Tier I Remote Access plan. That way, you’ll have app access with your ADT alarm.

If you have money to spare, we recommend going  for one of the higher tiers. With Tier II Video Security, you’ll gain video storage with your monitoring service. (That includes 24/7 video monitoring, which is arguably ADT’s best feature.)

And if you jump up another level to Command Tier III Video Security  Home Automation, you’ll get not only mobile access and video storage but also home automation! That means you can add smart devices to your ADT security devices.

ADT has some of the priciest home security packages on the market, which is a thumbs down. The prices are a lot, and so are some of the monitoring plans.

But the company also has a lenient money-back guarantee for cancellations during the lengthy trial period, which is a thumbs up.

The more reasonable prices are for systems connected through a landline (Essentials Plan, Complete Monitoring Bundle), not a cellular network (everything else). So if you don’t have and don’t want a landline, the cost quickly rises.

We won’t lie: overall, ADT charges a lot more than most of its competitors. But if you want that brand name recognition, it comes at a premium.

The typical ADT contract is 36 months, which is the market standard right now. Unless you’re in California—then you only need to commit to ADT for 24 months. More on that later.

Once you install ADT, you have six months to decide if you like it. If you want to cancel at any time during those six months, you get off scot-free (theoretically; customer comments have shown it’s not always that easy).

After that, if you want out, you have to pay 75% of your remaining contract as a cancellation fee. That’s a pretty standard industry cancellation policy, but it’s still a huge barrier if you need to get out of your contract (especially if you’re canceling for financial reasons).

ADT doesn’t make its own equipment but has a good selection.

ADT has a not-insignificant range of equipment, including the following:

• Keypad
• Siren
• Glass break sensor
• Shock sensor
• Motion sensor
• Carbon monoxide detector
• Smoke detector
• Smoke/carbon monoxide detector combo
• Smart lock
• Remote smart light module
• Remote smart thermostat
• Garage door controller
• Smart LED light bulb

If you buy from an ADT authorized dealer, you can also get other equipment pieces, like doorbell cameras, flood sensors, and medical alert devices.

Your ADT equipment isn’t proprietary. It’s made by a third party, like Alarm.com or Honeywell. On the one hand, it’s annoying to pay so much for generic pieces. But on the other hand, you may be able to reuse them with another monitoring company after your ADT contract ends.

With that in mind, let’s take a close look at some of ADT's most unique equipment offerings.

This sensor shocks anyone who tries to break into your house. Okay, no, that sounds cool, but it’s not true.

The shock sensor detects shock waves a.k.a. any impact against your window or door. If someone tries to break glass or use a battering ram, you’ll know.

If you’re wondering, “How does that differ from a glass break or window sensor?” the answer is: it doesn’t really. It gets pretty much the same results, but with a different approach.

Most smoke detectors tend to be pretty basic, so we’re really digging ADT's smart detector. When it goes off, it does the following:

• Sends you notifications
• Calls the ADT monitoring team
• Sounds a siren
• Shines lights

It’s also tamper protected and works in a large range of temperatures and humidity. Things don’t get much safer than that.

A lot of home security companies love to highlight their cameras. ADT isn’t one of those, and we understand why. To all appearances, ADT cameras aren’t bad, but they’re not groundbreaking either.

ADT offers indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cameras. With a camera and one of the two ADT Command + Video Security plans, you can enjoy remote viewing, cloud storage, and 24/7 professional video monitoring.

You get good home automation with ADT with a higher-tier package.

ADT’s compatible with Alexa, Google, and the Z-Wave protocol, so it will connect with most smart home devices.

ADT requires a professional’s touch.

ADT systems are all professionally installed. (Blue by ADT, which is self-installed, is a whole other service.)

You don’t have to lift a finger during the actual installation process, but you do have to block out a time to be home when the techs arrive (and pay the installation fees).

Your level of customer service will rely heavily on the dealer you buy from.

Don’t get us wrong. A lot of ADT customers are happy with their service. But like with any company, there are some things ADT could do better.

According to Consumer Affairs and the BBB, one of the biggest roadblocks of using an ADT dealer is the business model.

ADT doesn’t work like McDonald’s franchises. ADT dealers don’t always have strong, centralized leadership to keep things consistent.

Instead, they use fragmented approaches to selling, equipment packages, and installation. That makes the customer experience far from consistent, and therein lies a lot of potential for frustration.

Speaking of frustration, we see the following main complaints against multiple dealers:

• Unexplained fees
• Unexpected charges
• Misrepresented services

We don’t love that the same types of complaints pop up repeatedly. It’s not a good look for any security company.

ADT is one of the most expensive national home security companies. Only Vivint comes close in price.

But ADT also has a longstanding reputation that makes its prices worth it for those who want a guaranteed security brand.

ADT solutions fill a lot of needs if you’re willing to pay the price.

ADT is familiar to people. It’s synonymous with home security. And if you don’t need all the bells and whistles, or if you don’t mind paying extra to access them, then you’re going to be satisfied with ADT.

Let’s walk through what you can expect with ADT one more time.

• Pricing: ADT’s prices are sky high if you want anything other than a landline system, but the company gives you six months to make a final decision.
• Equipment: ADT equipment is fairly generic and might be reusable for another monitoring company.
• Home automation: The ADT system is compatible with most major smart home devices. You just have to pay extra for app use and full automation.
• Installation: Sit back and relax while the professionals do all the installation work.
• Customer experience: Your customer experience will largely depend on the dealer you use (if you choose not to go with ADT).

But if you’re tired of paying a ton of money for home security, or if you want a DIY system, or if you’re just looking for something different, ADT isn’t the end-all-be-all. Check out our best home security recommendations for plenty of other options.

When rating home security services, we frequently consider the following points

1. Price
2. Equipment
3. Smart home integrations
4. Security cameras
5. Customer experience

For this particular review, we also heavily considered installation type and video storage. We also lived with an ADT security system for a few weeks to get a more detailed experience.

ADT has a long history and tons of past and present customers, so there’s a lot to talk about.

It’s complicated.

Typically, you should get a landline system in any of the following circumstances:

• You already have a landline
• You live in a rural area without good cellular connections
• You just want the bare minimum in security

A cellular home security system would be better in just about any other circumstance.

There’s a reason why landline systems are falling out of favor. With the advent of cell phones and advanced home automation, landline systems technologically lag. Still, they have their uses. (Although, contrary to popular belief, they aren’t necessarily safer than cellular systems, and here’s why.)

We wish we knew why Californians get a shorter ADT commitment! We haven’t found a reliable source that can clarify this.

Our best guess? California’s housing market is wild, so people may not be willing to commit to a security service for more than two years. But that’s just our speculation. If we get a better answer, we’ll let you know.

Maybe.

Based on the customer feedback we’ve seen, there’s a very real possibility that ADT will raise your prices at some point. Before signing up, you may want to ask about a price lock policy. Otherwise, you could find yourself unexpectedly paying even more in the future.

ADT has six monitoring centers. Last we checked, ADT had more monitoring centers than any other company, making it the monitoring king.

Video monitoring = ADT will keep an eye on your camera feeds, too, not just your home security system. And since the monitoring is 24/7, ADT will see everything. (So be careful where you place the cameras.)

If you miss something important, theoretically, ADT will catch it. Nice.

Just as a reminder, video monitoring is separate from the standard professional system monitoring. It’s only included in ADT’s top-tier packages.

If you’re a renter, you probably shouldn’t get ADT. And that’s okay.

ADT’s long-term contracts and more permanent installation methods make it a bad fit for most renters. But hey, there are lots of other security systems designed for you.

Yes, but that doesn’t mean you should.

If you’re wondering if you can buy ADT signs, you may have had this brainchild: “Ah-ha! I can capitalize on ADT’s reputation by getting a sign but no equipment.”

If you already have an ADT system, you can use your account to buy signs. You can also find spare signs on Amazon.

We don’t necessarily recommend using a security sign for a company you aren’t using, but if you choose to do so, we suggest you at least have some kind of security system in place. An experienced burglar will be able to tell that there’s no system, despite what the sign says.

Saving money, mostly.

You’ll also get unique equipment over the more generic items that ADT uses. Plus there’s something to be said for moving away from the giant monolith of historic security systems and trying a smaller service.

Of course, there are some drawbacks to picking the smaller, self-monitored service. You won’t have as many features or access to some equipment, like the ADT medical alert.

According to Waves.com, Reel ADT is a track recording technique, Reel Artificial Double Tracking. This technique was apparently invented by the Beatles, which is cool, but it doesn’t have anything to do with home security. If searching for “reel adt” brought you here, you’re on the wrong page!

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