Compare
Compare your options, line by line
Three things worth comparing before you spend money on a security system: which of our packages fits the building, which panel you want to live with, and whether buying one outright from a local contractor beats the other two ways people buy these systems. All three tables are below, with nothing left off.
Packages
The three packages side by side
Essential
Apartments, rentals, condos and smaller homes
See the detailComplete
The package most single-family homes end up with
See the detailWhole Property
Larger homes, waterfront, small commercial
See the detail| What you get | Essential | Complete | Whole Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control panel | 1 touchscreen | 1 touchscreen | 1 touchscreen |
| Extra wireless keypads | None | 1 | 2 |
| Door and window contacts | 3 | 8 | 12 |
| Motion detectors | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Glass break detectors | None | 1 | 2 |
| Smoke, heat and freeze | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Carbon monoxide | Add-on | 1 | 1 |
| Water and freeze sensors | Add-on | Add-on | 2 |
| Indoor cameras | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on |
| Outdoor cameras | Add-on | 2 | 3 |
| Video doorbell | Add-on | 1 | 1 |
| Smart deadbolt | Add-on | Add-on | 1 |
| Garage tilt sensor | Add-on | Add-on | 1 |
| Key fobs | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Cellular signaling with Wi-Fi backup | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm permit filed for you | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Video analytics on cameras | No | Yes | Yes |
| Smart home automation | No | Yes | Yes |
| Video clips included | Add-on | 3,000 a month | 3,000 a month |
| Video devices included | Add-on | 4 | 4 |
| Cameras included on the plan | Add-on | Up to 4 | Up to 4 |
| System moves with you if you move | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority service scheduling | No | No | Yes |
| Coverage plan drawn before ordering | No | No | Yes |
| Record drawing of camera views | No | No | Yes |
Prices shown are starting prices and are subject to change without notice. They are not a quote or an offer of contract. Add-on prices are published on the packages page, and anything marked as an add-on above can go on any package.
Panels
Three panels, same package price
The panel does not change what the package costs. What it changes is how far the sensors reach, which of your existing sensors carry over, and which app you open every day.
| Panel | Qolsys IQ Panel 4 | 2GIG Edge | Resideo ProSeries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform and app | Alarm.com | Alarm.com | Total Connect 2.0 |
| Sensor family | DSC PowerG | eSeries, or E+ Series 900 MHz | PROSiX |
| Sensor range | Longest of the three | Long with E+ Series | Standard |
| Cameras | Alarm.com | Alarm.com | Resideo |
| Camera in the panel | Yes, photographs disarms | Yes, with facial recognition | No |
| Bluetooth disarm | No | Yes | No |
| Takes over existing sensors | DSC and some legacy 345 MHz | 2GIG and GoControl | Honeywell 5800 |
| Cellular plus Wi-Fi dual path | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Backup battery | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best when | Nothing on the wall yet, or a long perimeter | You already run 2GIG or GoControl | You already run Honeywell or Resideo |
Ways to buy
Buying outright, on contract, or in a box
There are three ways to end up with a security system, and they are different purchases rather than different prices for the same thing. We have set ours against the other two honestly, including where a kit is the sensible answer.
| How it works | Elite Connect | National alarm company | DIY kit from a box |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns the equipment | You do, bought outright | Usually the company, until the term ends | You do |
| Monitoring term | 1, 2 or 3 years, your choice, renewing for the same length | Typically 36 to 60 months | None |
| Up-front cost | Published on this site | Often $0 to $99, recovered in the monthly | Cost of the kit |
| Who installs it | Licensed Virginia Class A contractor, DCJS registered | Varies by dealer and territory | You do |
| Alarm permit | We file it with you | Varies | Your responsibility |
| Sensor placement | Decided on a site walk | Often decided at the door on the day | Wherever you put it |
| Canceling | Written notice 30 days before the term ends; 3 business day right to cancel after signing, residential | Buyout of the remaining term is common | Stop paying |
| If a sensor fails in year two | 12 month warranty on parts and workmanship, then a service call | Covered while you are in contract | You replace it |
| Cameras | Professional line on the same account as the alarm | Usually the same platform | Consumer cloud cameras |
| NDAA section 889 compliance | Every camera we fit | Varies by line carried | Frequently non-compliant |
| If you move house | We take it down and reinstall it at the new address | The term usually follows you, or is bought out | You take it with you |
| Suitable for a rental or apartment | Yes, nothing is cut into the building | Usually needs landlord sign-off on a multi-year term | Yes |
| Who answers when you call | The people who installed it | A national call center | A support forum |
The middle column describes the standard national dealer model rather than any one company, and terms vary by dealer. Read your own agreement before you sign it.
Questions
Choosing between them
Which package do most people choose?
Complete. It is the one that contacts the whole ground floor rather than two doors, and it is the cheapest of the three that puts cameras outside, which is where a system does most of its work. Essential suits apartments, condos and smaller homes where there are only a few openings to cover. Whole Property is for long perimeters, outbuildings and waterfront.
Is a more expensive panel a better panel?
No, and the package price is the same for all three, so there is nothing to trade off on price. The differences are range, which sensors carry over from what you already own, and whether you end up in the Alarm.com app or the Total Connect app. We pick with you on the site walk.
Why not buy a kit and fit it myself?
For a small apartment you might, and we will say so. What a kit does not give you is a monitored central station response, a permit filed, sensors placed by someone who has seen how break-ins actually happen in this area, or anyone to call when it stops working. Virginia also requires a DCJS registered business for monitored electronic security work.
What is wrong with a free system on a five year contract?
Nothing is wrong with it as long as you know what it is. The equipment is not free, it is financed inside the monthly, and the total across the term usually exceeds buying outright. The part that catches people is the buyout if they move or want to cancel. We publish the price instead so the arithmetic is in front of you.
Still not sure which one fits?
That is what the site walk is for. We count the openings, look at the construction and tell you which package it is. No charge and no obligation.