
If you signup for AlarmNet for Interactive Services and possibly Total Connect 2, you are sort of “locked” to your selected dealer for monitoring services. You can still change dealers at any time of course but it will require a factory reset
defaulting the panel which blows away all existing panel settings and zone configuration. Honeywell has decided, and just for Lyric it seems, to make dealer “takeovers” of monitoring accounts very difficult since they now require the new dealer or DIY homeowner to reenter/reprogram all wireless sensors and more into the controller from scratch. If you start with a good monitoring vendor this will never be a problem, but we have an issue making it so burdensome for users to switch if their dealer service levels fall or their
pricing is no longer competitive. If you don’t buy the equipment outright, Vivint requires either a four or five year contract — a long time to commit, especially given that you only have three days from the date of install to cancel. Afterwards, you’ll have to pay out the remainder of your contract. If you may be moving in the near future, it’ll cost you $99 to take the system with you. You could alternatively renew your contract, but then you’d be locked in for even longer. Vivint will waive any cancellation fees for extenuating circumstances like death, military circumstances, bankruptcy, or a move to assisted living. Still, it’s best to be intentional if you decide on Vivint. ADT doesn’t have the strongest customer service reputation among the companies we considered, racking up more than 3,000 complaints on its Better Business Bureau page.
Supports
multiple wireless platforms.

Like most technical services, you can pay for professionals to craft your home security system or you can
take matters into your own hands. DIY home security means you customize your device kit,
self install, and then monitor alerts from your sensors and video feed. Self monitoring is the common difference between DIY and traditional security, but there are plenty of companies that strike a happy medium between both. We looked at providers offering pure DIY as well as those offering professional monitoring, either de facto or as an upgrade. We required all systems to have Z Wave Support — the most universal mesh network for communicating appliance to appliance. One of the biggest draws of a DIY system is the opportunity to add in third party equipment like Philips Hue lights or a Nest Thermostat at any point.