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Vivint Home Security Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.7 / 5 (Excellent)
119 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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Founded in 2002, Vivint is a smart home technology provider that offers home security and safety, home automation and energy management solutions. Their systems are fully customizable, feature 24/7 professional monitoring, and can all be controlled remotely via mobile app. Vivint is headquartered in Provost, Utah.
 
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How is Vivint rated?

Breakdown

4.5/5
Equipment
4.9/5
Monitoring Options and Technology
5.0/5
Value
4.8/5
Contract Flexibility

Overall Rating: 4.7 / 5 (Excellent)

Vivint pairs their innovative, self-designed technology for home automation with customizable plans and flexible payment options. Its aim is to provide fully-connected, innovative systems. The company is among the largest home security providers in the US. However, given the complexity of Vivint's systems, equipment costs can mount fairly quickly. Depending on the length of the monitoring contract you choose, monthly monitoring can be on the high side. The Vivint website does advertise a low $19.99 monthly monitoring fee option but it is attached to a high minimum initial purchase and lengthy service agreement.

How does Vivint work?

Equipment - 4.5 / 5

Vivint offers both pre-selected home security packages and fully customizable options. The company offers free professional installation of some system components, but does charge for the installation of outdoor and doorbell cameras.

Hardware options begin with the Smart Hub, to which additional devices are added, such as cameras, smart locks, a smart thermostat, and more. Some—but not all—equipment comes with a lifetime warranty.

Vivint's connected home technology offers a wide variety of optional sensors, such as smoke, glass break, carbon monoxide, and flood, all of which can be controlled via the Vivint app. The company allows customers to customize a feature-rich equipment package.
Installation
Professional
Equipment Manufacturer
Clearlink
Ability to Reallocate System
Wireless Sensors
Control Panel
Event Triggered Siren/ Alarm

Security Monitors, Sensors, & Devices

Intrusion Protection

  • Door & Window Sensors
  • Garage Door Sensors
  • Glass Break Protection
  • Motion Sensors
  • Recessed Door Sensors
  • Crash & Smash Protection

Environmental Protection

  • Carbon Monoxide
  • Flood
  • Temperature Change
  • Smoke

Surveillance

  • Indoor Cameras
  • Outdoor Cameras
  • Doorbell Cameras
  • Tilt & Pan Cameras
  • Live Surveillance
  • Event-triggered Surveillance

Life Safety

  • Panic Button
  • Medical Alert

Monitoring

Monitoring Options and Technology - 4.9 / 5

Vivint provides professional 24/7 monitoring via broadband or cellular data. Its call center can dispatch emergency personnel as needed. The Vivint Smart Hub Panel features two-way communication as part of a complete system, which gives homeowners more options during an emergency.
Monitoring Options
Professional Monitoring
Self Monitoring
Monitoring Technology
Cellular
Broadband
Number of Monitoring Centers
1
Monitoring Center Type
Owned
Professional Monitoring Services
24/7 Professional Monitoring
2-Way Intercom
Police Dispatch
Fire Department Dispatch
Medical Dispatch

How much does Vivint cost?

Contract Flexibility - 4.8 / 5

Vivint's Smart Home plans begin with a monthly monitoring fee of $39.99, while their Smart Home Video starts at $44.99. If a homeowner chooses to purchase their equipment upfront (average of $549.99), these are the only fees they'll pay subsequently, with no need for a contract. But self-monitoring is generally not recommended by security experts.

When choosing the financing option, the monthly cost includes the monitoring fees mentioned above, plus the equipment cost over their 42 or 60-month contracts. These contract lengths are lengthier than the industry standard of 24-36.
Monthly Fee (min)
$29.99
Monthly Fee (max)
$44.99
Number of Available Packages
3
Installation/ Activation Fee
$0.00
Equipment Starting Cost
$649.99
Contract Required
Minimum Contract Length
0 months
Cancellation Policy
Contract term is month-to-month, unless choosing the financing option, in which case terms are 42-60 months.
Warranty
Lifetime

Contract & Price Fine Print

Vivint offers a month-to-month plan with no contract required and contract lengths up to 60 months.

Technology Integrations

Technology Integration - 4.4 / 5

Vivint offers a high level of technology integration. Customers can select systems that combine home security, environmental safety, and energy efficiency features. The company manufactures some of its equipment itself, which is unusual in the industry.

Customers control their systems through the Vivint mobile app. Vivint can interface with Amazon Alexa and Echo, Google Home, IFTTT, and Z-Wave. They also have a cloud storage unit called Space Monkey, which holds 1TB of data and can be accessed remotely.

Compatibility

Google Assistant
Amazon Alexa
Google Home
IFTTT
Z-Wave
ZigBee
Z-Wave Plus

Mobile Access & Alerts

  • iPhone App
  • Android App
  • Email & Text Alerts
  • Live Surveillance Feed
  • Remote Arm/Disarm

Home Automation

  • Lighting Control
  • Thermostat Control
  • Appliance Control
  • Electronic Door Locks
  • Event-triggered Automation
  • History Log
  • Unique User Codes

Vivint Reputation

Reputation - 4.7 / 5

Vivint has excellent ratings across various certifying agencies, including the Central Station Alarm Association, the Underwriter's Laboratory, and the Electronic Security Association. Their customer reputation was historically poor, but they have made serious efforts in that arena, and currently offer support via various channels, including their mobile apps, website, and phone.
Trust Pilot Rating
3.8 out of 5
BBB Rating
D+
Number of BBB Positive Reviews
194
Number of BBB Neutral Reviews
28
Number of BBB Negative Reviews
485
Date Collected
2021-01-28
Year Founded
1999

Certifications & Associations

  • Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA)
  • Underwriter's Laboratory (UL)
  • Electronic Security Association

Vivint Summary

In Conclusion

Vivint Inc. is one of the largest home security companies in North America and currently provides services to over one million customers. The security company is known for “smart home” products and advanced alarm technology.

Unlike most companies that offer restrictive, pre-packaged plans, Vivint focuses on a customized approach. With Vivint’s base security package, customers receive a touchscreen control panel, a smoke detector, a door/window sensor, a motion detector, and a key fob. The key fob can be used to arm or disarm the system without having to enter the home. Additional equipment is also available, including recessed door sensors, glass break detectors, flood/freeze sensors, carbon monoxide detectors, tilt sensors, small appliance controls, doorbell cameras, smart thermostats, panic pendants, and more.

The Vivint Smart Home service packages smart home products across different brands, professional installation and monthly security monitoring. In June 2018, Vivint added two Google Home Minis to each starter kit. At CES, Vivint introduced Streety, a new neighborhood watch app.

Vivint equipment and monitoring are a bit pricey. There are two service plans. The Smart Protect plan is $39.99 per month and gives you 24/7 professional monitoring and full use of the mobile app, including alert notifications. If you add things like door locks, doorbell cams, and thermostats, you'll need the $49.99 per month Smart Home plan, which lets you control home automation devices using the app and Amazon's Alexa voice commands. Again, a service plan is not mandatory, but without one, you have to monitor your home yourself, and you don't get remote access to the system. Regardless of the payment plan you choose, Vivint simplified its three packages down to just two. The Smart Home package gets you home security and home automation only, and the Smart Home Video package adds video surveillance.

Rather than employing a third-party distributor, Vivint designs most of the equipment that’s included in each company package. Also, all devices function using Z-Wave and are wireless (including cameras and smart thermostats), so you don’t have to fumble through a problematic installation.

While Vivint’s systems are tailored to fit your needs, reviewers stated that Vivint struggles with delivering dependable customer service—both for user questions and in emergency situations. On the other hand, Vivint is highly receptive to customer feedback and works hard to implement recommended changes. Sales practices in the past damaged the company’s reputation, but it remains a leader in innovative home protection.

Contact & Additional Information

Homepage URL
https://www.vivint.com/
Company Phone
(855) 562-0243
Headquarters Address
4931 N 300 W, Provo, UT, 84604
Mailing Address
4931 N 300 W, Provo, UT, 84604

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119 Customer Comments & Reviews

Loading Reviews ...
Phil C
6/5/2019
Terrible equipment and horrible customer service. Will charge any credit card of yours without your permission.

authorpainter
5/14/2019
I wouldn't trust Vinint to collect my garbage! They proved themselves to be untrustworthy and extremely expensive. Comparing apples to apples, Vinvint is 100% higher than Safe Touch, the company I did hire. Furthermore, after three frustrating days of lies and BS, they pulled my credit report with a hard pull, told me the WRONG information about what was on my credit report, cost me money to get full bureau reports to discover they were lying and then, REFUSED to remove the hard pull after turning me down for all the wrong reasons. My credit score is now over 750 on all three bureaus, no thanks to the harmful act of Vinvint's hard pull. Again, what they were going to charge me $1985... Read More

D
Dawn
2/28/2019
We have had Vivint for close to three years now. The customer service sucks. When we signed up we were told we would be able to move our unit for free. We were also told we would be able to keep the equipment in the current home (in hopes that who it was left for would sign up with them) and they would give new equipment when we moved. When we moved we called and they told us we were never told that and they don’t do that. The panel was constantly going offline. Which was beyond us. We had the fastest cable internet offered at the time. I called SEVERAL times to try to resolve issues. Eventually we gave up. We have lived in our home we relocated to for over a year in a half now. We never... Read More

Philip L
1/23/2019
The absolute worst decision I made in my 40 years on this planet was answering the door 6 years ago when a young, pushy salesman came knocking. 6 years later, I'm still dealing with the headache that is vivint. I'm not joking when I say that vivint is by far the most evil company I've ever dealt with. There are many other companies offering the same system, or the same type of system. What matters is how they treat you as a customer. Vivint sees you as a cash cow. Nothing more. Regardless of what they tell you, you cannot get out of their contract for any reason. We had to relocate to a rental unit due to my wife's job, and vivint tried to get me to pay over $1,000 to get out of... Read More

G
George M
1/13/2019
Website is a disaster. Support useless. Will be getting rid of Vivint as soon as contract expires.

Pat G
1/5/2019
Best decision I made was to install Vivint home security in my home..about 9 months later I was confined to bed for four months. I was able to monitor the system from my bed using my IPHONE AND IPAD. How comforting to be able to turn my arm my system, control my thermostat, turn lights on and off, and answer my doorbell from my bed. I am up and walking now and ordered more door locks and garage opener today. It will be installed on Tuesday. Can’t wait.

B
Bill L
12/14/2018
Just received a phone call from Vivint home security. Merry christmas you owe199 for a service call on a smart panel problem. yes their equipment fails and I pay. Have had many days with issues with smart Panel. Even on installation minutes after installers left no smart panel. I have gotten so good at rebooting system and usually make a call only to hear we are having trouble with our app. Frustrated !!!

Marita B
12/13/2018
This is the worse company ever to have as a security issue, I only had the system for a few months and already the door bell camera went offline, customer service asked if I had a WiFi booster installed, nope never needed one why would this company need it after 4 months? The topping on the cake was when the technical service rep asked me to turn off the electrical to the door bell, through the electrical panel, not safe for me. Then the digital front door lock is the worse part. I had to change the batteries 4 times within 4 months, and I just changed them 5 days ago and needs to be changed again. Technical service still doesn’t understand the frustration a homeowner goes through when you... Read More

Lucy S
11/24/2018
Having a Vivint security system installed was the best decision EVER. The tech who installed it on a Saturday stayed until it was done. Great equipment. Great customer service. Woke up this morning to see that someone rang my doorbell at 2:48 am. A couple was actually on my front porch drunk and arguing! The camera recorded everything. I was sound asleep. Would have never seen this without my Vivint! Thank goodness nothing happened but I want to know if anything goes on. And if anhydrous have happened my alarm was set. I have accidentally set it off teice. Vivint called and police showed up. I was kidnapped from my garage early in the morning on my way to work. Almost murdered. Wish... Read More

Deanna S
9/24/2018
It has been a rocky road with Vivint, due to faulty equipment, poor response and some of the dumbest staff ever. My contract finally ended and of course my rate went up. I arranged for ADT to replace Vivint's obsolete equipment. When the ADT tech pulled the panel off the wall, he said to expect a call from Vivint right away. HA! VIVINT NEVER CALLED!!! Please do more research before choosing this awful company!

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