Vivint Equipment
Luxury is the best word to describe Vivint equipment—it sports some of the sleekest equipment designs in home security. We’re also impressed with its range of third-party compatibility considering that the company makes most of its own equipment.
Dive into Vivint's equipment and pricing details to see why Vivint remains one of our favorite brands. If you're interested in seeing the bigger picture—including professional monitoring and customer service—we recommend heading over to our complete Vivint review.
Vivint-compatible equipment
Vivint equipment pricing
Vivint is a luxury system that comes with luxury prices, especially when you look at individual pieces of equipment.
For example, its $100 motion sensor costs three times the $30 median price for most other brands. You read that right—that’s a $70 difference.
But while Vivint’s prices may be higher than the average system, its lifetime equipment warranty makes it a worthy investment.
Vivint's cheapest starter kit costs a whopping $599 plus professional installation (starting at $49). The good news is you can opt for $0 down with consumer financing. So you can get a system without paying in full up front.*
Vivint app
The Vivint app is like having a remote control for your security system on your phone. Plus, it’s free with Vivint systems which isn’t the case with other brands.
From the app, you can check the live video feed from your home’s security cameras or remotely arm and disarm the alarm system from your phone. And, if you add smart home equipment, you can answer the door or improve energy efficiency through the app too.
Vivint’s app and control panel use the same navigation. These matching controls make it easier to switch between controls at home and on your phone—a big plus compared to other security system apps.
Vivint equipment
Base equipment
No matter how you customize your Vivint system in the end, every starter kit includes a few necessities: a smart hub, door and window sensors, and a motion sensor.
Here's why your home security system needs these essential devices:
- The Vivint Smart Hub coordinates everything in the system and directly connects to the monitoring center.
- The Vivint Door Sensors report when a door or window opens.
- The Vivint motion sensor watches for activity inside your home.
Vivint Smart Hub
The Vivint Smart Hub delivers a streamlined experience with plenty of bandwidth for all devices. It doubles as a smart home hub and supports up to six security cameras. (Say cheese!)
If you’re looking for a surveillance-heavy security system, you may be familiar with the lag that comes with adding lots of cameras to your home Wi-Fi network. Its improved bandwidth cuts the lag and delivers live-stream video to your home security system.
The Vivint Smart Hub is the new standard for Vivint systems, so any newcomers to the home security company can expect a short learning curve when they get their system.
Vivint sensors
Outside of the base equipment in every starter kit, Vivint sells sensors that allow your system to detect other threats like smoke, flooding, glass breaking, and carbon monoxide.
Vivint accessories
While Vivint's accessories don't play starring roles in monitoring your home, they make it more convenient to lock the door, close the garage, arm your system, and control your AC using the Vivint app.
Vivint issued a voluntary recall for the Remotec Dimming Switch Module after discovering a potential electrical shock hazard. It no longer sells the unit and has an online form for customers to request a replacement voluntarily.
Vivint cameras
Vivint sells three security camera models: the Vivint Indoor Camera, the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro, and the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro. All three models have 1080p video quality and compete well with offerings from Frontpoint and ADT.
The company recently updated its outdoor camera and doorbell camera to stay ahead. As with most Vivint equipment, these cameras are pricier than usual. The outdoor camera pro's price tag is almost on par with that of the Google Nest Cam IQ*, the most expensive security camera.
Smart Sentry
Smart Sentry lurker detection in the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro and Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro uses Smart Deter technology to scare off would-be intruders.
If a shifty stranger stands in view of the camera, your camera will start recording and emit a tone or whistle to tell them they’re being watched. We haven’t seen anything like it from other security cameras, giving Vivint a top spot in our rankings for best home security system.
If you want to learn more, our Vivint camera guide has more details about Vivint’s indoor, outdoor, and smart cameras.
You need to pay for Vivint's most expensive monitoring service plans to use its security cameras. The lower-tiered plans are a better fit if you just want sensors that detect motion or opening doors
Info current as of 01/21/2021. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Vivint Smart Drive
The Vivint Smart Drive is essentially a hard drive that saves up to 30 days of continuous security footage. We like local storage like this because it's typically more secure than storing videos in the cloud, though you shouldn't put it in an obvious location where burglars can find it.
Vivint includes 14-day cloud storage with its security camera service plans. You don't need to pay extra for the Vivint Smart Drive unless you want continuous local video storage.
Vivint Car Guard
Vivint Car Guard plugs into the OBD II port you find on most cars made after 1996. It allows you to monitor important information about your car using your smartphone:
- Location
- Battery life
- Check Engine messages
It also records a variety of trip statistics (including your impeccable driving habits).
This GPS vehicle tracker also boosts your car's security by telling you if someone bumps it or if a tow truck picks it up. Thanks to built-in GPS and an LTE cellular signal, you'll always know where you parked your car too.
Although the trip statistics and monitoring are the main reason to get Vivint Car Guard, it's also a useful addition to a Vivint security system. We like that the Car Guard can trigger lights and cameras in your home in reaction to thieves breaking into your car.
While Car Guard works with Vivint security systems, it doesn't require one. There's no contract, but you pay a $10 monthly fee for the first car and $5 for each additional vehicle. If you already have a Vivint system, the monthly payment drops to $3.33 for each car.
Third-party smart home products for Vivint
Vivint's third-party smart home support is among the best in the home security industry. We especially like that it sells many of these devices directly to customers, making it easier for you to outfit your Vivint system in one fell swoop.
Amazon Alexa
Vivint has two Alexa skills that allow you varying degrees of control over your Vivint system when you use an Amazon Echo smart speaker. The Complete skill has the highest functionality of the two since it can arm your system in addition to typical smart home requests. But you need to use the phrase "Ask Vivint to . . . " before you issue a command.
The Basic skill works more like a regular Alexa command and doesn't require you to ask Vivint anything. While it works with lights, thermostats, locks, and cameras, this skill doesn't offer an arming feature.
Feel free to browse our Alexa guide if you want to learn more about Amazon's smart home platform.
For security reasons, Vivint doesn't allow you to disarm your system or unlock smart locks using Alexa (or Google) voice commands. This may sound like a disadvantage, but it’s a safety feature that keeps clever intruders from hijacking your smart speaker and using your security system.
Google Assistant and Nest Thermostat
You can use Google Assistant to control your Vivint system using voice commands and Google Home smart speakers. Our Ultimate Guide to Google Home can give you ideas for using your smart speaker with your security system.
Vivint sells both the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Nest Thermostat E directly to customers. But you shouldn't fret if you already have a Nest thermostat since you can link it to your Vivint system using Google Assistant and the Vivint Smart Home app.
Several Vivint customers on Reddit mentioned problems integrating Google with Vivint, though it doesn't seem to affect most customers. Many of these issues came after Google ended its popular Works with Nest program to migrate users to Google Assistant, which affected Nest's previous integration with Vivint.
Philips Hue
Philips Hue is one of the most popular smart lighting brands and essentially your only option for integrating smart light bulbs into a Vivint home security system. It's a bummer that there isn't more support for other smart lights, but at least Philips Hue makes excellent (though expensive) lighting gear.
Chamberlain MyQ
The Chamberlain MyQ garage door controller converts your existing garage door opener into a connected device. It's a clever option for controlling your garage door with a smartphone. It integrates directly with Vivint security systems, so you don't need to buy the Z-Wave garage door controller accessory Vivint sells.
Z-Wave
The Vivint Smart Hub has a built-in Z-Wave radio that allows you to control these third-party Z-Wave devices through the Vivint app:
- Smart lock
- Smart thermostat
- Garage door controller
- Light switches and dimmers
Unfortunately, the Smart Hub doesn't support other types of Z-Wave devices like sensors. This means you have to bite the bullet on expensive Vivint-branded sensors instead of buying reasonably-priced Z-wave alternatives.
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Disclaimers
Google, Google Nest Secure, Google Nest Cam IQ, Nest Thermostat and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.
* Financing eligibility and terms subject to credit approval and an agreement with one of Vivint’s financing partners.
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