Brinks Home Security Review
Brinks Home Security offers average equipment with above-average monitoring services.
Devices come from third-party vendors like Alarm.com, but the monitoring and support are all Brinks. If you’re an entry-level customer who’s more concerned with customer service and emergency response than having the latest tech, read on to see if Brinks could work for you and your family.
Monitoring for Brinks and Google Nest equipment Home automation for newcomers Speedy alerts
Lacks proprietary equipment Requires credit approvalBrinks Home Security pricing
Monitoring and equipment prices from Brinks
Info current as of 05/21/2021. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Brinks has four security monitoring packages: Smart Security Essential, Smart Security Complete, Smart Security Ultimate, and monitoring for Google Nest Secure*.
Prices start at $19 per month if you add monitoring to your Nest Secure system with a three-year contract. Month-to-month monitoring is available for Nest Secure for $29 per month. But you need to buy your Nest Secure equipment elsewhere.
Google discontinued the Nest Secure security system in late 2020. Monitoring service through Brinks is still available for folks with the system. While the system isn't available anymore, you can probably find a used system easily enough.
There is a $150–$500 difference in equipment costs between the Brinks Smart Security plans, but that extra money includes a video doorbell and outdoor camera. Monitoring is about $10 more per month for the video plan too, but $39.99 per month is standard for higher-tier security plans.
With the Smart Security Complete package, home automation features like mobile access, smart locks, light control, and a thermostat become available. Bigger competitors like Vivint and Frontpoint charge $49.99 for similar packages. For under $44.99, this is a good deal for a smart security package.
How Brinks Home Security stacks up
| Luxury smart home pick | Reader favorite | Whole-property pick | Pro monitoring pick | No-contract DIY pick | Smart-home-compatible pick | Customer-focused pick | Budget pick | Most safety sensor options | Simplest package options | |
| Brand |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Lowest monthly monitoring price | $29.99/mo. | $14.99/mo. | $49.99/mo. | $27.99/mo. ‡ | $19.99/mo. | $20.00/mo. | $14.99/mo. | $10.00/mo. | $30.99/mo. | $39.99/mo. |
| Starter equipment price | $0.00 * | $229.00 | $294.30 ^ | $0.00 ** | $199.15 | $279.00 | Quote required | $199.99 | Quote required | $199.00 |
| Contract required |
 No † |
No |
No |
 Yes |
No |
No |
No † |
No |
No † |
Yes |
| Smart home compatibility | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Z-Wave |
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant |
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Z-Wave |
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Z-Wave |
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Z-Wave |
Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Z-Wave, Zigbee |
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant |
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Z-Wave |
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Z-Wave |
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Z-Wave |
| Learn more | View packages | View packages | View packages | View packages | View Packages | View packages | View packages | View on Amazon | View packages | View packages |
| Read review | Read review | Read review | Read review | Read review | Read review | Read review | Read review | Read review | Read review | Read review |
Info current as of 05/21/2021. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Amazon.com list price as of 05/21/2021 at 10:45 a.m. (MT). Read full disclaimer.
*$0 due up-front with consumer financing.
†No-contract options available with outright equipment purchase.
^Or $9.49/mo. with consumer financing.
‡Landline monitoring only. Some restrictions apply. (Full disclaimer)
**With $99 installation charge and new monitoring agreement. Early termination fee applies. See full disclaimer for full offer details, terms, and conditions.
Brinks contract and warranty
When you opt for one of Brinks’s kits, you’ll need to go through a credit check and sign up for a three-year contract. Brinks offers a 30-day trial, but if you cancel after that you’ll have to pay the remainder of your agreement.
Brinks has a two-year warranty. If something goes wrong within this time, you can get the equipment replaced.
Brinks Home Security tech and equipment
Brinks’s equipment is average compared to other companies like Vivint, ADT, and Frontpoint. Brinks keeps costs down by using tech from third parties like Alarm.com, but outsourcing equipment makes tech support and repairs difficult if something goes wrong.
DIY installation is easy with the sticky backing tape for the motion and contact sensors. They have adjustable sensitivity and will send alerts to your Brinks app when they sense activity.
The Smart Security Ultimate package comes with a doorbell and outdoor cameras that shoot in HD quality, send you alerts to the app, and have a two-way talk feature. Both cameras will be monitored by Brinks professionals too for extra security. The doorbell camera is one of our favorite features: you can watch packages being delivered and kids arriving home, and you can catch any shady characters in action.
While most of Brinks's tech doesn’t turn our heads, we do like the ASAPer group chat feature. Found in the Brinks app, ASAPer creates a type of chat room for everyone on a customized list. If an alarm goes off, get in touch with your spouse, professional monitoring, and kids all at once to make sure everyone’s okay. It allows you to cancel false alarms, and connect with emergency responders right from your phone.
Nest Secure monitoring from Brinks
Brinks offers professional monitoring for Nest Secure users. Professional monitoring covers the entire Nest Secure system, along with add-ons like the Nest Protect smoke alarm and the Nest thermostat.
The good news is that you can get pro monitoring for Nest contract-free, so you can back out and self-monitor with your Nest system whenever you like. Monthly monitoring—with no commitment—is $29 per month. If you don't mind a little commitment, you can lower your monthly costs to $19, but you'll need to sign a three-year contract.
The Nest Secure system comes with the smart hub, two contact sensors with built-in motion detection, and two key fobs to tap into the system when you arrive and leave home.
The bad news is that Google discontinued Nest Secure last year—so finding a system could be a challenge. Read our full review of Nest Secure to learn more.
Brinks Home Security installation
All of Brinks’s Alarm.com equipment is self-installed, but if you want help from a pro, you can get assistance for an extra fee. Professional installation makes sense for more complex setups like an outdoor camera or the video doorbell, but you can handle most of the job yourself. Like many other self-install systems, you just need to peel the backing from your sensors and place them throughout your home.
Brinks Home Security customer service
Brinks Home Security was rated Best Home Security in a satisfaction study from J.D. Power and Associates and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. But we saw mixed reviews from customer ratings on BBB, Trustpilot, and Consumer Affairs. The worst comments we saw reported long hold times on the phone, confusing contracts, and faulty equipment with no repair in sight. The best, on the other hand, spoke of helpful customer reps and supportive service.
That said, customer service is different from professional monitoring. The ASAPer feature in the Brinks app will alert you, your contacts, and the monitoring professionals in as little as 30 seconds of any issues in your home. The monitoring pros are there to walk you through any situation you might encounter, from fires and break-ins to floods and carbon monoxide leaks.
As of July 2020, all Protect America customer accounts were transferred to Brinks.
Final word
Overall, Brinks sits right in the middle of the market for professionally monitored, self-installed systems. But it’s much more affordable than ADT and Frontpoint for home automation devices. Like ADT, you’ll need to sign a contract if you opt for Brinks’ Smart Security packages. But you can also monitor Nest contract-free through Brinks.
Brinks equipment works, but you’ll pay a lot upfront for Alarm.com devices you can find from other companies. The best thing about Brinks was the quick response times from their highly trained monitoring techs. It’s helpful to have a calm voice in a stressful situation and they do just that. While the tech and pricing aren’t stellar from Brinks, the monitoring certainly is.
How we reviewed Brinks Home Security
To get an accurate picture of Brinks’s pricing, equipment, and more, we did a lot of research. We dug through online forums and customer review sites. We compared Brinks to similar security companies and services like ADT, Frontpoint, and Vivint. For more information on our testing processes and standards, read our full methodology.
FAQ
Brinks packages come with a 30-day trial that allows returns within the first month. But Brinks’s Alarm.com equipment comes with a contract, so you’ll have to pay out the remaining balance if you decide to drop Brinks or go for another security system.
Any time the alarm on your Brinks system activates, the monitoring professionals know about it. Once they see the alarm, you and your emergency contacts will receive a notification, phone call, text alert, or email. Through the ASAPer group chat, you can call off the alarm and claim it as a false alarm if nothing is wrong.
Yes. Self-installed systems like Brinks are easy to move from home to home, making them great for renters. Remove your system from your old home and install it again in your new place. Once everything is set up, call the professionals at the monitoring center to share your new location.
Related articles on SafeWise
Disclaimers
*Google, Google Nest Secure, Google Home, Google Nest Protect, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.
ADT $27.99 Essential package: $99.00 Customer Installation Charge. 36-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $27.99 per month ($1,007.64). 24-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $27.99 per month ($671.76) for California. Form of payment must be by credit card or electronic charge to your checking or savings account. Offer applies to homeowners only. Local permit fees may be required. Satisfactory credit history required. Certain restrictions may apply. Offer valid for new ADT Authorized Dealer customers only and not on purchases from ADT LLC. Other rate plans available. Cannot be combined with any other offer. The $27.99 Offer does not include the 6-month guarantee or the Quality Service Plan (QSP). Quality Service Plan (QSP) is ADT’s Extended Limited Warranty. Landline monitoring only.
The post Brinks Home Security Review appeared first on SafeWise.
Article source here: Brinks Home Security Review
