Compare Frontpoint vs. SimpliSafe Home Security Systems

Home security technology is firmly in the new wireless era. Nearly extinct are the days when the only option for consumers was to have dozens of holes drilled into their home to string wires between doors and windows to a control panel. Also passé are home security monthly service charges that rivaled the cost of a cable TV subscription. Today’s home security technology is affordable, offers DIY-installation, and provides features and options that used to only be the domain of the most expensive alarm systems. If you are considering Frontpoint vs. SimpliSafe, these two relative newcomers to the home security industry offer similar cutting-edge features and hardware; but how do they differ and which one is better suited for your home?

Frontpoint Security has been selling security systems for over 10 years, with a focus on easy to install hardware and exceptional customer service. Their equipment is not proprietary; that is, being manufactured by General Electric, the system can later be monitored by a different company. Although their monthly service plans are more expensive than some of the competition, it pays for what many consider to be the most responsive and helpful customer service team in the industry.

Also offering home security solutions for 10 years, SimpliSafe sells detectors to monitor doors, windows, smoke, and flooding. While their hardware offerings are nearly identical to Frontpoint, SimpliSafe also offers a low-cost, month-to-month, no-contract monitoring plans, making them an attractive option for people looking to keep their home security expenses to a minimum or for folks who rent their unit and do not wish to be held down by a contract.

When considering SimpliSafe vs Frontpoint, it is important to first look at your home security needs, your budget, and what features will fit your lifestyle. A complete solution for a large single-family home will look a lot different than one for a studio apartment on the 10th floor of an apartment building. Both companies are very flexible with putting together packages that best suit your home. Read on to learn about the pros and cons of each company.

The ability of a home security company to accurately detect an intruder and the company’s response to alarms are of paramount importance to the consumer. False alarms, faulty equipment, and unresponsive customer care are all issues to be avoided when dealing with the safety of your property and family. Both of these security companies are offering quality equipment that is easy to install, but assessing Frontpoint vs. SimpliSafe reveals that Frontpoint Security beats out SimpliSafe in customer support, company reputation, and overall customer satisfaction.

We like the equipment from Frontpoint Security, and through the feedback of customers, we have learned that Frontpoint’s hardware is sophisticated, easy-to-install, and reliable. Another advantage to Frontpoint’s equipment is that, in the long term, you won’t be tied to Frontpoint’s monitoring plans should you decide to go with another monitoring company: their equipment is non-proprietary, allowing the devices to be monitored by another company.

From a hardware standpoint, SimpliSafe and Frontpoint’s offerings are very similar; they both offer a full array of sensors to detect movement, forced entry, environmental issues, as well as video surveillance cameras. Both have entry-level packages that come with a door/window sensors and a control panel/base station, which acts as the heart of the system. The door and window sensors are placed half on the frame, half on the window or door; when the door or window is opened, the link between sensors is broken and an alert is sent. When the home alarm system is armed, an alert will go to the monitoring company via a home’s landline or via cellular signal; after attempting to contact the homeowner, they will then alert the authorities.

With so many of the hardware options and prices nearly identical, the question of SimpliSafe vs. Frontpoint becomes one of value and customer service. Without a doubt, the current customers of Frontpoint Security are satisfied with the level of support for the product during setup and with ongoing customer care.

Home security today offers a slew of affordable monitoring hardware that not only alert the homeowner to intrusions through a door or window, but allow real-time video monitoring of a residence. The applications for video monitoring are many, from monitoring a child when they are left with a babysitter or nanny, through watching pets left home alone, to observing elderly residents who may or may not have home caregiver assistance. In addition, Frontpoint and SimpliSafe offer a panic pendant/button that allows the user to immediately activate an alarm in emergency situations.

Both companies offer nearly identical arrays of detectors and sensors, which cover all the standard coverage.

The monitoring of a home security system involves both the professional monitoring that will send law enforcement or emergency services in cases of an alarm, and it is the system’s ability to notify the resident directly when a sensor or alarm has been triggered. The first line of alarm monitoring are the alerts available to a resident while they are on the property. If you choose to have audible cues to alert you to open doors, windows, or movement in the house, then there will be a loud beeping or voice alert whenever this occurs.

Little known to most customers of SimpliSafe and Frontpoint is that the actual alarm monitoring is performed by a third-party company. When an alarm is triggered and emergency responders are about to be dispatched, the home alarm system will communicate with the professional dispatch company, not customer service of the home security company. This is one of the primary differences between the newer home alarm companies like Frontpoint and Simplisafe and the more-established security companies, who have their own monitoring staff.

Pricing for a home security system is a combination of the hardware costs and the monthly monitoring plan fee. With both companies changing their packages and offering different incentives and discounts, the up-front cost for the consumer may change depending on when you sign up. In general, consumers can expect to pay $200-500+ for the initial equipment.

Frontpoint currently offers two base packages -- Pro and Pro Plus -- which offer a discounted rate on an assortment of sensors and detectors. The Pro package ($200) includes a keypad panel, door/window Sensor (3), a motion sensor, a glass break sensor, and a keychain remote. The Pro Plus package ($350) adds 2 door/window sensors, adds a motion sensor, and substitutes a smoke/heat detector for the keychain remote. There are three tiers of monitoring plans from Frontpoint:

• Protection Plan ($35/month): includes all the fundamental monitoring functions to arm a basic system and contact the monitoring center in case of an alarm.

• Interactive Plan ($45/month): adds support for Frontpoint’s mobile app for remote arming/disarming, text and email alerts, and sensor history.

• Ultimate Plan ($50/month): adds home automation (smart home) control and video camera support.

SimpliSafe offers five different packages of equipment, containing between four and fourteen components, as well as the ability to customize your own package. Should the customer be dissatisfied with a SimpliSafe system in any way, they offer a 60-day, money-back guarantee.

Home security systems that use the latest technology have the ability for the homeowner to monitor their system remotely from their mobile phones, tablets, or computers. If you’re considering Frontpoint vs. SimpliSafe, they both send alerts via text and emails, and their security systems can notify the homeowner when any sensor is triggered: whether it’s a front door being opened, a smoke detector being triggered, or movement in a room that off-limits to the kids. In addition, users can arm or disarm their systems remotely, through an app on their mobile device or through a web browser. This function in particular is helpful not only for homeowners who may forget to arm the system after they leave the home, but for disarming it remotely before visitors are allowed to enter the property. With Frontpoint, mobile alerts are available with their mid-tier “Interactive” plan ($45/month) and higher, whereas with SimpliSafe, the feature is only available with their premium “Interactive” ($25/month) monitoring plan.

The security monitoring system itself relies on either a landline or a mobile phone signal; the home does not have to have a high-speed internet network for the basic alarm and sensor functionality to work. Systems that offer a wireless video cameras may need your home’s network connection to be monitored remotely. So if you are wanting to view the feed of a camera when you are at the office or on vacation, your home should have a broadband internet network for the cameras to join.

Smart home technology adds even more value to home security systems, but in the contest of Frontpoint vs. SimpliSafe, only Frontpoint is offering a home automation option. Previously the domain of science fiction, the ability to remotely turn lights on or off and even lock and unlock doors are now available to Frontpoint customers with additional hardware and with their “Ultimate” monitoring plan.

SimpliSafe vs. Frontpoint Security is a comparison of two relatively new companies who have embraced the latest technology to offer affordable home security systems for consumers. But in regards to the current reputation of Frontpoint vs. SimpliSafe, Frontpoint has truly distinguished itself. With an A+ rating and accredited by the BBB, an “Excellent” rating from TrustPilot.com, and 4.5 stars from ConsumerAffairs.com, Frontpoint has overwhelmingly positive reviews and a record of resolving the vast majority of its customer complaints. Because a dissatisfied customer is more likely to spend the time to review a company or product, it makes the preponderance of good reviews for Frontpoint even more considerable.

Frontpoint customers are nearly unanimous in praising the company for its customer care, the ease of setting up the security system, and the reliability of the monitoring service. What few complaints we have been able to find have dealt mainly with billing disputes. And wherever there is a customer complaint, an official Frontpoint customer service representative appears to be responding directly to the complaint online -- a sure sign of a company that not only has an excellent reputation, but wishes to preserve it.

SimpliSafe’s reputation is good, but not as stellar as Frontpoint’s. They, too, receive an A+ and accreditation from the BBB, having closed all the complaints that consumers had filed in the past year. But they have an average rating from TrustPilot and a below-average rating from ConsumerAffairs. Customers are most often complaining about long wait times on the phone to resolve technical and billing inquiries. As a month-to-month, no contract service, some customers complain of billing that continued after they believed they had cancelled the service. Take the negative online customer reviews with a grain of salt; while consumers should be cautioned by the negative customer comments, the products from SimpliSafe have received good reviews from major tech websites.