Todd Pedersen and Keith Nellersenfounded Vivint Security Nellersen around 1999. In 2011 the company received $2 billion from the major investment firm The Blackstone Group. After that, Vivint began to innovate smart home security systems. All their equipment is modern and well-designed. Vivint also sells every smart-home feature one could imagine. In light of this, it should not be too surprising to hear Vivint’s plans and packages are somewhat pricey.
There are three parts to Vivint’s pricing: equipment, installation, and monthly monitoring. The equipment pricing ranges from $599 for the starter kit to $1789 for the complete bundle. Vivint also has 60-month financing plans, which range from $12 to $30 per month. While Vivint’s upfront costs are quite expensive when compared to other home security companies, their products are some of the highestquality to be found.
The monitoring price ranges from about $30 to $45 per month. The price depends on what features you would like. Three plans exist Smart Security Monitoring for $29.99 per month, Smart Home Monitoring for $39.99 per month, and Smart Home Video Monitoring for $44.99 per month.
Lastly, Vivint installation cost varies for equipment but begins at $50. Every Vivint package requires professional installation. The cost is pretty standard in the industry. Having your system installed professionally ensures that everything is properly set up and networked.
In total, for Vivint home security and automation, one might pay anywhere from $40 to $75 per month. If you pay the equipment price up-front, your professional monitoring may cost as little as $29.99 per month. Vivint does not offer an option for free self-monitoring. When compared with the market as a whole, Vivint charges a premium; when measured against products that are similarly high-tech, Vivint is not that pricey, especially when one considers their products’ technology and features.
Beyond these main costs, Vivint has one more factor to consider — the price of add-ons. Customizing your system can get expensive, but all upgrades are thankfully completely optional.
Those are the costs to consider. So, what can one buy? Vivint offers five different packages. These packages are from a feature-rich starter kit which is fully customizable, to packages with security cameras and home automation devices.
The least expensive of Vivint’s packages are the SkyControl Starter Kit, which costs $599 if one pays upfront or $9.98 per month. The kit includes a touchscreen control panel, one motion sensor, two smart entry sensors, and two Google Home Minis. The Google Home Minis are a fairly new addition to the kit and allow complete control of the system with only your voice. This starter package includes both the Vivint Smart Hub and the app, the last of which have won awards. With the app, one can control all their devices remotely with their smartphone. Vivint has many customizations for the SkyControl Starter Kit.
Another of Vivint’s packages is the Home Security System Bundle. This costs $709.98 when bought upfront, or $11.83 per month. This bundle includes everything in the SkyControl Starter Kit. The bundle also has a Vivint smart smoke detector that works with the whole Vivint Smart Home system. The smoke detector automatically unlocks the smart locks in the home, allowing firefighters to quickly enter the house during an emergency. In order to kill a fire through a lack of oxygen, the smoke detector can shut off a home’s HVAC system. The Vivint monitoring center is also notified. This smoke detector can save both lives and property.
The Smart Home Control Bundle costs $1049.95 when bought upfront, or $17.50 per month. This bundle includes everything from the Home Security System Bundle, plus smart home devices such as a smart door lock, Vivint’s Element Thermostat, and a smart garage controller.
The next package is the Video Security Bundle, which costs $1379.95 upfront or $23 per month. This includes everything from the starter kit: a touchscreen control panel, one motion sensor, two smart entry sensors, and two Google Home Minis. On top of that, this package includes an outdoor camera, the Vivint video doorbell, and one Ping camera. The Video Security Bundle also offers $750 worth of home video surveillance. This kit is over $100 cheaper than buying Vivint’s standard bundle and then adding cameras separately. This bundle, though, does not have any home automation devices.
The last of Vivint’s five bundles is the Smart Complete Bundle. It costs $1789.92 upfront or $29.83 per month. It includes everything from all the other plans. For people who want great, modern home security and automation, this package makes a lot of sense. On the other hand, the package greatly exceeds most American’s budgets. The 60-month financing is interest-free (for this plan and all the others) and makes the price much more reasonable at slightly below $30 per month. If you would like to customize your system, though, Vivint’s Starter Kit is the way to go.