Installing Frontpoint
When comparing Frontpoint and SimpliSafe, you’ll see that Frontpoint offers a few more options for equipment compared to SimpliSafe. The major components are all there — the security cameras, the entryway sensors, the motion sensors — but Frontpoint also offers a few bells and whistles, like garage door tilt sensors and glass-break sensors. We’ll get more into that in the section below, but for now, let’s talk about what it was like to set up this system.
In a word, easy. In two words, very easy. You can read more about this in my Frontpoint review, but everything is packaged thoughtfully, and the setup process is intuitive — whether this is your 100th DIY project or your first. Once you plug in the hub and download the app, you’ll be walked through step-by-step, detailed instructions on how to install everything.
There are two things I’d like to mention. First, Frontpoint’s hub is one of the most aesthetically pleasing pieces of security equipment I’ve used. It has a sleek, opalescent look that you won’t feel you immediately need to hide behind a houseplant. Functionally, it works using dual connections: Wi-Fi and cellular LTE, with the latter being the primary. This redundancy is to add increased dependability, which I really appreciate.
Second, Frontpoint has some of the best customer service for a security system. I ran into a bit of a hiccup when one of my entryway sensors wasn’t connecting to my hub, but after a quick call, everything was up and running — no wait times, no hassle of replacing equipment. In all, it took me a little over half an hour from boxes to a fully protected home.
Frontpoint’s Costs
Similar to SimpliSafe, Frontpoint offers a few security packages. Here’s what that looks like:
Name |
Equipment |
Regular price |
Sale price |
Ultimate Home Security System |
- Hub
- Keypad
- Touch screen
- Door sensors (5)
- Glass-break sensor
- Smart door lock
- Flood sensor
- Indoor camera
- Doorbell camera
- Yard sign and stickers
|
$1,351.83 |
$419 |
Premier Home Security System |
- Hub
- Keypad
- Touch screen
- Door sensors (3)
- Doorbell camera
- Yard sign and stickers
|
$771.90 |
$169 |
Starter Home Security System |
- Hub
- Keypad
- Door sensor (1)
- Yard sign and stickers
|
$541.91 |
$79.99 |
I do want to point out that you can pretty much ignore that regular price column. Frontpoint is always running a sale, so I’ve included the current discounted prices as well. While they might not be exactly the same when you’re shopping, they’ll be a lot closer to the sale price than the retail price.
For a little more context, below are the discounted prices Frontpoint offers for you to customize your system or build your own.
Component |
Price |
Carbon monoxide sensor |
$65.49 |
Door or window sensor |
$19.24 |
Doorbell camera |
$109.99 |
Extra keypad |
$30.24 |
Flood sensor |
$24.74 |
Garage door tilt sensor |
$24.74 |
Glass-break sensor |
$41.24 |
Indoor camera |
$65.99 |
Keychain remote |
$17.59 |
Motion sensor |
$38.74 |
Outdoor camera |
$126.49 |
Outdoor smart plug |
$27.49 |
Premium indoor camera |
$109.99 |
Smart door lock |
$109.99 |
Touch screen |
$82.49 |
When it comes to monitoring, Frontpoint is a bit of an outlier. All of its systems are professionally monitored, with no option for self-monitoring. This is a pretty big drawback in my eyes. And, at $49.99 per month, it’s not exactly cheap. I would argue that it could be worth the investment for some folks since Frontpoint has some of the best professional monitoring in the industry.