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ADT has the high-quality equipment and award-winning professional monitoring you need to watch over large properties.
Updated March 11, 2025
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Safeguarding a large house isn’t easy. It’s difficult to monitor every corner, and it can be costly due to the number of devices you need. Fortunately, there are home security systems designed for this challenge. After testing over 50 security systems, we chose five with the state-of-the-art features and professional monitoring options you need to watch over these spaces.
ADT is the best option with its extensive equipment range and industry-leading professional monitoring service. But it’s not perfect, which is why we’re also recommending Vivint, SimpliSafe, Frontpoint, and Ring Alarm as alternatives. Let’s take a closer look at them to see which one will suit your home best.
We make trustworthy and unbiased reviews by testing home security systems ourselves. We buy the equipment with our money, install the systems in our homes, and test them for weeks and sometimes months. It helps us get a feel for what it is like to live with the security system and learn first-hand about the response times, apps, and features. We then use these experiences to make our recommendations.
Many factors impact testing home security systems, so we find ways to make like-for-like comparisons. One way is to test all the equipment in the same environment. For this review, we used a two-story, 2,200-square-foot home owned by one of our home security experts. It’s not a mansion, but using a real house means we have real-life experience with the security systems and can make accurate recommendations.
We also buy the same equipment for every security system and install them in identical places. You can see the locations where we regularly choose to place devices below.
We have to consider multiple factors when recommending the best home security systems for large homes. Using our knowledge and experience in the industry, these are the factors we believe are the most important:
Using these criteria, here is how we arrived at our top five picks:
Rating the Best Home Security Systems for Large Homes
We’re not one of those websites that reviews everything from bookcases to slippers. Our team of experts exclusively covers safety and security equipment. They know how to effectively evaluate a security system so our readers get in-depth and insightful recommendations. The team that contributed to this review were:
Our team has over 75 years of combined experience, making us the most accomplished home security team online. Since 2016, SafeHome.org has been featured in several major outlets, including The Washington Post and The New York Times. As a team, we have achieved:
Every recommendation comes from our first-hand product experience and a deep understanding of the security industry. Now, let's learn why we chose our top picks.
Some of the indoor SimpliSafe equipment we installed ourselves in less than an hour.
| ADT | Vivint | SimpliSafe | Frontpoint | Ring Alarm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | 1st Best Professional Monitoring |
2nd Best Automated Security System |
3rd Best Video Monitoring |
4th Best Value Security System |
5th Best Security Camera System |
| SecureScore™ | 9.2 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 8.7 | 8.2 |
| Allowed number of sensors | 220 | 100 + 232 Z-Wave devices | 100 | 80 + 232 Z-Wave devices | 100 |
| Home automation and integrations | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes | Limited |
| Outdoor cameras with built-in security lights | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Continuous video recording | Possible | Possible | Not possible | Possible | Possible |
| Special monitoring features |
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| Monitoring Costs | Starting at $24.99 per month | Starting at $40 per month | Starting at $21.99 per month | Starting at $14.99 per month | Starting at $20 per month |
| Equipment Costs | Starting at $349 | Starting at $600 | Starting at $249.96 | Starting at $386.93 | Starting at $244.95 |
| Read our review | ADT Review | Vivint Review | SimpliSafe Review | Frontpoint Review | Ring Alarm Review |
ADT is great for large homes because it offers a blend of wired and wireless equipment. Sure, wireless sounds nice and modern, but fully wireless systems might have trouble connecting with sensors from all around your house.
With ADT, you get a mix of both wired and wireless equipment to make connections more reliable. (ADT is our top hardwired security option.) Professional installation is also available, and we recommend taking advantage of this service. The technician will assess your home and choose the best spots to install the equipment. They’ll also ensure everything is connected properly, something we struggled with when setting up our abode package.
ADT’s indoor and outdoor security cameras come from Google Nest. They even have an outdoor camera with built-in floodlights for enhanced security lighting. There’s also a battery-powered indoor/outdoor model you can place almost anywhere around your large property.
>> Keep Reading: Nest Cam Review 2025
Google Nest smart cameras know if it is a person, animal, or vehicle in its field of vision. They also use facial recognition to tell people apart. We get different notifications when our neighbor stops by compared to our crazy aunt who’s always bringing over strange knick-knacks.
The Google Nest Cam with Floodlight unboxed and ready for our technician to install.
Other than the cameras, ADT offers a complete suite of sensors. They have motion and entry sensors, garage door sensors, glass break sensors, smoke alarms, water leak sensors, and gas leak sensors, just to name a few. And the best part is, all those ADT sensors are monitored professionally.
Speaking of professional monitoring, ADT is simply a cut above the rest because it has 12 monitoring facilities in total. For comparison, Vivint, has two monitoring centers and most other companies have only one.
ADT has that many facilities for redundancy. If a storm disrupts on location, the other 11 can take over or offer support. ADT’s monitoring plans start from $24.99 if you install the system yourself. Because we bought several Nest cameras and chose professional installation, we had to sign up to the most expensive plan at $49.99 per month. That’s on par with Vivint and Frontpoint.
Having home automation is a blessing for large homes. Instead of going around the house turning off lights or locking doors, you can use an app to make a schedule or control them manually. You can also have automation rules. “If I arm my system, then turn off the lights” — that sort of thing.
ADT offers home automation. We control our smart lights from the ADT+ app and schedule them to turn on and off at all hours. We’ve also set our smart thermostat to enter energy-saving mode when we arm ADT to Away mode.
When we arm our ADT system from this simple-looking base station, our schedules for other devices kick in.
Pro Tip: If you’re interested in home automation, secure your network with a firewall and by using strong Wi-Fi passwords. You don’t want criminals gaining access to your home through smart devices.
| Equipment Cost | Packages starting at $349 |
|---|---|
| Monitoring Options | Professional or DIY |
| Monitoring Cost | Starting at $24.99 per month |
| Contract Length | Monthly |
| Installation Options | Professional or DIY |
| Smart Platform Integration | Alexa and Google Home |
Vivint is known in the industry as one of the best smart security systems. This was also our first impression when the technician showed us the Vivint Smart Hub.
Calling it just a touch-screen panel doesn’t do it justice. Lots of security systems have a touch screen, but Vivint’s is far more advanced. It can stream videos from cameras, create and control automations, and has two-way voice, which lets you speak with a monitoring agent in case of an emergency.
Vivint sensors look a bit clunky for a high-tech security system, especially those bulky door sensors that they offer. But if you can look past that, you’ll see interesting pieces of equipment from Vivint.
Our Vivint’s entryway sensor looks clunky, but is reliable.
Our personal favorite (and recommendation for large homes) is the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro. The best feature is Smart Deter, which uses person detection and personalized rules to scare off intruders with lights and sounds.
The Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro is also customizable. You define the monitored area, the parameters for triggering Smart Deter, and the light type (e.g., strobe, soft glow, etc.) and alarm tone. It’s best paired with the Spotlight Pro, which uses AI to follow around the movement of anyone that walks into frame. It literally shines the spotlight on intruders.
>> Keep Reading: Vivint Home Security Cameras
All Vivint systems require professional monitoring. And as we mentioned earlier, Vivint has two monitoring facilities for redundancy — one in Utah and another in Minnesota.
As for cost, Vivint’s monitoring prices are similar to ADT’s prices, although it’s hard to tell as Vivint doesn’t advertise the rates on their website. We had to call up for a personalized quote. One potential deal-breaker is that you’re restricted to a maximum of six cameras per subscription, which might be challenging for larger homes.
On the plus side, Vivint is one of the security systems with the fastest response times. We had text message alerts arrive in less than 10 seconds and phone call follow-ups within 60 seconds. That’s in line with the industry average.
Pro Tip: Remember, the response time has nothing to do with how quickly the police will arrive at your door. That has everything to do with the capacity of local law enforcement. That said, the faster an alarm company responds to alerts, the quicker they’d be able to report the emergency.
Vivint outshines ADT when it comes to home automation. The Smart Hub supports up to 232 third-party Z-Wave devices, including everything from smart locks to dimmer switches. You can even add Google Nest devices like the Nest Thermostat. Our Vivint technician also mentioned that the hub supports up to 100 Vivint sensors, making it ideal for big homes.
Vivnt’s Outdoor Camera
The level of customization in the Vivint app is also impressive. We created a series of automations for our Vivint and Z-Wave devices. Our favorite one dimmed the hallway lights with the Fibaro dimmer switch when Vivint entered Stay mode at night. Thanks to this customizability, Vivint earned a place in our list of the best security systems with an app.
| Monitoring Options | Professional only |
|---|---|
| Installation | Professional |
| Smart Platform Integration | Alexa and Google Home |
| Equipment Cost | From $599.99 |
| Monthly Monitoring Cost | From $30 |
| Contract Length | 48 to 60 months |
SimpliSafe started as a security system for apartments. But today, it protects large homes just as well as ADT and Vivint. One of the reasons is its Active Guard Outdoor Protection feature, which works similarly to Vivint’s Smart Deter. However, SimpliSafe agents from the monitoring center access the live feed and use the two-way speaker to scare off intruders, which is even better in our opinion. If the intruder refuses to move along, the agent can deploy sirens and strobe lights to cause a commotion. The feature is also a form of video verification that can speed up emergency responses.
SimpliSafe’s equipment is one of the best DIY security systems. The components are wireless, easy to install, and lightweight. You can opt for professional installation starting from $124.99, but we don’t think it’s necessary. We had everything up and running within 30 minutes.
Here’s how easy it is to install the SimpliSafe motion sensor.
As for your options, SimpliSafe offers sensors that detect intrusion and safety hazards like fire and gas leaks. There is one item missing though: A garage door sensor or tilt sensor. SimpliSafe recommends using the typical door sensor for that.
>> Other Options: The Best Security Systems for Homes With a Garage
SimpliSafe is one of the most affordable home security systems around. However, if you want Active Guard Outdoor Protection, you’ll pay similar prices to ADT and Vivint. There are cheaper monitoring plans from SimpliSafe that are just as effective. We chose the Core plan at $31.99 per month, which includes Intruder Intervention. It works like Active Guard Outdoor Protection, but SimpliSafe agents use the Wireless Indoor Camera to interact with intruders.
Pro Tip: If you’re worried about someone spying on you through SimpliSafe’s indoor camera, rest easy; it includes a privacy shade that is always closed when the camera is not actively recording.
The Core plan also includes 30 days of cloud storage for up to 10 cameras and cellular backup for the base station. This is a handy feature if your Wi-Fi range is inadequate or prone to drop out. Just be aware that features like Active Guard Outdoor Protection and Intruder Intervention require Wi-Fi connections.
SimpliSafe’s home automation is its biggest weakness. Unlike Vivint, which integrates with Z-Wave products, and ADT, which offers smart devices like smart bulbs, SimpliSafe focuses solely on home security. SimpliSafe sells a smart lock, and you can control the system with your voice via SimpliSafe and Google Assistant, but that’s about it.
The SimpliSafe app makes it easy to add more SimpliSafe devices in the future.
| Monitoring Options | Professional and DIY |
|---|---|
| Installation | Professional and DIY |
| Smart Platform Integration | Alexa and Google Home |
| Equipment Cost | Packages starting at $249.96 |
| Monthly Monitoring Cost | From $21.99 |
| Contract Length | Monthly |
Frontpoint is similar to Vivint, but with more affordable equipment. Since larger homes need a lot of devices, Frontpoint systems won’t break the bank. It’s also a good security system for renters wanting to save some cash. Frontpoint isn’t just a Vivint alternative. It offers home automation features, customizable setups, and unique features like geofencing, allowing you to monitor specific areas around your home.
We noticed a significant difference between Frontpoint’s equipment and devices from ADT, Vivint, and SimpliSafe. For instance, Frontpoint’s sensors and batteries are durable, but lack the modern, sleek design of Vivint devices. The keypad is also a bit of an eyesore.
Here’s Frontpoint’s cheaper analog keypad.
The camera range is also limited. We got the Premium Floodlight Camera, an upgrade from the standard Outdoor Camera. It distinguishes between people, animals, and objects and comes with a siren and 3,000 lumen flood lights to scare off intruders. We also like that you can manually activate the siren if you notice something suspicious.
There is only one Frontpoint professional monitoring plan on its website, and it’s $49 per month. It doesn’t matter the size of your system, the cost remains $49 per month. You get great features like text alerts, 24/7 police and fire protection, and home automation, which we’ll cover next. You can contact Frontpoint to discuss cheaper monitoring plans starting at $14.99 per month, but you’ll give up some of the premium features in the Ultimate Monitoring Plan.
Vivint is the top home automation option for smart homes, but Frontpoint has unique features like geofencing. The Frontpoint app syncs your phone’s location with the security system. If you forget to arm it when you leave the house, you’ll get a notification. We once got an alert when we were halfway down the street. Instead of turning back, we used the app to arm the system.
Frontpoint’s home automation also supports third-party products, particularly those using Z-Wave. Like Vivint, Frontpoint can connect with up to 232 Z-Wave devices. The main difference is Frontpoint’s reliance on its app, so expect to be on your phone more often.
| Equipment Cost | Packages starting at $386.93 |
|---|---|
| Monitoring Options | Professional |
| Monitoring Cost | Starting at $14.99 per month |
| Contract Lengths | Monthly or 36 months |
| Installation Options | DIY |
| Smart Platform Integrations | Google Home, Alexa, and Siri |
Ring earns its spot on this list for two reasons: The scalable Ring Alarm system that’s great for indoor security and the numerous available Ring security cameras that excel at perimeter security. They make really good video doorbells, too; just take a look at our Ring Video Doorbell 3 review.
Ring is also a great option if you want to secure your home with a lot of security cameras. Unlike Vivint, which limits you to six security cameras, there’s no limit to the number of cameras you can connect to your Ring account.
>> Check Out: Best Indoor Home Security Cameras of 2025
Ring Alarm doesn’t have an extensive equipment range like other companies on its list. However, the equipment it does offer works great. Our sensors blend into the house better than Frontpoint’s, and the keypad has a more modern design.
Ring makes up for its lack of range with plenty of security cameras though. Here’s an overview of Ring’s most popular cameras:
| Camera | Stick Up Cam | Floodlight Cam Plus | Indoor Cam | Battery Doorbell Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power source options | Battery, plug-in, solar | Plug-in, wired | Plug-in | Battery |
| Resolution | 1080p HD | 1080p HD | 1080p HD | 1080p HD |
| Indoor, outdoor, or doorbell | Indoor/outdoor | Outdoor | Indoor | Doorbell |
| Field-of-view | 130-degrees | 140-degrees | 143-degrees | 150-degrees |
| Price | Starts at $99.99 | Starts at $169.99 | Starts at $69.99 | Starts at $149.99 |
If your house is on a large estate, I recommend the Floodlight Cam from Ring. It’s an outdoor camera which you can either wire to a junction box or plug into an outdoor outlet. It has two floodlights sitting side-by-side that can function either as normal floodlights or as motion-activated lights. And again, you can have as many of these cameras as you want.
>> Keep Reading: Ring Security Camera Review
Ring offers self monitoring plans starting at $4.99 per month, which come with people and package alerts, live feeds, and up to 180 days of video event history. That’s one of the most generous storage plans we’ve seen. SimpliSafe only saves videos for up to 30 days.
For professional monitoring, you’ll need to sign up for the $9.99 per month Standard plan or the $19.99 per month Premium plan, and pay a $10 add-on fee. This way, Ring will request assistance from emergency services when the alarm is triggered.
Pro Tip: For an extra $99 per month, you can have highly trained security guards monitor your live feed 24/7. They’ll dispatch emergency services if they spot anything suspicious. It’s cheaper than hiring someone to walk around your property
Ring Alarm and SimpliSafe are similar. But Ring is slightly better in the home automation department. First off, it works with third-party Zigbee devices including smart lights, smart switches, smart locks, and smart thermostats. You can control those types of devices from the Ring App.
We could manage every component of our Ring system in the app.
Speaking of the Ring App, it’s the all-in-one control center for all Ring and Ring-connected devices. But you can also control Ring devices using an Amazon Echo smart speaker or display. Our Echo Show 8 announces when someone rings the Ring doorbell and displays the live video feed, so we can see who’s there.
| Monitoring Options | 24/7 professional and DIY |
|---|---|
| Installation | DIY |
| Smart Platform Integration | Alexa and Google Home |
| Equipment Cost | From $244.95 |
| Monthly Monitoring Cost | $20 |
| Contract Length | 1-12 months |
Every home has unique security needs. Your specific needs will depend on a host of factors, like your location, outdoor space, and budget. Options like ADT and Vivint offer high-end equipment and monitoring, but at a higher cost.
In general though, there are four things most large home owners need to secure their homes: Sensors, security cameras, reliable and high-quality professional monitoring, and home automation. Let’s go over them one by one.
A strategically placed glass break sensor can monitor multiple rooms.
There are many different types of sensors. There are motion sensors, door and window sensors, glass break sensors, garage door sensors, etc. There’s no exact number or even a recommended range for the number of sensors you need for your large house. Again, every home is unique. What we can provide is a guide on where to best place each type of sensor so you can scout your own place and come up with a shopping list.
These Google Nest Cams are safe to use inside and outside.
Next, let’s talk about security cameras. Just like with sensors, security camera placement is the key, but you should also know which type is best for which areas. Here are a few examples.
From Anthony Travaglia, Retired Police Officer, Home Security Expert
The third thing you need is monitoring, and industry-wide, the two most common options are DIY and professional monitoring. For large homes, we strongly recommend going with the latter.
The top professionally monitored security systems offer around-the-clock protection. DIY monitoring isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially if you have such a large space to monitor. You’ll need to be on top of every sensor going off and every security camera detecting movement. With professional monitoring, you can at least rest easy knowing someone has your back. This is increasingly important, especially considering what our research found:
There are downsides to professional monitoring, like the monthly fee that ranges from $20 to $60 per month. You could also face a fine if the police are called to a false alarm. But we think the pros outweigh the cons.
Finally, let’s talk about home automation. It’s a broad topic, but when it comes to security systems with home automation, that usually means systems that can connect with smart devices. Once connected, they can offer manual and automatic controls. You can adjust your lights from an app or a touch-screen keypad, set a morning routine that turns on your coffee maker and other appliances, or schedule lights to turn on at a certain time of day.
Home automation is really optional; you can buy a security system without home automation features and set up your own separate home automation system. But if you don’t have the time (or interest) to do all the work, home automation security systems provide an easier alternative.
From Anthony Travaglia, Retired Police Officer, Home Security Expert
You can’t be everywhere at once or have eyes on every square inch of your large property. A home security system can, however. We believe ADT is the best option with its extensive equipment range and professional monitoring service. It also offers excellent home automation features, reducing the need to manually control every aspect of the system.
Vivint, SimpliSafe, Frontpoint, and Ring are great alternatives. Vivint is another premium offering featuring state-of-the-art equipment. SimpliSafe, Frontpoint, and Ring are DIY options that can be scaled up when you’re ready to add more devices. Since every home is unique, these security systems can be tailored to fit your needs and budget.
Wired systems are more reliable for large properties, but wireless systems are easier to install and scale. Wireless security systems will stay online if you have a strong internet connection or cellular backup.
We recommend getting motion detectors, entry sensors, and security cameras at a minimum. You may also want to consider glass break sensors if your home has a lot of glass doors or windows.
Equipment packages can start at $500 and can cost thousands of dollars for a comprehensive system. You also need to consider professional installation and monitoring costs.
You should prioritize equipment range, professional monitoring services, and remote monitoring capabilities. Choose a system with reliable sensors and multi-camera support. Monitoring centers must have fast response times, even for text alerts.
We suggest installing motion-activated lights, security cameras with AI capabilities, and garage door sensors. Ensure you can access camera feeds and alerts through your app.
