The Best Security Systems for New Construction Homes

ADT Installation

To keep up with the times, ADT now allows customers to install their own systems, while keeping their professional installation service top-notch. They offer the same equipment and monitoring for both DIY and professionally installed systems. Last time we tested ADT, we opted for professional installation, although we’ve tested ADT’s DIY system too.

For a newly constructed home, we recommend paying for ADT’s professional installation service. Some components, like the Nest Cam with Floodlight, require a bit of drilling; if you’re not a DIY whiz, you could end up damaging your new home. Not to mention, ADT will set up all of its high-tech features like Trusted Neighbor and show you how to use them.

FYI: Trusted Neighbor is a new feature by ADT that uses the Google Nest Cam’s facial recognition capabilities to let specific people into your home during events or at certain times. We set ours up to let our house cleaner in every Wednesday at 1 p.m.

ADT Equipment

ADT offers a range of options from simple security sensors to some of the most high-tech security cameras we’ve tested. ADT partnered with Google Nest to offer all three Nest Cams. There’s the indoor/outdoor battery-powered Nest Cam, the indoor-only wired Nest Cam, and the Nest Cam with a built-in floodlight. Check out our Nest Cam review to see why we think they’re a great option.

Everything I got with my Nest Cam.

Just be careful when customizing your ADT package. They offer great deals on their main packages, but you won’t get the same discounts when adding extra components. Oftentimes, you’ll be better off getting a bigger package with a few components you don’t need than adding extra components to a smaller system. For instance, when we bought our ADT system, we wanted to test the Nest Doorbell with our Security Starter package. But, it was actually cheaper to go with the Outdoor Video package, which included a Nest Doorbell and a Nest Cam.

Aside from the package deals, ADT’s prices as a whole are right on par with industry averages, despite the high quality. That’s why we think ADT offers good value even though it’s not a low-cost security system. Here’s a quick overview of a few key ADT pieces of equipment:

>> Learn More: ADT Deals, Sales, Discount Codes, Coupons & Promotions for 2025

ADT Monitoring

ADT entryway sensors with quarter for scale

Similar to ADT’s equipment prices, their professional monitoring is also right along industry averages. That’s thanks to a recent price drop in their monitoring prices, as they used to be on the high end. Despite that drop in price, ADT still offers the most reliable monitoring in the industry with 12 redundant monitoring centers. So, even if 11 monitoring centers experienced a failure, we would still receive the same protection. That’s one of the main reasons we consider it the best professionally monitored security system.

Strangely, ADT charges a different monitoring rate for their DIY systems than their professionally installed systems. Both systems get the same service and have the same equipment, so we’re not sure why the rates are different. Here’s an overview of ADT’s three monitoring tiers:

SimpliSafe Installation

SimpliSafe made it easy for us to install our security system with peel-and-stick backings on each sensor.

Instead of focusing on professional installation like ADT and Vivint, SimpliSafe makes their systems easy to install yourself. They still offer professional installation, but it’s through a third party. So, it’s not our favorite. If you want a professionally installed system, we recommend ADT instead. Check out our ADT vs. SimpliSafe comparison for more details. You shouldn’t be nervous about installing a SimpliSafe security system, though.

Installing our system only took us 30 minutes, and the only piece of equipment we needed to pull out a couple tools for was our video doorbell. That one required us to replace our existing doorbell, but since your security system is for a newly built home, just ask the electrician to install it for you. They can easily install a video doorbell instead of a traditional doorbell.

SimpliSafe Equipment

SimpliSafe offers everything you need to build a comprehensive security system from basic entry sensors to advanced AI-enabled security cameras. It lacks a few specialized sensors like garage door tilt sensors. We found a workaround, though, by using an entry sensor on our garage door. This way, whenever it opened, it triggered the entry sensor. The best part of SimpliSafe’s equipment is their prices, though. Here’s a quick overview of a few key pieces:

SimpliSafe Monitoring

When it comes to picking a monitoring plan from SimpliSafe, it’s not the easiest. They offer more monitoring options than any other security system we’ve tested. There’s six different monitoring plans including everything from free self-monitoring to 24/7 Outdoor Active Guard Protection; with this feature, a monitoring agent will use the two-way audio of your outdoor camera to scare off intruders when it detects someone lurking. That’s similar to the protection we got when we tested Deep Sentinel, except it doesn’t cost as much and SimpliSafe doesn’t require a contract.

Here’s an overview of SimpliSafe’s monitoring pricing:

>> Read More: Best No-Contract Home Security Systems of 2025

Vivint Installation

Here’s our Vivint technician installing our window sensors.

Unlike ADT and SimpliSafe, Vivint requires professional installation. They don’t offer any free DIY option, so expect an installation fee. Sometimes you can get that fee waived if you ask for it or time your purchase with one of their sales.

That said, we understand the fee. Our technician spent almost an entire day installing our Vivint system. That’s largely because of the way their wiring works. Instead of their outdoor cameras using a fully wireless setup, they use a hybrid approach where they route a wire through the wall and into your house. Then, the end of that wire connects the camera to your Wi-Fi. That minimizes any potential internet disruptions caused by your wall. We can’t say for sure how much of an impact this makes, but we can say we’ve yet to experience an issue with our outdoor camera’s internet connection.

After installing our system, our technician gave us a full rundown on how to use the system and helped us create some basic home automation.

Vivint Equipment

There’s really nothing you could want in terms of equipment from a smart home security system that Vivint doesn’t offer. It has all the sensors you expect and has more niched options missing from SimpliSafe like garage door sensors. The real highlights though are the Vivint smart home devices and the premium security cameras.

For smart home equipment, Vivint has smart locks, smart thermostats, smart lights, smart plugs, and so on. But you actually don’t have to stick with Vivint equipment. The Smart Hub works with third-party devices, either through integrations or by pairing with them using Z-Wave. We already owned a Nest Thermostat and were able to integrate it into our Vivint system.

The only downside is Vivint’s pricing. Their equipment is expensive, and they’re not transparent about their pricing. Since we already went through the process, here’s a highlight of Vivint’s equipment pricing:

>> Learn About: SimpliSafe vs. Vivint Comparison – Which System is Best?

Vivint Monitoring

The text message I received while testing my Vivint security system.

Just like Vivint’s required professional installation, they also require professional monitoring. That means you’ll be locked into a monthly fee. We always recommend professional monitoring anyways, though, so we don’t see that as a big drawback. Vivint’s monitoring has some of the fastest response times in the industry, too. During our simulated break-ins, we received text alerts in under 10 seconds. It is a bit expensive, though, with fees starting at around $29.99 and going up from there based on your equipment.

Frontpoint Installation

Installing Frontpoint is a lot like installing SimpliSafe. Their systems are designed for DIY installation, but you can still pay for professional installation done by a third party. We recommend installing it yourself, though, since it’s so easy. Our system only took us about 15 minutes to install, but we tested a small system. Take a look at our SimpliSafe vs. Frontpoint comparison for a side-by-side of each system’s installation process.

Frontpoint even offers a wireless video doorbell, so you won’t need the normal doorbell wiring. That won’t save much in your home’s construction, but, hey, every penny counts.

Frontpoint Equipment

We added four entry sensors and a motion detector to the Frontpoint Essential Security System we bought.

Like we mentioned, we bought a relatively small Frontpoint security system. We still tested most of their equipment, though, since we’ve already used Alarm.com cameras. That’s who makes all of Frontpoint’s security cameras and video doorbells. They’re a trusted brand, so we found it acceptable that Frontpoint outsources the production of their camera products. Outsourcing some of their products also allows Frontpoint to offer more than the likes of SimpliSafe, such as garage sensors and smart plugs.

As for prices, Frontpoint tends to beat even SimpliSafe’s prices. Their equipment packages start at just $69, which makes home security affordable for anyone. That basic package is, well, basic, but you can customize it from there without breaking the bank, since adding more components comes with a discount that’s usually around 40 percent. Here’s an overview of Frontpoint’s pricing:

Frontpoint Monitoring

So far, Frontpoint has the highest starting price point for professional monitoring on this list. Frontpoint monitoring starts at $49.99, compared to SimpliSafe’s $21.99, ADT’s $24.99, and Vivint’s $29.99. The good news is that Frontpoint’s monthly fee doesn’t get any higher. That’s right; Frontpoint offers only one option.

Arming our security system from the Frontpoint app.

That’s a good thing if you’re planning to build a comprehensive Frontpoint system for your new construction home. You’ll get all the features without paying any more than what other Frontpoint customers are paying. That singular pricing only becomes a problem if you’re looking to get just a basic system (e.g. no cameras or automation). If that’s what you plan to do, definitely give Frontpoint a call. They offer custom monitoring plans for as low as $14.99 per month for basic functionality.

Cove Installation

Cove provided us with easy-to-follow instructions in the app and even paired our equipment before sending it to us.

We DIY-installed our Cove security system, and that’s what most of their customers do too. It’s just like SimpliSafe and Frontpoint with mostly peel-and-stick equipment, so installation only took us about half an hour. That’s why Cove’s on our list of the best DIY security systems as well. They even go as far as pairing your equipment before sending it to you, so once you mount it all and turn it on, your system’s ready to go.

Cove still offers professional installation through a third-party, though, if you need help. Cove actually uses the same installation company as Frontpoint, HelloTech. It’s a well-respected name in the industry, so we would trust them to install a Cove system without causing any damage to your new home.

>> Read About: Cove vs. SimpliSafe 2025

Cove Equipment

So what does Cove offer? All of the basics at a very affordable price. Don’t expect fancy bells and whistles like smart plugs or garage sensors, though. Although, they do have a sleek touch-screen control panel and hub with battery backups. During our tests, we lost power during a rainstorm. The battery backup on our control panel lasted about half a day, but the hub lasted a full 24 hours, which kept our system up and running. After that, our system went down, although that’s typical for most security systems.

Our Cove control panel, ready to arm our security system.

Even Cove’s security cameras through Eufy don’t cost much. When we tested Eufy security cameras, we were surprised at the value they offered, so we found them to be a perfect fit for Cove. Their sensors give great value too, especially when you count the constantly running sales. Here’s a quick look at Cove’s equipment pricing:

Cove Monitoring

Surprisingly, Cove doesn’t offer self-monitoring options, unlike SimpliSafe. They require professional monitoring, but it’s some of the most affordable in the industry. A basic plan without camera support only costs $19.99 per month. We bought security cameras, though, so we had to buy the $29.99-per-month plan.

The low price of Cove’s monitoring comes with minimal features. Don’t expect SimpliSafe’s Intruder Intervention or ADT’s Trusted Neighbor, but for basic monitoring, it’s hard to beat Cove’s pricing. They run three monitoring centers, so we felt comfortable relying on Cove for keeping our home safe. Two monitoring centers going down would be quite the event, and even then, our home would stay protected.