How we compare home security systems
Every comparison and recommendation on this site follows the process described here. If an article ever deviates from it, the article will say so explicitly.
Research-based, not hands-on - and why we say so
Our comparisons are built from documented desk research: manufacturer manuals and spec sheets, published pricing and contract documents, government and regulatory sources, and municipal ordinances. We do not currently perform hands-on testing. We don't install systems in test homes or run cameras through weather trials, and we won't imply that we do.
We're open about this for two reasons. First, honesty: many review sites imply testing that never happened, and we refuse to join them. Second, method fit: the questions that most affect your wallet - contract length, cancellation terms, fee schedules, monitoring options - are answered by documents, not by unboxing videos. Where hands-on experience genuinely matters (image quality, siren volume, app reliability), we tell you it matters and what to check during your trial or return window.
The criteria we evaluate
Systems and services are compared on the same set of criteria, in plain view:
| Criterion | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Equipment, activation, and installation fees - including the ones that appear only at checkout or in the contract. |
| Monthly cost | Monitoring and subscription fees across tiers, plus how prices change after promotional periods. |
| Contract terms | Minimum term length, auto-renewal behavior, early-termination fees, and equipment ownership vs. lease. |
| Cancellation difficulty | What the contract and published policies require to cancel: notice periods, phone-only cancellation, buyout clauses. |
| Self vs. pro monitoring | Whether self-monitoring is available without a fee, what professional monitoring includes, and whether you can switch. |
| Privacy posture | Published privacy policies: what data is collected, whether video is shared with third parties, and law-enforcement request policies. |
| Expandability | Whether you can add sensors and cameras later, third-party compatibility, and what happens if the company changes platforms. |
How a comparison is built
- Define the reader's situation. A renter, a first-time buyer, and a second-home owner need different things, so comparisons are framed around a specific use case rather than a universal "best."
- Collect primary documents. For each product or service: current pricing pages, the actual contract or terms of service, official spec sheets, and the privacy policy - each recorded with its URL and access date.
- Score against the criteria above. Where a company doesn't publish something (a common tactic with cancellation terms), we say "not published" rather than guessing - and we treat non-disclosure itself as a negative signal.
- Human review. The owner reviews claims against the cited sources before publication, per our editorial policy.
- Re-check on a schedule. Pricing and contract details are re-verified periodically and the article's review date is updated.
How affiliate relationships are kept out of rankings
Some links on this site may earn a commission (see the affiliate disclosure for current status). Here is how we keep that from bending our judgment:
- Rankings are set before monetization is considered. Comparisons are researched and ordered on the criteria above. Whether an affiliate link exists for a product is checked afterward, and only affects whether a link earns us anything - never where the product ranks.
- We recommend products with no affiliate program whenever they're the better choice. If the best answer for a reader is "buy a $15 door reinforcement at the hardware store," that's what the article says.
- No pay-for-placement, ever. Companies cannot buy a position, a review, or a mention.
- Disclosure on the page. Any article containing affiliate links carries a disclosure notice near the top.
Limits of our approach
In fairness, here's what our method cannot tell you: real-world reliability over years of use, how helpful a company's phone support is at 2 a.m., or how a camera performs in your specific lighting. For those, we point to what to verify during return windows and trial periods. No methodology - ours or anyone's - should be your only input on a safety-related purchase.