We always get many questions regarding our products and you may be one of the thousands of homeowners shopping for a security system right now trying to decide what’s the best security system for your home. The process can feel overwhelming due to the amount of security products on the market today with everyone claiming they have the best solution. We have many customers that ask about SimpliSafe so let’s take a look at and compare what Alarm.com and SimpliSafe have to offer.
Alarm.com Compatible Control Panels
Alarm.com is renowned for its compatibility with a host of control panels, but today we will look at the most superior control panel that Alarm.com works in tandem with – the 2GIG Edge control panel. This is a wireless touchscreen control panel and its 7.5-inch full-color LCD capacitive glass multi-touch screen is especially attractive. The 2GIG EDGE™ panel sets a new benchmark in form and function with its sleek design that is thinner and more powerful than ever. The on the edge processing technology is the difference that enables touchless disarm and the industry-first home security system with built-in face recognition and analytics within the panel itself – so private data stays private for greater peace of mind.
The 2Gig Edge includes double the viewing area from previous panels, higher resolution, two speakers and dual microphones, delivering superb audio quality and 2-way voice communication for monitoring. Furthermore, Industry-first face recognition disarm capabilities and Bluetooth disarm. The panel operates with an AC power source, and has a built in LTE cellular radio with options for Verizon or ATT services included with an optional backup communication with a WIFI network . With the 2GIG panel, users can have 100 user codes, 100 wireless zone and the innovative Z-Wave Plus technology facilitates connections of varies smart home devices.
SimpliSafe Control Panel
SimpliSafe is a well-known security provider, and they have an easy to use control panel. Their control panel is cellular and wireless. It has cone shaped design with an LED indicator light at the bottom that will change colors to let you know different system statues. The SimpliSafe control panel can connect to your WIFI as a backup, is powered through an AC power source, and it includes a 24- hour backup battery. All the functions for your SimpliSafe control panel and connected devices are controlled through SimpliSafe’s separate push-button keypad. You can add devices, customize chimes, check system status, etc. using the push-button keypad. The SimpliSafe control panel will only work with SimpliSafe branded equipment, but they do offer a nice selection of security equipment for you to choose from. The SimpliSafe control panel includes an internal siren that will sound if your SimpliSafe security system or connected devices are triggered.
Who wins?
As Alarm.com is compatible with a wider range of home security equipment, this category goes to them!
- Smart Thermostats – Lux, Trane, Linear, Lennox and Radio Thermostats
- Video Doorbells – Skybell
- Sensors – image, temperature, motion and window (glass break)
- Door Locks – danalock, Yale, Schlage and Kwikset
- Smart water controllers – DynaQuip, FortrezZ, Rachio and Rain Bird
- Smart Voice Assistants – Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
- Switches – Jasco, GoControl, Linear, Evolve, Leviton and Eaton
- Plugs/Outlets – Jasco, GE, GoControl, Evolve and Leviton
- Smart Lights – Jasco, Zipato, Hank and Qolsys
- Garage Door Controllers – Liftmaster MyQ and Linear
- Smoke and CO Detectors – Alarm.com
- Smart security cameras (indoor and outdoor) – Alarm.com
- Controllers (keypads and displays) – DSC, Interlogix, Qolsys and 2GIG GoControl.
- Wi-Fi Repeaters – Aeotec
Alarm.com Equipment
In order to ensure that your home remains safe from break-ins as well as other environmental hazards, a set of wireless safety sensors that are powered by batteries are provided by Alarm.com. For the protection of your doors as well as your windows, various types of sensors are offered by Alarm.com. With Alarm.com’s range of sensors, it becomes easy to monitor your house, regardless of how big it is. What’s more? These sensors are pet-friendly. The compatibility of Alarm.com’s products extends to the glass break sensors, which respond to the noise of any piece of glass shattering. With key fob remotes, it is possible to arm the system as well as disarm it. It comes with an in-built panic button. The Alarm.com control panels can be used to control their secondary touchscreen keypads that are colored. Furthermore, since these come with sirens that are placed on the outside, owners are informed about potential problems in a manner distinct from the alarm raised by the in-built siren of 2Gig control panel. To ensure your home’s safety not just from people, but also hazards in the environment, Alarm.com’s offerings work well against various natural factors such as smoke/heat, CO, and water leak sensors. Through these effective environmental sensors, it is possible to hear audible alerts in case the process of triggering the system is accompanied by the specific environmental parameter. Although each product that can work in tandem with Alarm.com comes in a DIY (do it yourself) form, it is quite easy to set up the equipment.
Home Automation
The add-on equipment that is offered by Alarm.com is essentially above average. This range includes a host of brands providing renowned smart locks of high quality, such as KwikSet, Yale, Schlage and Danalock . It is possible to construct custom user codes, which are capable of getting enabled as well as disabled with the help of smart locks, which function regardless of where you are. Each time the smart locks are locked or even unlocked, they will generate push notifications to your mobile app. For houses equipped with garage doors, the MyQ is a great fit, with this controller, you can open and shut the doors of your garage on the go even set timers to auto shut your garage door if left open during the evening. Through the Alarm.com app, you will be notified each time these doors are opened and closed. If you are concerned with the environment, you will be thrilled to learn that Alarm.com offers many devices that are eco-friendly in nature and will assist in limiting your carbon footprint. Several popular smart thermostats such as Lux, Trane, Linear and Nest, smart outlets such as Jasco, GoControl, Linear, Evolve, Leviton and Eaton, and light switch control are offered, all of which can be controlled within the Alarm.com app. It is also possible to predetermine when they open and close using custom timers. With their smart thermostats, it is possible to decrease the overall energy consumption each month.
Video Monitoring/Cameras
Among Alarm.com’s wide range of products, you will also find several video surveillance cameras, which again, can be used in tandem with the other systems powered by Alarm.com. Some of their other products include indoor, outdoor, and video doorbell cameras, which are sought-after since they offer night vision, audio systems on both ends, motion sensors, as well as video recording capabilities in HD. These surveillance cameras run on WIFI network, the short clip recordings are stored on the Alarm.com cloud, a separate video recorder can be installed to store digital video recordings locally in its hard drive which can be accessed remotely via the web or Alarm.com app.
SimpliSafe Equipment
SimpliSafe has a wide variety of security and environmental safety sensors for you to choose from. They offer door/window, tilt, motion, and glass break sensors that are wireless and battery-operated. These sensors are used to protect the entryways of your home. They offer external sirens that are wireless and battery-operated for an extra audible alert for your home. To quickly arm and disarm your system, SimpliSafe offers their battery-operated key fobs. Their key fobs have a push-button design, and they will allow you to arm and disarm your system with the touch of a button. They also offer battery-operated panic buttons that have a single push-button that when pushed will immediately trigger your system, and emergency services will know help is needed. To protect your home from environmental dangers, SimpliSafe offers wireless and battery-operated temperature, smoke, CO, and water sensors. These sensors will look for rises and drops in temperature, smoke from fires, CO gas, and water leaks. If these are detected these sensors will trigger your system by making an audible alert. All equipment offered by SimpliSafe is DIY (do it yourself), so you will need to setup the equipment yourself, but they do offer the option for professional installation for a one-time fee.
Home Automation
SimpliSafe doesn’t really have a big selection of home automation equipment as of now. The only home automation device that SimpliSafe is currently offering is their smart lock. The SimpliSafe Smart lock has a deadbolt lock and a push button keypad. The lock will fit over your existing deadbolt lock, and your existing key for your current deadbolt lock will work with your SimpliSafe smart lock. It works by connecting wirelessly to your home’s WIFI network so you will need an internet connection for it to work. You can create custom user codes for different users. You can remotely unlock and lock your SimpliSafe lock through the SimpliSafe app.
Monitoring/Cameras
SimpliSafe does have a nice selection of video cameras for you to choose from that works great with their system. They offer their wireless indoor/outdoor camera which is called the Simpli Cam. The Simpli Cam is powered by an AC power source. The Simpli Cam can capture video in stunning HD. It has night vision technology that allows you to see images when there is no light around, and it has motion sensors that will trigger it to start to record. You can communicate through your Simpli Cam using its two-way audio feature. SimpliSafe also offers their Video Doorbell Pro which is also a wireless camera. It has customizable chimes, and motion sensors. Its motion sensor will trigger it to start to record while sending you an instant alert allowing for fast response times to your visitors. It has a wide field of view so you can capture video in a larger area which cuts down on the need to purchase separate outdoor cameras. It can capture video in 1080P, includes advanced night vision, and 2-way audio. Simpli Cam is a cloud based solution only which allows you to get motion triggered notifications for free or you can pay for additional 30 days of cloud storage. Both the SimpliCam and the Video Doorbell Pro record short clips of video when they sense motion and then store that footage in the cloud (as long as you have a video recording plan). This type of recording is called event-based video recording.
Alarm.com vs SimpliSafe App
With Alarm.com, professional, self, and video monitoring services can be used in tandem with your devices that are connected, enabling you to overlook your security system from the convenience of your mobile phone. The app must be used to view the cloud based self-monitoring services. This can be downloaded for free. With the self-monitoring service, you will be able to regulate and adjust your devices remotely. The system can be armed and disarmed, the device status can be checked, devices can be added or removed, and the app can be used for live-streaming as well as recording videos. Both companies’ offer professional monitoring services and work the same where you have a professional monitoring station watching over your home 24/7.
Alarm.com vs SimpliSafe
Alarm.com wins this battle, easily. The question is, how can you sign yourself up for one of these coveted Alarm.com systems? A STL Alarm system can provide you with an unbeatable Alarm.com security solution that fits your budget. The STL Alarm Co system is an easy to use security solution, with month to month monitoring costs being some of the most affordable out there. Our 2GIG control panel has a lot of great features, and the system is super expandable to include many other automation components.
We offer a superior security solution without making you skimp on features and quality of service.
