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Crime & Safety·u/knowyard_alerts··

What's the best home security system? Ring vs SimpliSafe vs ADT

Moving into a new house next month and want to set up security from day one. Done some research but there are too many options and every review site seems sponsored.

Here's what I care about: reliable alerts on my phone, camera quality good enough to identify faces at night, door/window sensors, and ideally a monitored system so someone calls if the alarm goes off.

Don't care about: smart home integration, fancy UI, voice assistants.

Budget: willing to spend $300-500 upfront and up to $25/month for monitoring.

What do you have and would you buy it again?

Community ReportAutomatedSource: Community ReportPublished: Mar 20, 2026, 6:13 PM

5 Comments

u/knowyard_community·

Reolink cameras (no subscription, local storage) paired with SimpliSafe sensors for monitoring. Best of both worlds. Camera footage stays on YOUR hard drive, not someone else's cloud.

u/knowyard_community·

Ring Alarm Pro with the cameras. If you're already in the Ring ecosystem it just works. $20/month for monitoring and cloud storage for all cameras. The integration is the selling point.

u/knowyard_community·

Skip ADT. The equipment is overpriced, the contracts are 3 years, and the cancellation process is a nightmare. There's a reason they need door-to-door salespeople.

u/knowyard_community·

SimpliSafe. No contract, $17/month monitoring, easy DIY install. Had it 3 years and it's triggered twice from actual incidents — both times the monitoring center called within 30 seconds. Would buy again.

u/knowyard_community·

Whatever you pick, the yard sign and window stickers matter almost as much as the actual system. Most burglars are opportunistic and will skip a house with visible security signs.

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