With a founding date of 1874, ADT is probably the most mature player in the smart home security market.
While it's still building the home automation portion of its services portfolio, its Pulse system is both secure and sophisticated.
But while the company does a great job treating its customers well on a service front, it's important to note that the Pulse system is neither DIY or cheap.
I tested ADT Pulse (starting at $28.99 per month plus components and installation), which combines the company's alarm and security service with home automation and monitored surveillance.
ADT easily rivals its top competitors, including Vivint Smart Home ($39.99 at Vivint Home Security) , in functionality, though if you opt for the top of its service tiers as I did, you might want to prep yourself for sticker shock.
Even so, ADT Pulse earns our Editors' Choice for home security systems.
Getting Started
I contacted ADT twice.
The first time simply as a customer, since I'd just moved into a new house and wanted a full home security system.
ADT sales recommended its Remote tier, and I agreed, though there are other tiers to be had (see below).
I also investigated SimpliSafe ($229.00 at SimpliSafe) , but had a not-great experience with its customer service, and was heading back to ADT when the opportunity arose to review the Pulse system for Daxdi.
At that point I went through ADT's PR department and was put in touch with a different representative who was unaware of my initial outreach as just another customer.
What impressed me later, however, was that even though I went through the consultation twice, both were equally thorough, professional, and both representatives recommended similar core security capabilities.
The initial consultation is your first visit from ADT, and it involves a service rep essentially touring your property, your home's interior, and questioning you about what you need and expect from your home security and automation system.
The rep then makes recommendations on what equipment and service tier makes the most sense and sits down with you to go over every component and arrive at a final installation plan and price.
In my initial consultation, the representative recommended only alarm hardware, but that was because I was still stunned by what I'd paid for the house, so I was trying to save money by avoiding home automation equipment.
My second consultation was to review the Pulse system, which meant home automation was part of the assignment.
Frankly, knowing what I know now, I would have opted for the home automation equipment even if I was just a regular customer.
Yes, there's a price difference as you'll see in the next section, but for my money it's worth it.
Once your service rep has designed a system for you and you've signed off, you'll get your second visit from ADT installation technicians.
Installation is a four- to eight-hour affair.
In my case, technicians arrived at 8:00 in the morning and left by 3:30 in the afternoon.
My sales rep was there to walk me through what was happening, as well as two ADT technicians who did most of the work, but also, at separate intervals, an independent locksmith came to handle the smart lock and an electrician to handle the thermostat controls and other components like cabling for the Z-Wave hub ADT uses for its home automation equipment.
Pulse is touted as a wireless system, but various central components, like the hub and the CellGuard backup box require the techs to run some cable and also require one physical port on your home Internet router (lower service tiers with less advanced equipment can make do with a landline or even just a cell connection).
The crew was knowledgeable, professional, and made sure that I understood what was being installed and how to use it.
By the time they left, I had everything up and running, had been personally tutored in its use, and had set up basic accounts and access credentials for the main system, the web portal, the remote monitoring software, and the third-party equipment ADT installed for me.
Pricing
The only major downside to Pulse is price and its three-year service contract.
When compared with other players, like Vivint or Frontpoint , the pricing structure is similar in that there's an upfront installation cost you can pay all at once or spread across the first three months, and then a monthly cost for maintenance and monitoring.
If you compare only prices published on the web, then ADT Pulse looks very competitive.
But in practice, if you opt for the higher end of the tiering scale and a modified system with a bunch of devices that aren't included in a basic tier package (and ADT will steer you that way), your price will quickly balloon.
In my case, I wound up with an excellent all-around solution, but an eyebrow-arching upfront cost of $3,276.79 and a monthly charge of $63.89, which makes Pulse the most expensive solution we've tested to date.
That said, my installation price is considerably higher than what most people will see, since ADT installed several components simply so I could make them part of my test.
ADT claims typical installations in homes similar to mine would be around $1,100.
A spokesperson broke down those averages across its core tiers with Tier 1 (Traditional) averaging between $49 and $500 for installation, then $28.99 per month, and Tier 2 (Remote) averaging $500 to $1,000 for installation, then $47.99 per month.
Tier 3 (Control) and Tier 4 (Video, which was my tier) generally run $1,000 to $1,500 and above for installation, and then $49.99 per month for Control and $59.99 per month for Video.
All ADT plans feature 24/7 security monitoring from multiple redundant call centers nationwide (which is key for that homeowners insurance discount), on-site consultation, installation by professional technicians, and 24/7 customer service.
ADT makes a big deal out of that last one, considering it a competitive differentiator.
Smaller monitored security vendors, like Frontpoint, may offer 24/7 monitoring, but its customer service is unavailable after a certain point in the evening.
For issues like broken monitoring equipment, faulty alarms, and similar problems, having a human available around the clock can be a very good thing.
The ADT Traditional tier offers only theft and burglary protection hardware, while the Remote tier builds on that to include fire, smoke, and CO2 detection.
The Remote tier includes the ability to arm and disarm your alarm via the web, receive email and text alerts, and adds the use of CellGuard backup, which provides a cell-based data and communications link in case your primary internet fails.
The Control tier takes everything from the previous tiers and adds the basics of home automation, including climate control, lighting and appliance control, an upgraded touch-screen keypad, and remote (smart) door locks.
Finally, the Video tier adds real-time video security and other optional extras like additional keypads if needed.
Again, these lists of basic equipment packages don't mean much when you're working with ADT, as the company's key sales drive is to design a custom solution that'll include whatever you need.
Work with your ADT rep, and don't be afraid to go back and redesign a proposed setup if it turns out to be too rich for your blood.
My upfront costs were high compared with the competition, and even if they'd come in at ADT's more average price of $1,100 to $1,500, I still would have choked a bit.
But as you'll see below, mine is a fairly decked out example of an ADT installation.
While I wasn't thrilled about the very expensive startup charge, the monthly dues seem reasonable considering what was installed.
And while my addition of the Quality Service Plan cost me another $11 per month, I felt that was worth it since it covers parts and labor on any devices that need fixing; and besides, I received a $7 and change monthly discount because I'm a State Farm customer, a discount that'll apply to you, too, if you use not just State Farm, but also USAA, MetLife, Chubb, and several other insurance providers.
That brought me down to just under $64 per month, which I feel is worth it.
After the pricing ding, there's the service contract.
Competitors, like SimpliSafe, have no contract and let you out of your service whenever you want.
ADT signs you to a three-year contract.
If you were to move during your contract period, but opt to keep the service, ADT would install a basic system at your new home for $249 and let you add components at a 25 percent discount until you hit $750 worth of hardware.
After that, you'd pay full price for additional hardware.
You could attempt to uninstall some of the components at your old home and move them to your new one and ADT would incorporate those, but whatever is left in the old house after you leave, ADT will simply try to resell to the next owner.
The real gut punch happens if you simply decide to quit the ADT service entirely while still subject to a service contract.
In that case, you pay ADT 75 percent of whatever monthly fees you would still owe through the end of your contract period immediately.
What this service contract, termination clause, and pricing structure really tell me is that ADT isn't for apartment dwellers.
If you're operating on a lease and your lifestyle means you'll be hopping residences for the foreseeable future, I don't think ADT is your best bet.
I'd use Vivint or SimpliSafe, or one of the better DIY security kits, like iSmartAlarm Premium ($198.00 at Amazon) .
But if you own your home and your professional life is stable enough to keep you where you are, then the termination clause really isn't an issue, and it's more about service quality as well as security and automation functionality, which are areas where ADT excels.
Pulse Components
ADT installed a wide variety of components in my system, which is a fully customized setup.
All packages include next- or even same-day installation (only in some areas, though), a six-month money-back guarantee, and the service provides you with up to $500 theft protection that takes the form of $500 applied to your insurance deductible.
In my time with the system, the big winners so far are ADT's Pulse software, the IP video cameras, and some third-party add-ons, namely the Nest Thermostat and the Ring Video Doorbell.
I say big winners because these are the components I use daily—the house hasn't burned, been burgled, or flooded, so I haven't much needed many of the other components, but I'm glad they're there.
With my setup, there are two external IP video cameras, namely the single unit from ADT that came with my system and is mounted above the garage, and the video cam installed in the Ring Video Doorbell, which the ADT technicians deliberately placed in such a way not just to record anyone in front of the door, but also to let it act as a backup viewing angle to the one mounted over the garage, just from the other side of the yard.
The ADT outdoor IP video camera over the garage works well, supports night vision, and is activated automatically via a motion sensor, though you can also log into your Pulse web portal or mobile app and get a live view at any time.
However, I experienced several instances where the Pulse software refused to connect to the camera.
A technician's visit didn't cure the problem, though he did install a weatherproof sleeve that was overlooked during the initial installation and seemed to reduce the problem somewhat.
The ADT Pulse mobile software was updated during my first three months with the system, and since that's happened I've only experienced one outage that was cured by my logging out and back in again.
The camera's auto-record function is based on motion sensors tuned to ignore small animals.
The cam will record a 30-second video clip, then pause for four minutes before it records again.
Auto-recorded clips are stored in ADT's Pulse cloud and can be accessed via the Pulse app.
The camera operates at 720p resolution and you can record either a manual video or a still snapshot using the Pulse mobile app.
All video clips, your own or the ones the camera takes automatically, are stored in ADT's cloud for 30 days.
If you want to download anything to save long-term, it's doable, but only using the ADT web portal, not the mobile app.
All this functionality comes with your Pulse service contract, none of it costs extra.
You can check out the night vision image quality in the screenshot below.
Overall, it works great.
I tested the camera via the web app, on my Samsung Galaxy S7 running the Android Pulse mobile app, and on my Apple iPad Pro running the iOS Pulse app.
Video resolution was excellent across all three views, though it's especially striking on the iPad due to its excellent screen.
My only ding is what does and doesn't set off the camera can be a little erratic at times, with cars passing by on the street triggering it, but the garbage man walking down the driveway sometimes not doing the trick.
That's only a few feet, however, and anyone traveling all the way down the driveway or walking from the street to the front door has, so far, always been recorded.
ADT supports a range of other security cameras including indoor cameras should you want one, so you can talk to your technician about different options if the base cam doesn't suit you.
Overall, it's been fine for my needs and I'm considering installing another external one at the rear of the house.
This is something that'll require a call to ADT and an installation and service charge, but after that, the cam will be fully integrated into the Pulse system.
You can even install your own hardware, if you like, though your mileage will vary as to how deeply you'll integrate with ADT's software without help from a company technician.
The Safewatch Pro 3000en control panels can act as your system's central nervous system, but if you're anything like me, you'll quickly wind up using the Pulse mobile app for that.
Still, the control panel is a sophisticated piece of equipment.
It supports a series of arm and disarm codes for Away, Stay, Night-Stay, and Disarmed, with additional modes available if you work with the ADT technician.
It has direct Police and Fire buttons, meaning even if there isn't an alarm going off, pressing one of these buttons will connect you to an ADT call center and the operator will immediately dispatch the emergency service.
There's a Chime mode that alerts...
