“There is no such thing as free home security!” is what common knowledge should say. Even though there is always some sort of fee involved when speaking about home security services, it’s still possible to save money in one form or another. Some companies are offering trial periods in which you can send back the equipment if unsatisfied, and you’ll receive a full refund. The other method is when you pay for the equipment, but cut back on the monthly fees by choosing for self-monitoring instead of the provided professional monitoring service. Either way, we recommend caution, as home safety isn’t something worth hazarding just to save a penny.
Home Security Systems Without Monthly Fee
When talking about home security systems, companies always highlight the benefits of having the backup of their professional monitoring team, who look after your home 24/7, and even dispatch the police on their own when a home intrusion happens. Sadl,y the monthly cost of the monitoring service can sap your wallet. This creates a dilemma: “Should I pay the monitoring fee even if nothing happens, or get rid of it and take the supervision into my own hands?” Home security companies approach the question in different ways. GetSafe allows customers to discard the professional monitoring, but still charges you for using the smartphone application. On the other hand, SimpliSafe is ready to cut all the ropes of monitoring. In this case you only need to pay for the equipment, but it will only function as a local alarm.
Best Home Security Systems of 2024
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Editor's Choice 2024
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Recommend Free Trials
The closest way to experience a home security system “for free” is by using their trial offers or money-back guarantee to the max. Such offers are a bit scarce, but we listed three promising companies that are confident enough to allow people a free “sample”.
Frontpoint Security
Frontpoint Security offers quite a straightforward trial. According to their FAQ, the trial starts ticking the moment you activate the system (after successfully installing the alarms, of course), and lasts for 30 days. During the initial month you are entitled to pack things up and send them back if unsatisfied. Frontpoint even includes a pre-filled label so the shipping is free on your part. In this case Frontpoint refunds 100% of your deposits, including the monitoring fee and the equipment cost. Bear in mind that opting for a home security system still demands upfront payment, so it’s not entirely “free”.
GetSafe
GetSafe offers the shortest trial period among the trio. You only have 14 days to decide whether or not you are satisfied with the service. In exchange there are no cancellation fees. Unfortunately the money-back guarantee does not cover any pro-rated amount. It’s also noteworthy that even though GetSafe only provides the refund after you posted back all the equipment without any damage, the refund won’t include that, so the cost of shipping is on you. So we can say that GetSafe has a 99% money-back guarantee.
SimpliSafe
SimpliSafe is very transparent about their refund policy. They openly claim to offer customers a 60-day money-back guarantee, which means that you can enjoy the protection for 2 months, risk-free! If you still wish to ask for a refund, you must contact the customer support, who will lead you through the necessary steps, including the cancellation of your account. The company even pays for returning the package by sending a prepaid postage return slip. After the company received the package – in working order, mind you – they’ll initiate the refund in 5 working days.