My Top Choice for a Smart Home System

Okay, let's discuss one of my favorite subjects: smart home automation. I’ve had experiences with Ring, a smart home system from Lowe’s, and now I’m using Vivint. The products I’ve tried so far have been quite impressive, to be honest. So let’s get into it—the positives, the negatives, and everything else in between.

When I purchased my house, it was in a city that isn’t particularly known for many great things. While there are wonderful aspects of it, I believe much of the negativity stems from media and gossip; otherwise, why would I choose to buy here? I picked a great block to buy in, as most of us are veterans. Yet, like everything in society today, I felt it was absolutely necessary to have a security system, especially with a wife and 5 kids. One day, a Vivint representative came to my door, and for some inexplicable reason, I decided to respond, leading to a pleasant conversation. Although I prefer to do most smart home configurations myself, what convinced me was the affordable monthly monitoring subscription.

Let’s get into the devices. We began with a pair of outdoor cameras, a panel (essential for all Vivint users), and a few door sensors. Now, regarding the cameras, I’ve expanded my system to include 8 cameras that strategically cover almost the entire house. The quality is outstanding, with both images and videos being clear in HD. They capture audio and video, and the audio is impressively crisp. I have run into some issues with a few cameras disconnecting and one camera caused some connectivity issues, but these occurrences have not been frequent. In the 5 years I have been with them, I’d estimate I’ve encountered issues about 5% of the time. Overall, I would rate them a 9 out of 10.

The sensors have also seen upgrades. I started with just two door sensors, and now I have the same two along with three motion sensors and a water leak sensor. I recently purchased additional equipment, including two glass break sensors and a yard sign. As for the yard sign, it does its job well and there’s not much to critique; it’s just a good sign. The door sensors are easy to install and function effectively. They’re not too sensitive to trigger with a mere bump, but they do notify you whenever the door opens. I find the water leak sensors faultless; I currently have one positioned in the washing machine drain area, and it hasn’t gone off, which is a relief. However, they’re effective, as I’ve tested by submerging them in an inch of water. The motion sensors are fantastic as well; they reliably detect humans while avoiding our small dogs to prevent false alarms. I’d rate the sensors a 9 out of 10.

The smoke and CO2 detectors I possess are fairly good too. I have two: one in the living room and another in the back hallway near the master bedroom. When it comes to issues, these have caused me the most troubles, although they are functioning well overall now. Initially, both quit working within the first few months, contrary to what Vivint stated about their batteries lasting for years. It’s possible I received a faulty batch, as they’ve performed splendidly since I replaced the batteries. There were also a few false alarms, which I suspect may be related to battery issues as well. When they work, they do perform reliably, but due to the initial problems, I would give them an 8 out of 10.

Vivint's choice of Kwikset for their door locks was a brilliant move. I absolutely love them. Knowing your doors are securely locked when needed and being able to unlock them via the app is incredible. Scheduling them to lock and unlock is fantastic. I prefer the touch buttons, reminiscent of a Blackberry phone keypad, to a touchpad because the touchpad can occasionally malfunction, especially with larger fingers. I can't give them anything less than a 9.5 out of 10, but that's only because the standard battery life is disappointing; however, switching to rechargeable batteries made that much more manageable.

I just ordered smart lighting for recessed fixtures in the ceiling, but I’ll have to follow up on that review later. Based on reviews I've researched and conversations with Vivint representatives, they seem to be remarkable. You should be able to control each light individually, schedule them, and perform various other functions. I’ll return with my impressions once I’ve installed mine.

The Vivint Panel is the weakest component of the system, though I say this with fondness. It’s not really terrible; it just gives me the most grief compared to other parts of the system. The cameras load more slowly on the panel than in the app, and the audio/video quality is inferior. I had to attempt the installation of a couple of cameras multiple times before they connected successfully. On occasions, it has indicated devices as offline or low on battery when the app showed they were functioning normally. The touch interface is quite responsive, and the audio quality from a representative answering is decent. However, to be frank, we primarily keep the panel because it’s essential for the Vivint system to operate; otherwise, I rarely interact with it. I would rate the panel a 7 out of 10.

Interestingly enough, aside from adding devices, the app is excellent. You can arm and disarm your system, check your cameras, and set smart automations, among other features. I have it configured to arm at a specified time, which activates the panel, locks the doors, and engages the cameras’ detection mode. Setting disarm mode reverses those actions. The video and audio quality is impressive. My only issue with the app has been an occurrence where opening 2 or 3 cameras causes the app to freeze when trying to open a 4th camera, but this is not camera-specific and only seems to happen after opening a few initially. All in all, the app deserves a 9.5 out of 10.

In sum, I would give the entire system an 8.5 out of 10, but the panel is what keeps it from scoring a 9 or higher.