Protect America has recently joined the Brinks Home Security family.
Before its merger with Brinks, Protect America was one of the only companies to offer service for landline monitoring, as well as broadband and cellular home security monitoring. Protect America offered flexible monitoring options for nearly every budget.
Monthly monitoring starts at $19.99 - one of the lowest home security system prices - and goes to $50 a month for cameras and video monitoring (on par with other professional monitoring companies).
We recommend you compare Protect America (Brinks) to the top home security companies.
Pros
- No Upfront Equipment Costs
- Low Monthly Monitoring Fees
- Lifetime Equipment Warranty
- DIY Security Solution
No Upfront Equipment Costs
What sets Protect America apart the most from other home security companies is that there are no upfront costs.
Instead, customers can pay for their equipment in their monthly bill with no interest charged.
This makes Protect America one of the most affordable home security companies in the industry.
While other companies will charge anywhere from $99 to over $1,000 in upfront costs, Protect America currently charges $0 in upfront fees. However, those who want to purchase their equipment outright still can.
If a customer wants to purchase devices from Protect America upfront, they definitely can and this will result in a lower monthly fee.
Protect America has transparent pricing on their services and equipment. Other alarm companies require homeowners to call in and get a quote.
Protect America displays all this information on their website and allows customers to get an instant quote by building their own home security system, or choosing from the company's packages.
Low Monthly Monitoring Fees
Protect America offers five different home security packages ranging from a locked-in rate starting at $19.99 per month (landline monitoring), one of the cheapest monthly monitoring packages available in the home security industry.
Minimum monthly monitoring with cellular is $41.99/month, the same or lower than other companies. Monitoringincludes free equipment (see above).
When you compare Protect America vs ADT, you'll notice that ADT is more expensive overall: both basic monitoringand video monitoring are $10 more. ADT also has customers purchase alarm devices upfront for an unknown cost.
For more details, see our comparison table below. We've also compared Protect America's home security to Vivint Smart Home.
With Protect America, their monitoring center watches over your home 24/7 and dispatches emergency services when needed.
You also have the option for cellular monitoring with the Protect America mobile app - available on Google Play (rated 3/5) and the App Store (rated 2.5/5).
With their mobile app, a customer can:
- Access door locks (lock and unlock remotely)
- View and adjust Z-Wave devices (including thermostat and garage door)
- Arm and disarm the alarm
- Stream live footage from cameras
- View recorded footage from security camera
- Adjust lighting (turn lights on, off, and dim)
- Get alerts to opened doors and windows
Lifetime Equipment Warranty
Protect America offers a free lifetime warranty with all the equipment and all packages.
If any parts of their equipment are defective or stop working, the company will send out replacement parts for free as long as you are a customer.
Once you sign a contract with Protect America, your rate is locked in.
They will not raise your monthly monitoring fees as long as you are under contract.
Once you sign a contract with Protect America, your rate is locked in, meaning even if the company raises prices for their service, they can't raise your rate. Other companies, like Xfinity, do not promise a locked-in rate after a year.
View Best Home Security Companies
DIY Security Solution
Protect America is a DIY security solution, meaning you install the security equipment at home on your own without the help of a professional.
The DIY installation process is simple and will take you less than an hour to complete. The simple process comes with 24/7 support and the company provides a collection of online video tutorials.
This can provide peace of mind to consumers looking to get their home security system installed quickly and easily.
Cons
- 3-Year Contract
- Cancellation Policy
- Protect America Complaints
3-Year Contract
One downside of Protect America Home Security is its 3-year (36-month) contract.
Some home security companies offer their home security services with shorter contracts or no contracts at all; however, a 36-month contract is quite common within the industry.
The reason companies can have shorter or no contract is because they require a customer to purchase the home security system upfront.
Cancellation Policy
If you do decide to cancel Protect America's services, you will be required to pay 100% of the remaining balance of your contract.
Review a few Protect America reviews to see what the cancellation process has been like for other customers.
Other home security companies may only require you to pay a percentage of the remaining balance. Paying the full balance can end up costing you hundreds of dollars if you haven't been on the contract very long.
Be sure to research Protect America's terms before committing to a contract.
New customers have a 30 day money-back guarantee. During that time, they can return their equipment without being bound to the 36-month long-term contract.
Protect America Complaints
While most of the Protect America reviews we have on our site are positive, there are still complaints from some customers.
Most of these complaints can be categorized into the following two groups:
- 3-year contract that customers are unable to cancel
- Unhelpful customer service; difficulty getting ahold of service rep
Our Recommendation
Based on our research, you likely won't find a more affordable home security company than Protect America.
It is a solid home security company with packages starting at only $19.99 per month with no upfront or installation costs, so you get the most equipment and the least amount of upfront costs.
Other services and features, like the Protect America app, while not unique to the company, do make it a very comprehensive home security option.
We recommend them for their low price and great customer reviews.
View Best Home Security Companies
Protect America Reviews
Protect America comes highly recommended by its customers.
On average, their customers rate them 8 out of 10. This is a high rating in the home security and smart home industry - 80% of the reviews we see for these companies are negative. Many Protect America home service reviews touch on the following:
- Helpful, fast customer service
- Easy to install DIY system
- Fair pricing for alarm equipment
- System and camera work well
About Protect America
Monitoring Plans
The following are monitoring plans offered by Protect America.
Each monitoring service plan comes with the listed equipment for free. Costs depend on what type of monitoring you choose (cellular, landline, broadband).
Add an indoor video camera or a video doorbell camera for just $7 more a month to any of these plans. Add both cameras for $10/month on any plan (includes monitoring).
Copper
Landline: $19.99/mo
Broadband/Cellular: $41.99/mo
- Control panel
- 3 door / window sensors
- 1 motion detector
Silver
Landline: $37.99/mo
Broadband/Cellular: $49.99/mo
- Control panel
- Smartphone app
- 9 door / window sensors
- 1 motion detector
Platinum
Landline: $42.99/mo
Broadband/Cellular: $54.99/mo
- Control panel
- Smartphone app
- 14 door / window sensors
- 1 motion detector
Additional Equipment
Protect America integrates with smart home automation products, such as lighting, garage door control, smart locks, smoke and fire detectors, lighting, smart appliances, and other alarm systems.
IQ Panel 2 (Upgraded Control Panel)
The packages listed above all come with the Simon XT control panel for you to arm and disarm your system.
Interested parties can upgrade to the IQ Panel 2 - a touch screen hub that connects all of your smart home devices. This panel has a built-in camera and a glass break detector.
Motion Detectors: $99/each
There is also the option to install motion detectors.
These motion sensors are easy to install, and they detect both heat and movement within a 25-foot range in a 90-degree arc. They can be installed in the corners of rooms, and it is recommended to put these in high traffic areas in your home.
Window and Door Sensors: $39/each
Protect America offers several different types of sensors.
They have the door and window sensors which detect whenever the door or window is opened. The Protect America door and window sensors are wireless microsensors which means they do not have to be plugged into your wall and are hidden out of the way.
It is advised that customers place a sensor on every door and window for optimum security.
Glassbreak detector: $99/each
Protect America's equipment includes a glassbreak detector.
With this device, an alarm will trigger if glass breaks while your system is armed. The alarm works wirelessly and picks up sound within a 20-foot radius.
August Smart Lock Pro: $229
This is a deadbolt door lock that you can control from your mobile app for keyless access to your house.
One of the Z-wave devices from Protect America.
Keychain remote: $49
Remote that you keep on your keys to arm and disarm the alarm at your home.
The keychain remote works up to 100 feet and includes a flashlight and an alarm sound.
Indoor Camera: $100
Users will want to place Protect America's video surveillance cameras in high traffic areas, like by door entries/exits and hallways.
Protect America enables users to view video surveillance through their "Smart Connect App."
Live footage from the camera can be viewed at any time from anywhere as long as they have a WiFi connection. The camera starts recording during an alarm or as scheduled. Includes night vision and two-way audio.
Doorbell Camera: Price Varies
This video doorbell camera is wired to your home and begins automatically recording when anyone approaches your front door.
Connect With More Home Automation Equipment
In addition to a wide array of alarms and security devices, customers can integrate smart home devices with Protect America equipment using Z-Wave technology: a wireless network you connect devices to that's designed not to interfere with other wireless products.
Z-Wave technology can be controlled remotely through your phone.
Because Protect America is a DIY security system, you can set up their products and any other smart home devices at your leisure: door locks, garage door control, thermostats, lighting, smoke detectors, outdoor cameras, indoor security cameras, and more.
