To make your choice easier, we’ve laid out a quick comparison of Cox Homelife to ADT’s offerings. But you can get Cox Homelife bundled with Cox internet and TV, which may bring your home service costs down overall. How much you save will depend on the package you choose. As far as up-front costs go, Cox offers multiple equipment options. Right now, the company has both a free security and automation starter package and a $200 option. But that’s before activation and installation fees. (Activation fee is $49; installation fee is unknown to us at this time.) Cox’s contracts are supposedly about two years, although we weren’t able to verify that for certain. We’ve also heard that there may be a possibility of going month to month after the contract ends, but don’t take that as gospel. Be prepared to pay a lot, though. Last time Cox displayed its prices, the company was charging $150 for a glass break sensor. A similar sensor would cost $34.99 with SimpliSafe and $44.99 with Frontpoint. ADT’s a lot cagier about its equipment prices than Cox because ADT’s equipment cost is included in its monitoring and installation price, but the individual price of devices is unclear. ADT tends to run expensive, so the prices probably aren’t much better. Both Cox and ADT’s systems are professionally installed, saving you the effort of installing a system yourself. One exception: there are a few Cox items (like lights, locks, plugs, and cameras) that you can set up yourself. So if you order some devices à la carte, you may not need the professionals. Despite ADT being so prolific (or maybe because of; mo’ customers mo’ problems), it has its issues. Its prices are some of the highest in the industry, and the quality of service you get from its dealers varies wildly. But though we have our hang-ups about ADT, it has much better customer reviews than Cox home security. To learn more, read our Cox Homelife and ADT Command reviews. And take a look at our best home security system recommendations while you’re at it.
