Protect America Home Security System is an incredibly affordable choice for wireless DIY-installation home security for people seeking long-term solutions. Protect America has an excellent customer service reputation, providing very reasonably priced equipment and monitoring plans. It offers an outstanding security system with many customizable options for you to add on to your home security system.
Protect America Home Security
Overview
Protect America Security is an accessible Do-It-Yourself (DIY) installation system that comes with three equipment kits and three monitoring choices. Protect America equipment packages differ from each other by the number of sensors in each set. There is no upfront fee with these packages; besides, you can always add more devices that are sold separately, such as cameras, smart lights, and many more home automation devices. Protect America uses wireless technology, so it is easy to install without any dangling cables or holes in your walls. One exceptional aspect worth mentioning is that Protect America’s Equipment comes with a limited lifetime warranty, unlike other companies that only cover the contract length. Protect America offers professional installation for an additional fee for those customers who don’t want to take on a DIY project.
Protect America offers landline, broadband, and cellular connection with its monitoring plans. The cellular option is the most recommended, secure, and reliable option. That’s because intruders can cut a landline; also, broadband monitoring won’t work during a power out. With Protect America, the equipment kit comes with the monitoring plans at no additional cost; you own it, as the value of the components is rolled into the monthly monitoring fees. Protect America offers a 14-day free trial to test the system before you decide on committing to their strict three-year contract. Their equipment and monitoring plans could be a little confusing, but in this article, we will try to untangle all the relevant information for you.
Key features
- Mobile Alerts
- 24/7 Monitoring
- Landline, broadband, and cellular security connections
- DIY Installation
- Intrusion Protection
- Remote Control
- Smart Home Options
- Lifetime warranty
Cost and contract information
Protect America is an affordable DIY security system that offers three different equipment packages and three monitoring plans. There is no upfront expense for any of these packages since the equipment is financed throughout the monthly fees; Because of this, Protect America offers no other financing plans. Since Protect America is a DIY, there is no installation fee. However, they do provide professional installation for an additional cost of $199.
Protect America comes with three different equipment packages: Copper, Silver, and Platinum. Each bundle comes with the Standard Control Panel and several sensors; the number of devices will depend on what plan you choose. You can always purchase more components to complete your home automation experience. The company’s drawback: you are required to subscribe to a rigid three-year monitoring plan.
Detail | Copper Plan | Silver Plan | Platinum Plan |
---|---|---|---|
Installation Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Activation Cost | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Equipment Cost | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Equipment Included | Control Panel 3 Door/window sensors 1 Motion detector 1 Keychain Remote 1 Yard sign 4 Door/window stickers |
Control Panel 9 Door/window sensors 1 Motion detector 1 Keychain Remote 1 Yard sign 4 Door/window sticker |
Control Panel 14 Door/window sensors 1 Motion detector 1 Keychain Remote 1 Yard sign 4 Door/window stickers |
Monthly Monitoring Fee | Starts at $19.99 | Starts at $37.99 | Starts at $42.99 |
Monitoring Type | Standard Protection | Standard Protection + Smart Connect App + Home Automation |
Standard Protection + Smart Connect App + Home Automation |
Connection Type | Landline Broadband Cellular |
Landline Broadband Cellular |
Landline Broadband Cellular |
Contract Length | 36 months | 36 months | 36 months |
Prices may vary |
Each Protect America equipment package includes 24/7 professional monitoring, with the option of landline, broadband, or cellular connection. There is no available option for self-monitoring. It delivers a very short 14-day free trial, so think about if you are ready for a long-term commitment. One significant extra fee for pointing out is the $10 a month for fire monitoring. If you want video monitoring, it also runs an additional $10 a month on top of your plan’s price.
Coverage and policies
Protect America Home Security System is one of the few companies that offer three communication options: Landline, broadband, and cellular. Landline and broadband monitoring connections are the best alternatives to cellular monitoring; They are crucial if you live in a rural or areas will a weak cell reception. Protect America is available in the United States and Canada.
Protect America states that if you cancel your service before the three-year contract is up, you will have to pay 100% of your remaining balance. There is no other early cancellation fee. Protect America’s equipment has a limited lifetime warranty, pretty rare in the security industry. As long as you are a Protect America customer, the company will replace equipment as necessary. On the other hand, it delivers a brief 14-day free trial, so think about if you are ready for the drawn-out commitment.
Equipment
Protect America Security brings three bundles to the table: The Copper, the Silver, and the Platinum package. All Protect America Equipment packages have a preset kit, packed with the essential devices you might need for a security system. The main difference between plans is the amount of door/window sensors that come with each one: The Copper plan comes with 3 sensors (recommended for small apartments), the Silver plan includes 6 sensors (recommended for a small home), and the Platinum plan has 14 sensors within the bundle (recommended for a large home). All plans include a Standard control panel, a motion detector, door/window sensors (amount pending on package), a keychain remote, a yard sign, and four door/window stickers to help deter possible intruders. You can always customize your home with more smart devices, like locks or thermostats, depending on your security needs, for an extra cost.
Protect America Wireless Equipment connects to the control panel and monitoring center using one of three options: Landline, Broadband, or Cellular. The Cellular connection adds an extra layer of protection, compared to the other two. However, landline and broadband connections are a great option where cell signals are weak.
Aesthetically speaking, Protect America may not be the most exciting system in the market; it is familiar and straightforward to use. They do offer a great product listing for you choose to tailor your home security requirements.
Some of Protect America Equipment comes with cool benefits, such as:
Protect America Options | Main Benefit | Technology | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Smart Connect App | Control | Basic | App |
Indoor Camera | Motion Detection | Intermediate | Camera |
Outdoor Camera | Motion Detection | Intermediate | Camera |
Smart Thermostat | Energy Saver | Intermediate | Automation |
Smart Door Locks | Control | Advanced | Automation |
Smart Bulb | Energy Saver | Intermediate | Automation |
Home automation
Protect America works with Z-Wave technology and the X10 standard, which are the most common ways of connecting home security equipment. You link all your smart home devices to the control panel to deliver the ability to control your home remotely using the Smart Connect App. Since it is Z-Wave compatible, you can expand with third-party equipment for home automation upgrades to simplify your daily tasks.
With Protect America, you can create IFTTT (If This, Then That) scenes that will trigger events. For instance, you can trigger the lights in your living room to turn on when you enter the house, or to arm your system after everybody leaves for school at a particular time.
Nest doesn’t connect with Protect America System. Considering the positive, the company added Amazon Alexa recently to its home automation devices.
Protect America monitoring plans come with unique qualities to turn your home into a full automation experience. All broadband and cellular home automation features are the same; The only difference is the way they communicate to the control panel and monitoring center.
Home Automation Features | Landline | Broadband | Cellular |
---|---|---|---|
Mobile App with Alarm Control | No | Yes | Yes |
Alerts via Email, Text, and Push Notifications | No | Yes | Yes |
Home Automation with Thermostat, Door Lock, Garage Door, and Light Capability | No | Yes | Yes |
Fire and Smoke Protection Monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Environmental Protection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
24/7 Live Video-on-demand | Yes | Yes | Yes |
24/7 Local SD video recording capability | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Cloud-based Video Recordings | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Customer experience
Protect America Security System comes with a Professional Monitoring Plan; there is no option for DIY-monitoring. Protect America comes with three types of coverage for your system: Landline, Broadband, and Cellular connections. With all three connections, there is a team of monitoring professionals working 24/7 to guard your home and assist you in case of an emergency.
The advantage of the Landline plan is that it is very affordable and ideal for homes that have poor internet or cell connection. However, it has a vulnerability: If an intruder cuts down your line, it will disable all communications to the monitoring facility, hence bringing the system offline.
The Broadband plan is perfect for customers with a broadband internet service; it connects to your modem or router without worrying about anyone destroying your home telephone service. It provides a fast connection to the monitoring center; However, If there is a power outage, the connection can be interrupted.
With the Cellular plan, your home is monitored through a cellular tower to send signals. The most important benefit is that it is incredibly reliable: There is no risk of outside interference or internet disruption with the monitoring center.
Protect America Security System has an excellent customer service reputation. You can contact the support team via live chat or by phone, no email or website forms available. You can browse on their website for plenty of guides and videos on various relevant topics, like new system installation and equipment tech support. You can even schedule an appointment so Protect America’s support representative can walk you through the installation and activation process. On pricing matters, their website is not very accessible; no price tags on plain view. It can be a little confusing to navigate and find any prices on a specific product. But don’t hesitate to live chat with a customer rep: they are friendly, eager to help you find what you are looking for, without trying to upsell any products.
Protect America Security System is a member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and received an A rating. Their biggest complaints are about products, services, and billing related issues. In general, it has an excellent customer support reputation.
Installation
Protect America Security is a DIY wireless installation system designed to be a straightforward setup, with no cables hanging from the sides. You can do all the work with no trouble, saving money by not hiring a professional technician or pay a steep embedded installation fee. With a DIY install system, you are in control of which devices you need and all its arrangement. If you don’t have too much technical experience with DIY and home automation components, or you don’t have the time to do it, you can always ask a friend to help out or opt for Protect America’s professional installation.
During a professional installation, technicians will come to your home to set up the equipment, making sure that all the pieces are correctly installed. The upside is that you don’t have to lift a finger; it is a stress-free process. On the downside, it beats the essence of a DIY installation, which is to save money in the end. Protect America professional installation fee is $199.
After you selected your equipment and monitoring plan, it is time for the installation process to begin. You’ll receive your Protect America equipment box at home with all the devices you picked for your security home. After everything is set up, you place a call to Protect America customer support to activate the system. The support rep will help you throughout the installation and activation process.
Protect America Home Security offers three professional monitoring options, with different types of connections: landline, broadband, or cellular. The most affordable plan is the Copper package with a landline connection for $19.99 a month and goes up to the Platinum package with cellular connection for $54.99. You decide which package best suits your security needs. There is no option for DIY monitoring. Protect America monitoring packages comes with a rigid 36-month contract.
Bottom line
If you are looking for an affordable DIY-installation security system with up to $1,400 in free equipment and no upfront fees, then Protect America is a great choice. Its equipment packages are an excellent alternative for first-time security buyers, which you can always expand them to video surveillance and home automation features. All the company’s equipment bundles come with 24/7 professional monitoring service that will notify you if an alarm is triggered. Protect America is one of the few companies that offer three ways of connecting your security system: landline, broadband, or cellular. But don’t forget about the three-year commitment that locks you down for a long-term contract. If you want a DIY-installation home security system without spending a ton on upfront costs, Protect America could be an excellent selection for you.