Founded in 1859, Brinks Home Security is an enduring leader in home security that earned a top spot in our review of the best home security companies. Today, the company offers a broad array of modern home security equipment and a range of monitoring plans, including 24/7 professional monitoring. Customers can design the system that is right for their needs or defer to Brinks’s highly experienced team of professionals for system design, installation and monitoring.
Pros
- 24/7 dispatch center
- Customizable systems
- Lengthy service plan
Cons
- Contract required
- Activation fee
- No self-monitoring
Table of Contents
- Brinks Home Security: An Overview
- Brinks Security Systems and Equipment
- Brinks Home Security Monitoring Options
- Brinks Installation Options
- Brinks Home Security Fine Print
- Brinks Customer Survey Results
- How Brinks Home Security Stacks Up
- Brinks’s Biggest Pros and Cons
- Methodology – How We Selected Home Security Companies
Brinks Home Security: An Overview
Brinks Home Security pairs technologically advanced security equipment with award-winning professional monitoring services to deliver exceptional home security. In a Forbes Home survey of 1,900 Americans who have used a home security system for at least six months, Brinks Home Security had some of the most enthusiastic responses from its customers about overall value, the ease of the installation and customer support. In fact, 94% of Brinks customers would recommend the company to family or friends.
Brinks does not offer self-monitoring plans. Professional monitoring starts at $39.99 per month and includes 24/7 monitoring and 911 dispatch. Brinks also enables cloud storage for video recordings. Many plans or promotions require contract commitments, as do monitoring plans, and these contracts may be up to 36 months.
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Brinks Security Systems and Equipment
Brinks Home has three packages that range in price from $550 to $1,297. These bundles include home security essentials, and customers can further customize with a la carte options.
| SYSTEM | COMPONENTS | PRICE |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Security Essential | Qolsys IQ 2.0+ panel, wireless motion sensor, two door sensors, yard sign and stickers | $550 |
| Smart Security Complete | Qolsys IQ 2.0+ panel, two wireless motion sensors, three door sensors, indoor camera with night vision, yard sign and stickers | $898 |
| Smart Security Ultimate | Qolsys IQ 2.0+ panel, two wireless motion sensors, three door sensors, outdoor camera, video doorbell, yard sign and stickers | $1,297 |
Components
Brinks Home Security provides a range of home security components that can be individually bundled or added onto base packages. The hub of a Brink Home Security system is the control panel, which has Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity. Current systems use the Qolsys IQ 2.0+ panel. From there, optional components include:
- Door sensors
- Window sensors
- Glass break sensors
- Garage sensors
- Motion sensors
- Indoor cameras
- Outdoor cameras
- Doorbell cameras
- Smart locks
- Electric smart plugs
- Smoke and fire sensors
- Carbon monoxide sensors
- Water leak detectors
- Smart thermostats
Brinks does not provide prices for components through the website, instead requiring interested customers to reach out for a quote. In our research, the sales department did not provide pricing over the phone and did not respond to an email inquiry.
Brinks Smart Home Compatibility
Many of Brinks’s products are specifically designed for smart home connectivity, while other new systems are compatible with more than 120 smart devices with Z-Wave technology. Customers can control connections and integrations through the Brinks Home Mobile App, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcut.
Brinks Home Security Monitoring Options
Brinks only offers professionally monitored plans, not self-monitoring. Its professional monitoring operates from the United States-based Alarm Response Center with experts monitoring systems around the clock. Brinks’s monitoring has earned The Monitoring Association’s Five Diamond designation, based on exceeding standards for quality, care and performance.
Although professional monitoring service is required, customers can also monitor their systems through Brinks Home Security’s mobile app. According to our survey, the average Brinks customer pays $55.50 per month for monitoring or other ongoing fees—and 92% were satisfied with this value.
Brinks Installation Options
Professional installation is free with Brinks Home Security systems and a 36-month contract commitment. The company uses installation technicians who are trained to manage complex installations, including getting everything connected to Wi-Fi and cellular networks. After the system is installed, the technician can provide a walk-through to explain components and how to use everything properly.
The company offers DIY installation options, which can be ideal for customers outside of the service area or those who don’t want a long-term contract commitment. Unlike some other home security companies, Brinks’s components are not designed with self-installation in mind.
In response to our survey, 10% of Brinks Home Security customers said they installed their system on their own. A larger share, 24%, got free installation through a contract commitment. Others paid for installation, bringing Brinks’s average installation costs to $290.40, about $32 more than the average across all companies included in our survey.
Brinks Home Security Fine Print
From a potential customer perspective on the main website pages, Brinks Home Security isn’t very forthcoming with terms and conditions—beyond including a disclaimer that a 36-month contract is required for free installation. Brinks does outline details much more thoroughly in its Terms of Use, but this can be hard to navigate. Potential customers need to reach out for pricing information for individual components.
Brinks offers a Brinks Home Plus extended service plan that covers the repair or replacement of devices due to normal wear and tear or product malfunction. Customers pay up to $75 per service fee, which is about 70% savings on the standard service fee. Monthly fees are based on the value of covered equipment, and there is an initial 12-month term.
Self-installed products can be returned within 30 days from the date on which the items were shipped. With contracts, early termination fees apply.
Brinks Customer Survey Results
In Forbes Home’s survey of 1,900 home security customers, Brinks Home Security users were largely positive about their experiences with the company. Brinks particularly stood out in terms of reliability, with 95% of customers saying they’ve been satisfied with how well their system has stood up. Customers were also pleased with communication from Brinks before their purchase, with 90% saying they were satisfied compared to an average of 85% across all companies.
Whereas affordability was a top priority for more than 50% of customers across all home security companies, Brinks users were less likely to cite this as a driving factor in their choice of company. Instead, Brinks customers were attracted by the company’s customer reviews and reputation. Interestingly, Brinks customers were more likely than the average respondent to have experienced a crime before investing in their home security system: 62% of Brinks users had experienced a crime, with 31% of users reporting their home had been broken into before.
How Brinks Home Security Stacks Up
In our review of home security companies, Brinks Home Security earned a strong score based on customer satisfaction, components and monitoring services, and overall value. Although monthly rates are higher than the average and Brinks does ask for a significant commitment, the company is a good fit for customers who prioritize peace of mind.
Brinks’s Biggest Pros and Cons
Brinks Home Security earned the highest overall rating in our review of home security systems, which speaks to just how much the company has to offer with products, services and overall user experience. However, the company is not right for everyone.
Brinks Home Security Pros
Brinks Home Security maintains high standards for installation, service and monitoring, reflected in part by the company’s A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Objective customer opinions from our national survey mirror this, with 94% of Brinks Home’s customers saying they would recommend it to family or friends.
There are three system bundles that customers can further customize with a variety of components. In addition to professional monitoring, customers can track and control systems through the highly rated Brinks Home Security app.
Brinks Home Security Cons
Brinks is not the most budget-friendly home security company: The average Brinks Home Security customer paid more for installation and pays more on an ongoing basis than customers from other companies, according to our survey. When signing up for monitoring, customers typically must commit to a 36-month contract and purchase a package with a minimum value of $500. Early termination fees apply to break the contract.
Brinks also doesn’t support self-monitoring. Although customers can follow along through the app, they must pay for professional monitoring, which starts at $39.99 per month.
Methodology – How We Selected Home Security Companies
To pick the best internet providers and determine our rankings, the Forbes Home editorial team compared 35 major home security companies across 75 different metrics, including monitoring options and costs, smart home compatibility and our user survey data.
You can find out more about how Forbes Home rates home security providers in our detailed methodology page.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best home security system?
Forbes Home reviewed 35 major home security companies and issued objective scores based on more than 70 metrics. By this standard, Brinks Home Security and SimpliSafe Home Security had the two best home security company ratings, both earning 4.8 out of 5. Brinks is a better fit for customers who want professional installation and monitoring, while SimpliSafe caters to those who want to self-install and don’t want long contracts.
Is Brinks reliable?
As a company that has been in business for over a century, Brinks Home Security is about as well-established as they come. From a customer experience perspective, 95% of Brinks customers included in our survey were satisfied with the reliability of their products and services.
Is Brinks’s mobile app good?
Brinks has very strong app ratings across several platforms, including a 4.7-star rating from more than 16,000 reviews in the Apple App Store and a 4.0-star rating from nearly 4,000 reviews in the Google Play Store as of this writing.
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