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Most of these best security systems lists are frustrating to navigate. Many of them include companies and their respective rating. ADT, Brinks, Vivint, or others will make the cut. We’re sad to never be included in these lists. But that reflects the state of the industry. Many people don’t know that other alarm monitoring companies exist. Still others only include the new DIY systems that are on the market like Simplisafe, Ring, Nest, or Scout. Consumer Reports, for example, only reviews Nest, Ring, Abode, Frontpoint, Simplisafe, and Samsung’s Smarthings integrated GC3 that they produced for ADT. This list is, in no way, a complete list of products. Moreover, it completely ignores legacy and current systems. And, while we like “new,” being in the industry, we are proud to say that the so-called “professional” systems that are out there are better than these systems for a few simple reasons.

Our list includes exclusively professional equipment. It is the same equipment that ADT or other installation companies might sell you. We’ve tested a lot of these DIY systems. They work well to varying degrees. But we have found that nothing surpasses the quality or features of a professional system. What’s more, we provide the help that you need to turn these professionally installed systems into the DIY systems that you may be looking for.

Yup! You heard that right. You don’t need a professional to install a professional home security system.

They are simple enough to install and operate that you can do it yourself. Additionally, you can have them monitored by anyone. We think that this feature is the feature that sets them apart from any of the new “DIY” systems. Simplisafe systems must be monitored by Simplisafe. Ring systems must be monitored by Amazon. Nest systems must be monitored by Google’s chosen provider: Monitronics (now Brinks).

But a professional system can be monitored by any alarm company. We certainly do monitor them. But if you’re interested in having a local installer at your beck and call, you can have Larry the alarm installer from down the road monitor it as well.

In all, these systems are not easy to rank. Each one comes with its own set of features and benefits. So we have organized the following list based on your own possible set of needs.

So without further ado, here are the 3 best alarm systems of 2020.

Best Interactive Service of 2020

Alarm.com

Interactive services are the apps that allow you to control your alarm system from your phone or computer. There are dozens of such services. Some companies, such as the ones we mentioned above have their own proprietary service. But then, there are a few universal services. These are sold by Interlogix, DSC, Alarmnet (Honeywell), Securenet and others. Our favorite of these interactive services is alarm.com. It is a great service that works with Qolsys products, DSC products, Interlogix products, 2GIG products, and more. Unfortunately, it does not work with most Honeywell products.

It provides a wide array of controls, including the ability to use SIRI to command your system and schedule Z-Wave scenes. The drawback is that Alarm.com requires users to sign up for cellular monitoring. This is the best, most robust kind of monitoring. But some users don’t want that level of connectivity. Some end users are satisfied with just IP monitoring. In the 90s, particularly, phone line monitoring was the norm. Modern monitoring has found other, better, more secure options. No one can cut the line of a cellular device, for example. IP monitoring suffers from many of the same problems as phone line monitoring. But it also allows users to get many of the advantages of cellular monitoring, including homeowner’s insurance discounts. Even still, despite this drawback of alarm.com, it is our preferred interactive service.

That said, its closest competition is Honeywell’s Total Connect. Total Connect only works with Honeywell. It does almost everything that Alarm.com does, with a few specific differences - no native SIRI control, for example. That said, Honeywell makes excellent equipment. The Lyric alarm, for example, works with HomeKit. This integration will allow individual control of the unit from SIRI. This is actually more robust than even alarm.com’s SIRI integration. And the only options that a HomeKit user has on the Alarm.com side is the DSC iotega, which is a system that works, but for many reasons, doesn’t make this list.

Ultimately, whether you use Alarm.com or Total Connect, it will depend on your system’s interactive service compatibility. If you are interested in system features, look at the systems below. If you are more concerned with the usability of the interactive service, you can certainly pick a system based on its qualities and compatibility with an interactive service.

Runner Up: Total Connect

Best Overall System of 2020

Qolsys IQ Panel 2+

This security system is an amazing piece of equipment. It is a great looking home automation controller as well as a security system. It’s Alarm.com compatibility is a great feature that makes the Qolsys IQ Panel 2+ a stratospherically better panel than almost anything on the market. The system is built on the Android operating system. Ultimately, the Qolsys is what you get when you beset a Silicon Valley company with the task of building a professional alarm system. It is feature filled, beautifully and competently built.

One of the frustrations with the Qolsys is its lack of modularity. It is an expensive system. Everything is built in to the panel. Whereas most security systems allow a user to install (and uninstall) a cellular communicator, the Qolsys builds the communicator right into the panel itself. This sounds like a great feature, and it is. But that’s until the system’s communicator becomes obsolete. It’s something that doesn’t happen very often, but every 10 or so years, the cellular companies deprecate one or more of their networks. At this very moment, Alarm Grid’s subscribers are preparing to replace thousands of communicators. As Verizon and AT&T deprecate their old CDMA and 3G networks, the systems that have included these communicators are coming due for an upgrade. The drawback of the Qolsys is that there is no upgrade per se. Rather, end users with an older Qolsys will have to replace the entire panel.

Despite this drawback, the Qolsys is a great unit. One of its best features is its ability to take over old systems. For those that are looking to replace an old system, the Qolsys is a great choice. The new Qolsys IQ Panel 2 Plus’s come in different varieties, each with a daughter card that allows them to grab the signals from other company’s wireless sensors.

Just awesome!

In our opinion the best feature of the new Qolsys IQ Panel 2 Plus, however, is not its amazing home automation features or its ability to take over other systems. It’s not even its slick Android interface. All those features can and are replicated by its competitors. Rather, our favorite feature of the Qolsys is its sensor’s ranges. The Qolsys is a panel whose PowerG sensors, which are encrypted, are capable of being monitored over HUGE ranges. We have seen the Qolsys detect sensors that are nearly a half mile away. This makes the PowerG line of sensors that are compatible with the Qolsys an amazing feature that no other all-in-one system has. These sensors basically remove the need for expensive repeaters. They are modern sensors that no other company has.

Eat your heart out Google, Amazon, and all ya’ll Silicon Valley companies trying to build better systems. None of these systems even touch the quality of the Qolsys in our opinion.

Runner-up: 2GIG GC3e

Best HomeKit Compatible System of 2020

Honeywell Lyric

The Lyric is in competition with DSC’s Iotega, which works as a HomeKit controller. If you’re looking for HomeKit control, and your home is filled with DSC sensors, the Iotega might be a better choice for you. But if you’re starting from scratch, nothing is better than the Lyric controller. This system is compatible with a wide range of sensors, including America’s most sold sensor, the 5816. It looks great on a wall. It’s fairly priced, and it does everything you’d want from a good looking system, including a photo album feature.

We sold more Lyric’s in 2019 than any other system on the market. This is largely due to Honeywell’s trusted name. The quality exemplified by the brand is epitomized in this sleek wall unit. Its versatility is buttressed by the hundreds of compatible sensors that Honeywell has released over the years.

We like Honeywell’s no-nonsense approach to monitoring. They put security over all. They were the first mainstream system on the market with both a panel and encrypted sensors. And the sensors work immensely well. We love Honeywell. We love the Lyric. At the moment, we believe that the Qolsys has surpassed the features of Honeywell’s alarm system. But the Lyric has one feature that Qolsys simply does not: the ability to be monitored by WiFi only. In fact, nearly all of Honeywell’s all-in-one systems can be monitored by WiFi only. For an end user, this means that they can be professionally monitored at a price that is significantly cheaper than that of a cellular system. For the budget conscience consumer, this presents an amazing opportunity to save money while getting all the benefits of a monitored system, including insurance discounts. We are a big fan of cellular monitoring. But the option is there for those who simply don’t think it’s as important as we do or for those who don’t want to pay the cost of cellular monitoring.

Runner Up: DSC iotega

Best Budget Alarm System

Honeywell L3000

We spent a lot of time debating whether the L3000 would be the best system for someone on a budget. We actually prefer the GC2e as a system. It’s a great looking system, it’s inexpensive, and it uses Alarm.com. But here’s the problem: it requires that anyone using it purchase a cellular communicator. Additionally, because its most minimal monitoring will include Alarm.com. This puts anyone purchasing it into a different category of spending. That said, if it’s not outside of your budget, the GC2e is a great system. It is our runner-up, because it is a good budget system, but it’s not great.

The low price of the L3000 is no indication of its quality. It is because it is a legacy system. It is often used by alarm companies that are putting systems into big apartment buildings. The system is amazing. It’s effective, will last for a very long time. Unfortunately, it’s ugly and can be a bear to program. Luckily for owners, programming is not something you do more than one time. And if you’re with Alarm Grid, there is a strong chance that we can program it for you.

Unlike the GC2e, the L3000 allows users to do IP-only monitoring. It also allows old-school phone line monitoring. That means, for the budget-conscious consumer, the L3000 is both cheaper to purchase than the GC2e, and will save an end user between $10 and $20 per month. In all, the L3000 will save anyone who installs it between $120 and $240 per year, while also being incredibly affordable at the outset. Huzzah! Oh, and for those concerned about sensors, the L3000 works great with any of the Honeywell’s 5800 sensors. You will have a ton of sensors to pick from, which also makes the system the most versatile budget system on the market.

We love the L3000 as a budget system.

Runner-Up: 2GIG GC2e

Best Wired Alarm System of 2020

Honeywell VISTA 20P

This is an oldie but a goodie. The VISTA 20P has been produced by Honeywell for many many years now. It's an excellent system with great, modern features. Honeywell produces update chips that they release every once in a while. These updates allow the system to take advantage of modern features like those available in the VAM or Tuxedo Touch. Home Automation? You can do it using the VISTA 20P. Manage both wired and wireless sensors? You can do that very easily with the VISTA 20P by adding a wireless receiver or a keypad with a wireless receiver built in. In all, this system has all the same great features of its all-in-one wireless contemporaries. 2 drawbacks to speak of, though: 1) it's big and bulky; 2) programming these systems sucks.

Runner-up: Honeywell VISTA 21iP

What Else is Coming in 2020?

Every year, professional systems get better and better. The systems that are coming soon are no different. In the coming months, we are expecting the release of Qolsys’s new Hub as well as Honeywell’s ProSeries panel. 2GIG hasn’t announced anything yet. But they just released the encrypted versions of their panels.

Unfortunately, 2019 saw the close of Interlogix’s security systems production division. While interlogix was not known for the incredible innovation of their systems, they made great budget models that gave users a simple, cheap entry point into security systems. They will be missed. But the three main producers--2GIG, Qolsys, and Resideo (formerly Honeywell)--are continuing to pioneer new and innovative features.

As the sunset for 3G cellular networks is quickly approaching, Alarm Grid has some important news regarding support for Verizon's 3G CDMA network. This news affects both the Alarm.com service and Honeywell's AlarmNet server.

As of today, June 1st, 2018, Verizon will no longer activate Alarm.com CDMA cellular communicator SIM cards as they prepare for their CDMA network sunset. If the Verizon SIM card is already activated, which is done during manufacturing, Alarm.com will still allow the account activation to go through.

However, if a communicator is manufactured and never activated with Alarm.com, or if it's activated with Alarm.com but then cancelled, the Verizon SIM will eventually become deactivated. Therefore, it's possible that a CDMA module you already have won't be able to be used if it's not currently active with Alarm.com.

If you have an existing Alarm.com CDMA communicator with a different monitoring company, it can still be "recycled" and brought over to a new alarm company, as long as the communicator is re-activated with the new monitoring company soon after it's cancelled by the existing monitoring company.

Any existing Alarm.com CDMA communicator that is already active with Alarm.com will continue to work for the time being, but will be sunsetting soon.

If you need to purchase a new cellular communicator for an Alarm.com panel, we recommend one of the following Verizon LTE options:

For 2GIG GC3:

• 2GIG LTEV-A-GC3 (requires GC3 Firmware 3.0.2 or higher) (discontinued)
• 2GIG LTEV1-A-GC3 (requires GC3 Firmware 3.1.3 or higher)

For more information on GC3 Firmware Updates, please click here. Also see this guide to upgrade the GC3 communicator.

For 2GIG GC2:

• 2GIG LTEV-A-GC2 (requires GC2 Firmware 1.17 or higher) (discontinued)
• 2GIG LTEV1-A-GC2 (requires GC2 Firmware 1.19 or higher)

For more information on GC2 Firmware Updates, please click here. Also see this guide to upgrade the GC2 communicator. You can also review the FAQs 2GIG GC2 Firmware Update Instructions Using UPCBL2 and How to Upgrade GC2 Firmware Using a Cable for more information.

Starting June 30th, 2018, Honeywell AlarmNet CDMA cellular communicators that were manufactured before March 1st, 2018 can no longer be activated. If you have an AlarmNet CDMA communicator that was manufactured before this date, you must activate it by June 30th.

At that time, it will also be impossible to bring a Honeywell CDMA radio from one monitoring company to another. AlarmNet CDMA communicators that were manufactured after March 1st, 2018 can be activated until December 22nd, 2018. Any AlarmNet CDMA communicator that has already been activated will continue to work until the CDMA network is shutdown.

If you need to purchase a new cellular communicator for a Honeywell Alarm System, we suggest buying an LTE module. Alarm Grid recommends the following options based on system type:

Honeywell Lyric Controller: LYRICLTE-V supports Verizon LTE

Honeywell L5210 and L7000 (Firmware 9+): LTE-L57V supports Verizon LTE

Honeywell VISTA Systems: LTE-XV supports Verizon LTE or LTE-IV supports Verizon LTE & IP

Additionally, if you have a CDMA communicator that has not been activated, you will no longer be able to return it to Alarm Grid for a refund. We will not be taking any CDMA returns as of today. Our company stopped selling CDMA communicators roughly three months ago, and we have been preparing for the 3G sunset for quite some time.

Cellular service providers have already discontinued support for their 2G networks, and they are currently preparing to do the same for their 3G networks. This includes the Verizon 3G CDMA network. Instead, cellular service providers are shifting their focus to their newer and more advanced 4G and LTE networks. If you need to upgrade an alarm system to cellular, you should purchase an LTE module if possible.

Remember, existing CDMA communicators that have already been activated can still be used for the time being. These modules will continue to work until the CDMA network is discontinued. At that point, any CDMA cellular module will need to be replaced and upgraded to a newer communicator.

If you have any questions about this news, please send an email to support@alarmgrid.com. You may also call us at 888-818-7728 from 9am to 8pm EST M-F.

Edit (6/8/18): This blog post previously stated that as of June 1st, no Alarm.com CDMA module that wasn't currently active with Alarm.com service could be activated on a new Alarm.com account, which has changed since it was written. It has been edited to reflect the correct information.

Alarm Grid would like to announce that we are making some very exciting changes to our Security System Kits. Most of our Security System Kits will now include an ultra-convenient Honeywell LT-Cable for powering the alarm system. All Honeywell Lyric Kits and 2GIG Kits will also now include VERSA-2GIG Door and Window Contacts. These are outstanding sensors that look and operate in exactly the same way as the Honeywell 5800MINI. Finally, we reduced the price of our kits by as much as in price, providing significant savings to our DIY users. These new changes will go into effect immediately. Now is truly the best time to get started with a brand new security system from Alarm Grid!

We have found that most of our DIY customers already go out of their way to purchase a cable. Rather than chasing customers to purchase the items, we now include them in the kits. These electric cables make supplying power to a security system significantly easier. The cable requires no wire-stripping, and it can easily connect with any security system transformer. This makes it great for use with the Honeywell Lyric Controller, any Honeywell LYNX Touch, the 2GIG GC2 and GC3 systems, and even the wired Honeywell VISTA Panel. The cable itself is 8-feet long. It includes male and female adapters for simple installation and connecting.

Another major change for our Security System Kits is that all Honeywell Lyric Kits and 2GIG Kits will now include VERSA-2GIG Door and Window Contacts. The 2GIG-VERSA Door/Window Contact is a fantastic device that is designed for use with Honeywell and 2GIG panels. These sensors are the most reliable sensors that we have found. They are small and discrete.

Additionally, with these new system kits, we are focused on modernizing what you get. Most of Alarm Grid's customers are controlling their system using Total Connect or Alarm.com. We are getting more and more requests that the key fobs be removed from the packs. So we did that. The key fobs are pretty cheap a piece. They are for sale individually. If you think that the key fob would be a great convenience, we highly recommend you purchase whichever one is compatible with your system. This will give you the flexibility to get as many key fobs as you need or want.

Finally, we are officially reducing the costs of our Security Kits. This makes now a better time than ever to get started with Alarm Grid. Take advantage of these reduced prices on our Security Kits right now! If you have any questions about any of these new changes, feel free to contact our support team online or over the phone. Thank you for choosing Alarm Grid, and we look forward to providing you with top-quality support. We have a number of new systems as well. Below are some of our favorite, most popular systems.

The prices of kits are hugely reduced. Some have come down as much as $100. The price of the Lyric 10 door/window sensor and LTE communicator kit, for example, has been reduced in price from $578.99 to $489.99, $97 or 20% reduction in price. This is the sort of change that has happened all across our listed kits. The Lyric kit with 3 door/window sensors and an LTE communicator has been reduced by 10% or $40. Additionally, we've made available never before seen Qolsys kits. These 4 Qolsys kits, are the traditional 3-1 and 10-1 kits. We do not include the Qolsys sensors. Instead, we have included VERSA's 2GIG sensors. These sensors look and act the same way as Honeywell's 5800MINIs.

We strive to have some of the best pricing on the internet for security products. When prices are reduced for us, we do our best to quickly pass off those savings to anyone who has made a purchase here.

In the last week, we have reduced the prices on over 100 items an average of 6%. Our Lyric kits have all seen price reductions between 6% and 19%.

Below is the list of all items whose price has been reduced. We hope you enjoy the savings!

Alarm Grid has been beta testing the Lyric Controller for about 6 months now, letting users install it on their own using their DIY resources.

“We were the only DIY company to test and release the Lyric to end users. And our users have loved the system,” said Sterling Donnelly, President of Alarm Grid. “Even though the system is more advanced than any other system Honeywell has released to consumers, our videos and FAQs have made the installation process a breeze for anyone who wants to take advantage of the new features of the Lyric.”

In a unusual move, Honeywell announced the new system in January 2015 at CES. The buzz surrounding this new, modern, HomeKit compatible system was astounding. “The day that Honeywell made their announcement, we started getting inquiries,” said Joshua Unseth, Alarm Grid’s director of marketing. “We wanted to make sure that everyone who wanted to get a Lyric was able to as soon as they were released.”

Alarm Grid made good on that promise, releasing the Lyric some 5 months ago. “Since we released the system, it has become our most successful launch to date,” said Unseth. “The system has sold better than the L7000 and L5210 combined, and the response by the do-it-yourself community has been astounding. Our users love the Lyric.”

Needless to say, there are a number of features that make this panel different than any other security system ever developed. Most notably, perhaps, is the way the wireless sensors, themselves, communicate to the main board. While previous systems had been developed allowing one-way communication between the mounted sensors and the panel, Lyric’s SiX sensor technology, allows for two-way, fully encrypted communication between the panel and the sensors. This means that sensors themselves can receive firmware updates and that the communication between the Lyric and its sensors is uninterruptible. Moreover, for those that have invested in the older 5800 Honeywell technology which was standard with all wireless systems before the Lyric, the sensors are backwards compatible.

“Users can upgrade their old system without having to buy all new sensors,” said Donnelly. “They can get all the functionality of their old sensors, and the new functionality available as part of the Lyric at a really affordable price.”

To date, the Lyric was only available to dealers who were approved by Honeywell, which meant that the panel was difficult to get. But now that it has been tested for some months in the field, Honeywell has opened up the distribution of the system to all dealers. “We hope that the work we did with the Lyric will help other dealers deploy this state-of-the-art panel successfully,” said Unseth. “We have worked with Honeywell closely to suss out some of the early software problems that the panel suffered, and Honeywell has been extremely responsive in rolling out updates. We think that our partnership has been extremely beneficial to the project, and are excited to see the Lyric end up in the hands of more and more consumers.”

When asked if there were any features that end users would dislike, Unseth said, “the Lyric lock program will allow companies to lock end users into their service. If an end user wants to unlock the panel, they really can’t. We recommend that end users ask their alarm technicians if their company locks the panel when it is installed. Get in writing that they do not or will not. We never lock panels,” said Unseth, “but we understand why companies do. Companies work hard for their accounts, and unscrupulous companies will often try to swoop in and steal customers. That said, customers should do what they can to retain control of their options for monitoring. One way to do that is to politely ask their dealers not to lock their Lyric controller after the installation.”

“We strongly believe this is going to be the most popular DIY panel of the next 5 to 10 years,” said Donnelly. “It’s easy to install, it provides a unprecedented level of security, and it looks really good on the wall. For those looking to get this system affordably, or to upgrade their old system, give us a call, we would love to help them get the best security system on the market at a cost they can stomach.”

Alarm Grid provides resources on YouTube, and encourages anyone with questions to email them at support@alarmgrid.com.

If you are looking for the most advanced security system on the market, Alarm Grid has finally begun selling the Lyric Controller. This much-anticipated panel has been on the market for only a few hours now, and Alarm Grid is the first home security company to be selling it online!

In addition to the Lyric Controller, Honeywell has released a number of their encrypted peripherals, such as the SiXCT, the SiXPIR, the SiXFOB, the SiXSIREN and both the Verizon and the AT&T cellular communicators.

As has been the case with all our security systems, we are selling Lyric kits at a slight discount for those that need specific pieces to come with their Lyric's. There are a number of pieces that are not yet quite available. The Lyric LKP500 keypad, the SiXGB, and the SiXSMOKE, are still not in inventory, though we do anticipate getting them in soon. If you are ordering a Lyric, you can certainly add these items to your cart, but we want you to know that we're not shipping them until Honeywell gets some to us.

Also worth noting, we have a very limited quantity of the Lyrics and we've been told that we won't be re-supplied for a couple of weeks. We're selling them on a first-come-first-serve basis. So get your system today before they're all gone.

For those who are a little bit intimidated by the idea of installing the system, luckily for you, we have a series of great Lyric security system Installation videos you can watch! While you're there, make sure to hit subscribe. :)