Professionally Installed Home Security Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive

Professionally installed home security has a reputation for being expensive. That turns consumers off. In addition, it is hard to find a professionally installed and monitored system that does not require a contract. It’s no wonder that so many homeowners choose DIY security. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

A professionally installed system with remote monitoring does not have to be expensive. If consumers are willing to look around and negotiate with providers, affordability is possible. You just need to know which cards to play and how to play them.

The Competition Is Fierce

The competition is fierce among home security providers in the U.S. According to SafeHome, approximately half of all U.S. households are equipped with security systems. Overall, an estimated 94 million households have at least one security device. Most importantly, the market is expected to expand by over 13 million households before the year is out.

SafeHome’s 2025 Home Security Market Report Ranks the top 12 security providers in the U.S. Only a small handful provide professionally installed, whole-home security systems. The rest are brands offering a selection of DIY devices like video doorbells and standalone security cameras. What does this mean?

With such a small number of active whole-home providers, the competition among them for customers is fierce. You can use that competition to your advantage, much the same way you do to get a reduced rate on your internet service, cell phone service, etc.

Affordable Price, No Contract

One of the whole-home providers on SafeHome’s list is Vivint Home Security. Vivint has an affordable, no-contract program known as HomeProtect. You get a good entry-level system along with monthly monitoring and free professional installation. And because there is no contract, you can cancel at any time without obligation.

It is worth taking a look at HomeProtect to see how it fits into your budget. Then compare it with other whole-home providers. You can look at DIY systems too, but it is not a fair comparison because you need to handle the installation yourself.

Professional Installation Has Its Benefits

Even at a slightly higher cost, professional installation has its benefits. First and foremost, it saves you time. The time you would have put into installation can be put into something more important. And yes, your time is valuable.

There is also something to be said for every device in a professionally installed system working out of the box. You don’t have to spend time or money trying to get devices from different brands to work together. And should you decide to add a device to the system later on, sticking with the same brand guarantees it will work without issue.

Monitoring Is Important, Too

Finally, don’t fail to consider the real cost of monitoring. A professionally installed package like HomeProtect includes month-to-month monitoring for as long as you want it. Most monitoring plans are subscription-based, so you pay for them a lot like you pay for your cell phone service.

Monthly subscriptions can be pretty affordable. But if at some point you decide you no longer want to pay for professional monitoring, you can always cancel your subscription and go back to DIY monitoring.

The reality is that you don’t have to pay out the nose for professionally installed home security. You can dig around and research different deals. You can pit one provider against another and force them to compete for your business. And ultimately, you can limit your investment to what your budget will allow. Do not let your fears about cost keep you from investigating professionally installed home security.