Best home security system 2025: Top alarms tried and tested by an expert

As the name suggests, Simplisafe is a home security system that aims to put simplicity first. In a world where some security kits require a thorough understanding of how smart home systems and voice assistants work, this is a refreshing change.

The Simplisafe system has created a middle ground for itself, somewhere between the more complex offerings of Ring and Nest, while being smarter and more connected than older traditional home security systems. I can see this approach appealing to homeowners (and renters) who want a very simple setup process, and who want to avoid the extra functionality and inherent complexity of more feature-packed systems.

This can make the Simplisafe kit look and feel slightly dated, with the keypad especially resembling something from a decade or two ago. It doesn’t even have a colour display, let alone a touchscreen.

But, again, I can see the appeal here. It’s a product that looks part of a traditional home alarm system, but which is fully wireless, connected to the internet and (with the right subscription) includes professional monitoring and police response – something Ring does not offer in the UK. In this sense, despite offering an entirely DIY installation, Simplisafe is closer to the services of traditional alarm companies like ADT than tech-first systems like Ring.

Cameras

Simplisafe offers two different models of security camera, one for inside your home and one for outside, plus a video doorbell. Adding these to your security system is entirely optional, but all of Simplisafe’s kit bundles come with at least one camera.

These cameras are far simpler than many rivals, like those from Ring and Eufy. This is great news for buyers who want a plug-and-play security system that can be installed quickly and simply, but the cameras’ lack of features might leave other buyers wanting more. The indoor and outdoor cameras both record at 1080p Full HD, and both have a microphone and speaker for two-way audio, plus the indoor cameras has a physical lens cover for extra privacy when it isn’t in use.

Although lacking some features offered by rivals – like face recognition, parcel detection and solar power – the key to Simplisafe’s cameras is how they can be used to verify an emergency situation. If a burglar triggers your alarm, an agent (with your prior permission) can view a live feed from the camera, then inform the emergency services. The indoor camera comes with a power cable and the outdoor camera uses a rechargeable battery.

Monitoring

Constant professional monitoring is arguably the biggest and most valuable feature of the Simplisafe system. If the alarm is triggered, Simplisafe’s call centre is alerted. They then call you to check if the alarm is genuine, and can even use your security cameras (with your prior permission) to assess the situation and call the emergency services if required. If an incident cannot be verified over the phone or through your cameras, Simplisafe will dispatch an agent to visit your home.

Simplisafe will also get in touch with you (or call your emergency contacts if you don’t answer) when smoke is detected, or when your system’s water leak and high/low temperature sensors are triggered.

Subscription cost

Subscriptions start at £15.99 for Simplisafe’s Pro Plan. This is a self-monitoring system, where you’ll be alerted by the app if there’s a break-in, fire or water leak, and your emergency contacts will be phoned.

The next tier is called Pro Premium and costs £27.99 a month. This includes professional monitoring, as outlined in the previous section, where an agent phones you, establishes the severity of an incident (like a break-in or fire) and calls the emergency services.

Read the full Simplisafe review

Ring is arguably the biggest name in smart home security, and for good reason. The Amazon-owned brand has built a solid reputation off the back of its video doorbells and security cameras, which we rate highly. But the company also sells a smart alarm system, which uses the same smartphone app and taps into the same subscription services available to owners of Ring doorbells and cameras.

In its simplest state, the alarm includes a base station with integrated sire, a wireless keypad, a motion detector and a door/window sensor. The system uses Z-Wave wireless technology and can be expanded to include up to 100 devices. There’s both battery and cellular backup, so the base station will keep working if your internet goes down, and can run off its own battery for up to 24 hours if there’s a power cut.

However, this cellular backup is one of the many features of this kit that requires a subscription. Prices start at £7.99 a month or £79.99 for a year, and without it the system loses much of its functionality. Pay up, and the Ring Alarm offers just about everything you could ever need, and it of course ties in neatly with Ring’s doorbells and security cameras. There’s also integration with the Amazon Alexa smart home platform and voice assistant.

Despite being available in the US, Ring does not offer professional monitoring in the UK. Instead, it operates a system called Alarm Calls where, if the alarm is triggered, your pre-defined list of emergency contacts will be called, one after another, until one answers. They are then given an automated message from Ring, stating that your alarm has been triggered, as well as what caused it (such as a door being opened, or motion spotted in the kitchen), and when. No human is involved in this, and there’s no direct way of calling the emergency services. That said, it works well and serves as a useful way of alerting your emergency contacts at times when you can’t see a notification on the Ring app, or your phone is switched off.

Although it lacks proper monitoring, Ring Alarm is still a great system – especially for anyone who already owns a Ring product, like one of its video doorbells. Adding this kit is the obvious next step for upping your home security game, and the extra functionality makes Ring’s subscription feel like better value for money than when it’s usually purely for a doorbell.

Cameras

Ring sells a wide range of security cameras, all of which work with the same app as the Ring Alarm system. Prices start at under £50 and run up to £200 for the more advanced models. Both indoor and outdoor cameras are available. Some work with optional solar powers for unlimited power, and some have integrated spotlights too.

The smartest models, like the Ring Outdoor Camera Pro, use radar and satellite imagery to accurately track the movement of visitors (or trespassers) across your garden or driveway. Some have colour night vision for more detailed low-light footage, and others can even save video from the moments before movement was first detected.

Cameras like the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus perform well, with 2K imaging sensors and long battery life, but none offer local video storage. Instead, to save video recordings in the cloud you must pay for a Ring subscription.

Monitoring

Despite being available in the US, Ring does not offer professional monitoring in the UK. Instead, it operates a system called Alarm Calls where, if the alarm is triggered, your pre-defined list of emergency contacts will be called, one after another, until one answers. They are then given an automated message from Ring, stating that your alarm has been triggered, as well as what caused it (such as a door being opened, or motion spotted in the kitchen), and when.

No human is involved in this, and there’s no direct way of calling the emergency services. That said, it works well and serves as a useful way of alerting your emergency contacts at times when you can’t see a notification on the Ring app, or your phone is switched off.

Subscription cost

Ring has two tiers of alarm subscription. The first is called Standard and costs £7.99 a month or £79.99 for a year. This adds cellular backup, so the alarm keeps working if your WiFi goes off, and enables cloud storage for your Ring video doorbell and security cameras too.

The Premium tier costs £15.99 a month or £159.99 a year and, while this doesn’t add any more features to the alarm system, it unlocks the option for 24/7 recording for your Ring cameras.

Read the full Ring Alarm review

Eufy sells a wide range of tech products, from robotic vacuum cleaners and floor mops, to security cameras, video doorbells and alarm systems. We especially like how, unlike many of its rivals in the home security space, Eufy does not charge a subscription for basic functionality.

Its cameras record locally (either to their own storage or to storage within the base station) instead of uploading to a costly cloud server, and the alarm system works fully without any ongoing costs. While there is a subscription option available, this is only needed if you want cloud backup of your security camera footage.

The hardware looks and feels good, although the door/window contact sensors are on the large side, and the wireless keypad has a battery life of 180 days between charges. The base station can be plugged into your router with the included Ethernet cable, or connected wirelessly, but it lacks the cellular and battery back-up systems offered by rivals. This means if your power goes out or the internet drops out, your alarm system stops working.

That said, we think the kit represents great value for money, and we love how extras like security cameras can be added with ease and without an ongoing subscription fee. The company also sells useful accessories like solar panels to give your outdoor cameras unlimited power, plus floodlights.

Cameras

Eufy’s alarm system can be expected with a range of indoor and outdoor security cameras, priced from under £30. My favourite of these is the Eufy SoloCam S340, which is a wireless outdoor camera that has two lenses, motorised panning and tilting, and an included solar panel that constantly tops-up the battery.

Eufy’s security cameras can work independently, saving footage to a microSD card (and therefore not charging you a subscription for cloud storage). Or, they can connect to the Eufy HomeBase, which lives inside your home and acts as a central storage unit for multiple cameras. The HomeBase also unlocks new features for the cameras, like facial recognition, which uses AI to only record when the camera spots a stranger.

Monitoring

Eufy’s cameras offer more functionality than those of Simplisafe, but this system lacks any form of monitoring, professional or otherwise. You’ll be alerted via the phone app when the alarm is triggered, but there’s no option to have an automated call go out to your emergency contacts, as Ring does for UK subscribers. This is the compromise with Eufy’s no-subscription service; you get a system packed with useful features and configurability, with excellent cameras available too, but there’s no monitoring.

Subscription cost

While not strictly needed, Eufy offers a cloud storage service and prices start at £3.99 a month or £39.99 a year for one device (such as one security camera) and 30 days of storage. A pricier tier costs £12.99 a month or £129.99 a year and covers all of your Eufy security devices (cameras and doorbells), and also lets you access videos for 30 days after they are recorded.

Read the full Eufy Home Alarm review

This alarm system offers a much-needed improvement over Yale’s aging (but still available) Sync alarm kits. The inclusion of two door/window sensors is welcome, as often kits only come with one, and so too is the external siren, which acts as both a visual and audible burglar deterrent.

I also like the Yale Home app, which works well with Yale’s latest range of security cameras, door locks and its video doorbell. Also appealing is how all of these products work as part of a cohesive system that requires no ongoing fee. In a world where rivals like Ring charge for access to basic functions, Yale’s alarm system works with no monthly or annual charge.

Setting up and using this alarm is nice and simple. The kit includes everything you need to wall-mount each accessory, and the hub can connect to your router either with wifi or the included Ethernet cable. Arming and disarming is done either with the keypad or with a tap of the Yale Home app.

Yale Home is also compatible with a broad range of voice assistants and smart home platforms, including Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Philips Hue and SmartThings.

Cameras

Yale sells a broad range of security cameras, including traditional CCTV kits and cameras that form part of its smart home ecosystem. The latter comprises one mains powered indoor cameras and one battery powered outdoor camera.

Both use the same Yale Home smartphone app as the Yale Smart Alarm starter kit, and both record footage at 1080p Full HD resolution. They both have microphones and speakers for two-way communication, along with infrared night vision, AI-powered human detection, scheduling and customisable detection zones to help reduce false alarms.

Yale’s smart cameras record footage to a microSD card for free, or can save video to a cloud storage service available via a subscription plan.

Monitoring

Professional monitoring is available, but it’s more expensive than similar alternatives like Simplisafe. Yale’s monitoring service

Other subscriptions include cellular backup (where the hub connects to the mobile phone network if your wifi goes down), cellular backup, cloud storage for security camera recordings, and automated phone call alerts.

Subscription cost

Yale’s subscription services start at £5 per month for the Alarm plan, rising to £9 a month for Secure, which adds automated phone calls (like those offered by Ring) and cellular backup for your alarm system.

Professional monitoring akin to that of Simplisafe, with a manned, 24/7 emergency response system, costs £36 per month.

Read the full Yale Smart Alarm review

If you only need the basics, the Yale Sync is a solid option for your home. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of other systems – and nor does it offer professional monitoring – but it includes a wireless outdoor siren that other systems lack. It also has a more compact base station than most, and the keypad is nice and small too.

Coming from a name synonymous with door locks and home security, the Yale Sync is a little more expensive than some rivals. But the inclusion of the siren helps make up for this, along with the lack of any costly subscription service. There’s support for Amazon Alexa and Philips Hue smart lighting, and the base station has a battery that can keep the alarm working for up to 12 hours during a powercut.

There‘s no cellular backup though, so you won’t receive a smartphone alert if your home internet is down when the alarm is triggered, and the base station doesn’t have Wi-Fi. This means it needs to be plugged into your router with an Ethernet cable, which limits where you can locate it.

Yale sells extra accessories like motion detectors and door/window sensors, letting you build up a larger system than what’s included in the kit. The base station works with up to 40 devices at a distance of up to 200 metres, giving you the option to secure an outbuilding like a shed or garage as well as your house.

I liked how the outdoor siren and door/window sensors come with tamper sensors, which send an alert to the app if they are removed from wherever they are mounted.

This system is a little older than Yale’s latest Smart alarm system, which uses the equally new Yale Home app. Instead, the Sync kit featured here uses the older Yale Alarm app, which is starting to show its age with limited functionality and a sense that it is no longer being developed. Although more expensive, the newer kits also have the option to subscribe to professional monitoring by Securitas.

Cameras

As well as its range of smart cameras mentioned earlier, Yale also sells standalone indoor and outdoor security cameras. Some models feature floodlights and sirens to act as an intruder deterrent, while others offer motorised panning and tilting to capture a full view of their environment.

Yale’s more conventional home CCTV kits can be bought with two or four cameras and offer wired or wireless installation.

Monitoring

A simpler system than the Yale Smart alarm featured above, Yale’s Sync kit does not offer monitoring. As such, this is a system that you monitor and control entirely yourself.

Subscription cost

There are no subscriptions available for Yale Sync.

Read the full Yale Sync review