Bay Alarm Security Review

Bay Alarm Medical is an acclaimed medical alert device company. Our research suggests it’s part of Bay Alarm Security. We haven’t found documentation that 100% verifies this, but Concord, CA, houses headquarters for both companies.

Bay Alarm keeps its packages and its exact costs under wraps. We aren’t fans of this; we think it’s crummy to make potential customers jump through hoops for pricing info.

Bay Alarm Security does use contracts, which, again, aren’t clearly advertised on the site. Customer reviews indicate that you can expect a 36-month monitoring contract (which is industry standard). They also suggest that, if you cancel, you’re responsible for buying out the rest of your contract.

Apart from monitoring costs, Bay Alarm Security says it charges a “reasonable installation fee,” though it won’t share the amount outside of a personalized quote. We’re guessing the fee varies based on customer installation needs.

With Bay Alarm, you can get both an indoor camera and/or an outdoor camera.

We’re intrigued by this minimalistic-looking V-4060DB video doorbell. It’s sold by DMP, and it’s a lot less ostentatious than Ring Alarm or Nest doorbell cameras. In other words, potential thieves and intruders are less likely to notice this baby and rip it off your doorframe.

DMP says the following about this camera:

• It records at 1080p and has a 180° view.
• It uses your existing doorbell hookup.
• It’s got motion detection features.
• It updates its software automatically.
• Its footage has “pinch-to-zoom technology” to look more closely at anything that interests you.
• It comes with four different faceplate options so you can customize your look: black, charcoal, silver, and pearl.

These features and specs definitely make the V-4060DB comparable to the most popular video doorbells.

Besides cameras, Bay Alarm Security sells the following equipment:

• Control panels
• Keypads
• Motion sensors
• Door and window sensors
• Key fobs
• Glass break sensors
• Heat detectors
• Smoke detectors
• Carbon monoxide detectors
• Door locks
• Thermostats
• Lights

We can’t verify the manufacturer for Bay Alarm’s control panel, and it looks like its alarm app is proprietary. That prevents us from doing in-depth product home automation research. We know only what Bay Alarm tells us about system compatibility. Frankly, it ain’t much.

Bay Alarm Security home automation integrations

• Z-Wave-enabled door locks
• Z-Wave-enabled thermostats
• Lights? Of some kind? (Bay Alarm doesn’t say which.)

Could be better, and could definitely be worse. We’re guessing the Z-Wave love means Bay Alarm Security is straight-up Z-Wave compatible, but we currently can’t confirm.

We like Bay Alarm’s app because it's incredibly user-friendly. You can use it to arm and disarm your system, lock and unlock your door, view your security video feed, control your smart thermostat . . . you get the idea.

A Bay Alarm system is not a DIY system. You’ll have to schedule a time for a technician to install your security.

Installation fee: Bay Alarm only knows. But it’s supposed to be reasonable.

Most Bay Alarm Security reviews rave about the technicians, so you’ll likely be in good hands. In fact, the installation techs are a major reason we’ve rated Bay Alarm customer service so highly. (See the next section for more.)

The customer service is what truly sets Bay Alarm Security apart. We were overwhelmed by the number of positive Bay Alarm Security reviews. Most customers seem to like their installation and troubleshooting technicians, especially. We lost count of the reviews that called out these techs by name because of their awesome service.

There are also plenty of customer benefits to love with Bay Alarm Security, such as the following:

• Safety escort services: Don’t feel safe going home alone? Instead of calling the police and trying to convince them to send resources to you, you can ring up Bay Alarm Security for an escort.
• Vacation watch: When you’re away from home, you can arrange to have Bay Alarm Security personnel drive by. They’ll pick up your mail and check your house.
• 90-day satisfaction guarantee: If you aren’t satisfied in the first 90 days, you can return everything and cancel. No harm, no foul.
• One-year warranty: Bay Alarm Security will replace faulty or broken equipment during the first year of service.

We have to be honest: this is the only service we’ve ever reviewed that offers safety escorts and vacation watch. We think these offerings are incredible, and we love Bay Alarm Security’s thoroughness in looking out for their customers.

We feel lukewarm about Bay Alarm Security’s price protocol. We think that security companies should be transparent about costs. Even a ballpark estimate on the website would be nice, like, “Monitoring starts at $XX.XX,” or “Equipment ranges from $XXX to $XXX.”

But there are lots of things we appreciate about the equipment, and we’re super sold on Bay Alarm customer service. Seriously, this security company has far better reviews than most big-box providers. So if you’re not on a set budget, and you live in California, Arizona, or Washington, Bay Alarm Security is worth looking into.

If Bay Alarm doesn’t sound right for you, there are plenty of other security systems to choose from. Check out our Frontpoint security review, our ADT security review, or our Xfinity Home review to get started. You can also look at this comparison of the top home security systems.