Best Home Alarm Systems in the UK

It’s not always intuitive to know what you need in a security system, especially if you’ve never bought one before. We’ve compiled a few features to look for.

• Options for both professional and self-monitoring
• No contracts
• No professional installation required
• Varied equipment selection

These are our ideal features for security in the UK, though not every system we recommend in this piece has all of them.

We know housing in the UK can get mind-bogglingly expensive, especially in cities like London, which means that people might be moving frequently or looking for ways to pinch a few pennies. We’ve featured flexible, low-price options that won’t require professional installation or contract cancellation.

But we also threw in a little something for everyone. Some readers may rent a townhome, own a bungalow in the countryside, or have another, non-flat housing situation.

SimpliSafe also sells several different systems at different price points. Those prices change all the time due to SimpliSafe sales and market rate adjustments, so we won’t include them. Just know that you have your choice of the following systems:

• The Foundation (4 pieces)
• The Starter (5 pieces)
• The Essentials (6 pieces)
• The Warwick (11 pieces)
• The Windsor (12 pieces)
• The Tower (7 pieces)
• The Bamburgh (13 pieces)
• The Edinburgh (13 pieces)

The kit you choose will include a base station plus some combination of key fobs, entry sensors, motion sensors, glass break sensors, panic buttons, or even SimpliCams (SimpliSafe’s indoor cameras). The exact equipment and number of each piece will depend on the kit you choose.

You also have the option of creating your own custom system.

Once you’ve chosen your system, you’ll choose your monitoring plan. You technically needn’t buy a monitoring plan for your SimpliSafe system if you don’t want to. But without the monthly monitoring plan, SimpliSafe functions only as a local alarm. That means if someone triggers your alarm, the siren will go off and make a loud noise, but, er ... that’s about it.

SimpliSafe is so easy to set up that a clever child could do it.

You just have to plug in the base station and follow the directions on the keypad. Even the sensors are super easy to install—they come with sticky tape you can attach just about anywhere.

If you need to adjust a SimpliSafe sensor after you already stuck it on, don’t worry about the paint on your walls. When we tested the sensors, they didn’t damage any paint when we pulled them off and stuck them back on. That makes this system ideal for rented flats or homes.

For the most part, SimpliSafe steers away from a lot of smart home stuff. That’s excellent for purposes of simplicity, but it’s not-so-excellent if you want a complete smart home suite in your home. SimpliSafe makes a few of its own smart home devices, like a lock, but it offers very little in the way of third-party automation.

We’d love the ability to add Z-Wave or Zigbee devices to our SimpliSafe system to fill in the technology gaps the system doesn’t cover. Fingers crossed that SimpliSafe eventually adds on this functionality.

View Plans | Read Full SimpliSafe Review

Once you’ve purchased your Yale equipment, you have full access to the mobile app and can control your system from anywhere with just your smartphone. The Yale Sync system makes it super easy to arm and disarm your system—you don’t even have to touch your smartphone or pull out your key fob.

Also, as long as you have your phone with you, the Yale system knows when you leave home or arrive back after work. It can arm and disarm your system based on your location, so you never even have to think about using your security system.

Yale’s geolocation service can really help cut down on false alarms. If your system knows when you’re home and away, you’re less likely to accidentally trigger an alarm yourself.

Remember, Yale is an entirely self-monitored system. It’s all free—no monthly self-monitoring fees here. Hooray for saving money, but the lack of professional monitoring is an issue if you’re going on holiday for more than a few days.

As for the system itself, Yale’s equipment is affordable. And it makes a statement with its bright yellow siren that affixes to the outside of your home. Potential intruders will know you have a security system in place and (hopefully) steer clear of your house entirely.

Yale also has a decent array of accessories for you to choose from.

• Door/window sensor
• Motion detector
• Pet-friendly motion detector
• Keypad
• Key fob
• Panic button
• Heat/smoke alarm
• Smart plug

You can add up to 40 devices to your Sync Smart Home system, which means you can create quite the smart home setup. Yale’s third-party integration is a bit limited, similar to SimpliSafe. But it does work with Philips Hue for some custom lighting action.

Yale does have some other security kits available, such as its Intruder Alarms kits and its EF-Series Alarms kits. If you’re not sure what the difference is, you’re not alone. The different names can make it very confusing to know which one to choose.

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Although Verisure doesn’t provide an onsite catalogue like most security companies, its home page mentions enough smart home and security equipment to rival Yale. The list includes the following:

• Control panel
• Motion sensors
• “Break and enter” sensors
• Alarms
• Anti-jamming technology
• Fog barriers
• Smoke detectors
• Water detectors
• Climate detectors
• Smart cameras
• Smart plugs

Verisure’s fog barrier, AKA ZeroVision, spews fog to hinder burglars. Wicked, yeah?

Not all of these devices are attainable in all of Verisure’s markets, but you should be able to find out what’s available to you during your Verisure consultation.

Finally, home automation. We know Verisure works with Yale smart locks, but it doesn’t seem to work with any leading smart speakers or protocols. You’ll have to rely on all-Verisure gadgets.

View Plans

Like Yale, Abode offers geofencing. It also has a timeline feature, unlimited users, and 7 to 30 days of video storage (depending on your subscription plan).

Abode has a rather lovely spread of equipment, such as the following:

• The Abode gateway/hub with built-in camera
• Keypads
• Door/window sensors
• Mini door/window sensors
• Motion sensors
• Key fobs
• Strips sensors
• Glass break sensors
• Multi sensors (motion, temperature, humidity, light)
• Water leak sensors
• Outdoor sirens
• Panic buttons
• Abode Cams (indoor cameras)

Also, if you’re a smart speaker fanatic, Abode is compatible with so many of them: Echos, Google Homes, Google Nests, Apple HomePods. And the system works with Sonos and Bose, too.

Our only real complaint about Abode equipment is the camera situation. The cameras built into the gateways are a tad bit useless since most people put their security hubs in a closet or utility room. And while the separate indoor cameras are a good addition, without compatible outdoor cameras, the system won’t be useful in some homes.

View Plans | Read Full Abode Review

Netatmo also has a smart outdoor camera with a siren and floodlight. And it sells a video doorbell camera with night vision, two-way audio, and person detection.

To these cameras, you can add any of these Netatmo devices:

• Door and window sensors
• Indoor sirens
• Smoke alarms
• Smart thermostats
• Smart valves
• Smart weather stations
• Smart air quality monitors

These’ll offer you valuable information about the general health and safety of your home, not just potential intruders. But on the flip side, Netatmo doesn’t offer some typical security devices, like panic buttons, key fobs, or glass break sensors, which may leave some gaps in your security.

As for compatibility, Netatmo devices work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri. So you’re covered on smart speakers, but you won’t be able to connect to Z-Wave or Zigbee devices. You may not need them, though, with Netatmo’s smart offerings.

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Now that we’ve gone through multiple systems available in the UK that will meet different price, monitoring, and equipment needs, let’s review.

SimpliSafe is our top recommendation overall for its affordability and simple installation, followed by Yale for its low prices, features, and connecting devices.

• SimpliSafe: Best value. SimpliSafe offers affordable equipment and professional monitoring at a pretty low price. But its home automation options are nearly nonexistent.
• Yale: Editor’s choice. Yale Sync has geolocation and connects with loads of Yale devices. You’ll have to say goodbye to professional monitoring, though.
• Verisure: Best traditional option. Verisure is an excellent, more traditional European option, but it lacks transparency.
• Abode: Best self-monitored. Abode offers several different options for professional or self-monitoring. This system just lacks outdoor cameras.
• Netatmo: Best camera-based system. Netatmo’s unique setup revolves around its cameras and includes multiple environmental sensors. However, the equipment will cost you hundreds of pounds.

But if you don’t like any of these options, there are still tons of systems out there. Look at our Best Home Security Systems—many of those options are UK-friendly.

We compare and rank home security systems based on five key factors:

1. Price
2. Equipment
3. Smart home integrations
4. Security cameras
5. Customer experience

We also test some of the systems we recommend or read user reviews, which gives us some experience to draw on when determining where in a list a system should go. For instance, we’ve spent some personal time with the SimpliSafe and Abode equipment, which gives us some insight we might not have otherwise.

• Best Home Security Systems in Canada
• Best Indoor Security Cameras
• Best Outdoor Security Cameras
• SimpliSafe vs. ADT Home Security
• Abode vs. SimpliSafe Review

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