7 min readADT Self Setup and Cove are both pretty basic home security systems with DIY installation. But ADT Self Setup has more advanced cameras, more smart home features, and more monitoring options than Cove.
If you want a basic security system with solid emergency dispatch features, Cove is a good choice. But ADT is better if you want a doorbell camera and home automation capabilities.
ADT Self Setup is the DIY home security offering from the biggest name in home security, ADT. The traditional ADT system is professionally installed, and it has completely different equipment, features, and monitoring than ADT Self Setup.
ADT Self Setup monitoring plan gives you a lot more for your money than Cove does. For example, Cove doesn’t give you access to its mobile app unless you subscribe to its most expensive monitoring plan ($27.99 per month). With ADT Self Setup, you can use the mobile app for free.
Home security company | Monitoring price range | Base equipment package price | Monitoring type | Details |
 | $0.00–$19.99 | $219.99 | Self-monitoring or professional monitoring | View Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $17.99–$27.99/mo. | $249.00 | Professional monitoring | View Plans |
Data effective 02/13/2023. Offers are subject to change.
ADT Self Setup lets you choose between self-monitoring your system for free or paying a monthly subscription price for professional monitoring. ADT Self Setup is around $20 a month for professional monitoring. You also get access to the mobile app for free.
Data effective 02/13/2023. Offers are subject to change.
We recommend professional monitoring because the whole point of a home security system is to protect your house when you’re not home or sleeping. Unless you’re glued to your phone 24 hours every single day, then there’s no way you can do as good of a monitoring job as the pros can.
Image source: ADT
ADT Self Setup professional monitoring plan comes with cellular backup.
Your ADT Self Setup equipment primarily uses Wi-Fi to work, but if your internet ever crashes, you don’t want your security system to crash with it. Cellular backup switches your system to a cellular connection, so everything stays on and working—even in a total power outage.
As for Cove, it doesn’t do the whole self-monitoring thing. If you don’t subscribe to one of Cove’s professional monitoring plans, then your system will only work as a local alarm.
A local alarm means that the siren will go off if someone trips a sensor, but you won’t get any alerts about it, and no one’s gonna call the cops (or fire department, or paramedics) for you.
Data effective 02/13/2023. Offers are subject to change.
At $17.99 per month, Cove’s cheapest professional monitoring plan costs a little less than ADT Self Setup. But if you want mobile app access and smart home support, then you need to opt for Cove’s Plus plan, which costs $10 more per month.
Cove does give you a few extra perks to justify the higher-priced plan. If you go for Cove's Plus plan, you not only get mobile app access and smart home support, but you also get a lifetime equipment warranty, a price lock, and a $5-per-month credit you can use to purchase new equipment. That's a great way to add extra sensors to your Cove system without shelling out extra cash.
Image source: Cove
No matter which plan you choose, Cove’s professional monitoring service has an extra feature that can help first responders reach you faster in an emergency: RapidSOS.
RapidSOS is a company that partners with Cove to quickly send emergency dispatchers important information about you, like your name, address, and medical info.
Normally, the Cove rep would have to read all of your info to the dispatcher over the phone, which can take a while. And in an emergency, you don’t always have “a while.” Those few minutes you save could make a huge difference.
This one’s a tie because Cove has more security equipment, but ADT Self Setup has more cameras and features. If you need a smoke alarm, or a panic button, or even just a key fob, then you’re going to want to go with Cove. ADT Self Setup doesn’t have any of that stuff.
But if you want an outdoor camera that can recognize faces, then ADT Self Setup is the better choice.
Data effective 02/13/2023. Offers are subject to change.
ADT Self Setup used to have more security equipment, and we hope they bring some of those devices back. As it is, Cove definitely has more sensors, including smoke alarms and medical buttons.
ADT Self Setup cameras are definitely an upgrade over Cove’s cameras.
That said, they’re not the best security cameras we’ve ever tested. ADT Self Setup's Indoor Camera is solid, but its Outdoor Camera has some connectivity issues, and its Doorbell Camera doesn’t have some AI features we expect from video doorbells in its price range.
All of ADT Self Setup's cameras have night vision, motion detection, two-way audio, and facial recognition.
Data effective 02/13/2023. Offers are subject to change.
The facial-recognition thing is cool because not a lot of security cameras offer it yet. But this feature can be a bit glitchy. When we tested them, none of ADT Self Setup's cameras consistently recognized faces.
Image source: ADT
We like the ADT Self Setup Indoor Camera the best. It uses a power cord, so it’s not fully wireless, but it does have battery backup. If your power goes out, your camera will keep working for a while. We don’t see that feature from many other indoor cameras.
Cove’s cameras are fine, but they’re simpler than ADT Self Setup's. And they don’t have facial recognition.
Data effective 02/13/2023. Offers are subject to change.
Cove’s cameras are cheaper than ADT Self Setup's, though. If you don’t want to break the bank on a security camera, Cove will save you some cash.
Both Cove and ADT Self Setup's cameras support both cloud storage and local storage, which is great. You can keep video footage in the cloud (for an extra monthly fee) or use a microSD card to store footage locally where it’s safe from hackers.
The exception is ADT Self Setup's doorbell camera—it only uses cloud storage. If you’re set on that doorbell camera, then plan on subscribing to the ADT Self Setup camera storage plan.
Data effective 02/13/2023. Offers are subject to change.
Cove doesn’t have very many smart home integrations. It works with Alexa and Google, but not very well. You can use your Amazon Echo or Google Nest to arm your Cove system or ask about its status, but you can’t turn on your cameras or disarm the alarm.
On the flip side, ADT Self Setup has a bunch of smart home integrations. It works with Alexa and Google, same as Cove, but you can do more with them.
In fact, because ADT has a partnership with Google, you can control your entire ADT Self Setup system using a Google Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max. That basically gives you a touchscreen control panel that can still do all the regular Google Assistant stuff, like make lists, search the internet, and play music.
Cove smart home integrations:
ADT Self Setup smart home integrations:
ADT Self Setup also works with some smart devices from other brands, including Philips Hue smart lights and Sonos speakers. If you use compatible devices, then you can control all your smart stuff from the same app and make your house a true smart home.
ADT Self Setup's customer service isn’t bad. (It generally gets better reviews than the traditional ADT system does.)1 But Cove customers still seem happier overall with their customer experience.
Cove gets 4.6 stars on Trustpilot with over 4,100 customer reviews.2 Compare that with ADT Self Setup's respectable, but still lower, 3.4 stars.3
If you need help with your system, Cove and ADT Self Setup have reps available by phone or email. You can also probably help yourself with any questions by checking out Cove’s online knowledge base or ADT Self Setup support center.
We have to give Cove extra points for also offering live chat, which is our favorite way to communicate with customer support.
We think ADT Self Setup is better for most people because it’s roughly the same price and has things Cove doesn’t, like better smart home support and facial recognition. But Cove is still a great choice for people who want a basic, uncomplicated security system.
Home security company | Monitoring price range | Base equipment package price | Camera models | Details |
| $0.00–$19.99/mo. | 219.99 | Indoor, outdoor, doorbell cameras | View Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $17.99–$27.99/mo. | $249.00 | Indoor, outdoor, doorbell cameras | View Plans |
Data effective 02/13/2023. Offers are subject to change.
All of the security systems we review are judged based on these five main categories:
We’ve tested both Cove and ADT Self Setup security systems and talked to representatives from both companies. We’ve been writing about ADT Self Setup since it was first announced and have tracked updates to its equipment and offerings.
No, Cove doesn’t need Wi-Fi. It’s a completely cellular system, which is more secure and reliable than a Wi-Fi security system.
Yes, ADT Self Setup mostly uses Wi-Fi. If you pay for a professional monitoring plan, then you’ll also get cellular backup that will keep your system running even if you power goes out.
No, Cove doesn’t work with IFTTT. It does have basic integration with Alexa and Google, but that’s it.
Yes, ADT Self Setup works with IFTTT. Even without IFTTT, you can set up rules and routines in the ADT app to control your security equipment and your cameras together.
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