Best Self-Monitored Home Security Systems Without Subscriptions in 2024
CR's security system picks include models from Abode, Kangaroo, and SimpliSafe
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Home security systems feel out-of-reach for many of us. Many security systems require consumers to subscribe to professional monitoring, usually a monthly paid service where trained dispatchers keep an eye on your system and alert the authorities in the event of a break-in. The subscriptions also offer compelling perks like voice control and cloud video storage.
But you don’t need all those features to take the first steps in protecting your home. In our research, Consumer Reports has found a few great security systems—without those pesky monthly fees—that monitor your home from your smartphone. Keep in mind that you’ll often get only basic features, such as the ability to arm and disarm the system and receive notifications, but adding a security system to your home’s defenses is still a smart preventive measure.
Best Self-Monitored Home Security Systems
A long time ago, purchasing a home security system meant having a technician come to your home to snake wires to every door and window sensor and paying monthly for its features. Today’s systems are wireless, meaning you can skip all that. And in the case of these systems, you can skip the required subscription too.
How We Test Home Security Systems
Consumer Reports rates each home security system for security essentials, security add-ons, smart home add-ons, ease of use, ease of setup, and motion detection. Our ratings also note flexibility of professional monitoring options, whether systems offer two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access, and more.
- Security essentials: Our test engineers evaluate each system for features and functionality that Consumer Reports believes every system should provide, from motion sensors to smartphone apps.
- Security add-ons: When available, we also test security add-ons, like panic buttons and pendants.
- Smart home add-ons: Because many security systems now double as smart home systems, we examine their add-on smart home features—namely, their ability to integrate compatible smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, thermostats, and more.
- Ease of use and setup: Our ease-of-use test looks at how easily you can interact with (and set up) the systems through apps and keypads.
- Motion detection: Finally, our test engineers challenge the sensors with various forms of movement, such as crawling or walking slowly past them.
To read more about how we test DIY security systems, check out our buying guide.
How to Protect Against Jamming Attacks
Consumer Reports has tested DIY home security systems for data privacy, data security, and resistance to two types of hacking vulnerabilities—jamming and replay disarm signal attacks.
- Jamming attacks: These involve a burglar using a laptop and a portable radio frequency (RF) transceiver to block the signals from door/window or motion sensors and enter a home without triggering the alarm. Our tests found that a number of systems are vulnerable to jamming attacks.
- Replay disarm signal attacks: These involve a hacker capturing and recording the disarm signal from a key fob and later broadcasting it to disarm the security system, also using a laptop and an RF transceiver.
Our testers attempt these attacks on all the systems we test to see whether they’re vulnerable and determine which safeguards they have in place. These attacks are quite rare, but they’re possible, and some systems stand up to them better than others. Our test engineers take the results from all these individual tests and use them to calculate an Overall Score for every system that enters our labs.
The video below further explains how jamming attacks work and what you can do to prevent them.
