The Best IFTTT Security Systems

1. Blue by ADT - Best IFTTT Security System Overall

Editors Rating:

9.0 /10

855-908-4461

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How We Review

ADT has been in the home security business for more than 145 years and boasts over 6 million customers in the U.S.1 Blue by ADT (formerly LifeShield) is the company’s DIY home security offering, and it manages to combine the solid reliability we’ve come to associate with ADT with the flexibility of DIY. We got top-of-the-line equipment, including door sensors with a slim profile and a video doorbell with an 180-degree field of vision, all at affordable price points. Plus, we had tons of monitoring options.

High-Quality Equipment

We were impressed with all of Blue by ADT’s equipment. As a starting point, both its indoor and outdoor cameras had 1080p HD resolution, a 130-degree field of vision, and two-way audio. The cameras also allowed us to create custom motion-activated zones so we didn’t have to worry about neighbors triggering alerts just by walking past. Blue by ADT cameras also have facial recognition capabilities.

The Blue hub and sensors sported a sleek, slim design that fit perfectly with our décor. We also bought a video doorbell, which had a whopping 180-degree field of vision.

Lots of Monitoring Options

Our favorite aspect of Blue by ADT was how many different ways we could monitor our system. Of course, we believe in professional monitoring — why not let the experts keep an eye on our home? Blue offered us 24/7 professional monitoring from a network of call centers all over the country. That service included emergency alerts to us and to the authorities, as well as cellular backup, for $20 a month.

Had we wanted to save a little money, though, we could have self-monitored only for free. The system sends alerts and the app allows streaming, so we kept track of what was happening at home regardless of our professional monitoring plan.

Smart Integrations

We had no trouble using IFTTT to connect our Blue by ADT system to all sorts of other devices in our apartment. Just for fun, we used Blue’s facial recognition to trigger our stereo to play “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” every time one of our sisters came over.

The system worked just as well with other smart platforms, including Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Blue by ADT is also compatible with a wide range of smart products, including iRobot vacuums, Sonos speakers, Nest thermostats, and Philips Hue light bulbs.

2. abode - Best IFTTT Security System With Daily Monitoring Plans

Editors Rating:

8.0 /10

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How We Review

Abode offered us all the things we expect from a quality home security system: the choice of DIY or professional installation, quality equipment for affordable prices, self-monitoring options, and tons of smart home integrations. What makes abode special, though, are the unique features it offers. For one thing, its security and monitoring plans are priced by the day rather than the month. For another, it offers its own proprietary smart system, CUE, which stands for “custom engine.” Bottom line — we like it when companies innovate.

Daily Monitoring Rates

Abode’s price structure is unique in the industry. Like its competitors, abode offers monthly and annual plans.

As you can see, abode also offers daily monitoring rates. One day of Standard Plan monitoring is 20 cents, and one day of the Pro Plan is 66 cents.

What’s so great about these daily options? When we signed up with adobe, we decided to save a little money by self-monitoring. When we went out of town for a three-day weekend, though, we wanted to add professional monitoring. We bought coverage for just three days for under $2.

CUE

Abode works well with IFTTT, Alexa, Google Assistant, even Apple HomeKit. In addition, it’s compatible with products from Nest, Philips Hue, ecobee, Kwikset, LIFX, First Alert, and more. We were most impressed, though, by abode’s own smart platform, CUE.

CUE allowed us to set triggers and fine-tune them with conditions. For instance, we set the lights to turn on if we came home at night but not if we came home during the day. CUE also supports geofencing and sunrise and sunset triggers. When we combined CUE with IFTTT, we could make our home do almost anything we wanted. For example, our stereo plays celebratory music when we come through our apartment door, but only if our phone says we met our step goals for the day.

Easy Installation

Abode offers professional installation through HelloTech, and prices are reasonable, starting at $99. However, abode’s equipment is so simple to install that we did it ourselves. In fact, once we plugged the hub into the wall outlet and connected it to the router, the abode app guided us through the rest of the setup. We used the sticky pads that came with the system to hang sensors around our apartment, then we were done. The installation process took us 15 minutes from start to finish.

3. Notion - Best IFTTT Security System for Large Homes

Editors Rating:

7.5 /10

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How We Review

There’s something very reassuring about the simplicity of the Notion home security system. Individual packages include sensors, a bridge, and a mobile app — that’s it. We didn’t have to make choices about what equipment to buy. We didn’t have to worry about storage options. We didn’t have to spend a lot of time installing complicated components. Best of all, because Notion’s innovative sensors did so much, we still felt like we were totally secure from home invaders, fires, and flooding.

Simple Packages

We think Notion is a great choice for anyone interested in no-fuss home security. Packages had only three types of components: sensors, a bridge, and a mobile app. All we had to decide was how many sensors. That made figuring Notion’s pricing a breeze too. We got a bridge for $59 and could add as few or as many sensors as we wanted for $39 each.

Multipurpose Sensors

The reason Notion can get away with providing so few components is that its sensors perform multiple functions. Most security systems provide sensors that serve a single purpose: glass-break sensors, door sensors, motion sensors, etc. Each Notion sensor, on the other hand, monitors the temperature, acceleration, sound, water, and orientation.

A single device alerted us when the front door opened and when our water heater sprang a leak. In addition, the bridge that connected these devices and communicated with our mobile app had a range of 5,000 feet. Our apartment isn’t quite that big — we wish! That range would certainly be a benefit for anyone with a large home, though. Check out our complete list of the best security systems for large homes.

IFTTT

We had no problems using IFTTT with our Notion home security system. However, Notion doesn’t work with a lot of smart platforms, such as Alexa and Google Assistant. As the company puts it, “Notion does not offer any actions that can be performed in the system if it were integrated with Echo” or Google Home. No actions, of course, means no voice commands. That may turn off some potential customers. However, we found that IFTTT did everything we needed. We set up our system so that the lights came on anytime we got up in the night. And when our kitchen started to heat up while we were making dinner, it triggered our air conditioning to kick in.

4. Wyze Cam - Most Affordable IFTTT Security System

Editors Rating:

8.3 /10

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How We Review

Few home security companies can compete with Wyze in price. Wyze offers affordable equipment and monitoring plans. Affordable doesn’t mean cheap, though. We discovered that Wyze equipment is dependable and that the cameras have some great features, like activity zones and eight times zoom. Best of all, Wyze worked great with IFTTT, Alexa, and Google Assistant. Wyze also offers its own line of smart home devices, including thermostats, vacuums, lamps, smart lights, and sprinkler controllers. Low prices and quality equipment is our favorite combination.

Free Storage Options

Wyze offered us not just one but two kinds of free video storage. First, the cameras have SD card slots, so we had local storage if we wanted it. In addition, we could record clips up to 12 seconds long and store them in the cloud for up to 14 days. This was long enough to transfer those clips from the cloud to our laptop’s hard drive. Finally, Wyze also offered us two weeks’ worth of unlimited cloud recording for just $1.25 per camera per month. Ultimately, this variety of free and low-cost recording makes Wyze a great choice for anyone looking to self-monitor.

Affordable Monitoring

We may have mentioned this already, but we’re fans of professional monitoring services. We can’t be available to deal with camera alerts all the time, so we prefer to leave the monitoring to the experts. That’s why we were excited to discover that Wyze has partnered with Noonlight to provide 24/7 monitoring for just $5 a month. We’ve yet to find a better price on the market than that.

Low-Cost Equipment

Finally, Wyze also keeps its prices down. This is what you get in the Wyze Core Starter Kit:

• Hub
• Keypad
• Two entry sensors
• Motion sensor
• Leak sensor and probe
• Two decals

All that equipment costs only $80, and when we signed up for professional monitoring, Wyze cut that price in half. We added an indoor camera with infrared night vision for just $33. Learn more in our review of the Wyze Cam.

Wyze also offers great smart home devices, so we decided to get a couple of these just for fun. For $32, we bought a Wyze scale to keep track of our weight. We couldn’t resist the Wyze cordless vacuum for $120 either. Best of all, this equipment all worked with IFTTT. Our dog hates the vacuum, so we connected it to his doggie door. Now he can always escape when we decide to do a little housecleaning.

5. Scout Alarm - Best IFTTT Security System With Free Storage

Editors Rating:

7.0 /10

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How We Review

What we liked most about Scout was just how many choices we had. First, Scout let us build our own security system from scratch. We got to choose exactly which components were right for us. Then we got to choose which smart home platform to work with. Scout integrates with a plethora of platforms and devices, from IFTTT to Alexa. Finally, with a 60-day money-back guarantee and flexible monitoring cancellation policies, Scout gave us plenty of time to decide whether we liked the system or not.

Customization

One of the things we liked best about Scout was just how easy it was to build our own system. Scout offers packages, which it calls Scout Packs, starting at $229. As the company says on its website, though, “one size doesn’t fit all.” We have a small Brooklyn apartment. With Scout, we started with a hub for $120 and added only the components we needed.

It was also easy to customize a Scout system by connecting it to other smart devices. The Scout system integrates well with Alexa and Google Assistant, and we used it with IFTTT as well. We connected the system with our Kwikset Z-Wave locks so we could use our mobile app to let the dog-sitter in when we were out of town, for example.

Award-Winning Customer Service

We don’t always highlight a company’s customer service when we review it, but Scout’s customer service is just that good. For one thing, it gave us multiple good options for getting support. We watched a couple of video tutorials and checked out the online FAQs and community forum. Phone help is available 24/7, and the company provides email responses.

When we had trouble with our camera’s video feed, we decided to use Scout’s online response form. With most companies, it can be hours or days before someone responds. We had an answer from Scout in under 30 minutes. It was fast, it was polite, and it solved the problem.

The Scout App

The Scout app is the heart of the system. It let us arm and disarm the system and control all our equipment. We could also stream video and check recent monitoring activity. We were a little disappointed, though, that Scout didn’t send us real-time alerts unless we paid for one of its monthly monitoring plans. Still, we found the app incredibly responsive. During setup, it even prompted us to check our motion detectors’ sensitivity.