Boundary vs Other smart home security systems

Smart alarm technology is relatively new. Whether you’re thinking about ditching your traditional system and embracing a more high-tech approach, or weighing up alarms for the first time, you probably want to know more about the key considerations.

Here are several high-level comparisons between Boundary and other systems on the market. To ensure the comparisons are as fair as possible we have considered the following factors:

Hardware

Where possible we tried to keep the number of sensors the same for each system. We based our initial costs on:

• One control hub
• Two contact sensors
• Four movement sensors
• One external siren
• Two key fobs

Costs

To provide the most comprehensive view of cost, the following factors have been considered:

• The initial cost of the system excluding any special offers
• Monthly costs for a non-professionally monitored alarm (Compared with our Plus plan at £8/month)
• Monthly costs for a professionally monitored alarm (Compared with our Pro plan at £25/month)
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for 12, 24, 36 and 84 months including initial costs and ongoing charges

Certifications

As you’d expect, when it comes to security and intruder alarms, the UK and Europe have agreed standards (BS EN 50131). These standards define four grades of compliance. Residential systems usually fall into Grades 1 and 2, commercial systems into 2, 3 or 4.

The standards are certified by independent national bodies, and can be applied to the supplier, the system itself, the installer and the monitoring facilities (usually called an Alarm Receiving Centre).

The testing regimes are tough and the process is expensive. Only a handful of manufacturers meet these exacting British and European standards. It’s worth knowing who does and who doesn’t, because with a graded system you know you’re buying into guaranteed minimum levels of accuracy, reliability and security. This is important when it comes to reducing false alarms and protecting your privacy.

Home insurers will want to know the grading of your system. And a direct Police response is only possible with a Grade 2 system or above. To help you decide, you can review the following:

• Is the system a graded alarm and to what level?
• Is the product or company recognised by industry bodies such as the NSI or SSAIB?
• Is a professional installation service available?
• If the system is professionally monitored does it include a direct police response with a unique reference number issued to the system from the local police authority?

Features

You’ll also see side by side feature comparisons. This is based on information publicly available on competitor sites or within their documentation. Plus, reviews of any mobile applications offered as well as their flexibility and quality.

 A quick overall snapshot

* Grading for the Boundary system is currently in progress and will be completed by the end of 2020.

** Level 1 Police response refers to a professional monitoring service with a level 1 Police response. This is not the same as 24/7 monitoring with guard response. Police Response will also require our Pro subscription plan and professional installation. The service will be available once Boundary has been certified and approved by governing bodies.

Select a company from the list below to see how we compare.

• Boundary vs Verisure
• Boundary vs Simplisafe
• Boundary vs ADT
• Boundary vs Ajax
• Boundary vs Yale Sync (coming soon!)
• Boundary vs Ring (coming soon!)
• Boundary vs Somfy (coming soon!)
• Boundary vs Texecom (coming soon!)
• Boundary vs Pyronix (coming soon!)