
Afterwards, you’ll have to pay out the
remainder of your contract. If you may be moving in the near future, it’ll cost you $99 to take the system with you. You could alternatively renew your contract, but then you’d be locked in for even longer. Vivint will waive any cancellation fees for extenuating
circumstances like death, military circumstances, bankruptcy, or a move to assisted living. Still, it’s best to be intentional if you decide on Vivint. ADT doesn’t have the strongest customer service reputation among the companies we considered, racking up more than 3,000 complaints on its Better Business Bureau page.
Can you imagine a situation
where your small business is reduced to ashes in a fire, or a burglar steals your valuables from your home?Small business and home security systems provide peace of mind while you are away.

— Contributed by Tom Kerber, Director, IoT Strategy, Parks AssociatesAs Managing Editor, Karyn Hodgson writes exclusive
cover stories, such as SDM’s State of the Market series, as well as other feature length articles and case studies. She manages SDM’s Monitoring Today supplement, an annual supplement devoted to central stations and the business of monitoring. She also manages SDM’s Dealer of the Year and Systems Integrator of the Year Award programs. Systems integration is one of Karyn’s “beats”; she manages Today’s Systems Integrator e newsletter
from SDM. Karyn has an MSJ in Journalism magazine publishing degree from Northwestern University, and more than 20 years’ experience writing for and about the security industry. Meet Karyn at industry conferences. 4. Install a home alarm system: While an alarm may not keep burglars from getting inside your home, it will deter some and bring the police to your home quickly, limiting what a thief is able to take. Home security systems will only work if you always remember to engage the alarm. You should have your alarm engaged while you are away or while you are at home as many thieves will attempt to break into one part of your home while you are busy in another. Also, some insurance companies may lower your home insurance premiums for having a home alarm system installed.