Miami-Dade County is probably one of the most beautiful counties in the United States. Bordered on one side by miles of gorgeous coastline, and on the other side by the Everglades, Miami is the ideal location for adventurers and people who enjoy hanging out at the beach. Unfortunately, Miami also has one of the highest crime rates in the country.
So what can you do to increase your personal and home security while living in Miami? Well, the obvious answer is to purchase a security system! This post will explore some of the best home security options for your situation while living in Miami, covering everything from smart home security to door locks.
Crime in Miami
Miami supports a population of almost 500,000 within city limits, with a much larger population if all of Miami-Dade County is included. Miami’s crime rate is higher than 93% of America’s cities, sitting at an astounding 42.33 crimes per thousand residents, most of which are property crimes, including trespassing, burglary, and other forms of unlawful entry. Florida City, a neighboring city, has an even higher crime rate of 126 crimes per thousand residents.
Crime rates tend to be higher in areas with more poverty, and the wealth gap within Miami-Dade county is immense. So if you are living in Miami or planning to move there, it’s a good idea to do your research about which areas will work best for your family, and you should consider what you will do about home security.
What Kind of Home Security Are You Looking For?
Home security options are highly varied depending on the size of your home, the level of security you’re looking for, your budget, and whether or not you are willing to install your security system. For example, Cove’s DIY security systems are easy to install and ideal for apartments and single-family homes. Cove charges minimal monitoring fees, and we often have sales on equipment including our security cameras, motion detectors, and other devices.
If you are looking for a private security guard for your home, or for intense biometric technology, you probably have a much larger budget, and will end up paying thousands of dollars a month for security in your home. Most private security guards will run you 200-300 dollars a day. That’s a steep amount of money for the average Joe.
If you don’t want to install the system yourself, and you are okay with long-term security contracts, then traditional home security might be the best way for you to go.
Leading Security Systems in Miami
Alder Security
One of the top-rated and most used security companies in Miami is Alder home security. Alder is a traditional security company, meaning that most of its sales are made through door-to-door contact. Their systems are high-quality, and they do offer a DIY installation option if you are not too keen on letting a stranger into your home to install your system. In the traditional home security market, Alder Home Security offers better value and better service than both Vivint and ADT. Alder has been around since the early 2000s and does quite a bit of business in the midwestern and southern United States.
Alder does not have a minimum credit score requirement to receive the service. Monthly monitoring costs at Alder generally run around $34.99 per month, although you should call to get a quote to find out for sure. There are no hidden fees and the contract lasts 3 years, or 36 months. Thus, you are likely to spend about $425 a year in security costs, which is slightly cheaper than ADT. Professional installation costs extra, but the DIY installation option is a quick way to cut costs.
Alder’s home security system incorporates a few important elements:
- Touchscreen Control Panel: This is the central element of the system. Through this panel, you can arm and disarm your system, and communicate with the monitoring team. Your security system is backed up to a 4G cellular network, so you won’t have to worry about anyone shutting it down from outside, and the system also incorporates backup batteries in the case of a power outage.
- Mobile App and keyfobs: The purpose of the mobile app is to give you functionality to arm and disarm your system even when you’re not home. If you have other housemates, the keyfobs give them a way to get into the house, even if they don’t have the mobile app installed.
- Fire, Carbon Monoxide, and Flood Alarms: Alder offers monitored fire, carbon monoxide, and water leak protection. All of these environmental detectors can prevent huge amounts of damage to your home and lungs
- Door and Window Sensors: These sensors consist of a closed-open circuit electromagnetic system. When the circuit is broken, the alarm is triggered, notifying you that there may be an intruder within your home.
- Motion Sensor: Alder’s motion detector has a 90-degree viewing angle and should be placed in the corner of the room for maximum effectiveness.
- Security Cameras: Alder offers two security camera options. The first is a YI Indoor camera with cry detection and night vision. The other is a Kami camera that can be placed on the outside of your home.
- Medical Pendant: Alder’s medical pendant is essentially a panic button, similar to a LifeAlert button. Simply press the button in case of a medical emergency, and Alder will rapidly send the authorities to your home.
Alder is a good and flexible option for traditional security, but you should make sure you are okay with the contract terms and fees. On the bright side, Alder does offer a money-back guarantee within 30 days of purchase.
Cove Smart Home Security
Cove is a newer alarm company that specializes in providing DIY Home Security Systems at a great price. No credit check, no contracts, and no installation technicians are required to purchase a Cove System. Additionally, Cove systems can be ordered online through our website, covesmart.com. Cove offers several different packages. If you can’t find a package that you like, you can build your personalized security package, complete with whatever sensors you’d like to use.
Setting up a Cove system can take as little time as 10 minutes to accomplish. Much of the technology in Cove’s system is similar to an Alder system, but monitoring costs and fees are minimized by the DIY installation.
Shipping with Cove is incredibly fast. You only need to build your system online, choose your monitoring plan, and the system will ship within 24 hours, and should arrive at your home in 3-5 business days. If your system does not arrive within the set time frame, you can send a message or call Cove to inquire about the shipping status and if necessary receive a new equipment package.
Cove offers several equipment package options, The set packages cost from $229-$389. If you can’t swing this equipment cost right out the gate, there is a financing option that will allow you to pay a higher monthly fee and no upfront costs.
If the provided packages don’t seem right for your situation, no problem! You can build your package. Cove’s security systems incorporate the following elements:
- Central Touch Alarm Panel: Cove’s touchscreen alarm panel is backed up using 4G cellular connection, meaning the panel is totally wireless. From this panel, you can control every aspect of your home security system, including arming and disarming the system and communicating with the monitoring team. The best part of this alarm panel is how easy it is to set up! For many customers, set up takes no longer than 15 minutes.
- Indoor YI Security Camera: The indoor camera is a useful element to have around your home. Cove’s indoor security camera incorporates several features including baby cry detection, two-way communication, night vision, and cloud recording.
- Motion Sensors: Cove’s motion sensors incorporate state of the art infrared technology, indicating not just motion, but heat. If you have an intruder in your home, we will know about it right away.
- Door, Window, and Glass-break detectors: The door and window sensors keep your home’s most vulnerable areas safe, while the glass break detector acts as an ear, listening for danger.
- Environmental Detectors: Cove doesn’t just offer monitored fire protection, we also offer monitored water leak damage protection and carbon monoxide detectors. You can’t always know when something will go wrong with your home, so our detectors will keep track of things for you.
- Medical Button: Cove’s medical button is a great feature for homes with elderly or disabled residents. If you are a caregiver for a loved one, our medical button can provide you with the peace of mind you deserve. Your loved one needs only push the button, and we’ll notify you and send help right away.
- Alarm Monitoring Service: As a DIY alarm company, Cove stands apart from the competition with our 24/7 professional monitoring service option. With an average response time of 17 seconds, you can rest assured that help is always close by.
Cove’s monthly monitoring costs range from $14.99-$34.99. This is cheaper than the industry average, and certainly much cheaper than Protect America. The difference in monitoring cost stems from the type of monitoring plan you choose. Want to monitor the system yourself? No problem. Want someone else to take care of things for you? We can do that too. The Cove system is all about meeting your needs, not forcing you to meet ours.
Protect America
Protect America is a common security alarm company in the Miami area. Protect America offers cheaper prices than traditional competitors like ADT, and their monitoring costs range from 20-55 dollars a month. If you are interested in partnering with Protect America, you’ll need to call to get a cost estimate on your equipment.
This company’s equipment includes the usual home security elements:
- Door and Window Sensors: Protect America offers “micro” sensors to protect the weakest parts of your home.
- Motion Detectors: Motion detectors serve to sense human presence within your home.
- Security Camera: Protect America offers two security cameras, an HD indoor security camera with night vision, and a doorbell camera with wide viewing angle and two-way communication.
- Smoke Detector: Protect America offers monitored smoke alarm protection, a significant feature for any home security system.
- Smart Home Integration: Protect America is compatible with Alexa smart home features.
Protect America is a good option if you’re looking for traditional home security that doesn’t kill your wallet, but make sure to research your other options before fully committing.
Nest
Google Nest is Google’s answer to traditional home security, and it is growing in popularity. It is fairly cost-effective, but not fully comparable to companies like Cove. Nest is a good option if you are already a Google Home and Google Assistant user, as it pairs well with its own system. Nest is also compatible with Alexa. Nest consists of several home security elements, including traditional sensors, doorbell cameras, and other elements. Packages start at around 400 dollars each, and monitoring costs range from 5-30 dollars a month.
Here For You
At Cove, our number one priority is your safety. Whether it’s with us or with one of our competitors, we want you to find a security system that works best for your situation. Check out our equipment and pricing today to find out more. We guarantee we will make your home a safer place.