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Scout Alarm Home Security Review 2023

Hassle-Free DIY and Customizable Home Security System
By Barry StingmoreBy Barry Stingmore -
Last updated: Apr 14, 2023
16 reviews
very good
See Breakdown
8.5
very good
See Breakdown
8.5
logo-SCOUT ALARM
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Price
From $9.99/month
Money-back guarantee
60 days
Mobile
Android and iOS

Our Verdict

Is Scout Alarm Worth Signing Up For?

Scout Alarm is a customizable, reasonably priced home security system offering self- and professional monitoring, top-notch products and features, smart integrations, and a hassle-free DIY approach to protecting your home. While its mobile app could be better, Scout Alarm is worth considering if you’re looking for a home security system.

Price
From $9.99/month
Money-back guarantee
60 days
Mobile
Android and iOS

Scout Alarm at a Glance

9.8
Editorial Score

Products

Indoor, outdoor and doorbell cameras; Door and window sensors; Central control hub
10.0

Smart Features

Smart keypad and door locks; Smart home compatible
10.0

Monitoring

24/7 monitoring; Motion and sound recording triggers; Smoke and carbon monoxide detection
10.0

Installation

DIY installation
9.0

Offers

60-day money-back guarantee; 3-year warranty; $0 cancellation fee
10.0

Scout Alarm Pros & Cons

PROS

DIY installation
24/7 professional monitoring on advanced plan
Top security products and features

CONS

Not yet upgraded to using 5G technology
Basic plan lacks police or fire dispatch

Top Scout Alarm Reviews

Tr
Tran
, CO
It is easy to set up and easy to operate. Customer service is okay, but the product doesn't need too much servicing.
Je
Jenny
, TN
Scout Alarm is a really good security system. I feel like I can truly depend on this product to help me and my family feel safe.
Ja
James
, MD
I haven't had an emergency with it but I'm glad I have a barrier just in case something happens when I or my wife isn't home.
See all Scout Alarm reviews

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Scout Alarm Scout Alarm Visit Site

Overview

How Scout Alarm Works

Scout Alarm Features and Highlights

Scout Alarm offers several features and highlights to meet its customers’ home security needs.

Easy Installation

One of Scout Alarm’s key selling points is the ease of setting up the security system in your home. You don’t need screws or wires because the products can be placed or attached to various surfaces, such as tables, cabinet tops, or walls. Moreover, it’s simple to connect your device to your smart appliances, such as Amazon’s Alexa.

4G LTE Cellular Backup

A home security system needs to be active 24/7 to protect you. Scout Alarm uses a 4G LTE cellular backup when you have an internet disruption or an electrical blackout that switches off your router.

Wireless Sensors

Scout Alarm’s wireless sensors help you manage a secure environment in your home. Door panel sensors detect when someone opens or closes doors, whereas access sensors detect when windows, cabinets, or safes are opened or closed.

Motion Detectors

With just one motion detector, you can monitor an entire room, staircase, hallway, or path to be a step ahead of potential danger. Scout’s motion detectors work day and night, they’re easy to set up, and they’re battery-powered, meaning your security won’t be affected by outages.

Scout Alarm Equipment & Products

Home Security Systems

Scout Alarm uses the Scout Hub—the “brain” of its security system—to connect with sensors and smart devices to protect your home. The Scout Hub costs $120, and it uses a backup battery in case of a blackout, thereby keeping your home security connected throughout emergencies.

The Scout Hub connects with sensors around the house: door panel sensors, motion sensors, access sensors, water sensors, and glass break sensors. Its loud 105 dB siren is designed to scare away intruders. In addition, you’ll get a door lock and keypad to further enhance your security.

Home Security Cameras

The Scout indoor camera costs $99 and shows your home's live stream (day and night) in 1080p High Definition (HD) quality. Its motion and sound alert features are top-notch, and the camera starts recording clips once it detects movement or sounds.

The video doorbell is $99, and its people-detection feature notifies you when someone approaches your front door. Like the indoor camera, it’s easy to install, and it records videos in 1080p HD. You can use the two-way audio feature on the Scout app to talk to visitors in real-time via the video doorbell.

Life Safety Alarms

Scout Home Security offers life safety alarms, such as the smart smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detector ($47). As soon as smoke and CO are detected, you’ll receive an alert in the form of sirens, enabling you and your family to head to safety.

If you pay for the Always On+ plan, you’ll get additional features like police and fire dispatch. For now, Scout Alarm doesn’t offer medical pendant support.

Smart Home Automation

Scout Alarm is currently compatible with Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, the free automation tool IFTTT (If This Then That), and other smart home devices. You can also use IFTTT to customize several other smart-home services. 

Alexa integrates well with Scout. You can issue commands through Alexa to arm or disarm the system, for example, and Scout will execute the order.

Scout Alarm Services

Once Scout Alarm’s sensors detect any unexpected activity, they’ll send a message to the Scout Hub. It will respond according to your selected settings—either sending a custom notification to your device or alerting you through a siren sound. You can check the activity on your video or activity log and decide if you need to escalate the issue to the police or if the sensor was tripped by a non-threat.

When an active alarm is triggered and you have professional monitoring enabled, you’ll receive a call from Scout Alarm’s central station asking if you need emergency assistance. If your answer is “No”, they’ll ask you for a predetermined passcode. The Scout Security team will have the police/fire department dispatched if a wrong code or no passcode is given. If you’re not available for the call, Scout Alarm will call your dedicated contact before police are dispatched.

Monitoring

Scout Alarm 24/7 offers professional monitoring with its advanced plan, Always On+. With either plan, you’ll receive real-time alerts through email, SMS, and iOS push alerts if a sensor is tripped. With professional monitoring, the Scout Hub will notify Scout Alarm’s Central Monitoring Station of any issues, and the team’s experts will assess the situation and inform you or dispatch the police.

Scout Alarm Installation

The Scout Alarm installation process is easy, and you’ll receive a guide to help you install the products on your own. You’ll start by unboxing the products and registering your account on the Scout Alarm website.

Power up your Scout Hub and connect it to the router using an Ethernet Cable. After establishing an internet connection, input the installation code from the QuickStart card. If the code is successful, the Scout Hub will start pairing, and you can begin installing the sensors closest to the Hub and proceed outwards. That’s all that’s needed to set up your security system.

It will take you an average of 30-45 minutes to install the smallest of Scout’s hardware packages. Pairing devices takes about a minute. Scout Alarm’s customer service is available via phone if you need guidance to complete the installation.

Scout Alarm Contracts and Warranties

Scout Alarm doesn’t have an annual contract; you’ll use the services as the subscription renews month-by-month. There are no cancellation fees, and you can cancel or change plans at any time hassle-free.

Once an item return request is received, it can take up to 72 hours to be processed. You’ll get 60-day free returns, a full refund if you’re eligible, and a three-year limited warranty. The warranty does not apply to misused items, and can’t be transferred to anyone else.

Scout Alarm App

The Scout Alarm mobile app provides 24/7 remote access to your home security system. It’s easy to set up, and you can customize the system response settings for tripped sensors. Furthermore, you can set custom alert notifications. You can view visitors through the doorbell camera and grant access to the house from your phone. However, the app doesn’t have a good rating in the Google Play Store, with users reporting crashes.

Mobile Alerts

Once you download and install the Scout Alarm app, you can set up push notifications in the settings. Select the gear icon, go to the settings, and select notification settings. From there, you can toggle notifications on or off. You’ll have to be an admin to receive all the available notifications.

Scout Alarm Customer Support

Scout Alarm’s support and customer service include a detailed knowledge base with clearly labeled topics to address common questions. The FAQs section is thorough and lists various topics customers would be curious about. An informative blog and additional guides and links to other relevant resources help the customer get solutions.

Phone and email support are both available from 9am - 6pm CST, seven days a week. Email responses can range from 30 minutes to a few hours. Scout Alarm’s online contact form enables you to send in your questions quickly, and its response time is about 30 minutes.

Scout Alarm Pricing

Pricing & Special Offers

Scout Alarm Home Security offers two monitoring plans: Always On and Always On+. You can save 10% on a yearly subscription. There’s free shipping on orders of $200 or more, and there are no installation fees. In addition, you can get 10% off your first order if you sign up for Scout’s email list.

Scout Packs, which bundle the devices that form your security system, are available to make it easier to outfit your home, and range in price from $229 to $549.


Always On+
Always On

Price

$19.99 per month

$215 per year (paid yearly)

$9.99 per month

$107 per year (paid yearly)

Installation Fee

X

X

Mobile Access

Professional 24/7 Monitoring

X

Smart Home Integration (with third-party add-ons)

Video Surveillance

Entry, Smoke, and CO Detection

Medical Pendant Support

X

X

Scout Alarm Alternatives

How Scout Alarm Compares to Other Home Security Services


SimpliSafe
Scout Alarm
Vivint
Cove

Best for

DIY security and smart home app integrations

DIY home security solutions

State-of-the-art technology

Easy installation and customer service

Price per month

From $9.99

From $9.99

From $19.99

From $14.99

Money-back guarantee

60 days

60 days

Three days

60 days

Warranty

Three years

Three years

Lifetime

Lifetime

Mobile

iOS, Android

iOS, Android

iOS, Android

iOS, Android

Scout Alarm Scout Alarm Visit Site

Scout Alarm VS SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe and Scout Alarm both have a DIY approach to setting up a home security system. SimpliSafe has more customer-centric and easy-to-use features, such as video verification to dispatch police faster to your location and lifetime warranties for equipment. Unlike SimpliSafe, Scout Alarm doesn’t have a live chat or community option and you have to rely on its email support.

Scout Alarm VS Vivint

Vivint is a higher-priced option than Scout Alarm because it focuses on professional services instead of DIY. Vivint technicians will visit your home and handle all the equipment installation needed. Unlike Scout Alarm, Vivint has a live chat customer service, which has quick response times of less than three minutes according to our tests.

Scout Alarm VS Cove

Cove offers a lifetime warranty on its equipment, whereas Scout Home Security only provides a three-year warranty for defective products. While Cove costs slightly more than Scout, features like smash-and-grab protection—which notifies the police when someone damages your security system—give it better value for money. In addition, Cove has a chat feature, and upon testing, we found the response was within a minute.

Bottom Line

Overall, if you’re looking for an affordable, easy-to-install, and feature-packed home security system, Scout Alarm could provide value for money. It’s reasonably priced compared to its competitors, and it offers equipment bundles and professional monitoring. While its mobile app could use some improvement to prevent crashes, the Scout app provides control over sensors, cameras, and alerts to help you monitor your home even when you’re away.

Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy Scout Alarm?+-

You can buy Scout Alarm products from the company’s website or from Amazon.

How to add Scout Alarm to SmartThings?+-

Scout Alarm discontinued its professional monitoring for the SmartThings program in 2019. Therefore, there’s no benefit to adding Scout Alarm to SmartThings.

How secure is Scout Alarm?+-

Scout Alarm provides multiple security solutions to protect your home, including sensors, 24/7 professional monitoring, mobile alerts, and cellular and battery backups to keep your system running.

Barry is a veteran who has served as a front-line officer for 10 years. Responding to hundreds of residential burglary incidents during his career, he has built up a wealth of experience surveying crime scenes and delivering crime prevention advice.

Scout Alarm customer reviews

Based on 16 reviews

Ease of use

Brand satisfaction

Value for money

Service quality

Top Reviews

Ease of use

Brand satisfaction

Value for money

Service quality

8 months ago

It is easy to set up and easy to operate. Customer service is okay, but the product doesn't need too much servicing.

9 months ago

Scout Alarm is a really good security system. I feel like I can truly depend on this product to help me and my family feel safe.

9 months ago

I haven't had an emergency with it but I'm glad I have a barrier just in case something happens when I or my wife isn't home.

9 months ago

Scout Alarm is surprisingly user-friendly and works very, very well for us. Great value and great service too!

10 months ago

They are reliable and easy to use. The customer service was good and problems were resolved quickly. I felt safe with an alarm set. The company showed great interest inits the safety of its customers. I had heard of this company from friends.

10 months ago

Scout Alarm is very on time, it alerts the authorities when you have trouble and the police come for problems.

a year ago

Their customer service is very important and good to deal with. The service is easy to understand and easy to start up and begin using.

a year ago

They are an awesome and very trustworthy company. They have the highest reviews around and I'm very comfortable with them.

a year ago

Scout gives you the comfort of knowing you have full coverage and security.

a year ago

I have used them for over twenty-five years. I had them in my old house and then I used them when I moved to this house. The price of service is affordable every month.

9 months ago

I think I should have gone with a cheaper all-inclusive package and service instead of paying extra for a separate service to cover outsourced devices.

a year ago

It's an innovative company and it's not lacking anything for what we need it for.

a year ago

Scout Alarm has a great system, but the pricing could definitely be worked on.

9 months ago

It has a few issues, it needs to be checked out before showing to people.

a year ago

I have better alarm systems and the Scout Alarm could have better timing, although it may be a glitch in the system.

8 months ago

I think their product is very expensive. It can be a whole lot cheaper than it is.

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16 reviews
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