The best home security system in Tampa

Tampa hosts one of the most diverse cultural, architectural, and economic landscapes in Florida. Despite such prosperity, Tampa’s residents are not excluded from being victims. In this article, we prioritized the best home security systems Tampa has to offer. In our analysis, we involved monitoring services (professional and self-monitoring), pricing, ease of installation, equipment quality, as well as how customers rated their experience with a particular provider’s service.

We know there is a myriad of options that appear to fog your lens to understand the best home security Tampa can provide you, so we’ve reduced the best national home security providers while providing insight on their services. Arranging home security providers according to their pros and cons, we hope to support you in fortifying your home and ensuring that uninvited guests will always be many steps behind.

Here is a comparison of our top picks for the best home security system in Tampa:

*Information accurate as of March 2021

Best overall home security system

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Reviews Score: 4.4 | J.D. Power: 889* | Contract requirement: No |

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Why we chose it

SimpliSafe went the smart route and made a customizable system, enabling customers to contour their home security system around their floor plan. Furthermore, monitoring plans are only $0.50 a day ($15 a month), and SimpliSafe is the highest rated home security system by J.D. Power.

Pros:

• Plan options for almost every home
• Budget-friendly in the long run
• DIY is simple, yet professional install isn’t unreasonable

Cons:

• Customer service leaves room for improvement
• Add-ons to plan may become too expensive
• Upfront cost

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Equipment available

• Entry sensor
• Motion sensor
• 105dB siren
• Smart lock
• Wireless, keypad
• Key fob

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Plans & pricing

• Standard Monitoring: $0.50/day
• Interactive Monitoring: $0.83/day

Best for smart home integration

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Reviews Score: 4.25 | J.D. Power: N/A | Contract requirement: No |

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Why we chose it

If you like Alexa or Google to run your home while you sit in peace on the couch or in bed, Abode connects to popular smart home devices and arm your security system for you.

Pros:

• Inexpensive compared to competitors
• No forced contracts
• Good monitoring for the price

Cons:

• Fee for contract/early termination
• Refunds could be better
• Warranty is limited to a year

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Equipment available

• Recessed window and door sensor
• Glass break sensor
• Motion sensors
• Outdoor camera
• Indoor camera
• Siren

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Plans & pricing

• Standard: $0.20/day
• Pro Plan: $0.66/day

Best for high-quality cameras

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Reviews Score: 4 | J.D. Power: N/A | Contract requirement: No |

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Why we chose it

Arlo includes cameras that will even impress the tech-savvy with a product line that seems almost too state-of-the-art. Despite being a younger company, Arlo is earning a robust reputation as a national brand.

Pros:

• 4K-video history
• Continuous footage
• Cameras have more technical features

Cons:

• Cameras are expensive
• It doesn’t offer door and window sensors
• 24/7 monitoring brings up pricing

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Equipment available

• Indoor camera
• Outdoor camera
• Solar panel camera
• Smarthub 
• Mounts
• Chime

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Plans & pricing

• Smart: Free
• Premier: $2.99/mo. (1 camera) or $9.99/mo. (up to 5 cameras)
• Elite: $4.99/mo. (1 camera) or $14.99/mo. (up to 5 cameras)

Best for security sensors

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Reviews Score: 4.2 | J.D. Power: 882* | Contract requirement: No |

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Why we chose it

Ring’s sensors could catch almost any event in your home, from flood to freezes and carbon monoxide leaks. It’s not just security from break-ins, but from disasters as well.

Pros:

• Installation requires less than 20 minutes
• Affordable compared to other smart home packages
• Simple pricing for subscription support

Cons:

• It doesn’t have a quality appearance compared to competitors
• Google support can be problematic
• WiFi connectivity can be poor

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Equipment available

• Indoor camera
• Outdoor camera
• Window sensor
• Door sensor
• Motion detector
• Panic button

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Plans & pricing

• Basic: $30/year
• Plus: $100/year

Best for professional monitoring

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Reviews Score: 3.6 | J.D. Power: 880* | Contract requirement: Yes | 

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Why we chose it

Although professional monitoring costs are higher than competitors at $19.99 a month, Blue by ADT monitoring alerts authorities, sends alerts to your phone, and has cellular backup for camera footage.

Pros:

• High-quality monitoring services
• Brand recognition deters crime
• Contract offers longevity

Cons:

• Costly up-front expenses
• Cancelation fees
• Must have contract

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Equipment available

• Hub
• Indoor camera
• Outdoor camera
• Door sensors
• Window sensors
• Motion sensor

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Plans & pricing

• DIY monitoring: Free
• Professional Monitoring: $19.99/mo.

Home security in Tampa: What you need to know 

Tampa, Florida, crime statistics 

In Tampa, the largest rates of crime fall under four major categories. The largest category is aggravated assault, polling nearly 2100 incidents in 2020. The second-largest is car burglary, reaching almost 1250 crimes during 2020. The third-largest is burglary, almost reaching 1000 incidents during 2020. The fourth-largest category is car theft, capping at nearly 600 incidents in 2020. Burglary and car burglary often occur in residential areas where criminals furtively take advantage of the night’s lower visibility.

• In 2002, crime rates in Tampa reached 35 380 crimes in total.
• In 2020, 325 robberies occurred.
• In 2019, burglaries reached a total of 1022 crimes.

Research your neighborhood

Historic Kenwood is the loudest bell that rings in the mind when talking about Tampa. The St. Petersburg Police Department protects an area that hosts homes dating back to the 1920s, the architecturally rich homes in Historic Kenwood. The St. Petersburg Police Department also protects the city’s single-family homes, townhomes, and luxury highrises. West Tampa boasts a diverse melting pot of cultures, huddled among business districts and employment centers. The residential neighborhood there is protected by the City of Tampa Police Department. Hyde Park has emerged as the trendy, go-to city for those seeking a metropolitan community. Considered the affluent centerpiece of Tampa, the neighborhood of Hyde Park is protected by the Tampa Police Department, as well.

To research your Tampa neighborhood, you can use this crime map for more information.

Register your home security system in Tampa

When preparing your home for its new security system, don’t forget that you are required to register your home security system with the City of Tampa. Remember to do this once your system is set up but not too long after your home security’s installation has occurred. Below is a list of steps to help get your home’s security system in compliance with the City of Tampa’s ordinances:

1. Open your browser and visit the City of Tampa’s False Alarm Program page.

2. Once you have arrived, download and complete the Alarm User Registration Form under the heading “What can you do to reduce false alarms?”

3. Upon completion, print the form and mail it to the address listed here: 

City of Tampa

Attn:  A/R & Billing – Police False Alarms

306 E. Jackson St., 050A7E

Tampa, FL  33602

How to choose your Tampa home security system

• Interior/exterior cameras: It’s worth noting that any home security system’s exterior devices should be rated for Tampa’s climate. Tampa is hot and humid almost year-round, bringing in rain and showers almost weekly. Is the camera that you want to install capable of tolerating Tampa’s harsh relative humidity? Instead of prioritizing the aesthetic of a device, make sure that your home security implementations exposed to Tampa’s climate will operate and not fail.
• Control panel: Usually, control panels and interfaces are pretty straightforward. For users with poor dexterity, or poor vision, consider using an interface with the least interpretation possible. Getting lost in the settings can be nice for someone who can harness and appreciate fine-tuning, although most would like a relatively autonomous system that is ready from the start. We recommend acquiring a limited interface control panel or devoting time to learn how to use the control panel effectively, especially if you have to enter a sequence of commands, or characters, to deactivate a false alarm. 
• Compatibility: Almost all smart hubs offered in home security systems support Android, Google, and iOS operating systems. An operating system can be unsupported by a security system, although the circumstance is incredibly rare, excluding a demographic entirely. Regardless, make sure your phone is supported by researching the provider that interests you and even calling them for more insight.
• Storage: For those living in areas where foot traffic is frequent or wildlife is a natural part of the area, your motion-activated camera may be triggered unnecessarily and perhaps even too often. This can rack up video data, filling up your storage capacity. If you prefer to remain in your current data plan and video storage limits, our first suggestion is to orient the camera so that its field of view is limited to the points of entry of your house. This will prevent any motion that is not related to your home from being captured. Alternatively, you may consider increasing your storage capacity. For the sake of overall security, this is the preferred route. Sure, it may cost more, although keeping a view of your home and its surroundings can help increase accountability if a crime occurs and is recorded. Increased storage space means you won’t have to worry about data management and superfluous data monitoring.
• Window/door sensors: Tampa is hot, humid, and beautiful. The area’s beauty won’t affect your window or door sensors much, although the climate certainly will if any device’s specifications aren’t prepared for it. All devices, especially sensors, should be waterproof and capable of operating a little over 103 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Local vs. national companies 

Tampa home security systems FAQ 

Methodology 

We evaluated home security companies based on equipment cost, monthly costs, contract options, installation and customer satisfaction to determine Reviews.com scores and create our best home security reviews. 

To compare home security companies with other providers across the board, we calculate each Reviews.com score based on the following:

• Monthly Price: The lower the cost of a home security company’s monthly contract, the higher the score. Inversely, the higher the cost of the monthly contract, the lower the score in this metric. 
• Equipment Cost: Affordability is important with home security, so we awarded higher scores to home security companies with lower equipment prices.
• Contracts: Reviews.com reviewed the flexibility in contracts of the home security companies. The more flexibility, like having no contracts to bind customers for long periods, the higher the score. 
• Customer Satisfaction: With J.D. Power’s 2020 Home Security Satisfaction Study, we assigned a score to each company based on the rating it received.
• Installation: Like with contracts, we award higher scores to companies with flexible installation options, like DIY or professional options.

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