Blue by ADT Home Security System

When home security giant ADT acquired Lifeshield back in 2019, it introduced a handful of home security cameras to kick off its Blue by ADT platform. With its recently launched Blue by ADT Home Security System (starting at $159.99), the company now offers a complete DIY home security solution that you can monitor yourself or pay for a professional monitoring service. The system works with Alexa and Google voice services, integrates with Blue by ADT cameras and other smart devices via IFTTT applets, and can control numerous Z-Wave home automation devices. It also offers reasonably priced components and affordable monitoring, and it’s easy to install and manage, though SimpliSafe offers more affordable components and monitoring.

Components and Pricing

The Blue by ADT Smart Home Hub is the brains of the system. It measures 5.9 by 4.1 by 4.1 inches (HWD) and sports the same pearl gray color as the ADT Blue Indoor, Outdoor, and Doorbell cameras that we reviewed earlier this year. You can also order the hub with a darker graphite finish if you prefer.

The top of the hub contains a keypad with 16 buttons including 0-9, Stay, Away, Night, and Off. There’s also an embedded microphone and an LED indicator strip that glows solid green when the system is disarmed, solid blue when armed, blinks blue during an entry or exit delay, blinks red during an alarm, and alternates red and yellow when the hub has lost its internet connection. Under the hood are a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio, a Z-Wave radio, Bluetooth circuitry, and a 4G LTE cellular radio. Additionally, the hub contains a 24-hour backup battery, a speaker, and an 85dB siren. 

You can order a preconfigured security system or build your own and add to it as you see fit. The Smart Hub goes for $159.99 and comes with a free 30-day professional monitoring trial (more on monitoring later). The $199.99 Starter System comes with the hub, two door/window sensors, a yard sign, four window decals, and a 30-day monitoring trial, and the $279.99 Starter Plus System gives you everything from the Starter system, but includes four door/window sensors and two motion detectors.

Blue by ADT doesn’t offer quite as many sensors and components as FrontPoint and SimpliSafe, but its door and window sensors ($14.99 each), motion detectors ($24.99), and flood sensors ($34.99) are competitively priced, and you can always add third-party components compatible with IFTTT and Z-Wave. However, you’ll pay more for Blue by ADT cameras than you will with FrontPoint and SimpliSafe. The Blue by ADT Indoor, Outdoor, and Doorbell cameras all carry a $199.99 price, while SimpliSafe charges $169 for it doorbell camera, $99 for it indoor camera, and an additional $19.99 to turn it into an outdoor camera. FrontPoint sells a SkyBell doorbell camera for $149.99, an indoor camera for $99.99, and an outdoor camera for $169.99. All of ADT’s Blue cameras give you access to the past 24 hours of recorded video, but if you require access to older video, a $2.99 per month storage plan gives you access to the past 60 days.

You can self-monitor the Blue by ADT system or pay for professional monitoring. If you choose to self-monitor, you’ll have full use of the mobile app and will receive alerts on your mobile devices, but you’ll be responsible for calling the authorities in the event of an emergency such as a break-in or a fire, and you don’t get cellular backup if your Wi-Fi goes out. Professional monitoring doesn't require a contract and is relatively affordable: For $19.99 per month, you get 24/7 monitoring where the response center will try to call you or a specified contact before contacting the authorities. The monitoring plan also gets you cellular backup and cellular texts when an alarm goes off. For comparison, SimpliSafe charges $14.99 for a basic plan that includes 24/7 coverage.

Mobile App

The Blue by ADT security system uses the same mobile app for Android and iOS devices as its security cameras. It opens to a dashboard screen with a button for arming and disarming the system, below which you’ll see a historical list of events (sensors triggered, arming, disarming). When you arm the system you can put it in Stay mode (entry delays on, motion off), Away mode (entry delays on, motion on), or Night mode (entry delays off, motion off). Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to see a Crime Watch map that shows recently reported thefts, vandalism, assaults, and other crimes in your area.

Tap the two bars in the upper left corner of the dashboard to access a menu where you can add components, configure alerts, and access device settings. There’s a Users tab that lets you add users to the system and create profiles with specific permissions. An Admin User has full access to all functions, and a Standard User can monitor and control the system but has limited access to management settings. The Basic User can arm and disarm the system, and the Duress User is given a code that will disarm the system and silently dispatch police to the home.

The Devices tab opens a screen with a list of all installed devices and their status (online, offline). Tap any device to alter its properties (alarm type, placement) and configure entry delay times. Tap the plus icon to add new devices. The Alerts tab lets you create custom alerts for any component or alarm event, as well as enable alerts if the network or cellular connection is lost or when a device is experiencing technical issues. 

Use the Rules tab to create home automations. Here you can create rules that allow Blue by ADT devices such as sensors and cameras to trigger each other, as well as any installed Z-Wave devices such as lights, thermostats, and garage door openers. The Settings tab takes you to a screen where you can edit location, billing, and monitoring plan information. You can also run system tests, enable push notifications, and access the same device property settings as mentioned above.

The Blue by ADT security system doesn't support Apple’s HomeKit platform (at least not yet), but it does work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, and it supports IFTTT applets that allow it to interact with other smart home devices. 

Installation and Performance

ADT sent me a hub, two door/windows sensors, a motion sensor, and a flood/temperature sensor for testing, all of which were easy to install. I started by downloading the mobile app, creating an account, and filling in my address information. Next, I selected Security System from the Setup screen, then selected the Smart Home Hub. I tapped Get Started and followed the instructions to place the hub in a central location and power it up. I connected the hub to my home Wi-Fi network, entered my Wi-Fi password, and waited a few minutes for a firmware update. Once the hub was updated, I gave it a name and tapped Start Device Setup to add my sensors (you can do this later if you prefer).

The sensors are preregistered, so all I had to do was select the sensor from the list and follow the instructions for placement. I started with a door/window sensor, installed it on a door using the included double-sided tape, and gave it a name. I pulled the plastic battery tab from the back of the main sensor, and it was paired with the hub in a matter of seconds. I repeated this with the second door/window sensor and moved on to the flood and temperature sensor. 

To install the flood/temp sensor, I was instructed to pry off the top cover and remove the battery tab. Once again the sensor was immediately paired with the hub. To install the motion sensor, I gave it a name, pulled the battery tab, and it was instantly paired.

To complete the setup, I was prompted to confirm my Master Passcode and created a Monitoring Passcode to be used when confirming my identity when dealing with the monitoring center. I entered my emergency contact information, set up Notifications, and the installation was finished. It’s important to note that when you first install the system, it defaults to a seven-day Practice Period so you can get used to it without worrying about the authorities being contacted. 

The Blue by ADT system worked well in testing. It reacted instantly to arm and disarm commands using both the hub and the mobile app, and the embedded keypad buttons were responsive. That said, it would be nice if the keypad keys were backlit, as they're impossible to see in the dark.

Text, email, and in-app alerts arrived instantly whenever one of the sensors was triggered. I created a rule to receive push alerts whenever the back door was opened and they also arrived quickly. The built-in siren is adequately loud, and the flood and motion sensors worked perfectly.

Conclusions

With the Blue by ADT Home Security System, you can start small and add components as you need them. You can opt to monitor your home yourself using the mobile app, or pay $20 per month for 24/7 professional monitoring. Add-on components are easy to install, and you can add numerous Z-Wave home automation devices such as lights, switches, garage door openers, and thermostats, and control them all from the same app. This versatile system also supports Alexa and Google voice commands, works with third-party smart devices using IFTTT applets, and performed flawlessly in testing. That said, SimpliSafe charges less for add-on cameras and monitoring, giving it an edge and retaining our Editors' Choice.