Cove 6-Piece DIY Home Security System, 3-Month Monitoring

Why it's worth it

Cove's six-piece kit includes three months of professional monitoring and lets you pick an indoor camera, outdoor camera or video doorbell at checkout. Independent testers cite response times among the quickest in the category.

Response time is what you're actually buying with professional monitoring. Cove is regularly cited by independent testers for response times around 30 seconds from trigger to contact, which is the difference between a scared intruder and a cleaned-out living room. Pair that with no long-term contract and you get the thing Security.org found 47% of DIY buyers rank above price and brand: freedom to walk away.

Choosing your camera at purchase is a smarter default than it sounds. A ground-floor apartment usually wants an indoor camera; a house with a package problem wants the doorbell. Most starter kits hand you whatever the brand wants to move. Here you point the one included camera at the thing you're actually worried about, which is a better use of the money than a generic bundle.

From our review of 7 diy smart home security systems, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +Response time is what you're actually buying with professional monitoring
• +Choosing your camera at purchase is a smarter default than it sounds
• +Installation is genuinely hands-off
• +The kit expands with door and window sensors, motion detectors and additional cameras, so a six-piece starter can grow into…

What to know

• –Cove is a smaller brand with a much shorter track record on Amazon than Ring or eufy, and there's simply less accumulated owner…
• –The three months of included monitoring is a trial that becomes a bill
• –Smart home integration is thinner here than with Ring or Abode-style hubs