Cox Homelife Logo
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4.6

Overall Score

LAST UPDATED: May 28th, 2023

In 2011, Cox Homelife was launched by Cox Communications, a cable provider for television and telecommunications. The company provides two security/home automation packages with a monthly monitoring fee ranging from $29.99 to $54.99, depending on the security package you choose. There is also a $99 installation fee and a 24-month contract. Cox Homelife provides basic professionally installed security and home automation services in 16 states. Read Cox Homelife reviews below to see what consumers have to say about the home security provider.

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The Good

  • Free Starter Equipment
  • Bundle Convenience and Discounted Pricing
  • Sold in Retail Stores
  • Cox Homelife App
  • Variety of Security Packages

Free Starter Equipment

New subscribers to Cox home security are eligible to receive free starter equipment for their home security packages and automation service. The security company's website also claims that security systems are customizable to meet your home security needs. Professional monitoring and free equipment for Cox Homelife's plans are listed below as well as optional add ons (e.g., touchscreen control panel, motion sensor, smart lock, etc.) at additional charges and equipment a la carte:

Cox Homelife Automation Starter Equipment — Monthly Plan: $29.99; Equipment: Free

  • 1 HD camera
  • 1 Door or window sensor
  • 1 smart LED light bulb

Homelife Security & Automation Starter Equipment — Monthly Plan: $54.99; Equipment: Free

  • 1 HD camera
  • 2 Window or door sensors
  • 1 Indoor motion sensor

Digital Home Starter Kit — Monthly Plan: $54.99; Equipment: $200

  • 2 HD cameras
  • 2 Door or window sensors
  • 1 Indoor motion sensor
  • 3 Smart LED light bulbs

Optional Add on: Homelife Equipment Value Pack — Equipment: $160

  • 1 Indoor or outdoor HD camera
  • 1 Door or window sensor

Homelife Equipment A La Carte

  • HD camera — $180
  • Smart door lock — $230
  • Smart LED light bulb — $25
  • Smart plug — $60
  • Smart thermostat — $200
  • Homelife wireless keypad — $100
  • Monitored smoke/heat detector — $125
  • Monitored carbon monoxide detector — $125
  • Water/flood sensor — $85
  • Door/window sensor — $60
  • Indoor motion sensor — $100
  • Glass break sensor — $150

Bundle Convenience and Discounted Pricing

Current Cox residential customers who already subscribe to Cox services for video, Cox internet, and/or phone services receive a $10 per month promotional service on home automation services. This is an added convenience for those who want to use the same provider for internet service, telephone service, and other communication needs.

Sold in Retail Stores

Cox security equipment is available in one of Cox's hundreds of retail stores, which is convenient for customers who like to see equipment before purchasing. However, Cox Homelife stores are not available in every state. See "The Bad" section below to see where Cox Homelife is available.

Cox Homelife App

Cox homelife security features the Cox Homelife mobile app, which allows you to turn on and off lights and appliances, arm and disarm your security system, lock and unlock doors, view live video of your home, and control your smart thermostat from your mobile device wherever you are. You also get live security camera streaming as well, allowing you to capture 15-second video clips. The app can be used by everyone in your family.

Variety of Security Packages

Customers have a variety of Cox Homelife security system packages to more fully satisfy a wider audience of consumers. This can provide peace of mind to potential customers that there are several options to pick from that might fit their unique situation.

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The Bad

  • Two-Year Contract
  • $99 Moving Fee
  • Early Termination Fees
  • Cox Homelife Cost
  • High-Speed Internet Connection and Touchscreen Equipment Required
  • Services Not Offered in Every State

Two-Year Contract

All new subscribers to Cox Homelife are required to enter a two-year customer agreement, and while two years isn't as long as most professionally installed security providers, it's still a contract, and you are still responsible for termination fees if you want to get out of that alarm contract early. There are also security providers that offer month-to-month options for consumers that don't wish to sign a long-term contract. 

$99 Moving Fee

Cox Homelife security requires a $99 moving fee if you want one of the company's technicians to uninstall the equipment for you when you are moving locations. There is also an additional charge for outdoor installation of cameras, and Cox Homelife will not transfer any additional home security equipment that is not a Cox Homelife product. Cox Homelife also doesn't specify on its website whether or not the $99 charge covers the uninstallation as well as the reinstallation in your new location. You'll have to reach out to a Cox Homelife specialist to uncover this information. 

Many home security providers offer free moving services, so if you plan to move while using Cox Homelife's security services, you may want to consider looking into other home security providers. 

Early Termination Fees

Cox Homelife doesn't list specifics about early termination fees, but many customers have complained that fees can be $800 or more. Hefty fees like this typically account for a poor customer experience and a taxing cancellation process. 

Cox Homelife Cost

Cox Homelife has high monthly monitoring fees ranging from $29.99 to $54.99 with a $99 installation fee. Cox Homelife also requires a 24-month contract and charges for early termination. The monthly monitoring costs are fairly high compared to top companies in the industry, especially since Cox Homelife also has a hefty installation fee. Many home security providers don't require installation fees and still offer a lower monthly monitoring price. 

High-Speed Internet Connection and Touchscreen Equipment Required

Cox Homelife requires that customers have a high-speed Internet connection. Meanwhile, the touchscreen isn't included in the free starter equipment; rather, customers are required to pay a $3.00 per month rental fee for Cox's touchscreen panel, and at the end of the contract, Cox still owns this equipment. Many home security providers allow you to own the equipment after you pay the full amount. If you're looking to own the automation and security devices, we suggest looking into other home security providers. 

Services Not Offered in Every State

In addition, Cox Homelife isn't available everywhere. The company currently holds a license to sell home automation and home security equipment in the following states:

Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Kansas, and Virginia.

Customers have complained about a variety of grievances with Cox Homelife, including high cancellation fees, terrible equipment quality, bad customer service, and sudden increases in monthly fees.

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The Bottom Line

The main reason to use Cox Homelife as your security provider is if you are an existing Cox customer who has had a positive experience and likes the convenience of bundling services. Other than that, it seems like Cox Homelife might not be the best security solution, especially if you are looking for low-monitoring prices, free moving services, and no installation fees. Reviews indicate poor customer service, a costly service, and hefty cancellation charges. When considering the number of top home security companies in the industry, we cannot confidently recommend Cox Homelife's security systems. If you want to learn more about the customer experience, read Cox Homelife reviews below.

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Star Rating

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2.1

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28 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

18%

4 grade

11%

3 grade

4%

2 grade

0%

1 grade

68%

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Elizabeth Taylor Virginia Beach, VA

We have Cox Homelife as well as Cox TV, telephone and internet service. We are long term customers of Cox and are very pleased with all services. Any questions and concerns are resolved quickly. We originally had ADT for security and were happy with their services but the increased prices over the years caused us to switch to Cox.

5 years ago

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JD Elliott

Simple product. Technicians are great. Sales could be more honest but the overall product is great. Cameras work fine at home or several hundred miles away on my phone. Door lock is awesome. Highly recommend the light bulbs and setting up rules so certain bulbs come on at certain times.

6 years ago

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Angela Moisant Choctaw, OK

He have had Cox Homelife for about 6 months and have enjoyed the peace of mind it provides. We love the ease of the app to control smart features and the camera gives a high quality image. The only thing that wasn't offered that we really needed was a doorbell camera and we had to obtain that through another company.

1 year ago

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Kenny B Hayward, CA

I had cox Homelife security. When there was a surge in power the system would NOT automatically reset itself and would remain ineffective, meaning your home is unsecured. I am single and would be gone for weeks at a time still paying for “secure” Homelife service. The only way around this is for someone to come to your home to reset your system. Now, if my home was always occupied what would be the point of paying for Homelife service in the first place. The worst part is you pay $445.00 to cancel this worthless system that has system issues with it’s modems. I would not recommend this. Just buy a nanny cam and save yourself hundreds of dollars down the drain. It’s a rip off.

2 years ago

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Angee Kane Phoenix, AZ

We moved to Arizona in Nov 2019 and decided to get security for our new home. We decide to try Cox Homelife since we were signing up for their cable and internet. The technician who came out to install told us we had thirty days and if we did not like the equipment/service we could cancel without any penalties. Otherwise the contract was for 2-years. We were having troubles from the very beginning with the equipment not working. We have 2 cameras with the service and the monitor screen would not show what was happening on the cameras. We would continuously get a message that it was trying to connect but never would connect. After three weeks we finally called to cancel the Homelife. During that call we were told that we only had 3 days to cancel. If we cancel now before the 2-year contract was up it would cost $700. We explained that is not what we were told. They would not budge on their decision. They said they would sent out a tech to take a look at it. The tech who came out said our internet strength in the house was causing the problem and we would continue to have issues. We called the next day to insist they cancel and remove the equipment from what the installer said. They said they would send out the next level tech. He fixed the cameras by changing it to another channel. He finally got the cameras to work on the monitor. However, we still could not get constant access with the Homelife app to monitor the cameras. We both intermittently get messages that say "Not Connected This app requires an internet connection. Make sure your device is not in Airplane mode and has a Wi-Fi or cellular connection. When your device is reconnected, you will be able to sign in again". We are always connect by Wi-Fi or cellular when these messages occur. We called again to say that this service still does not work and we want to cancel. We spoke to a supervisor and he said that it is the fault of our cellular carrier and that they would not do anything. REALLY?? I should not have to change cell companies to get the service to work. We told them if they cannot get this to work as it should then they need to remove it and void the contract. They refused so we filed a complaint with BBB. That caused us to get a phone call from an escalation department. They will not budge on removing the equipment. They expect us to take more time off work to let another technician come out to look at it. How much money do we have to continue to lose in wages to be home for their technician window? We have already invested too much time on this. Every technician or supervisor has a different reason why they equipment won't work. They need to face it that their equipment and service is crap and it just does not work well at our location for WHATEVER the reason is, and the right thing for Cox to do is let us cancel without penalty. It is criminal for them to force us to keep this equipment that has proven time-and-time again that it is not reliable to keep our home and lives safe.

4 years ago

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Carolyn Hook Gravette, AR

I filed with BBB. Cox called to upsell me and said they only support hard wired services and since my signal only goes 10 feet. How many extenders do I want to rent at $4.00 each a month. I asked how they can sell a security system that is wifi and not hard wired selling me a system they do not support?? I was told a tech would come to my home with his laptop and check my signal. I told the guy I don't need a ping off another server and any ping test will come from my computer. I have been told there are too many radio waves or too many neighbors on the same band. I asked them to change my band and was told they didnt know what I was talking about. Impossible, i continue to have my home pilfered. The security camera 15 feet from my front door is not triggered by the door opening or anyone coming in or out. One time I was not home and someone opened my front door. The alarm went off, called their monitoring station and their monitoring station said they had the wrong number for the police department and disregarded the alarm and did not choose to contact me. If you have time and money to waste and enjoy pockets full of lies. Choose Cox.

5 years ago

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La Vonne Dougall Scottsdale, AZ

I would never recommend Cox Homelife even to my worst enemy. Hasn't worked from day one. There has been glitches with the software, and the firmware. I bought it for my parent's home as they are frail elderly and I wanted extra protection for them. I have been fighting with Cox for one month to fix or remove the system. I have been given nothing but runarounds. Worst customer service from the supervisors, though the other service providers have done all that they can within the limits the Cox provides them to operate. According to their operation guarantee I deserve a full refund and am hearing nothing but crickets from their end. DO NOT SIGN WITH COX HOMELIFE as they are not dependable and do not live up to their contracts.

6 years ago

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Doug Chesapeake, VA

I was moving to a new home and wanted a COX bundle (TV, security, and internet). The Homelife rep came to my home and recommended security items that seemed adequate. I was sold on the Homelife option in my bundle. The COX sales person, on the sales telephone line, gave me a bundled price by phone. All seemed good. The a contract came for me to sign for the Homelife option at $49/mo for 2 years. I expected this but because of the bundled price I was not going to have to pay this Homelife monthly cost separately, or was I? So I asked for a printed, email is fine, bundled itemized cost sheet to verify that the Homelife monthly monitoring was included in the bundled price. I asked 7 times to 4 different COX people including supervisors. I never received a written itemized bundled price list. So I cancelled my installation and never signed the Homelife 2 year contract.

6 years ago

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The Garcias Sierra Vista, AZ

Been using Cox Homelife for the past four years, nothing wrong with the service, the system or the equipment, got an upgrade a few months ago, all went smooth. Highly recommended.

6 years ago

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Noa Ranoa San Diego, CA

I've used cox and homelife for 10 years. Extremely simple. The touchscreen unit is easy to use and my condo is monitored 24/7. Arming and disarming couldn't be easier. Go to YouTube to see how easy the security works.

1 year ago

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Hannah Faith Gentry, AR

The equipment is fragile and lightweight, but most of all it is ALWAYS OFFLINE or communication failed to my camera. I have had it for 13 hours now and not one picture from it and the app keeps closeing on me. I have to go through user and password questions over and over just to log back in to find nothing. I'm returning tomorrow bc it's not worth the fight with the app when I can't even use it.

2 years ago

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David Herrick Omaha, NE

Recently had to switch Internet providers due to Cox’s internet always crashing for my work. I called to cancel my internet only and found out it automatically cancelled my home life security with Cox. Have to have a technician come out to reconnect everything. Cox says it is a $50 fee but they will waive it as a courtesy. They also said I may be charged am early termination fee even though I didn’t officially cancel it. Can’t get a straight answer out of them. Asked for it in writing and they are refusing to do so

3 years ago

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Joseph Nader Jr Las Vegas, NV

This system is 3 years old. My biggest complaints are with the equipment and the service. Very poor quality touch screen, router and cameras. I've complained multiple times to their "Service" hot line about the touch screen being non-responsive and sluggish at times. Their solution was for me to use my phone app! Unacceptable to me. Shopping around now so I can cut the cord with Cox, again. Cut the cable two year ago;-)

4 years ago

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Diego Di Marco Cobb Crestview, FL

We have the Cox Homelife for a little over a week now and nothing but trouble. The alarm goes off in the middle of the night for no reason waking our 2 8y/o kids and us up scaring the heck out of everyone. We already had a technician coming over after we had to stay for 3 days in an unarmed house. Last night (2 days after the technician "fixed" the issue) the alarm went off again at 2am. They wont let us out of the contract without chatging us almost $800 and we still have to pay over $400 for the cameras and the sensors that obviously doesnt work right! COX IS A BAD JOKE DON'T GET IT!

4 years ago

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Malcolm faber New Orleans, LA

My wife and I purchased the Cox homelife along with 6 camera's ($1,300.00). They also told us we needed to get Cox Internet ( wifi) so that the camera's would work properly. Well, over 8 technicians and with their so call new App. our system still doesn't work. The system is pure trash my friends. They got us for $1,300.00 and refused to refund our money, now saying it's a Wifi issue. It's a shame that Cox gets away with stealing peoples money.

5 years ago

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romeo Las Vegas, NV

Works as advertised. One time I entered the wrong code to disarm it and before I knew it, someone was over to double check my residence.

6 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Bill N

My cox home life has not worked properly since day one, sorry I ever had it installed. Your are supposed to be able to view your cameras from anywhere, not so, works fine when I am sitting in my living room but outside like maybe 20 feet away from my house forget it. After so many time of finger point from Cox towards my cell phone provided to my particular cell phone as the cause have given up and just waiting for my contract to be up so I can cancel my contract.

6 years ago

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Scott Preston Tempe, AZ

We called in to have a few extra sensors added since we had some windows replaced, seems easy enough. They were not able to "verify our account" with the exact same info we gave them 1 week ago. Long story short they would not give access to our account on two different phone calls. I just got off the phone with them for 1 hour and got charged $360 for cancelling the service. They did not seem interested in keeping our business at all.

6 years ago

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no sugarcoating Cheshire, CT

I'm a cox customer not by choice but because I have no other options... and I'm fed up with their marketing , teaser pricing and bundle offers... CoxHomelife is not different than how cox do all their business, cheap at first then price will go up significantly and you have to call, beg (or make a scene) just to get pricing close to what they are willing to give any random person walking on the street... Absolutely no regards for customer loyalty or retention. pricing gimmics at its finest! I guess some companies think they can do whatever they want when they are the only game in town, and end users like me get to pay for it... make sure you know what the real price is after the promo ends and be ready for a fight! And did I say that CoxHomelife has no real advantages over competition?

1 year ago Edited May 20, 2022

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Steve Ocala, FL

No way to adjust the sensitivity. Call cox with no help. it goes off with every little insect that goes by. Also it appears on my apple watch . very annoying . thinks about just taking it down or unplugging it.

9 months ago

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Hi How r u Ocala, FL

Terrible terrible. Works good for a day then crashes and wont connect for 2 weeks ,try to cancel and they say it's a bundle . Tech comes out to tell me my modem is not close enough, its 3 feet . Call back and go threw the problems with 15 different people as they transfer you 15 times so over this crap service DO NOT GET COX HOMELIFE

3 years ago

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Mary Alexander

The Sales agent lied about the monthly bill. He stated that the bill would be $147.00 which included TV and high speed internet. First months bill was $622.00 to be paid immediately which included a one-time charge of $388.00. For the camera forget it!! I could see during the day and at night, can't SEE NOTHING Little white spots!!!

6 years ago

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Gina Magee

We had Cox Homelife installed about four months ago and love it. It is totally worth the cost. The price is right and service has been just fine.

6 years ago

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Scott Strange Mesa, AZ

Bad experience with a technician. Technician was confrontational, COX corporate culture does not seem to care this happens. The technician out and out lied to me and what he put as comments.

6 years ago

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Ken Tempe, AZ

Laggy system. Bad app. Rude customer service (Homelife, not Cox). System didn’t work as advertised and they wouldn’t waive the cancelation charge.

5 years ago

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AARON MCDONALD Bossier City, LA

I HAVE HAD NOTHING, BUT A GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH HOMELIFE AND I AM UNDER NO CONTRACT

6 years ago

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Jesse Prince Tulsa, OK

I don't care for cox homelife I have had several problems with customer service.

1 year ago Edited August 15, 2022

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Shelia Brickhouse

Would never recamend to anyone. Customer service is the worst.

6 years ago