Protect America
9.0
Overall Score3 days ago
Protect America
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Protect America provides self-installed home security systems, monitoring services, and automation solutions, and has serviced nearly half a million homes since 1992. The company offers 24/7 professional monitoring through Criticom Monitoring Services. Protect America's monthly fees range from $19.99 to $42.99, which includes free equipment such as a control panel, motion detectors, door sensors and window sensors. While many do-it-yourself home security companies nickel and dime customers on equipment costs, Protect America provides free equipment with no upfront fees. Read Protect America reviews below to see what customers have to say about the home security provider.
The Good
- December 2018 Specials
- Free Protect America Equipment
- Protect America Cost—Low Monthly Monitoring Fee (as Low as $19.99)
- No Installation Fees
- Home Automation Features
- Lifetime Equipment Warranty
- 24/7 Video Monitoring
- Positive Protect America Reviews
- Time in Business
December 2018 Specials
For the month of December, Protect America is giving away a free indoor camera and video monitoring for only $5/month.
Free Protect America Equipment
While other home security system companies offer free equipment, few match Protect America in both the quantity and quality of the free equipment. Protect America equipment included with most of its packages are as follows: One control panel, three door and window sensors, and one motion detector. The free door and window sensors have a 5-year battery life and can be quickly and easily self-installed. The wireless sensors have a horizontal coverage range of 25 feet and can detect movement by intelligently sensing head emissions (though they are pet-friendly, ignoring movement from objects 40 pounds or less). Protect America equipment is high quality and completely free, beating out the majority of the home security company's competitors.
Protect America Cost—Low Monthly Monitoring Fee (as Low as $19.99)
Compared to the seemingly countless security provider options, Protect America is an alarm company that beats out competitors on one of the most important factors: price. The starting Protect America cost is as low as $19.99/month, giving customers 24/7 professional monitoring services for a very competitive rate, especially considering that Protect America equipment is included for free. Compared to other do-it-yourself solutions, Protect America prices are very low. Most self-installed security system companies who offer free equipment simply make you pay for it in the form of high-cost monthly monitoring services. This isn't the case with the Protect America cost.
No Installation Fees
Unlike many other home security companies, Protect America does not charge installation fees. When you sign up for their services, you don't have to risk a burglar targeting your home before you can afford the cost of home security installation. You can get Protect America's protection right away.
Home Automation Features
At less than $20/month, you usually shouldn't expect your home security package to include home automation features; however, Protect America does include wireless control options. Through the company's app, customers are able to view camera footage and control their security system, door locks (additional equipment cost) and lights/appliances (additional equipment cost) from a smartphone.
Lifetime Equipment Warranty
All equipment is covered by a lifetime warranty, meaning Protect America will ship replacement parts for all defective equipment at no charge to the customer. As detailed above, Protect America equipment is also free, including one control panel, three door and window sensors, and one motion detector. In addition, Protect America alarm system provides monitoring through landline (least expensive), broadband, and cellular communication; it's a rarity for a security company to provide all three of these warranties in the residential security system industry. This type of superior customer service is another way Protect America has set itself apart from its competition.
24/7 Video Monitoring
Protect America has 24/7 live video monitoring for their security cameras. There is also a two-way voice capability service that enables communication on both ends.
Positive Protect America Reviews
As of November 2018, Protect America reviews are overwhelmingly positive, giving them a 4-star home security rating on BestCompany.com. Reaching nearly 2,000, Protect America reviews highlight exceptional customer service, quality equipment, and reasonable prices. Satisfactory Protect America reviews provide peace of mind that the home security company is respected by the majority of its current and past customers.
Time in Business
Protect America alarm system has been in business since 1992. Having a home security company that has ample amounts of experience in alarm systems and burglar & theft situations can give homeowners peace of mind that their home and family will be in good hands. Protect America has had decades to develop a home security system and alarm monitoring company that is efficient, trustworthy, and affordable.
The Bad
- Cellular Monitoring (Recommended) Starts at $41.99/Month
- 36-Month Contract
- Cancellation Terms
36-Month Contract
Perhaps the least appealing feature of the alarm company is its 36-month contract. While lengthy contracts aren't unusual in the home security system industry, many do-it-yourself providers similar to Protect America have nixed contracts completely; however, a somewhat lengthy contract is much more common for companies who offer the low-cost monitoring fees and free equipment like Protect America does. Read Protect America reviews below to see how customers feel about the lengthy contract and the home security provider as a whole.
Cancellation Terms
The terms of Protect America's contract aren't particularly forgiving either. If a customer decides to cancel their contract before the 36-month term, Protect America requires them to pay the full remaining balance. Many security providers only require customers to pay a percentage of the remaining balance. Consumers should make sure they carefully read the contract and fully understand the terms before they agree to a long-term agreement.
Cellular Monitoring
While Protect America flaunts monthly prices "as low as $19.99," the fine print informs us that this cost is for landline monitoring only. For customers who want cellular monitoring and remote access to their system, packages start at $41.99/month. The higher cost for the cellular monitoring is due to the increased services and features available (such as remote control of a security camera, real-time alerts from motion sensors and other home automation features) that are not available with landline monitoring only.
The Bottom Line
With an impressive array of free equipment, affordable monthly monitoring service, zero upfront costs, and a free moving option, the Protect America security system is one of the most affordable security systems on the market today. Protect America offers an attractive lifetime warranty on its equipment, a full range of monitoring options, as well as home automation features. However, if you are not interested in signing a two-year contract (which can become expensive if you wish to cancel early), Protect America may not be the best fit. However, consumers may feel more comfortable signing a long-term contract after they read Protect America reviews (shown below). These Protect America security reviews indicate that the home security provider beats out most of its competition in terms of value for price and customer service and satisfaction.
Call our recommended rep over at Protect America below.
1-(855) 969-9248
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User Reviews
We have tried 6 times over the last 4 months to attempt to cancel our service in conjunction with a move. Understand before you subscribe that it is nearly impossible to cancel the service. They intentionally make it convoluted and fail to follow through on commitments to provide follow up communication or correspondence.
They never contacted me in a timely manner. When they reached out, there was no answer on the telephone.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 10, 2018
Hey Gregory, we’re sorry to hear that we missed our appointment with you. At Protect America, our rule is to call within 5 minutes of the scheduled time and we take it very seriously. Could you please DM us some additional details so that we can get someone to reach out to you? Thanks and please let us know if you have any questions.
staff is excellent, software/online forms, poor!
They were overpriced and extremely pushy
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 10, 2018
Hey Brandi, we’re sorry to hear that our associates were being pushy. Our sales solutions specialists are passionate about our security solutions — nevertheless we do respect when you don't want to hear from us! While our premium professional monitoring rates may seem a little higher than some of our competitors various plans, we do offer up to $1400 of free equipment up-front, a locked-in rate, and a price match guarantee. Please feel free to direct message us or give us a call and we can get you our latest offer.
First I would like to say, In the ten years I had the service we never had an alarm go off. So I can not speak for the monitoring service. Everyone knows the app (android) is horrid. So I will not go into detail on that. What I will tell you it's almost impossible to cancel. So far I am on my 5th day calling. It usually takes about an hour on hold before someone picks up. Than you tell them you would like to cancel. Now she has to transfer you to someone else. That is where I am right now. 33minutes and counting on hold. Like the 4 previous days they will TELL YOU THEY NEED TO EMAIL YOU THE CANCELATION FORM. It never comes. So what I am doing tonight is staying on the phone with them until the email arrives. Finally after 5 days of trying the email came thru. Tonight was not bad. 52 minutes on hold. The other nights were longer. That's about 5 hours wasted on hold with this company. Never ever ever again. Please take your hard earned money and give it to someone else.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 07, 2018
Hey Antonio, thank you for taking the time to leave us feedback on your experience. At Protect America we strive to improve our service through valuable customer insight. It sounds like you have everything taken care of, but please feel free to DM us if you need anything else! Thanks and please let us know if you have any questions!
Verified Customer
Good service, good technology but the app to control not to good.
Verified Customer
Good customer service, reasonable cost, good equipment
Verified Customer
Their pricing for life, equipment-ease if use, and if course the customer service is fantastic.
Verified Customer
For one it'''s a self installed system and they want to charge you as if they are a full service company. Secondly you have to apply for and pay for your own alarm permit. Lastly, if you want to cancel your service you have to pay whatever your remaining balance is for the duration of your contract.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 05, 2018
Hey Karen, thank you for taking the time to leave us feedback on your experience. While we are a self- install security company, all of our equipment is preconfigured by our security experts to match your unique specifications. It comes ready to use right out of the box, so installing is generally only a matter of affixing it in place. If you’d like, please feel free to DM us with some additional details so that we may assist you with this. Thanks and please let us know if you have any other questions!
Verified Customer
There are no concerns on company's part though two of our sensors are not working.There are no personal visits. Not even one time. No telephone calls. This puts us off.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 05, 2018
Hey Kashyap, we’re sorry to hear that your sensors are malfunctioning. At Protect America we certainly want to correct any issues you might be having with our service! Could you please DM us with additional details so that we can assist you with these issues? Thanks and please let us know if you have any questions!
Verified Customer
Good price, very reasonable and willing to help all the time, so far I am happy with the service
Verified Customer
My system is not installed the way it should be and I am not using the features as intended. I am not a tech person so to expect me to be able to install and use a system with a phone call is not very realistic.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 05, 2018
Hey Kele, we’re sorry to hear that your equipment is not working as expected. At Protect America we have all of our equipment preprogrammed by our security experts to match your specifications. It should work out of the box without any need to tweak the settings. Could you DM us with some additional details so that we can assist you with your setup issues? Thanks and please let us know if you have any other questions.
Verified Customer
Reliability, convenience, fair price, are the things that stand out with my experience with Protect America.
Verified Customer
The customer service and the product are excellent.
Verified Customer
Terrible service and terrible plans. You don'''t save money with them, it costs more.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 05, 2018
Hey Dave, we appreciate you taking the time to leave us feedback. While our premium professional monitoring rates may seem a little higher than some of our competitors various plans, we do offer up to $1400 of free equipment up-front, a locked-in rate, and a price match guarantee. Please feel free to direct message us or give us a call and we can get you our latest offer
Verified Customer
Able to move residences with system, fairness of monthly service, support with setup
Verified Customer
Because it is very difficult to get to a customer service during business hours and after hours for non emergency needs.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 05, 2018
Hey Sardia, we’re sorry to hear that you have had a difficult time getting a hold of our customer care team. At Protect America we strive to eliminate hold times entirely and make it as easy as possible for our customers to get assistance. Would you mind direct messaging us some additional details so that we can get someone to help you with any issues you are experiencing? Thanks and please let us know if you have any questions.
Verified Customer
Alarm has went off on a couple occasions and I was never contacted that the alarm was activated. Also, there was a malfunction with the box and the screen wasnt working on a Sunday so I was unable to leave the house until Monday because technical support is only available Monday through Friday during normal business hours.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 05, 2018
Hey Amber, we’re sorry to hear that your equipment is not communicating properly and that your panel screen is malfunctioning. Our customers’ peace of mind while we protect their home is certainly our priority and we certainly want to correct any issues you might be having with our equipment. We do encourage regular testing of our equipment to make sure everything is working properly. Would you mind direct messaging us with additional details so that we can help resolve these issues? Thanks and please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns.
Verified Customer
They don't have anyone to install for you. Installing yourself is easy but the motion detector is difficult.
Verified Customer
Great customer service everyone was helpful and kind.
Verified Customer
Your app needs to be upgraded to world class app.
Verified Customer
Much too expensive for a DIY installed securtiy system...
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 05, 2018
Hey J, we appreciate you taking the time to leave us feedback. While our premium professional monitoring rates may seem a little higher than some of our competitors various plans, we do offer up to $1400 of free equipment up-front, a locked-in rate, and a price match guarantee. Also, all of our equipment is preprogrammed by a security expert to match your unique specifications before shipping it, making it ready to use right out of the box. Please feel free to direct message us or give us a call and we can get you our latest offer.
Verified Customer
Product is unreliable and control panel is difficult to use. If i had known how difficult it is, i would've never signed the contract, now i'm tied in for 3 years-- it's so bad i'm even considering paying the remainder of my contract just to move on. i'd rather go w/ something more user friendly like Nest or Simpli Safe.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 05, 2018
Hey Jane, we’re sorry to hear that you are having issues with our panel. At Protect America we have our security experts preprogram all of the equipment before shipping it. It should work as expected right out of the box. Could you DM us some additional details so that we can assist you with your panel? Thanks and please let us know if you have any questions.
To push, I asked to be removed from call list 5 times on one 6 hour period.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 04, 2018
Hey Ken, we’re sorry to hear that our sales solution representative was too pushy. Our sales solutions specialists are passionate about our security solutions - nevertheless we do respect when you don't want to hear from us! You can also request to be added to the do not call list via our website. Thanks and please let us know if you have any questions!
Because I called to get a price quote. But instead of asking me what I wanted the salesman wanted to tell me all about how great the company was and how important security was for my home. After several minutes I just hung up because the guy would not stop talking and I was calling on my lunch break. Like most people who can afford a security system I am a working professional with little time for chit chat. I had already researched the company and found them acceptable. I didn't need a sales pitch I needed product and installation information along with cost. I decided as he talked that I didn't need the product from Protect America after all.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 04, 2018
Hey Rebecca, we’re sorry to hear that a sales solutions specialist did not respect your time on the phone! At Protect America we strive to offer a friendly and enjoyable experience on the phone. If you’d like, feel free to DM us here if you have any questions, thanks!
What interaction? I've had no contact with them since I sent in a request for information and for someone to contact me. I believe that was over a week ago, maybe two weeks - I don't remember at this point.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 04, 2018
Hey Bruce, we’re sorry to hear that no one reached out to you with information! At Protect America we strive to continuously improve our response rate. If you requested information via email there’s a pretty good chance that the email ended up in the spam folder. Please feel free to DM us or give us a call if you have any questions!
they have called me 3 times a day EVERY DAY -- 2 rings and hang up. No message !
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 04, 2018
Hi there, thanks for taking the time to leave us feedback. Our sales solutions specialists are passionate about our security solutions - nevertheless we do respect when you don't want to hear from us! You can also request to be added to the do not call list from our website. We would love to help get you set up with a security system. Please feel free to direct message us or give us a call and we can get you our latest offer.
Everything thing went smooth to get it setup. Ease install
After 30 years with ADT, and it's predecessor companies (Brinks, etc.), I switched to Protect America, Inc. Similar service at half the price.
Helpful, Professional and knowledgeable employee Kimberly, helped with initial set up..
Verified Customer
Protect America provides value and quality of security. The system hasn't failed me yet. Anytime I've ever had a problem they've always been there to answer my questions and they're courteous, consummate professionals.
Verified Customer
It's much more inexpensive than the system we had. If we have a little problem, customer service walks us through it. I like the security because it's not anything that interferes with the way things work in your home. You have it but it's where you don't even know you have it, there are no wires and things around. They're reliable and the system is very convenient. They walk you through what to do to set it up over the phone.
Verified Customer
Customer service has always been able to answer questions in a timely manner and help with any problems that we've had. The security camera we have is kind of hazy and not the best quality. Everything else is fine. I like that they have an app.
Verified Customer
Pretty much everything has worked and right now it logs all that stuff just for the security and that everything is working. I like that it's wireless, no landline. Customer support needs to be more reachable. If I call into the company I can never really get ahold of somebody and am always put on hold.
Verified Customer
It's always coming off the walls and I think it's a little more expensive.
Verified Customer
They are really not helpful and do not follow through with the commitment. The things that go on the doors keep falling off. They locked me into a contract.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 04, 2018
Hey Arshad, we’re sorry to hear that we fell through on a commitment and that you are having trouble with our adhesive strips. At Protect America we put a lot of effort into responding to all of our customers concerns and we certainly want to resolve any issues you might be having. Could you please DM us with some additional details so that we can assist you with this? Thanks and please let us know if you have any questions.
When you’re a new customer they will answer you quick, once you’re an existing customer and are having issues with your system you need to reserve a whole day just to talk to them. I was on hold for over 2+ hrs and decided to hang up no answer what so ever.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Dec 07, 2018
Hey Lorena, we’re sorry to hear about your troubles getting a hold of us. At Protect America we do our best to reduce or eliminate hold times as much as possible. Could you please DM us with some additional details so that we can assist you in this matter? Thanks and please let us know if you have any questions!
Verified Customer
very professional - delivery was quick, everyone was very helpful
Verified Customer
Never any problems. They''re very reliable.
Verified Customer
Not very good or complete communication when there is a foul up with equipment.
Reply from Protect America
Protect America Nov 29, 2018
Hey Michael, we appreciate you taking the time to leave us feedback on your experience. At Protect America our customers’ peace of mind while we protect their home is certainly our priority. Please feel free to DM us with details of any issues you might be having so that we can assist you with them. Thanks and please let us know if you have any questions!