Honeywell Smart Home Security System Review: Lights, Camera, Wireless, And More

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Honeywell Home Security system (caption: Honeywell Home Security Review)

Honeywell is a leading brand for all types of residential equipment, and they also have a DIY, self-monitored home security system with a few impressive features. But with such stiff competition from rivals like Ring Alarm and Nest, is the Honeywell Home security system worth considering? We’ll help you decide.

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Honeywell Home Security

6.6
Customer Service & Reputation 6.0
Equipment 6.7
Technology 6.5
Value 6.5
Ease Of Use 7.5

Pros

  • Self-installation
  • Base station has a built-in 1080p camera
  • Motion-detection alerts
  • Facial recogition and voice activation
  • Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT

Cons

  • Doesn't offer professional monitoring
  • No cellular backup
  • Limited security and smart home equipment that's compatible with this system
  • Facial recognition is limited and glitchy
  • Several consumer complaints about poor customer support

Burglar breaking into home (Caption: Best Home Security Systems)Alternatives To Honeywell Home Security

Don’t like the score you’re seeing? Our experts have reviewed over a dozen providers to find the best home security systems this year. Choose one of our top picks and rest assured that your family is protected.

Honeywell Home Security Starter Kit9 Key Features

  1. Broadband (WiFi) monitoring with no cellular backup
  2. One of the few companies that includes a camera in their starter kit
  3. Base station camera is 1080p HD and has built-in Amazon Alexa, facial recognition, and a siren
  4. Honeywell is not BBB accredited and has a D- rating
  5. Motion sensors are pet friendly with smart infrared technology
  6. Honeywell app lets you monitor your devices while away
  7. One-year warranty
  8. Compatible with some Z-Wave third-party lights and switches
  9. Customer service options: live chat, FAQs, email, and phone

Battery Backup

The base station and sensors all have built-in lithium-ion batteries, so they’ll still work locally if your power goes out. However, when the power goes out in your home, your WiFi goes out as well. And this system has no backup to its broadband (WiFi) monitoring.

Most security companies have cellular as a form of monitoring backup, but Honeywell Home does not. So if your location experiences any disruption in its internet connection (power outage, intruder cuts the power line, internet service provider issues, etc.), you can’t monitor your system remotely. 

7 App Features

Android App | iOS App

Honeywell Home Security app

Below are functions you can control within the Honeywell home security app. Please know that to use some of the features, you must have specific equipment. For example, you can’t get water leak or freeze alerts unless you have the WiFi water leak and freeze sensor.

  1. Arm/disarm system
  2. View real-time status of sensors
  3. Live video streaming 24/7 and view stored video footage
  4. Get activity alerts
  5. Geofencing — can set motion detection zones and set the system to automatically arm and disarm when you’re coming and going
  6. Control heating and cooling
  7. Get water leak and freeze alerts

Pricing & Clip Storage Options

Honeywell Home offers several packages, or you can build your own system. However, the base station is required to use any sensors.

 Starter KitStarter Kit w/ C1 Camera BundleSuper Smart Home Starter Kit
Price $129.00 $499$699
Base Station $44.99 Green checkmarkGreen checkmarkGreen checkmark
Window/Door Sensors (2) $35.99 eachGreen checkmarkGreen checkmarkGreen checkmark
Key Fob Check Amazon for availability Green checkmarkGreen checkmarkGreen checkmark
C1 Security Camera  Green checkmarkGreen checkmark
T5 Smart Thermostat   Green checkmark
WiFi Water Leak & Freeze Sensor $107.45   Green checkmark
Motion Sensor $69.99    
Indoor Motionviewer $29.45    
Outdoor Motionviewer Check Amazon for availability    

Cloud Storage

  • Free: 24 hours (50 video clips) of storage for one camera
  • Standard at $4.99/month: 30 days (1,500 clips) of storage for one camera
  • Premium at $14.99/month: 60 days (3,000 clips) of storage for an unlimited number of cameras

What Do People Think Of Honeywell Home Security?

Positive Reviews

Honeywell solution is good and basic with additional sensors for doors and windows. The base station has a built-in camera microphone and speaker, the speaker is Alexa capable for Amazon services. I have not used that function. The camera has a wide field of view with a clear HD picture. It can send you alerts when motion is detected along with alerts for when the sensors detect that a door or window was opened. Initially I had a problem with one of the sensors which required me to remove the battery and reset it before I was able to use it successfully. Overall this is a pretty good starter solution for those that want to basic home security system that is expandable with additional sensors and cameras. It was very easy to set up, you must download the mobile app to set up the system. – Bappy, Best Buy 9/2019

One of the most useful (to me) and quite frankly, most fun aspects of this Honeywell security system, was being able to give the base unit voice commands – you can find a list of commands in the device settings. There are also corresponding lights and sounds, depending on the particular mode setting. – Janine, Best Buy 9/2019

Complaints

This system states that it can connect with other smart devices. We have a Honeywell Wi-Fi enabled thermostat that is controlled through another Honeywell smartphone app, but it does NOT work with this security system… I would suggest doing some pre-purchase homework if you have other devices that you are hoping to integrate with this system. Would I recommend the Smart Home Security system…at this time, no, as it has too many inherent flaws that really need to be addressed before this can become a truly useful device that you can rely on rather than a cute piece of buggy technology that you just play with… Honeywell…try harder, you used to be a top notch company years ago. – pillboy, Best Buy 9/2019

Some real shortcomings out of the box that may have you reconsider your choices is a lack of professional monitoring as an option, or cellular backup. It is really a simple self-contained solution, but one that is really small in its offering for the asking price, and a bit of a mixed bag for what you get. To feel complete for a small house, I will need another camera for a separate level, an exterior camera and at least two more sensors for other doors to complete a ‘base’ package, but that would bump the costs to almost $900. There are too many vendors offering similar parts and pieces or entire packages for less that are more feature-rich, I’m not sure that the benefits exist yet with this particular system to justify the costs. – jestro88, Best Buy 9/2019

How To Use The Base Station

Watch this brief video to see how you can use Honeywell Home’s base station and the app.

About Honeywell & Its History

Residio is Honeywell’s residential security and smart home equipment parent company and has been in business for over 130 years. The Honeywell brand is a well-known worldwide name for all sorts of residential equipment, with products in an estimated 150 million homes. More than 6.7 million customers use Resideo’s connected devices in their homes, which provide them access to controls, monitoring, and alerts.

What’s Our Final Verdict?

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This Honeywell Home security system could be a good solution if you live in a small apartment, but it lacks a lot of equipment for whole-home security (depending on what you’re looking for). The base station is its biggest plus, with the built-in camera, voice control, and other nice features. But the lack of cellular monitoring backup is a big detractor from making this one of your safest choices.

If you’re looking for an easy DIY security system that offers self-monitoring or even optional professional monitoring, we think you have better solutions at an overall more affordable price tag. See our reviews of the best self-monitored security systems and best monitored alarm systems to discover alternatives.

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The information provided through this website should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease; it is not intended to offer any legal opinion or advice or a substitute for professional safety advice or professional care. Please consult your health care provider, attorney, or product manual for professional advice. Products and services reviewed are provided by third parties; we are not responsible in any way for them, nor do we guarantee their functionality, utility, safety, or reliability. Our content is for educational purposes only.

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