The Best Home Security System Is Modular (2026)

One morning, about seven years ago, I awoke to the sound of my cell phone buzzing on my bedside table. As I sat up and the world slowly began to come into focus, I heard a high-pitched siren—something I had never heard in our year of living in the house—coming from somewhere downstairs. I answered my phone. “Hello, this is Officer [redacted] from the [my town’s] Police Department. I understand there’s been an emergency?" asked a man’s voice, a car engine revving in the background. "Do you need assistance?” Just then, my kindergarten-age son burst through our bedroom door in a panic. Apparently, he had woken up early, gone into the garage for some reason lost to time, triggered the alarm, and forgotten our garage's smart lock code to get back inside the house. He eventually remembered, but it was too late. An agent with our home security system, SimpliSafe, called to see if it was a false alarm, and, after receiving no response, dispatched the police. I immediately explained the situation to the officer, saving him a trip to the house, but I was heartened to know my security system, which I had installed myself in minutes with no tools when we first moved in, had done its job. Even so, the event rattled me enough to inspire an up-leveling in our setup. In the years that have passed since that morning, I've expanded my SimpliSafe system. I now have a smoke alarm listener for our hardwired network of smoke alarms, a smart CO 2 detector, an outdoor camera with a monitoring plan, and an additional smart lock that I added to my front door. All of these add-ons were easy for me to install myself and did not add to the monthly monitoring fee, which is also not locked into any length of contract, unlike competitors like ADT. My SimpliSafe journey hasn't been entirely smooth sailing, especially with the smart lock and outdoor camera (more on that below), but if you’re intimidated by the idea of owning or installing a security system, SimpliSafe and its DIY ecosystem may be up your alley. Taking Care of Business The heart of the SimpliSafe system is its base station, which looks a bit like an essential oil diffuser, plus a keypad, from which you can arm and disarm the alarm and monitor add-on components. You can also do this using the connected app. I keep the base tucked away in a cabinet, but you can situate it anywhere with an outlet (it also operates on battery backup in case of a power outage), and mount the keypad near a door with the included adhesive strip. The system is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home and runs on 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi.