What Is Brinks?

Who is Brinks Home Security?

The brand Brinks gained popularity in the early 2000s, but in 2009, it rebranded to Broadview and then merged with ADT the following year. In 2018, however, Brinks was revived through a trademark licensing deal. The Brinks that we know now encompasses two alarm companies formerly known as LiveWatch and MONI.

MONI was never highly rated on our site because it uses policies we felt were not as customer friendly as other options. Its shaky reputation was one of the reasons why they rebranded to MONI from its former brand name Monitronics. LiveWatch, on the other hand, had been consistently ranking well on our site. It offers high-tech equipment backed by reliable monitoring, but one of its greatest issues has always been its lack of consistency when it comes to pricing and offers. Fortunately, after the merger and major rebranding, things turned out better for both MONI and LiveWatch.

Why They’re Different

Brinks is notable for several reasons. For one, it offers equipment financing with 0% APR. Instead of paying for the equipment up-front, you can divide the cost into 36 monthly payments. Brinks also offers a longer than normal warranty period. All equipment sold by Brinks is covered by a 2-year replacement warranty.

ASAPer is another unique feature. ASAPer is a communication software that quickly and conveniently connects you to your emergency contacts, the monitoring center, and the authorities in case of an emergency.

Finally, Brinks is unique because Nest entrusted them the professional monitoring of their Nest Secure security system. Currently, Brinks is the only alarm company that provides professional monitoring services to Nest Secure users. In addition, you can purchase Nest Secure directly from Brinks at a highly discounted price.

Who’s It For?

Brinks adapts to its customers and it's for homeowners and renters alike. They offer professional installation if you want a technician to come install your security system, but you also have the option to self-install your equipment. Brinks' flexibility extends to their equipment pricing. With Brinks, you can choose to pay for the equipment in full upfront and receive a lower monthly rate or have your equipment financed and pay it on a monthly basis. If you go with the financing option, the equipment price will be added on top of your monthly monitoring fee, resulting to a higher monthly rate.

Brinks extends even greater flexibility to Nest Secure users because Brinks' Nest Secure monitoring plan is contract-free. Nest Secure users are free to come and go, and terminating the service won't incur hefty early termination penalties.

Key Features & Tech:

• Nest Secure Professional Monitoring
• Qolsys IQ Panel 2
• Mobile App
• ASAPer
• Home Automation
• Cameras

Qolsys IQ Panel 2

Brinks primary equipment offer is a system built around the Qolsys IQ Panel 2. This control panel, which is made by Qolsys, is one of the most advanced control panels in the home security market. It has several standout features, including a full touchscreen display, local weather reports, two-way audio, and a built-in siren, glass break sensor, and camera. The camera is particularly interesting because it enables one of IQ Panel 2's best features: Disarm Photos. Whenever your system is disarmed via the control panel, the camera takes a photo and sends it to you via email. Disarm Photos are also added to the panel's history log.

Mobile App

The control panel communicates with the Brinks Home Security mobile app. The app, offered to all Brinks security system users, has an Android and iOS version and offers the ability to remotely arm or disarm the control panel. It also offers other features, such as smart home control (control connected thermostats, locks, etc.), security camera monitoring (stream live videos, playback recordings, etc.), and account management.

Currently, the app holds a 3.8-star out of 5 stars rating on Apple's App Store and 4.0-star rating on Google Play.

ASAPer

Besides the Brinks Home Security mobile app, Brinks offers access to ASAPer, an interactive messaging hub that connects you to your family, emergency contacts, and Brinks' monitoring center during an emergency. You can access ASAPer using any device that has access to a browser and users can send and receive messages via text, email, web chat, or voice call. From the web interface, you can also conveniently waive off an alert as a false alarm or inform the monitoring center that it's a real emergency.

Home Automation

Brinks also supports home automation. The Qolsys IQ Panel 2 is compatible with a wide range of Z-Wave home automation devices, from locks and lights to thermostats and garage door controllers. You can buy purchase smart home products directly from Brinks, but if you have other Z-Wave products at home, you might also be able to add them to your system.

Cameras

You can also add cameras to your Brinks system. Brinks offers an indoor 1080p camera, an indoor dome camera, an outdoor 1080p camera, and SkyBell HD video doorbell. All of them can stream to your phone or to your IQ Panel 2 and record events. However, not all Brinks customers can access security cameras. It's reserved to those who are subscribed to Brinks' Home Complete With Video monitoring plan. More on that later.

Nest Secure Professional Monitoring

As mentioned earlier, Brinks also offers Nest Secure. Nest Secure is a hybrid security system. You can purchase it from Nest or you may also get it directly from Brinks. If you don't want to pay hundreds of dollars up-front, Brinks can divide the system's price to 36 monthly payments.

Brinks' pricing for Nest Secure professional monitoring is different from their pricing plan for Qolsys IQ Panel 2 monitoring. The features are also different. Instead of the Brinks Home Security mobile app, Nest Secure users use the Nest App and they don't get access to ASAPer. Also, while they have access to home automation and video surveillance features, the smart home products and cameras offered by Brinks are incompatible. Nest Secure users can only access home automation and camera features using a Nest-branded product (i.e. Nest Protect, Nest Thermostat, Nest Cams) and third-party devices that are part of the Works With Nest program.

Monitoring Options

Brinks offers two-types of monitoring plans. The first type is exclusively for Brinks home security system users. Starting at $29/month with a 36-month service agreement, Home Complete offers smartphone app access, ASAPer, professional monitoring service, LiveVoice assist via two-way voice, and smart home access. There's also a more expensive plan called Home Complete With Video that offers the same features as Home Complete plus security camera access.

The second type of monitoring service is being offered only to Nest Secure users. If you have a Nest Secure system, or if you buy one for Brinks, you can pay for professional monitoring starting at $29/moth. This amount covers professional monitoring plus all other Nest Secure mentioned above. Sadly, this is the only monitoring plan for Nest Security users. On the bright side, it's contract-free, so you're free to cancel the service anytime without any cancellation penalty.

For more information on Brinks' monitoring plan features and pricing, check out our in-depth review of Brinks' deals, promotions, and pricing plan.

Hardware & Technology

The star of the Brinks security system is the Qolsys IQ Panel 2, but it's backed by a supporting cast of sensors and accessories. Below, you'll find a list of other products sold by Brinks. Take note that adding a security camera requires that you're on the Home Complete With Video monitoring plan.

• Door/Window Sensors
• Motion Sensors
• Garage Door Tilt Sensors
• Glass Break Sensors
• Key Fobs
• Indoor Cameras
• Outdoor Cameras
• Image Sensors
• Smoke Detectors
• CO Sensor
• Flood Sensor
• Freeze Sensor
• Home Automation Devices

Besides equipment that works with the Brinks security system, Brinks also sells several Nest products:

• Nest Hello Doorbell
• Nest Cam Indoor
• Nest Cam Outdoor
• Nest Learning Thermostat

Customer Experience

Brinks holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and it offers several customer support channels. You can reach Brinks via a phone call, text message, email, snail mail, or even live chat.  However, judging by the reviews from former LiveWatch customers who were transferred over to Brinks, it seems like Brinks adopted MONI's customer service culture. Many have noted that their experience as customers has gone downhill.

On the plus side, Brinks offers customer-friendly policies, like price-lock guarantee, a decent return policy, and a moving policy that lets you move without penalties.