Cove Review 2023

The Good

Founded in 2018, Cove is a young alarm company with a unique approach to home security. It offers DIY installed security systems paired with contract-free professional monitoring. It also offers its products and services in flexible payment terms.

The Bad

Cove doesn't have as much experience as most alarm companies. On top of that, it lacks home automation offers and its security system only integrates with one security camera.

Bottom Line

Cove is off to a good start. They have enough products for home security, flexible monitoring and and equipment offerings, and a strong customer service. Let's just hope they can keep it up.

Equipment & Monitoring Packages

Cove doesn't offer pre-built equipment packages, but their sales process involves a series of questions that they use in order to make a recommendation. Once the recommendation is ready, you can add or remove devices from it.

Next, you will choose how you want to pay for the equipment. This step will determine the cost of monitoring and whether you'll need to sign a contract or not. If you pay for the equipment in full upfront, there won't be any contract and you'll get a subsidized monitoring plan pricing. If you choose to pay a lower equipment fee, you'll be asked to sign a three-year contract and Cove will offer you a higher monitoring fee.

So how much will monitoring cost you? Cove offers two pricing plans: Basic and Plus. The difference between the two is that Value offers smartphone access, lifetime equipment warranty, and a $5 monthly credit that you can spend on additional equipment. When it comes to other features, the two plans are the same.

If you pay the equipment in full, Cove will offer you the Basic plan for $14.99/month and the Plus plan for $24.99/month with no contract obligations. If you pay a lower equipment fee, there will be a 3-year contract and the monitoring plans will cost you $24.99/month and $34.99/month respectively.

About that contract, Cove isn't as unforgiving as most alarm companies if you decide to terminate the contract prematurely. You won't be required to pay for the remaining months of your contract. Instead, you simply need to buyout the equipment. For example, if you paid $60 upfront for a system that is worth $360, you'll only need to pay $300 upon termination regardless of the number of months remaining.

Equipment Pricing

As a Cove customer, you can expand your system anytime you want, especially if you're on the Value plan because it gives you $5 equipment credit every month. Should you decide to add more devices to your system, here's how much each device will cost you.

• Door Sensor: $15.00
• Motion Sensor: $30
• Window Sensor: $15
• Glass Break Detector: $35
• Panic Button: $20
• Security Key Fob: $25
• Flood Sensor: 20
• Smoke & Heat Sensor: $30
• Carbon Monoxide Detector: $50

Key Features & Tech

Cove's monitoring plans have four key features aimed towards making your home more secure: LiveAssist, Smash & Grab Protection, InstaTexts, and Automated System Checks. All four features are available to Basic and Value plan subscribers.

LiveAssist

During an emergency, Cove will try to call your phone. At the same time, they'll initiate a two-wave voice call with your control panel. If you happen to be close to your control panel, you can speak to a live agent then and there.

InstaText

Besides calling you, Cove also sends text alerts. What makes its text alert unique is that you can reply to it to ask for help. This is helpful in times when taking a call isn't convenient, such as if you're hiding from an intruder.

Smash & Grab

Smash & Grab is what alarm companies call the technique professional burglars use to deactivate alarm systems. They break-in, head straight to the control panel, and smash it or grab it off the wall to prevent it from sending an alarm signal. This works because most alarm panels have a 10 to 30 seconds delay before sending an alert to give their users enough time to enter their PIN and prevent false alarms. With Cove, there is still a programmable delay feature, but as soon as a sensor is triggered, the control panel sends a soft alarm to the monitoring center, which will only clear if the correct PIN is entered within the delay period. If the intruder breaks the control panel, the delay will eventually run out and the soft alarm will turn into an active alert.

Automated System Checks

To ensure that your system is in optimal condition, Cove's alarm panel performs automated system checks. If something's amiss, like when a sensor is offline or when the power is cut, Cove will send you a notification so you can fix the problem immediately.

Camera Integration

In addition to those four key features, Cove's security systems integrate with a particular security camera: the Yi 1080p Home Camera. You can buy the camera directly from Cove, but each customer is limited to three cameras only. The good news is you can add a camera whether you're on the Basic or Value plan. The bad news is the integration is limited. You can't make rules that will make the camera record when your system is triggered. You can only view the cameras and use its local video storage.

Customer Service & Support

Cove may be new, but they’ve already made a name for themselves as a company that offers good customer service with customer-friendly policies.

Contracts

Cove offers professional monitoring, but they don’t tie their customers to long-term contracts. If you pay the full price of your equipment up front, you can cancel anytime. There is a 36-month contract if you choose to lower your upfront payment, but there are no hefty penalty fees if you cancel before the contract ends. Instead, you cash out your equipment. Other security companies charge a penalty equal to your monthly subscription fee multiplied by the number of months remaining in your contract.

On top of that, they offer Cove with a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you don’t like the system, you can ship it back for a full refund.

Moving Policy

Next, as Cove is a completely wire-free system, it’s easy to move to a new residence. Simply inform Cove before your move and ask them to update your address.

Accessible Customer Support

In case you need help with your system, whether troubleshooting, maintenance, or installation, you can count on self-help videos and articles on Cove’s website. You can also use the live chat feature on their website. They are available Mondays through Fridays from 9 AM to 6 PM MST. For more urgent concerns, they also have email and phone support.