Best Toledo, Ohio Home Security & Alarm Companies 2023

Toledoans are sometimes described as the “salt of the earth” because of their simple and welcoming nature. Friendly neighbors, approachable strangers, and welcoming hosts are only some of what you’ll see in one of Ohio’s largest cities.

But no matter how welcoming you are, there are people you shouldn’t let in—burglars included. How will you keep them out?

Best National Home Alarm Companies in Toledo

There are plenty of national home alarm companies to choose from, but there are only a few we can recommend. Protect America and Frontpoint are examples.

Protect America is one of our favorites because they offer a flexible approach to home security. You may choose to use their equipment or to have them monitor your existing security system. Also, it’s up to you to decide whether you want them to monitor your system using a landline, the internet, or using a cellular signal.

Landline is the cheapest method for monitoring, but it is also the least secure, as wires can be cut to deactivate your system. That said, we recommend cellular monitoring. The problem is, adding a cellular chip to your system isn’t cheap. The monitoring cost jumps from $19.99/month (entry level; landline) to $41.99/month (entry level; cellular). But of course there are benefits: you won’t have to pay for a phone line, your system will transmit data faster, be less susceptible to brownouts, and cannot be disconnected using a pair of wire cutters.

Protect America also offers home automation. If you’re paying for cellular or broadband monitoring, you will gain access to home automation services. The bad news is you’ll have to pay an extra $10 per month to add video monitoring. Also, their home automation app SMART Connect isn’t rated highly by users.

One potential downside is that Protect America doesn’t include fire monitoring unless you are willing to pay an extra $9.99/month. You can learn more here.

With Frontpoint, all of their plans include cellular monitoring and fire protection. Frontpoint’s entry level monitoring plan costs $34.99/month. Upgrading your monitoring plan adds more features. For example, upgrading to the Interactive or Ultimate plan unlocks Crash & Smash Protection, a technology patented by Alarm.com. With it, the monitoring center will be notified when a burglar or fire destroys your control panel. Both plans will also give you access to automation features. The Interactive plan will allow you to control your system via your smartphone and add some smart home gadgets. The Ultimate plan will let you add and monitor security cameras.

Frontpoint gains the upper hand when it comes to customer service. They are men and women of their word. Unlike other security companies, the price they tell you will be the price you pay—no hidden charges. Also, they are friendly and usually helpful when it comes to troubleshooting or helping you out with your system.

Local Home Alarm Companies

Guardian Alarm has branches all over Michigan, Ohio, and some parts of Florida. They offer residential and commercial security systems, security guard services, and life safety solutions.

Their residential monitoring plans are a little pricier than Frontpoint, but the features are similar. Their basic plan ($42.95) includes monitoring with cellular backup. Their standard ($49.95) plan adds internet monitoring, smartphone control, and life safety monitoring. Their most expensive plan ($59.95) adds home automation and energy management.

If you sign up for any of these plans, you will be given free equipment: a touchscreen keypad, 3 contact sensors, a wireless remote, a pet sensitive motion sensor, a siren, a yard sign and decals. You can also add more equipment if needed.

Crime In Toledo

Toledo only submits burglary and vehicle theft data to the FBI, so there’s no way of knowing the city’s actual property crime rate. There was a reported total of 4,714 burglaries in the city last year. That’s 16.77 burglaries per 1,000 residents, which is alarmingly high. Even without the data on theft, there’s still a 1 in 49.54 chance a resident of Toledo will become a victim of either burglary or motor vehicle theft.

Most Dangerous Neighborhoods

• Western Ave/Curtis St.
• Monroe St. & N. Erie
• N. Detroit Ave & Lagrange
• Buckeye St. & Champlain St.
• Lagrange & Water St.

Safest Neighborhoods

• North Mccord Rd/West Central Avenue
• Chettenham Rd/Kenwood Blvd
• South Byrne Rd/Glendale Ave
• South Detroit Ave/Copland Blvd
• Flanders Rd/West Alexis Rd

So what do you think Toledo? How do you plan to stay safe?

Featured photo: Warehouse South Heron – 02 by Austin Beeman used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.