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Best Charleston, South Carolina Home Security & Alarm Companies 2023

Here's what we found when we analyzed home security providers and crime data in Charleston

Recommended Home Security Providers in Charleston

Affordable Option
  • Home Automation
  • Recommended to protect against threats of fire
  • Simple Professional Install
  • Options with Video Cameras
Best for Renters
  • Wireless Install
  • Perfect for Renters
  • Known for quick response time
  • Recommended in Areas with High Violent Crime
Best Integration Options
  • Wireless Install
  • Best value option
  • Simple Wireless Install
  • Recommended in Areas with High Property Crime

Our Analysis of Safety in Charleston

The level of crime in Charleston is quite low, with 25.9 incidents for every one thousand residents. When measured against other U.S. cities, Charleston ranks in the 28th percentile and is statistically safer than the median.

Crimes against property are average in Charleston. 23.79 property incidents occur for every one thousand citizens each year, placing Charleston in the 51st percentile. The city’s average property-related crime is somewhat of an exception when compared to South Carolina — and the nation as a whole.

Charleston experiences below average person crime — the city places in the 48th percentile for offenses against people. For every one thousand people, there are approximately 2.1 crimes against people. However, Charleston's rates do not reflect crime levels in the state of South Carolina — nor does the United States nationwide.

The greatest share of criminality is property crime, including burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. In Charleston, homicide offenses are the most recurrent incidents against individuals. arson is the city’s most numerous property crime.

With its quite low crime levels, Charleston has a moderate officer-to-civilian ratio, with 3.89 law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents. That's one officer to protect 257 residents.

Besides crime rates, the rate of criminality is another critical safety gauge. Charleston has lower than average crime frequency, with 0.4 offenses occurring every hour. A crime occurs every 2 hours in Charleston. Specifically, a property offense happens every 3 hours and crimes against people occur roughly once every 30 hours.

Data sourced from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2017 (last available dataset)
136,845
Arson
3.895
Top 40% Percentile
0.405
Top 20% Percentile
23.793
Top 40% Percentile
2.105
Top 40% Percentile

Recommended Option for Limited Budgets

Wherever you are, the equipment pricing and monthly cost will always be one of the top priorities when deciding between security systems. For this reason, we sent tasked our researchers to determine which security companies have the lowest equipment and monitoring cost in Charleston, SC yet offer high quality equipment, monitoring, and customer service. To do this, they gathered information about monitoring plans, deals, and promotions offered by alarm companies in Charleston, SC and stacked them against each other based on the overall security value that the companies provide. Their research shows that Link Interactive is the lowest priced option in Charleston, SC.

If you do your own research, it's possible for you to find less expensive deals than what Link Interactive offers. Take note that for this research, we decided to exclude companies with subpar equipment, monitoring, or customer service. It's also possible that you've found a rare promotion by one of the alarm companies in your area. If that's the case, this home security guide we've put together will help you decide whether the offer is worth grabbing or not. If we've reviewed the company before, the guide will also lead you to our review.

Overall, we are confident that Link Interactive is the lowest priced company in Charleston, SC with high quality equipment, monitoring, and customer service. If you want to learn more about Link Interactive first before buying anything (highly recommended!), be sure to check out our Link Interactive review. Alternatively, you can learn more about Link Interactive pricing, deals, and promotions here.

Recommended for Renter

For families and individuals that rent in Charleston, SC finding your home security solution is within reach. Today, there are several home security companies that are designing systems to meet the specific needs that come with renting a house or an apartment.

As a renter, you’ll need a home security provider that offers wireless equipment to ensure there’s no damage to walls as a result of drilling into walls. Plus, you’ll also want a provider that offers home monitoring plansprofessional monitoring servicesprofessional monitoring plans that won’t penalize you for moving with extra moving fees or penalities. Because of this, selecting a home security system as a renter in Charleston, SC means doing your research.

Renting a home in Charleston, SC also comes with certain fears and challenges. To evaluate your personal security needs and how to best protect your home, it’s important to understand the threats you face as a resident of Charleston, SC.

Home Alarm Report thoroughly studied Charleston, SC’s crime levels to understand the most common crimes and why they occur. Then, we compared the best home security manufacturers in Charleston, SC to see if their systems equipped renters with the necessary features, technology, and equipment to combat these threats.

After completing this extensive analysis, Home Alarm Report recommends Protect America as the top home security provider for renters in Charleston, SC.

Home Alarm Report concluded that Protect America is ideal for those who rent their homes in the Charleston, SC area for a few reasons. While many other well-known home security brands are made for homeowners exclusively, Protect America is different.

Protect America’s customer service is top-notch and will treat you just as well as a homeowner. In addition, our review shows that their cost-effective pricing is among the most competitive in the Charleston, SC area.

For more information on Protect America, you may call (855) 251-3641 and talk to an agent or visit their website to get an online quote.

Feeling safe in your home is just as much of a priority for renters as it is for homeowners—Protect America ensures your protection.

Recommended Option for Integration Options

Third-party integrations are vital in the home security. A simple security system can offer basic security features, but only with integrations can you build a smart security system. That said, we recommend Brinks to you if you're searching for a security system in Charleston, SC that supports third-party integration.

The security systems from Brinks are known to integrate well with select third-party smart home products. What's nice about these integrations is that they let you control and automate smart home products from other brands using the same platform you use to control your security system. Imagine having the ability to turn on your lights using the same device you use to interact with your security system, whether it's the control panel or your smartphone. Of course, third-party integrations with Brinks offer more functions than allowing you to control third-party smart home products. They also allow you to create relationships between your security system and third-party products to make your home smarter and more responsive. As an example, Brinks lets you create automation rules that activate certain actions when a trigger event occurs. Putting this type of integration into action, your smart home will be able to automatically set the indoor temperature into energy saving mode the moment you leave the house and disarm your security system.

Third-party integrations can more than just make your life easier. Some integrations are designed to improve your home security. For example, if you frequently forget to arm your system before leaving, you can create an automated rule that arms your system automatically every time you lock your smart lock-equipped front door.

Those are just a couple of examples of how an integrated system can help you, and if you want to learn more about how Brinks can make your life easier and more secure, check out our Brinks review. Here you will find Brinks deals and pricing to help you get started.

Charleston Home Security Providers

Here is a complete list of providers available in Charleston:
ProviderHAR ScoreWebsiteInstall TypePhoneMonitoring TypeBusiness Service
Frontpoint8.7www.frontpointsecurity.comDIY(833) 606-4477ProfessionalYes
ADT9.4www.adt.comProfessional(844) 741-8968ProfessionalYes
Alder7.2www.alder.comDIY(866) 717-8611ProfessionalNo
Link Interactive8.5www.linkinteractive.comDIY(877) 826-5443ProfessionalNo
Brinks7.5brinkshome.comProfessional or DIY(866) 305-6806ProfessionalYes
Ring9.5ring.comDIY(800) 656-1918Professional or Self-MonitoredNo
Protect America7.8www.protectamerica.comDIY(800) 951-5111ProfessionalYes
Simplisafe8.5simplisafe.comProfessional or DIY(800) 297-1605Professional or Self-MonitoredNo
Vivint7.8www.vivint.comProfessional(801) 377-9111ProfessionalNo
abode7.5goabode.comProfessional or DIY(650) 443-7834Professional or Self-MonitoredNo
Xfinity Home Security8www.xfinity.comProfessional(877) 591-2503ProfessionalYes
Lifeshield7.5www.lifeshield.comProfessional or DIY(877) 632-7657ProfessionalNo
Swann7www.swann.com/usDIY(562) 906-3983Self-MonitoredNo
Fortress Security7.5www.fortresssecuritystore.comDIY(206) 981-5371Professional or Self-MonitoredNo
iSmartAlarm7www.ismartalarm.comDIY(408) 245-2551Self-MonitoredNo
My Alarm Center7.5myalarmcenter.comProfessional(855) 334-6562ProfessionalYes
Ooma8www.ooma.comDIY(888) 711-6662Self-MonitoredNo
LivSecure7.8www.livsecure.comDIY(844) 349-7233ProfessionalNo
Alarm Grid8.5www.alarmgrid.comDIY(888) 818-7728Professional or Self-MonitoredYes
Cove8.3www.covesmart.comDIY(855) 268-3669Professional or Self-MonitoredYes
Protection One7.3www.protection1.comProfessional(877) 776-1911ProfessionalYes
Canary8.5canary.isDIYSelf-MonitoredNo
Centurylink7.5www.centurylink.comProfessional(888) 723-8010ProfessionalYes
AT&T Digital Life7.8my-digitallife.att.comProfessional(855) 288-2727ProfessionalNo
Scout Alarm7.3www.scoutalarm.comDIY(844) 287-2688Professional or Self-MonitoredNo
Uxari7.8uxari.comDIY(877) 877-9788ProfessionalNo
GetSafe8getsafe.comDIY(888) 799-6255ProfessionalNo
Alarm Relay8www.alarmrelay.comDIY(800) 624-6866ProfessionalNo
CPI Security7cpisecurity.comProfessional(855) 274-0208ProfessionalYes