ADT Equipment Guide: Sensors, Cameras, and More
ADT Equipment Guide: Sensors, Cameras, and More
ADT dominates the industry because it's the oldest security company on the block. The company has a good selection of equipment, and the mobile app is easy to use, but the higher costs might turn some folks away. We also like its compatibility with home automation devices.
The company has a good selection of ADT Command equipment, and the Google Home app is easy to use, but the high costs might turn some folks away. We also like its compatibility with home automation devices.
We’ll teach you about ADT equipment, what it costs, and what it works with. For information about ADT's professional monitoring, customer service, and installation, head over to our full ADT review.
ADT-compatible equipment in this list
It isn't always easy to find pricing figures for ADT equipment because systems are customized for each customer and some areas may have different equipment available. We don't have complete equipment pricing in this article, but we included the information we have. When you speak with a salesperson, always ask for a full breakdown of the equipment costs and how they affect your monthly monitoring fee.
Base ADT equipment
| Equipment | Wireless touchscreen | Motion sensor | Door and window sensor |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it looks like |  |
 |
 |
| Purpose | Control system and settings, Communicate with monitoring center, Arm/disarm system, Backup battery |
Detect motion using infrared light | Detect when doors or windows open and close |
| Learn more | View Packages | View packages | View Packages |
Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Each ADT plan comes with a home security starter kit that includes a touchscreen control panel, a motion detector, and three contact sensors. (Additional motion detectors and contact sensors are available for $100 and $50, respectively.)
Depending on the monitoring plan you choose, some upper-tier plans also come with options to add a smart door lock, security camera, and video doorbell.
You'll get the most out of the ADT touchscreen panel with a cellular connection and mobile compatibility. It connects with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant*, so you can control it with your voice to arm, disarm (Alexa only), or make adjustments in the sensors or your smart equipment.
The alarm panel is multilingual and connects to your other smart home devices. We also like the 12-hour battery backup that kicks in when the power goes out, keeping your home safe during storms or other power outages.
Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Security cameras
ADT also sells security cameras and a video doorbell. The company's partnership with Google Nest means you have access to Nest's excellent cameras from your ADT account.
ADT's top two monitoring plans offer Nest Aware video monitoring with ADT security cameras, and you can watch your home live or check recordings in the backlog.
When your ADT security system's sensors or cameras detect motion, you'll get a notification so you can tune in and see what the camera sees. This way, you can tell if it's just your pooch prowling around the house or a real emergency.
Learn more in our ADT security camera guide.
In addition to the Nest thermostat and security cameras, ADT also sells the Google Nest Mini, Google Nest Hub Max, and Google Nest Wifi.
Third-party smart home devices that work with ADT
Provided you pay for ADT's home automation as part of your monitoring service—$49.99 a month for ADT Smart, $59.99 a month for ADT Complete—it's compatible with plenty of smart home devices that help your alarm system move beyond its security roots. Plus, you can control the devices in one place from the Google Home app—except Alexa, for obvious smart home rivalry reasons.
Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa is the most popular voice assistant and smart home platform on the market—and conveniently, you can use it to control your ADT system. Aside from enabling compatibility to hundreds of smart home devices, Alexa also allows you to control various ADT equipment like your security system, thermostats, smart locks, and lights using vocal commands.
The best feature of ADT's Alexa controls is that you can disarm your system using a spoken code. This trumps Google Assistant, which only arms the system. Disarming by voice adds extra convenience and makes for one less thing you need to control with an app.
ADT equipment currently integrates with Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Plus, and Echo Input.1 You can also use Alexa Guard as a sound sensor to supplement your ADT system.
Google Assistant
Google Assistant is Alexa's main rival for voice controlling your ADT system. It supports most of the same features except the ability to disarm your system using a spoken PIN code. You can find Google Assistant on most Android smartphones (there's an iOS app too) as well as on a variety of smart speakers and smart devices.
Sonos smart speakers
By linking your Sonos speakers to the ADT Control app, you gain the ability to create scenes that play music while controlling other smart home devices, perfect for a party with fam. The Sonos integration mostly boils down to controlling playback and choosing playlists, so you still need the Sonos app to create new playlists and adjust settings.
Because Sonos smart speakers—like the Sonos One—also have Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice controls, you can expect to control your ADT system from your smart speaker.
As of June 1, 2021, Samsung SmartThings and other Samsung products will no longer be compatible with ADT products or monitored by ADT. Read more on the ADT website.
Lutron smart lights and window shades
Lutron sells smart home automation systems and devices, including smart light switches, smart plugs, and smart shades. Integrate specific Lutron devices with the ADT Control app to turn them on and off from a central location:
Rain Bird irrigation system
If you pair a Rain Bird ESP-TM2 or ESP-Me with the LNK Wi-Fi module, you can turn it on and off through the ADT Control app and see when each zone was last watered.
All other settings (such as creating an individual watering zone) are adjusted through the Rain Bird app.
Z-Wave
While most smart home platforms use your Wi-Fi network, Z-Wave uses a different technology specifically for smart home security devices like smoke detectors, door sensors, smart plugs, and smart locks. The beauty of Z-Wave devices is that they work with many security systems like Vivint, Frontpoint, and Abode.
This means you can switch Z-Wave devices you already own to a new system to save a little cash. Your ADT specialist installer needs to put the system into "learn mode" for you to add these devices, so they're not something you can add on your own like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
IFTTT
ADT smart equipment works with the free IFTTT app. The premise of IFTTT is that of a central control module for all smart home automations.
Read our full guide to IFTTT to learn more.
ADT Pulse was the previous version of smart home and mobile app controls for ADT, but the company phased it out in 2020 to make way for its successor: ADT Command and Control. While ADT Pulse was both the equipment and a mobile app, ADT Command included all ADT equipment. More recently, ADT also started using the Google Home app.
ADT equipment FAQ
Call ADT to choose your equipment and sign up for a monitoring plan.
No. You must subscribe to an ADT monitoring plan for the equipment to work.
No, ADT does not remove the equipment after your contract expires. We spoke with an ADT rep who confirmed you can keep or throw out the equipment.
Yes, but you don't pay for it upfront. Instead, the price of equipment is included in your custom monthly fee.
Related articles
Sources
- ADT, "A Comprehensive Guide to Smart Home Device Compatibility." Accessed September 15, 2022.
Disclaimers
*Google, Google Nest, Google Assistant, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.
†Amazon.com list price as of post date. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.
Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.
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