ADT Self Setup Review and Cost

ADT Self Setup vs. Blue by ADT

Before we talk about ADT Self Setup, let’s compare it to the now-discontinued Blue by ADT system.

Blue by ADT was technically a rebranding of a DIY security system ADT acquired in 2019. You might remember it as LifeShield. So while Blue carried the ADT branding, it wasn’t originally from ADT. And frankly, that reflected on the quality of Blue’s equipment. We had a chance to test it before. Its cameras were subpar, the sensors were just passable, and the device options were limited. It couldn’t live up to expectations, so ADT pulled the plug in 2023.

A few months later, in came ADT Self Setup. It’s a DIY security system built from the ground up by ADT, using ADT’s resources, and to reflect ADT’s ideals in home security. It came with a companion app poised to be better than the Blue by ADT app and it features better security cameras from none other than Google Nest.

We also noticed that unlike Blue which had a separate website, ADT put both Self Setup and Pro (the more traditional ADT system) on the ADT site. The message is clear: Self Setup is for those who want a DIY system and Pro is for those who want a professionally installed one, but both are ADT security systems.

ADT Self Setup: How’s The Setup Process?

ADT Self Setup is one of the six DIY security systems we recommend in 2024. That should tell you it’s easy to set up. We found it easier to set up than our two top picks, SimpliSafe and Cove, because everything was done through the ADT+ app. With SimpliSafe, we had to do part of the process using the included physical keypad. The same was true with Cove, wherein we used the tablet-like controller for most of the process.

Timing-wise, all it took us to set up and install ADT Self Setup was 10 minutes, but that’s partly because it came with fewer components than our SimpliSafe system (30 minutes) and didn’t need as much customizations as abode (45 minutes).

The first component we set up was the hub. We paired it to our ADT+ app and then connected it to Wi-Fi. That took about two minutes, including the time we waited as it booted up for the first time. After that, we paired each sensor to the hub by taking off their battery tabs.

Installing the sensors was just as quick and easy. They came with a peel-and-stick adhesive backing so there’s no drilling required, making ADT Self Setup a solid security system for renters. Just make sure to clean the surface before sticking the sensors so they don’t easily fall off. All in all, sensor installation took us less than five minutes.

>> Related reading: ADT Self Setup vs. Vivint

After that, we proceeded to install the cameras. Note that ADT Self Setup offers Google Nest Cams. In fact, Google Nest supplies all of ADT’s security cameras for now, even for the professionally installed ADT system. But don’t worry; Nest Cams are known for their easy setup. You can read about our installation experience in our Nest Cam review, but all in all, you can set up a Nest Cam in two to three minutes.

After setting up the cameras using our Nest Home app, all that was left to do was to pair our Nest Home app with the ADT+ app. It’s a simple login procedure. Once done, we were able to watch live and recorded footage directly on the ADT+ app. And that’s it! Our ADT Self Setup installation was complete. We didn’t even break a sweat.

>> Read more: The Security Systems With The Best Apps

ADT Self Setup Equipment: A Closer Look

The ADT Self Setup security system offers a robust selection of equipment. Unfortunately, there aren’t as many components as the professionally installed ADT Control system we reviewed, but ADT Self Setup still covers good ground. Here’s a look at some of the top equipment options.

The Base Station

The base station is sturdy and discrete, about the size of a modem. It connected to our Internet through either Wi-Fi or ethernet cable, serving as the hub for all of our ADT Self Setup devices. We recommend using a wired setup for extra reliability, especially if you’re placing the base station far away from the router. That might make the install a little more tedious, but that’s better than having a system that can’t send alerts because of a spotty Wi-Fi coverage.

Despite its size, we still think the base station looks stylish enough to be displayed. It’s not as pretty as the SimpliSafe base station – that one even glows and functions like a night light – but we didn’t mind displaying the ADT base station on a counter. It helps that it’s off-white, so it blended nicely with our interior decor.

For those of you who have had or seen the Blue by ADT base station, you might notice that the Self Setup Smart Home Hub looks the same. The truth is, they are exactly the same hardware, but the firmware is different. We reached out to ADT’s customer support to inquire about the possibility of using the Blue by ADT hub with ADT Self Setup equipment and monitoring, and this was their response:

“The BLUE by ADT system is not compatible with the monitoring services for the Self Setup system. You would need a new panel/hub.”

So there’s that. Even if you have the Blue by ADT hub, you’d still need to buy a new package if you’re looking to get an ADT Self Setup system. That will allow you to integrate the components we’ll discuss next.

The Door/Window Sensors

The door and window sensors feature a slim profile, allowing them to be placed discreetly on doors and windows, both interior and exterior. They can also be used on closets or doors. Like any of ADT Self Setup devices, these sensors can be monitored and managed through the ADT+ app. We placed the door/ window sensors on the doors and windows on our ground floor, as those are where intruders are most likely to enter.1

There’s not much we can say about the door and window sensors. They’re discreet and small, even smaller than the ones from the Ring Alarm system we reviewed. According to ADT, the battery in the door sensors have a life expectancy of up to two years when in use; that’s a bit short for a door sensor, which often has a five-year battery life, but that’s not a huge deal-breaker. We think it’s reasonable to do maintenance every two-years. We do ours every six months, when possible.

The Motion Sensors

When purchased as part of a kit, the motion sensors come pre-registered with your system, which makes setup as simple as putting in a battery and placing the sensor in an appropriate area. We placed it in the corner of our front hallway for maximum coverage.

The motion sensor’s sensitivity was on point, thanks to it being a PIR motion sensor. It detects anything with a body heat that moves – even small children and pets. But if you’re a pet owner, it makes sense to adjust the sensitivity so that you don’t get as many false alarms. There’s a toggle switch on the back of the sensor that lets you adjust the sensitivity. At the lowest setting, it can ignore pets up to 85 pounds (about the size of a full-grown Labrador Retriever).

We also recommend placing the sensor strategically to further reduce false alarms. Keep it away from direct sunlight and appliances that emit heat (like microwave ovens). And if possible, place it at least six feet off the ground, angled slightly downwards to maximize its field of view.

The Smoke Detector

Besides guarding your home from intrusion, ADT Self Setup offers a couple of sensors for life and home safety. The first one is the battery-powered smoke detector. It sounds a loud alarm when it detects smoke or a rapid rise in temperature.

It’s more than just an alarm, though. The smoke detector can also trigger home automations. For instance, it can turn on your lights (provided that you have smart lights compatible with ADT+) to make it easier for you and family members to find your way out in case of fire.

The Flood & Temperature Sensor

The other home safety sensor from ADT Self Setup is the flood & temperature sensor, which protects your home from water leaks and frozen pipes. It’s also wireless and battery-powered, so you can place it in hard-to-reach places like under your sink or in flood prone areas in your basement.

The Google Nest Cam (battery)

That ends the sensor part of the ADT Self Setup system. Next are security cameras, headlined by the Nest Cam (battery). We reviewed the Nest Cam (battery) as a standalone security camera, so head over there for a more detailed look at its features and specs. To summarize, it’s a battery-powered weatherproof camera that has a 1080p resolution with HDR, impressive night vision, person detection, and facial recognition (a.k.a. Familiar Face alerts).

When paired with ADT Self Setup, though, it unlocks a new feature: video verification. ADT’s professional monitoring service can use Nest Cam footage to review alerts and verify them with emergency responders. For instance, if your Nest Cam footage shows that there really is an unwanted guest in your house, you’re far more likely to get a priority response from the police.

The Google Nest Cam (wired)

For indoor video monitoring, ADT Self Setup offers the more affordable Google Nest Cam. It shares almost the same specs as the battery-powered version, but it’s a plug-in camera that is for indoor use only. It’s sleek, discreet, and powerful. It also has a wide diagonal field of view (135-degrees), so if the security camera is well-placed, it can monitor an entire room by itself.

The Nest Cam (wired) can also record up to one hour of backup footage in case your Wi-Fi goes out, ensuring that you’re always covered.

The Google Nest Doorbell (battery)

For front door security, ADT Self Setup offers the Google Nest Doorbell (battery) we reviewed here. Since it doesn’t require wiring, it goes with the theme of ADT Self Setup’s easy-to-install DIY equipment. It takes only a few minutes to install, and it comes with all the mounting accessories you’ll need.

Feature-wise, the Google Nest Doorbell is a knockout. It has HDR night vision for crisp, clear videos at night, a tall viewing angle that offers a head-to-toe view of guests, and it can differentiate between people, animals, vehicles, and packages.

Like all the other Google Nest cameras offered by ADT Self Setup, footage from the Google Nest Doorbell can be used for video verification.

ADT Self Setup and Home Automation

One key advantage of ADT is its deep reach into home automation, and that’s thanks to the ADT+ app and the Google Nest home automation products that ADT Self Setup offers.

Starting with voice control, ADT Self Setup sells Google Nest smart speakers and displays, such as the:

• Google Nest Mini (2nd gen)
• Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)
• Google Nest Hub Max

With those devices, you can control your home with your voice. And we’re not just talking about ADT Self Setup equipment. You can control pretty much anything that works with Google Assistant, whether or not they are compatible with ADT Self Setup. Let’s say you have smart locks that are not ADT-compatible. While you won’t be able to lock and unlock it using the ADT+ app, you can ask Google Assistant with your voice. Integrations like that deepens ADT Self Setup’s reach into the smart home.

Next, ADT Self Setup offers the Google Nest Thermostat, the OG smart thermostat that put Nest on the map. It controls your home’s temperature and offers energy-saving features. Since it’s a direct integration, you can control your Nest Thermostat from the ADT+ app.

Lastly, to power your Wi-Fi connected smart devices, ADT Self Setup offers Google Nest Wifi router and point, which is a mesh-type router system with a decent range and bandwidth. Plus, Nest Wifi points have built-in smart speakers, so you can access Google Assistant through them as well.

ADT Self Setup also works with Z-Wave devices, and ADT plans to further expand its smart home capabilities in the near future, with Matter integration on the roadmap. Matter is a widely-used, open-source smart home standard. And once the integration is implemented, ADT Self Setup will be able to connect with, control, and automate a wide range of smart home products.

The ADT+ App

Of course, ADT Self Setup needs a capable app to tie the system together. That’s where the ADT+ app comes in.

When we tested the original Blue by ADT system, we saw potential in its app, but noticed less-than-ideal execution that resulted in long loading times and laggy video streams.

The ADT+ app improves on the Blue by ADT app’s features. For starters, it offers native controls of Google Nest equipment. You probably won’t even need the Nest app on your phone, as you can view your cameras, review recordings, control your thermostat, and more using just the ADT+ app.

If you have other home automation devices paired with ADT Self Setup, you can control them too using the app. You can set up home automation with rules, schedules, and scenes. Turn up your HVAC when someone comes home, or turn on your perimeter lights when someone trespasses.

In short, it’s a step forward when compared to the Blue by ADT app.

We also liked the more advanced security and personalization the app provides, like the Auto Stay feature that showed us how thoughtfully designed the app was. Let’s say it’s late at night. You’re half asleep and on the way to bed, so you arm ADT Self Setup. But instead of Arm Stay, which leaves the motion sensors disarmed, you accidentally set it to Arm Away. That means if anyone gets up in the middle of night, they’ll set off the motion sensors, trigger an alarm, and cause panic in the house.

With Auto Stay, ADT Self Setup automatically switches to Arm Stay if none of the door and window sensors are opened after the system is armed to Away mode. It’s a simple feature really, but it highlights how much thought ADT put into the app. It’s also one of the many advanced settings you can customize.

ADT Self Setup: How Much Does It All Cost?

How much is it going to cost to set up an ADT Self Setup system? There are two factors here: The equipment cost and the monitoring cost.

ADT Self Setup Equipment Cost

For the equipment, expect to spend at least $125.99 to get started. That’s for the Build Your Own system, which includes just the base station. From there, you’re going to purchase additional components that suit your security needs.

Another option is to buy a premade package. You can choose between the Starter package or the Premium package.

ADT Self Setup Professional Monitoring Cost

Now, after spending more than $300 on equipment, how much will ADT Self Setup cost you per month?

ADT professional monitoring for the ADT Self Setup system starts at $29.99. That includes 24/7 professional monitoring plus access to the ADT+ app and all its home automation features.

It’s worth noting that because ADT provides the monitoring service, you’ll get to enjoy ADT’s 24/7 monitoring, including SMART Monitoring features, which is an alerting system designed to cut down on false alarms and improve reaction times. Customers of ADT professionally installed systems pay close to $40 per month for those.

That being said, if your ADT Self Setup system includes security cameras, you’ll pay an additional $10 per month (for a total of $44.99). That extra fee covers cloud storage via Nest Aware and video verification, which as explained earlier, can further improve response times.

And since the monitoring plan includes Nest Aware, you’re getting more than just cloud storage. You’ll also be able to unlock the smart features of your Google Nest cameras, such as AI detection, Familiar Face Alerts, and more.

The Verdict: Does ADT Self Setup Have Any Downsides?

As far as DIY security systems go, ADT Self Setup is one of the top options right now. We especially like that it has ADT’s backing, which means it can offer high-quality service similar to that of professionally installed security systems.

The selection of equipment is great: ADT Self Setup uses hardware from ADT and Google Nest, two smart home and home security powerhouses. And the ADT+ app? It’s simply the cherry on top.

That said, it does have a few downsides. One is its limited equipment options. We didn’t see more nuanced security sensors from ADT Self Setup, such as glass break sensors, garage door sensors (otherwise known as tilt sensors), or even a carbon monoxide detector. Those types of sensors are usually available from professionally installed security systems.

Additionally, its monitoring prices are on the higher end for a DIY security system. For comparison, SimpliSafe professional monitoring costs $17.99 to $27.99 per month. But considering that ADT provides the monitoring service, and that the higher-tier plan includes a Nest Aware subscription, ADT Self Setup’s pricing is still pretty attractive.

The last potential downside is that ADT Self Setup hasn’t matured yet. ADT’s DIY offering was at its infantile state during the Blue by ADT days, and now, as ADT Self Setup, it’s a teenager. It holds great promise and high potential, but it’s still under development and it remains to be seen whether it will succeed or not.

Overall, it’s a great security system, but if the downsides we mentioned are deal-breakers for you, take a look at our top-rated SimpliSafe DIY security system review. SimpliSafe has been around for over a decade, it offers more equipment options in terms of sensors, and it has more affordable monitoring plans.