Yale home security review: Which smart home packages are the best?

If you’re looking for one of the best home security systems, Yale has several options that offer high-end security for reasonable prices. Yale gives you the choice between simple DIY or professional installation, as well as the choice between self-monitoring, for those who don’t want to pay an added monthly cost for their system, and reasonable subscription plans for professional monitoring.

The company also has a stellar reputation among customers, with a 4.1 out of five star rating on Trustpilot, and plenty of positive reviews. Here, we compare Yale to its home security company counterparts, while giving you cost breakdowns and reviewing several of its most impressive features.

Rating: ★★★★

When it comes to smart home security systems, Yale is a fairly exemplary provider. You can get set up with security for less than £220 with a five-piece package, which includes essential products, such as motion sensors, indoor cameras and the keypad (equipped with all the fittings you need). The Yale Home app is compatible with smart home speakers Google Home and Amazon Alexa to control your system with your voice. You’ll receive live notifications when any sensors are disrupted or if someone approaches your house, alerting an outdoor camera, for example, and geofencing features allow doors to be unlocked hands-free. With mostly positive reviews on Trustpilot and Amazon, a good customer service experience on our researchers’ part, and indications that it delivers where expected, Yale ranks well compared with other notable brands in this space and appears to be a modern home security system worth trying.

Some costs can creep in, though – say if you add on professional installation and a couple of additional cameras – but if you choose not to add on a subscription plan, you won’t have to pay any monthly fees.

Our Independent Advisor experts have researched and tested each home security system in order to provide fair, impartial and accurate recommendations. We compare products, features, quality and cost alongside what others in the industry say and how customers have also reviewed their experiences.

Our reviews are determined by the following categories:

• Upfront and contract pricing
• Packages available
• Features and functionality
• Usability
• Customer experience

We examine 18 elements within these categories including:

• Monitoring services and contract types
• Data backup and storage
• Warranties
• Flexibility/customisation in bundles
• Quality (image, sound, product)
• Installation

All of our home security articles are verified by our in-house team of fact-checkers, to give consumers the knowledge they need to make an informed, up-to-date and confident decision. For more information, read our article on how we review home security systems.

As with most smart home security systems out there, Yale is powered through a central hub called the Smart Alarm Hub, which plugs into the mains and an ethernet cable for the internet connection. From there, you can install all of your alarm accessories, such as motion sensors or contact sensors for windows and doors, and connect everything via the Yale Home app. 

Yale used to be an exclusively self-monitored home security system. While it’s still possible to choose a ‘free plan’ – on which you can still receive real-time notifications when motion is detected on any of the sensors, arm, part-arm and disarm the alarm and watch live footage from any cameras you have installed – there are now a few options for subscription plans. The Camera Plan and Alarm Plan are both available via the Yale Home app, and will cost you between £3.50 and £5 per month. The Alarm Plan offers cellular backup, and the Camera Plan features advanced AI motion detection to give you a more complete picture of what’s going on around the house. Plus, two more subscription plans will be available from Yale, including the professional monitoring Secure Pro plan, however, the launch dates are yet to be confirmed. 

• Equipment cost: £190 – £550
• Monthly fee: N/A
• Power outage backup: 8-hour battery backup in the Smart Hub
• Mobile phone backup: N/A (Micro SD card of up to 256GB available to buy)
• Live streaming: Yes, with cameras
• Push alerts: Yes, through the app
• Remotely arm/disarm system: Yes, via app remotely, using a fob, or manually on the keypad
• Voice assistants: Google Home or Amazon Alexa
• Apps for: Yale Home app is supported on Android 11 or above and iOS 13 onwards

For the quality of products, including connectivity and ease of setup, our researchers found Yale fares pretty well against some top names in the world of home security. 

Its systems are simple to set up and seemingly long lasting (a sales advisor tells us some kits are still going strong after five years of use). Cost-wise, it’s reasonable compared to the likes of Ring and Hey! for a basic starter pack and does everything you would expect and need it to do, such as sending real-time notifications, remote arming and disarming of the alarm, live stream footage via the app and so on. 

When it comes to professional monitoring, this isn’t an option yet available with Yale, although it is coming soon.

Yale home security packages offer great value for money and there are often deals on which allow you to save money, including half-price off installation fees. Every pack comes with a standard two-year warranty, but you can add the extended warranty (three years; terms and conditions apply) for alarms or CCTV to each package for an additional £29.99. Similarly, if you want a professional to install your system, this can be added on for £250 – £325 for a full Yale smart alarm package.

Motion Detector: Yale’s motion sensors are wireless and cover a 200 metre range from the Smart Hub, notifying you immediately via the app if any movement is detected. You can install it yourself, it integrates with voice assistants, and you can add as many motion detectors as you’d like to your smart home system – aside from the EF and SR Yale alarm series.

Keypad: The keypad allows you to arm and disarm your alarm using your four-digit code or a fob, if purchased (or included in the package). It’s wireless for up to 200 metres from your Smart Hub, and you can add as many keypads as you’d like around your home for convenience.

Indoor Pan & Tilt Wi-Fi Camera: If you want to keep a closer eye on what’s happening indoors, this camera lets you live stream full HD 1080p footage from anywhere via the app, which you can record, if you have an SD card; there’s 10-metre night vision, too. You’ll get sound detection alerts and be able to have two-way conversations and/or trigger the siren. Plus, it’s end-to-end encrypted for enhanced security.

All-in-One Camera: This indoor/outdoor camera features in the 11- and 14-piece Yale Smart Alarm kits, but you can also add it to your order for £89.99 to expand another package. It uses a power cable, which may put some people off if you want to keep it totally wireless, but it features a 1080p camera with a 110-degree viewing angle and 10-metre infrared night vision, with recordings saved automatically. If movement is detected, you will receive a notification, while there is even an integrated siren (80 dB) and spotlight (160 lumens), both of which can be activated as a deterrent. You can stream footage through the app and make use of the two-way talk for deliveries when you’re not home.

Door/window contact: At least one contact sensor features in every package, and they can also be purchased separately. Simply fix them to any doors or windows acting as main entry points and receive notifications through the app if and when triggered. 

Yale external battery-powered siren: Any Yale siren included in the pre-made kits will be the battery-powered option, although you can buy a mains-powered siren with a battery backup, if you prefer. It’s weather resistant and features a 104dB siren that’s loud enough to notify neighbours in the event you don’t have any signal to receive a notification on your phone when you’re away from home. The alarm range is 30 metres and installation is available for £199.99.

Yale gets 4.1 out of five stars on Trustpilot, with positive reviews giving the company top marks for customer service. On Amazon, Yale scores highly too, with the nine-piece kit earning 4.1 out of five stars and top marks for ease of use, followed swiftly by positive ratings for motion detection, installation and Alexa integration — all key measures of home security greatness. 

Less impressed reviews remark on some finer product details that could do with revising, such as length and types of cables for the cameras and door sensor alignment, as well as some technical issues and difficulty using the app, with users wanting clearer instructions. Some also felt some of Yale’s products were overpriced. The company tends to reply to negative comments.

“Having bought a new home, security was important, as is the ability to easily gain access to the home, and so the existing rather flimsy and loose handle had to go. I was hugely impressed with the quality and solidity of the Yale handle I purchased to replace it, and assembling and installing couldn’t have been easier. Now the door looks more imposing and yet feels so comfortable to use.”

• Dave, via Trustpilot

“Great customer service and support services. Easy to order and very fast delivery turned up at the time specified. Couldn’t have been easier to install… need to sort out the product documentation as the mobile app name isn’t the same as detailed in the install guide.”

• Stuart McMinn, via Trustpilot

Amazon 

“I bought this together with three sensors and a keyfob. [It] was relatively easy to set up. The alarm works well and I am glad I purchased it. A few things to note. The instructions are basic and mainly picture-based, so not useful when things go differently. I set the alarm and activated the siren. On disarming, I noticed an amber light had illuminated on the control panel. There was no explanation about this online other than the battery could be low. Yale help pages failed to load on my Android phone. So after uninstalling the sensors and restarting the process, the amber light was still on. Eventually, I managed to find the support site for Yale. I emailed them and got a reply the same day. The fix was easy… The amber light went off! Apart from the basic instructions, the alarm system is good. It works well with the keypad, keyfob and with the app. Happy so far.”

• Jay, via Amazon

“The options for entry zones/part arming mean you can’t have, for example, a PIR that is part of the home omit group and also trigger an entry timer. Thus when you enter, if a PIR is covering the entry point and is set to home omit, it will immediately trigger the alarm even though the door contact has set the entry timer. This aspect is a very poor design, and not well thought out. It would be so easy to fix with a small upgrade, allowing another option on the settings. The key fobs are poorly marked – it is very hard to see which button is the disarm button as opposed to the part arm button. A little white paint! Other than that it does its job.”

• Mr M, via Amazon

The Yale Home app allows you to control several aspects of your smart home security system, including:

• Arm, disarm, part-arm the system
• Receive real-time notifications when movement or activity is detected, depending on your smart home security components
• Unlimited amount of users
• Low battery notifications across devices
• Live stream video footage and image capture from cameras (PIR image camera) with option to save with SD card (not included) or on the Cloud for 30 days with the Camera Plan
• Linked cameras are automatically put into privacy mode when disarmed
• Purchase additional devices
• Sync smart home appliances and Yale Smart Lock if purchased (not part of Yale Smart Alarm security systems)

We’ve put the spotlight on three of Yale’s best smart alarm packages, considering their different components, costs and smart features to recommend them for different types of homes.

Ranking up there with other notable brands in home security, Yale Smart Alarm systems are worth a try for homes big and small. During our research, we found costs will quickly add up for larger homes, as additional cameras and sensors to cover all areas will escalate costs.. Plus, although simple to use for most, some reviews imply Yale is more for the tech savvy, so bear that in mind – if you’re not good with using apps or voice assistants, it might not be the one for you.

In terms of customer service, our researchers had a pleasant experience. It took less than five minutes to get through to a human oveer the phone, who was well informed about the Yale products themselves and how the systems worked. One representative told us that although the sensors aren’t specifically pet-friendly, it’s easy to part-arm the system, showing Yale’s home security systems can be tailored to your needs.

When asked about the longevity of Yale smart alarm systems, the customer service advisor our researcher spoke to noted they should last if well taken care of. Faulty items come under warranty, and there is a Yale Alarm Servicing option available for £199.99 to check if your system is in good condition. Mostly wireless (aside from the hub and cameras), with a modern aesthetic (for those concerned with their interiors), well connected and easy to customise as suits your lifestyle is how we would sum up Yale’s alarm systems.

Overall score: ★★★★