We like Cox Homelife’s smart home devices and range of security equipment. But you will have to pay a bit extra for Cox Homelife’s professional installation (no DIY option here), and its monitoring service isn’t the cheapest one out there. We particularly like Cox Homelife’s array of smart home devices. You can connect everything from smart light bulbs and locks to your Cox Homelife system, and you can even get a cool voice-controlled remote that works on both your smart home and your Cox cable TV. Just know Homelife won’t work with your Alexa or Google smart speakers. Professional monitoring is the service that keeps an eye on your house, day and night, in case someone tries to break in or in case your 12-year-old caught the kitchen on fire trying to make scrambled eggs (again). Professional monitoring reps are going to be the ones calling first responders for you. The cheaper Homelife Automation plan works for people who want smart home features and not much else. But if you want a full-fledged, pro-monitored home security system, then the Homelife Security plan is where it’s at. We think $20 per month is a bit pricey for a smart-home-only plan. But even Cox Homelife’s more expensive $40-per-month plan will save you money over an ADT or Vivint home security system. Cox also includes starter equipment in its monitoring plan pricing, so you don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars just to get things like basic entry sensors and a control panel. For comparison, Vivint’s starter equipment pack costs almost $600.
- Included with qualifying credit If cameras are really important to you, then we recommend getting an indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cam setup from a different brand. It won’t integrate with your Cox Homelife system and you’ll have to use a different app, but it’s worth it if you want the best view on multiple points of your property. Check out our Best Security Cameras review for options. That said, if you just want a basic camera you can use to check on your dog while you’re at work or keep an eye on your kids when they’re left with the babysitter, then the Cox Homelife HD camera will do the job. For example, you can set up a good morning scene where your smart lights turn on, your smart plug turns on your coffee maker, and your smart thermostat warms up your house. Cox Homelife smart home devices:
Smart LED light bulb Smart plug Smart thermostat Smart door lock
Even though we don’t recommend Cox Homelife’s smart-home-only plan as highly as we do its full security monitoring plan, we do like that Cox gives you the option to pay less if you don’t really care about security sensors. And if you do care about security sensors, those can work with your Cox home automation system. You could set a rule where, if your front door opens, your living room lights turn on to light your way. Pretty sweet stuff. You can control your smart home system with your voice if you have the Cox Contour voice control remote. But if you don’t subscribe to Cox’s cable TV service, then you’re a bit out of luck. Professional installation is nice because that installation tech is also a home security expert. They can point out which areas of your home are most important to protect and recommend specific products for specific spaces. That said, every extra piece of equipment you add on to your installation will cost more money since only the basic starter pack is included in Cox’s monitoring prices. So don’t go too wild without checking how much your final cost will be. That said, most Cox complaints aren’t about its Homelife system, and Cox has a pretty impressive library of resources on YouTube and its website for troubleshooting and answering questions. Ideally, you’ll never even need to talk to an agent. If you do, we recommend live chat. When we tested out Cox’s live chat service, we were connected to an agent in four minutes and they answered our questions directly and without making us sit through a long sales pitch. The live chat can also send you an email transcript so you have an exact record of your conversation.
Pricing: Cox Homelife has middle-ground pricing that’s more expensive than cheap DIY systems, but less than other professionally installed systems. You’ll pay between $20 and $40 per month for a monitoring plan. Equipment: Cox Homelife has a good selection of smart home devices as well as basic security sensors. But it doesn’t offer a doorbell camera. Home automation: Cox Homelife has smart lights, locks, and plugs that work with its overall system. But keep in mind you can’t control Homelife with Alexa or Google. Installation: Cox Homelife requires professional installation, which is nice. But expect to pay a reasonable installation fee. Customer experience: Cox doesn’t get great customer review scores on the web for its internet and cable services, but our own experience with Cox Homelife’s live chat went smoothly.
● Price ● Equipment ● Smart home integrations ● Security cameras ● Customer experience Cox scored points for smart home devices aside from its lack of an Alexa or Google smart assistant integration. We rated Cox Homelife as average for price and security equipment, and it got a lower rating for its security cameras because it doesn’t offer an outdoor or doorbell camera. For customer experience, we tested out Cox’s online buying experience for ourselves and talked to its customer service representatives via live chat.
