Meet Maggie, PCMag'sIf you're looking to protect your home with a smart security system but want to start slowly and add to it as you go, consider a flexible DIY package like the Abode Iota Smart Security Kit ($399). The Iota has everything you need to start monitoring your home and offers professional monitoring when you want it. In addition to a 1080p camera, the Iota is equipped with radios that enable it to control Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and Zigbee smart home devices, such as door locks, garage door openers, thermostats, and water sensors. It also supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, Apple HomeKit, and works with IFTTT applets. All this functionality makes it worthy of an Editors' Choice award for DIY smart home security systems alongside the SimpliSafe Home Security System.
The Iota system we reviewed includes a base-station camera, a single door/window sensor, and a key fob for $399. The base station measures 7.1 by 3 by 3 inches (HWD) and sports the same attractive black-and-white color scheme as the gateway hub in the Abode Home Security Starter Kit.
Abode also offers a six-piece bundle for $460 that includes the base station, two door/window sensors, a glass break sensor, a keypad, and a key fob. Oddly, the $450 eight-piece bundle actually costs less than the six-piece bundle and comes with the base station, four door/window sensors, a glass break sensor, a keypad, and a key fob.
What's the difference between the Iota and the Smart Security Kit? The Smart Kit gateway is essentially just a hub—you have to add components like cameras and motion sensors to it. The Iota base station is a hub and camera with built-in motion sensors and two-way audio. You can also expand on it by adding components.
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SimpliSafe Home Security System
The camera captures 1080p video, has a 157-degree field of view, and uses an infrared LED for night vision. The front of the camera has motion and ambient light sensors, a microphone for two-way audio, and a status LED that glows white in Standby mode, blue in Home mode, and amber in Away mode. It flashes red when an alarm is triggered.
There's a speaker on the side of the base station, and around back are a LAN port, a SIM card slot, a microSD card slot, and a power jack. You can connect up to 160 devices to the base station using the embedded Z-Wave, Zigbee, long-range RF, and Wi-Fi radios. It has a battery backup that provides up to six hours of power in the event of a power outage, a cellular radio for connecting to a monitoring station, and a 93dB siren.
The mini door/window sensor measures 2.9 by 1.1 by 0.4 inches. It uses RF to communicate with the base station and comes with double-sided tape for easy installation. The black-and-white key fob measures 2.0 by 1.3 by 0.5 inches and has Standby, Home, and Away buttons. There's also a fourth button that can be programmed to serve as a Panic button, triggering the siren.
There are loads of Abode and third-party components available for the Iota. At $29.99, additional Mini door/window sensors are a bit more expensive than the SimpliSafe Home Security System sensors ($14.99), but still much cheaper than the Vivint Smart Home sensors ($50). An Abode water leak sensor goes for $49.99 compared with SimpliSafe’s $19.99 water leak sensor, and the Abode motion sensor will cost you $39.99 compared with SimpliSafe's $29.99 motion sensor.
Additional components include the Abode Lock ($159.99), the Abode Wireless Video Doorbell ($119.99), and the Abode Cam 2 ($59.99). Extra key fobs and indoor and outdoor sirens are competitively priced, and there are dozens of third-party Z-Wave and Zigbee components that work with the system.
Abode offers two no-contract monitoring plans. The Standard plan goes for $8.49 monthly or $79.99 yearly and is designed for self-monitoring. It offers AI-powered detection, rich notifications, and 30 days of recording history. The Pro plan costs $26.99 monthly or $245.99 yearly and includes everything from the Standard plan, plus 24/7 monitoring with emergency dispatch and 4G cellular backup. If you decide to forgo a subscription, you’ll still get full use of the app and smart home integrations.
The Iota uses the same mobile app (for Android and iOS) and web portal as the Abode Home Security Starter Kit. The app offers all of the functionality found on the web portal. You can use it to put the system in Home, Away, or Standby mode, view timeline events and recorded video, view a live video stream with a history of captured video, and check the status of all of your connected devices. It also offers a handful of settings that let you order on-demand professional monitoring, change your monthly plan, enable the Location Assistant to see which mobile devices are inside your geofence, add new devices, and remove devices.
The web portal opens to a Dashboard screen that provides a comprehensive view of what's happening with your system. On the left is a menu, and next to it is a window that shows all your connected devices, grouped by status. Click on any device to adjust its settings. Here, you can add new devices and create groups to control multiple devices at once. To the far right is a timeline of events. If you create a quick Action or Cue Automation to have the camera record video of an event, it'll show up in the timeline. At the top of the screen are Home, Away, and Standby buttons for arming and disarming the system, a Quick Actions button that shows all your Quick Actions, and an Alerts button that shows all system alerts, such as alarm activations from triggered sensors.
Use the menu system to view alerts, timeline events, and live video. The Quick Actions settings let you do things like capture a video or send an email with a single click. The Cue Automations settings let you define rules for devices to work together. For example, you can have the Iota automatically lock a door when you leave your location or have lights turn on at sunset. Additionally, you can enable integrations with Philips Hue lights, Ecobee thermostats, August, Kwikset, Schlage, and Yale locks, First Alert Carbon Monoxide and Smoke alarms, and numerous other third-party devices using IFTTT applets.
Setting up the Abode Iota system is quick and easy. I started by connecting the gateway to my router using the included LAN cable, plugged it in, and downloaded the mobile app. I created an account and, after verifying my email address, I was prompted to enter my home address and phone number. I tapped Continue, entered the Gateway activation key printed on the quick start card, and selected the Iota from the list of gateways. I tapped Continue, and the gateway was immediately identified and connected to my network.
Next, I was instructed to set up my Door/Window sensor (the key fob was already paired). I selected the Mini Sensor from the list, removed the plastic battery tab, and aligned the sensor with the magnet. I followed the instructions to install the sensor on a door using the double-sided tape, tapped Continue, and the sensor was paired. I gave it a name and followed the instructions to switch to Wi-Fi. Once I entered my Wi-Fi SSID and password, I was finished. I then unplugged everything and moved the gateway to my living room, where it was immediately reconnected and ready to roll.
The Iota system worked well in testing. The camera delivered detailed 1080p video with good color quality during the day and sharp black-and-white video at night. The system reacted immediately when the door/window and motion sensors were triggered, and the 93dB siren was loud enough to be heard throughout my house and in the backyard. Email and push alerts arrived immediately when an alarm was triggered. The key fob also worked flawlessly, instantly putting the system into my desired mode when the appropriate button was pressed.
I had no trouble arming and disarming the system using Alexa voice commands, and once I linked the Iota to my Nest account, I was able to use the Abode app to view video from several Nest cameras and to control a Nest Thermostat. I created an IFTTT applet to turn on an outlet on a TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip HS300 when the Iota motion sensor was triggered, and it worked without a hitch.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Abode/PCMag)
Abode Iota All-In-One Security Kit
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
If you're looking for an easy-to-install, supremely versatile home security device, the Abode Iota All-In-One Home Security Kit should be at the top of your list. It's highly expandable, and it works with numerous third-party components and services. It performed well in testing, and its camera delivers sharp video day and night. Throw in Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control, support for IFTTT applets, HomeKit compatibility, and integration with some of the top smart home devices, and it earns an Editors' Choice award for do-it-yourself home security systems. If you don't need extensive third-party smart home device integrations, the SimpliSafe Home Security System is an excellent alternative with a lower starting price, though its base plan doesn't include a security camera.
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About Our Expert
I’ve been working with computers for ages, starting with a multi-year stint in purchasing for a major IBM reseller in New York City before eventually landing at PCMag (back when it was still in print as PC Magazine). I spent more than 14 years on staff, most recently as the director of operations for PC Labs, before hitting the freelance circuit as a contributing editor.
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