Baltimore’s Best Local Security Systems

Overview

Baltimore often feels like a small town compared to other cities in the Mid-Atlantic states, and this comforting feel can win over anyone to the Charm City.

Whether you live in Orangeville or Federal Hill, a burglar alarm can help you feel safer and more secure in your home. We researched Baltimore home security companies that can outfit your house with security cameras, motion sensors, door locks, and other security devices.

Check out our reviews to learn more about the best home security in Baltimore so you can find the best option for your needs.

Advanced Security Safe and Lock comes highly recommended by its customers with an average rating of 4.9 on Google based on over 660 reviews. The company’s $25 monthly monitoring service is very competitive with other Baltimore security systems.

It’s even better when you consider that you don’t have to sign a contract, so there aren’t any fees to pay if you cancel your subscription. Because there’s no contract, you can expect to pay for your equipment up front, which can be expensive. Advanced Security Safe and Lock’s website says that financing is available, but you’ll need to call to get more information.

Advanced Security Safe and Lock serves the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area with three locations: two in Baltimore and one in Lutherville-Timonium. Business hours vary based on the location, but you can stop by any location Sunday through Friday. The company also offers 24-hour emergency locksmith services Sunday through Thursday with limited hours on Fridays.

Between its large service area and lack of contract, you're covered if you decide to move away from your Baltimore home.

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Westminster Security Company is one of the best home security deals you can get in Maryland. The company’s monitoring prices start at $18 a month for landline connection, though you can get a cellular connection for $29.99 a month. This is very competitive with other companies on this list and certainly the lowest landline monitoring price we found.

This security provider has a three-year contract, which isn’t as flexible when you want to cancel monitoring services, but it helps keep the monthly costs low, and you won’t pay as much for equipment as with some other companies, even national ones. Westminster Security Company also has flexible options in its relocation program if you plan to move.

Westminster Security Company’s customer support is available 24/7, so you can get help whenever you need it. It’s the only company we reviewed with 24/7 customer service.

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It’s refreshing to go to the 1st Security USA LLC website to find monitoring prices, starting costs, and FAQs in an easy-to-read format. Oddly enough, one of our favorite pages explains why the company has a three-year contract. This kind of openness and transparency means you don’t have to spend as much time on the phone when you first start shopping around for an alarm system.

1st Security USA’s monitoring starts at $29.99 a month, which is similar to other Baltimore security companies, though you must pay for equipment up front with this option. If you can’t afford to pay for equipment, the company gives you free equipment in exchange for a higher fee, starting at $39.99 a month. 1st Security USA charges a $49 activation fee on all its monitoring packages.

The company’s three-year contract is average compared to national companies like ADT and Brinks, but not as long as the five-year contract offered by some security providers.

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Advanced Wiring Solutions LLC has a large service area that spans Maryland, Northern Virginia, Southern Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. It’s an especially good option in you live in Frederick County or Montgomery County, near its base in Frederick, MD.

We like that this company doesn’t require its customers to sign a contract, but you do need to pay up front for your equipment, which can be very expensive depending on how much equipment you get. If paying for equipment all at once isn’t appealing or possible, you can sign a three-year contract to spread the costs out.

Its monthly fee starts at $30 a month for landline monitoring and $40 a month for cellular monitoring, which is average for a home security system, though not the most affordable price on this list. Customer service is available seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET).

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Chesapeake Systems Service Inc. (CSS) is one of the best options in Maryland for premium home automation systems like Control4 and Elan. It has a massive selection of equipment from dozens of brands across home security, home theaters, and the smart home. Home automation systems like these are expensive, but you can also opt for a simple security system instead.

On average, CSS’s customers pay around $50 a month for alarm monitoring services, making it the most expensive company in our top five security providers in Baltimore. The only information we could get was a ballpark of around $50 on average, but the sales agent mentioned cheaper monitoring options are available without disclosing the prices. You can expect to sign a three-year contract, which is common among security companies.

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We started by identifying a pool of 20 top security companies in Baltimore for our research. We then worked to narrow this list by reading customer reviews of Yelp, Google, Angie’s List, and Facebook. We also looked to see if companies had customer complaints with the Better Business Bureau. Ultimately, we chose seven local Baltimore companies to feature in this list.

We have years of experience reviewing home security systems, so we focused on two essential aspects of each business: the monitoring prices and contract terms. To get this information, we emailed and called these companies directly.

We did not use the secret shopper approach during our interactions with these companies and were open about our purpose to write short reviews. Lastly, we took a second look at online customer reviews to confirm our conclusions about each company.

Outside of our top five, there are two other local security companies in Baltimore we want to mention. We excluded both companies from our top five because we weren’t able to get in touch before publishing our reviews.

Yes. Baltimore police ordinances require users to register their alarms with the city as part of an effort to reduce false alarms.¹

There is no fee to get an alarm permit if you are a customer.

We think all of the local Baltimore security companies are a great choice for your home, but each is also a standout option above the competition in its own way. Ultimately, you should choose a burglar alarm based on its strengths so you can get the system that best meets your needs.

Here’s a quick recap of the best home security in Baltimore:

• Advanced Security Safe and Lock is our pick for the best home security company in Baltimore.
• Westminster Security Company is a great option if you want to save on monthly monitoring costs.
• 1st Security USA LLC shares prices and contract information on its website, so you don’t need to call a salesperson when you’re shopping around.
• Advanced Wiring Solutions LLC has a large service area across all of Maryland, Northern Virginia, Southern Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, making it a great option if you live outside of Baltimore.
• Chesapeake Systems Service Inc.’s luxury home automation systems are a good option if you want to remodel and add a home theater.

While there’s a lot to like about a local security company, sometimes a national provider like Frontpoint, ADT, or Vivint is a better option. Check out our review of the best home security systems to see if one’s right for you.

1. Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development, "Alarm Registration"
2. Maryland State Police, "Security Systems Agencies"