Alarm clocks are important in the lives of many. They can be the difference between being perpetually late for work every day and arriving in good time. But not all alarm clocks are equal. Some offer users a better waking up experience than others. Some also serve more purposes than merely ringing at the set time. Some have a clearer display while others are radios- cum- alarm clocks.
Before you choose a specific alarm clock radio, you need to pay attention to its prominent features. What is it that matters the most to you? Do you prefer clocks that have a large display over those that have excellent sound quality? Is Bluetooth connectivity more important to you than screen projection? Or is it a long battery life that endears a certain brand of alarm clock radios to you? Here are some of the best alarm clock radio consumer reports that can help you make your pick easily:
Top 10 Alarm Companies
- Product Type: TIMER
- Package length: 3.1 cm
- Package width: 10.8 cm
- Package Dimensions: 3.25 L x 1 H x 3 W (inches)
- Package Weight : 2.01 pounds
- Country of Origin : United States
- Includes 4 window/door alarms, each with 3 adjustable settings off/chime/alarm
- Loud 120 decibel alarm sounds when door or window opens, helps deter intruder and alert residence
- Easy and convenient to install, requires no wiring, mounting hardware and instructions Included, designed for indoor use only
- Coloring Book - Learn Painting by Number 2019
- English (Publication Language)
- Product Type: TIMER
- Package length: 5.334 cm
- Package width: 9.144 cm
- Measurers fuel in tank and alerts delivery personnel when tank is filled.
![Alarm Company [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61nzrUcV0pL._SL160_.jpg)
- Product Type: TIMER
- Package length: 2.7 cm
- Package width: 7.2 cm
How We Chose the Alarm
Robust security options
In order to really outfit your home with the level of security in which you feel most comfortable, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice. Your home security system shouldn’t stop at basic motion sensors and an ear-piercing alarm to target intrusions only. In some way, you should be able to integrate protection outside of the home and for other hazards, like fires and carbon monoxide leaks. This is why we evaluated each provider’s standard and supplemental security options, which, in our experience testing, should include a healthy combination of these features:
- Intrusion: door, window, and glass-break sensors
- Environmental: carbon monoxide, fire, and flood sensors
- Surveillance: indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cameras
- Safety: life alert and panic buttons
Smart home integration
During our tests, we strongly considered home automation options, which allow you to remotely control features of your home, such as lights and door locks. But we wanted to figure out what these differences meant on a day-to-day basis: Which features were necessary for improved peace of mind? Which would be easiest to integrate into our daily routines? Needless to say, the market is increasingly shifting toward DIY home security, as people look for options that work seamlessly with their existing smart homes. Technology may not be at the point where an alarm will sound if your security camera detects an unfamiliar face or burglar — but it’s certainly not very far.
Broad incorporation of wireless protocols
At the very crux of integration lies the wireless protocols that actually enable device communication. Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and WiFi are among the biggest names in the home automation industry, so we took special note of those that offered at least one of the above.
User-friendly equipment
A home security system should be easy to navigate, and the system’s design should make sense in your home. Most of our testers had positive things to say about living with their home security systems. They reported that their systems improved their overall peace of mind. If you’re prone to fretting late at night or while away on vacation, home security systems deliver on their promise of reassurance. That’s not to say there weren’t annoyances — which can become major sore points if you’re interacting with your system every time you leave the house. LiveWatch’s piercing, impossible-to-mute beeps drew complaints from one tester, as did Link Interactive’s inaccurate digital display. Others, like Vivint and ADT, were easier to incorporate unobtrusively into our daily routines.
Customer service
The majority of home security companies recommend or require you to call when ordering your service. We recommend this as well because regardless of whether calling beforehand is required, having an attentive lineup of customer service comes in handy, especially when self- installing or encountering difficulty with the system. You can often get a lower price by discussing your quote with a salesperson. Sometimes home security systems require an installation fee, equipment fees, or an activation fee. It’s quite common that special deals can waive or lower those. In fact, sales reps from eight of the nine security companies we considered offered us a discount over the phone — we didn’t even have to ask.
Often, those sales reps can provide valuable information about customizing your system. Most of our testers were pleasantly surprised. The phone calls felt informative but casual — more of a conversation than a sales pitch. Our Vivint tester even went so far as to describe the sales rep he spoke to as “a friend looking out for my needs.”
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