TELUS SmartHome Security vs. Bell Smart Home

TELUS SmartHome Security may be more expensive than Bell Smart Home, but it offers a better online user experience when signing up for home security in Canada. However, Bell is worth considering if you want a slighter cheaper system with more equipment choices.

Signing up for TELUS SmartHome Security is a breeze because the online shop eliminates the stress and confusion of choosing your equipment over the phone. It's also less expensive to cancel your TELUS plan early compared to Bell.

Read our TELUS SmartHome Security review to learn more.

Bell Smart Home's monitoring fees are lower than what TELUS charges, and you qualify for discounts when bundling your security system with other Bell services. We also like Bell's more extensive equipment selection, including excellent security camera options.

Most TELUS and Bell features are so close that you can expect nearly identical approaches for the following offerings:

• Professional installation: Each brand defaults to professional installation, with TELUS installation costing slightly less (about $150) than Bell's (around $200). You need an installation appointment, but having an experienced technician do the work is very satisfying.
• Equipment: You might notice at first glance that TELUS and Bell use the same equipment from Alarm.com, a prominent manufacturer that works with tons of brands. (Frontpoint is another notable Alarm.com customer.)
• Mobile app: It's easy to control your system and smart devices with each brand's app, which comes free in every plan tier.
• Bundling discounts: Bell and TELUS are both telecom companies with home internet, mobile phone, and related services that you can bundle with your security system to cut costs—saving up to $20 on your monthly bill.
• Optional guard response service: Pay an extra monthly fee to have a private guard check on your home after an alarm. This is most useful for non-emergency events like a possible break-in—you can and should request an emergency responder if necessary.

• Best signup experience: TELUS
• Best monitoring and equipment prices: Bell
• Best cancellation policy: TELUS
• Best security cameras: Bell

It's easier to sign up for TELUS SmartHome Security than for Bell Smart Home. TELUS provides a helpful online shopping interface that makes it easy to choose and customize your plan.

In contrast, Bell requires you to call a salesperson, which is a bummer if you don't like talking on the phone. What's really odd is that Bell offers online signup for its other services like internet and mobile.

TELUS also takes the lead on free equipment at signup by offering more flexibility with the devices you choose. In any case, we think TELUS is better for folks trying to buy a system because it's easier to understand what you're buying and how much it costs.

Bell's base monitoring plan costs $39.99 monthly, about $7 cheaper than the comparable option from TELUS. Even when you factor in bundling discounts, Bell keeps a healthy lead. (You'll pay about the same for monitoring with Rogers, but more than with Ring Alarm or Abode.)

On the equipment side, Bell's prices align closely with TELUS but are around $14 cheaper on average. The scales tilt even more in Bell's favour—about $30 to $80 cheaper—when you look at premium devices like security cameras and smart locks.

While TELUS and Bell both charge early termination fees, TELUS is much more forgiving by requiring a flat fee of $35 for each month left on your contract. This means TELUS customers with top-tier monitoring plans that include security cameras and home automation will pay less to cancel than with Bell.

Bell charges 100% of your remaining balance—you'll pay $40 to $60 per month to cancel the contract, depending on your plan. Still, you might save some money on Bell's cancellation fees if you have bundling discounts from internet and mobile services.

One of the biggest reasons to choose Bell over TELUS is its security cameras. Bell offers five models compared to three from TELUS—and all of them cost $200, the same as TELUS' indoor camera. Other TELUS security cameras are more expensive.

The real kicker is that Bell permits 24/7 local video storage using a microSD card on its base Indoor and Outdoor cameras—not the Mini bullet or Dome models. Although Bell limits this feature to two cameras in your system, it's still better than you'll find with most home security companies, which rarely offer local video storage.

Bell also offers a Commercial stream video recorder that records footage from up to 16 cameras on a 2 TB hard drive, though you'll pay $500 for the device and a $5 monthly fee. It's overkill for sure, but we love having the option.

You won't notice much difference between TELUS SmartHome Security and Bell Smart Home regarding equipment, contract length, or even the available discounts for bundling with other telecom services. But we think that TELUS takes the top prize for an outstanding online experience that makes it easy to figure out your security system in the first place.

• TELUS SmartHome Security: Online shop for easy system configuration and a friendlier early termination policy—but a bit more expensive overall
• Bell Smart Home: Larger equipment selection with cheaper monthly monitoring—but a strict approach to early-cancellation fees

Still undecided? Check out our full TELUS review to learn more.

We focused on contracts, pricing, monitoring, and equipment selection to compare TELUS and Bell. While both brands offer much of the same equipment and the pricing is similar, we found a few nuggets to help you tell them apart. We also factored in our experience with the Alarm.com equipment used by TELUS and Bell. Learn more about how we rate and review brands in full methodology.

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