ADT Control ®

About ADT Control ®

I moved into a house that already had ADT equipment installed and the previous owner just said “download the app and you’ll figure it out.” I was skeptical because most security companies lock you into contracts or charge monthly for basic functionality. ADT Control apparently needs a monitoring plan through ADT itself, but if you already have the hardware like I did, the app itself is free to download and use. That was my first win. The app connects to your existing panel and lets you control it from your phone. It’s not a standalone solution if you don’t have ADT gear, but if you do, it saves you from having to buy a separate keypad or remote. The interface is a little clunky compared to newer smart home apps, but it gets the job done. I tested it for two weeks straight before I decided whether to keep it or cancel my service, and honestly it works fine for basic arming and disarming.

Core Features

The main things you can do are arm your system to stay, arm it to away, or disarm it. There is also a “night” mode if your panel supports it. You can view live video if you have ADT cameras, but I don’t have those so I can’t test that part. The app sends push notifications when doors or windows open, which is nice when you want to know your kid got home from school. I set up a custom alert for my front door on a Tuesday afternoon around 3pm just to test it, and the notification popped up within seconds. You can also control smart lights and thermostats if you have them linked through the ADT system. I don’t have any, but the app has a section for it. There is an event timeline that shows every alarm event and who armed or disarmed the system, which is helpful if multiple people have codes. You can also create user codes for guests or dog walkers right from the app without having to fiddle with the physical panel. That saved me a trip to the hallway keypad on a rainy Saturday.

Real-World Use

I mainly used this app to arm the system when I left for work and disarm it when I got home. The first few days I had to pull out my phone and open the app every time, but after a week I realized it was faster than walking to the panel by the front door. One time I was at the grocery store and couldn’t remember if I set the alarm, so I opened the app and saw it was already armed. That peace of mind alone is worth the download space. I also used the geofencing feature which automatically arms or disarms based on your location, but you have to mess with the settings to make it work right. It took me a day to figure out why it kept disarming when I was still in the driveway. Turns out the geofence radius was too small. Once I adjusted it to 300 feet, it started working consistently. The app has a slight delay sometimes when loading the panel status, maybe 3 to 5 seconds, but nothing that made me scream at my phone. Honestly for a free app that just talks to my alarm system, it does what it says.

Pricing & Value

Here is the part I care about most because I am not paying for apps unless they prove their worth. ADT Control is free to download. There is no in-app purchase for basic features. You do need an active ADT monitoring plan for the system to work, which I already had from the previous homeowner’s contract. If you are starting from scratch and don’t have ADT equipment, you will have to buy their hardware and pay for monthly monitoring. That is expensive compared to some DIY security systems. But if you already have ADT gear, this app saves you from buying a separate touchscreen controller that could cost hundreds of dollars. I checked the ADT website and some of their keypads run around $200. Getting a free app that does the same thing plus more is a pretty good deal. The app also supports multiple users, so my wife can log in on her phone without extra charges. No hidden fees that I found during my two weeks of testing. I even checked the app permissions and settings thoroughly.

Updates & Support

I haven’t needed to contact support because the app worked fine for me. But I did read the App Store reviews before downloading—there are a lot of complaints about connectivity issues after iOS updates. Some people say the app crashes when they try to view camera feeds. I can’t verify that since I don’t have cameras. The app did update once during my two weeks of testing, and it didn’t break anything. The update notes said “bug fixes and performance improvements,” which is typical corporate speak. The developer is ADT LLC, a big company, so I assume they have a support team, but I can’t speak to response times or friendliness. If you run into issues, the app has a “Help” section with FAQs and a support phone number. I didn’t call it.

Data & Privacy

This app asks for location access to use geofencing, and it wants notification permissions so it can send alerts. It also needs access to your Wi-Fi to communicate with the panel. The privacy policy is readable and says they collect information like your account details and usage data. I am not thrilled about giving a big security company my location data 24/7, but the geofencing does not work without it, and I can disable location permissions when I am not using it. The app also stores event history on their servers, which is standard for any cloud-connected security system. There is no option to opt out of data collection that I could find, so if you are super privacy-focused, that might be a dealbreaker. For me, it is a trade-off for convenience. I just keep location set to “While Using” instead of “Always” unless I rely on auto-arm/disarm.