Mobile network EE has announced a partnership with Verisure that sees it enter the home security market.

Available to EE customers only - for now - the first phase of the partnership sees the two organisations collaborate to offer a 24/7 monitored home alarm package under a service called "EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure". 

Here is everything you need to know about EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure, including what it is, what packages are available and how it works.

What is EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure?

The idea of the collaboration between EE and Verisure (the company that owns Arlo) is to make home security more accessible to UK homes. 

Typically, home security systems are costly to install and they come with an ongoing monthly cost too, putting them out of reach for some. There are of course the DIY options from companies like Arlo, Ring and Google Nest where you install security cameras and monitor them yourself, but they are a slightly different concept than a monitored alarm system.

EE's managing director of consumer marketing, Christian Thrane, told Pocket-lint: "We want to go into the market and make it transparent and accessible for anyone to get a premium solution without the upfront cost. That's of course the differentiation to what the established players like ADT and that end of the market [offer]. 

"It is a solution that is not DIY [though]. You have someone professional coming in, installing it, linking it to your insurance so you can get a better insurance offer, monitoring it properly and acting if something has happened. [This] is very different from having a camera that allows you to see something happening. In this case, you might be away and now you have someone professionally looking at it and calling emergency services in case that's necessary."

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EE

How does the EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure system work?

The EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure system is offered in two packages - more on those below - with both seeing an alarm system installed by a Verisure security engineer, after which it is monitored 24/7 by Verisure's Alarm Receiving Centre. You can speak to the Alarm Centre at any point using the SOS feature but there is also professional monitoring - with a target response time of 60 seconds.

You don't need any special doors or windows in order to be able to have the EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure system and you don't fit the equipment yourself.

According to Christian Thrane, EE's managing director of consumer marketing: "The solution from Verisure would see whether anyone is breaking or tampering with your windows and your door and they would be able see if someone gets into your home and it would take pictures and contact you, as well as emergency services". 

Thrane explained to us that the system was a "monitoring solution" so you pay for "constant monitoring of your home". For example, if the alarm goes off, still images will be taken. You'll be contacted and the person on the other end of the phone will tell you what they see. You might then realise it is your dog for instance, and the alarm will be called off once you have confirmed there is no threat. Of course, if there is a threat, the police will be called.

The hardware comes with lifetime warranty and you lease the hardware during your agreement. Should anything happen or there is a fault, Verisure will come out and replace it.

What packages are available under the EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure?

There are two packages available initially for the EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure service, one for flats and apartments and the other for houses.

Both carry an upfront fee of £50, followed by a 24-month contract, the cost of which you can add to your mobile bill if you want to. 

Both packages - Essentials for Flats and Essentials for Houses - come with a 24/7 monitored alarm by Verisure Alarm Receiving Centre, SOS button, My Verisure App, wireless kit and security deterrent signs. 

The Essentials for Flats package also comes with two Shock Sensors - designed to detect intruder before they enter the house, two StarKeys for controlling the alarm, a camera detector to take videos and images to verify the intruder, a central unit with 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity and a VoicePad with a 105 OB siren and a keypad to control alarm and direct voice connectivity to Verisure's Alarm Receiving Centre.

The Essentials for Houses package offers the same as the Essentials for Flats package, but instead of two Shock Sensors, you get six.

The Essentials for Flats package costs £25 per month, while the Essentials for Houses package costs £30 per month.

There are also optional add-ons available for the Essential for Houses package, with the kit supplied by Arlo. You can add on a smart doorbell for an additional £7 a month, a smart video doorbell and smart cameras for an additional £18 a month or a smart video doorbell, smart cameras and smoke detection monitors for an additional £25 a month.

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EE

Do you have to be an EE customer?

Yes, initially the EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure packages are only available to EE mobile customers.

EE's managing director of consumer marketing, Christian Thrane told Pocket-lint the company has plans to expand this in the future though: "To start with you will have to be an EE customer to benefit from these offerings. You will need to be a mobile EE customer to begin with but we have ambitions to broaden that very clearly".

The packages will be on top of your monthly contract. Thrane couldn't say whether or not the smart home security packages might eventually be bundled with phone contracts from the network, but for now, there are the two bundles available that we mentioned above which would be an additional cost to a current mobile contract.

When is the EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure system available?

The EE Smart Home Security, powered by Verisure system is available now through the EE website

When asked, the company expected there to be a short lead time in getting the system installed, suggesting days rather than weeks or months, depending on its popularity.