NorthStar Connect vs Brinks Home
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NorthStar Connect
Control your Honeywell security system, thermostats, lighting, and locks remotely. Receive alerts, view live video, and track assets in real-time, anytime, anywhere. Requires a compatible system and subscription.
- Arm/disarm security system
- Control lights and thermostats
- Lock/unlock doors
- View live video and doorbell events
- Receive event alerts
- Locate vehicles or assets
- Create smart scenes
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The NorthStar Connect® Remote Services app gives you complete control of your Honeywell security system, thermostats, lighting, locks and more, plus the ability to receive text messages and email alerts, view live video and see your video doorbell events, locate vehicles or assets*— in real-time where ever you are 24 hours a day. Requirement: Compatible Honeywell security systems with a subscription to NorthStar Connect Remote Services. Please contact your security professional for additional information. Feature Highlights: · Arm or disarm your security system · Turn lights on or off · Adjust thermostat temperature · Unlock or lock doors · Control an August Smart Lock · Create Smart Scenes with a Wizard guide for convenience · View your live video and video events · See your SkyBell video doorbell events · Receive email and text alerts about events in your home or business including alarms, extreme temperature changes, motion detected in restricted areas, movement of valuable items, and more · Language support for: English, Latin American Spanish, French Canadian, Brazilian Portuguese · Secure Login with your fingerprint · Locate vehicles or assets · Create users and manage their security system codes · Test Drive Demo
Brinks Home
Control your home security system and smart devices remotely. Arm or disarm alarms, manage lights, thermostats, locks, and view live camera feeds from anywhere. Receive real-time notifications for security events and daily activities.
- Remote alarm control (arm/disarm)
- Smart device management (lights, locks, thermostat)
- Live and recorded video monitoring
- Real-time event notifications
- Geo-fencing automation
- Energy management features
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Complete Smart Home Control in One App Manage your Brinks Home security system and smart home devices with just a few taps. Convenient and easy to use, our app allows you to monitor automate, and customize your home’s security, temperature, lighting, and more—all from the palm of your hand. Total Control at Your Fingertips Tap into the app whether you’re upstairs or uptown. Powered by Alarm.com, the Brinks Home Mobile App goes beyond basic security, allowing you to: • Arm and disarm your system. • Receive notifications for system events. • Quickly verify or cancel an alarm. • Lock and unlock your doors. • View video from your cameras. • Adjust your thermostat. • Manage home automation rules. Stay Connected From Just About Anywhere Receive alerts to see who’s at the door and check your cameras for a live look at what’s happening at home. If you forgot to arm your system you can do it on the go—and set up automatic reminders to let you know. Focus On What’s Important Enjoy peace of mind knowing your smart home system is working for you 24/7, backed by our always-on professional monitoring. Manage Your Account & Update Settings You can also manage your Brinks Home account, make a payment, view your bill, and more through the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Brinks Home at free against NorthStar Connect's subscription. Brinks Home also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3). NorthStar Connect's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Brinks Home holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10K and 21K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 15% of NorthStar Connect's written reviews are positive against 16% of Brinks Home's.
NorthStar Connect ships an update every 5 weeks, Brinks Home every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NorthStar Connect | Brinks Home |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (10K ratings) | 4.6 (21K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 14.8% of reviews | 16.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10K | 21K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 225 MB | 380 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Northstar Alarm Services, LLC | Monitronics |
Customer experience
NorthStar Connect
Brinks Home
User reviews
NorthStar Connect
From 10K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Helpful app features
- 🚀 Good app performance
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent technical issues
- 📞 Poor customer service
- 🔒 Security concerns
- 🔋 Battery drain problems
Brinks Home
From 21K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🔒 Provides peace of mind
- 👍 Great app and system
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🔍 Poor customer service
- 💰 Expensive and not worth the cost
- 🕰️ Long wait times for support
- 📱 App is not user-friendly
Bugs and requests
NorthStar Connect
Reported bugs
3 issues- Cameras going offline frequently
- Unreliable motion detection
- Alarm system malfunctions
Requested features
3 requests- Improved camera functionality
- Better app stability and reliability
- More responsive customer support
Brinks Home
Reported bugs
4 issues- Cameras not recording properly
- Frequent false alarms
- App connection issues
- Inability to manage account details in app
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to customize recording settings
- Longer video clip duration
- Automatic arming/disarming schedules
- Two-way communication for cameras
- Improved mobile app navigation
In-app purchases
NorthStar Connect
No in-app purchases
Brinks Home
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NorthStar Connect free?
Is Brinks Home free?
Which has better reviews, NorthStar Connect or Brinks Home?
Do NorthStar Connect or Brinks Home have ads?
Which is updated more often, NorthStar Connect or Brinks Home?
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