The Monthly Cost Reality
When property managers shop for security cameras, the sticker price is rarely the final number. Hardware costs, installation fees, cloud storage subscriptions, and annual contract requirements add up fast — often doubling or tripling the advertised monthly rate before the first threat alert arrives.
Here's what five major security solutions actually cost per month, based on a standard 4-camera property setup:
| Service | Monthly Cost | Annual Contract? |
|---|---|---|
| Duskguard | $2.99 / mo | No |
| Ring (Basic + Protect) | $20–$30 / mo | No |
| SimpliSafe | $28 / mo | Optional |
| ADT | $45–$60 / mo | Yes (3 years) |
| Deep Sentinel | $99–$149 / mo | Yes |
At the low end, Duskguard is 7–50× cheaper per month than the alternatives. And unlike every other option on this list, Duskguard doesn't require new hardware — it works with IP cameras you already own.
What Each Service Actually Includes
The monthly price tells one story. The feature set tells another. Here's how they stack up on the capabilities that matter most for property security:
Every service on this list offers cloud storage — but the pricing models differ significantly. Ring charges $3–$10/camera/month for video history. SimpliSafe adds $4.99/month for cloud storage on top of the base plan. ADT bundles storage into monthly fees that start at $45 but don't include much. Deep Sentinel's price includes human monitoring review, which is a different product category entirely.
Duskguard's $2.99/month plan includes unlimited cameras and 90-day alert history. No per-camera fees. No storage upsells.
Hidden Costs That Don't Show Up in the Monthly Price
The advertised monthly rate is the floor, not the ceiling. Here's what else you're paying for with traditional security systems:
Installation fees
ADT and most professionally installed systems charge $99–$300 per camera for professional setup. Ring and SimpliSafe are self-install, but the hardware bundle still costs $200–$500 for a 4-camera starter kit.
Hardware lock-in
Ring cameras only work with Ring's ecosystem. SimpliSafe sensors only work with SimpliSafe's base station. If you want to upgrade or switch providers, you replace everything. Duskguard connects to any RTSP or IP camera — hardware is a commodity, not a commitment.
ADT contract trap
ADT requires a 3-year contract. If you sell your property mid-contract, you're either paying the early termination fee or the new owner is stuck with your security provider. That's not a security system — it's a liability.
Cloud storage tiers
Ring's Basic plan is $3/camera/month and only saves events for 30 days. Upgrade to Protect Plus for $10/month and you get 180 days of footage across all cameras. That's $120/year just for cloud storage, on top of hardware costs.
For a property manager running 4 cameras on Ring Protect Plus, the year-one cost is approximately: $400 (hardware) + $480 (storage) = $880. Duskguard's year-one cost on the same property: $35.88. The AI classification quality doesn't favor the expensive option.
Where Deep Sentinel Fits In — And Why It Doesn't
Deep Sentinel ($99–$149/month) deserves its own note because it represents the most expensive end of the market. The service uses real human guards monitoring your camera feeds — when the AI detects a person, a human reviews the footage and dispatches police if needed.
That's a legitimate product for high-security commercial applications. It's not a fit for rental properties or small-to-medium commercial portfolios because:
- The cost is 33–50× higher than Duskguard for the same AI detection capability, without the human review element
- Property managers don't need police dispatch for every camera — they need to know when something real happens at their rental units
- The human guard model adds response time and cost without meaningfully improving alert quality for the use case
For $2.99/month, Duskguard classifies what the camera sees and sends you an email alert with the threat level and relevant frame. The response decision is yours — and you have 90 days of event history to review if you need documentation for an insurance claim or police report.
The Actual Math for a Property Manager
Let's compare year-one costs for a property manager with 6 cameras across 2 rental properties:
ADT Professional Monitoring (6 cameras, 3-year contract):
Hardware + install: ~$1,800 | Monthly: $55 × 12 = $660 | Year 1 total: ~$2,460
Ring Protect Plus (self-install, 6 cameras):
Hardware: ~$900 | Monthly: $10 × 12 = $120 | Year 1 total: ~$1,020
Duskguard Cloud (works with existing cameras):
Hardware: $0 | Monthly: $2.99 × 12 = $35.88 | Year 1 total: $35.88
All three services will send you alerts when something is detected. The difference is in what happens before you ever touch the system: the install process, the contract terms, the hardware investment, and the ongoing monthly cost. Duskguard's primary differentiator isn't price alone — it's that price comes without hardware lock-in or contract obligations.
If you're currently paying $45/month or more for security monitoring, switching to Duskguard saves $500+ per year with no hardware changes required. If you're starting from scratch, the same applies: the $30 IP cameras you already own work with Duskguard from day one.
The Decision Framework
If you manage 1–3 rental properties with existing cameras and want AI threat detection without a contract, Duskguard is the obvious move — both on price and capability. The $2.99/month price point isn't a stripped-down product; it's the same AI classification engine powering detection on commercial properties.
If you're starting from scratch and want a consumer-grade system you can set up yourself, Ring or SimpliSafe are reasonable options — but budget $500–$1,000 for hardware and understand that you're locked into that ecosystem going forward.
If you need professional monitoring with police dispatch capability and budget isn't a constraint, Deep Sentinel is the product for that specific use case.
For most property managers — which is who Duskguard was built for — the math is clear. Landlords and property managers specifically: see our dedicated guide to AI security monitoring for landlords, covering liability, insurance, and portfolio management. Or see how AI monitoring compares to traditional camera systems in our full breakdown, or skip straight to connecting your first camera and seeing the difference in your own alert feed.