All of Kangaroo’s devices are stand-alones. If you just want a motion sensor, you can get just a motion sensor. Nobody else lets you pick and choose like that. Plus, Kangaroo is affordable and still builds some neat little tech features into its cameras and devices. Granted, you won’t get quite as much with Kangaroo as you do with Ring–but it’s still an incredibly good deal. As home security systems go, Kangaroo is impressively cheap. And it helps that you can get stand-alone sensors. If you need only one or two things, you can get them without breaking the bank. Heck, even if you want enough security stuff to outfit your four-bedroom house like a bunker, Kangaroo will help you do it on a budget. If all you need to make your house feel a little safer is a doorbell camera watching your front porch, then the Cam Protect plan gives you plenty of features and extended storage for your camera. Kangaroo’s security equipment reminds us of a budget version of a DIY home security system, like the Ring Alarm. And despite its low price tag, the Kangaroo system still includes some thoughtful features.
Motion + entry sensor Motion sensor Water + climate sensor
This is not the wide range of equipment you’d get from a big-time company like Vivint, ADT, or even SimpliSafe. But Kangaroo packs a lot into its minimalist offerings. Along with the combo entry/motion sensor, you can also get a water/climate sensor. Most water sensors detect leaks, but this sensor can also detect temperature and humidity. It can alert you if an area of your house is getting too warm or too humid, so you can prevent problems like mold before they even happen.
Indoor + Outdoor Camera Doorbell Camera + Chime
Kangaroo offers two types of security cameras: the Indoor + Outdoor Camera and a doorbell camera. The Indoor + Outdoor Camera comes with a $250 theft or damage reimbursement. Including intelligent alerts, smart detection, and cloud and local storage. Kangaroo Indoor + Outdoor Camera features: For such a cheap price, this doorbell camera has a few quirks. For one, it doesn’t record in a continuous video clip. Instead, it combines a series of still images into a moving image—kind of like a flipbook. Another thing is that the Kangaroo doorbell camera cannot be hardwired into your existing doorbell. That means, either you remove your doorbell and awkwardly leave the wires hanging around in the open air, or you install this doorbell somewhere near your other one and make your guests play a fun game of Guess Which Button to Press. Not ideal. Kangaroo doorbell camera features:
60º field of view Motion detection Night vision Operating temperature -4°F to 122°F (-22°C to 50°C)
The Kangaroo doorbell camera doesn’t work with your existing doorbell chime (you buy a separate one or use the Kangaroo keypad as a substitute). It also doesn’t offer two-way audio, so you won’t be able to talk to people on your porch. All in all, it’s not our favorite video doorbell. But it is extremely cheap. If you just want something on your porch and can only spend a few bucks on it, this will serve you better than nothing. In the future, we’d like to see Kangaroo expand its home automation offerings to work with Z-Wave, Zigbee, or at least IFTTT. In the meantime, you’ll have to stick to the settings you can choose on your smartphone. With Alexa, you can arm and disarm your Kangaroo security system. With Google Assistant, you can also turn cameras on and off. The mobile app is pretty easy to use; although, in our experience, it got a bit glitchy sometimes. We saw some error messages that went away when we restarted the app, but it was a little annoying. Kangaroo is DIY all the way, so you’ll set everything up yourself. Thankfully, it’s not hard. In fact, Kangaroo’s simpler to get up and running than even some of the easiest DIY home security systems out there because you don’t have to fiddle with a hub. You can contact Kangaroo through chat, phone, or email. For the phone-phobes out there, we appreciate the live chat option. As for social media, you can try reaching out to Kangaroo on Facebook, but it’s not present on Twitter. If what you want is a single device or a basic home security system, Kangaroo makes it really easy to get what you need. You don’t have to buy a whole kit of equipment if you only want a couple of sensors. But if you want a smart home-ready security system with high-tech features and all the bells and whistles, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
Pricing: Kangaroo is remarkably affordable. You’ll pay less than $100 for a full starter kit and even less if you just buy a couple stand-alone sensors. Even Kangaroo’s professional monitoring option is cheap at only $10 per month. Equipment: Kangaroo doesn’t offer a ton of equipment, but it builds thoughtful features into what it has. You can get combo entry and motion sensors as well as dual climate and water sensors. Kangaroo also offers an indoor camera and a doorbell cam—although the doorbell camera isn’t our favorite. Home automation: Kangaroo doesn’t have much going on as far as home automation goes. It works with Google and Alexa if you opt in to the right subscription plan. Installation: Installation is easy. Just download the Kangaroo app and select which device you want to add. No hubs, no internet router hookups, no problem. Just make sure your doorways are shallow enough to work with the entry sensors. Customer experience: Kangaroo gives you some convenient ways to reach out to its customer service team, including email and live chat. But this company is too new to have much public feedback on the customer experience.
Not sure if Kangaroo has everything you need? Check out our Best Home Security Systems review to see other DIY, affordable home security options, including SimpliSafe. If you pay for the Cam Protect plan at $1.99 a month, you’ll get access to more exclusive features, cloud storage, and theft reimbursement. Or you can pay $8.25 a month for the Complete Protect Plan and get access to all the features as well as 24/7 professional monitoring.
