AT&T Connected Life mixes devices from Google and Abode

AT&T

AT&T has taken the covers off of new smart home security service called Connected Life, which is a team effort also comprising Google and Abode.

As per the ADT Plus service that launched last year, AT&T is tapping into the Google Home APIs not only to make use of the tech giant’s newfound openness to its hardware, but also allowing everything to live within an AT&T branded app… although you will need the Google Home app to sync Nest devices originally.

AT&T’s offering also adds a third party to the mix though – smart security specialist Abode.

Rather than cooking up its own hub, AT&T is using Abode’s entry-level Security Kit as the brains of the system. That means Abode’s sensors can be paired with Google Nest cameras and doorbells inside the Connected Life app.

The starter kit – which is $399 – pairs Google’s Nest Doorbell with Abode’s Security Hub, two door/window sensors and a single motion sensor.

Step up to the $699 advanced kit and you’re adding four sensors instead of two, a second motion sensor, a Nest Cam (the indoor/outdoor battery model), a key fob for arming on the way out and a wall-mounted keypad so you’re not fumbling with your phone every time you walk through the door.

Both of those kits are available with a monthly subscription too, and you’ll also need a monthly monitoring plan in place too.

On that you’ve got two choices: a $10.99 self-monitoring plan, with 30-day video history and Google’s intelligent alerts, AT&T cellular backup and real-time camera access in the app; or a $21.99 plan that adds Abode’s 24/7 professional monitoring with police, fire and medical dispatch.

Both plans require AT&T wireless or home internet, and both are month-to-month. There’s no long-term contract, and you’ve got a 30-day return window on the hardware before you’re locked in.

If you don’t fancy setting it all up yourself, AT&T will connect you with pro installers for an extra cost. But the DIY angle is clearly the default path.

The Abode hub inside the box has both battery backup and cellular backup, and AT&T pipes that through its own network.

So even if your broadband hiccups or a storm takes out your power, you still get sensor updates, and the monitoring center can still see what’s going on.