Kangaroo: Simple Home Security

Review by eFreeware

Kangaroo is a home security app from Kangaroo Security, the company behind the Kangaroo sensors and cameras it controls. The app is free, sits in the House & Home category, and works alongside a Kangaroo device and a WiFi connection to let you arm, disarm and manage alerts from your phone. The main reason to consider it is that the company lets you start with self-monitoring at no cost, then add a Protect plan if you want professional monitoring, reimbursement for theft or damage, more cloud storage and text or voice notifications.

It has been on Google Play since July 2018 and has passed 500,000 installs, with a 3.6 average from just over 3,000 ratings. That is a middling score rather than a ringing endorsement, and it is worth keeping in mind as you weigh the app against the hardware it depends on. The app carries ads, and paid plans are available.

What interests me most is the shape of the offer: a low entry point for people who want basic oversight of their home, and a paid layer for those who want someone else watching and a promise of money back when something goes wrong. That combination is unusual enough to be worth a closer look, provided you understand what the app is and is not doing for you.

Arming, disarming and alerts from your phone

The core of the app is remote control of your Kangaroo system. You can arm and disarm your space and manage alerts without walking to a keypad, which is the sort of thing that matters when you are away from home and want to check that everything is as you left it. The developer frames this as keeping tabs on your space from anywhere, and for a household with a single door sensor or camera, that is the everyday job.

Alerts are the other half of the equation. On the free, self-monitored setup, it is up to you to act on alerts. Adding a Protect plan brings text and voice notifications into the mix, which widens the ways an alert can reach you. I would expect the difference between the two tiers to be most noticeable when you are not looking at your phone, since a text or a call is harder to miss than an in-app banner.

The app also handles the day-to-day administration of the system, which is the unglamorous part of home security that people underestimate. If you already own Kangaroo hardware, the app is the natural place to manage it.

What the Protect plans add

Kangaroo's paid tiers are where the offer becomes more distinctive. Cam Protect and Complete Protect add professional monitoring, extended cloud storage, text and voice notifications, and reimbursement when theft or damage occurs. The developer is unusually direct about the last point, pitching the plans as ones that pay you back when incidents happen. That is a bold claim, and it is the kind of thing I would want to read the plan terms for before signing up, since the value depends entirely on what counts as a covered incident.

The plans renew automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends. That is a standard arrangement for subscription security services, but it matters because a plan you stop using does not simply lapse on its own. If you try a Protect tier and decide the free self-monitoring setup is enough, you need to cancel deliberately.

Cloud storage is the piece that will matter most to anyone running cameras. Extended storage on a plan means footage is kept longer, which changes how useful the cameras are as evidence after an incident. Professional monitoring, meanwhile, is the feature that turns the system from something you watch into something that is watched for you. Those are two different purchases bundled together, and which one you care about will decide whether the plans are worth it.

Insurance discounts and the driving test

Two features sit outside the core security job. The first is a Discount Engine that the developer says can earn you home insurance discounts based on the protection devices you have installed. The second is a car insurance angle: you start a test drive, the app tracks your trips for 30 days, and your driving is assessed for potential savings.

The insurance features are the part of the app I find most interesting and most in need of scrutiny. Home insurance discounts tied to security hardware are a real thing in the market, so an app that surfaces them is a sensible addition. The driving element is a bigger leap, since it asks you to share your trips for a month in exchange for a possible discount on a different policy entirely. Whether that trade is worthwhile depends on your insurer and your driving, and it is a decision to make with your eyes open rather than as an afterthought.

Neither feature has anything to do with protecting your home, which is worth being clear about. They are add-ons that may pay for themselves. If insurance savings are what draws you in, the security hardware is still the foundation everything else is built on.

Getting set up

Setup is described as a step-by-step process you follow in the app, taking a few minutes. The requirements are short: the app, a Kangaroo device and WiFi. There is no suggestion of a complicated installation, and the developer's framing is that the app walks you through it rather than leaving you to work it out.

The important thing to understand before you download is that the app is not a standalone product. That is not a flaw so much as the nature of the thing, but it does mean the app is only worth installing if you own the hardware or are about to.

The developer also notes that you can get started for $0, which lines up with the free self-monitoring option. That is a genuinely low entry point for a home security setup, and it means you can evaluate whether the system fits your routines before committing to a paid tier.

Who the app fits

The clearest fit is a homeowner who already has Kangaroo devices, or who is considering them, and wants to manage everything from a phone without paying a monthly fee at the outset. Self-monitoring at no cost suits people who are comfortable acting on alerts themselves and who mainly want visibility into their space while they are out. The app is rated for Everyone.

The second fit is someone who wants professional monitoring and is willing to pay for it. The Protect plans bundle monitoring with reimbursement, longer cloud storage and stronger notification options, which is a package aimed at people who would rather not be the one deciding whether an alert is serious. If the idea of footage being retained longer and a service watching on your behalf appeals, the paid tiers are the reason to choose Kangaroo over a simpler camera app.

The insurance features broaden the appeal further, particularly for anyone already shopping around for home or car coverage. They are a nice-to-have rather than a reason on their own, and I would treat them as a bonus rather than the point. The rating average suggests plenty of users have found the app serviceable without being delighted by it, which is a fair expectation to carry in.

A reasonable starting point for a Kangaroo setup

The free self-monitoring route is the strongest argument for trying it, and the Protect plans give you somewhere to go if you decide you want more than your own attention on the alerts.

The caveats are straightforward. The app needs a Kangaroo device and WiFi. It carries ads, the paid plans renew automatically unless you cancel in time, and the reimbursement promise is the developer's, so the plan terms deserve a read before you rely on it. The 3.6 rating from over 3,000 users is a reminder that this is a workmanlike tool rather than a standout one.

For a household that wants basic oversight without a monthly bill, and a clear upgrade path if that changes, the app covers the essentials.

What's new in version 11.17.0

We're always working on improvements and bug fixes to keep the app polished and up to date!