Current-status correction, July 30, 2026: AT&T Digital Life was discontinued, but AT&T Connected Life is now a different, active product. AT&T describes the current offer as home security powered by Google Home, combining Google Nest devices with Abode security devices, AT&T cellular backup, and professional monitoring by Abode. This page has been rewritten so the old Digital Life history is not mistaken for the current service.
AT&T Connected Life and Vivint take different routes
AT&T Connected Life is presented as a self-installed system managed in the AT&T Connected Life app, with optional professional installation in selected areas. Vivint is a professionally installed and professionally monitored security and smart-home route whose equipment, installation, financing, service, and contract terms must be confirmed in the current written proposal.
| Decision | AT&T Connected Life | Vivint |
|---|---|---|
| Product model | New Google Home-powered offer; not the discontinued AT&T Digital Life product | Professionally designed and installed security and smart-home proposal |
| Equipment | AT&T says current kits combine Google Nest devices and Abode security devices | Exact panel, sensors, cameras, locks, warning devices, communications, and smart-home equipment must be named in the proposal |
| Installation | AT&T says DIY installation can take about 30 minutes; optional professional installation is available in selected areas for an added cost | Professional installation is the standard route; scope and charges belong in the written proposal |
| Monitoring | AT&T says professional monitoring is provided by Abode and starts at $10.99 per month with no long-term contract | Professional monitoring; price, term, cancellation, communicator, verification, and service conditions must be confirmed in the exact proposal |
| Cellular and internet | AT&T says cellular backup supports professional monitoring during an internet or power outage, while live camera streaming, mobile notifications, remote control, and video still require internet or Wi-Fi | Require the proposal and acceptance test to state what uses broadband, cellular communications, local control, battery backup, and cloud service |
| Best fit | Buyer who wants a current DIY kit, Google Home and Nest context, Abode-backed security and monitoring, AT&T cellular backup, and no long-term monitoring contract | Buyer who wants a professionally installed, monitored system and is prepared to compare a complete quote, service terms, ownership, and exit conditions |
Verify the current AT&T record from the official page
AT&T’s current Connected Life home-security page is the primary source for the new offer. As of July 30, 2026, it says:
- the current Connected Life product is powered by Google Home and is a completely new product compared with the earlier AT&T Digital Life service;
- kits combine Google Nest devices and security devices from Abode;
- professional monitoring is provided by Abode, starts at $10.99 per month, has no long-term contract, and can be cancelled at any time;
- AT&T cellular backup supports the professional-monitoring route during an internet or power outage;
- live camera streaming may not work during outages, and mobile notifications, remote control, and video require a working internet or Wi-Fi connection;
- DIY installation is designed for about 30 minutes, while professional installation is optional, costs extra, and is limited to selected areas;
- only one home can currently be linked to an AT&T customer account.
Save the exact kit page, cart, plan, financing terms, delivery record, installation route, and service disclosures before buying. Product bundles and terms can change after this article is published.
Build two complete records before comparing price
For AT&T Connected Life, record every Nest camera or doorbell, Abode sensor or control, hub, siren, keypad, mount, power supply, battery, app function, Google Home function, account owner, AT&T cellular path, monitoring plan, installation task, financing term, warranty, cancellation rule, and support owner. Do not transfer a capability from one device or kit to another.
For Vivint, require a written proposal that names every panel, direct sensor, camera, lock, warning device, communicator, battery, mount, network requirement, installation task, monitoring service, app or video feature, financing agreement, equipment ownership term, warranty, service-call charge, cancellation rule, move rule, and account-release process. Compare the final installed design, not an advertised starting price.
Separate sensing, warning, evidence, and response
- Direct sensing: trigger every approved door, window, motion, glass-break, smoke, carbon-monoxide, leak, or other sensor through its supported test. Save the correct physical state, name, mode, delay, panel or app state, history, trouble, and restoration.
- Local warning: identify the exact siren, panel, keypad, chime, or hub that sounds without depending on a phone. Record volume, duration, silencing authority, accessibility, sleeping-area audibility, and behavior after internet or power loss.
- Evidence: walk every approved camera route by day and in low light. Save the physical privacy boundary, first useful frame, recording start, timestamp, storage, retention, playback, export, audio, viewers, and service-end state.
- Response: use approved test mode to prove signal receipt, verification, cancellation, dispatch limit, emergency address, permit, access note, restoration, and clean exit from test mode.
A phone notification, automation, camera event, platform badge, voice command, or geofence does not prove a local siren, direct alarm zone, monitored signal, emergency call, or dispatch.
Understand the Google Home, Nest, Abode, and AT&T split
The current AT&T offer joins several layers. The device that detects an opening may be an Abode security device. The video device may be a Google Nest product. Google Home provides the smart-home context. The AT&T Connected Life app manages the packaged offer. AT&T provides the stated cellular-backup route. AT&T’s page says Abode provides professional monitoring.
That split makes the written ownership and recovery record important. Name the hardware owner, AT&T account owner, Connected Life app owner, Google Home owner, Nest viewer, second administrator, monitoring customer, billing owner, network owner, emergency contact, installer, and recovery owner. Remove a temporary user and prove old invitations, app sessions, camera views, recordings, shared links, codes, voice routes, automations, and recovery paths fail.
Do not call cellular backup an internet replacement
AT&T explicitly limits the outage claim. Its page says cellular backup is for professional monitoring when internet or power fails. It separately warns that live camera streaming may not work and that mobile notifications, remote control, and video require internet or Wi-Fi. Test the exact permanent behavior instead of assuming every app or camera function moves to cellular.
For Vivint, require the same separation in writing and in the acceptance test. Record the panel battery, communicator, broadband path, cellular path, local control, camera recording, app, monitoring signal, missed events, clock recovery, restart order, and support route.
Installation: DIY speed versus professional scope
AT&T says the current kit is designed for a 30-minute DIY setup. Treat that as a vendor estimate, not proof for every property. Door frames, masonry, detached buildings, weak Wi-Fi, camera power, poor cellular signal, older phones, account recovery, accessibility needs, and legal camera boundaries can add work. Test every final mount after doors, insulation, furniture, vehicles, and normal network traffic are present.
Vivint’s professional installation route can reduce the buyer’s mounting and commissioning work, but the proposal should define cable routes, holes, paint or trim damage, old-equipment removal, camera views, network changes, access, test mode, user training, cleanup, documentation, and responsibility for correcting a failed acceptance test.
Compare contracts, financing, ownership, and exit
AT&T’s current page says the Connected Life monitoring service has no long-term contract and can be cancelled at any time. Financing the equipment through a separate credit product can still create a payment obligation. Monitoring cancellation, equipment financing, cloud video, Google services, AT&T account status, and hardware ownership are different records.
For Vivint, do not infer the monitoring term or equipment ownership from the monthly price. Read the monitoring agreement, equipment-purchase or financing agreement, installation authorization, trial or cancellation language, move policy, service charges, account-release conditions, and remaining balance. Save signed copies before installation.
Write the permanent service state and three-year cost
End trials and document what remains for arming, local warning, notifications, live view, recording, history, playback, export, users, remote access, automation, monitoring, cellular communications, firmware, support, warranty, and data. Then calculate 36 months from the exact records.
| Cost line | AT&T Connected Life record | Vivint record |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Current kit, added Nest or Abode devices, mounts, power, batteries, tax, shipping, and any financed total | Panel, sensors, cameras, locks, warning, communicator, mounts, batteries, tax, and financed total |
| Installation | DIY time, network or electrical work, or optional professional installation | Installation charge, cable or network work, old-equipment removal, and correction visits |
| Recurring | Monitoring, video or cloud services, connectivity dependencies, and any separate Google or AT&T charges actually required | Monitoring, video or app service, connectivity dependencies, permits, and service charges |
| Exit and recovery | Financing balance, cancellation, reset, replacement, move, sale, account recovery, and one failed major device | Financing balance, cancellation, buyout, service call, transfer, move, account release, and one failed major device |
55-minute acceptance test
- Reconcile the signed proposal or cart against every installed device, mount, account, user, plan, financing term, network path, power source, warranty, and recovery owner.
- Trigger every approved direct sensor 10 times. Save correct state, name, local warning, app event, history, monitoring receipt, trouble, restoration, and missed or duplicated events.
- Walk every approved camera route by day and in low light. Save privacy boundary, first useful frame, recording start, timestamp, storage, retention, playback, export, audio, and removed-viewer result.
- Use approved monitoring test mode. Record signal receipt, verification, cancellation, dispatch limit, emergency address, permit, access note, restoration, and clean exit.
- Disconnect internet safely, run the documented power-loss path, make one controller unavailable, end optional service, remove a temporary user, and simulate an unavailable primary owner. Record local sensing, warning, video, cellular behavior, missed events, restart, revocation, handover, and second-person recovery.
Verdict
Choose AT&T Connected Life when the current Google Home and Nest context, Abode security hardware and monitoring, DIY setup, AT&T cellular-backup route, and no-long-term-contract monitoring match the property—and the exact kit passes the acceptance test. Choose Vivint when professional design, installation, monitoring, and a single service route are worth the quoted equipment, term, ownership, service, and exit conditions.
For another view of Vivint against a sensor-led DIY route, see Abode vs Vivint. Buyers weighing two professionally monitored routes can also use Vivint vs ADT to compare proposal, installation, communications, monitoring, service, ownership, and exit proof.
FAQ
Is AT&T Connected Life discontinued?
No. AT&T Digital Life was discontinued, but AT&T’s current Connected Life home-security page describes an active, completely new product powered by Google Home.
Who monitors AT&T Connected Life?
AT&T’s current page says professional monitoring is provided by Abode and starts at $10.99 per month with no long-term contract. Confirm the current plan and disclosures before purchase.
Does cellular backup keep AT&T cameras online?
Do not assume that. AT&T says cellular backup supports professional monitoring during an internet or power outage, while live camera streaming may not work and mobile notifications, remote control, and video require internet or Wi-Fi.
Is Connected Life the same as AT&T Digital Life?
No. AT&T calls the current Connected Life offer a completely new product compared with the earlier Digital Life service.
With over 20 years of experience evaluating home security technologies, Andrew is a trusted home security expert. He specializes in DIY home security systems, indoor and outdoor security cameras, doorbell cameras, and safety software such as password managers. Andrew uses in-depth research to provide accurate and actionable insights. His work helps you make better decisions to protect your home.
Leave a Reply