Yale IA-320 Sync Smart Home Security Alarm review

With our homes becoming an even bigger part of our lives in recent months, it's not a surprise that smart home security systems are just as popular as ever. There are quite a few to choose from, but the Yale Family Starter Kit has one of the better selections to kick off your system.

Including two sirens - one for indoor and one for outdoor - a pair of motion sensors and a contact sensor, the kit is designed to be built out over time with additional devices but will cover an average-sized home on its own. 

We tested the home security kit to see how it performed in real life, and you can read what we thought below. And check out our guide if you want to see what we've previously ranked as the best home security systems overall.

Yale IA-320 Sync Smart Home Security Alarm: Specs & Features

• Includes: Keypad, 2 x motion sensor, contact sensor, indoor and outdoor sirens
• Range: 200m
• Siren: 100dB

The capabilities of the Yale IA-320 Sync Smart Home Security Alarm are impressive even when compared with competitors, offering a massive 200m range that dwarfs the 76m of Ring's latest home security kit. This range makes it better for those with large houses or who want to add a device to somewhere like a garage.

Everything is self-monitored with no extra subscriptions costs, which means that, once set-up, you're in complete control of your security system. The app allows you to arm everything or just some of the devices, and it's compatible with smart home platforms like Alexa, Google Home and your Apple Watch (if you want to control your home security from your wrist!).

Once the system is triggered (e.g. by an opened door or window fitted with the contact sensor) the siren is quick to sound and VERY loud. You're in no danger of missing it, and neither are your neighbours, which should make quick work of scaring any unwanted visitors away.

All of this said, instructions provided are difficult to follow so, for those who are coming to home security fresh it might be difficult to follow the purely pictorial directions given. You should also be prepared to connect the base station via ethernet cable, as Wi-Fi installation isn't possible.

Yale IA-320 Sync Smart Home Security Alarm: Design

As said, set-up for the Yale system was trickier than we had hoped, with no option out of the box to mount without drilling into the wall. This wouldn't be a problem for homeowners, but could be trickier for renters. 

Most of the elements of the Yale IA-320 Sync Smart Home Security Alarm are sleek and easy to blend into the home without sticking out too much, with only a small dark grey logo interrupting the white casing. The base station is small enough to sit on a side table without making a nuisance of itself, and the motion sensors can be tucked away in a corer or on any flat surface.

The only big potential issue is the outdoor siren, which takes the form of a large yellow circle that needs to be mounted to the outside of your home. While on the one hand this is an additional feature that many other home security systems are missing, the design is a little garish, and may put some people off.

Yale IA-320 Sync Smart Home Security Alarm: Our Verdict

A smart home security system that can be built out to include devices like locks, security cameras, Hue lights and more, this Yale Starter Kit is a great place to start but might frustrate during set-up and first uses. Once you've gotten the hang of it, however, the system offers a solid level of protection that betters that of some competitors.

About this review

Caroline tests and reviews smart home products including home security systems and cameras for Real Homes, trialling them in real environments to ensure our recommendations are based on how the products perform when used in the home.