Over the last decade or so, consumers have come to expect to control many of their electronics through the use of their smartphones. This trend has ranged from televisions to refrigerators and many products in between. As you can expect, our industry has gotten tugged into this trend as well. After all, our security solutions represent top-of-the-line technology. As such, we install products that keep up with recent technological developments, including this trend towards “smart” products. In this post, we show you how we can help create smartphone-based security in your own property!
First, we’ll review one of our most popular forms of app-based security in the form of interactive alarm monitoring. This represents one of our most powerful and effective additions to our security offerings. From there, we’ll look at the role of the smartphone within access control systems. This staple of security has seen some important upgrades in recent years, including smartphone intergration. Then, we’ll detail how you can use your phone in conjunction with a surveillance system. Cameras have long remained one of our most effective forms of security, and even moreso with a smartphone involved. Finally, we’ll show you how we can create security using smartphone-connected smart appliances. Now, let’s get started with a look at our unique interactive alarm monitoring.
Interactive Alarm Monitoring
Traditional alarm monitoring relies on a hardwired telephone line to create a connection between an alarm and a central station. However, a couple of factors have started to make this form of alarm monitoring seem outdated. For one, many customers have shed their landlines. These customers generally install cellular dialers to maintain their alarm’s connection to the central station without a traditional phone line in place. Cellular dialers use a cell phone network, rather than a landline, to communicate to the central station. A second factor in installing these dialers lies in their ability to communicate even if burglars cut a property’s phone lines. Many thieves take this precaution, so using a monitoring service that doesn’t get affected by this act adds tremendous security.
Interactive monitoring through Alarm.com allows you to control your alarm system remotely, adding both security and convenience.
In addition, many customers prefer the extra functionality and convenience provided through interactive cellular monitoring. Some cellular dialers, such as ours powered by Alarm.com, offer these services. Interactive monitoring allows users to control their security system remotely. Forget to set the alarm on the way to work? Simply grab your phone and use the Alarm.com app to take care of it. You’ll never again have to sit around and wonder whether you forgot to activate your security system.
Interactive cell monitoring also generates customizable notifications for different security events. For example, instances such as low batteries or sensor trouble signals can create instant alerts. Moreover, you can also receive notice when anyone arms or disarms your security system. As an added layer of security, you can also receive alerts if someone fails to arm the alarm by a certain time! As we mentioned, these features represent one of our most effective forms of smartphone-based security. Let’s now see how smartphones can work with access control systems.
Access Control Swiping
Access control systems create one of the most effective ways of both controlling and tracking access to your business. Installing this security measure involves using advanced electronic lock equipment to control access to your property. Rather than using a key at these doors, users approach a keypad or a credential reader and present either a code or a physical credential such as a card or fob. Users who present an approved credential will then be able to open the door after the keypad or reader interacts with the door’s electronics to unlock it. Business owners can allow each credential to open only certain doors at specific times, giving them tremendous control over who can open which doors, and when. Moreover, these systems also come with advanced software allowing business owners to check on who entered what doors, and when.
Traditionally, users present a credential in the form of a card or a fob to gain entry. However, as of late we’ve gotten the ability to install access control systems that utilize bluetooth technology. This allows you to use smartphones to gain entry to your business, rather than purchase other credentials. In turn, this makes it much less likely that anyone will misplace their access credential. After all, nobody goes anywhere without their phones! Taking advantage of this technology saves a bit of money and adds significant security. Next up, let’s turn our attention to smartphone-based security revolving around surveillance systems.
Smartphone-Based Surveillance Monitoring
Whether installed in and around a home or a business, surveillance cameras have long remained one of the most effective and important pieces of any complete security plan. Not only do cameras capture recorded video of your property at all times, modern camera also allow you to use your smartphone to monitor your property in real time, at any time of the day or night! We can make this happen a couple of ways. If you have a hardwired camera system with a recorder, we can create a hardwired connection between your router and the recorder itself. In turn, this allows you to use an app to monitor your cameras on your phone. If you have standalone smart cameras, then we use your wifi to create a connection between your cameras and an app that you can use to similarly view your cameras.
Furthermore, we can set up other smartphone-based surveillance notifications based on your preferences. For example, we can create live video alerts if certain cameras detect motion. This allows you to monitor the most important areas of your property at all times. The ability to access your surveillance remotely provides next-level security for our camera customers. Let’s check out one more form of smartphone-based security in the form of smart appliances!
Smart security appliances put the control of all of your connected smart devices at your fingertips at all times.
Smart Appliance Control
Over the past several years, smart security solutions have risen sharply in popularity. The smart security devices described in this section allow you to use smartphone apps to control them and receive important alerts as well. Smart devices require a connection to a network in order to create smartphone functionality. You can use your home’s existing wifi capabilities to make this happen. However, many people prefer smart home products that communicate on an independent mesh network. Our Alarm.com dialer actually comes equipped with a hub that operates on the popular and secure “Z-Wave” smart home network. This allows our Alarm.com customers to control the devices described here using their Alarm.com app.
For example, smart keypad locks can help you track access to your home, and even control your locks remotely as well. Moreover, they also let you add and delete codes from anywhere at anytime. For example, if you need a contractor to stop by while you are away, you can pick up your phone and add a temporary code to grant access. A few hours later, simply pick up your phone and delete the code!
Some smart appliances can greatly help with energy costs as well. For instance, smart thermostats give you control and insights over your property’s environment at all times. Moreover, they also allow you to create temperature schedules to keep the temperature nice and low in your absense while also keeping things comfortable from the moment you get home. Finally, these appliances even send you alerts if your temperature falls outside of your chosen parameters! This means that you will receive instant alerts to extreme hot or cold temperatures at your home or business. As you can see, smart home appliances add quite a bit of security while also giving you the type of user experience you’d expect from your wifi-powered appliances.
Putting Smartphone-Based Security to Work for You
We hope that this post has shown you how smartphone-based security works across the spectrum of security equipment. As always, we encourage you to contact us with any questions this post may raise for you. We will happily answer any and all of your security-related inquiries. Additionally, feel free to reach out to set up a site survey for a more hands-on approach to adding the security described here. We offer this service free of charge to both residential and commercial customers. While on site, we can work together to create the most efficient and effective solutions to your unique security threats. Together, we can work to keep your property — and everyone on it — as safe and secure as possible!