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+--- Thread: "home false sense of security" :P (/showthread.php?tid=10761)
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Nis01 - 07-04-2016
JustinG Wrote:I'm waiting on them to sync with My Q (Chamberlain/Liftmaster) like all of the other Alarm.com based services. Then no need for that sensor and can control the garage door from one app instead of 2.
This is true. Ours is MyQ but requires a separate router add-on for functionality. I wonder since MyQ isn't z-wave compatible whether they will be able to coordinate it or you may just need a separate device. ADT pulse coordinates it in this fashion and I bet FP will do the same.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - JustinG - 07-07-2016
have you guys tried using the Alarm.com app to control your frontpoint system?
Some light reading has made me think I get better home automation functionality using the alarm.com app instead of the Frontpoint branded version of the Alarm.com app
Also, thoughts on using my old Nexus 7 as a second keypad upstairs?
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - davej - 08-03-2016
JMU has Abenity to offer employee discounts on stuff and this came up for Frontpoint, might want to check with your HR to see if they offer it. I don't know if it's any better than what they probably run as regular promos, but figured I'd pass it on.
Quote:Members save up to $350 on home security equipment, plus get free shipping as well as a 30-day, risk-free trial period.
Call 1-855-243-4992 (toll-free) to learn more & take advantage of this special offer!
Important Details
*Offer requires $99.95 minimum equipment purchase with a minimum 3-year agreement for Protection Monitoring ($34.99 per month for 36 months) or higher monitoring plan. Offer available only for credit qualified individuals, and cannot be combined with any other discount or promotional offer, except the $300 discount offered to credit qualified customers who sign a 36-month agreement. Taxes and local permit fees may be required. Frontpoint is fully licensed in all jurisdictions where required.
Valid Until: Dec 31, 2016
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 08-21-2016
Decided to add a panic pendant to our system. Our nursery is on a different floor than, well, everything else in the house. We have no house phone and my wife has a habit of setting her cell phone in places where she can't remember. We're just going to leave the pendant in the nursery so help is a button push away if something happens late at night and a phone is nowhere to be found. They will call our cell phones to verify and if there is no answer, the cops will be sent. You can change it to EMS, but the wife elected to keep it set to police because she's thinking shelter in place, etc.
![[Image: 14086391_10153637474596744_8748186295920263998_o.jpg]](https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/14086391_10153637474596744_8748186295920263998_o.jpg)
I also added a door sensor to the door the keypad door handle is on in this post: <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=271980#p271980">viewtopic.php?p=271980#p271980</a><!-- l -->
I'd already had reminders set up to tell us if doors were left open at certain times of day and for certain amount, so I just added this sensor. Now, we'll get an email/text when this door is mistakenly left open; we'll also hear a chime every time it's opened. This is a storage room with tools and camping gear, so it won't be intrusive to have one extra layer of security. The wife says it's also where the Christmas presents will hide. 8)
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - WRXtranceformed - 08-21-2016
^^ Nice. After we move in to the new place in a few weeks I need to do an assessment and figure out how many more sensors to order, etc. I definitely want to set up some kind of hardwired external cameras as well, whether it be connected to this system or CCTV
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - WRXtranceformed - 08-24-2016
Another big +1 for Frontpoint, called this morning to check in on what we need to do for the moving process. They offered to mail me a free moving kit with individual boxes for the control unit and each sensor (I saved the original boxes anyway) and extra adhesive strips for the new place, new stickers and yard sign, etc. That is pretty cool!
Asked about upgrading to the new touch screen control panel and it's basically another $390. Our 3 year contract has one more year left so the rep recommended if I can live without it (which I can) to see if they can throw that in when it expires and they want me to commit again. I did see they have a doorbell camera that simply plugs in to the existing wiring, I like the idea of that.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 08-24-2016
Ask Mike about my story with Frontpoint really, really wanting to ship me new adhesive a few months ago. Amusingly, I just used some of it a few days ago.
I also inquired about the upgraded panel and got the same story. You could sell the old panel, but I doubt there's much of a market for just the panel. I'm going to wait it out.
The shape of their doorbell is fairly incompatible for with doorways I've seen, including ours. :?
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - JustinG - 08-24-2016
they use the skybell, not sure if it has improved but the first gen got some less than stellar reviews.
Im contemplating getting RING, even though it doesn't tie into frontpoint, itll record/notify me when it senses motion based on zones you set.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 08-24-2016
My electrician tried to convince me to get a Ring when I was having him wire the front door camera. I said I already had a doorbell and the camera could do all the same things while integrating with my current system. We're at the point in home automation that I want more integration, not less.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - WRXtranceformed - 08-24-2016
I found a few CCTV options on Amazon that looked like they could meet our needs and that are less than the price of like one of the cameras that integrate into the Frontpoint system. We'll see, the only part I'm really in a hurry for is to get the system reestablished in the new place and check cellular connectivity. On another good note, wifey said that it would be fine for me to put the gun safe in the house instead of the garage, which I like because potentially I won't have to change out and "charge" the dehumidifiers every 1-2 weeks. We've got a good spot that we wouldn't have to take it up a flight of stairs so I am going to peep that during our final walkthrough on Friday
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 08-24-2016
I did a lot of CCTV research a year before getting Frontpoint. I wasn't happy with what I read in the reviews, unless I was willing to drop $800+. I opted for "buy once, cry once" and haven't looked back. There's something to be said for not having to explain to my wife how to use 17 different apps/protocols. :lol:
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - WRXtranceformed - 08-24-2016
Hmm yeah that is a good point, the integration (and I am assuming cloud storage of the footage?) would just make sense. You got two cameras right? PM me the hardware cost please or post it up here if you don't mind
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 08-24-2016
Indoor Camera- $129.99
Outdoor Camera - $399.99
This is list; prices are negotiable.
Cloud storage is way better, if you ever want to check them while you're not home. If package theft is a problem in your area, this is a good way to see if there's something on your porch that you need to text a friend to pick up while you're out of town. The wife has also used it to check, from her phone, why she heard noise at the front door. I didn't see any cost effective CCTV systems that integrated with mobile devices that easily.
All that said, our baby monitor is CCTV. These signals are more easily intercepted than wifi, but you have to be within range to do so. Hacking a server for footage can be done from anywhere. I'm unlikely to have cloud cameras inside the house for this reason.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - JustinG - 08-25-2016
So per some Youtube reviews, the 3rd Gen Skylbell HD, which is what FrontPoint offers, is leaps and bounds above the other 2 versions.
Hrmmmmmm, and with the integration into Frontpoint, Alexa, Nest....I'm thinking I may pull the trigger.
I have a hardwired doorbell to the side of the door not on the frame, so it should work.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - JustinG - 09-13-2016
Forgot I ordered the "MyQ" internet gateway for my garage door opener. It was on backorder from a vendor on Amazon for like $15 cheaper than Home Depot. It showed up today.
Took some digging and time, plus a couple of calls to FrontPoint. Since this is not supported by Frontpoint and they have no documentation to get it connected. I ended up finding a how to, and they enabled some things on there end allowing me to hook it up to the FrontPoint app.
So now, I can control my garage door opener, and monitor its status (Open/Closed) from my FrontPoint app. instead of having to use the MyQ app.
I have a rule setup to close the door when Armed Stay is activated.
I may add a garage door sensor to the garage door to trip the alarm if the door is opened during Arm Stay instances.
If you are interested, I recommend getting the Chamberlain version of the internet gateway, it is often times cheaper than the Liftmaster Version and is the same unit.
Instructions for FrontPoint to activate it on there end are here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://suretydiy.com/wp-content/uploads/emPower_LiftMaster_MyQ_Enabled_Garage_Door_InstallGuide_EN.pdf">https://suretydiy.com/wp-content/upload ... ide_EN.pdf</a><!-- m -->
Note: when entering your Internet Gateways Serial #, it should be in this format on the back of the gateway XXXX XXX XXX. Be sure you enter a space for the breaks when adding it to your Front Point system. I can help you if you end up doing it.
EDIT: I also found out that the Alarm.com skill on my Echo with Close the garage door when I ask it to. (Also will Arm Stay if you didn't know). Skill does not allow you to Open the garage door or Disarm the system for obvious reasons, bad guy screams through window at Alexa and she lets him in the house.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - WRXtranceformed - 09-13-2016
I have the aforementioned garage door sensor, brought it over from our old house and it works great for said reason (our garage was burglarized after my wife's car was broken into two years ago). Being able to control the door itself from the Alarm.com app would be cool but dunno if I need it really. Our garage door opener has the MyQ function if I wanted to add it. I'm just weird about the possibility of being able to physically access my house through the internet so I doubt I will go that route.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 09-13-2016
I'm holding out for the Frontpoint branded garage control module. I don't really need it (the garage does not provide access to our house), so I can wait.
I think the thing I really want is light switches. They have the plug-in controls, we have very few lights that actually plug into a wall. I'm sure I could some manner of z-wave switches, but that sounds like entirely too much research right now.
Have you guys wired any smoke or CO sensors? I have the one smoke and heat that came with my system set up near the furnace and ktichen, but I'm using dumb smoke/CO sensors in the rooms. It would be nice to get an alert from say, the nursery, but I think I value only depending on a battery and my ears for something that important. Iunno... maybe I'm just looking for ways to spend money on toys.
I was going to post a screen cap of my video hub, but I realized I don't want to publicly post exactly where my cameras are mounted.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - JustinG - 09-14-2016
There is a add on zwave sensor that apparently works like a glass break. It picks up the sound freq that smoke detectors make when they go off, then trigger your system. It is not supported by front point, but im pretty sure it'll work considering it is zwave.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://products.z-wavealliance.org/products/1827">http://products.z-wavealliance.org/products/1827</a><!-- m -->
We have wired smoke in the house that are linked and scream out "FIRE" while the siren activates, I have the smoke and heat on the wall leading up the stairs. I wanna get a 2nd one for the 2nd story or look deeper into the sensor mentioned above.
In regards to light switches, pretty much any Zwave switch will work, Alarm.com shows mostly GE stuff. Front Points sensors are all GE. It is just a matter of Front Point actually testing each and every add on prior to "Supporting" it. But if it works with Alarm.com, it'll work with frontpoint.
I may be your guinea pig, as I want 2-3 switches that I can integrate with Front Point and setup rules allowing lights to turn on when the garage door is opened, lights turn on when the Smoke Detectors are triggered, or auto shutoff/on at certain times.
I also wanna get the Schlage Connect or Yale deadbolt for the front door and our garage to interior door.
Allows keyless access via keypad to family/friends who need in the house but do not have a key. Plus, it'll lock when arming the system adding that piece of mind. I always seem to forget to lock or question if I locked the doors just as I am seconds from falling asleep upstairs.
I have also played with some IFTTT recipes allowing me to control my Harmony Activities via the Echo/Alexa.
I am nerding out with the smart home stuff as much as my wife will let me.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - Apoc - 09-17-2016
I found a secondary upside to a camera on your front porch.
You don't have to bother getting up and opening the door to see if that package you've been salivating over all day has been delivered.
Re: "home false sense of security" :P - JustinG - 09-23-2016
Went ahead and ordered the Sky Bell HD through Front point today.
I hate solicitors and today we had some sketchy ones who's stories changed from Jehovah Witnesses to selling stuff as they went through the neighborhood. Freak occurrence, but for all we know they were casing the neighborhood. Was kinda funny watching the comments come in on the community FB page as the people went from door to door. They never made it to us though before someone called the non emergency police # and they were asked to vacate. They apparently approached someone's daughter when she was getting home from school.
Anyway, our door is solid, we have no peephole, and these weirdos freaked the wife out enough to where she wanted it vs me just nerding out over this home automation stuff.
I'll let y'all know my thoughts when it arrives.