"home false sense of security" :P

[Apoc]

What do you do when traveling? Too lazy to quote from mobile...I've got a could of lights on timers works like a charm for $5 a timer.

I had that, but got annoyed with replacing batteries and reseting the timer when the power went out.

That's what I've got the security system / motion detectors for in case anyone decides to actually break in.

I'd like to discourage someone attempting to break in, if I can.

At the risk of creating a debate, I also want adequate lighting in case of home intrusion. My kid sleeps on a different level than us and the stairs are right inside the front door. In short, a home intruder looking to secure occupants is likely going right upstairs to the nursery where I'll have to follow them up the stairs. I'd rather just have the lights on than have to worry about tactical lighting and/or shooting my wife because I didn't realize she accidentally set the alarm off. Additionally, we have that panic button in his nursery, so I've programmed the system to turn lights on if that's pressed... hopefully scaring aware intruders before they make it upstairs.

tl;dr I'm obsessed with prep and have played all the scenarios out in my head. Also, this stuff is fun and could be considered a hobby.

[JPolen01]

Also, this stuff is fun and could be considered a hobby.

That's more of the vibe I got from you and Justin. Just another hobby to add to the lists. :thumbup:

[Apoc]

Also, this stuff is fun and could be considered a hobby.

That's more of the vibe I got from you and Justin. Just another hobby to add to the lists. :thumbup:

When you have a kid under 5, you need hobbies that happen 30 minutes at a time.

[WRXtranceformed]

I'd like to discourage someone attempting to break in, if I can.

Not sure how effective it really is, especially with most break ins occurring during the day. Some experts say having lights on just helps burglars see what they are doing and doesn't deter someone anyway. I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle. My thought is if someone really wants to break into your house in a neighborhood full of potential witnesses, they're going to do it no matter what.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.npr.org/2016/02/23/466603833/should-you-leave-your-lights-on-at-night-it-depends">http://www.npr.org/2016/02/23/466603833 ... it-depends</a><!-- m -->

You don't have to sell me on the allure of a hobby like that though, I just have plenty of other distractions right now

[Apoc]

Not if you pair it with this!

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://amzn.to/2f26tJw">http://amzn.to/2f26tJw</a><!-- m -->

[WRXtranceformed]

All of this reminds me, we just took our SC concealed carry class and qualifications (NC permit is reciprocal but doesn't transfer over, so we have to take everything again) and the instructor recommended purchasing a specialty liability insurance for gun owners. There are a handful of companies that sell it apparently, it covers pretty much anything related to a shooting by your hand...attorney fees for civil cases, the actual judgment if you are found guilty in civil court, they will even pay for you to buy a new gun when yours is confiscated for the investigation. Has anyone looked into this or set up that kind of policy? No clue exactly how much it costs, but probably a few hundred a year

[Apoc]

FYI - If you want more yard signs or decals, just email them. They shipped me a bunch free.

[Apoc]

So I may or may not have set it up so my Christmas tree lights turn on when the alarm is disarmed and off when armed.

[JustinG]

I used the outdoor zwave outlet to control our Christmas lights. But I keep losing it, the closest sensor is our front door which is maybe 10ft from the outlet. But the front door has been acting weird, randomly saying the door has been left open. So not sure if that is impacting it's range, and the zwave net?

[Apoc]

I didn't think sensors operated on a mesh network because they're ultra low power. I always assumed outlets and light switches were the only repeaters because they have electrical power - it's why the light switches require a third, powered wire.

[JustinG]

hrmmmm, you may be right, I will have to look into that.

If that is the case, then the panel is opposite corner of the house with multiple walls blocking its path so that would explain why it is losing connection randomly.

[Apoc]

You could buy another outdoor outlet to move around the house and test. I installed a permanent outlet in my living room to act as a repeater for outside outlets. It's what's currently running my Christmas tree off the alarm.

[Apoc]

First hiccup with Frontpoint and it's a result of moving their web interface to alarm.com. On the old site, you could set up groups for emPower devices. I'd started the process with a group called Lights before the switch. After the switch, I added another light and it automatically went to the (new, automatic) group of Other. There's no way to edit emPower groups in the app and it's now missing from the website. A call to support later and I'm informed that feature was taken away with the migration and they don't have an ETA for adding it back in. I actually don't want any groups at this point, but me nor the tech support guy have the option. Pretty lame.

[WRXtranceformed]

That reminds me, I need to call FP as well. After everything switched over and I moved our system, it doesn't register one of my window sensors anymore. I checked on the site and it says that my plan doesn't allow for that many monitored sensors? That's new to me, they all were monitored at my old house as far as I know. FP better not be slippin because there are tons of alarm companies here that are begging for my business constantly

[Apoc]

I posted the same issue on Frontpoint's facebook page and got a call at 7:30 am from a supervisor who wanted to learn more about my issue. I didn't answer the phone, but did call back later today. She seemed legitimately concerned with my issue, but needed a few days to investigate if there was something that could be done to help me. My system probably qualifies me as a superuser to them, but I gotta think I'm not the only one experiencing this. Hopefully my feedback will help them work to re-release the feature in a timely fashion.

[WRXtranceformed]

That was easy, spent all of 3 minutes on the phone with FP regarding the sensor. He said that it was still being actively monitored (ie if it was broken, FP / Alarm.com would have been notified and notified me) but due to the way they are structuring their new plans it was not able to be seen whether it was open / closed in the app or dashboard. I guess when they migrated over to Alarm.com's dashboard interface it pulled the new plan details instead of grandfathering our old plan. He went ahead and activated it and all is well. I still need to add a few more window sensors at some point since we have more windows in this house and may look to add that video doorbell or some exterior cameras (if I can figure out how to hardwire them). My 3 year contract is up in August it looks like so I may rake them over the coals and see if I can get that stuff and/or the nicer touch screen panel for free.

[Apoc]

Frontpoint finally fixed their website to address my issues.

On the plus side, the CS Supervisor emailed me at least once a week over the last three weeks to tell me they were still working on it. I had zero faith they'd actually fix it, but it was nice she took the time to update me. I can't tell you how many other times companies say they'll follow up and they never do. Good on them.

[JPolen01]

That's seriously impressive customer service. Someone that actually take pride in their job.

[WRXtranceformed]

Agreed that's pretty amazing!

[Apoc]

I picked this up to try and get alerts when our garage door is left open: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://amzn.to/2jlPXHo">http://amzn.to/2jlPXHo</a><!-- m -->

I assumed that because it's z-wave and says "sensor" that it would work like a sensor. Turns out that z-wave devices really only act as the y in "if x, then y" scenarios. True sensors like doors and glass break can trigger events such as notifications and z-wave products turning on, but the z-wave themselves are passive. This means I have no way I seeing in the app that the garage door sensor is "on" and I cannot be notified if it's left open.

I called Frontpoint and confirmed it's unsupported... and not in that "unsupported but still works" way like all my other devices. I'm going to return it and replace it with Frontpoint's approved garage door sensor (NOT controller, just sensor). I went off-brand to try and save $20, but it didn't work. Oh well.

P.S. - I asked the FP agent if they'd wave shipping given the amount of crap I've purchased from them; he agreed with no fight.