FrontPoint Answers: The Basics of Environmental Sensors

Notice anything different? No, we didn’t get a new haircut, but close enough – we’ve revamped our ‘Customer Questions Answered’ series! We’re now calling it ‘FrontPoint Answers’ (Customer Questions Answered doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it?) and gave it a slightly new look. We like it a lot, what about you? Okay, onto the important stuff: environmental sensors. An often overlooked addition to a home alarm system, environmental sensors give homes another level of protection. But customers continue to ask questions about them – like what do they do, or if they need a smoke detector if they have one that came with their house. If you’re clueless about environmental sensors, today is your lucky day. We’re answering your questions about everything that makes them an important part of any home. Let’s begin!

What are environmental sensors?

Environmental sensors are a type of security sensor designed to detect environmental threats such as fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, flooding and freezing. Most home security system owners purchase their systems for intrusion protection, often neglecting environmental dangers. It’s important to keep in mind that nature can pose a threat to your home and family as well, especially in recent years thanks to the growing unpredictability of the weather.

What are the benefits of integrating environmental sensors with my home security system?

A major safety benefit of integrating environmental sensors with your home security system is having monitored environmental protection. Many homes come with smoke detectors already installed, but these are unmonitored, meaning if you’re not home when it goes off, it’s unlikely that anyone will hear it. When a monitored smoke detector goes off, your monitoring center will notify you instantly. In addition, integrating environmental sensors with your home security offers monetary benefits. Owning a home security system already entitles you to a discount on homeowner’s insurance – some insurance companies offer up 20 percent off. Did you know that adding environmental sensors can net you additional discounts? That’s right. The most common discounts are seen on homeowners who have monitored fire protection. Since fire emergencies are more common occurrences than burglaries, insurers are more likely to reward the extra protection.

What environmental sensors does FrontPoint offer?

FrontPoint offers four environmental sensors that will protect your home against common environmental threats:

• Smoke and Heat Sensor: Uses photoelectronic technology to detect smoke particles in the air and also detects when the temperature of a room gets too hot, too fast.
• Water and Flood Sensor: Gives instant warning about leaks or flood conditions when the detector piece comes in contact with water. The transmitter is separate, remaining dry, and sends the alarm signal.
• Freeze Sensor: Detects when the temperature drops below 41 F, providing early warning before freeze can occur.
• Carbon Monoxide Sensor: Detects when dangerous levels of carbon monoxide enters a room. The sensor can also be set to give a ‘pre-alarm’ warning for low levels as well.

All of FrontPoint’s environmental sensors are monitored along with the standard intrusion security sensors. There is no additional cost for environmental sensor monitoring. For additional information about all of FrontPoint’s security sensors, including where and where not to put them, check out our Equipment Guide.