7 Cool Home Security App Features You May Not Know About
A top-rated home security system should always have a quality app. The best home security apps offer a large variety of features and tools so that you have complete control at your fingertips no matter where you are in the world. But some apps are better than others, and it’s important to know what to look for when selecting a security system. For example, Frontpoint has a highly-rated mobile app that is beloved by its users. The app features a user-friendly interface, making it easy to stay connected to your home from anywhere your smartphone works. Using your smartphone or tablet, you can secure your home, dim the lights, view alerts, watch live surveillance video, and more, whether you’re home or away.
With so many home security system options to choose from, it can be challenging to decipher which one is the right one for you. Let’s examine some of the most useful capabilities of Frontpoint’s mobile app to help guide your search.
1. Control Your Lights from Anywhere at Any Time
Just got comfy in bed and realized you forgot to turn off the downstairs lights? Or maybe you like to turn the lights on and off while you’re on vacation, so it looks like someone is home. Frontpoint’s mobile app enables you to brighten or dim your lights at will from wherever you are with your smartphone.
It’s also helpful in reducing energy expenditures and expenses. Since Americans spend about $130 million a year on wasted energy, the ability to remotely turn off lights you accidentally leave on can add up to significant savings. You can also program and name customized “scenes,” such as “energy saver” or “make it look like I’m home,” that turn switch lights at the touch of a button or via a schedule.
2. Adjust the Temperature While You’re Away
One of the main benefits of smart living is the ability to easily access home systems remotely. If you own a Frontpoint Smart Thermostat, you can use Frontpoint’s app to control it, saving more energy and potentially money off your electric bill. Save energy by turning the heat down when you’re at work—but then turn it back up when you leave the office, so you always come home to a warm house. You can also raise and then lower the temperature on the A/C before you walk through the door on a hot summer day. You can also schedule automated temperature control based on your daily routine.
3. Stay in the Know with Instant Notifications
Frontpoint’s app can notify you of security problems and other events at your home. You can elect to receive mobile alerts whenever a home security system component is triggered, activated, or deactivated. These instant notifications enable you to act quickly in case of an emergency. If your system includes cameras, you can check the real-time video feed to see what’s happening and notify authorities. If the alarm is triggered, Frontpoint’s monitoring service will send help for you if needed.
If you have Frontpoint’s Smart Door Lock, you can assign the members of your household their own entry code. This can enable you to receive notifications that tell you who exactly locked or unlocked the door.
You can also customize notifications tied to motion sensors, door/window sensors, environmental sensors, and more. For example, you can be notified when:
- Kids arriving safely home after school
- Someone arrives at or leaves the property
- Certain unusual activity, such as water leaking through pipes
- Doors or windows that are left open
- Smart lights left on for a long duration
- Failing to arm the system
- Someone turning off the system, including notification of who did it (if they used their own personal access code)
- When someone is approaching a restricted area of the home or if they open something like a liquor or medicine cabinet
Remember, Frontpoint’s app allows you to customize your notifications, so you only receive the ones you want, which helps you avoid “alert overload.”
4. Check Your Camera’s Live Feed
Frontpoint’s home security cameras can be programmed so you can view real-time video through the home screen of the app from Outdoor, Indoor, Premium Indoor, or Doorbell Cameras installed throughout a property. The app also allows you to watch video clips that are recorded any time motion is detected. As mentioned previously, camera motion detection triggers instant email, text, or push notifications. Frontpoint outdoor cameras can detect the difference between a human, animal, or vehicle, so you can adjust your notifications accordingly.
If you have the Premium Indoor Camera, the Frontpoint app allows you to pan, tilt, and zoom your lens so you can have a better view of your home. You can also speak to people near the camera with two-way audio.
You can also take advantage of two-way audio with the Doorbell Camera. If someone is at your door, you can speak to the visitor and hear them, whether you’re home or not.
5. Arm or Disarm your Home Security System Remotely
There are a lot of reasons why this feature is so valuable. Maybe you left your house and forgot to set your alarm. Maybe your kids are coming home before you, and you want to make sure the alarm doesn’t scare them. Perhaps someone set off a false alarm while you’re not home, or you did yourself, but you’re too far from the keypad. All of these problems can be solved by simply opening up your Frontpoint app and arming or disarming your home security system remotely!
6. Set Up Automated “Rules” Based on Your Location
The Geo-Services feature instructs your home to automatically perform specific actions based on your location. First, you enable Geo-Services on your Frontpoint App and allow it to use your smartphone’s location. Then, you set up “rules” that will automatically take effect anytime your phone crosses a designated “geofence.” You can create multiple geofences that each has its own set of rules. For example, you can set a rule that turns off the lights every time you leave the house. Some people also like to create rules that pause indoor security cameras whenever they are within their home’s geofence to prevent unwanted recordings.
7. Ensure Aging Parents’ Safety by Monitoring Multiple Accounts
A lot of people provide unpaid care to elderly family members. These caregivers typically support aging parents who often wish to live independently in their own homes. And the caregivers are often employed parents themselves who can’t be physically present much of the time.
The Frontpoint app can be linked to a separate home security account. Additional sensors in your aging parent’s home allow you to help ensure that they are healthy and safe. For instance, alarm sensors on a medicine cabinet door can help you monitor if the medicine is being administered to your loved one. You can also check in on an elderly relative’s cameras to see if they are ok if they aren’t answering the phone. If there is an emergency, they can send a signal for help with a panic pendant. While they wait for help to arrive, you can communicate with them via the two-way audio feature of the Premium Indoor Camera.
The Frontpoint Security App: a Powerful Home Security and Automation Tool
Frontpoint’s mobile app is loaded with valuable features that make using a home security system simple and convenient. When selecting a home security system, make sure it comes with an app that is just as robust as this one.