Tips & Tricks of Explaining Geo-Services

This blog was originally published in November 2014. It was updated in May 2020 with new product information.

Geo-services is an incredibly useful feature of the Frontpoint alarm system that’s all about making your life a little bit easier—like automatically turning the lights off for you when you forget. But it does more than that. It can also remind you to arm your system, adjust your thermostat, and control your lights and cameras—or do it for you.

Sounds pretty neat, right? How does it all work?

It starts with the “geofence,” an invisible ring around a location that you designate. Any time you (and your smartphone) enter or exit the geofence, any geo-service rules and settings you have applied will automatically go into effect.

You can have multiple geofences, each with their own set of rules. You could leave your home’s geofence and receive an arming reminder. Or enter the geofence surrounding your home and have your home’s smart lights automatically turn on as you pull in the driveway.

Geo-services also support multiple users, and each individual can have their own rules and settings.

To learn more about geofencing, check out our blog on how geofencing works with smart home security systems.

Enabling geo-services is super easy and can be done in three steps!

1. Download the Frontpoint app onto your smartphone (if you haven’t already done so).
2. Log in to the app and open the options menu and then select “Geo-Services.”
3. Drag the slider to the right to turn geo-services on, then confirm by selecting Turn On.

*The GPS on your phone must be enabled to use Geo-Services.

1. Log into your account on MyFrontpoint.com.
2. Click on the Mobile tab, and then the Geo-Services link that’s below it.
3. Create a geofence by clicking on the Add a Fence link. Here you can specify the location of your geofence and change its name and radius (between 1-100 miles). Click Save when you’re finished.
4. Click on the Light Automation Rule link. Here you can create a variety of rules for your Wireless Light Controls. To create a rule that automatically turns your lights off when exiting your geofence.

1. Click Save.

And you’re done!

Remember, you don’t necessarily need smart light bulbs to set up geo-services. You can also use wireless light controls that convert lamps and small appliances into smart devices. For example, you can use a wireless light control to turn on a fan or humidifier.

Now that you’ve set up your geofence, there are plenty of rules and settings you can apply to your system. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Arming reminders– As mentioned before, notifications can be sent to your smartphone if you forget to arm your alarm. But you can also receive notifications for when specific system events take place, specific sensors are triggered, and when a sensor remains open for too long.
  
  
• Thermostat control– You can set your thermostat to automatically adjust to an energy-saving mode when leaving home, and to a more comfortable setting when you’re on your way back. This is a great way to save energy (and the dent in your wallet).
  
  
• Pause video recording – Rules can be placed so specific video recordings will be paused whenever you're within the geofence, allowing you to prevent unwanted recordings.
  
  
• Event-triggered lights – You can set up your Wireless Light Controls to automatically turn on or off when certain events occur—like whenever a user crosses the geofence.

If you have any questions about geo-services, feel free to leave a comment or call 877-602-5276, and a member of our Customer Support Team will be happy to help.

Frontpoint keeps families safer and more connected in their everyday lives. We've been revolutionizing the home security industry for over a decade. And we're just getting started. To shop DIY home security systems, check out our Security Packages. If you have questions or would like to discuss a quote, contact us at 1-877-602-5276.