As a mediator between hardware manufacturers and security equipment dealers, Alarm.com proudly presents a long list of home defense equipment. The products are licensed from such seasoned security brands as 2GIG Technologies, DSC, Interlogix Lutron or Kwikset. But Alarm.com does more than just collecting a catalog of high-quality equipment: it also integrates them in a mutual platform, allowing customers to remotely adjust their defense units with the help of a unique smartphone application. The company also has some extra features in stock, like the Pebble smart watch and home automation solutions. Alarm.com doesn’t sell its services directly to customers, but instead works through different dealers, like Frontpoint Security and Link Interactive. This means that the quality of the security equipment and phone app remains the same, but the prices and monitoring service depends on the equipment dealers.
Alarm.com maintains business partnerships with numerous hardware manufacturers to provide a compelling list of security equipment. This list is passed down to every dealer company in the group, ensuring a unified supply. Of course, a certain level of freedom is given for all dealers to provide customization in their own specific way. As an example, Alarm.com does not have any form of environment detector in its offer, but the system itself supports their use. Thus, most dealers complement this deficit by adding fire and carbon monoxide detectors on their own. Also, Alarm.com doesn’t offer any form of professional installation service on its own, and isn’t responsible for any form of regulation regarding the dealers. The situation is the same with the warranty: the company doesn’t put a voucher on any of its products.
Alarm.com made sure to cover all the dangers a homeowner might seek protection against. This is helped by the army of security partners who deliver state-of-the-art home safety units. The hub of any of the alarm devices is the cellular control panel. For this purpose, four manufacturers’ consoles are available. Whether it be fitted with a touchscreen or not; all types of base stations are capable of arming and disarming the home’s defense system, and establish a connection with a monitoring staff during an emergency.
To conveniently automate garage and front doors, an impressive list of smart locks is accessible. The LiftMaster garage door sensors are able to both operate and monitor their target, keeping away car thieves. The smart locks come in many shapes, forms and finishes, making the mad search for the keys a thing of the past. Speaking of smart solutions, an equally wide list of intelligent thermostats and electrical appliance controls are present, thanks to companies like Z-Wave, Evolve and GE.
Alarm.com is in shortage of motion sensors. The only unit they offer is an image sensor: a motion sensor that also creates still photos of trespassers. Thankfully, the actual video camera offer is richer. There are indoor and outdoor cameras available for purchase, fitted with advanced technologies like night vision or a rotatable frame. To make the video monitoring experience complete, a 4-channel video server and a stream video recorder can be added.
Alarm.com does more than just collecting a catalog of high-quality equipment: it also integrates them in a mutual platform, allowing customers to enjoy the safety of their home while using smart technology. All services converge in one place, making the overview as convenient as possible. Using the complex video surveillance network, residents are not only able to re-watch past recording on smartphones and tablets, but also see through the camera’s eye thanks to the live streaming options. The recording system is also designed to provide alerts when the video cameras pick up specific activities. In case someone opens the door while you are away, you’ll definitely know about it. This feature is further enhanced by the geo service that automatically arms the cameras after you leave the household. And all the footage is labelled with different keywords, thus searching the virtual library for a specific event is really simple.
Home automation and energy management are two features that go hand-in-hand in a smart home. Establishing absolute control over the home is a two-way process: on one hand, homeowners are able to schedule the lightings and set specific parameters for the thermostat via the base station or the smartphone app. This relieves them from manually adjusting the lights and temperature. On the other hand, these devices are integrated into the system, and provide constant feedback. This way, the smart thermostat doubles as a freeze or heat detector, as it senses dramatic temperature changes, which might indicate broken equipment. In addition to giving peace of mind, home automation solutions know how to reduce the energy bills. Alarm.com’s system allows user to monitor which part of the house is enlightened, and turning the light off in unused rooms leads to less electricity usage.
Thanks to intense efforts of Alarm.com, its smartphone app is more than just a simple tool that allows the user to check on the alert history. The smart app is a multifunctional platform: it can be a remote controller to arm the alert system; substitute your keys and open the front door or garage door in a second; schedule the lights and set a cozy temperature even before you arrive home; and show you the video footage of all the important events that happened while you were away. The app is available on iOS and Android systems, and accessible through mobile devices and tablets.
The innovative smart software of Alarm.com doesn’t stop at the mobile app. The company created a similar version for the Apple Watch and Pebble Watch, entitling users to access their home security systems from a stylish wristband. The video monitoring service is incorporated to work with the Amazon Fire TV too, creating a constant stream, which is a perfect way to exploit the HD footage of the cameras. Other than using it to monitor suspicious strangers lurking around the house, the live streaming can be a means to document the everyday life of your family, utilizing the indoor cameras.
Seamless partnerships with dealers and hardware manufacturers are the basis of the success of Alarm.com. Working with top home security providers is the key to a unified experience, as customers can expect the same high-quality products and service no matter who they choose.
Alarm.com is currently in partnership with ten hardware companies. 2GIG Technologies is a prominent hardware provider, offering one of the most popular control panels in the industry. It also has a varied list of products that appear frequently at most dealer companies’ setout, like the wireless panic button, remote key ring, smoke alarm or HD video cameras. DSC mainly features control panels, keypads and extra modules as components for the security systems. Interlogix also produces touch-screen base stations, coupled with wireless keypads and video cameras. As a contrary, Qolsys specializes in motion sensors, smart locks and environmental threat detectors. There are also a couple of supporting manufacturers, including LiftMaster, Yale, Lutron, Kwikset, Schlage and Schneider Electric.
All companies who want to be part of the dealership program must undergo a certification process, because Alarm.com only works with authorized partners to upkeep its quality. Those who are given the chance to become a partner, can enjoy numerous benefits. These include the consulship of the mother company, as Alarm.com guides newcomers through the first steps with tutorials, training materials and a large amount of knowledge regarding marketing, promotion, installation and maintenance. Dealers also gain access to a range of free applications and software kits they can use to operate their service. Every partner company is given the choice to customize the existing offers to their will, labeling the products with price tags and creating service plans. It’s also up to them to maintain a monitoring and installation service.
Alarm.com received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau because of its devotion towards customer relationships and problem solving. Although the company doesn’t sell its products directly to customers, Alarm.com provides an interactive map on the website to indicate which dealers are present at a given location. Browsing through the available offers and possibilities is also useful to differentiate between the relatively matching offers of the dealer companies. The website showcases the list of partners and hardware manufacturers. In case visitors have a question, they can quickly address it by calling the customer service over the phone, or shooting them an email. Alarm.com is very active on social media sites too, posting frequently on Facebook and uploading videos to YouTube.
Alarm.com offers a relatively unique approach towards home protection by collecting a wide range of security and automation equipment and distributing it through dealer companies. The greatest contribution of Alarm.com is undeniably the smartphone application, which integrates the different brands into one convenient service. The company offers some of its own hardware too, like the smart thermostat. Alarm.com cannot be judged at the same merits as other companies, as it provides a strong basis for a service, but lacks some of the integral parts, like the monitoring service or professional installation. Not to mention that each dealer dictates a different payment fee, and there is no official price table that helps the comparison.
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Limitations in naming certain devices appear to be a problem in use of Z-wave lights in Alarm.com settings. Customer support for esoteric issues like the above is NOT provided at all by Alarm.com.
Hi Henry and thank you for your comment.
We’re sorry to hear about your experience with Alarm.com. If you have trouble naming Z-wave devices, we recommend signing into the Alarm.com website and clicking on the hamburger menu on the left to access the settings page. From this page, you can click on devices, which brings up a list of all the automation devices linked to your account. Renaming the Z-wave light is as simple as deleting the text from the name field and replacing it with another. After this, you can click on the save button to store all the changes. If you want to confirm the name change, you can do so by visiting the portal’s homepage. We hope that these steps resolve your issue, and feel free to send us a message if you need further help. Have a nice day!