VHS is excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Alarm.com as our new Smart Home Security & Safety and Home Management Solution. Our clients were asking for a more robust and scalable solution for their needs and we listened. Alarm.com has the key differentiators that are directly in alignment with our core mission as we continue to grow and support more families in the St. Louis area (and beyond). We believe that technology should be integrated into your life in a seamless way, not a clunky addition to what you’re already doing. With this new solution we can provide a holistic approach that truly does streamline countless day-to-day tasks in your life, provide a better sense of security, and allows you to stay one step ahead of issues before they arise. Keep reading for an overview of how the partnership between VHS & Alarm.com just may be a perfect fit for you and your family.
Smarter Home Security
Home security systems are nothing new, they’ve been around for decades, however, as technology has evolved so has the capability that comes with these systems.
Any home security system should have the ability to sound an alarm when a door or window is opened (and the alarm is set). This deters criminals and alerts the homeowner of a security breach. They should also have the ability to be professionally monitored, meaning that if there is an alarm, it can notify the local emergency services and dispatch for police or fire.
We believe that in addition to standard door/window sensors or motion sensors, the system should give baseline health information for your home as well as a deterrent. Some of these include:
-Flood Sensors: Devices that can be placed underneath sinks or appliances that sense the presence of water when it SHOULD NOT be there. Once detected, an alert is sent to the home owner
-Temperature Sensors: These devices can be placed nearly anywhere that temperature control is important. We’ve installed these in commercial kitchen freezers to notify the owner if the temperature begins to creep near a predetermined threshold. This gives the critical time to call for service or ensure the doors are properly sealed
-Smoke and CO Sensors: Having functional smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home is a life saving thing to do, but what happens if the smoke alarm goes off when no one is home? Being notified of fire or CO can save precious seconds to protect your belonging or pets.
-Shock Sensors: Ideal for a wide range of residential and commercial applications and provide early detection of brute force attacks (kicking a door in) or other low-level shocks. They have a high immunity to background vibrations which can cause false alarms and protect windows, doors, walls and roofs against forced entry.
-Panic Buttons or Fobs: Panic buttons are great additions to keep at the bedside or for elderly/at risk individuals to keep on their person. Should they fall, the button can be pressed to immediately alert emergency services
While there are countless alarm solutions on the market, not all are created equal. Some have the above functionality, however they’re rarely mentioned add ons. By implementing some or all of the above solutions, you have more insight into different critical areas of your home as well a more robust security solution. Our Foundation Package includes the addition of flood or temperature sensor for this very reason, it’s an entry point to a Smarter Security System.
Integrations
Where the system really comes to life is through the mobile app. If you’ve ever added any smart home technology into your home, you probably know about app creep. If you have an alarm, cameras, a video doorbell, indoor cameras, a smart thermostat, smart garage door, etc. it’s not unusual to have 10 separate apps to manipulate all of these. Over time this can become extremely cumbersome and it’s a ton of separate account information to keep track of. Take a look at some of the scenes below to get a sense of how all of this can come together
– When you wake up you can activate the scene to disarm the alarm, the thermostat goes to your favorite temperature, lights in the predetermined zones can turn on to your preferred brightness, the ceiling fan turns off, and the shades open up to let natural light in.
-When it’s time to go, the exterior doors lock, the thermostat goes to 74 degrees to save energy, the garage closes, and the system goes into arm away mode (activating motion and shock sensors in the home)
-The day has come to an end and as you’re crawling into bed you set your sleep scene. The system confirms the doors are locked, the lights are off, the temp is set to your preferred sleep temperature, and the system is set to arm stay mode (door contact sensors will trigger the alarm but the motion sensors are inactive)
So what next?
Over the past 3 years of implementing smart home technology for hundreds of clients in the St. Louis area, we couldn’t be more excited to offer up this platform. Since day one, we have stressed the importance of the EXPERIENCE that technology can create for you in your home. To get started, check out our packages link and someone from the team can help bring this solution to life for you and your family!
