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Home security app?

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dibba

Member
I'm looking to get a home security system, you know, one that alarms when a door, window, etc is opened.

And so I was thinking, I bet there's one that can tie into an app that lets me check my home remotely.

Any suggestions please?
 
The alarm goes off, the people monitoring it call you on your Android... Not what I really think of as an app, but whatever. ;)

Actually you could be right, since I know some alarm systems communicate with the monitoring center via the internet.
 
Yeah, not exactly what I was thinking about. I'm talking about an app that can control the alarms, or even turn lights on and off. Like the app the iPhone describes on one of it's commercials. I'm sure Android has something similar?
 
Check out alarm.com. I don't use it but a friend does. I believe you can pretty much do everything from their website. I assume they have a mobile version of their site....
 
I have Homeseer that hosts a web site which I connect to using the phone's browser which allows me to control Homeseer and my X10 Firecracker devices. I'm still trying to justify the $$$ I coughed up for Homeseer and all the X10 devices. But then, a home security system is protecting a lot more than the investment of the cost of the home security system in the first place, right? However, Homeseer now cost twice as much as what I paid for it which is why I haven't even upgraded it.

BTW, I also use 'burglar social engineering'. WOW, you're probably asking yourself what the .... does that mean??? Well, I purchased a Police radio scanner from Radio Shack. So, when I'm not home, I leave it turned on just load enough so that anyone breaking in could hear it. My thought is, how many burglars would continue breaking in when they hear Police scanner emergency calls coming from within? "krrrrkkk, this is Adam 12, we're in pursuit of a suspect, request backup...krrrrkkk". But then, they'll probably just take my Police scanner too I guess...

Oh well, have fun finding something in the way of physical security or social engineering that works for you.
 
i think the OP is talking about esecure app, i have it on my iphone and it can arm/disarm the alarm system from anywhere...i don't think there's an esecure app for android market, i hope they make one soon
 
Alarm.com has a Android app along with Iphone and blackberry apps. You can arm/disarm the sytem from your phone along with viewing the history of when doors and windows were opened. Shows the current status of all doors as well.

I find it handy to check and see if the kids let the dog out. Goes like this - Did you let the dog out? Yeah a hour ago. No doors have been opened in the last three hours, did you shove him out the dryer vent? lol
 
I have a DIY kluge that works for me. If you can set up any kind of alarm system that provides email notification of events, you can have the emails sent to your phone as SMS (thus immediate receipt) notifying you of whatever you have set up. Alarm being set, reset, going off, fire alarm, etc.

Having the alarm sent to myself (no monitoring company) saves monthly charges, yet still satisfies my insurance company requirement for remote monitoring.

What I don't have is remote control capability with my current system.
 
Crumm said:
Alarm.com has a Android app along with Iphone and blackberry apps. You can arm/disarm the sytem from your phone along with viewing the history of when doors and windows were opened. Shows the current status of all doors as well.

I find it handy to check and see if the kids let the dog out. Goes like this - Did you let the dog out? Yeah a hour ago. No doors have been opened in the last three hours, did you shove him out the dryer vent? lol
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I use it on my BB Curve and was hoping it was supported for android also. I will be switching phones next week. Great app. I can check status, arm , disarm, and review history with it.
 
Yes, there are some alarming systems which are accessing through internet and we can even operate these alarming systems through the use of your iphones. These alarming systems will send you the Signal to your iphones.
 
If money is not your biggest concern, and you want to do it right, I would invest in the ELK M1, which is a home security AND automation controller. It can do anything you can think of, and someone JUST released an app (ElkDroid) for Android which lets you control this system completely. I use this hardware and software myself, but check out this video for a quick overview.

There is also a client for Windows Mobile and the iPhone, so it's a safe investment.
 
dibba said:
I'm looking to get a home security system, you know, one that alarms when a door, window, etc is opened.

And so I was thinking, I bet there's one that can tie into an app that lets me check my home remotely.

Any suggestions please?
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my app is called a 12 guage. let someone break in. they will find out what 6 years in the army taught me.
 
rcrott1 said:
my app is called a 12 guage. let someone break in. they will find out what 6 years in the army taught me.
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You figured out a way of getting notified remotely, so you can remotely view and control your 12 gauge? ;)

The reason I like the ELK M1 controller is that it also allows me to remote control my thermostat, lights, even open the garage door (great if you have to let someone in who forgot or doesn't have keys, and you aren't home).

The iPhone has MANY home automation apps, it's nice and exciting to see that Android is finally getting some real attention.
 
danarchy said:
You figured out a way of getting notified remotely, so you can remotely view and control your 12 gauge? ;)

The reason I like the ELK M1 controller is that it also allows me to remote control my thermostat, lights, even open the garage door (great if you have to let someone in who forgot or doesn't have keys, and you aren't home).

The iPhone has MANY home automation apps, it's nice and exciting to see that Android is finally getting some real attention.
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yes, i call her Wife. hahaha/.
 
rcrott1 said:
my app is called a 12 guage. let someone break in. they will find out what 6 years in the army taught me.
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My app is called "Pair of Barking Dogs." Statistically proven to be more of a deterrent than an alarm system, but not quite the deterrent of a guy standing in the house with a shotgun. I'm not a big fan of alarm systems myself 'cuz in my mind there's too much lag time. Look at it like this and imagine I'm a burglar:

I kick in the door.
Alarm goes off.
Alarm company calls the home within a minute or two to check if it's the homeowner.
There's the possibility here that I answer the phone, pretend to be the home owner and stall, but I may not want to leave fingerprints on the phone or I may not bother. Let's say I don't.
The alarm company calls the local police department.
The dispatcher gets the information from the alarm company about your address and what alarm is going off.
The dispatcher tells the police officer where the alarm is.
The police officer drives to your house.

This entire process can easily take 5-10 mins. I'd challenge some people to do a little experiment. Pull your car into your driveway or in front of your house. Set a time for 5 mins. Now, unlock your front door and open it. (Turn off the alarm for this experiment.) Now run through the house and see how much valuable stuff you can scoop up and load in the car and drive off in that 5 mins. Double that to 10 mins. I'll bet you can easily scoop up some valuable stuff and be gone in the 5 mins. My home was broken into before and this is exactly what happened.
 
Check out the story on CNN.com about Paris Hilton's home being broken into. It was stopped before the person actually got into the house, thanks to the security monitoring. While there is no such thing as a perfect security system, systems like these do work, and will scare simple thieves into moving on to the next house. If something REALLY wants to be in your home, then things might get really ugly.

That said, there have been moments where I wondered if I closed my garage door, or if all windows are closed. Being able to quickly verify this using your phone will make you feel a lot better than having to wonder all day ;)
 
I think there are a couple of ways you could run this. There are a number of PC based home monitoring/X10 type solutions and there are a number of Android Apps for viewing and controlling security cameras remotely. There are also some very effective Remote Desktop applications for Android.

I think it might be spiffy to just take something PC based and then just Remote Desktop in to your PC to remote control any lights alarms and the like.

You can use an App like "Tiny DVR" to monitor all your cameras in real time. You can use the email/SMS alert that a poster mentions above to get alarm alerts.

You could build a very inexpensive hybrid system that might give you a pretty amazing amount of options and functionality.

I am thinking along these lines myself.

Edit: "Shotgun" and "wife" are both duly noted in their effectiveness too. Hah.

:)
 
danarchy said:
Check out the story on CNN.com about Paris Hilton's home being broken into. It was stopped before the person actually got into the house, thanks to the security monitoring. While there is no such thing as a perfect security system, systems like these do work, and will scare simple thieves into moving on to the next house. If something REALLY wants to be in your home, then things might get really ugly.

That said, there have been moments where I wondered if I closed my garage door, or if all windows are closed. Being able to quickly verify this using your phone will make you feel a lot better than having to wonder all day ;)
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CNN is blocked here at work, but CBS and ABC aren't. (WTF is up with that?) Anyway, it sounds from what I read like the dogs and the alarms woke her up and she sat on her pretty little butt and waited for the cops to come. It sounds as if the bad guy never actually entered her home. She was obviously at home so I'm not sure why she couldn't have called the cops herself. If she didn't have the security system, the dogs still would've let know someone was there. Then she could've picked up the phone and called the cops. Of course it's Paris and she's not known for her brainpower, but I'm assuming the average person is smarter than her.

All I'm saying is that, assuming I could get a door or window to your house open, (which security systems don't prevent), I could get in and out of most houses with an arm load of stuff in less than 5-10 mins and that's how long it takes cops to respond to most alarms. In fact there are so many false alarms that it often takes way longer than that because cops (consciously or subconsciously) dismiss them as false to begin with.
 
I have tried home surveillance app "Digital Home Angel Mobile", In my view this app is a good casual security app. It doesn't need any cctv..etc, it uses phone camera it self to guard our place.
 
kattyjames111 said:
The latest trend of home security is camera security. cctv security can be very helpful as you will have video as well as audio proof. You can consult with any security guard company. They will provide a skilled person who will monitor the screen all the time and will take appropriate actions when required. This is the best option. What do you think? I welcome your comments over it.

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camera security
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I'd rather not have someone monitoring my cameras for me. I would however like to have a CCTV security system for my own monitoring, and archive of events should a heinous crime occur.
 
Take a look at Logitec Alert's line, which replaces the WiLife line. These are 'HD' cameras, and they offer a client for various platforms, including Android. I'm almost done with my review of this system.
 
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