Crash and Smash Home Protection Explained – We’ve got it, but the Others Don’t

Okay, here is a timely topic for the summer. There are plenty of young folks coming to the door to sell you and alarm systems– and we’ll deal with them (and their tactics!) in a separate post. Today’s point is that most alarm companies are selling systems that are easy to defeat. The concept is called “Crash & Smash,” and it’s happening more and more across the US. Here’s the scenario with a traditional alarm system:

1. Intruder crashes through the door.
2. Alarm system (if set in the “armed” state!) waits for the pass code to be entered in the keypad.
3. If no pass code is entered, siren sounds, but alarm panel still waits 30 seconds or more to send alarm signal.
4. Intruder smashes the alarm control panel before the panel sends the alarm signal.
5. Central monitoring never receives the alarm, or calls the home to verify, or dispatches police.

Good news: FrontPoint’s cellular partner, Alarm.com, has developed a patented solution for Crash & Smash. Alarm.com is the absolute leader for next generation interactive wireless monitoring services, with remote alarming/disarming, email and text notifications, special apps for smart phones (iPhone, Blackberry, and Android), video services, and even smart home functions like light and thermostat control.  FrontPoint is the only company is the US to use Alarm.com in every system we sell. Alarm.com calls this particular feature “Pending Alarms,” but we like “Crash & Smash” for the visual! Now we will run the scenario with a FrontPoint Security system with Interactive Monitoring:

1. Intruder crashes through the door.
2. System sends “Door Open” signal to Alarm.com (it does this every time a door opens).
3. System waits for pass code to be entered.
4. If no pass code is entered, siren sounds: remember, the alarm panel has already sent “Open Door.”
5. Alarm.com waits for next signal: either pass code being entered, or intrusion alarm signal.
6. Intruder smashes control panel.
7. Alarm.com receives no more signals, so treats the unresolved “Door Open” as an alarm event, and central monitoring station handles dispatch process.

Here's a short video that really makes the point - https://www.frontpointsecurity.com/home-security-how-to/how-home-security-works/how-to-defeat-alarm-systems We have also talked a lot about the requirement for wireless cellular monitoring – the only safe way to protect your home and family – so now you see why a FrontPoint system is virtually impossible to defeat.