Home Security Alarm Notifications with Examples

This blog was originally published in April 2016. It was updated in May 2020 with new product information.

The best alarm systems can now keep you informed of anything you want to know that is happening at home. In addition to alerting you of an unwanted intrusion, your system should alert you when the kids got home from school, or when the dog walker showed up—and how long was that walk? We fired our dog walker for giving five-minute walks (not the half-hour we agreed to!), though we never mentioned that it was the interactive services built into our home security system that tipped us off.

I’ll be explaining how Frontpoint's notifications work. There should be a great deal of similarity in these features from one company to the next. If not: keep shopping!

• Text or email. Most users of interactive alarm services have smartphones and prefer to get their notifications via email, but not everybody. Frontpoint allows for alarm systems with email notifications or text notifications based on your preference.
• Multiple recipients. You can have unlimited recipients of the notifications sent from your system. You may want your spouse, partner, or a grown child to get them. Other options include a neighbor or caretaker/handyman. It's up to you!
• Extremely flexible. As the homeowner, you get to customize your notifications. For example, you can determine what sensors send notifications and to whom. You can even set the time these alerts are sent (or not), and the type of signal that triggers a notification.
• Easy to set up by the end-user. Using the intuitive app, where all the interactive services are integrated, you can set up your notification preferences—and then change them at will.

• These report on any door equipped with this sensor, telling you which door was opened, and when.
• Many of our subscribers who have guns in the home place a sensor on a gun safe so they will know immediately if (and when) it is opened. That works for a normal safe as well.
• A medicine cabinet is another great example of something you want to keep tabs on with notifications.
• Wine cellars and areas where liquor is stored are natural notification candidates.
• Do you have an elderly parent living alone? Some customers use notifications for tracking "aging-in-place" activities, such as exterior doors opening, or the opening of a refrigerator or medicine cabinet.
• Notifications can even tell you when a garage door is left open longer than a specific period, such as five minutes—and you get to establish that span.

• You'll know any time the alarm system is armed or disarmed.
• If you leave home and forget to arm your system, the system uses a "Geo-fencing" feature to alert you once you get a certain distance from home (you get to set that distance). Then, you can arm your system remotely using the app.

To learn more about arming and disarming your Frontpoint system, check out this blog.

• When power is lost in your home, you'll know. And the system will even send you a notification to tell you when the power comes back on.
• For added peace of mind, the system can even tell you what percentage of the homes around you have also lost power, so you'll know if this is a neighborhood issue or just your house.

For more information on battery backups, read our blog on how home security systems work if the power goes out.

• When you add one or more thermostats to your smart home configuration, you can control them remotely. That means you can also set up thresholds for high and low temperatures: when those limits are exceeded, you'll receive alerts.
• When someone changes settings manually on your thermostats, you'll know by the notifications you receive.

Read more on z-wave thermostats and why you may want one.

While this is only a partial list of the types and uses of notifications, it gives you a clear picture of just how powerful this feature is. People love notifications because they make you feel safer, while also feeling more connected to your home when you're not there. The best alarm companies focus on these latest interactive services and smart home functions—now, these features are an essential part of offering true peace of mind.

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.