You Will Get A Virus

I’ve had my home security system for a few weeks now,   and let me just say - I still love it.  While I have had some minor issues with sensor placement, the company (FrontPoint) has been very good, thorough and fast about resolving the issues and helping me be sure I’m getting the best coverage […]

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Last night I wrote how I was disappointed that my home security system’s X10 controls weren’t robust enough to allow me to trigger lights and other actions off of output from the various security sensors in my home.   For instance, having lights turn on near a particular door when it opens.  I did a […]

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So last night I was able to get some neat stuff going to integrate my alarm system (provided by an awesome company called FrontPoint Security - check them out if you’re looking for an alarm system) using it’s native X10 signaling and my home control server’s ability to understand it.

Tonight I wanted to play around with it to see what all the X10 commands are it sent out - primarily to see if what I would LIKE to do is possible (it’s not, yet).

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Back when I was ordering my security system from FrontPoint Security (Which utilizes Alarm.com), I knew that it was capable of X10 control of your lights. At the time, though, I didn’t really think much of it. You see - I stopped using X10 a few weeks ago when I upgraded all of my home automation components to Insteon. Thus, while I thought it was cool that the alarm system was capable of performing X10 control - I just didn’t see it as very useful.

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Friday was a big day for me: my new home security system from FrontPoint Security Solutions arrived. All of the equipment came pre-configured, so all I had to do was take it out of the box and mount it in the areas I wanted coverage. They claimed that most installs took 20-30 minutes for the average user and I was anxious to put that number to the test.

I was quite happy to note that, about 20 minutes later when I finished installing the hardware, they were correct - it really is that easy and fast. Think about that for a minute: It took me 25 MINUTES to install my own home security system.

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In my last post I questioned whether or not I should get a professionally installed home security system or whether I should buy my own equipment and do a homebrew security system monitored by a central station. I came to find some unfavorable reviews of that particular central station online (such as difficulty in reaching them via phone, delays in dispatching police or fire, etc).

Still, though, I was unimpressed with what companies like ADT, Brinks, et al had to offer. ADT had mixed reviews online - some people had no problems, others had a lot of problems. Brinks got good reviews for customer service and reliability (so, if you want a generic run of the mill security system, by all means look at Brinks) and even came recommended as reliable by a family friend who uses them.

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