Community developed Apps save the day*. ( *kinda )

Wiki Projects & Stories
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#1

Sitting at work when suddenly i get a notification from @ethayer 's smart lock app saying the front door was unlocked using the cleaners code.
I first thought it was a glitch since the cleaners were just there on Monday, but decided it was worth looking into… pulled up my Dlink camera app… and then my heart sank as I heard voices in my house.
I then switched back to ST, and using @tobycth3 's SimpliSafe integration, I armed my system AWAY (my wife must have forgotten, and sadly there is no PANIC mode remotely). I waited for the unknown person to trip a motion alarm, and knew the dispatch would not be far behind.

As I was driving home to meet with police and see what damage may have been done in those few minutes, my wife called me telling me the Cleaning Co called her to complain the alarm went off. Her response of course was WTF are you doing in my house. Turns out they had forgotten to do a few things and thought they would pop in today and finish up, despite my wife telling them this was not an option.

So all in all, there was no real danger or theft, just miscommunication on their part. But the great apps developed here were the only way I knew something was going on at all.

12 Likes
#2

you can always schedule their code so it’s only active during the time they normally come to clean the house.

4 Likes
#3

And I do go through and disable it, i just hadn’t yet this week. They don’t come the same time or day each month, so I can’t really schedule it.

#4

Bummer, well at least you had the ability to check on the place when you were away!

1 Like
#5

The odds of a home burglary are (depending on source), 1/36, in any given year, with an average loss of $2300. That works out to a statistical loss of $63 per year per home, not adjusted for where you live or the value of your personal possessions, or intangibles.

Alarm companies charge nearly $63 per month (minimum $20?). They seem to be making out better than Vegas.

Alarming Burglary Stats Infographic
Source: ASecureLife.com

#6

Very interesting stats.

We pay $25/mo but still valid they they are making money off me thus far. Unfortunately this area has been having more break-ins recently and we had 2 attempts at our last house too. So at this point its just a personal comfort choice.

4 Likes
#7

Sorry to hear…

Another variable is whether or not you can get a substantial Home Insurance Discount. In this case, your home insurance company essentially pays for perhaps even 1/2 of your annual alarm system costs (in savings of premiums). My California insurance company, however, only offered 2% off our premium.

#8

Mike just created this…a contact is triggered based on a google calendar search. I bet you could just put the cleaning appts in your google calendar. I wonder if you can creat a rule that flips the codes based on a contact switch.

#9

Interesting stats but keep in mind that some of us have alarms like SimpliSafe to also alert the fire department for Fire or CO. This provides my family peace of mind with pets at home, letting the dryer finish up when we leave, etc. Can’t put a price on that :slightly_smiling:

1 Like
#10

Well… Indeed, there are a lot of less tangible benefits, but they can be priced; i.e., you’re willing to pay ~$20/month for Simplisafe, but perhaps not $80 for ADT, even if ADT might claim or prove they are “x%” more reliable.

Everything has a price. One of the big questions is whether or not $99 for SmartThings “lifetime service” is too low of a price to expect the minimum safety value that you are getting with an add-on or competitor…?

#11

I use this app as it lets me define a basic schedule.
https://community.smartthings.com/t/lock-code-manager/12280

1 Like
#12

I just realized it appears to schedule all the codes… My wife and I don’t use codes since I have a ddwrt/tomato script that does our presence detection and unlocks the door automatically. Perhaps this is my next project.

#13

You can use multiple instances of the app… one “scheduled access” instance and one “Always on” instance for the other codes.

Unfortunately since ST limits the schedule calls of an app to a measly 4, you just have to use separate installs of the app. :disappointed:

I’ve been very interested in the Parent>Child app relationship introduced recently, but I haven’t had the time to experiment with it. Might be that would unlock the ability to use multiple schedules in a single space.

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