I registered on SmartThings for this post,
I’m not an ST owner yet but i’ve been following closely for about 6 months… Getting down to brass tax, I LOVE the ability to call trusted friends and family should the phone not be answered, I would also add a duress phrase or a duress password if your in trouble and are required to answer the phone, if you live in a house, your going to have 15-20 seconds to react, if your in a 640sqft apartment however, your going to have less than 5 seconds, to either lock yourself away, stand ground or answer the phone. By that time awoken out of slumber, your brain will be going through a chemical dump and you’ll barely be able to answer your telephone (I’m a victim of a home invasion in MD)
As I give this suggestion I still find this service without worth for me, I’m an engineer as well, i’ve been planning out my home automation for about 8 months now and have settled with ST. I like Layering security, finding services that integrate with each other but still function if one goes down for redundancy.
Abode for Security, + Echo + SmartThings, IFTTT into all three, 3 IP Camera’s into AngelCam If SmartThings trips notification, but if both Abode and ST trip we’ve got a real issue.
Once I arm abode via GeoFence or App/Echo Ifttt will automatically arm SHM, turn lights off run routines ect
Looking at a service like Abode “you should really look into integrating with them” they are incredible. They may be late to the game but from reviews and feedback i’ve seen in research they are one of the best bangs for your buck.
I used to be a 911 dispatcher, I never received a robocall but let me tell you i’d much rather talk to a person and get as much information as possible rather than a robot. Many agencies will only allow 2 false alarms a year before they start charging you and some won’t even send police unless you can verify through camera that there’s someone in the home
If you could provide expand to a service that could serve as a standard where all 911, police dispatchers can plug into if a alarm goes off…
For example…
Alarm… Front door trip, streaming camera 15 seconds transfers to Sheriff, Link is made, RoboSystem sends link along with the call to dispatch, sharable with law enforcement, 15 second camera clip, Motion Sensor Camera Image along with any information about sensors tripping. You sir would make A LOT of money doing that, remember me when you do Abode already does this…
OR the link is sent to you and you become the middle man sharing if the trip is legit or not. I think 4.99$ a month isn’t enough, you could easily charge 10-15 dollars a month. Which is mountains ahead Frontpoint ADT ect…
Being in emergencies on an ambulance for over a year plus countless crazy road rage situations, I’ve found in this day and age, saying “HEY SIRI CALL 911 ON SPEAKER” is the most reliable form of receiving dispatch once a threat is shown to me or the alarm goes off.
I can do it with the phone 5 feet from me, without touching the phone and without looking at it… When you live in an apt with only 5 seconds to unlock the safe during a chem dump, you will need all of them to get your protection out, defend yourself then call for help after.
Good start in your product! I hope it expands more than you ever imagined!
I think this service would suffice someone who’s spent thousands early adopting rather than someone who hasn’t jumped in the boat yet