Smart Home Security - The Future of Technology
I have a confession to make - I’m a big sci-fi nerd. I love all things science fiction and fantasy. These genres are my number one choice for movies and books, even most of my home decor reflects my fangirl tendencies. So it’s probably no surprise that I geek out about smart home technology, too. I want to live my sci-fi dream by connecting IoT devices for smart home control, just like I experience in the fictional works I’m so fond of. Smart home security is the technology of the future.
That's why I was so excited to learn about the Virtual Keypad™ app. With this app, you can easily control your home security AND all your smart home Z-Wave devices. In addition to being totally sci-fi, Virtual Keypad™ has a number of advantages: camera control, video verification, geofences, control of IoT devices, and compatibility with other smart home favorites. With so many cool features, it makes me feel like I'm living in the future!
Camera Control & Video Verification
The Virtual Keypad™ app allows you to monitor any movement in your home while you are away. Using the app, you can check camera feeds, record video clips, or set the cameras to record on motion.
The “record on motion” functionality is linked to another amazing feature of the app – Video Verification. Video Verification helps you distinguish between a false alarm and a real one. When you receive an alarm notification, you can view video footage of the alarm event on your mobile device. Because you can see what happened to cause the alarm, you can quickly confirm or cancel emergency dispatch.
Smart Home Room Control
Virtual Keypad’s Room Control gives you quick, easy access to your Z-Wave smart home devices. With this handy feature, you take a photo of a room in your house and then map each smart home device within it. So instead of hunting for the specific device in a menu, simply open the picture and tap the device you want. Yes, it really is just as magical as it sounds!
Compatible with Other Smart Home Favorites
The Virtual Keypad™ app is compatible with your other smart home favorites, including Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple TV.
The cool thing about using the Virtual Keypad™ via Apple TV is viewing the live feed and saved clips from your security cameras. Watch the kiddos play outside while you work inside. Or pull up a saved clip from an incident on your TV to get a better view of details you might have missed on your phone. Connect to your video doorbell to see who's at the door while your watching TV.
The Virtual Keypad™ skill for Amazon Echo offers a new way for you to control your security system and Z-Wave devices. Now, with a simple voice command, you can: arm your system, change your arming status, turn lights on or off, dim lights, lock or unlock doors, and change the temperature setting on your thermostat.
You can even voice-activate favorites - a set of actions grouped together. For example, you might have a favorite when you go to bed that changes your security system status to sleep, turns off all the lights, locks all the doors, and sets the thermostat to 70°F.
Living the Sci-Fi Dream
No lies, using Virtual Keypad™ makes me feel at least a little bit like Tony Stark, but that’s not why it’s so awesome. Controlling my home with a smartphone, tablet, or even TV adds a level of convenience and flexibility that’s hard to beat. After all, what good is a home security system if it doesn’t make you feel secure? Virtual Keypad™ goes a long way in providing some very real peace of mind, no matter where you are.
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